meeeeeh i dunno about the same school. maybe the same consortium. like, cor once debated against arthur in the consortium debate tournament, or something.
wait, and why do they have to avoid miraz? i thought he was in on it??
the doors to the break room bangs open and merlin flails in in a whirlwind of skinny limbs and self-determined urgency. "where's gaius?" he demands.
the waiters and caterers just look askance at him, all of them except for gwen, who approaches him as she reties her ponytail, a look of concern on her face. "he's with uther. what's going on?"
"perfect," merlin moans. "gwen, you have to come with me--"
she shakes off his grip. "merlin, what's going on?" merlin may have a good instinct for taking care of problems, but gwen suspects this is only because he tends to cause a lot of those problems himself. she's not going anywhere until he explains himself.
"it's the pevensies," he hisses. "they're here, and we have to stop them."
her eyes widen. "what are they doing?"
merlin opens his mouth. "i don't know," he admits.
+
when the alarms go off and the lights go down, susan is the only one who's made it outside. she whirls around and stares at lucy and caspian in horror, and they yell at her go, go, go. susan freezes for only half a second, enough to be aware of all the questions she will soon need to ask -- where is peter? how will they get out? what do i do? what about edmund? -- but she is a professional, after all.
she runs, the goddamned diamond clicking against her make-up and her penknife in her purse.
+
when the alarms go off and the lights go down, people may have started screaming but arthur isn't sure because the alarms are so fucking loud. he runs around with his hands over his ears trying to find security, but it's not like the noise is any quieter that way. not like he can find anyone in this chaos. he whips his head around and yells for his father, for merlin, morgana, but it's useless of course. the darkness of the hall begins to be lit up by a wave of cellphone screens, like natural phosphorescence in the sea.
are they deviating from the plan? no one ever said anything about alarms and blackouts. arthur takes out his own blackberry and is about to go find somewhere to make a phone call when someone grabs his arm.
peter.
"what the fuck is going on?" he demands, speaking directly into arthur's ear.
"i'm trying to figure that out!" arthur snaps.
"the exits have locked down," says peter angrily. "we're trapped! if you've got anything to do with this--"
"i don't!"
arthur tries to shake peter off again, but peter is unshakeable, and arthur finds himself being dragged into the gift shop, where the alarm is only slightly less deafening. that's when arthur twists in peter's grip and lunges forward with all his weight, catching peter in his arms and throwing them both against the postcard stand. peter manages to give arthur a black eye and arthur responds with a knee to the stomach, and arthur is in the middle of twisting peter's arm behind his back when there is a shrill "GET AWAY FROM HIM" that cuts through the din of the alarms. (have the alarms become softer or are they just used to it? they're just used to it, arthur decides. they're all going to go deaf, he also decides.)
"morgana!" he cries out, and he thinks he hears peter gasp, "susan!"
a dark-haired woman with a gun leveled at them. she yells, "get away from him." she steps forward and the light falls on her -- morgana, after all. "step back!"
+
when the alarms go off and the lights go down, merlin grins brightly at how well things are going. morgana has gone off to collect arthur. gwen made it outside before the lockdown and is on her way back to arthur's penthouse to get the thing. and as for himself, well.
he starts running towards the exhibition hall where he last saw the two thieves -- one blonde woman, one dark-haired man -- on the security camera. he's got some bad guys to catch.
no subject
wait, and why do they have to avoid miraz? i thought he was in on it??
the doors to the break room bangs open and merlin flails in in a whirlwind of skinny limbs and self-determined urgency. "where's gaius?" he demands.
the waiters and caterers just look askance at him, all of them except for gwen, who approaches him as she reties her ponytail, a look of concern on her face. "he's with uther. what's going on?"
"perfect," merlin moans. "gwen, you have to come with me--"
she shakes off his grip. "merlin, what's going on?" merlin may have a good instinct for taking care of problems, but gwen suspects this is only because he tends to cause a lot of those problems himself. she's not going anywhere until he explains himself.
"it's the pevensies," he hisses. "they're here, and we have to stop them."
her eyes widen. "what are they doing?"
merlin opens his mouth. "i don't know," he admits.
+
when the alarms go off and the lights go down, susan is the only one who's made it outside. she whirls around and stares at lucy and caspian in horror, and they yell at her go, go, go. susan freezes for only half a second, enough to be aware of all the questions she will soon need to ask -- where is peter? how will they get out? what do i do? what about edmund? -- but she is a professional, after all.
she runs, the goddamned diamond clicking against her make-up and her penknife in her purse.
+
when the alarms go off and the lights go down, people may have started screaming but arthur isn't sure because the alarms are so fucking loud. he runs around with his hands over his ears trying to find security, but it's not like the noise is any quieter that way. not like he can find anyone in this chaos. he whips his head around and yells for his father, for merlin, morgana, but it's useless of course. the darkness of the hall begins to be lit up by a wave of cellphone screens, like natural phosphorescence in the sea.
are they deviating from the plan? no one ever said anything about alarms and blackouts. arthur takes out his own blackberry and is about to go find somewhere to make a phone call when someone grabs his arm.
peter.
"what the fuck is going on?" he demands, speaking directly into arthur's ear.
"i'm trying to figure that out!" arthur snaps.
"the exits have locked down," says peter angrily. "we're trapped! if you've got anything to do with this--"
"i don't!"
arthur tries to shake peter off again, but peter is unshakeable, and arthur finds himself being dragged into the gift shop, where the alarm is only slightly less deafening. that's when arthur twists in peter's grip and lunges forward with all his weight, catching peter in his arms and throwing them both against the postcard stand. peter manages to give arthur a black eye and arthur responds with a knee to the stomach, and arthur is in the middle of twisting peter's arm behind his back when there is a shrill "GET AWAY FROM HIM" that cuts through the din of the alarms. (have the alarms become softer or are they just used to it? they're just used to it, arthur decides. they're all going to go deaf, he also decides.)
"morgana!" he cries out, and he thinks he hears peter gasp, "susan!"
a dark-haired woman with a gun leveled at them. she yells, "get away from him." she steps forward and the light falls on her -- morgana, after all. "step back!"
+
when the alarms go off and the lights go down, merlin grins brightly at how well things are going. morgana has gone off to collect arthur. gwen made it outside before the lockdown and is on her way back to arthur's penthouse to get the thing. and as for himself, well.
he starts running towards the exhibition hall where he last saw the two thieves -- one blonde woman, one dark-haired man -- on the security camera. he's got some bad guys to catch.