WHO Marian and Merlin, and then the Sheriff of Nottingham WHEN Saturday night WHERE Farcical Aquatic Ceremony WHAT Needing a night out of her own drinking hole to visit someone else's WARNINGS frolloing.
Marian regretted telling any of them about the idea.
She should have, she now realised, kept it completely private until a day came where it had to be used. Until then they could use their better plans and hopefully it never came down to it. Much was right: she'd tainted their souls in making them part of it, and the whole point of this plan was to keep their souls intact.
Marian felt like every conversation on the post had been exactly the same: people demanding to know why she wanted to do this, and Marian trying- desperately- to make them understand that she didn't want to do this. She thought she'd made it clear: give me another option so I don't even have to think about this. But apparently not. Apparently half of them thought she was just so gosh darn excited for it all to happen.
And yet, in all that conversation, no one had mentioned a better option.
Marian had to believe there was something.
She had to believe that now, seeing the worst possible choice, they would come up with better ones.
After it was all out she'd felt a little better, but that hadn't lasted long. The guilt and heaviness remained, and now with the added feeling that she was making them argue amongst themselves about it. The guilt that she'd put Tuck and Will into such terrible positions keeping secrets.
God, she had to get out of the Fox. Tonight Marian knew she couldn't remain in there, because she was going to end up sitting down in that cell, tearing herself apart inside.
Out. Anywhere out. Anywhere that was reasonably safe.
And Merlin's club was the answer she found. She'd never been there before, but she knew Merlin enough to consider it. They both ran in the same folklore circles and it meant they ran into each other now and then. But more than that, Lancelot trusted Merlin. Marian put a lot of faith in Lancelot's word.
Merlin was a terrible flirt, but she'd never felt unsafe around him.
The club, when Marian arrived, seemed about as busy as she'd expected for a Sunday night. Marian had worried she'd be underdressed in her plum jeans and turtleneck with floral shirt thrown over the top, but no one was looking too dressed up tonight.
She made her way to the bar and ordered herself bourdon and coke, feeling the tingling over Merlin's presence as it was handed to her.