Y-you think we.. we c-could, uh-- actually m-make something right... out of... out of all this? [ Because the chance of actually having this, of making it right is too sweet of a feeling to let go. He's listening to her - in a life where she's never been listened to, as if she had nothing to say worth listening to-- he's listening. And it hurts because he's sweet, he cares - despite their frictions, he's good. He's trying.
His hand finds her fingers through the door, how cool they feel in comparison to her too-warm skin. Her cheeks burn and she's lost for a moment, floundering internally with the simple touch - and she doesn't pull away. How-- how are they supposed to get this right? What's the thing to do?
She startles out a laugh: ] No... no, I suppose I uh, haven't, actually. Th-that's... actually a g-good... point.
[ Justine hesitates for a long time, just staring at his hand on her fingers. She still doesn't move them away. Finally she looks up at him through the crack in the door, she's definitely nervous. Her voice is quiet, barely above a whisper - a slight trill to her words from that nervousness, almost anticipation. She licks at her lips but her mouth feels dry. ]
Merlin, do... do you th-think you could... uh, maybe-- get your hand out of the d-door? [ A beat. ] ... Please? I'm... I'm n-not going to lock the ah, d-door again, promise.
[ You know, she'd rather just not jam his hand in it while trying to actually open it properly. ]
[ Merlin's nodding is a slow, subtle thing, because he's nervous, too. But he also can't help but look at Justine during the moments when she's happy — reading, or the one time she'd come back to their room and gushed to him about the castle library, or when he'd gifted her a little wooden trinket of a bookmark — and think that there's always been someone worth knowing, in there. It's just that it's buried under— other things. Fear, maybe. Like how some of Merlin's own softness is occasionally buried by duty or reactive anger. ] Yeah. Yeah, I think we could make something out of this.
[ Justine doesn't flinch away from his fingers resting on hers, and Merlin feels relief wash over him. The remaining irritation from earlier seems swept away in it.
So he's a bit alarmed at that request, at first. The initial expression on his face is naked betrayal, but then his eyebrows go up as he realizes— ] Why, what— oh, right, sure. I'll just, uh— [ He takes a step back, fingers still lingering on Justine's, before he laughs ah shakes his head and finally takes his hand away. ]
It really is too hot out here, so I hope you're telling the truth. [ There's mischief in his face now, as he waits for the door to be shut so he can be let in. ]
i am personally attacked right now
His hand finds her fingers through the door, how cool they feel in comparison to her too-warm skin. Her cheeks burn and she's lost for a moment, floundering internally with the simple touch - and she doesn't pull away. How-- how are they supposed to get this right? What's the thing to do?
She startles out a laugh: ] No... no, I suppose I uh, haven't, actually. Th-that's... actually a g-good... point.
[ Justine hesitates for a long time, just staring at his hand on her fingers. She still doesn't move them away. Finally she looks up at him through the crack in the door, she's definitely nervous. Her voice is quiet, barely above a whisper - a slight trill to her words from that nervousness, almost anticipation. She licks at her lips but her mouth feels dry. ]
Merlin, do... do you th-think you could... uh, maybe-- get your hand out of the d-door? [ A beat. ] ... Please? I'm... I'm n-not going to lock the ah, d-door again, promise.
[ You know, she'd rather just not jam his hand in it while trying to actually open it properly. ]
comin back again
[ Justine doesn't flinch away from his fingers resting on hers, and Merlin feels relief wash over him. The remaining irritation from earlier seems swept away in it.
So he's a bit alarmed at that request, at first. The initial expression on his face is naked betrayal, but then his eyebrows go up as he realizes— ] Why, what— oh, right, sure. I'll just, uh— [ He takes a step back, fingers still lingering on Justine's, before he laughs ah shakes his head and finally takes his hand away. ]
It really is too hot out here, so I hope you're telling the truth. [ There's mischief in his face now, as he waits for the door to be shut so he can be let in. ]