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[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

[foundfate]

That feels like a contract.

[He's. Just stating that fact.

Because Watanuki was many things, but 'stupid' was not one of them. Even if he had little experience with magical contracts, he could tell when one was being imposed. And he had a feeling that any expectations he had would be thrown right out the window.

But, at the same time, it would make the ghosts stop bothering him. And if he could at least get that much, then he could deal with all the magic that came along with it.]

...But yeah. I'll agree to that.

[myrdd]

[Merlin simply smiled - this wasn't magically binding, unlike Yuuko's usual deals. Rather, it was simply his habit to advise. While this was very, very far from the prophesied event that was Artoria's drawing of the sword of selection, Merlin couldn't help but sense the potential weight of Watanuki's response. Of Yuuko's choice to send him to Merlin instead, consequently changing what might've come after, for better or for worse.]

Yosh. Then, we have an accord.

[Now he made his way to the trapdoor, lifting the thick, silver ring with the bottom end of his staff to reveal a wooden staircase.]

Let's get you settled, shall we?

[Like, in case Watanuki wondered where he'd sleep and all.

Also: the tower itself was medieval in build, but the furnishings were different. The hallway leading to the rest of the rooms was decorated with replicas of various artwork.

The oldest of these, portraits from the time of King Arthur, remained hidden. Merlin could've simply unmade them, of course, but he always ended up leaving them be, in a separate room that he never entered since he created the Tower.]

[foundfate]

Ah?

[It was suddenly hitting him that yes, this was going to take a while, and he would need to stay at the tower for some time. And the weight of his obligations from back home was hitting him too.]

But- what about my schooling? I'm still in high school, they're going to notice if I don't go to class.

[He did follow after merlin as they went down the wooden staircase and through the hallway, taking note of the different pieces of art to be found. Even without the oldest portraits visible, there was still a lot to see, and Watanuki wondered if Merlin the mage was also an art collector.]

[myrdd]

[Merlin wasn't an art collector. He was, however, occasionally bored.

Perhaps Watanuki might find out what those replicas actually were, should he figure out just how fond Merlin was of casting illusions.]

You mean the Dimension Witch didn't tell you?

[Also, this corridor was longer than it should've been, based on how the tower looked from the outside.]

Her kind of magic can alter reality. Depending on how she interpreted your deal, it's entirely possible that those in your world will just gloss over your lack of attendance.

More importantly: this Garden is normally difficult to travel to, and harder to get out of.

[foundfate]

[Interestingly, that first part really didn't make him feel better. He already felt largely overlooked- with people being weirded out by his outbursts being the one exception- and knowing that everyone would just not notice him gone? That would put him in a sour mood for a while.

(He tried his best not to think of a certain rainy day.)

But instead of commenting on that, he made a 'che!' sound at the second part. It was preferable to be annoyed than it was to be upset.]

I can only imagine, I know those flowers weren't just there to be pretty. Why are you here anyway?

[myrdd]

A spell.

[That started because of trouble with a woman, to be specific. Man, he usually wouldn't have to explain this.]

For various reasons because of it, I'm unable to leave Avalon.

[foundfate]

Ah. So you're in magic-prison.

[Not wrong, technically, but it was an oversimplification of the situation.]

[myrdd]

For all intents and purposes, yes.

So unless the Dimension Witch arranged for you to have a two-way ticket, the only way to physically return to your world is by using your own power.

[foundfate]

...

[She had not given him a way back, no.]

That probably was her intention. "Learn to use your powers, or never go home again."

[myrdd]

[And probably 'stay out of trouble.

Merlin clapped Watanuki's shoulder.]

There you have it.

In the meantime, this is your room.

[He stopped at a plain-looking wooden door between an ink painting and a portrait of a nymph. Merlin gestured at the handle: the room was enchanted to fit whatever Watanuki thought of as "modest comfort," and it would retain that look for however long Merlin's guest stayed in the tower]

Why don't you have a look?

[foundfate]

[Stay out of trouble, while having Merlin as a teacher. Yuuko really was asking a lot.

At Merlin's insistence, Watanuki put his hand on the handle, turned it, and opened the door. He had no idea of the magic that was changing its appearance, and he would just assume that the room was made as he saw it.

The room itself was about what you would expect for a small Japanese apartment, with one large living area, a tiny kitchen, and a tiny bathroom. It wasn't too far off from what Watanuki had lived in before, if he was being honest. But it didn't look exactly like his apartment in Tokyo, because he was expecting to stay somewhere else instead of at home.]

...huh. I didn't know you had an eastern-style room here.

[myrdd]

Not until a very short while ago.

[And you bet Merlin looked interested - this was his first time to physically step into anything modern, instead of just walking it in his dreams.]

It's more organized than an ordinary hut, I'll give you that.

What does the outside usually look like? Do you have your own vegetable patch? Or do you have to contend with more neighbors?

[foundfate]

Outside?

[Watanuki's mind immediately filled in the blanks: a busy apartment building, a small porch barely big enough to hang the wash up, and a loud street below.]

There's no room for a vegetable patch, no. But the neighbors are nice.

[myrdd]

Exactly the opposite of our present situation, then.

[All veg plants, no neighbors.

Or, at least, no neighbors within the garden. Avalon was but an island in the Reverse Side of the World: were Watanuki able to stray beyond its borders, he'd find an assortment of fairies, dragons, spirits, and other phantasmals that had taken refuge after the Age of the Gods ended and its influence faded away.]

Would you like to take an hour to settle in? Or shall we continue in our tour of the Tower?

[If Watanuki agreed to taking a break, Merlin would go on a very brief trip to dreamland and make arrangements: the mention of vegetables did remind him that Watanuki had a functioning human body, and he wasn't quite built or even trained to subsist on magical energy. And while Merlin could techincally conjure food, he'd pass: should Watanuki's idle dreams become snack material, Merlin would rather not have his own magic somehow influence that.

Of course, if Watanuki would rather explore the tower more, Merlin could postpone that other talk to later.]

[foundfate]

[It was best not to tell Watanuki about that until he was a bit more into the whole 'magic' thing. He was liable to get upset at being in a world of spirits when he had been trying to avoid them his whole life.]

I did come her suddenly, didn't I? I can wait here until later, if you need time to prepare for me being here.

[And then, after he remembered he should be polite:]

Sorry for imposing on you.

[myrdd]

[Not to worry. After all, Merlin made it a point to avoid certain spoilers, in the interest of seeing how certain individuals handled the truth when the time came.]

Sure, but why are you the one apologizing? It's not as if you chose to come here specifically.

[He tapped the doorframe with his staff. A tiny glow rippled outward, sinking into the wood.]

I'll take my leave now. Once you're ready, open this door again - this should take you to the room I'll meet you at.

[Any questions? If not, Merlin would close the door behind him and head to a different end of the tower.

Yuuko, by the way, was in his 'to contact' list, because what the hell. Send food over if the other fae don't want to be nice neighbors.

While that was going on, what was Watanuki going to do to pass the time?]

[foundfate]

Alright.

[Merlin wasn't wrong, he hadn't been the one to choose to come to Avalon. But it was a result of his wish, so he did feel partially responsible. Even if the result was something out of an isekai novel, he hadn't just been whisked away because a truck hit him or something. He had chosen this.

And he intended to make the best of his choices.

Watanuki did take nearly an hour to get settled. He took a stock of everything in the small apartment, seeing exactly what cooking utensils he had and what other furniture there was. He was delighted to find a kotatsu up in the crawl space, that would be useful in the winter. And the futon seemed comfortable enough. He situated that on the edge of the crawl space though, so he could get it down easily when it was bedtime.

Everything else seemed pretty bare, though. No real decorations, and nothing really for entertainment. The kitchen area had plenty to work with, but that was about it. He would have to find other things to put in here later.

(He didn't realize it at the time, but it was a reflection of how many memories he had lost. His cooking was the only part of himself he could recall with clarity, so it was like a 'default character trait', so to speak. As he grew that would change, though.)

In the meantime, when Merlin contacted Yuuko, Yuuko was happy to explain that Merlin was better suited for Watanuki's needs. She did intend to pay for his expenses, though, and sent plenty of raw ingredients for Watanuki to cook with, as well as the promise of 'just call for more when it's needed, and be sure to try his cooking too.'

Eventually Watanuki did have to open the door though, because as time passed he did think of questions to ask Merlin. Would Merlin be in that room when Watanuki went looking for him?]

[myrdd]

[That 'nothing really for entertainment' bit, perhaps, might change soon enough, even if half of that entertainment was listening to Merlin laugh his ass off at Romani's reliance on Magi☆Mari and the other half was Merlin taking him along during his dream-people-watching habits. Basically, magic reality TV without the contrived drama.

Also much thanks, Yuuko. Merlin knew better than to ask for certain pieces of information because of the toll involved, although he'd ask if he should expect other surprise guests from her side of the world now that Watanuki was in Avalon.

And you bet he'd try Watanuki's cooking once he smelled it. Believe it or not, the terrible taste of Gawain's mashed potatoes still scarred him a thousand years later, and this was a delightful upgrade.

The ingredients, incidentally, would appear in Watanuki's kitchen as soon as Merlin got them.

As for the room Merlin himself was in - it was in a circular study with a large, open window. The walls were lined with tomes: the vellum and bindings were perfectly preserved, although the language they were written in would make the dates of their creation noticeable. There was no desk, but a reclining sofa was next to the window. When the door opened to reveal Watanuki, Merlin would be sitting upright, his staff cradled in the crook of his arm.]

How good of a cook are you?

[foundfate]

[Watanuki's first thought was that this was a library of some sort. It fit his mental image of a mage, so he didn't question it too much.

The question was very out of the blue, though. Was Merlin hungry?]

Decent enough, I would say. Why?

[myrdd]

Your cooking is highly recommended.

[He won't say by whom, and he has his own suspicions on how Yuuko knew that.]

Although I will say this: the passage of time isn't as pressing in Avalon. There is little to distinguish day and night, and peeking into other realms is the best way to ascertain how much of the day has passed.

[There were plenty of ways to remedy this to track meal times, of course, though he was curious to hear what solutions Watanuki might come up with.]

[foundfate]

Eh? By who? I don't really cook for other people.

[He paused there, but he was quick to speak up again once he realized he had been a bit rude. Sorry Merlin, your new apprentice was a bit of a worrywart.]

Not that I won't cook! It's the least I can do for you, considering you're teaching me magic.

And...don't you have a clock in here?

[myrdd]

[Boring but practical. Ah, well.]

As long as it's anything but mashed potatoes, by all means.

[He tapped his staff on the ground. A clock no bigger than the palm of a hand would materialize before Watanuki - catch!

It was ornate, of course, because Merlin liked beautiful things, but if Watanuki looked at the back he'd notice something odd: it was completely smooth with no allowances for screws or even batteries. Yet the clock itself still worked with its tiny pendulum swings, showing that it was 3:58 - synced to GMT +13, Antartica's timezone. Not that Watanuki knew that.

(His Item Construction rank was C. He knew how towers worked because he was around when Artoria built a few, but cogs? Unnecessary details - he'd leave those to the inventors to obsess over.

Whether this miniature would still work outside Avalon remained to be seen.)]

[foundfate]

[That sure was a clock! And it looked like there was no way to set it. But he could make use of it, at least. Adjusting to that clock's time wouldn't take too long, hopefully. Assuming it worked properly.

Regardless, he would keep it in his room eventually, leaving it on the counter or table to easily refer to. That would help keep him from going crazy due to losing track of time.]

Why are mashed potatoes your first thought? Had too many of them?

[myrdd]

['Worked properly,' it would. Too well, perhaps, in the sense that it would keep resetting itself - assuming Watanuki managed to pry off the self-repairing face glass - back to that timezone, since Merlin would often end up observing Chaldea when he was in a dreamlike state.

Perhaps his preoccupation leaked out a little more than he'd intended.]

One of the Knights of the Round Table prided himself in making that dish. Unfortunately, his cooking isn't all it's made out to be. Even Artoria, that glutton, made sure to excuse herself fast when she saw that man approaching with a bowl of the stuff onhand.

[Merlin sounded fond, too - those were bright days, even if Artoria had to go out to deal with one war or the other. Really, that child was nothing but determined to be the perfect king, even if it backfired spectacularly towards the end.

By the way - if Watanuki had other questions, now was his chance to ask them. Because Merlin had a ton of stories, and he was the sort who liked regaling them when he actually had an audience.]

[foundfate]

[Merlin stop spying on people.

And today was indeed a good day for stories, because Watanuki was Japanese and knew jack-all about English legends. The confusion on his face invited explanations.]

Er...Knights of the Round Table? Artoria? Are those people I'm going to meet here?

[Please, explain. He would listen to stories about Merlin's former friends.]