Start As We Mean To Go On [Gwaine]

[Deleted]

Iwan was annoyed. This wasn't a particularly surprising or rare state of mind for the young knight to be in, but it didn't make him any less annoyed. If anything, it just made his mood worse. He'd been standing in the courtyard for at least half an hour - just standing there, waiting for Gwaine to show his face, and then realising this wasn't going to happen, and so he'd stormed off to try and find the man. This was utterly ridiculous. He didn't agree with Gwaine being a knight anyway, but he could at least take his duties seriously. Arthur had given them orders, but obviously that wasn't motivation enough for Gwaine.

He was now storming along the corridors, trying to find the stupid man because apparantly Gwaine and Iwan would make a "good team" - Iwan had yet to find out why - so he was forced to try and find him before he could start the mission. The fact that this was being delayed was not improving his mood. This was particularly unfortunate for the young servant who happened to be walking in the opposite direction.

"You, where is Sir Gwaine?" His voice was a little louder than it ought to be, and he was waiting rather impatiently for her answer. His foot was tapping against the ground. He didn't have all day.

"I-I don't think he is awake yet, Sir Iwan."

Well that was just fantastic. A real knight would never behave in such a manner. A real knight would know better. Iwan didn't say anything more to the girl, he just continued off in the direction of Gwaine's chamber. He shouldn't be having to wake a knight up, especially not on a day like today. His father would not have stood for this sort of behaviour from him, and Iwan certainly wasn't going to stood for it from some peasant who didn't deserve a place in the castle at all. Eventually he reached Gwaine's chamber so he started banging his fist against the door. Normally he would have a little more discretion, but this was not a normal circumstance. "Gwaine? Are you awake? You were meant to be in the courtyard half an hour ago."

Tagged: Gwaine
Timeline: During the series 3-4 gap
Location: Camelot castle, but will need to be moved to the forest

[thegwaine]

It was too early in the morning for thinking, and that was in Gwaine’s professional opinion. Gwaine rolled over and yawned into his pillow. One of the perks of being a knight was defiantly the bed at the end of the day, it was much preferred to the old tavern beds he had been used to on his travels. This would have been a perfect moment, if it weren’t from the annoying knocking on his door, followed by Iwan’s irritating voice. Oh yes, Gwaine must have over slept. He would have been more bothered about this if it was anyone but Iwan. He didn’t dislike the man, but he didn’t particulary like him either, but he wasn’t going to go away. So Gwaine got up and opened the door with one of his usual grins.

“Hello handsome.” He grinned across at Iwan, it was obvious the knight probably wasn’t best pleased at having to come and fetch him. In Gwaine’s defence, he had been on the night watch, and had only got a few hours sleep. Therefore it was completely justifiable that he should oversleep by an hour or so. God forbid Sir Perfect in front of him should do anything wrong, Jesu the world might just end if he stepped a foot out of line. Gwaine had only just noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt, hmm, if Iwan was a young serving woman then this situation would be a lot more enjoyable. He looked down at his shirtless state and then back to Iwan and let out a short chuckle. “Don’t fancy changing into a woman do you? It’ll make this situation more bearable for both of us.” Unless Iwan was enjoying basking in Gwaine’s masculinity, in which case they were both enjoying this situation.

Stretching his arms out, Gwaine studied Iwan, “Give me a few moments to change, unless you would prefer to watch?” He chuckled again, Iwan did really need to lighten up. They were going to be spending all morning in the forest together tracking this creature, so he would have to develop a sense of humour at some point because otherwise it would be a painful experience for them both. Gwaine could only remain in his comical like manner for a certain amount of time without an audience before it began to wear thin. He closed the door and began to pull on his tunic and armour, luckily he had already laid them out because he knew something like this was going to happen. Finishing dressing, Gwaine grabbed his sword and took a look at himself in the mirror. His hair was suitably scruffy as usual, and with a grin he joined Iwan once more outside the door and began to head down the coridoor towards the courtyard, “Are you going to stand there all day?” He asked with a chuckle and turned away from him; he was going to enjoy this.

[Deleted]

Iwan was not impressed. But then that wasn't a surprise to anyone, especially, it seemed, not to Gwaine, who was too busy making jokes to care about the fact that he'd overslept when they had a mission. It was bad enough commoners were becoming knights, but completely inadequate and inappropriate ones? It was a wonder Camelot hadn't fallen a lot sooner. Luckily for everyone, Iwan did take his duties as a knight seriously and was commited to both serving the king and protecting the people. It was just frustrating the same couldn't be said for Gwaine.

He'd been more than startled when a shirtless Gwaine had opened the door, although luckily his face had only shown anger and frustration. Throughout the conversation, however, his eyes were either downcast or looking beyond Gwaine's shoulder. He didn't particularly want to see quite so much of the man. "Is there any part of this your taking seriously?" He asked, though it was quite obvious what the answer was going to be. Iwan's foot was tapping on the floor again. This was the sort of thing he'd expect from his sister, and not from someone in Gwaine's position.

He couldn't understand at all why Arthur had paired them together. Honestly, Iwan would rather go with any of the other knights. Maybe that was why. Arthur was mean enough to Merlin, this was probably just about amusing himself.

"Don’t fancy changing into a woman do you? It’ll make this situation more bearable for both of us.”

Iwan just stared at him for a few seconds, reminding himself that he was above playing these stupid games. Well, he might very well be above it, but that didn't stop him from replying. "And what makes you think that if I did happen to change into a woman, likely situation that it is, I would find you the least bit attractive?" It may only be a hypothetical situation created purely as a way for Gwaine to wind him up further, but Iwan wasn't having him going around that the only reason there wasn't something very inappropriate going on was the fact that Iwan wasn't a woman. He did have a lot of standards, as Gwaine was very much aware of.

“Give me a few moments to change, unless you would prefer to watch?”

"Oh please, don't shut the door. I'd love to see you take your clothes off." Iwan deadpanned. He really hoped this wasn't going to be the level of their conversation throughout the entire mission. There was only so much he could listen to until his brain started to melt. Gwaine really did have a too high opinion of himself, how else could he think Iwan really wanted to listen to such narcissistic nonsense?

Thankfully he was ready within a few moments, although he hadn't managed to change his attitude as well as his clothes. Iwan just couldn't wait until it was only the pair of them in the forest. He chose to ignore Gwaine's comment - it would only encourage him. Instead he decided to divert the conversation to something useful, like the mission and the reason they were together in the first place. "The village is an hour or so away on foot, but if we take the horses we'll be easier to spot." He began, not entirely sure whether Gwaine was listening to him. Well, it wouldn't be Iwan's fault if Gwaine got eaten.

[thegwaine]

Gwaine had come to realise, during his time with Iwan prior to this little mission they were going through together, that the man wasn’t particularly friendly. Well, he wasn’t as friendly as some of the other knights. Gwaine hadn’t had a problem with any of the other knights since his knighting ceremony. He had expected more of the other knights to have a problem with the fact he was a commoner. Well, he wasn’t, everyone just thought he was a commoner, but still. Iwan was the only one he had come across who didn’t appreciate his comical nature. Whether it was a personality conflict, or whether he just genuinely disliked the fact that a commoner had become a knight, was yet to be seen. In all fairness, Gwaine couldn’t care less, it just made jesting with the man even more fun.

“Is there any part of me that is taking answering my door half naked seriously?” He repeated with a loud chuckle, “How could you take it seriously?” Gwaine didn’t understand that logic. He’d answered the door half naked, how could anyone take that seriously. “You shouldn’t have knocked if you didn’t want to face the consequences.” The consequence of course was the fact Gwaine had answered the door half naked. Really Iwan should know better than to come calling if he didn’t want to be faced with this.

Heh well Iwan certainly had a bit of wit about him, at least he wasn’t completely humourless. Gwaine wouldn’t have been able to stand it if he didn’t at least have a bit of a spark. Giving a chuckle Gwaine looked Iwan up and down, “Well, who says that turning into a woman would make you any more attractive?” Thinking about it now, turning into a woman wasn’t going to do anything for Iwan, really he was shadowed by Gwiane’s own good looks. He didn’t blame the man for being jealous; it was only natural.

Well, Gwaine wasn’t going to treat Iwan to watching him changing, so naturally he shut the door. Really Iwan didn’t have to be so rude about the whole situation. Gwaine did take his knightly duties seriously, and this was the first time he had overslept, so Iwan could take from this situation what he wanted. Gwaine didn’t really care Iwan thought about him. “Well I’ve been needing to stretch my legs. We’ll walk to the village, you look like you need the exercise anyway.” His back hand slapped Iwan’s stomach a bit harder than he was intending, but he had already half skipped off towards the court yard before Iwan could retaliate. Gwaine was still in the opinion that Iwan would be nothing but fun, he wondered how long it would take to wind him up before he actually snapped. Given his earlier comment, it wasn’t going to take long.

[Deleted]

Already Iwan could only imagine just how much fun the two men were quite clearly going to have. He'd already come to the conclusion that Gwaine was going to try his best to be as irritating and unprofessional as possible, which was something he really shouldn't be surprised about. The man was a commoner after all. Iwan shouldn't have been expecting anything more from him. But Gwaine becoming a knight did make Iwan question Arthur's judgement somewhat. The prince had obviously seen something of merit, presumably hidden in the recesses of Gwaine's psyche where no one could possibly hope to find it, and taken this as some kind of sign that he should be given some power, authority and responsibility. Part of him wanted to believe in Arthur's judgement completely and accept Gwaine, and his presumed merits, for what he was. The other part of him hoped that Arthur had been really, really drunk when he'd decided this was a good idea. Really drunk.

"I shouldn't have knocked because you should have been ready. Or at least awake." Iwan said with raised eyebrows. He thought it was a perfectly valid point, but of course Gwaine would have something to say because he always did, regardless of whether he was actually in the wrong or not.

“Well, who says that turning into a woman would make you any more attractive?”

While he didn't particularly want to reply to that, if he didn't Gwaine would only make some other comment until he did. Besides, he didn't want the man to think that if he wasn't rising to the challenge it was because he wasn't witty enough. He was. He just wasn't childish enough. That was the theory anyway. "You mean because such beauty cannot be improved?" What a lovely compliment, he thought dryly. But they really didn't have time for such pleasantries.

At least he seemed to be taking their mission seriously now, or at least more seriously than he was before, which could only be a good thing. It would take more than a little backhanded enthusiasm, however, to convince him that Gwaine was at least an adequate choice for the task at hand. Honestly, what was Arthur thinking? And now they were onto comments about weight. Ah yes, intellectual banter. Hopefully this wasn't an indication of what the rest of the day would be like. "I'm surprised you noticed." He muttered, and then added, "Or care, really. Do you often find yourself giving my physique so much attention?"

[thegwaine]

Gwaine shrugged, he really didn’t care that he had overslept. Sure he was annoyed for the lost time, but they could easily make that up. There was no point in worrying or arguing about things which had already happened. What good would it do both of them standing here arguing about the fact her had an extra hour in bed. He had deserved the rest, he hadn’t felt like his feet had touched the ground this past week. It wasn’t even that Camelot was under any particular thread, but the knights were always patrolling, or attending functions, or training. It was never ending. “But if you hadn’t have knocked you would have missed out on this.” He gestured to his chest with a chuckle, what a sorry thing it would have been to miss.

He looked back at Iwan, almost amused by his answer and he gave a small ‘heh’ noise. “Of course, that is exactly what I meant.” It wasn’t incredibly sarcastic, but it was more of a patronising tone, so it was harder to miss. Gwaine was the better looking man and Iwan would come to accept this. He began to readjust his sword at his hilt, making sure it was secure before they set on their way. He wanted to just get out and sink his teeth into this mission. This creature, whatever it was, had apparently been spotted by some of the villagers, and such things often proved to be dangerous. The idea was to kill the creature before it could eat or destroy any of the food stores. It was a decent plan, and Gwaine was pretty sure they could stick to it, even with Sir Perfect at his heels.

Honestly Gwaine couldn’t say he gave any part of Iwan that much thought. Gwaine never thought about anything like that for too long, it was too... trivial for him to get fussed about. Whether Iwan was putting on a few pounds or not was none of Gwaine’s business, though he could mildly observe that he was putting on some weight in jest. Really Gwaine was just helping the man out as if he were slimmer, he would be fitter and more apt for battle. So Iwan should have been grateful really for him pointing this out, after all, with Iwan and his large belly, Gwaine would probably be the one stepping in to save the day if anything went amiss today. “Anyway, your physique is either your forte or your downfall on the battlefield.” He looked across to Iwan, “And at the moment my friend, you are leaning towards the latter.” One day Iwan would look back at this and laugh, and realise what good advice it was. For now Gwaine sped off through the courtyard to avoid a punch in the face.

[Deleted]

Gwaine's comment was met by an eyebrow raise and an expression that questioned why he'd thought that was an appropriate thing to say. Obviously Iwan couldn't think of anything worse than missing an oppurtunity to see Gwaine half naked. In fact, he'd hoped for nothing else when he knocked on his door. He'd always thought he'd been so subtle, but clearly Gwaine had noticed Iwan's admiration and interest. "Then where would we be?" Iwan rolled his eyes. He really didn't have time for such talk. It was bad enough having to go on a mission with Gwaine, his determination to be as irrititating as possible was only making the whole thing worse.

It was not uncommon for Iwan to find himself wondering why exactly Gwaine had become a knight. But it was uncommon for this confusion to be rooted not in the fact of Gwaine's status, but in his character. Nothing about him suggested he was a knight, or indeed wanted to be one. His whole attitude towards his duties, to someone such as Iwan who wanted nothing more, was just plain insulting. Gwaine appeared to know this, or at least have some sort of idea, which just made it worse. Of course he would never voice this opinion. It wasn't in his nature and even if it was it wouldn't acheive anything. The plain fact of the matter was that Arthur had decided Gwaine was deserving of the title, although Iwan had yet to see why. A more positive man would take this mission as an oppurtunity to see just what Arthur saw in him. Iwan was not a more positive man. He was taking this mission as an oppurtunity to prove himself right.

Iwan was more than used to Gwaine's teasing and so he didn't take anything he said to heart. He wasn't overweight at all. They both knew this so the other man's comments were simply ignored. Besides, as much as Gwaine irritated him, Iwan knew that any comments were not made maliciously, but simply to annoy him. Well, if Gwaine was after a reaction from him, he was going to be disappointed. Iwan was the second son, he was more than used to being teased and simply ignoring it. Of course there was also the fact that, even if he had wanted to say anything in reply, Gwaine had already disappeared down the corridor and into the courtyard. Iwan would have been annoyed, but it meant they could get on sooner. He sped up until he caught up with him, something which didn't take too long, a few seconds at the most. "I didn't realise you had quite so much enthusiasm." His eyes fell to Gwaine's middle. "Or are you trying to lose a few pounds yourself?"

[thegwaine]

Gwaine couldn’t really see Iwan’s problem. It wasn’t as if his chest was the worst one to be faced with. Perhaps Iwan was just jealous that he couldn’t appreciate such finery on a more long term basis. Well, that was his problem. Maybe if he were in better shape he could hope to aspire to Gwaine’s level of physique. Gwaine shrugged at his companion and winked at him. “Well it would have been your loss.” Personally Gwaine couldn’t understand how this couldn’t have brightened up Iwan’s morning. True, Gwaine had been late for the mission that he and Iwan had been set, but his duties had kept him late into the night. There probably wouldn’t even be anything of interest in the woods. If there was, it wouldn’t be made worse on the account of half an hours sleep. Gwaine loved his bed a bit too much sometimes. However, now he was feeling rather alert and bright and ready to face the day. Iwan should be glad of that much.

He wasn’t quite sure why he had to complete this mission with Iwan. Couldn’t Arthur have paired him up with one of the more friendly knights? Iwan had never been particularly pleasurable company, the man would probably never show an interest in ale either, which was his loss at the end of the day. Gwaine wondered if Iwan was ever going to cheer up. He just always seemed incredibly irritated by one thing or another, whereas Gwaine never really let these things get him down. He looked across at his companion, perhaps Arthur saw this as some sort of bonding session for the two knights. How utterly fantastic. Gwaine’s idea of getting to know someone was usually through an ale... or several, not by hunting after a beast in the middle of nowhere. He was guessing this wasn’t going to be a pleasurable experience for either of them, but Gwaine was

Gwaine could hardly resist meeting Iwan’s comment with a raised eye brow. He smoothed out his tunic in a rather egotistical way an accompanied it with a grin. Really Gwaine had no issues with the way he looked, and he was sure he would never be worried. “If I lose any more pounds you wouldn’t be able to see me when I turn sideways.” He winked at Iwan, usually of course it was mainly women who were bothered about their looks, but for all of Gwaine’s knightly attributes, he did have an heir of vanity about his nature. It wasn’t a bad thing, as it kept him looking fresh, and that only helped him in his womanly conquests. By the time they had reached the courtyard, Gwaine was sure that Iwan was probably toying with the idea of knocking him out, or perhaps he was too much of a gentleman for any of that. It was quite a long walk to the villages and areas of the forest they were supposed to be checking, but Gwaine was sure that he would be able to pass the time with ease. Iwan was already proving to be a source of amusement, and that would only continue. “Perhaps we should play a game to pass the time?” Gwaine suggested, running a hand though his hair as he winked at a passing water maiden who blushed a pretty colour of red. Turning his attentions back to Iwan he grinned, “Perhaps I spy?” This certainly wasn’t going to be met with enthusiasm from Iwan, of that Gwaine was certain, but he could still try, "I'll go first shall I? I spy with my little eye, something beguinning with.... F." There, nice and easy to start off with, Iwan couldn't miss what Gwaine was spying.

[Deleted]

As soon as their mission was over the better. This would have been half an hour sooner than it would be now if somebody hadn't neglected today's duties and spent all their time in bed. He found himself glaring at Gwaine which was rather immature and starting to make the skin around his eyes ache. He shouldn't be surprised at all that Gwaine was being as irritating as he possibly could and not even attempting to take the situation seriously. He didn't bother to reply to his companion's comment. Maybe if he just said nothing all day the man would eventually give up. It was always a possibility...

Nope. Gwaine was still talking. The man certainly liked the sound of his own voice. Well, Iwan supposed somebody had to. The young knight just rolled his eyes. He didn't particularly want to get into a discussion about Gwaine's weight - he wanted to focus on the task at hand but apparently that wasn't on Gwaine's list of priorities. He shouldn't be surprised. He should be very not surprised. Especially when he was winked at. What was it with Gwaine and winking? Obviously it worked on those women weak minded enough to be swayed by a knight with far too much facial hair, but it certainly wasn't getting a positive reception from Iwan. Like most things Gwaine did, it was just plain irritating.

"Perhaps we should play a game to pass the time?"

Oh God

"Perhaps I spy? I'll go first shall I? I spy with my little eye, something beginning with...F."

Was he seriously suggesting this? They were knights of Camelot on a mission, not bored children. Iwan sighed and looked at Gwaine with a look of desperation. This was not going to end well. "Is it "for the love of God do we really need to play this?" He raised a questioning eyebrow. "No? Well I guess it must be forest then." Hopefully if he just went along with it Gwaine would get bored fairly soon.

[thegwaine]

Gwaine couldn’t really understand why Iwan was being so miserable. So he’d been half an hour late, so what? Well, he knew he shouldn’t have been late, but given his track record it was a miracle that he was ever on time. Gwaine of course didn’t care about Iwan’s opinion, as he felt he reinforced the views that he had always had about nobility. However, Gwaine didn’t want to cause unnecessary tension, or even make an enemy out of the man. That would hardly be in the brotherly spirit would it? However, a little bit of sibling torture and rivalry was perfectly acceptable every now and again wasn’t it? Therefore he had no intention of stopping winding Iwan up, after all, he would have nothing to entertain himself with if he did. They had a long walk ahead, and very little to entertain along the way, and Gwaine had never been the quietest of people. Iwan was going to quickly have to learn to live with him, or die of boredom, it was his choice at the end of the day.

“Beautiful day for it isn’t it?” Gwaine commented suddenly. He despised of silence, silence was just space waiting to be filled in his opinion, and he was often the one to suggest a way to break the silence. He wasn’t going to be forced into silence by Iwan, he would continue talking, and eventually Iwan would see sense. Most of the conversation topics they had had so far had been tied off, and started by Gwaine. This wouldn’t do at all, was Iwan really so boring? Gwaine doubted it, he just had to bring Iwan’s more fun, and less serious side out into the open. They had all morning after all, Gwaine was sure he could manage it in that time.

Gwaine nodded and chuckled as Iwan asked if they really had to play I spy. For a few moments Gwaine thought he would have to prod an answer out of Iwan, however he did oblige him, for the time being anyway. “Well, I suppose you can only have brains or good looks.” He smirked, of course Gwaine had both, but he was the exeption to the rule. “Right go on, your turn. You do know the rules don’t you?” He raised his eye brows at the man seriously for a few moments, challenging him. Maybe this was the way to get Iwan to lighten up; the man certainly needed to after all.

[Deleted]

Yes, it was a beautiful day, but perhaps it would be far more fitting if it wasn't. Days like these should be reserved for days when Iwan would actually be enjoying himself and therefore in a position to appreciate them fully. As it happened, he was far too concerned with mentally poking Gwaine in the eye to realise just how pleasant the weather was. It was a rare thing in Albion - a day without rain, but he was unable to completely enjoy it. "A beautiful day for saving villagers? Surely a storm would be much more dramatic." Gwaine was probably one of those people who appreciated the dramatic - thunder, lightning and pouring rain while running through a forest, storming a castle and rescuing helpless and inappropriately dressed damsels. Iwan was not one of those people. He liked clear sight lines and not having to worry about wet feet.

Somehow, guessing "forest" didn't quite feel like a grand victory. He ignored Gwaine's comment about looks and brains - it must be hard for him having neither. Instead he simply rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair to push his fringe out of his eyes. "Alright," he sighed. There was no point in trying to argue, and if it was going to keep Gwaine occupied then there couldn't be that much harm in a little game of I Spy. They weren't going to be discussing anything like strategies or other useful things, so this was probably as intellectual as the conversation was going to get. Once again he found himself wondering how on earth the man had managed to become a knight when he clearly wasn't up to the task. But that was neither here nor there, so he rather begrudgingly continued the game. "I spy with my little eye (or at least he would if his fringe wasn't in the way again) something beginning with...S."

[thegwaine]

Gwaine couldn’t understand why Iwan was so determined not to like him, or enjoy their mission. What was the point in being a Knight if you didn’t enjoy yourself? It was a vocation, being a knight of course, but that didn’t mean it didn’t have to be an enjoyable one. Gwaine raised his eye brows at Iwan, what sensible man wanted a thunder storm. “More dramatic yes, but then my tunic would get soaked though.” A mischievous smile ran across Gwaine’s lips, “Or maybe you’d appreciate that?” Gwaine knew many women who would appreciate him in a wet tunic, but perhaps Iwan wouldn’t be as appreciative as any of them. It would be a pity if he wasn’t of course. Gwaine ran onto the next problem that a storm would cause. That of course was that would mean his hair would get wet, and that just wouldn’t do would it? However, Iwan probably wouldn’t appreciate

Gwaine looked around him for something beginning with S, and found himself at a slight loss. Well, there were the obvious things, but he would have thought Iwan would have been a bit more of a challenge than that. “Spoilsport?” Gwaine suggested in jest and with a wink, “No? How about sword?” That was probably a more acceptable answer, but in his opinion Iwan was a real spoilsport. He didn’t really seem enthused, or taken in by anything at the moment. He could tell that Iwan was only doing this to keep him occupied. “Not enjoying this are you?” Gwaine asked, not really caring that much what Iwan loved or didn’t love, “What do you want to do, and you can’t just say nothing, because that isn’t an answer.”

[Deleted]

Iwan was nothing if not professional and so couldn't quite understand it when other people did not share this view. Yes, there were enjoyable aspects to being a knight and it was a good life, but Gwaine seemed far too concerned with having fun and being stupid than actually performing his duties as a knight in an appropriate manner. It was no wonder their personalities clashed so often. It didn't help that his fellow knight was constantly being inappropriate. Surely this was not the sort of thing he said around women? Something told Iwan this was exactly the sort of thing he said around women which just made it all the worse. Thoughts and comments like that should be kept to himself; Iwan certainly didn't want to hear any of them. "I can assure you nothing would make me appreciate that. Frankly, I'm surprised anyone would."

Hmm. Gwaine hadn't managed to guess what Iwan was thinking. Maybe there was some fun to be had with this game. He allowed himself a brief moment of feeling pleased with himself before giving him a helping hand. "It wasn't spoilsport, surprisingly, or sword. You didn't think very hard, did you?" He was tone was slightly patronising. "Look up, does that help?" If Gwaine didn't get it from that then he was a stupider man than Iwan had first thought, and that would be impressive. "Honestly? I want to go back to the castle safe in the knowledge that no helpless villagers are being eaten or mauled by magical beasts, but I can't do that until we've had our little bonding session." He was going to kill Arthur for this, or rather, not kill him as that would be frowned upon, but he would voice his opinions in as polite a fashion as he could.

[thegwaine]

One of the things Gwaine enjoyed most was being inappropriate. It was such a fun pastime, as it let you see the fun things in life. Things that Iwan probably strove to squash and get rid of. He couldn’t see the problem with him being in a soaking wet tunic in front of eligible young women. One of the advantages of his new position was that noblewomen were also in his line of view as well as those down at the tavern. Well, Gwaine had gone after noblewomen in the past, but now he didn’t have to worry about disapproving fathers. “Well, you’ll never know what you’re missing.” Gwaine said with a shrug as he ruffled his hair. He looked over Iwan, wondering what sort of woman he would attract. The thought made him snort into the back of his hand, he couldn’t look at him with such thoughts in his head.

Gwaine thought his guesses had been more interesting than the sky. That was just boring, any child could come up with that. He hadn’t expected Iwan to take this seriously, well, he’d rather been hoping that he wasn’t going to take it seriously at all, but he was managing to make something as simple as I-spy boring. Gwaine raised an eye brow at him, “Nice one, well that means that its your turn again.” He pointed out rather smugly, usually he would be itching to have another go, but the fact Iwan didn’t want to play this game made it quite fun that he was the one who now had to guess. He chuckled as Iwan called their meeting a bonding session. He wasn’t sure they would ever bond, no matter how hard Gwaine tried. Gwaine was usually the sort of guy who got on with everyone, but Iwan’s personality was making it hard for Gwaine to find a common ground. The man had probably never even been near a tavern before. Gwaine pulled a face at the thought. “Well, then we’d better get on with the bonding.” He said with a wink. He didn’t want to see any harm come to anyone, and he was serious about his mission, but he didn’t have to be as serious as Iwan was about everything. The man just needed to lighten up.

[Deleted]

Iwan just sighed at Gwaine’s comment. It was probably better for his sanity to just go along with his words and ignore most of them than it was to try and argue against them. Gwaine liked to wind him up, and his obvious annoyance would only encourage him further. He was a like a child, in that respect. If Iwan just sighed and looked like he didn’t care his companion would quickly find something else to amuse himself with – hopefully something more appropriate and more quiet. “I’m sure I will cope, I’ve last this long.” He replied and then narrowed his eyes at Gwaine as he quite obviously tried not to laugh. “What?” The answer was probably not something he wanted to hear but he’d asked now and if it was anything that bad Gwaine would probably have told him anyway. It was a lose-lose situation really.

Oh brilliant. Now he could think of something else stupid to “spy” and be forced to continue this game. Honestly, was Gwaine five? He was behaving like a five year old, well, a five year old with a far more advanced vocabulary than he should have. “Oh fine. I spy with my little eye something beginning with ‘G’. Do you want a clue again or are you going to try on your own this time?”

Gwaine’s next words were certainly not something he wanted to hear, or perhaps just not in that tone. How did the man manage to make everything sound like something Iwan really, really didn’t want to know about? It was probably the wink that did it. “Why don’t we not and just pretend we did? That’s probably best for my sanity.”

[thegwaine]

Well, how he had lasted this long without falling for Gwaine’s charms was still confusing the man. He couldn’t understand why Iwan was still refusing to see the fun side of life, and open up to the world around him. Gwaine’s spirit was free, mainly because that was what his lifestyle had been all the time he had been wandering. He doubted Iwan could cope a night without a freshly made bed, he seemed like the sort of knight who had to brush his cloak down every night to get rid of any specs of dust that may have infected it. Gwaine was finding it harder and harder to find a common ground with the man, which was something that he didn’t usually have a problem with. Usually he could find some interest, no matter how remote, but the only thing he seemed to have in common with Iwan was that they were both Knights of Camelot. “Well, how much longer can you last?” Gwaine asked with a grin.

He was quite impressed that Iwan was still playing his game of I spy. He had figured he would just give up, and leave him to it. However, he was still game, so it was something at least. He looked around him, for something beginning with G. It would be incredibly unimaginative if he was just spying his fellow brother really. Iwan wasn’t engaging with this very well, though that was to be expected of course. He nudged Iwan playfully with his side, “Give us a clue then.”

Gwaine couldn’t really see the problem with him bonding with Iwan. It might even lighten the man up a little bit. They still had quite a long walk to go, so Iwan would have to put on a brave face for it. In truth, Gwaine was taking this seriously, there was nothing more important to him than the safety of those within Camelot, no matter what Iwan thought. However, Iwan was just too much fun to toy with. “What’s the problem with bonding?” He asked rather innocently, well, as innocently as Gwaine could manage anyway, “You know, life is always better when you smile. You never know, women might even start to like you.”

[Deleted]

Iwan just sighed at Gwaine's question. It seemed that was all he was doing in the man's company: sighing, rolling his eyes and sometimes wishing he could unhear whatever the man had just said. If Gwaine really wanted to be quite so inappropriate then Iwan wasn't going to be able to stop him, but he could at least do it in his head so Iwan didn't have to hear about it. "A lot longer than you, I daresay." He replied, hoping Gwaine would soon tire of the conversation. Couldn't they discuss proper things? Like what exactly they were going to do if, on finding the village, there was actually something the villagers needed saving from? Iwan wanted a plan, a thorough, well-thought out plan, but he had a feeling Gwaine was just going to jump in head first and hope for the best.

Either Gwaine was trying to be even more annoying, or he really couldn't think of anything beginning with G and needed a clue. Iwan hoped it was the former. God help Camelot if it truly was protected by knights who couldn't think of the word "ground". He looked at his companion with a rather exasperated expression. "Are you being serious?" It was probably a stupid question, Gwaine was never serious. It was one of his more annoying qualities. He seemed to think life was just one huge game with rules that were supposed to be completely disregarded, whereas Iwan was of the belief that rules provided stability.

There was nothing wrong with bonding, per say. It was just who you were bonding with and the circumstances. Iwan could quite happi- alright, could cope with - bonding with Gwaine in Camelot, with other people around and for a short period of time. They could work their way up to missions with only each other for company, then Iwan could have at least had time to learn to block out half of what came from the other knight's mouth. "Life is just...fine. And I have no interest in women or what they like." He replied rather firmly. He wanted that to be the end of that particular subject but highly doubted that would happen.

[thegwaine]

Gwaine was point blank refusing to let Iwan ruin his mood. Sure, he had been a little late setting out on his mission, but they were easily making up for lost time. He couldn’t see what Iwan’s problem was, he didn’t particularly hate the man as such, there was just a personality clash of sorts. Perhaps if Iwan lightened up a little about life in general then he might learn to enjoy himself. Gwaine looked Iwan up and down, as if he was sizing him up, which in a sense he was. Now Gwaine couldn’t deny Iwan was good looking, and handsome, surely some woman would love him eventually. However, he doubted he could make women swoon as Gwaine could. Things like that took a certain talent, one Iwan probably didn’t possess. “I beg to differ.” Gwaine cocked a grin and continued on his walk, at a slightly faster pace. Perhaps when this thing, whatever it was, was defeated then Iwan’s mood would improve, though Gwaine doubted that.

If any ounce of Gwaine was being serious then he wouldn’t have suggested that two grown men should play I spy in the middle of a mission. He raised an eye brow at Iwan, wondering when the man was going to realise that he wasn’t being serious because that was just who he was. It wasn’t in Gwaine’s nature to take life seriously, because he’d never had to do that before really. Why should he start now? “Well if you’re not going to be helpful... Gwaine? Grass?” He rolled his eyes, “Ground?” Jesu this man was making I spy a tedious affair. He was quickly getting a grasp of Iwan’s personality, and it was his firm opinion that a couple of ales and a night with a woman would cheer him up no end. Perhaps that was just what he needed. Gwaine was sure he could arrange something, but Iwan wouldn’t appreciate it even if he did.

No interest in women? Did Iwan live in a hole? Gwaine half laughed, and then saw that Iwan was serious so he back tracked slightly and ran a hand through his hair. Right. How on earth could you not be interested in women? Gwaine couldn’t understand that at all. There were so many pretty faces to choose from in Camelot as well, so they were spoilt for choice. “Is that because women aren’t interested?” He joked, nudging Iwan in the side playfully as they continued the walk. Women were certainly interested in Gwaine and well, he had a reputation to maintain.

[Deleted]

Gwaine could "beg to differ" all he wanted. Iwan was could to stick to his words and then ignore anything else Gwaine said that was inappropriate. Knowing Gwaine, he would be ignoring a lot. This would probably be extended to the man's expressions, Iwan decided as Gwaine grinned at him before quickening his pace so Iwan was forced to catch up with him. That was just childish. He just rolled his eyes - something he did a lot in present company.

Finally! The man thought of the word "ground", did that mean they could stop playing this stupid game now? Knowing Gwaine that wouldn't be the case. They should really start thinking about a strategy, a plan, but no, here they were playing I Spy like bored children when they meant to be knights of Camelot. "Congratulations." He said in a less-than-congratulatory tone. "You won. I'm proud. Now: the plan," It was probably best to just go straight to it rather than try and persuade Gwaine that this was something they should discuss. This way his companion couldn't just brush him off. He interlocked his fingers but left his index fingers free, he needed to tap them together as he thought. "We cannot just go charging in. We have no idea what we are up against. Information is key. What do you think?" He was probably going to regret asking that, but hopefully Gwaine was going to take him seriously this time.

Iwan looked down at where Gwaine had nudged his arm. He wasn't really one for physical contact. After a moment or two he looked back up at the other knight, an almost questioning expression on his face. That nudge wasn't necessary, neither was Gwaine's question. What did it matter whether women were or were not interested in him? Iwan's life revolved around his duties to Camelot, even if there was a woman, what was he ging to do with her? Charm her with his expert list writing? Seduce her with the ways of alphabetical categorisation? Obviously there wasn't a woman alive who wouldn't bend over backwards for such wooing. "Not that it's any of your business," Iwan began with an irritated tone, "but no. No women are interested in me, and I'm not interested in them. Can we move on now?"

[thegwaine]

Gwaine had half expected Iwan to not catch up with him, so he would have to slow down to stop looking as childish as he was acting. Gwaine couldn’t remember acting in such a silly manner for quite a while, but Iwan was inspiring that side of him. He didn’t want to be completely serious for the whole journey, he had enough of being serious when he was in Camelot. His life before being a knight had hardly ever been spent being serious about much. He had to be serious at times of course because he had to look after himself, no one else was going to after all. But it had always been a carefree life, it didn’t matter what time he got up at or what he ate or whatever but now he had to act seriously and turn up for his duties on time and whatever else being a knight brought along with it.

Well, Gwaine should have guessed that Iwan would ruin his fun as quickly as he could. He should have kept on guessing or doing something as equally as irritating in Iwan’s opinion. A plan did make sense though seeing as they were nearing their destination. So Iwan was right in that respect, hmm, that was irritating. Thinking on it, gathering information before they went charging in would probably be a good idea. There was a village that the beast was apparently terrorising, so that would be the best idea. He should probably check if Iwan was going to faint if he said something reasonable for once. It was probably going to be the first time since they had started out this morning that Gwaine was going to put forwards a half decent idea. Miracles did happen after all. “We should question the villagers, see if anyone knows anything.” He shrugged, he could probably find some young women to question, Iwan could question the men, he wouldn’t know how to get the best out of the women anyway...

To be honest, Gwaine couldn’t think of any women that he knew who would bend over backwards for Iwan. However, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a woman who would find him attractive, but if he was going to be so bloody pessimistic then he wasn’t going to get anywhere. Gwaine couldn’t help thinking that if Iwan just simply had a night with a woman it would probably lighten him up completely. “That’s hardly the attitude to have.” Gwaine pointed out, “Your hardly trying, do you not want a woman to find you attractive?” He pulled a face at his companion, “I’m sure I could arrange something for you if you wanted?” He winked at Iwan, he had no doubt of course he could figure something out for the man, there was hope for lost causes.