WHO: Much and Luna, then Merlin WHEN: Saturday afternoon WHERE: Out on the streets WHAT: Much, making choices WARNINGS: Probably none
After all Much's talk of leaving, and Tuck and Stutely being so viciously anti, so 'it'll destroy us', Much was just a little bit bitter that he was stuck in the city working while both of them had left town.
Alright, maybe he was jealous, rather than bitter, but it still felt pretty shitty. They'd just had their biggest victory against the Sheriff in a long, long time, and instead of celebrating together, everyone just took off.
Like, sure, guys. Let's not take this opportunity to regroup or anything. No. Let's all scarper and make out in the woods. That's fine.
Much sighed, and scrubbed down the bar at Diogenes after the lunch crowd started to die down. Every now and then he lifted his eyes toward the door, as if Athena would step through at any moment. Someone had to keep an eye out for her, while Stutely swanned off turkey hunting, after all.
Mostly, though, in his heart of hearts, he was trying not to be bitter about Athena. If she was interested in helping them out, backing some heroes against some villains like she claimed, well... He'd been working at Diogenes for ages. She knew that. Why'd she approach Stutely, and not him?
Since he was already feeling grumpy about stuff, might as well turn that thought over in his head a few times too. Was he not as much of a hero as Stutely? He'd saved Marcie, after all, and apparently Athena was taking an interest because of Marcie.
Maybe she just saw him as a bartender. Maybe they all did.
Maybe that should be what he wanted. Stay under the radar.
(It wasn't, though. It wasn't what he wanted.)
His shift finished, just a few hours today to cover the lunch rush. Athena didn't come in. That was fine though. Much had other stuff to be doing anyway. Important, useful stuff.
Except he didn't. No one was home at the Parsonage while Tuck was out of town with Will. Leila and Rob had plans together. Stutely and Alan were both enraptured in their muses. John was with Fairy Tales, Marian had work. He thought about messaging Marcie but didn't want to bust into her holiday. He send Ben a bagel based meme.
Maybe he should go sit in his van and think about plans. The only problem with that was that he was too close to the end of the month he didn't have any money left to buy any offerings to take to said van, and he didn't want to make too many visits to the storage unit in case it started to look suspicious. It'd be wiser not to go.
Bah, he thought, and mounted his bike after work and started peddling. Maybe some great idea would come to him while he was riding. He thought about presenting the idea, whatever it was, to everybody, when they were all back again from their holidays. I've figured it out, guys! he could say. I know exactly what to do!
(Maybe Athena hadn't approached him because he was just so bad at plans.)
Or maybe while everyone was busy Much could orchestrate a run in with Guy and sort him out. Tadaa! Now we don't have to worry about the Sheriff OR Guy!
Or maybe -
Much's thoughts were stolen when he recognised a colourful arm as he biked past the woman, and his mind whiplashed away from plans and toward her. "Luna!" he called, doing a quick about-turn and peddling to catch up with her. She wanted to go back to the fucked up life with her gods, Will had said, heartbroken, which had dragged Much down too. Not them, he'd kept thinking. Anyone but them.
Seeing her now felt like auspicious timing, maybe. "Luna hey, wait, wait, hi! How are you?"