Elliot stopped in his tracks and looked up from the strangers shirt to his face. He hadn't caught the name at first. Not until he saw his face. Merlin! Right... He recognised him from his picture. He hadn't seen him around at work yet but they worked in slightly different areas so that was understandable.
Trying his best to smile, Elliot shifted his bag strap on his shoulder. "Oh hey... Sorry..." he paused. Should he explain himself to Merlin? Did he need to? He could try. But he couldn't mention Mr Robot. No, he didn't know Merlin well enough for that. Some of the people close to him didn't even know. Mr Robot was a problem. He was probably staring at them. Watching. Waiting for an opening.
"I didn't really see you, I just wanted to..." he looked past him to the exit. "I was just trying to get out of here. I didn't expect to see you here... I mean, don't you have more important talks to hear?" he asked with a shy smile. Self deprecation. It made interactions easier sometimes.