[Merlin does not work at the Institute. Ironically, Merlin doesn't approach the Institute much, as much as he might like to - mostly because he doesn't want to be someone's errand boy more than he already is, delivering letters and parcels around the city for a livable wage. It's a terrible fate, wanting to stick his fingers into so many magic pies but not wanting to have any official responsibility or duties about it.
This is dumb, Merlin is dumb. But he's still in the Institute in the later hours of waning daylight, having come back after whatever delivery he made earlier in the afternoon, and he's just... innocently having a look around. Not snooping! He wouldn't snoop. Never.
It's not snooping until he spots an open office door and peeks inside as he walks past, and definitely snooping when he sighs to himself and walks right in, considering Rose slumped over her desk. Their first meeting went so well, so perhaps instead of waking her up, he'll just... tidy up. That's, uh, normal.
He's picking up an empty mug to add to a stack of things that look like they need organizing when he turns and absolutely kicks over a wastebasket with his dumb clumsy feet. It's loud. It clatters away so loudly. He may die here, but instead he looks over his shoulder at Rose and waits for his inevitable fate.]
it can only be merlin going into offices he shouldn't
This is dumb, Merlin is dumb. But he's still in the Institute in the later hours of waning daylight, having come back after whatever delivery he made earlier in the afternoon, and he's just... innocently having a look around. Not snooping! He wouldn't snoop. Never.
It's not snooping until he spots an open office door and peeks inside as he walks past, and definitely snooping when he sighs to himself and walks right in, considering Rose slumped over her desk. Their first meeting went so well, so perhaps instead of waking her up, he'll just... tidy up. That's, uh, normal.
He's picking up an empty mug to add to a stack of things that look like they need organizing when he turns and absolutely kicks over a wastebasket with his dumb clumsy feet. It's loud. It clatters away so loudly. He may die here, but instead he looks over his shoulder at Rose and waits for his inevitable fate.]