[It doesn't seem weird to Maya at all, who gives him an even bigger squeeze to accompany her laughter. She squeezes him almost too tight, playful and teasing, and then relaxes the squeeze into a normal, not-body-breaking embrace.
[Ah... he did it. He didn't know he was doing it, but he did it. Successfully cheered up a girl! Not just any girl! His favorite girl! Not just a girl that's his favorite but a girl that's his favorite that is also his best friend here??? Like???
Forgive him, he's practically glowing right about now. He's got the cheesiest grin as he squeezes her in return.
No, seriously, are his spots and freckles... glowing... blue?]
Hey, no need to thank me! I'm happy to do it.
[That grin softens as he gazes warmly down at her. He can feel his heart pumping in his throat, but he's simply too happy to care about the anxiety signals trying to flood his brain.]
[Maya smiles up at him, looking for a moment like she's going to say something else, but then tilts her head like a questioning dog. She reaches right for his glasses, lifting them off his face as if she owns him or something (rude), and gasps in surprise and delight—]
Hey! Your eyes and your freckles are the same color!
[Sorry Maya, he hasn't been this hype in a while, okay. He's looking all over, everywhere he can remember that he has spots. At least, everywhere he can look at the moment.]
Ahh! It's like that sick looking glowing algae! The bioluminescent stuff? That stuff rules! This rules--
[Laughing] C'mon, you already got glowy bits! And you change colors! You're already cooler than me! Lemme catch up, first!
[He's undoing the bottom few buttons on his awful Hawaiian shirt to shrug it off so he can get her help assessing the spread of these new sparkles of his.]
[There are only so many times someone—even someone hunched over and drowning in his own little projects—can hear what sounds like SCREAMING and not check up on it. This is a world filled to the brim with monsters, after all, is it really so absurd to assume someone might've crawled through the window to attack his friends? ...It sure is something that could happen in his world, so Merlin finally gets out of the cave that is his bedroom, runs into the kitchen to grab something that looks like it can do some real damage, then proceeds to BURST THROUGH THE DOOR.]
NOBODY MOVE!! I've got a ladle and not much else!!
[Thankfully all he sees is his friends on the bed, in the dark and removing their clothes. Ah, okay, so he doesn't have to start swinging, all that screaming must have been from the—]
Oh dear lord! [Is it his turn to scream? It's more like a yelp as he slaps his hand over his eyes and proceeds to reach for the door behind him awkwardly with a fucking ladle in his hand. Goodness gracious, he did not mean to walk in on their coitus.] I-I didn't see anything, please feel free to carry on!
[His exit is not nearly as loud as his entrance as he begins to squeeze himself out of there.]
[They're a mirror of each other again, Hanna similarly frozen in shock and confusion until he feels Maya's eyes on him. He turns his head, brows high, blinking those big round eyes at her.]
[Luckily catching up to said nymph shouldn't be too difficult, because Merlin walks much like someone who has forgotten how. His entire movements are stiff, like his limbs became frozen, which is hilarious considering how hot and spicy the scene he just witnessed was. Oh what a terrible friend he is, ruining their special moment like that.]
No no, that's quite alright! [NERVOUS NOISE THAT WAS PROBABLY SUPPOSED TO BE A LAUGH.] You are free to frolic to your heart's content! I'll just go and...eat.............egg.......
[Ah, his brain is apparently shutting down in real time. Why yes, why doesn't he just go and eat egg?????]
[Oh god, he really did think the worst, didn't he!]
No-no-no, we weren't frolicking! I swear! It-- it's not like that, she's a married woman!!
[It's not embarrassing to be caught with her or anything it would be an honor actually but he won't be having her reputation ruined by being caught with him, whether or not anything happened!]
Please don't get the wrong idea! We're just friends!
[Yeah he could also go and eat egg, and his foot, and then feed himself to a monster bigger than himself so he doesn't have to live with this embarrassment anymore.]
[Merlin stops, spinning on his heel to face Hanna and clapping his hands in a way that is somehow accusatory. The wrong idea? Just friends? Merlin isn't sure WHAT kind of world Hanna comes from, but he can't recall ever doing anything like this with HIS friends.
They'd probably, like, pinch him or something to get him to leave-]
[Hanna nearly collides with the nymph, his hooves skidding to a stop on the wood plank floor, just in time. Offering a broad, nervous grin before taking a wide step backwards to get out of Merlin's bubble.
Then the accusatory tone comes and he has to scramble for a solid defense that somehow doesn't make things worse.]
We were just! Hanging out!! She came to me with a problem, I wanted to be a good friend and like, offer her some kinda help with it! And then we like hugged and the mood was real nice and stuff and then I started glowing and I wanted her to see if like, everything was glowing, because I didn't even know I could do that and--
Oh right, silly me, the very normal friends-only hugging in bed.
[Yes, he's sure the mood WAS very glowing, and he rolls his eyes and shakes his head before going up to Hanna and spinning the horse man around. With some very gentle patpats, he then begins to try to herd him back into the bedroom.]
Listen, I get what's going on here. "Oh, Merlin's the youngest so let's treat him like prince of the babies." Don't think I'm unfamiliar with this gameplay, it was EXACTLY the same back home, and I will have you know that I'm JUST as much of a man as you are. Married as well, I'd like to add, so I'm not sure why you think you can fool me.
[And as Merlin continues to try and gently push Hanna back towards his escapades, he can't help but finally notice the speckles of blue lighting up his kelp.]
[And Hanna is being scooted along down the hallway, even as he tries his best to dig his hooves in and stop him. Of course resistance wanes just as soon as "princess" processes and he just sort of goes limp in Merlin's hands.]
Princess... [He murmurs, staring off into the distance. Luckily, the stars in his eyes aren't visible from this angle. Of course he snaps out of that little daydream dissociation real quick once he hears that he has an out--]
[Merlin lets out an impressed whistle once confronted with further proof.]
Very impressive. [And he is quite genuine about that.] I suppose that means you now match the two of us!
[He rustles his own glowing leaf-hair, as if Hanna needed further proof of that...for some reason.]
...Well, I won't interrupt you any further, then. So sorry about that, you can blame the hero in me. I hear screaming, I stop screaming, everybody celebrates and so on.
[Idly now, he begins to slap the end of the ladle in his other hand, filling what would otherwise be awkward silence with a just as awkward "twap twap."]
Sooooo I better...return this... Seeing as I won't be...needing it...anymoore.
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When she can breathe she speaks again;]
Thanks for cheering me up, Hanna.
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Forgive him, he's practically glowing right about now. He's got the cheesiest grin as he squeezes her in return.
No, seriously, are his spots and freckles... glowing... blue?]
Hey, no need to thank me! I'm happy to do it.
[That grin softens as he gazes warmly down at her. He can feel his heart pumping in his throat, but he's simply too happy to care about the anxiety signals trying to flood his brain.]
I'm always here if you need anything, okay?
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[Maya smiles up at him, looking for a moment like she's going to say something else, but then tilts her head like a questioning dog. She reaches right for his glasses, lifting them off his face as if she owns him or something (rude), and gasps in surprise and delight—]
Hey! Your eyes and your freckles are the same color!
Were they always that blue?
[His eyes or his freckles??? yes.]
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Whuh-- [Processing that question a little late though ain't he.] Y-Yeah? Prrreeetty much forev--.
[He too tilts his head, mirroring her.] Did you say my... freckles are, too? That's new.
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What the-- [Looking down at his arms and hands, where the spots too have taken on a neon glow.]
Whoa!
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[Sorry Maya, he hasn't been this hype in a while, okay. He's looking all over, everywhere he can remember that he has spots. At least, everywhere he can look at the moment.]
Ahh! It's like that sick looking glowing algae! The bioluminescent stuff? That stuff rules! This rules--
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[Maya reiterates, her own grin bright to match. Matching! She loves matching with other monsters!]
And super cute! You're gonna make me want glowing freckles, too!
[And so now here they are, sitting on the bed all weird and crowded toward the corner, with Maya holding Hanna's glasses...]
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[He's undoing the bottom few buttons on his awful Hawaiian shirt to shrug it off so he can get her help assessing the spread of these new sparkles of his.]
Are they like, everywhere? Check my back--
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NOBODY MOVE!! I've got a ladle and not much else!!
[Thankfully all he sees is his friends on the bed, in the dark and removing their clothes. Ah, okay, so he doesn't have to start swinging, all that screaming must have been from the—]
Oh dear lord! [Is it his turn to scream? It's more like a yelp as he slaps his hand over his eyes and proceeds to reach for the door behind him awkwardly with a fucking ladle in his hand. Goodness gracious, he did not mean to walk in on their coitus.] I-I didn't see anything, please feel free to carry on!
[His exit is not nearly as loud as his entrance as he begins to squeeze himself out of there.]
1/???
...Wait.]
2/??
Did he—]
3/??
Wh-- Whaddaya think that was about?
4/??
And then her face splits in half with her smile.]
Aha. Ahahaha!
[The laughter starts suddenly, and then pours out like a fountain.]
Ahahahahahahaaa!
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[Oh.]
6/6
the closeness.]
Aw, man--
[And then he's bouncing off the edge of the bed and bolting after the nymph, hurriedly gathering his shirt back together as he jogs down the hall.]
Hey! C'mon, man!! It's not what you think!! Come back!!!
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No no, that's quite alright! [NERVOUS NOISE THAT WAS PROBABLY SUPPOSED TO BE A LAUGH.] You are free to frolic to your heart's content! I'll just go and...eat.............egg.......
[Ah, his brain is apparently shutting down in real time. Why yes, why doesn't he just go and eat egg?????]
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No-no-no, we weren't frolicking! I swear! It-- it's not like that, she's a married woman!!
[It's not embarrassing to be caught with her or anything
it would be an honor actuallybut he won't be having her reputation ruined by being caught with him, whether or not anything happened!]Please don't get the wrong idea! We're just friends!
[Yeah he could also go and eat egg, and his foot, and then feed himself to a monster bigger than himself so he doesn't have to live with this embarrassment anymore.]
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They'd probably, like, pinch him or something to get him to leave-]
Oh? Then please, enlighten me.
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Then the accusatory tone comes and he has to scramble for a solid defense that somehow doesn't make things worse.]
We were just! Hanging out!! She came to me with a problem, I wanted to be a good friend and like, offer her some kinda help with it! And then we like hugged and the mood was real nice and stuff and then I started glowing and I wanted her to see if like, everything was glowing, because I didn't even know I could do that and--
[Well... at least all of that is true.]
1/3
[Yes, he's sure the mood WAS very glowing, and he rolls his eyes and shakes his head before going up to Hanna and spinning the horse man around. With some very gentle patpats, he then begins to try to herd him back into the bedroom.]
Listen, I get what's going on here. "Oh, Merlin's the youngest so let's treat him like prince of the babies." Don't think I'm unfamiliar with this gameplay, it was EXACTLY the same back home, and I will have you know that I'm JUST as much of a man as you are. Married as well, I'd like to add, so I'm not sure why you think you can fool me.
So hurry now! Your princess awaits!
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Why Hanna, you're positively glowing—
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Ah, alright, yeah no, I get it now.
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Princess... [He murmurs, staring off into the distance. Luckily, the stars in his eyes aren't visible from this angle. Of course he snaps out of that little daydream dissociation real quick once he hears that he has an out--]
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A-ah-- yeah, see! I told you! This is new and I wanted her to check and see if it was my all of me that had spots! And it does! And it rules!!
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Very impressive. [And he is quite genuine about that.] I suppose that means you now match the two of us!
[He rustles his own glowing leaf-hair, as if Hanna needed further proof of that...for some reason.]
...Well, I won't interrupt you any further, then. So sorry about that, you can blame the hero in me. I hear screaming, I stop screaming, everybody celebrates and so on.
[Idly now, he begins to slap the end of the ladle in his other hand, filling what would otherwise be awkward silence with a just as awkward "twap twap."]
Sooooo I better...return this... Seeing as I won't be...needing it...anymoore.
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