Excellent. Precedent now dictates that you half heartedly suggest a meeting once every two months or so, and other than that our paths will never cross again.
Merlin looked pleasantly surprised at that. Just when he'd thought the man was just going to be an uncommunicative git forever...
"Right. Okay." He glanced at the tequila, decided against it and went back to his beer instead. "So if you don't want to do more magic, what do you want? I mean, other than me breathing down your neck on a weekly basis, because you get that for free."
Ethan stared out into space contemplatively for a few minutes, before finishing off his shot and topping himself up again, "I'm afraid I can think of nothing which you are free to give me. Thanks."
Ethan frowned, shot glass half way up to his mouth as he considered the question, "I want a bus ticket to New Orleans and to know there's someone waiting for me there, and I want to be able to take the journey without jumping through hoops for anyone." He gave a short, unhappy laugh, and tipped back his tequila, before slamming the glass down onto the bar, "There, consider yourself humored."
He didn't know what a bus was or where New Orleans was supposed to be, but the overall message was clear: Ethan wanted off the Barge without doing anything to deserve it. Merlin supposed he shouldn't seen that coming, but he'd gone ahead and asked the question anyway. "Right. Yep. Thanks."
The rate Ethan was getting through whatever he was drinking was a bit alarming. "Remind me to meet with you somewhere else next time."
"I told you it wasn't something you could give me." Ethan leaned back in his seat, notably cheered by Merlin's displeasure, since his quick consumption of the tequila he was feeling considerably better about their meeting, and returned finally to the Guinness, "Oh, I will not. This is fine."
"It's...not exactly fine if we meet every week and then you get so pissed you can't remember anything we said," Merlin offered, but he knew he was on the losing side now. "Look. I've never done this before, it'll take me a bit to work out what'll work for you. But I'm not going to just ignore you, all right?"
"Look, don't worry about that. I'm not going to get falling down drunk every week, I'm just going to get drunk enough that I can be positive about your maintained company." He jabbed a finger at the bar, "This works for me. Honestly. All my healthiest relationships started in pubs."
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"Right. Okay." He glanced at the tequila, decided against it and went back to his beer instead. "So if you don't want to do more magic, what do you want? I mean, other than me breathing down your neck on a weekly basis, because you get that for free."
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The rate Ethan was getting through whatever he was drinking was a bit alarming. "Remind me to meet with you somewhere else next time."
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