#underwcrldbound

things are busy where they weren’t previously. and that in itself is something that irks him. the easiest thing in the world is to create a kind of precision when it comes to a schedule. a routine. you do certain actions to ward off certain things, like boredom or too much quiet. merlin has spent years perfecting his routines, and building them in such ways that they’re elastic. they can work with just about anything. except, well — this. he spent more than enough time wandering and the whole point was to settle, and now he feels unmoored. old friends. old enemies, as rarely as he commits to enemies any more. enemies were for back in the era of chivalry and knights and myth that he managed to outlast, and now things are ever so more complicated, even when he would prefer them to be anything but.

the future is something he could look into, if he wanted, but things are too murky. it would be like peering into the depths of a clouded pool and trying to see the bottom from the surface. pointless. a waste of time.

one of the cats winds between his legs, meowing, and merlin mutters a reprisal under his breath, no real fire behind it. “alright,” he says mildly. “i assume you want something. neither of us are the type to catch up, i’d say, and if you’re going to ask what’s going to happen then — well, i’m not a magic-8 ball. the best answer you’ll get from me is that the answer’s unclear, wait and see.”

which death?the one of the body or the one of the heart?  the two were not necessarily mutually exclusive.  and the former was often easier than the latter.  death of the body happened once. ( at least for most people… )death of the heart was living a million small deaths.shattering the soul, leaving it in shards.  each one cutting and fierce.  causing scars unseen.  aching and forever bleeding, easy wounds to reopen.

────── ⊰«──────

“mmh.”

he’s not one for soothing sentiment.  far too brusque.  too brutal in the ways of words to be able to offer a placation.  not that he wouldn’t like to offer some manner of reassurance.  he would.  he’s just not very good at anything other than abrasive truths at the best of times.

[tw: alcohol, tw: drug useage mention]

“it’s called a hangover, darling.”

or a comedown.  or an unhealthy slice of both.with the dead unsettled the shrieking in his mind had been somewhat incessant enough at one point to cause him to utter a scream of his own - grabbing with trembling hands at the last thread of his sanity.  and - while he should probably be ‘on his guard’ or whatever it was that people did when murderers and kidnappers and whatever else were prowling the streets – klaus had foregone that caution in favour of becoming absolutely numb from the toes up.

“and this, atypically, is referred to as ‘hair of the dog’.”  

raising a glass with some manner of amber liquid… possibly brandy this time…

“sobriety is vastly overrated.”

“define ‘authority’.”

this is why he does not get along well with authority figures.throughout his life he has paid respect to kings and queens, but only by rote of that respect being - e a r n e d.he has also paid respect to commoners for the very same reason.

however - authority is not the same as respect.authority comes in many different flavours.

            people who thought they were somehow ‘greater’ or ‘better’ by            rote of birth or position or amassed wealth or – some other bullshit reason.            this is the authority that fades into the background.  the more they            raise their voices and ‘demand’ - the less he hears them.  false power.             no respect.

which is not the same authority as

            the seasoned army captain, barking orders at his men, not to belittle or                        oppress.  not for any reason other than what he had to say might just             save their fucking lives.  so they listen, they heed, they act on his words.            they celebrate his name, battle weary but - a l i v e.  because of THAT kind             of authority.  earned.  true respect.

so for the most part - nah.  he can’t be bothered with the bullshit fuckery of people who claim to have ‘authority’.  it’s not ‘disobedience’ if he doesn’t acknowledge it in the first place.