For Your Entertainment

[ayoungboy]

The circus comes into town in the late afternoon. It's a quiet caravan, but the whispers start immediately. It's not a regular circus. This one - this is the Camelot circus. One of the most esteemed traveling acts in the country, and not for the faint of heart. This one has a flaming sword eater and a terrifying magician.

A few brave people try to peek at the preparations, but once the big tent is up, all that can really be seen are food stands being set up, and a few podiums for acts unknown. Everything else is hidden from view. You want to see? Come buy a ticket.

Comments

[ayoungboy]

"Are they legal?"

[royalpratness]

Arthur tilts his head in confusion. "The cows?"

[ayoungboy]

"The claims, Arthur." Merlin chuckles.

[royalpratness]

"Oh, the claims." Arthur blushes, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, it has been a long day. Yes, most of them are."

[ayoungboy]

"You look tense," Merlin says, concerned.

[royalpratness]

"Just tired." Arthur smiles, allowing himself to slide further down onto the bed.

[ayoungboy]

"You should rest. You do too much, Arthur.'

[royalpratness]

"I'm just doing my job, like every other man." Arthur yawns. "Show me that dragon again." He has developed an odd fascination with Merlin creating shapes out of thin air.

[ayoungboy]

"You've got a thing for dragons, don't you, Mr. Pendragon?" Merlin laughs a little and obliges, opening his palm and letting the water moisture in the air collect into a shape.

[royalpratness]

"Must be the name." Arthur smiles, resting his hands on his stomach as he watches Merlin closely.

[ayoungboy]

Merlin sends the dragon to fly towards Arthur, breathing bubbles of water vapor at the man.

[royalpratness]

Arthur chuckles, waving his hand in front of his face. "Your magic is amazing."

[ayoungboy]

"Hardly." Merlin smiles, pleased. "Just a little parlor trick."

[royalpratness]

Arthur rolls onto his side, facing Merlin. "You need to stop doing that, Merlin. You have a unique talent. Stop talking it down like it's nothing."

[ayoungboy]

"I'm glad that you enjoy it," Merlin says honestly. "But it barely gives me a job, Arthur. It is nothing."

[royalpratness]

"You can make people levitate and create things out of thin air. That's the kind of thing people write novels about. It's a gift." Arthur insists.

[ayoungboy]

"And good on them. Lovely novels. But one day I'd like to buy a house of my own."

[royalpratness]

"Why did you build a career our your magic anyway? You could have been anything, as far as I'm concerned. Why not become, I don't know, a fisherman who happens to have special abilities?"

[ayoungboy]

"I'm not good at anything else. This is just about all I can do."

[royalpratness]

"I highly doubt that." Arthur frowns, not liking how little Merlin seem to think of himself.

[ayoungboy]

"Well," Merlin shrugs. "You saved my job at the circus."

[royalpratness]

"Because you asked me to. You could always consider to do something different with your life."

[ayoungboy]

Merlin just sort of looks at him. Yeah, he doesn't have any idea what else he'd do with his life.

[royalpratness]

"Not right away, obviously. Just something to think about." Arthur smiles, allowing his eyes to close for just a moment.

[ayoungboy]

"Get some rest, Arthur." Merlin bites his lip and brushes his hand over Arthur's hair. "Really. You look exhausted."