FDR - Alcove 2, Monday Evening

[bigdamndestiny]

Merlin was hiding.

Of course, one of the people he was hiding from was in the next alcove, so it wasn't exactly working in the best way, but...

Hiding nonetheless.

[[OF COURSE IT IS OPEN]]

Comments

[thatsamilkshake]

In the war between Guilt and Avoidance, Francine would like to be able to say of herself that Guilt won. In sad point of fact, Avoidance of the Person in the Next Cubicle - hers, not Merlin's - not only won, it took both Guilt and Avoidance of Merlin out back behind Teddy Roosevelt cabin, beat them up, rifled through their pockets for spare change, made them eat dirt, pantsed them and hung them by their underwear from the flagpole in the center of camp.

In other words, she still didn't fit underneath her own bed, so she came to hide over here. And she'd be knocking on the wall to apologize any second now. Really.

[bigdamndestiny]

Merlin would feel rather... special about that another time.

But, for now? Hiding.

But there were feet visible under the curtain. Female ones. "Hello?" It was quiet enough that maybe they wouldn't hear?

[thatsamilkshake]

The feet had no ears, so indeed they couldn't hear! Wasn't that helpful?

They had seven months of Houston Junior Belles ballet training before their owner got too top-heavy to balance on them, too, so they were awfully good at... doing fidgety little dances outside of curtains while said owner pretended that she, too, didn't have ears.

[bigdamndestiny]

He knew that nervous shuffle. "...Francine?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"What? No!"

She should probably wait to be accused of something besides the name she was born with before jumping into the denials, huh.

"Um. I mean. Maybe?"

[bigdamndestiny]

At least they were in the same boat?

Merlin looked out into the cabin from the small sliver between the curtain and the doorway. No Arthur.

Yet.

He reached out to snag her arm and pull her in before he arrived and joined the party.

[thatsamilkshake]

Yes, because that would go well. Were the Ears not LISTENING when the phrase top-heavy was mentioned? And she wasn't exactly Anna Pavlova before the boobs, frankly.

So snag became yank became tumble became pinwheel became FLUMPH and the creaking of springs, and the fleeting thought that Merlin really was kind of bony, for a landing pad.

If Logan Echolls were here, he'd call this an equilibrium malfunction.

[bigdamndestiny]

Merlin hit the bed with her on top and couldn't find it in himself to even muster up a flail about it.

"...Francine," He wheezed. "I can't breathe."

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine had plenty of flail for both of them. "Sorry!" Getting off might help with that, Francine.

...Not dirty.

"Sorrysorrysorrysorry!" It was like once she started, she couldn't stop. It was, after all, what she'd come over to say. Sort of.

[bigdamndestiny]

Merlin's eyes went big and he held up his hands to try and calm her. "Francine... Francine--FRANCINE."

[thatsamilkshake]

So, when a woman has fallen face down on top of you and you hold up your hands, do you know where they end up?

[bigdamndestiny]

Give him a moment or two. "Calm down!"

Still nothing. C'mon, Merlin!

[thatsamilkshake]

If you count freezing in place, somewhat of necessity, as 'calm' then she was. A staring kind of calm, but at least she shut up.

[bigdamndestiny]

Merlin slowly looked down at his hands. And then pulled away as if he'd been burned. There was that flail!

"GAH!"

[thatsamilkshake]

"Sorry!" Francine repeated, because she was kind of stuck on that.

[bigdamndestiny]

And it was like a disease since... "Sorry! I didn't mean--- I mean--- Sorry!"