[Aw, good, he remembers. That's nice enough that Merlin sputters out a laugh at being essentially called a potato, instead of getting fussier about it.]
What if I like dressing like a potato? It'd be your duty to support that, wouldn't it?
I don't think so. It would be my duty to persuade you that there are finer things in life than sackcloth, and even potatoes would probably wear velvet given the chance.
[The music shifts abruptly to something far too slow to canter about to, and Monty's thrown for a moment - pausing to work out how things should realign.]
Besides. [He smooths a hand along Merlin's shoulder, thoughtfully.] I'd like to see you in it. I hadn't realised how handsome you were.
[And that, the moment the music changes, is the moment Merlin stumbles over his own feet. It's hardly enough to be a disruption, let alone a full-scale topple to the ground, but it's noticeable enough for him to make another face, sheepish for the brief moment it takes him to collect himself again.
The slower tempo is closer to his earlier dance with Rosalind, so maybe he'll actually do better at this one. Fingers crossed. He doesn't mind the compliment at all, but reacts with the same almost surprised chuckle as a moment ago.]
I can't be handsome in sackcloth? Perhaps I should give up coats entirely. [Jokes.....] Or you could get me a very fine velvet bag for my potatoes.
[Monty catches that stumble quite gracefully, managing not only not to trip over himself but, with a degree of foresight, to use the little backward reel that comes after it to step forward until there's barely a gap between them. Not so much dancing partner as prop: it should mean Merlin can't tumble to the floor but only directly into Monty in future.
And Monty wouldn't mind that too much.]
Narcissus himself couldn't be handsome in sackcloth. Besides, it's not just wearing the thing, is it? It's wearing it well enough that someone else would want to take it off.
[Oh, well- that's helpful, in its way. The stumble shakes more glitter out of his hair, making him blink down at Monty only somewhat owlishly. He isn't intending to actually fall on anyone mid-dance, but he can't seem to find anything objectionable about being suddenly so close, either. Glitter? Maybe. It's certainly the glitter that's making him forget about being in the middle of a public floor.]
You already want to take off my potato coat, and I'm not even wearing it now. [So by that logic... this he says with a little grin, like it's the funniest thing ever and he is so, so clever.]
I could just wear this coat all the time, but I'm not sure if I have to return this suit.
I only want to take it off to get you to put something else on, though, that hardly counts. If it was something decent - lilac velvet with lace at the cuffs and a French frilled cravat, say, that might be different. Something difficult to get off: I like the challenge.
[He brushes a hand idly down Merlin's lapels on the next turn. It's fine enough fabric if dowdy for the modern (regency) taste. And, of course, he doesn't actually care in the least what jacket Merlin is wearing (so long as it's not sackcloth), it's far more done for the excuse to touch. He really is tall and doesn't wear it terribly well, but when he relaxes there's the distinct impression that he could.]
But what if something terrible were to happen to this coat? You couldn't return it then.
[It's so specific, this coat idea, whatever a French frilled cravat is. He feels a bit like his dancing prowess has regressed to rotating in place, but that doesn't matter so much now.]
What kind of terrible thing is going to happen? I think I could tolerate a few degrees of terrible, since- [and here his entire argument is about to go up in smoke, he knows, considering,] I didn't pay for it in the first place.
[He might as well be honest. Percy makes everything he wears look good, somehow, but that doesn't mean that the coat wasn't memorable for its own merits. Monty tries, but lilac perhaps isn't his colour to pull off.]
And it would be no good staining it, or letting it singe on one of the candles here, that would quite defy the object. What if someone held it hostage, though? Until whoever loaned it to you gives it up as lost?
[He makes a face, faux-concerned about his coat actually catching fire. That does sound like the kind of thing that happens to him, but he doesn't think that's really going to happen...]
I suppose I'd have to make a few good excuses and not wear it around him ever again.
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I should think you ought to try remembering my name before buying me things, so no thank you.
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[Now that he wants something. He's had a little too much champagne to be quite sure why he wants it, but the fact is Merlin must have a coat.]
You saved my life! It's my duty and my debt not to let you go around dressed as a potato any longer.
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What if I like dressing like a potato? It'd be your duty to support that, wouldn't it?
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[The music shifts abruptly to something far too slow to canter about to, and Monty's thrown for a moment - pausing to work out how things should realign.]
Besides. [He smooths a hand along Merlin's shoulder, thoughtfully.] I'd like to see you in it. I hadn't realised how handsome you were.
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The slower tempo is closer to his earlier dance with Rosalind, so maybe he'll actually do better at this one. Fingers crossed. He doesn't mind the compliment at all, but reacts with the same almost surprised chuckle as a moment ago.]
I can't be handsome in sackcloth? Perhaps I should give up coats entirely. [Jokes.....] Or you could get me a very fine velvet bag for my potatoes.
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And Monty wouldn't mind that too much.]
Narcissus himself couldn't be handsome in sackcloth. Besides, it's not just wearing the thing, is it? It's wearing it well enough that someone else would want to take it off.
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You already want to take off my potato coat, and I'm not even wearing it now. [So by that logic... this he says with a little grin, like it's the funniest thing ever and he is so, so clever.]
I could just wear this coat all the time, but I'm not sure if I have to return this suit.
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[He brushes a hand idly down Merlin's lapels on the next turn. It's fine enough fabric if dowdy for the modern (regency) taste. And, of course, he doesn't actually care in the least what jacket Merlin is wearing (so long as it's not sackcloth), it's far more done for the excuse to touch. He really is tall and doesn't wear it terribly well, but when he relaxes there's the distinct impression that he could.]
But what if something terrible were to happen to this coat? You couldn't return it then.
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[It's so specific, this coat idea, whatever a French frilled cravat is. He feels a bit like his dancing prowess has regressed to rotating in place, but that doesn't matter so much now.]
What kind of terrible thing is going to happen? I think I could tolerate a few degrees of terrible, since- [and here his entire argument is about to go up in smoke, he knows, considering,] I didn't pay for it in the first place.
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[He might as well be honest. Percy makes everything he wears look good, somehow, but that doesn't mean that the coat wasn't memorable for its own merits. Monty tries, but lilac perhaps isn't his colour to pull off.]
And it would be no good staining it, or letting it singe on one of the candles here, that would quite defy the object. What if someone held it hostage, though? Until whoever loaned it to you gives it up as lost?
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I suppose I'd have to make a few good excuses and not wear it around him ever again.