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It's a lovely day in the Park. It's still needing some clean up, but for the most part, it's starting to look like its old self again. Birds are singing, little rodents are scurrying. Merlin, for his part, is walking along one of its paths. He wears his typical robes, pointy hat, with his sword hanging in its sheath and his staff in one hand. His presence here is becoming more and more common these days, and he has his own reasons for being here.
As his walk approaches a bench, he deicdes to take a seat and rest his feet for a short while. With his staff resting in the crook of his arm, he gazes about. "What a lovely day." He murmurs. "But, there could be a few more birds." He says as he reaches out his hand, waggling his fingers as he moves it left to right, while a flock of birds appear above him, flying to and fro, playing together.
*
Lynette wasn't too far away. She was resting by one of the park's ponds. This place was a mystery to her. It use to be her home for some time, under a bridge not too far away from her current location. But now? Her legs were up, pressing against her chest, as she rests her arms across her knees, and her chin atop those arms. She was staring at the water as if daring it to move; react, do something. /Anything./
Glancing up, she spots the out of place man, that looks more as if he belongs on the stage or at a child's birthday party. Instead, though, he walks in the middle of the day without a care in the world. That alone causes the girl to smile smoothly. Moving from her seat, she dusts off her rump and thighs, before striding closer to one of the original masters of all magic. "Evenin'." The girl greets.
*
"Greetings, young one." The old man greets, while still looking up at the birds he conjured. It's a moment before his gaze turns back downward. He looks Lynette over for a moment. Furrowing his brow, he says, "We've met, haven't we? Had tea?" Yes, it was also when he met that man, that strange man, wasn't it? Yes. That must be it.
"Please, have a seat, child. Rest a while." He motions to the rest of the bench. He tilts his head. "Your magic, it sparkles. OH! But I know you, yes I do. I know your magic, for ours was experienced shared. I felt the memory of your magic. Oh, what a tricky magic you have within your grasp, child." He smiles widely. "Are you hungry?"
*
"We did. N'yeah, we had tea wit dat Mordo fella." Taking a seat, she murmurs a gentle 't'anks', and then glances around the park once more. Blinking, she then settles those dark eyes on his face, and even frowning. "M'sorry dat y'seen dat. N'm'sorry f'what happened wit you, too. I felt dat." Flexing her fingers a bit, she turns and faces Merlin directly. "Y'…good at what y'do, right? Wit y'magic n'all dat?" A pause. "Ain't y'fraid of it? Dat power?"
*
"Ah, yes. Mordo. Mysterious, magical Mordo." Merlin intones in a deep voice, chuckling to himself. "I got a strange feeling from him. But, maybe it's just my old age." He scratches the tip of his nose lightly. "Oh, no, child. You shouldn't be sorry for what I saw and felt. Not one bit! I'm sorry you had to experience what I struggle with. It's a part of me that I try to keep quiet, but it's always there. It reminds me of the path I've been on, and gives him strength and hope for the future path that I take, that I might continue to change it for the better." He murmurs softly.
At her questions, he smiles softly. "I am…a skilled magician, sorcerer. Yes. I am capable at the mystic arts." Of course, he excels at magic, but he tries to hold himself to some humility. "Oh goodness, yes! Sometimes I'm quite scared of it. It is immensely powerful. However, that is why I use it for good. I use it to help and to protect. Never for ill, never to harm, never to kill."
He pauses, his nose twitching as he things. "You know, I suppose it's not that I'm afraid of it so much as I'm afraid of how some others choose to use it. You see," he explains, "there is much magic that is not inherently good nor bad. It often comes to how we use the magic, how we direct it."
*
"I don'…like what I c'n do. N', I ain't sure what all I c'n do in de long run." She confesses gently and looks out and around the park. "Dis place was insane. De hell-mouth or whateva it was. N'den, I came back n'felt all dese t'ings pullin' at me, tellin' me t'run. Dat it was still dangerous." Pressing at her digits with her thumb, each gives a soft 'pop' in turn. "I don' t'ink dat Strange fella cares much. Sure is hard t'track down, so, I don' t'ink I c'n trust'im, truth be told. I need t'learn, but…I ain't got nobody." Back to Merlin, she stares for a few moments, her full lips curving downward. "Y'all so important, n'impossible."
*
"You know, my first clue that I was able to do something special? When I was a young child, I started having visions. Visions of the future. Of possible futures. I could not control these visions. And sometimes I hated them. I hated that I had them." Merlin confesses. "I still cannot control them all the time, but I can have voluntary visions now, as well." He sighs softly. "This park…it was rampant with darkness and danger. It was a darkness that was trying to destroy this land and take it for its own." He murmurs, a sad tone to his voice.
"Mister Doctor Strange…he is the Sorcerer Supreme. It's not that he doesn't care. He just has a lot to deal with." He gives the man a hard enough time when they're together, he should at least defend him a little. "But if you need to learn, if you want to learn, you'll have a teacher. I'd be willing to be your teacher."
*
"I did t'ings, too, when I was lil'. Like makin' lil dolls dance n'stuff. Playin' wit shadows n' de like. Dos visions? I get dem, too. I don'…I don' like dat I c'n' control'em. S'mtimes, dey hurt a lot. N'dey sad, too. S'like m'diggin' up people's secrets n'pains. I don' wanna. I don' mean t'." Still frowning, she turns in the seat, and bunches up her legs once more, resting her head down and blanketing her shoulders with her massive curls. "I get he important, too. Jus', I don' t'ink he should tell people he be dere if he ain't, s'all. Dey 'nough lies in de world." Then, Merlin present his offer. Blinking, she rests her head up and simply stares in eye-gaping silence. "Y'would? But…why? Ain't y'got a student already?"
*
"That sounds fun, making dolls dance." Merlin chuckles a little. "I didn't learn to control shadows, or anything for that matter, for a while. I had to teach myself everything I know about the mystic arts. About magic." He explains. "I made the mistake of letting my own shadow be allowed to have a mind of its own, and detach from me. Seemed like a wise idea at the time. It ended up liking to play tricks on me." He eyes his shadow suspiciously.
He shakes his head at the last question. "No. I've got no student at the moment. It has been a long time since I've tought, in fact. But if you'd have me as a mentor, I'd like to teach you, if you'd like."
*
"Y'seem nice." She seems to protest in a soft voice. "I jus', I dunno. M'fraid m'powers come fr'm a dark place. I don'-I don' want'm to scare y'away." Rocking a bit on her rear, she presses her toes down, and feet flat, over and over for a time. "I wanna learn." She explains after a time. "N'I'd love t'have a teacher. I'do m'best, too. Promise." Her brows furrow though, and slope out questioningly. "I c'n hurt people wit m'magic. How's dat eva gonna be good?"
*
"I try to be nice. But I can be gruff as a the hidden folk of Iceland! Tricky elves, they are!" Merlin chuckles and gives Lynette a little wink. He frowns, sighing. "I will never be scared away. Wherever your power comes from, I will help you explore it. If you will let me, I shall walk with you on this journey." There's a look of concern that crosses his face. "When there's a journey that we must take, but that journey is filled with fear and possibly even danger, it is best to take a companion with us. It does not do to journey through fear alone."
He reach a hand over the very short distance between them. "Let me tell you a little secret that's not so secret." He says in a mock whisper, his eyes a little wide. "I can hurt people with my magic, too. The question is not always what we can do with our magic, but how we use it. So, shall we take this journey together, to learn how to best use the magic you possess?" His hand remains outstretched.
*
"I guess y'right. 'bout de journey n'adventure. S'like dem Hobbits." She murmurs, perhaps to herself. Glancing at his hand, and up again, she listens to his 'secret' and gives him a soft, passive, smile in return. "I mean…I don' know how t'do anyt'ing wit dem 'sides hurtin'." To his hand again, she offers out her own, her age and complexion a stark contrast against his own. She accepts his touch, and grip, her own slender digits wrapping around securely. "I try m'best, Merlin."
*
"Hmm. Well, let me put this another way. When I first learned to fight with a sword, I knew only how to harm another." Merlin says, starting as if in a lesson. "But then I learned that one can defend others with a sword. We may not always condone hurting others, and it is good to avoid causing harm, but it is equally important to know when you are defending someone who is innocent and does not deserve to see harm done." He frowns again. "Does that make any sense?" He sighs and shakes his head.
"Regardless," He says with a smile, using his other hand to gently pat the hand she's placed in his, "I shall endeavor to teach you all I can. I believe you can learn to use magic, too, that does no harm. I will not let you down." It's a promise both to her and to himself. "I…I feel as if there is a branch of magic that could really help me here. Oh, what is it?" He furrows his brows deeply as he thinks.
*
"Makes sense." She nods, at least giving him that peace of mind. Once the connection is made, she pulls her hand away and returns to her ball like shape of rest by his side. Every now and then, she searches the park as a whole, but always returns her full attentions to her newly found mentor.
*
"I wonder, is there any form of magic you're more familiar with?" Merlin ask of Lynette. "And…you're name…you're name's Lynette!" He chuckles to himself, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I know your name. Now, I recall you mentioning a baron of the dead last we spoke. I did some searching. Was that Baron Samedi that you spoke of?"
*
To Be Continued