St. Louis: The Coffee Shop Across The Street From Francine's Dorm, Wednesday Evening

[thatsamilkshake]

Wow, a red-letter day for Francine: the first time since she'd left Fandom that she actually missed the ability to fume her way over to Caritas and order whatever the heck she wanted without getting carded.

Not that she'd ever done that while she was there and not thinking she was someone else -- she just missed the ability now. Peppermint hot

Comments

[bigdamndestiny]

Oh, poor Francine.

Poor, poor Francine.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Agggh!" Mmm, peppermint phone.

Francine managed to fish it out of her coffee before there were any sparks, at least. One more line of Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo and her phone would've been toast.

Soggy toast. "Merlin? Hang on. Sorry. Drying my phone off."

[bigdamndestiny]

"Drying it off?" What was this tomfoolery, Francine?

[thatsamilkshake]

"It's raining?" she tried, because that made her sound slightly less foolish, and God knew she needed that today.

[bigdamndestiny]

"Oh." Francine, you're just lucky that he wasn't going to question that. "You should get an umbrella."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I have one." Luckily for anything approaching dignity, he couldn't see her lick the whipped cream off the back of her phone.

Unlike EVERYONE ELSE IN THE COFFEE SHOP.

"I was just too mad to remember to take it with me."

[bigdamndestiny]

"Mad?" Oh dear. "What happened? Do Arthur and I need to come visit?"

And turn people into toads? Or make them puke toads? Or have Arthur beat them up?

[thatsamilkshake]

"No!" Wait, that sounded wrong. "I, I mean, you're welcome to. I just..." No, no, no, she was not going to start sniffling.

"Sniff... Katchoo...arrrrrgh!" There, that explained everything, right?

[bigdamndestiny]

Oh god, Merlin was going to have to turn Katchoo into a bunny again, won't he?

"I'm not sure I can translate 'arrrrgh'," he said, peering around to make sure Gaius wasn't outside his room. "What happened?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"We -- sniff -- I... I don't know. She's just so...gah!" Clear as peppermint cocoa rings on the tablecloth. "We had a ...disagreement. I guess." No, no, that wasn't the word.

[bigdamndestiny]

Merlin frowned at that. "What about?"

He was allowed to be protective of Francine still, thank you.

[thatsamilkshake]

I don't knoooOOoooOOOooOOOow is not an answer, Francine.

"I don't knoooOOoooOOOooOOOow!"

Sorry, Merlin. At least the sudden indoor cloudburst was only getting her napkin wet instead of your neckerchief?

[bigdamndestiny]

Merlin yanked the phone away from his ear, giving it a mildly frightened look. Crying girl! Oh god!

"Um. It's alright, Francine," he tried soothingly.

[thatsamilkshake]

"No, it's not! She wanted to paint me!" The horror.

[bigdamndestiny]

"..." Just stare at the phone, Merlin. Go ahead. "...paint you what?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Blue, Merlin. With little lavender polka-dots.

"A picture. A naked picture."

Pardon the nose-honk there.