Meeting Merlin

Meeting Merlin
Date of Scene:	01 December 2012
Location:	Traverse Town
Synopsis:	Mercade finally gets his hands on a Keyblade wielder, and takes him to Merlin for a meeting about Keyblade Wielders and other such information.
Cast of Characters:	Merlin, Mercade Alexander, King Mickey

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Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander had been on a quest.

A quest for answers on how to beat the Heartless. The legends of those who have fought the Heartless bring up one thing over and over: The Keyblade is the answer.

The Detective did some searching. Looking for answers in whatever lore he could find. Whatever networks he could access, people he could ask. It was a man in Traverse Town, an old, kindly man with a conical hat and a long beard who offered to give Mercade information that he needed, but he had a requirement:

He needed to find a Keyblade Wielder to bring him. The man, Merlin (who looks /nothing/ like he does in Excalibur, the detective noted), did not explain why.

First, he asked Sora, but Sora could not help. But then he discovered the King of Disney Castle, who also possessed a Keyblade. This gave Mercade a great amount of incidental knowledge as it was, but also he developed a working relationship with the King, especially after their reckless infiltration into Baron which resulted in quite a bit of ruckus.

But finally, things have calmed enough for them to meet up again in Traverse Town. The Detective and the King have come to Merlin's home, hopping across the stones to the home.

"Well. No time like the present." Mercade says, idly, as he knocks.

King Mickey has posed:
The King of Disney Castle has decided to accompany Mercade back to Traverse Town after their brief stint in Baron. Indeed, the pair have started to develop a mutual understanding and how their work together could not only benefit their cause but also to help the worlds fight against the darkness. So naturally, when Mercade requested his help in an upcoming quest for an old friend, King Mickey was curious about the request, figuring it to have something to do with The Keyblades. However, he was more than happy to comply.

The two find themselves upon Merlin's doorstep. The sight of the elderly sorceror's home brings a smile about his face as he glances around. He looks to Mercade, who at this time is one of the few who knows his true identity outside of his kingdom and replies, "Quite so. It has been sometime since I have been here and I am grateful to see that not much has changed."

The King turns back towards the door and eagerly awaits his old friend's arrival.

Merlin has posed:
"W... w-hold up! Just a moment!" When the knock comes at Merlin's door, he'd just been cooking up something in his favorite cauldron. "H~hold on!" The elderly man turns quickly and takes a step, only to step onto his own beard. There's some hopping that follows, grabbing his beard and pulling it up so that he won't step on it again, while his blue draping robes flutter as he makes for the door. His other hand goes to his hat to keep it on.

Moments later, the door open, and there stands old man Merlin, beard in one hand, the cauldron's ladle in the other. In fact, there's some brownish red drab dripping down his hat - which he just let go of. "My my! Ah, you finally find one, didn't you?" The old man comment. "Took him long enough!" An annoying voice follows this up, as the owl Archimedes decides to pipe up. "Oh.. oh you be quiet you!" Merlin rapidly strokes his both hands down his beard to show his mildest annoyance and ends up dirtying it. "Owww! This accursed old thing." He complains, turning around and walking to the cauldron to return the ladle to its original place. He then moves to start looking for a book.

"We have guests." He turns around - commenting to Archimedes while glancing at Mickey, and smiles an old man's smile. "Royal guests. So be on your best behavior."

"So tell me, what have you found out so far?" Merlin asks, glancing back to Mercade and then to Mickey, bowing his head a little. "You must have learned a lot from my old friend the King." Merlin has this sparkle in his eyes that show that he's happy to be reunited with Mickey again. But then he goes back to the books. "Now where are you." In the corner, there's a book that 'looks out' of its slot, twitches a little, and then suddenly jumps to the ground and tries to run off.

"None of that now!" Merlin grabs for the inside of his sleeve, "Hippity boop." And with a flick of his hand, the book is floating into the air.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade can't help but smile at the old man. He's so... Earnest. "My apologies Merlin, Archimedes. Keyblade Wielders don't appear to be all that common, and the first one I ran into had other business to deal with."

He steps inside, looking around the study again. So many amazing things to behold. He could probably spend a lifetime working through all of this knowledge. Merlin certainly looks the part.

"I've learned a good deal from him about the state of the worlds, and some of the threats facing them. The Heartless might be the greatest, but unfortunately, not the only one." Mercade shrugs for a moment. "I didn't even know there was more than one Keyblade, or different ones until recently."

Mercade shifts to one side, taking care to not disturb the pile of books lying on the floor so as to give Mickey some more room. "I met the King in Atlantis, and again in the castle city of Baron. We've both been interested in helping to find ways to save the worlds, but he did want me to consult you first."

Mercade chuckles for a moment at that. "You are, after all, an excellent teacher." He lifts his hand, counting off things as he continues. "As you know, I've been looking for basic information on the Heartless so we can find ways to protect the worlds from them. I know that they're attracted to people with strong hearts. I don't know what relation they have to these hearts, or how they appear or travel. I don't know how they attack worlds and consume them, though it seems apparent why."

He looks to the other hand. "I do know, however, that the Keyblade is the most powerful known weapon against them. There are multiple Keyblades with different appearances. They possess the ability to lock or unlock anything. What I don't know, however, is why they are so effective against Heartless, anything about the background of the weapons, or how one is used or acquired, if possible."

Mercade looks up. "That covers the basics, really."

King Mickey has posed:
The King cannot help but emit a slient chuckle at the banter shared between Archimedes and Merlin, almost as if it reminds him of old times. He wanders in behind Mercade, glancing around to affirm his original suspicions. Indeed, Merlin's home has not changed one bit since he originally had requested the elder sorcerer to come and watch over what has become the central transition point betwen all worlds, Traverse Town. For the moment, he remains humble and quiet, offering but a nod to his elderly friend when he addresses him. After all, in his mind, Merlin has always been the educator of sorts, always looking to impart knowledge but only to those who truly seek its worth.

King Mickey turns to Mercade, curious to hear the detective explaination regarding his involvement and understanding of their unique adventures, as is a typical practice for The Mouse. He likes stories just as much as the next person ... or social creature.

As he awaits the detective's response, King Mickey's attention is caught by the the fidgetting and runaway book. Curious, Mickey studies the book as it floats helplessly in the air, almost as if looking for the title. However, his attention returns to Mercade, as the detective shares his points of view. He smile begins to emit about his face, as if to signal being once again impressed by Mercade's resourceful knowledge and research, "This young man has studious in his efforts and what he says is true. In fact, the detective here has been quite helpful in our efforts to seek out new information about some potentially dangerous foes in the nation of Baron."
Mickey turns back to Merlin, folding his arms across his chest, "However, there still remains much to discuss. Tell me, old friend. What is it that you have requested of Mercade here, if you do not mind my asking?"

Merlin has posed:
"No appologies neccesary, young man." Merlin replies, opening the book he now holds and paging through a few of its pages. "Ah yes, this is just what I needed!" He explains, then looks thoughtfully into the direction of Mercade and Mickey. "I forgot the salt in my stew!" He explains, putting the book back onto its shelf and paces back to the cauldron and adds some salt.

PWOOOOOFFF! A sudden poof of smoke bursts from the cauldron. When he turns around, his beard is slightly grayer, and his glasses are blackened. He slowly blinks behind those glasses of his, before he takes them off and comments; "I don't know what went wrong there." While Archimedes, the owl - sitting on the bookshelf, falls over backwards and just starts laughing. Merlin blinks a few more times, then begins cleaning his glasses with his beard, while chuckling a little himself.

When his glasses are finally clean, he puts them back on his nose and nods his head. "Now now, no need for the flattery." He comments, before he moves over to the table and taps it with his wand. Immediately, the table and the chairs move towards the guests; the table landing before them, and the chairs moving behind them to offer 'a seat'. "Take a seat." He asks while MErcade explains his travels - and King mickey adds to it afterwards.

"I see, you two must have seen a lot." He doesn't mention that it wasn't him who taught Mickey. But then, 'that' old man prefered to be alone most of the time. "I am afraid I don't know much about this Baron place. But I do know a little about the heartless and the keyblades from my years of gathering books. Though I think the King may know even more than I." Merlin comments.

He sits down himself, stroking his hands over his beard to get it off of the table, and nods. "Keyblades are carried by those with strong hearts. Heartless want hearts. I think you can answer why they are so strong against them yourself." Merlin comments. "I think it is more important to know however, how they bring about a world's fall, don't you think?" He offers, then looks at Mickey.

Archimedes is still laughing.

"Have you explained to him? About the World Hearts?"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade pulls up a chair as indicated and relaxes, folding his hands in his lap. He doesn't laugh at Merlin's mishap with the stew, but he does smile. "The King keeps his own counsel." Mercade says with a grin. "I can't imagine all the things you might have seen out there." He comments to Mickey. "I've already seen more amazing things in the last months than I have ever imagined in my life." He sighs, the grin falling away. "If only the cost wasn't so high..."

He rubs his chin at the mention of the correlation between Keyblades and strong hearts. "So is it that the Heartless attack them because they want the hearts? Or is it because they are trying to counter someone who holds a weapon that can beat them? Is the Keyblade somehow a channel for this power? Correlation isn't necessarily causation in this case." He nods, then. "The World Hearts..." He nods. "Okay, I can see it, I guess." He looks to Mickey to see what he wants to say on the subject.

King Mickey has posed:
The King jumps at the sudden eruption of smoke emerging over Merlin's cauldron. Taking a moment to regain his composure, Mickey rubs his head while secretely hiding a humored smile at the mistake that has been made.

However, The King does take advantage of Merlin's invitation. As he begins to wander over to the table, Mickey is suddenly scooped up by one of the chairs! Startled by the chair's bolsterous behavior, Mickey's signature laugh manages to slip out as he is graciously carried to his seat at the table. He pats the chair on the side and says, "Thank you, my friend. That was most kind of you.", which wiggles in response.

The King has had plenty of experience with these animated wooden tools over the time of his apprenticeship between both of his masters. Some... caused more trouble for him than others it seemed but that is another story entirely.

Mickey turns to Merlin as the sorceror begins to relay further about his knowledge concerning The Keyblades. He listens intently, nodding and almost feeling like he was once again back in training with the old man. It makes him smile, reminding him of fond memories of another time.

When it comes time that he is questioned, Mickey shakes his head to his teacher with a growing grim expression, "Sadly, no. I have not." and then his gaze turns briefly to Mercade, offering the detective a weak smile before returning to Merlin, "It is as Mercade says. I have been somewhat restrictive about my knowledge and for good reason. Given what I have seen in recent travels, there are ... certain things I do not believe the world is ready for just yet."

When Mercade's questions arise, Mickey decides to comment further, feeling his scholarly friend has earned the right to some answers, "Quite perceptive questions though it is actually both, my friend. The Heartless emerge from the darkness, seeking hearts as their way of sustainting themselves. However, a strong heart provides a much more tempting target and one who possesses a keyblade, provides one of the greatest temptations of all. You might consider it to be what is referred to as a 'fight or flight' instinct."

Mickey looks to his hand, considering summoning his weapon though quickly puts the thought aside before continuing, "It has been in my experience that Keyblades act as opposites of the heartless. Much as the light is effective against the dark. So, the heartless fear them and will fight against a wielder with great vigor." and then he turns to Merlin, "Would you agree, old friend?"

Merlin has posed:
Merlin nods at the two of them, just as Archimedes stops laughing and starts hopping along the bookcase, twitching his head now and again as the others speak. It's obvious that the old owl is listening. The old wizard rolls up his sleeves and puts his elbows on the table and folds his hands. "Yes, the cost is quite great. But you can see it as an opportunity too." Merlin doesn't continue to explain what this opportunity is however. Much like Mickey, he agrees that there are things that people are not ready to learn yet.

For the rest, the old man lets Mickey explain things. "You remember well." Merlin approves of Mickey's words, and tips his glasses up a little further before his eyes. "But you are right. And you never know who might be listening." Though it doesn't sound like Merlin buys too much into a paranoid point of view into things.

The wizard then taps his wand against the edge of the table, and out of nowhere, a scroll appears. He then offers this scroll to Mickey. "I've been watching Traverse Town. Lately, a lot of interesting people have been popping up. And I believe another Keyblade is around. Just a few weeks ago, someone opened a portal from a World Shard to this new place from Bodhum." He explains. "I assume you know about Bodhum already. It's a nice beach. I was thinking you could maybe show off some of your own brand of 'fireworks' there one day." Merlin muses, commenting about the 'old days' when Mickey had once painted the skies at Phantasia Mountain.

"It's very rare for a Keyblade wielder to be around these days. How has your search been for more of them?" He asks. The parchment contains a rough crayon-sketched doodle of Sora. Under it - the question; 'has anyone seen this boy?'. "Some of the people wanted to thank him, and drew a picture."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander listens attentively, nodding. "I understand." There's a limit on how far one can go so quickly. "That makes a lot of sense." He says, bringing up a hand to tap at the side of his head in thought.

The picture of Sora causes Mercade's eyebrow to arch. "Yes. I've seen that person." He says. "He was in Fluorgis, trying to catch up with some of his friends. He didn't mention who, but he was very busy." He smiles faintly. "He's a good kid, and he has some good friends. I have no idea where he could be by now, though."

King Mickey has posed:
The King takes the scroll while continuing to listen intently to Merlin's speak about the characters and happenings within Traverse Town. Mickey begins to unroll the scroll, curious to what he might find though is suddenly distracted from his task at the mention of another potential keyblade wielder being in their midsts.

This piques the king's interest as he finishes unrolling the scroll, revealing the picture of the young boy named Sora. He nods to Merlin's inquiry about Bodhum, having been to islands before throughout his travels... a few times unintentionally thanks to a particular relic within his possession. He looks back at Merlin with a grin, "Maybe, perhaps one day if I am feeling bold enough to tempt the master's fury."

Mickey shakes his head at the inquiry of Sora. He's heard rumors of 'the boy with the key' but has not been able to make his acquantince just yet. He takes a few moments to think as Mercade speaks about the boy and nods, smiling at the mention of his personal experiences with the child.

"This is one of the first times I have heard of the boy's mention though word is spreading about him. Sounds like he is doing some great things in the world. It is my intention once I return home to send out a small group to search for this 'boy with the key' and look to keep him safe."

Merlin has posed:
@emit "Oh, you know the boy?" Merlin comments to Mercade, "Good! Goood! Maybe there are more out there like him?" He then offers, "In a time of need, after all, nature will take its course." A chuckle follows; "After all, that is what nature is like." And as if proving this point, there's some scratching on a chest behind him, and a red and yellowish squirrel pop out. The yellow one complains, in a human voice; "Merlin! She still won't leave me alone."

Merlin stands up; "Excuse me." The chair is scootched back, and he wanders over to the two squirrels and offers his hand to the yellow one, letting him escape into his sleeves! "Oh--hohoho! Careful now!" The red one tilts its head, and then is quick to climb down the chest even as Merlin wanders back to the table. There's some exagerated arm-flailing from the wizard as the yellow squirrel runs amock within his clothing, and ends up popping out of his beard. He sits back down... and the red squirrel suddenly dives up through Mercade's pants and tries to come out the other way - in an attempt to get onto the table. "Chu-ku!" She goes.

"Ohoho... tempting the master's fury used to be one of your favorite things to do, young king. Ohohoho." Merlin is a rather merry old man, wagging his wand his way. "What else - what else." He then muses, trying to ponder what else he should share, and would be safe to share. "Oh right! I've heard that a /meeean/ old man has been gathering some really bad types of sorts. You-you..." He waggles his wand a bit generally at the two of them. "You should probably do something about that."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"If I see him, I'll be happy to point him your way." Mercade replies, gesturing... And then squirrels happen. One races up his pants and he acks, trying to hold still so the squirrelly squirrel will can get up safely. "Waaahhh!" He says, blinking at the sudden squirrel chase. "Hey, did that one ta-WHOA!" He asks, then yells in surprise. He just sort of puts an arm out to give the squirrel-ette something to run across. "Wow, that's... That's something all right." He says. "Cute squirrel." He says, idly.

"As far as nature taking its course..." Mercade frowns. "Well, hopefully we'll find a course to take when it becomes available. I'm not sure where to go from here."

At the mention of a mean old man, Mercade perks up. "You mean that there's someone out there trying to make some of these guys who control Heartless more organized? We have enough problems with them when they're acting alone." He grimaces. "This is rapidly getting more complicated." He rubs his chin. "Well, we have some individual groups all working to try to fight the Darkness, but we don't really get too much of a chance to cooperate. Maybe if we opened up more solid lines of communication we'd be able to share more often and try to find ways to solve issues more quickly. All of us have different focuses, so we can leverage that."

King Mickey has posed:
Mickey is drawn towards the ruckus of the squirrels interrupting the trio's social session. He chuckles at the scuffle running through his mentor's garments. The King appears to enjoy the distraction, which simply gives him more reasons to smile and remain positive. He's always been an optimist, even in these dark times that he, his friends, and his people are currently facing.

As the commotion settles down and the group regathers, Mickey considers what Merlin mentions about this 'mean old man' who has been gathering villains. He quirks his brow and begins to ask, "Do you know who this old man is and where we could find him, master?"

As Mercade speaks, Mickey turns to him with a smile, "That is a good thought, detective. If allies of the darkness are starting to align then perhaps we should do the same though aside from communication, I've observed that you have connections with some of these individuals and perhaps their organizations. How would you feel about being the one to help bring them together?"

Merlin has posed:
"I do not." Merlin answers. "I am afraid that I only get bits and pieces of things that happen, here in Traverse Town." The red squirrel manages to make her way over to the table thanks to Mercade's assistance. "Oh no!" The yellow squirrel calls out, but fails to run away fast enough before the red squirrel grabs him by the tail! "Merliin!" The boy squirrel whines. "Now now boy." Merlin comments, grabbing the two of them and casually putting them onto the floor. "Remember. Nature does what nature does." And he looks back to Mickey and Mercade.

"Don't you doubt it my boy. Nature will run its course." He then places his hands flat to the table. "Just be careful. Centralize too much..." He flicks his wand, and creatures a jenga tower. "You can take a few members out..." Another flick, and the jenga tower still stands even after a few slats are removed. "But remove the bottom too much..." One more flick, and the Jenga tower falls over. "Ohhh!" He then brings his hands to his chin. "I love this game." He kicks his legs out a little like some kid. "Someone brought this to me from a place named 'Manhattan'. That, and this strange candy called a 'Snickers Bar'."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade blinks. That squirrel is still talking. "Something looks familiar about those..." Maybe because it's kind of like what Celina keeps trying to do to him. Silly matchmaker den mom types. Well, as long as they're all right, he guesses.

"Jenga was always a fun game. I have a set back at home." He grins. "If you like candy, Merlin, I can always bring some by next time." He looks over the demonstration, and nods. "That's a good point. We can't become too monolithic and organized or it will make us really brittle."

Mickey causes Mercade to nod. "I know a bunch of people. I'll contact Reize and Avira. VALKYRI and the Shard Seekers would be a good base to start with. We can pick up more people and bring them together in an attempt to try to make this more organized. But not too much." He grins. "It'll work out fine, I think. Maybe together, we'll have a chance."

King Mickey has posed:
The King hangs on Merlin's words concerning nature, pondering if he was being literal or if there were further meaning behind those words. Nevertheless, he keeps these thoughts to himself for pondering another day. After all, his mentor had a way being straight forward and cryptic at the same and the demonstration of the 'Jenga' game merely reinforced that line of thinking.

The King remains quiet for the time being, appearing lost in his thoughts for a couple minutes. Eventually, He nods to Mercade, offering him a gesture of support in this endeavor. In the meantime, what measures and steps will he take remain to be the king's focus.

Merlin has posed:
"Now then, anything else?" Merlin asks, flicking his wand at the cauldron and the cabinet besides it, and a ladle starts pouring soup onto plates that 'dance' through the air towards the table. It doesn't smell too good. "And of course, you are welcome to remain for the soup - or head on your merry way." The mouse might remember that when Merlin messes up a soup... he messes them up pretty badly. He might want to tell Mercade about this... covertly.

"I am sure you youngsters will find a way to solve this whole mess out." The old man comments as a soup-bowl lands before him, and he starts slurping from it with a silver spoon. He seems to certainly enjoy it... ignore the little cringe he is trying to hide. "Just remember." He turns to the king. "You are never alone."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"As much as I would love to stay, Merlin," Mercade says, "I need to get back to the Agency." SOMEONE is demanding he show up to get fitted for a Santa Suit, OR ELSE. Siiiiiiiiigh. He stands up and nods to the wizard. "I'll keep looking for more information. If I see Sora, I'll get him over to you, Merlin. I'm sure you'll be able to help him like you helped us."

He nods to Mickey, then. "With your permission, your Majesty?" He says, with a bow. He's always wanted to do that.

King Mickey has posed:
King Mickey remains deep in thought though is broken out of his daze as Merlin begins to wander over to his cauldron. Immedately, the mouse appears slightly ill at the sight, not enough to incur notice however. He casually gazes towards the windows and smiles, before gazing down at his watch. Turning back to Merlin, Mickey shakes his head, "I think we've covered just about everything here tonight."

With that, Mickey moves out of his chair and nods to Mercade, smiling as the detective beats him to the punch and manages to gracefully creates an exit for them, "As you will, detective."

The King turns to Merlin and nods to his master, offering him a smile, "It was pleasure seeing you again, Merlin. We'll keep you posted on the turning of coming events. Until next time, be well, my friend."

Then, the cunning duo begin to make their way from the home of Merlin the Wizard, having grown all the wiser. Lucky they made their escape check rolls.