Hey guys! I kept my word :) Oh and on the news I heard a terrible story about an accident in Glasgow. My heart goes out to all the families of the victims. I'm so sorry about what happened, even though what I say has barely any impact. I am so, so sorry.
Hey, meet outside Waterstones at 10:00. Groups are; Arthur and Merlin then Morgana, Gwen and myself.
-LE
Leola stood in the freezing cold as her text sent to her friends. She was wearing a dark blue scarf and a long black coat. The wind whipped her straight brown hair across her face and she plunged her hands deep into her pockets. She watched the street and stared at her breath, imagining herself as a dragon.
Leo, I will be there in 5.
-Merlin
Leola smiled and pulled herself deeper into the coat, hoping it would offer some protection from the biting wind. She stood outside Waterstones and stared at the clock on the front of the bookstore, ten minutes to go.
Hey Leola! It's me Gwen. I'm running a tiny bit late, but should make it there on time :)
Heavy footsteps started to come towards Leola, and as she turned, Merlin jumped out at her.
"Feeble." Leola stated.
"What? Come on."
"Merlin, you attempt to scare me was more crap than you'd imagine."
"Shut it."
Both of them laughed, warming them up.
Arthur and Morgana joined the group, Arthur obviously feeling slightly self-conscious about his Christmas jumper.
"What's so funny?"
"You Arthur, you look like an idiot in that jumper." Morgana cut in flawlessly.
Morgana and Arthur stood in front of Waterstones arguing, just like the siblings they were, whilst Merlin and Leola just continually poked each other in the arm.
"Sorry!"
"Gwen, you're perfectly on time."
"Thank the stars."
Leola addressed the group, "Okay then, you all know which groups you are in, Arthur, you and Merlin will go South first, and our group will go North first, at 12, we will meet up in Costa, have lunch, then switch. Got that?"
There was a murmur of agreement through the group, and both groups went their separate ways.
Morgana spoke to the girls, "Who has got to get the most?"
They all shared their lists, "Right, okay Gwen has got to do the most shopping, then me and then you Leola. Let's start with our parents. Leola, do you want to go and look for something for yourself?"
"It's alright Morgana; I'm just going to stalk you."
Morgana smiled down at Leola and spoke, "Let's get shopping!"
O
Arthur and Merlin stared at the numerous shops in front of them. Merlin and Arthur looked at each other, they already had planned everything, through text. Both of them headed immediately for the nearest clothes shop.
O
Leola sat she was utterly bored. She found she still hated shoe shops; they were filled with stereotypical "girly" and "manly" shoes. She wished she could make something out of ice, but if she did that... She looked up; she didn't even want to think about the consequences.
Gwen called her over, and she dragged herself across the room, in a hushed voice she started to evaluate the shoes, "Don't you think Morgana would look amazing in these?" Gwen looked over her shoulder, "In that dress I saw in New Look, we could get a shared gift!" Gwen winced and lowered her voice again, "They're about the same price, I think she will really appreciate it,"
Leola smiled at the childish look upon Gwen's face, "Yeah, let's do that."
Gwen returned Leola with a big grin and rushed off to the till.
O
"Merlin, did you find everything?"
"Yeah, well..."
"Did you forget someone?"
"No, but that shop wasn't for her."
Arthur stared at the blushing boy in front of him. Merlin was looking down at the floor, and avoiding his eyes. Arthur smiled.
"Leola right?"
Merlin looked up immediately, blushing harder, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"She's a bookish kid, not someone who would appreciate a pair of heels, or perfume."
"Leo's only a bit younger than us you know."
"She seems younger."
Both of the young adults laughed at that.
"Come on Merlin, let's go to Waterstones,"
O
Morgana cornered Leola, "Which do you think is best for Gwen?"
She held out two perfume bottles, both eye-wateringly expensive, and both in beautiful colours.
Leola didn't even blink, "That one."
Morgana was a bit taken back, "But you hate this type of stuff."
"So? I pay attention to what other people say, and Gwen's favourite colour is purpl- , I mean lilac."
Morgana giggled and ruffled Leola's hair, "Don't worry little one, we'll start on your kind of stores soon." With a flourish she left Leola awkwardly in the huge store full of makeup and all things she was not familiar with.
O
The bookstore was full with people. Some people were going in, grabbing a book and running out, whereas others, obviously those who came regularly were carefully checking covers, pages, reading blurbs and a whole host of other things. Merlin felt out of place, but Arthur felt even more so.
"Hey!" Merlin whipped round to see a lady standing behind him, "You must be Merlin, Leo comes here all the time, she talks about you a lot, I swear to the number 42 that she has spent more than £200 in here. You look a little lost, what are you here for?"
"Well," Merlin stared at her name tag, "Sakina, I'm here for a book for Leo actually."
"Finally! I get to choose her one! Kay you two boys come with me, she's a big fan of manga and light novels too right?"
Merlin nodded, whereas Arthur's face was a mixture of confusion and regret.
"I recommend 'The Irregular at magic high school', that's got both a manga and light novel, but she's already got volume 1 and 2. So get her volume 3. There, a perfect gift."
Merlin tried to retain the information which was coming to him at break-neck speeds. The lady pointed to a shelf at the back, when suddenly she saw another customer that she obviously knew and ran off, leaving Merlin and Arthur stranded on a new and scary planet, with no hopes of rescue.
Arthur turned to Merlin, "Get the book, and then we get out of here."
Merlin nodded in agreement, terrified for his life.
O
Finally after a gruelling 2 hours Arthur had bought presents for almost everyone on his list, Merlin had one for everyone. Leola had bought for both of the girls, Gwen had bought presents for Morgana and Arthur, and Morgana had bought a present for both of the girls.
The group sat in a small café, with a host of condiments, from hot chocolate to tea, from toasted sandwiches to cake. They chatted about Christmas, but Leola was barely joining in with the conversation, preferring to listen and sneakily read fan fiction on her phone.
After they had finished, the groups split again, promising to meet at the Costa nearby for warm beverages later, and to watch the Christmas lights in the square be turned on. This resulted in a few nasty innuendos from the siblings.
Leola was much more at home in the part of the high street that had shops much more suited to her taste, and Morgana and Gwen had to forcibly drag her out of the bookstore to continue with their shopping. When after chatting and an immense amount of queuing (well it was England after all, what did they expect) the group met up in Costas for warm drinks.
Their table faced the window, with an amazing view of the street, never underestimate the power of small people, in crowds they can grab the best spots, and the groups' bags lay littered around the floor of the table. The laughter of the group echoed and warmed the coldness of nearby couples and friends, they chatted again about Christmas, and past Christmas adventures. Leola again, preferring to listen and search Tumblr quietly.
The lights were beautiful, they were mainly white and blue and sparkled in the street, the coldness of the night became more apparent when the group finally ventured out and said their goodbyes, with Arthur, Morgana and Gwen going North and Leola and Merlin going South, each person going to their houses respectfully, filled with warm and joy and mince pies.
Thanks for reading, please review, it makes my day. Again I'm so sorry about what happened in Glasgow today, and so close to Christmas.
Socks