private psl

[foundfate]

["I want to be free of the ghosts to see. That is my wish: to not be burdened by them anymore."

"Unfortunately, I cannot grant that wish. But I can send you to someone who can grant it."

That answer gave Watanuki jack-all to go off of, though, and he was left standing in a field of pink flowers looking absolutely befuddled. How had he gotten there? Where was he in the first place? The flowers seemed to go on forever, and all that was around besides them was a floating tower in the sky.

Well, that seemed like Watanuki's best chance at getting an answer, so he tried to step in that direction, but found that his legs were tangled up in the flowers. He fount this out by tripping, somehow, and ending up face-first in the flowers with a yelp.]

What- why are they-

[Oh, to be tangled up in the Garden of Avalon. His sins weighed him down, and he didn't even know it.]

Comments

[myrdd]

[So this was the path she had chosen, hmm?

From up at the balcony of his tower, Merlin laughed as he watched his soon-to-be companion for the foreseeable future trip over the Garden's pristine flora. It wasn't often he encountered the Space-Time Witch or her affairs even in the spaces between worlds, but when he did, it was always something of interest.

Not everyone succeeded in reaching Avalon, after all. Doubly so for a youth who, for all intents and purposes, was an anomaly that threatened to distort the very world he was created in. A seed of a Singularity, if you would.

But that was for later.

Now, he'll have his fun, and he cupped a hand to his mouth to shout - another activity he hasn't been able to do for a while.]

Hello? [C'mon kid, answer him.] Is anyone there?

[All of this was entirely unnecessary, of course.

It was, by the way, impossible to miss the huge tower floating at the middle of the garden. Merlin could simply whisk the boy away to avoid the hassle of walking, of course, but where was the fun in that?]

[foundfate]

[A young man who should not exist, born from a wish that should have never been made. Proof of a diverging timeline, of magic's effects on the world itself.

Really, if grails were involved in that whole mess, nobody would be surprised. Maybe Yuuko had a grail that she wasn't revealing, who knew. Watanuki certainly had no clue of the truth. He wasn't really aware of his memory troubles yet, so he hadn't started piecing anything together. He was just a grumpy teenager who was a little too harassed by ghosts.

And flowers, today. Those flowers seemed to be dragging him down into the flower bed, and it made Watanuki yelp in surprise. But he heard Merlin's voice, and he was quick to look up and shout back.]

Help! The flowers, they're- they're eating me!

[myrdd]

[Eating him? Merlin covered his mouth to hide a snicker - it hasn't been this lively in Avalon since the day he kicked Cath Palug out, and the knight he patched up some time ago had too much on his mind.]

They don't have teeth. And what have the poor flowers ever done to deserve your rudeness?

[He waved - not that he was certain if the boy could see him from the distance.]

Walking slowly helps! Less kicking and arm flapping, more stepping.

[foundfate]

They're trapping me!

[They haven't done anything wrong, Watanuki was just expressive.

He could see Merlin in the tower though. Kind of. Merlin was like a speck, he was so far away. But Watanuki saw that movement and assumed it was the man speaking, so.

Watanuki tried following the advice, though he had fallen down so he was crawling through the flowers instead of stepping. He looked absolutely ridiculous, but he was making progress.]

Why is your garden so big?!

[myrdd]

Maybe they like you!

[In a short while, Merlin would realize how true those words were: he was a cambion, and the boy's energy was very fresh.]

And it's not my fault. It was already like that when I got here, and there's no reason to prune them.

Why are you here, anyway?

[foundfate]

I'm here because- gah!

[He managed to make it to roughly the center of the garden, but the tower was way above him. How would he even get up there? Watanuki could only look up with a frustrated look.]

Yuuko-san sent me here to get help! Are you the 'someone' who can help me with my powers?

[myrdd]

[Ooh, he liked that spirited determination. Congratulations on crossing the garden!

At that point, Merlin leaned over the balcony railing. He'd known this boy would seek help and be taken in by a mage: the Space-Time Witch, himself, some other candidate. He wasn't, however, aware of the specifics of the conversation, nor had he thought to monitor this boy closely given his preoccupation with the preparations Chaldea has been making for a certain event.]

What kind of help do you need?

[foundfate]

[He could have given an honest answer, but sass won out. As it often did, when he was frustrated.]

Well right now I need help getting to your tower. I can't exactly fly up there.

[myrdd]

You can't?

[He sounded more intrigued than surprised - and, perhaps, Watanuki should take this as an omen for the kind of mischief Merlin was into. As it was, the mage raised his staff. Time to put on a bit of a show.]

Well, I suppose something like this is fine once in a while.

[The boy would find himself engulfed in a swirling pillar of petals that lifted him up, up, up in the air. The tower at was impossibly tall, and it was as if the entire world was the garden itself.

(There was a gate somewhere out there, of course, but it was one Merlin couldn't cross.)

In due time, the flower tornado would deposit Watanuki at Merlin's feet, and the mage looked rather pleased with himself. Tah-dah!

There we go.

[foundfate]

[Flower tornado was an interesting way to travel, honestly.

There was some screaming as Watanuki went, too. He hadn't expected to get picked up in a gust like that, and he let his shock be known. It only ended when he got deposited on the ground at Merlin's feet.

Watanuki blinked for a moment, and then he quickly stood up and brushed himself off. His school uniform wasn't actually that dirty, he was just a bit fussy about his appearance.]

Well if you can do that, then you really do know magic.

[That was said like he had doubted Merlin's magic at first.]

[myrdd]

Of course I do.

[Merlin nodded to himself, a hand on his hip.]

Now, before we trade introductions: what do we say to people who save us from spending the rest of eternity on a flower field?

[foundfate]

[That tone of voice made Watanuki want to not give thanks. But this man was the powerful mage who was supposed to help him, right? Maybe mages just had big egos.

He could grit his teeth and say it this time, sure.]

Thank you.

[myrdd]

[Most did, but as far as Merlin was concerned, his ego was entirely warranted.

Also really, kid, that was a lousy 'thank you.' But still, Merlin could be magnanimous - it wasn't everyday someone dropped by Avalon after all.]

You're welcome.

I'm Merlin. What's your name, and what were the exact words of your request to the Dimension Witch?

[foundfate]

...you know, she said that giving my full name is a bad idea.

[Just. Putting that out there.

And we will say he doesn't recognize the name of Merlin right away because he probably doesn't know the Arthurian legends.]

Watanuki, that's my family name so you can call me that. And my exact words were "I don't want to be harassed by ghosts and spirits anymore."

[This PSL is going with slightly broader terms, for the sake of character development. Make him a wizard, Merlin.]

[myrdd]

[Someone unfamiliar with his legend? Well, this was interesting - he'd have to investigate later if that was tied into the Dimension Witch's original spell.]

Very good. [He was also far from offended at only being given a last name. More than that, he could see exactly what Watanuki was: for such an unstable existence, a name could serve as an anchor for identity. Not that he was about to spill the beans this early.] Remember that lesson at all times, hmm? It will serve you well.

I can certainly teach you how to either repel spirits or make them uninterested in you, but that's only scratching the surface of the problem.

How do ghosts describe you? With intent and emotions, if not in words.

[He was confident Watanuki would've sensed that much.]

[foundfate]

[Confirmation from two mages that he really shouldn't be giving out his full name was enough to convince Watanuki to just tell everyone 'Watanuki'. He was normally a healthy skeptic, but ghosts and spirits were more than enough to convince him of the magic in the world. And it was magic he really wanted to avoid, because it was so annoying.]

They don't really talk most of the time, they just subject me to their presence. Usually by laying over me and trying to suffocate me with their ghostly bodies.

It's annoying. And I want them to stop. Everyone avoids me because it looks like I'm screaming and running away from nothing! "Oh, why is the weird kid from Class 1 laying on the floor like he's being sat on? He's such a weirdo!"

[That was definitely a high-pitched fake-feminine voice there.]

It's not me being weird! It's ghosts being rude! And I want it to stop!

[myrdd]

And yet, not one of them's succeeded in possessing you.

[Hence, he guessed, the physical suffocation.

Merlin didn't laugh at that reenactment, although it was a very near thing.]

Maa, maa. There will always be those who don't understand, and people who do. Anyway, their words no longer have any bearing to where you are now.

As for the ghosts using you as a chair: rudeness has nothing to do with it, for they don't have a consciousness. They're small fry that have clumped together.

Now, if they don't have a single thought to their head, what do you think's motivating them?

[There was a point to this. For the training he was now putting together at the back of his mind, he needed Watanuki to first understand why his ghost issue was but a symptom instead of the problem.]

[foundfate]

You sure about that? Some of them seem brainless, but sometimes they talk to me. And sometimes they look so human that I can't even tell they're dead.

[He would answer Merlin's question in a moment, but he had to clear that up first. Too many different kinds of spirits, too many possibilities.]

[myrdd]

So you let human-looking spirits sit on you.

[Merlin clasped his chin. He was sure Watanuki knew exactly what kind of mindless spirit he was going for, but sure, that kind of super broad generalization could be made for most hungry ghosts Watanuki encountered.

At the same time, there were some things he'd insinuate, because the opening was right there.]

You don't look the type, but I guess someone as high strung as you needs to blow off steam every now and then.

Any remarkable beauties of note?

[foundfate]

[Unfortunately, Watanuki immediately got the insinuation there, and he turned even more irritable. Technically he had no preference, and beauties of either gender would have been fine. But being a 'weirdo' meant no attention from boys or girls, so he was woefully single. As he had always been. And the talk of 'blowing off steam' was annoying because he saw it as a jab at his lack of friends.]

No! And I wouldn't do that kind of thing with any of them anyway! The point is that I don't want spirits sitting on me!

[This did not help the image of him being high-strung at all.]

[myrdd]

[Ooh, touchy.

Well, Watanuki might mellow out eventually: if not from his training and certain events that would come to pass, then the passage of time.]

Then does that mean you're open to 'that kind of thing' with certain people?

[Wording, Watanuki.

Also Merlin would sit on the balcony ledge. Sure, he could just have them move down the trap door to one of the rooms downstairs, but they had yet to settle on an actual agreement.]

Your kinks - or lack thereof - aside, you haven't answered my question. What do you think is pushing them to flock to you? Why you, specifically, and not other people?

You're not the first or last person who can see spirits, but at the same time, not everyone who has that talent has their daily life intruded upon to this degree.

[foundfate]

[Watanuki was IGNORING THAT FIRST PART because there were more important things to talk about than who he would do sexy things with. There was no point to having the conversation anyway, as it sounded like his only company for the foreseeable future was this irritating man. He still sounded irritated as he spoke, and his irritation made it all the way into the very gestures he made while speaking. Such as when he threw a hand up flippantly in the air.]

If I knew the answer to that, then I wouldn't need help now would I? All I know is that I can see them, and as soon as they know I can see them they start harassing me. Most people can't see them so they usually leave most people alone.

[myrdd]

[Oh wow, this kid was actually more clueless than he thought. Or was this more a case of willful ignorance? Because as far as Merlin's previous encounters went, the ability to sense small fry to the extent that Watanuki experienced was a sign of talent and power. The presence of stronger spirits, for as long as they weren't making an effort to conceal anything, was easier to pick up on and all that.

Then again, maybe Watanuki was too focused on running away to even notice what was being said to him. Survival instincts strike again.]

Well, then. That's something you should think about for the duration of your training.

What other skills do you have? Can you use a sword?

[foundfate]

[Wait until Merlin found out about the prophetic dreams. That was when they could talk about talent and power.

But to answer Merlin's question, Watanuki just. Gestured down at himself. His noodly self with no real muscles to speak of. If anything, he looked a little on the sick side, for how thin he was.]

Does it look like I can use a sword?

[myrdd]

Did you want me to feel up your arm for muscles?

[He raised his index finger.]

Clothes can be deceiving. My King was shorter than you, and yet that person was regarded as one of the most skilled warriors in the kingdom.

[He circled around Watanuki now, rubbing his chin. Would this one even take to a broadsword, or was something lighter more suitable? Of course, Merlin wasn't expecting miracles, but the exercise would be valuable in helping Watanuki manage both his magic and his own energy.]

While it's true that you don't move like a classically trained swordsman, that doesn't automatically mean you didn't receive some form of weapons training years ago. Of course, were that the case, you would've already brought it up.

Here. [He held out a hand, and a short sword formed, his fingers wrapped around the hilt. It wasn't a replica of Excalibur, Caliburn, or any fairy-made weapon. Just an ordinary sword with a bit of a cheat: since this was just a demonstration, Merlin reduced its weight to avoid potential muscle tears.] Point it at the opposite side of the wall, up to the ceiling, then slash the air with it. Arm strain aside, does it feel comfortable to hold?