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[ The dresser. Right. He's a little shaky when he stands, glances back at her and leaves her with a small promise of "I'll be back in a minute". Granted, that might be more convincing if he didn't almost trip up over said dress with it laid out of the floor.

Ignoring that he keeps walking until he gets to the back. He finds the hair tie easily enough, but instead of going straight back out he takes a few long and incredibly deep breaths. His heart is still racing and he really has no idea what kind of reading Athena will get from this response but...

She does look like a princess, or as much of one as that dress and plastic allows. If he could, he'd transform it to gold for her--but without a stone of that kind of power it's impossible.

He pulls the hair tie onto his wrist and rubs his hands over his trousers, trying to clear his mind. He can do this. He can--

Walking out he immediately thinks he left too soon, but it'd be suspicious otherwise. ] Found it. [ Instead he steps behind her, hands reaching to take a section of hair from both sides of her face. ]

Hold this piece. [ As soon as she takes it he starts plaiting the other, getting half way before he holds that piece out for her to take. It shouldn't take her long to realise that he's plaiting two sides for her, eventually plaiting the both of them together to trail down her back. He starts explaining maybe half way through it. ]

I don't have the expertise for some of the styles the Lady Morgana or even Guinevere do but... this is closer to what they do.

[ She should be able to notice his hands are shaking a little while doing this though. Loser. ]

[ she does figure out what he's doing to her hair, and she'd really like to see what she looks like right now. she's never braided her hair like this before, so she at least thinks that this is going to be an interesting look.

concern does occur to her when she realises merlin's hands being shaky. she still doesn't know what he's so nervous about, though there's the sinking feeling again that she just made him uncomfortable. is this too close to home, she thinks, because that might be why? the other costumes were in the laundry, and there were only a select few nice ones, so this was the one she chose. . .

if she had it her way, she'd much rather wear a different dress. it was always fun dressing up like a princess. she has to call the patrons your highness, and it just makes the whole royalty experience real. ]

If this is your first time fixing somebody's hair, then I can totally understand why you're nervous.

[ she looks up at him, a small smirk on her face. she's only teasing, merl. ]

[ He laughs, though it's also not completely there. He's concentrating, finally pulling the tie from his wrist to finish off her hair. It isn't a bad attempt for a first try, and now she looks...

Something.

He stops himself from thinking of a word, lest he embarrass himself by staring down at her for too long. After patting down her hair he steps aside to look at her from the front, pulling forward some of the strands of her hair to cover her shoulders. He bites his lip while he does it, watching skin disappear until he looks at her face. ]

I'm not that bad at it. You forget, I'm used to dressing a prince. [ Yeah... dressing. :| ]

[ if only she had her cerevice. she'd love to see how she looks like now. there's checking out her reflection on the teaspoon, but that doesn't exactly help much. she'll just do it later.

hopefully, she doesn't look like too much of a loon. she wants to look nice, after all. ]

Then what are you nervous about? [ then she chuckles and flaps a hand dismissively. ] Nevermind. You don't have to answer that-- [ "you big weirdo", she'd say, but she has to remain in character. ]

I guess if I'm a princess right now, you're a King or a Prince. Do you have anything for me to do?

[ No, it definitely looks nice, there's an odd mishap in the back where he hasn't pulled tight enough, but it's decent. From the front it looks nice.

He slowly moves to sit down, letting out a lot breath because of how shaky he feels. Rather than answering, he presses his hand to his head and just laughs ]

How are you even wondering that right now? Besides-- [ He looks down at himself. ] Right now I really don't look the part to be a King or a Prince. I'm more like your servant.

[ of course she'd be wondering?? she may be smart sometimes, but she's mostly clueless and oblivious about the obvious. someone is completely devoted to her, and she still doesn't know about it because the fact hasn't been verbalised. she'd really only believe things if they're said out loud, or if the heart truly feels it. ]

Because-- [ it's... distracting. the way his heart sounds is distracting. she did say never mind, though, so she drops it. ]

We can still pretend, anyway. Besides, I'm the waitress here. So, what will it be?

[ she covers her mouth as she giggles. ]

I'm sure we can get the chef to make us some food if you're hungry. I'll just tell him to deduct it from my pay. [ even if she might need as much money as she can get. she's not a firm believer that happiness can be bought, though if she can make people smile by offering them presents, then she'll do it. ]

[ Sorry to say, but this is something he doesn't want to say right now. She'll at least be able to tell there's thumps of joy mixed in with the nervousness anyway. It's not worrying like it was last time. ]

I'm not that hungry. Just stay with me, I guess.

[ he said he was going to be nice, but she certainly did not expect him to be this nice. she gives him a nod and a warm smile in response. ]

That's easy enough. I can do that.

[ all the time, if she could, too. ]

[ Amazing what a costume can do, huh? He's trying to ignore the way his heart is being a little strange, and if anything he might be sick if he tried eating at the moment.

His stomach feels weird. His eyes dip to the tea, and he curls both hands around his cup in the hope that he can take a sip. The cup rattles slightly against the saucer, meaning he lifts it whether he's ready or not. There's been enough time for the water to cool a bit, it doesn't burn holding it like this, so he takes a sip. ]

Do customers ever ask you to do that?

[ she thinks back on her six months of working at the cosplay cafe. there's been a ton of requests for her, as well as tasks--some fun and some questionable--so she tries to recall those that are actually worth nothing. ]

Yes, of course. Some people want to learn more about me, though it's protocol that we shouldn't give out any personal information. [ so she just makes stuff up sometimes... yolo. ] Some people ask me to hold their hand or to embrace them while they eat, [ which can often be uncomfortable. ] But the strangest one I've ever heard so far was a request for a foot massage.

[ she visibly winces. ]

I said no, of course. That's just nasty.

[ He doesn't know why he asked, because those are definitely answers he didn't want to hear. He averts his eyes towards the window, sipping on the tea before lowering the cup again. He can still see her like this anyway, though it's blurred due to the reflection on the glass. ]

That is rather disgusting. [ At least he can smile a little about that, though he's trying to hold back any other emotions before Athena gets worried all over again.

Mostly because he can't explain it. ]

What if I asked you to share personal information with me right now?

[ He already knows enough, so that definitely isn't the point of that question............. uh. ]

[ the cosplay cafe does cater to... a certain kind of demographic, that's for sure. athena decides not to make any further comments regarding what kind of things their patrons make her do. she's survived for half a year, so it truly can't be that bad. hopefully, merlin stays too.

she looks up at the ceiling for a few seconds as she contemplates on his question. she even lifts a hand so she can poke at her earring, but she stops herself midway because she feels like it would be un-princess-like to do so. she slips her hand on the table, instead. ]

Well, I could, if you asked me something. We might be pretending, but it's not like you're an actual customer.

[ Shoulder massages are one thing, feet are another. Gross. So far it hasn't been so bad for him though, most of the time they just complain their favourite girl isn't working that night. There's been more female types but they don't seem to go for weird things like that.

Though when she replies he leans back in his seat, clasps his hands on the table. He glances down at them, rolls his lower lip through his teeth. ]

Why-- [ He clears his throat. ] Why did you choose that dress?

[ her gaze falls on his hands, and then he suddenly asks the question. it's not weird by any means, though it does make her feel like she's at the detention center and she's being interrogated.

still, she answers right away. ]

I wanted to look nice. And this was the only princess dress around right now. [ "why?", she'd continue, and even ask if she should have chosen something else, but it's not her place to be asking questions right now. ]

Edited 2016-02-28 22:05 (UTC)

[ His hands don't stay still, he rolls his thumbs, swallows when she watches them as well. I wanted to look nice. She definitely accomplished that. It's weird to hear those words after the post-it he'd left in response to her doodle that time too, maybe that's why his chest feels tight?

He'll tell himself that for the time being, at least. ]

The head... thing isn't that accurate though. [ His lips twitch slightly. ] They must have come into fashion later. But it ...suits you.

[ she can't help but laugh and grin st the compliment. dressing up's never made her uncomfortable before, and while she's used to receiving compliments over how she's dressed, by other people, this one feels a but more special.

it's then that she remembers that she should probably drink something, too. she's just been sitting in place and doing nothing... how awkward and stiff she must be. so she pours herself a cup of tea. ]

Thanks. [ and then she looks away right after because she could feel her cheeks begin to flush. ah... not as planned. ] It's kind of weird not having Widget on [ as this is the only time she's worn a costume without him. ] but I think I'll get used to it.

[ she slowly takes off her headpiece and sets it on the table. ] This is called a tiara. It's a lot like a crown, though I'm sure it's more comfortable to wear than a crown.

[ okay, talk about something else. good. ]

Are crowns actually heavy?

[ His hands twitch when she laughs, and at first he wonders if he said something weird. Thankfully it's a laugh and not the opposite, he tries to relax, but it honestly isn't that easy at the moment. ]

It's weird seeing you without it. [ He taps at the table, reaching for the tiara when she sets it down. ] I wouldn't really know. Arthur's mother died, and ... [ Okay, now he laughs slightly. ] The only time King Uther remarried was when he was enchanted by a troll. [ Everyone can laugh forever about that part tbh. ] Crowns are only used for weddings or coronations, I think.

Usually Arthur wears a thin metal band, and Morgana... it's more like a pendant with chains than a crown. Does that make sense?

[ a hum escapes her as she takes a sip off her tea. it's still a bit warm, thankfully. it's once she sets the cup back down that she speaks again. let's never talk about how she almost spit her tea at the mention of the troll, though. she managed to control herself. ]

A what? How did that happen? [ try not to laugh, try not to laugh. that's rude. ]

And I think I can imagine it. Who is Morgana, though?

[ Ah, she might be trying to hold it back but he can't help it. ]

Oh, yes. A big fat troll actually. She smelled disgusting. He was... enchanted to think she was the beautiful lady he once knew though. Eventually I managed to break the enchantment for her appearance but the love spell was something else. [ He scratches his cheek. ]

And Lady Morgana... is the King's Ward. Her father was in his service, so the King took her into his care.

[ His eyes flicker down to his own tea then, pulling it up to take a sip. ]

[ the story about the troll is so gross... she just makes a face as she listens, not even sure what to think of this uther guy anymore... she hopes he really never comes to cerealia, else she'll just laugh at him forever while trying to change his mind about magic.

as for morgana, though, she sounds like something else... ]

What's she like? Is she pretty? [ her smile grows wider as her curiosity strengthens. who knew just talking about home could be fun?

though she hopes that she won't step on any landmines with her questions. ]

[ Uther is a hot mess, that's the only answer to that. There's a reason the one he supports is Arthur, not Uther. But that isn't important right now.

He chokes on his tea, wishing he hadn't chosen that moment to take a large gulp of it and covers his mouth with his hand.

Maybe that answers that for you, Athena. ] Why-- [ Wait, he needs to stop coughing first, reaching for the napkin holder to mop up the tea he just coughed onto the table. ] Why do you ask?

[ now who's the hot mess? she just stares at merlin for a few good seconds, arching an eyebrow slowly at his latest performance. ]

I'm curious, that's all.

[ mostly because there's the idea that anybody who lives in a castle is absolutely gorgeous. the princesses in the storybooks she's read when she was a child definitely made her think so. while morgana isn't a princess, it sure seems like she's almost one. ]

But I guess you should be asking the questions, huh?

[ He drags a hand down his face once that's over, trying to not look her in the eye. ]

It's fine, I just wasn't expecting it. [ And there are various flashbacks of Arthur assuming the wrong idea because he took her flowers and then the fact that he knows she has magic, but he promised he'd keep that a secret.

It's complicated. The four of them are good friends. Then again he's had warnings, too. ]

She's... strong willed. She stands up to Uther more than Arthur does actually. Though I fear what that will mean for the future. [ The witch must not realise the extent of her powers. He swallows. ] Yet, also caring. She took a young boy into her care when Uther would have had him killed. She doesn't believe in killing those that have magic, though I never told her who I am... What I can do. I can't.

As for her looks... [ Why is this happening? ] She's... [ He pauses for a moment as he finally looks back at Athena, fingers fiddling with a damp napkin. ] She's. Stunning? Like when she walks into the room, you can't help but follow her with your eyes.

[ ...ah ]

[ it must be really difficult to hide such a big secret from people, especially his friends. but if it's for the best, then it's a good decision. hopefully, it never backfires on merlin--not telling people about himself and his magic, anyway.

at the mention of her looks, she swoons. she sounds so dreamy! like the princesses she's read about, and she just sounds like the coolest person ever. ]

Oh! Gosh, I'd really love to meet her one day. She sounds so great, and I bet she'd be the prettiest in Cerealia, too!

[ Oh it will definitely backfire if after how he's acted here and one of them shows up--but he tries to not think about that. He'll deal with it when it happens. But.

His eyes drop. ] I'm not sure how she'd cope with a place like this. Not really.

[ It's so solemn in contrast to Athena's swooning. Soft. Sad, even. ]

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PUNCHES YOU!!!!!

love me.......

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go back to sleep!!!

8(

well i don't want you to but ... it's too early isn't it?????

sob my mom started watching tv... no sleeping allowed now

oh no .... cries for you gently

There is no hope for me

sings you soothing songs

//////

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