[location: royal chambers] detente

[trainedprat]

Since Morgana's (triumphant?) return to the Royal Chambers of Camelot, Arthur has made valiant attempts at ignoring her, after their exceedingly mature bickering match. Sadly, in this context, 'valiant' more or less translates as 'pitiful'. He's well aware that she's by no means up to her usual levels of strength, no matter how she might endeavour

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[magicalskeptic]

Morgana's (triumphant) return has resulted in a ridiculous standoff. She's refused to ask assistance with anything, or admit that she'd like his company.

This, of course, has led to accidentally finding him at odd times of day. Not that Morgana would imply that Arthur, at times, can be a creature of habit, and easy enough to locate, even in a building of this size. It has also led to a variety of monosyllabic conversations, if they speak at all.

Trying to spend a portion of her day doing something useful, her chambers are fairly tidy. Unfortunately, this has worn her out.

All she did was lie down for a moment. She's not really asleep, and that murmur that might've been heard outside the door, is not at all a semi-conscious almost whine at being awakened.

[trainedprat]

Well, this is awkward. Or at least it is on Arthur's side of things - he'd been expecting a frosty 'you may enter' or something to that effect, and he hadn't counted on her being very obviously asleep.

"Er... I can come back later if you want?" He offers, slightly wrong-footed and not sure whether he should just flee while he still has the chance.

[magicalskeptic]

She was simply resting, really. Just because that rest happened to last the better part of a couple of hours, does not make the point moot.

Sitting up, Morgana puts her hand to her forehead and then smooths back her hair.

"What do you need, Arthur?" The tone of voice she's using is clearly ennui, not sleepy.

[trainedprat]

"Oh, nothing. Nothing." He calls loudly, scratching the back of his neck in a feckless sort of way, and feeling like a bit of an idiot, conversing with a door.

"I was just enquiring whether you've noticed any leaks. In your ceiling. At all."

Wow, he could have put a bit more effort into that one.

[magicalskeptic]

Really, he could have, because Morgana gives the door a look that might imply that Arthur's either lost his mind, or if he comes in, she's expecting him to have grown a second head.

Instead, she gives him another chance to say something slightly less ludicrous. "Arthur, you had better come in, I did not hear you correctly."

[trainedprat]

Ludicrous is a bit harsh. At any rate he enters when prompted, closing the door swiftly and quietly behind him, before hovering in a spot a few paces away from Morgana's bed.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were resting," he opens, slightly sheepishly.

[magicalskeptic]

Ludicrous is a perfectly selected adjective. The idea that Arthur would know what to do when it comes to home repairs, never mind actually deigning to do it, is ludicrous.

"Assuming I am resting would be a safe assumption, as of late," If Morgana sounds frustrated, it's not at Arthur, for once. She's sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.

"Perhaps I was a bit hasty in returning home." Morgana's discovered the dilemma of anyone who has been ill for an extended period of time: the desire to reassert one's independence, often forgets how much one needs to do when on one's own.

[trainedprat]

...that is a very fine point.

Arthur (as oblivious as he often has the capacity to be) is able to pick up on Morgana's frustration - and, to an extent, that it's not pointing in his direction. Honestly, he's a bit tired of their recent frosty relations. He can only be pig-headed about an argument for so long before it becomes exhausting, and he's past that point by now. Also, there's the fact that he does actually like Morgana, no matter how he might behave to the contrary. So here comes a rather oblique attempt at an apology, directed at the wall above Morgana's bed.

"Yes, well. Perhaps I could have been more helpful."

[magicalskeptic]

Arthur may not be looking at Morgana, but she is studying him and realizes that in their absurd standoff, the original reason for the offense so minor, it should be laughable, this is a peace offering.

She would really like some peace. She would also like to stop coming up with rational excuses to find him in the royal chambers. Sure, she may have a well of them, but even the deepest wells run dry, eventually.

So, instead, she gives him a half smile. "Not if I wouldn't have let you."

There's her olive branch -- and she's still looking right at him.

[trainedprat]

That's an olive branch that he'll be grasping - metaphorically - and he averts his fixed gaze at the wall, to look at Morgana instead. Her smile thaws the last of his reserve, and he smiles back, relenting.

"No leaks then." He announces, glancing perfunctorily up at the ceiling before moving to knock knowledgably on a wall. Bullshitting, essentially. "Everything seems to be in order. Excellent."

[magicalskeptic]

The temptation to laugh is almost too much. He's never been quite as good at magnanimous bullshittery as his father, but his skills are undeniable.

Although, she prefers him when he's smiling.

"Everything is fine, my Lord," for once, not used in jest. Technically, it would be the correct title, and their peace is far too new to risk any teasing.

"You have taken excellent care of things during my absence and recovery." Look, it's a compliment -- genuine. Someone may want to record the time and date for posterity.

[trainedprat]

He nods to acknowledge the compliment, in a sort of self-deprecating way. To his mind, he hasn't really done anything in particular, other than try not to make a hideous mess everywhere, which wasn't terribly taxing.

"You look good. Well, better." He replies, repaying the compliment in kind. "It's nice to see you in actual clothes again."

So much civility is unnatural probably.

[magicalskeptic]

As a prince, and always having servants pick up after him, Morgana's just relieved that being independent, even with the mundane things such as not leaving one's mess everywhere, is somewhere in his make-up. It must be from his mother's side.

"It is a relief to be in them. There shall be no more jaunts outside in my nightclothes, in the future." Since she's already had two incidents -- both revolving around Arthur, she's not aiming to ever have a third.

"And I was anxious to return home," It's an error she's been making more frequently, of late, "to the Royal Chambers."

Somewhere, the universe must be wondering what planets aligned to create an entirely polite, teasing-free conversation.

[trainedprat]

Well, with no Merlin and only insipid Extras to potentially pick up the slack, poor Arthur has just had to learn to domestically fend for himself. It's quite amazing, really. ...except Morgana hasn't seen his room, which is an absolute pit.

"I'm quite relieved about that too. Not sure my back could handle that sort of strain on a regular basis." He accompanies this with some theatrical wincing, of course. Evidently this is teasing, but it's good-natured - they're both aware that Morgana is exceedingly slim, especially lately. He follows it up with something much more genuine, however.

"It's good to have you back, my lady."

[magicalskeptic]

The universe can breathe a sigh of relief. This pair is starting to sound more like themselves, rather than some always unfailingly polite looking-glass doppelgangers, even if the teasing is good-natured.

Morgana tilts her head and smirks. "I have doubts that much effort was required on your part." She wouldn't really know, as by the time she was taken back to her room, she was almost asleep. She is though, well aware of how she got back to her bed. "And, if you do not wish such incidents to occur, you should not make such an enticing offer to someone who is too ill to be properly dressed."

"Thank you, Arthur."

[trainedprat]

"Well, I wasn't aware that I was so enticing." Yes, he was. And yes, he's choosing to twist her wording to his own immature ends, but there's nothing new there - and if Morgana is going to smirk, then so will he.

"Speaking of being properly dressed, it occured to me that with so much space at our disposal, we might host a celebration. In honour of your homecoming."