006 ♛ Video | Action

[pratful]

[ a strange text appears across Arthur's screen, scrolling with interminable slowness through the words. ]

Hear ye, Hear ye, Hear ye!

The Royal Prince Arthur Pendragon of Camelot wishes the following to be known.




He is lonely.

[ and then the feed mysteriously clicks off only to be replaced with a vision of Arthur taping photocopied posters of the same message to a certain lamp post, unaware of the shaky recording as his phone starts to work it's way out of his upper pocket.

Perhaps the phone felt sorry for the lamp post, under appreciated that it is, perhaps it's the lamppost feeling sorry for Arthur. Either way, Arthur certainly had not planned to get caught quite like this! ]

Comments

[Action]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

Now?

[Action]

[pratful]

[ he wrinkles his brow ]

Well, yes. Do you have something better to do right now? [ wasn't the whole reason Merlin was here because...

Oh. Right. The lonely bit. He's never gonna live this down is he? ]

[Action]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

...

I could... keep you company.

[ Obviously? ]

[Action]

[pratful]

...

[ he sits ] I really am going to regret this in the morning aren't I. [ but he can't exactly say he minds at the moment. ]

[Action]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ Have a grin. ]

Probably.

[Action]

[pratful]

[ yep, definitely regretting this already ] Then spit it out already. You must have something in mind.

[Action]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

Must I?

[Action]

[pratful]

Then you don't?

[ and for the record, he's not getting on that carousel ]

[Action]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ Shrug. ]

Can't say I do yet.

[Action]

[pratful]

[ insufferable brat ] Well then think faster. This was your idea.

[Action]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

Just sitting here isn't enough for you?

[ Who's the insufferable prat? ]

We can have a heart to heart talk.

[ action ]

[pratful]

... You're not secretly turning into a girl are you? [ that's what heart-to-heart was, wasn't it? He's seen the dramas. That's what all the women say just before they break up with their significant others.

... not that they were a significant anything of course.

Of course. ]

[ action ]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ ...yes, of course.

Arthur, Merlin's taking away those dramas from you. ]

You know, it's not just a girl thing to have heart to heart talks.

[ action ]

[pratful]

[ but that's just cruel :( ]

Somehow, I don't think that's quite how I would phrase that. [ can't they just leave it at a manly discussion and move on? ]

[ action ]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ Drastic measures. ]

Fine. How about friends' talk?

[ action ]

[pratful]

How about we just have a man to man? [ sure, sure, he did say Merlin would be a friend for laugh that one time, but there's no need to band that word around so easily, now is there? ]

[ action ]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

There's a difference?

[ action ]

[pratful]

Of course there is. [ just don't ask ]

[ action ]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

Right.

[ action ]

[pratful]

[ dead silence ]

So... what do you think of the City then? It certainly has it's low points. [ and it's been a few months. Merlin has to have an opinion of it by now ]

[ action ]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ Oh, that's actually not a bad topic. Well done, Arthur. ]

Well...

[ He slowly rubs his hands together in thought. ]

Aside from some of the curses, I think I like it.

[ He doesn't have to hide anymore. It's really freeing. ]

You?

[ action ]

[pratful]

[ he has been taking diplomacy courses for years upon years now. He was bound to come up with a winner sometime. ]

I admit, it's not terrible, but I'd still much rather be in Camelot. I had a purpose, there. [ and he'd feel like less of a disappointment half the time if he was. Giving into the City, becoming a part of it, well... that was like admitting defeat, right? ]

[ action ]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ Want an applause for that? ]

And you don't here? Life too regular for you?

[ action ]

[pratful]

[ yes please. he just loves being patronized. ]

Of course I don't. I work, I sleep, I'm hardly useful. [ not in the way he was raised to be. ]

[ action ]

[destinedtobeunpopular]

[ There, there. ]

Arthur...

[ He sighs, clasps his hands in his lap and looks down at them. ]

You... may not be a prince here, but everything... prince-y isn't all there is to you. Don't you realise that you're free to control your life completely here? You can really do anything you like.

[ A pause. ]

Well, almost.

[ He peers at Arthur. ]

There are fewer limits. The only one who decides your purpose is you.