Fifth Unused Utility Belt | Video and Spam, backdated to late last night

[hellofist]

[It's late, it's been dark for hours and she's pretty sure everyone else is sleeping, but Cass can't. It's not really a new thing, since generally crime fighters are out all night anyway, but the events of the port haven't helped much.

She's in her room when she turns the feed on, dressed in her Batgirl costume except for the cowl and gloves. She feels more like herself, dressed this way.]

What are... tips, for sleeping? Or... to do, to make tired? Don't say reading.

Is anyone else... even up?



[He said she could visit when she wanted. She even told him it might be at night and he said it was okay. That's why Cass is at Merlin's door in the middle of the night, not knocking before she just goes right in. The door was unlocked, so maybe he remembered she said she'd visit. She doesn't look around before she closes the door behind her because she's not really sneaking, so getting caught isn't exactly on her mind.

It's dark inside, which is good. It means he's sleeping instead of staying up all night doing magic things, or whatever it is Merlins do in their spare time. She makes her way to his bed, then climbs onto it to sit beside him and poke him in the shoulder.]

Hi, Merlin.

Comments

Spam

[hellofist]

You'd have to... teach me. Don't know what chess is.

[Anyone else and she wouldn't go that far, she'd just leave it at she never learned. Merlin, though? He'll probably get the whole truth for the rest of his life whether he wants it or not.]

Spam

[takeyouapart]

I'm not so good at it that I'm confident I could teach someone else in the middle of the night. I think Kirk only taught me how to play so he'd have someone else to beat at it.

[He misses Capt. Kirk but that doesn't make him less of a douche.]

Maybe it'll be easier if you teach me something. Not necessarily a game, even, just - anything.

Spam

[hellofist]

[She takes a minute to think about that because really, Cass doesn't have very many life skills. She can't read, write, has never seen most of the toys or games that exist. All she knows is how to fight and kill people and she doesn't really want Merlin to have to learn that second one.]

Can spar with you, but otherwise... can't teach anything.

Spam

[takeyouapart]

[No worries, Cass, he is tragically well-acquainted already.]

Well, that's no fun for you. You'd tie me in a knot in ten seconds flat. Hm.

[There's a lengthy pause for thought. Since his cabin's been expanded to include Gaius' infirmary as well as his own cupboard of a bedroom, he's got the inventory of his mentor' possessions to go through.]

So you've never played a board game, then? I have an easy one I can teach you, but - I don't know, you might think it's boring. I think when Gaius taught me he was trying to teach me a lesson about thinking ahead.

[He makes a face that suggests this didn't really stick.]

Spam

[hellofist]

Won't think's boring. It's with you. Makes it fun.

[She sits up, clearly interested in learning this game.]

What is it?

Spam

[takeyouapart]

[He smiles at that, flattered.]

It's called draughts. I'll --

[He shifts as if he's about to push away the blanket and get up, then stops. His nightshirt reaches his knees but it's all he's wearing.]

I'm not exactly dressed.

[OOC: So draughts was introduced a few centuries after when Merlin nominally takes place, but when challenged on anachronisms the creators always ask what year it was that wizards fought dragons. 8| ]

Spam

[hellofist]

So get dressed.

[She doesn't see the problem here, not at first. She's taken her shirt off in front of Tim before, being naked doesn't really mean much to her. But, she does remember the way he reacted, and after a moment she realizes Merlin must have that weird modesty thing too.]

Oh, wait. [She closes her eyes, then covers them for extra measure.] Okay.

(ooc: that's kind of fantastic, I like them.)

Spam

[takeyouapart]

...Thank you.

[He swings his (skinny, skinny) legs over the side of the bed and snags the nearest pair of floor-strewn trousers with a toe, pulling them on quickly.]

Alright, I'm decent. I'll be right back.

[He opens the door into the larger room and ducks his head under the low stone arch, heading down the steps.]

Spam

[hellofist]

[She lowers her hands and watches him go, then takes the moment to look around his room since now there's enough light to see things. She likes the way it's set up, even if she hardly recognizes any of the stuff in it. Since he's in the other room, she calls out to him.]

Is this... where you lived, in Camelot?

Spam

[takeyouapart]

Yeah.

[General rummaging sounds.]

This out here is the castle infirmary - the physician, Gaius, is a friend of my mother's, so he gave me a place to stay. I was meant to work as his assistant, but - I became Arthur's manservant by mistake and I ended up being both.

Spam

[hellofist]

[Well, now she wants to see the rest. Before long she's joining him in the bigger room, eyes wide as she looks around at everything.]

Physician is... doctor? Did you learn from him?

Spam

[takeyouapart]

[He smiles over at her.]

Like a doctor, yeah. He's taught me a lot, and I've studied under the medical staff here when I can.

[He finds the board, and presumably the pieces should be nearby, but Gaius keeps his room in an order that after six years Merlin has only tenuously grasped.]

Spam

[hellofist]

[She comes over so she can get a good look at the board, even though it doesn't tell her much about what they're going to be playing.]

Can't find the rest? Can try to help, if you describe.

Spam

[takeyouapart]

He keeps the pieces in a red cloth bag, I think. [He pushes a few books aside and finds the bag in question, the wooden pieces inside clattering together as he picks it up.] Here we are.

Spam

[hellofist]

[Looking around shows her there isn't much comfortable looking seating in here, plus the bed was warm, so it only makes sense to go back to it.]

Back to bed, play there? [She holds her leg off, showing off her bare foot.] Cold feet.

Re: Spam

[takeyouapart]

[He laughs softly and heads back to the steps. Honestly his feet are freezing too.]

Alright. I'll have to work out a way to hold the board straight, though.

Spam

[hellofist]

[She follows after him, close enough that she can take the bag from his hand and replace it with hers instead.]

Next time, will bring socks.

Spam

[takeyouapart]

Definitely.

[He sits down cross-legged at one end of his bed, gesturing for Cass to take the other end, and tugs enough of the blanket over to cover his lap and feet. Regarding the lumpy mattress and draughts board for a second, he holds it flat about eight inches over the bed and focuses.]

Gestillan.

[A moment passes, and he withdraws his hands. The board remains where it is, hovering in place.]

Spam

[hellofist]

[She's sitting, comfortable and with part of the blanket pulled over her own lap to keep warm, when he says the spell and the board just... floats there. She glances at him, clearly impressed, before the experimentation starts.

First she pokes at the side, but it stays. Pushing on one of the corners doesn't do anything either, so finally she drops the bag of pieces on top and grins when it's still there, steady and evenly balanced.]

I like magic.

Spam

[takeyouapart]

[He smiles. If only life were always so easy.]

Thank you. I like it too.

[He empties out the pieces onto the board and starts to set them out.]

Alright, so. The object of this game is to move these pieces around the board and capture your opponent's pieces by jumping over them.

Spam

[hellofist]

[And of course she has to make his job more difficult by picking up some of the pieces after he's put them in their places so nicely. She gets one of each color so she can inspect them, looks at how he puts one color on his side and one on hers.]

Jump? Does... the magic do that?

[Is this a magician game? That'd be kind of awesome, really. Plus, she can't really see where jumping fits in. He's sitting and his body is showing no signs of getting up or jumping any time soon, so it can't be them that does the jumping, right?]

Spam

[takeyouapart]

Nope, you do that yourself. Like this.

[He very unmagically moves one piece forward from his side, then one from Cass' to meet it, then moves his piece over Cass' and takes it from the board.]

The aim is to take all the other person's pieces.

Spam

[hellofist]

[It's about then that Cass realizes there might be a flaw here. This is a game about strategy, she can see that now. But she'll have an advantage, because she'll see the moves Merlin will want to make, his body will tell her what he's planning just as easily if they were fighting. Slowly, a frown starts to form.]

I might... cheat, on accident...

Spam

[takeyouapart]

Because you'll be able to see what moves I'm going to make?

[He considers this a moment, then shrugs it off. If anything, he's kind of impressed that she can read strategy on such a small, nonviolent scale.]

I don't mind if you don't mind. It'll keep me on my toes, and it might make it easier for you to learn, if you can cheat a bit.

[Trying to anticipate his opponent's behaviour was always the tricky part for him. In draughts as in life, honestly.]

Spam

[hellofist]

[She watches him for a moment longer and then nudges his knee lightly under the board with her foot. It's entirely affectionate and now that she's smiling again, she hopes it's clear that his acceptance means more to her than she really knows how to put into words.]

Good friend. Okay. [She puts the pieces she stole from the board back, then sits up a little straighter and gives the game her full attention.] Will try... not to watch you.