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[servant]

-Oh no.

[The video is washed out, too bright underneath the generic lighting of the even more generic passenger's quarters. Merlin's face slowly eclipses it, eyes wide and a little concerned. With a little trial and error, he's managed to master the device's functions faster than a medieval boy probably has a right to. But technology hasn't come up with an answer for clumsiness. Yet.]

All right?

[Merlin picks the communicator up, sighing in relief before he starts to grin.]

Are we really up there? Up in the stars, I mean. I know everyone keeps saying it, it's just hard to imagine. To think that a servant could be among the stars. I really used to look up to them.

[Merlin presses his lips together, quite possibly the only person amused by that. Arthur's always told him that he shouldn't try to be funny. This would be why.]

Has anyone ever been up here before? Do you think if we stepped outside the ship, it would be like falling out of a tree? Except that there are no trees in space, because there isn't any dirt.

Which makes me wonder...where do we get the apples?

[Merlin finally has the decency to look sheepish about his ramblings and odd questions.]

Sorry. And I've already heard about there being no air and space radiation, so I won't actually be trying to get out there. My guardian just always wanted me to take more of an interest in science. I guess this was one way of doing it.

[Merlin glances off-screen, and there's a hesitance with his last question that the others was lacking.]

Uhm, it is science, isn't it? And not magic?

Comments

voice;

[justamobster]

Ain't like fallin' out of a tree, kid. You float. I don't suggest tryin' it.

And who the hell knows what brought us here, science or magic. Or some weird mishmash of the two.

voice;

[servant]

Have you?

[Merlin's eyebrows raise at that, but he looks confused at what follows.]

I don't understand, doesn't it sort of have to be one or the other?

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[idkmybffbloodwing]

[He's sitting in his room, bird on his shoulder, comm in one hand and bottle in the other - the bottle, of course, is only visible when he brings it to his lips.]

Yeah, kid, it's science. Space ain't some big mystery, it's just a buncha nothingness.

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[servant]

How is that even possible? Nothingness is nothing and-

[Merlin shakes his head.]

This definitely feels more like something.

[...]

Did you know there's a bird on your shoulder?

[idkmybffjessie]

[Zaeed can't tell if the constant wonder about space he's seeing is annoying or endearing. Probably the former, because this is Zaeed we're talking about. Still, there's no real irritation in his voice.]

It's science. You don't fall when you step out in space, you float. Like...

[Pause as he tries to think of a groundside simile.] You ever been in a tank of water and you feel near to weightless? It's like that.

[servant]

Sounds...strange.

[He thinks about how it feels to float on the surface of a lake on a warm summer day, relaxing and free. But he also knows how scary it is when you float too far away from shore.]

Surely you would run into something eventually though. It can't just go on forever. Can it?

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[suddenlycaptain]

[ Space radiation Anders one day she might kill you once the enthusiasm gets annoying instead of potentially a good trait. ]

You spoke to Anders, didn't you?

[ Sigh. ]

I have some videos on living out here that you can watch, if that would help.

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[servant]

He was very, uhm, informative.

[If by 'informative' Merlin actually meant 'terrifying'. His face brightens at her offer though.]

That would be brilliant, thank you.

voice;

[handelaar]

There's dirt in the Gardens. Second level an' up. Jungles. [...] Why.

voice;

[servant]

Is it a dangerous place?

video »

[ripstides]

Science explains most things on this ship. [ but he doesn't understand it. the brainy type talk and no matter how many years he's been around Annabeth he can still only follow to a certain point and then it's all gibberish from there. ] My money's on magic for the things that we can't answer.

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[servant]

[Science for the things they can explain. Sorcery for the things they can't. Merlin's suddenly laughing a little bit.]

Put that way, it's really not so different from Camelot. At least according to the king.

[Whoops, probably shouldn't be laughing at that part.]

Erm, have you been on the ship for very long?

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[backwardscompatible]

"Magic" is just science that one doesn't yet understand.

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[servant]

[Well there's a statement that he's going to be thinking about for a long time.]

Are you a scientist? Or...maybe a sorceress?

video & sorry for threadjacking!

[doggedly]

Wrong. Don't confuse the boy!

And, er, boy in question: ignore this, it's wro-ong.

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[king]

I beg. Your pardon.

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[mansuetus]

[ she had a smile on her face when this started but the part about the three really has her in a giggling fit and Merlin you are so adorable. ]

It is a rather exciting thought, that we are flying up above in the sky. In my realm I never even dreamed it possible.

[ a tiny grin. ]

Hello, Merlin.

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[servant]

Oh. Hello Lady Lucrezia.

[Lord help him. His smile is bigger than his ears.]

You're not scared at all?

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[watashinonamaewa]

[ Curious scientist Cibo, on-screen! ]

It is science. Nothing like the science I am used to, but science. And space is a strange thing to me, too. I still have trouble imagining how many stars and planets people say that there are. Or what they even are, really.

[ She's nervous to ask, so there's a silent minute. ]

I'm sorry to ask this, because it feels like it is something that I should know about... But what exactly is magic?

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[servant]

There's so many words I've never heard before. So much more than just 'light' and 'darkness'.

[Her question makes Merlin go quiet now. He's struggling with how to answer that, even though he knows exactly what magic is. But how does he explain something that just is, at least for him.]

I guess that depends on who you ask. Where I'm from, a lot of people see magic as a corrupting force. Unnatural gifts that people use for selfish reasons.

[He pauses, glances down.]

But Gaius used to tell me stories. About people who followed the Old Religion, and what they believed about magic. They believed that magic was neither good nor evil. It's a force that's a part of the world, of life, of everything. And it can be used to change things.

Does that make sense?

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[birdhousesoul]

I'm really very glad you're taking the dangers of space radiation very seriously.

[He means it! He would be smiling, if space radiation weren't such a grim matter.]

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[servant]

I'm just trying to spread the word.

[He'd hate to see people get radiated!]

[whippings]

Yes, it's really space. No, I don't recommend attempting to gain more hands-on experience with it. [ A beat. ]

But what's this about 'radiation'?

[servant]

Oh. It sounds like you need to go to space training before you find out the hard way.

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[ringbearer]

I thought it was magic myself, when I arrived. However they tell me it's science.
[ frodo peers from the screen with bright blue eyes, a quizzical smile on his face ]
Don't think we'll ever get used to the idea of sailing over the stars, at least, not on my part.

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[servant]

But there's magic aboard the ship too, right? In the passengers.

[Frodo, your face so friendly. Merlin starts to smile back.]

I wonder if there's any starfish up here.

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[smallclothes]

So many questions. [Ugh gross.] One would think that such exuberant curiosity would be an undesirable trait in a servant.

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[servant]

I'm sure Arthur would say I have worse ones than that.

How else am I supposed to get answers though? Especially when everything's so strange here.

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[forlifeloveandcheese]

[ HE LAUGHS AT HIS BAD JOKE ]

A servant? From which kingdom, I wonder?

Enjoy this place while you can. You're going to be here for a long time.

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[servant]

[HE HAS MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM.]

From Camelot. I'm Prince Arthur's manservant.

Have you been here for a long time?

[voice]

[doggedly]

Don't listen to them. Don't waste your time with science. And there are trees here, y'know, thus, space apples.




[[& btw sorry for threadjacking above and then not commenting to the actual post, I guess DW ate my comment to you :( ]]

[voice]

[servant]

Do you not like science at all?

[And okay, he's just gotta ask:]

What's the difference between a space apple and a regular one? Do the pies float?

((OOC: No apology necessary! I love threadjacking. :3))

video;

[inspirited]

There are gardens here so apples can probably be found there.

As for this being science or magic— it could be either really.

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[servant]

So how do you tell the difference, one from the other?