All Work and No Play -Merlin, Arthur-

[Lilith Blackmore]

Lilith had just gotten back from her trip in the herb garden. The wicker basket dangling from her arm was stock full of herbs to restock Gaius' closet. Gaius on the other hand was no where to be seen. If Lilith remembered correctly, he had gone to check on the kitchen maid's young daughter who had a fever.

Lilith moved from the door to the work table, setting the basket down. She hummed softly, something she did when she was alone. The tune was a familiar song that she had heard a mother sing to her son once when she was little.

As she hummed, Lilith separated and binding them with string. They would have to be dried before being stored away. She moved her long brown hair out of her face grumbling about how she should have braided it back, but she had been in a rush to get to Gaius in the morning.

Lilith was not a morning person and that had consequences when it came to Gaius. His constant remarks about her being late meant Lilith had to rush quickly in the mornings. Her hand then went up to her throat to touch the pendant that normally hung there, but only touched skin. She had forgotten to put it on.

Still humming, Lilith moved from the work bench, carrying the bunches of herbs to hang them. She was unaware of anyone who might walk in.

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin creaked open his bedroom door that led into Gaius' apothecary workshop, and was surprised to see Lilith already up and working. He was suddenly very aware of his tufted hair, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Morning Lilith!" his voice cracked in the effort to sound chirpy and awake, and he cleared his throat before continuing, "Gaius out on his morning rounds?" he walked up to the table where she working and stood opposite her, picking up the herbs from the basket and twiddling a sprig between his thumb and forefinger.

His stomach growled and he remembered he hadn't eaten breakfast. A pot of porridge bubbled in one of Gauis small cooking cauldrons, and Merlin eyed it hungrily- heading over to help himself.
"Are you hungry? Have you eaten yet?" he asked, ladling the watery porridge into a large wooden bowl.

[Lilith Blackmore]

Lilith did not hear Merlin’s door creak open and jumped when she heard him say her name. Her cheeks flushed, Lilith turned to see a still sleepy Merlin come out of his chambers. She stifled a laugh at his tussled hair and turned back to hanging up the herbs. Her hand went to her hair to push it behind her ear and remembered the lavender flower tucked behind her ear. Her fingers smelled like lavender as well, something she enjoyed when she had to pick herbs.

"Morning Merlin. I see you slept well,” she said, still smiling. "Yes. Gaius is currently visiting one of the servant’s sick child and he should be back in an hour or two,” she said. How was it Merlin could get away for over-sleeping, yet Lilith could not. Was it simply because his chambers were attached to the main room, or because she was the assistant and he was not. Either way, it did not matter.

Lilith turned to look at Merlin as poured the warm porridge into a bowl. Lilith had not eaten herself and was feeling a little faint from the lack of food. "Now that you mention it, yes I am hungry.” She quickly finished hanging the last herb bunch before walking over to the porridge herself, planning on pouring herself her own bowl.

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin yawned into the crook of his elbow as he ladled the porridge, looking up as Lilith remarked that she was also hungry.

"Here, take this one." he said with a smile, handing over the full bowl and starting to fill another one. It actually looked quite good for something that Gaius had cooked, normally the porridge was a bit burnt, but this morning it smelt quite appetising. Merlin perched on the end of a bench, blowing on each spoonful before gulping it down.

"Mm, so what have we been set for this morning?" he asked inbetween mouthfuls. Merlin wasn't working at the Guild today, and instead was splitting his time between helping out Gaius and running errands for Arthur. He sat the empty bowl beside him on the bench, and looked up at Lilith.

[Lilith Blackmore]

"Thank you,” Lilith responded as she took the bowl from Merlin and walked back to the work bench. There were a few clean spoons on the table and she picked one up, beginning to eat. Though Lilith was not fond of porridge, she surprised at how good it tasted.

"Are you sure Gaius made this?” Lilith asked with a smile. There was actual flavor. It was possible Gaius had added some herbs or spices, though he generally forgot. Perhaps her gentle suggestions were rubbing off on him.

"Well, other than collecting the herbs, Gaius left a list on the table. He told me we should split the work so it’s finished before he gets back,” Lilith replied. She was sure it was basically mixing tonics for people in the palace. Possibly Morgana’s sleeping draught that was delivered once a day and the dandelion tonic for the pregnant woman Gaius had told her about the previous day.

Lilith grinned as Merlin finished his bowl quite quickly. She had set down her spoon as she talked, but then took it up again and quickly finished herself. "So, what does the list say?” she asked, looking up at Merlin, still smiling. A morning alone with Merlin with no Gaius. Lilith was both happy and a little nervous.

[Merlin Emrys]

“So, what does the list say?”

Merlin was already looking at the list when Lilith spoke, running his eyes across Gaius' scrawled handwriting and squinting to make out what the words actually said.

"I think it's just a few basic tinctures..." he began, "Nothing too complicated. And a couple of salves which need to be delivered to the training grounds, apparently theres been a bit of an accident with two inexperienced soldiers... that's enough to be starting with!" he smiled, pushing the list toward Lilith so she could double check his interpretation of Gaius' instructions, then moved over to the stacked shelves and began removing the jars that they would need. He enjoyed the mornings he got to work alone with Lilith; she was a clever girl, much cleverer than Merlin, and a good worker, but never told him off like Gaius did when he got something wrong.

"Where's the mortar and pestle?" he asked Lilith with an exasperated smile, "It's always such a mess in here!"

[Lilith Blackmore]

"That looks about right,” Lilith said, double checking the list. "I think Gillian might have told me about that accident this morning,” she added with a smile. "Nothing too serious if I remember correctly.”

Lilith took her finished bowl and set it to the side, clearing room for her work on the table. "I think I used it last over there,” Lilith said, pointing in the direction of the window. Sometimes when she was alone she liked to use the small table by the window so that she could look out and enjoy the scenery. She much preferred being outside.

"It is your job to clean up you know!” Lilith teased with a grin. She turned around to pick up a few ingredients and started to mix them. "Gaius might throw a fit when he gets back and finds this place worse off than when he left it.” Gaius was not neat himself, but he still liked to put the blame on his young assistants.

[Merlin Emrys]

Merlin walked over to the window, moving a few rolls of parchment before locating both parts on the windowseat. He hovered there for a moment, looking out across the courtyard. It was only the servants and soldiers that were up this early, getting things ready for when the royalty and nobles finally woke up a few hours later.

Merlin returned to the table, setting up opposite Lilith, and pulled a mock-offended face when she reminded him it was his job to clean up. He pulled a bunch of the dried herbs towards him, snapping off a tiny bit at a time to grind into a powder.
"I try!" he replied with a grin, "But Gaius insists that his mess is organised, I get told off if I move things to tidy them away and he can't find them!" Merlin laughed, watching Lilith's hands working as he began to the boring process of grinding the herbs. He allowed himself a brief glance at her face, before looking back at his own work with a smile.

"This is my favorite part of the day." he said off-handedly, tipping the powder in a little pile to one side, "It's relaxing. I'm not looking forward to polishing up Arthur's armour later... he'll probably come and drop it off here on the way to his chambers." he added, remembering that Arthur would be up early this morning training with the army. Merlin's life as an assistant, man-servant and Guild member could be busy, but he secretly enjoyed the diversity.

[Lilith Blackmore]

Lilith giggled at Merlin’s mock offended face. He could be quite cute sometimes when goaded enough. She then quickly composed herself reminding herself that she was a young lady. If Arthur were to see her laughing like a little girl he would not find it befitting. She did not notice Merlin glance up at her face, but as soon as he looked away she chanced a look at him.

Merlin was not the most attractive man. In fact he was quite the opposite of Arthur. Darker and gangly, he barely filled his clothes. Yet his smile was charming and his eyes held a spark there that was more than just the magic inside him. His ears stuck out like an elephant, but Lilith did not seem to notice as she looked down at his jaw and then his own hands before she looked back her work.

"Oh, Arthur is coming in today?” Lilith asked casually, looking up at Merlin. She tried to prevent herself from blushing, though she could feel her cheeks become hot. "I do like this part of the day as well,” she added, though she left out the reason why: because Merlin was there.

[Merlin Emrys]

"He might do, somedays he'll be helpful and drop it off here on his way, but sometimes I have to go down to the training fields to collect it. Although last time that happened he made me spar with him..." Merlin did not remember that day fondly, "You can imagine how that ended!" he added, looking up to Lilith. Her cheeks looked flushed and pink, but Merlin, unobservant as the next man assumed she must just be hot.

"Do you want me to open a window? It gets a bit stuffy in here sometimes." It was true, by evening the apothecary chambers were always filled with a haze of smoke, several cauldrons were always bubbling and candles were littered all over the place. Although this morning the room was quite a nice temperature.

"I'll need to get Arthur's breakfast sorted after he drops his armour by..." Merlin said, thinking out loud more than anything else. "And it's probably wise to leave here before Gaius returns and gives me a hundred foot scroll of errands to run!"

[OOC: sorry for the late reply, i'll ask arthur if he wants to join Lilith ]

[Lilith Blackmore]

Lilith winced as Merlin mentioned sparring with Arthur. Arthur was such a good swordsman and so strong and brave . . . And then Merlin looked up at her and all thoughts of Arthur fled her head for only a second. With her cheeks flushed she looked back at him, a small smile on her lips, before she coyly looked back down at her work, only glancing quickly back up to see if he was still looking.

"I am sure you held your own," she replied with a smirk. Lilith looked up again, more seriously as Merlin asked if she wanted him to open a window. "If you'd like," Lilith responded. She was not too uncomfortable, but the fresh air and soft breeze would be nice. It did get stuffy in there.

"Arthur does seem to keep you busy. It does not appear that you have time to take strolls through the forest or even talk to a pretty girl." Lilith regretted what she said the moment it came out, but she could not help it. Blushing even more, she looked down at her work, letting her hair cover her face. Without looking she stretched out her hand to grab some powder in a bowl.

(((It's alright! xD And that would be great!)))

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled, slamming the door open with such strength, that a bottle of strange green liquid tumbled off of the shelf behind. He was in a bad mood after a couple of his soldiers had managed to injure themselves sparring and he wanted his armour polished until he could literally see himself in it.

Dumping his armour in a heap where he stood, he looked up to see a girl working opposite Merlin in the small room. He assumed she must be Lilith, whom Merlin had told him was Gaius' new assistant. In fact Merlin had chattered about her frequently- although Arthur usually tuned out after a few seconds, distracted by a pretty girl or anything that might block out the wittering sound that his servant produced.

"Lilith I presume?" Arthur said, forcing a smile onto his face. She was very pretty and at once Arthur could see why Merlin had developed a bit of a crush on her. The nice looks didnt place a dent into his thunderous mood though, and soon after the introductions he turned to Merlin once more.
"Armour needs polishing as soon as you can and my boots could do with a clean too." He sunk into a chair, propping a foot up on a pile of books. "They're looking a little dusty, don't you think? Sooner rather than later if you don't mind."
He kicked both of his boots off and leant back, his arms behind his head.
"I have had the most irritating morning you know. First my men get into a fight and injure one another and then all i hear is complaints about how 'It's too early to spar, I havent even eaten yet!'" He sat up, his brow furrowed into a frown.
"Speaking of which where is my breakfast?!"

[Merlin Emrys]

"Arthur does seem to keep you busy. It does not appear that you have time to take strolls through the forest or even talk to a pretty girl."

Merlin's ears turned pink at Lilith's words. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "I'm talking to a pretty girl right now... and I'm not too bothered about the strolls..." he reached out for the powder, his hand touching Lilith's instead of the pot he had expected. His cheeks burned, but rather than pull away he left his hand lingering there, looking up to gage her reaction...

"Merlin!"

The door slammed open and Arthur entered. Merlin snatched back his hand like it was burnt and folded his arms close to his chest. Merlin had come to recognise Arthur's moods instantly, and from his face this was not a good one. He remained silent whilst Arthur and Lilith introduced themselves, then moved round to pick up the prince's discarded boots and set them on the table infront of him, throwing an apologetic smile toward Lilith as Arthur launched into a long speech of complaints. He pulled a cloth toward him and began polishing the boots. Arthur spoke again:

"Speaking of which where is my breakfast?!" Merlin's hand hovered mid-polish, and he turned, pulling a face.

"Actually, I haven't been to the kitchens to collect it yet... I could always go now? Or there's some porridge that Gaius has left, it's not half bad, I could get you a bowlful?" Merlin smiled and raised both eyebrows as he reached for the ladel- anything to get the Prince out of this terrible mood. He looked across to Lilith, hoping she would confirm what he said about the porridge so he wouldn't have to traipse across the castle grounds to get a better breakfast from the kitchens.

[Lilith Blackmore]

Lilith blushed furiously at Merlin's words. She did not think of herself as a "pretty girl." In fact she rarely thought about her looks at all since she was always busy learning from Gaius. As she reached for the powder, Merlin reached at the same time and their hands touched. Lilith looked first at their hands and then up at him and briefly made eye contact, smiling a little, before Arthur walked in and Lilith quickly removed her hand.

"Yes sir," Lilith replied, curtsying as Arthur addressed her. She looked up and smiled, though it seemed that Arthur was on to something else. Lilith went back to her work, though she glanced up between the two boys consistently. It was difficult having them both in the room the same way it was having the knowledge of them both in her head. She did not know of which one to think of or of which one to pay attention to.

Arthur's presence was strong and intrusive. She could feel him across the room, even if Lilith did not look up. Merlin was softer, quieter. It was as if Arthur was the alpha male and Merlin had to shrink into himself to make room for Arthur.

Lilith nodded. "The porridge is quite good and very hardy," Lilith said, smiling toward Merlin. She felt a little tingly when looking at him. But half her attention was still on Arthur. It was just that he was so handsome and brave. How could she not want to swoon everytime he strode into a room looking so gallant and noble?

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur furrowed his brow further, trying to decide whether he would rather eat now and rish Gaius' porridge, or wait and eat something cooked by a professional. In the end hunger won and he gladly accepted a bowl from Merlin.

"It is...safe?" He asked suddenly, as he lifted a spoonful and let it drip slowly back into the bowl. It was very thick, and certainly wasn't something Arthur would usually choose for his breakfast, but the smell was quite appealing and appearances weren't everything. He slowly lifted the spoon to his lips and instantly decided he liked the taste. It was creamy but not too sweet, not something he could eat every day, but it would certainly do.
"I never knew Gaius could cook?" He said between mouthfuls. "Perhaps we should change his job title!" He smiled, licked his spoon one last time and lay the bowl down on the table. "Not half bad you know!"

His mood was starting to lift, and as he sat lazing in the chair watching the other two work he began to notice that Lilith seemed to avoid eye contact at all cost. Was he so terrible that he frightened the maids now? He certainly hoped not.
"Anyway Merlin are those boots done yet?" He pointed a toe towards his servant and smiled.