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[extirpator]

[ lo and behold, there is a knock on his door. should he open it, a particularly tall man will be standing a few feet away from his doorway.

in his hands is a small, wooden container. ]

Merlin, right?

[ there's a beat. ]

I made lunch, if you were interested. Rice, pickled radish and grilled fish...

[ he trails off because he, uh.

kind of just noticed the flora and fauna protruding into his room. ]

[courtmagic]

[the tree that's growing through his room should be a cause for concern, yes...except that the floor has been smoothed, things rearranged so that the branches won't poke into them, and the ceiling reshaped in a way that embraces the tree instead of having it smash through or be smashed against it. the effect is strange, but it seems like it's always been like that. or well, it might not be, considering the overgrowth right now. but the tree has green leaves, seems healthy.

Merlin's staff leans against it, and the man himself has gotten the door, smiling as ever.]

Nier? That's really kind of you, you know, you didn't have to do that.

[except he'll absolutely take the box and step further into his room, a silent invitation for Nier to do the same. he sleeps alone, that's clear from the one bed.]

⟹ FLOWER MAIL

[extirpator]

[ this will be an ongoing thing, because i hate both of us. ]

[extirpator]

[ the temple's ongoing overgrowth is certainly in his favor this time. at merlin's door, there will be a very slender glass vase. in it are approximately 12 purple violets, and 8 white heathers.

attached is a piece of parchment, delicately folded: ]

Did you know that all flowers carry a meaning to them?

These two always sold well in the springtime.

post-caves

[intoningly]

[ She's not sure how late it really is when she shows up at his doorstep, pillow under her arm, forehead wrinkled just a little– as if troubled by something and trying her best to hide it with an unaffected frown. Zero has never been good at marking the passage of time, but even more so here when she is so purposeless. ]

Good, you're awake.

[ She says, ignoring the fact that she might have woken him up. She slips past him and into his room with a confident sort of familiarity. ]

Not here for the usual business I'm afraid.

[ Her gaze drifts around the room, she takes her time in looking at him. ]

I can't sleep.

[courtmagic]

[he's in his bed, dozing in the twilight sleep between true sleep and awakening when she comes in. the sound means he has to process Zero in his room, with her pillow - but the atmosphere is different, that he can tell immediately. if she's come to him because she can't sleep, something is very off. his room is still fit for a single person, bed and blankets and everything else, and the tree that grows through his room is thriving - clearly, he's been in no rush to take that out.

but he sits up, moving over in his bed to make room for her. it's warm and it's comfortable, and that's a plus to just standing there.]

Too much on your mind?

[thankfully, he knows a number of ways to cure a sleepless night.]

surprise action;

[lumberlady]

[With their next "trip" coming up, Konoha is on a mission. Since life had returned to the Temple and an abundance of fruit with it she'd been keeping busy, and part of that came in the form of drying fruits and vegetables in preparation for travel... potentially to a world like Struxta again, with grey goop for meals.

So with a basket full of tasty dried persimmons, peaches, and berries in her hands, she starts making her deliveries.

The sight of a certain fluffy white hairdo as she makes her way around means one less door she has to knock on, though, and Konoha changes course to trot over once she realizes who it is, reaching out to tap him on the shoulder.]

[courtmagic]

[he's lounging in one of the courtyards, pencil and paper in hand while he sketches - it's the caves they traveled, all sharp crystal and mysterious pools. he hears Konoha before he sees her - footsteps coming closer, a telltale gait, and her height - so when she taps him, he's ready with a smile.]

I was wondering who I spotted out of the corner of my eye.

[but, it's better to be charming and noncommittal.]

PAIN TRAIN COMING IN

[everlasts]

[ in the dawn of early morning, Artoria arrives.

in the Temple of Beginnings, she is briefed on her role by Astoria and sent on her way, with nary a contract to be had. all of her feels somewhat muted, like the vastness of her power as a Heroic Spirit is under lock and key. while not painful, it feels odd. for the first time in memory, she feels more human than she has before, more as she once was, the once and future king that was lost to the ages of the crumbled brick of Camelot.

she does what is natural to anyone. she explores the grounds, Excalibur sheathed at her side, and looks for people. looks for where the lodgings are, the kitchen, all of the essentials she will need to live in this place. Artoria has few compunctions about being drawn here. after all, it is the role of a Heroic Spirit to move where they are bidden, but to be brought and not given a contract, to not even wish to bind her? it simply seems strange.

and perhaps that is why she feels - and seems, to the trained eye - a little lost as she travels the grounds.

(what is a Heroic Spirit, after all, without a Master? what is a king without a kingdom, without people to see to?)

she wanders close to the forest, just on the very outskirts of the Temple, her thoughts heavy with uncertainty. ]

[courtmagic]

[in the early morning, today, Merlin wakes. the sun is softer, the winds brisker in the autumn season, and so he takes to his robes. it's not time that he's hungry yet, so instead, he chooses to wander - the forest holds potential, and it's been months since he came here. no closer to understanding the whys and hows. there's much to contemplate.

he walks without care, sees a hint of blue in the corner of his eyes, and turns, expecting to see a butterfly or a flower-

only, he does not. he sees a ghost, or a dream, or something too much to be real.

the wind blows, ruffling his hair, and he barely feels it. how many years, locked in his tower? how many times did she repeat the cycle, until she was free? so stubborn, so full of pride. so full of hope. so many things in his chest that he had locked away to keep himself together, to be the Merlin he knew how to be.

if he moves closer, will she fade away? if he calls out, will she disappear? something in him is-

not frightened. but wanting to linger. one step is all he'll allow himself.

one step, and a small branch cracks under his foot, a sharp sound in this morning haze.]

2 weeks into world jump | text

[intoningly]

h
he
h y yo
HEY
did that get through
okay
anyway
you fuck any fish yet

[courtmagic]

😘
💖
🧜

it's been a while, zero

[invasif]

I've found something interesting. Would you like to see?

[courtmagic]

the answer will always be yes.
what did you find?

action

[intoningly]

[ She has never been here– because she has never had any reason to.

There isn't much someone like her can do with a whole mess of books.

Zero looks just as oddly self-conscious as she feels, and she approaches quietly, softer in her steps than she usually ever is. She's spent an annoyingly agonizing amount of time wondering exactly what to say when they finally saw each other again.

In the end she settles for a nice, neutral: ]

Hey.

[courtmagic]

[he looks up when she speaks, and his face betrays the lack of sleep he'd been trying to play off. hair loose in the water, it swirls around him like some weird jellyfish, a bleariness in his gaze as he sets down a stack of the parchment he'd been scribbling on.]

...Hey.

[with the amount of ink on the pages, he's been at this for a while. but he smiles - the same carefree smile he usually has, and stands up.]

Come to listen to me give a grand lecture on what I've found out about merfolk magic?

text, backdated HAHA I'M HERE NOW

[extirpator]

Merlin?

You alright over there?

shhh it's holidays

[courtmagic]

i didn't expect you to start worrying over me, nier. how sweet.
yes, i'm fine.

post akvos

[intoningly]

[ She doesn't even knock anymore– just lets herself in and pokes through his things absentmindedly on her way to him. ]

You're welcome–

[ In her hands is a kettle? Stolen from the kitchen and dropped into Merlin's lap. It's not warm at all, and if he sniffs its contents the liquid inside will smell strongly of wine. ]

Couldn't find anything to put it in.

[courtmagic]

[he's sitting on his bed, because it's the best place in his room to sit. comfortable, cozy with the blankets and pillows, suited for a man who's crosslegged and tucked himself up against the headboard. there's a familiar pad of paper on his lap, a pencil in his hand - he's drawing something, head bowed over the page and eyes fixed on the lines.

it's the air around him that says more than his words. normally, even when serious, there's something around him that speaks to a lack of true cares, something easy and refreshing in his manners. but right now, it's not like that - it feels heavier, compared to the normal him. it's a mood that Zero will have seen before, when he woke from his nightmare, before he pressed it all down and away behind whatever mental door he did so as to not be concerning. alone, he's letting it be.

his things are the usual mix, but there's a sheaf of parchment held together with string, things from Akvos. the spell he'd been tearing his hair out over, and the notes with it. he'd stashed it in his robes, and Merlin had found it still there, when he returned.

when the kettle's dropped on his lap, he sets aside the picture. it's not done, but it's clear to see the subject. a young woman, with braided back hair and armor, smiling at something that cannot be seen in the portrait. laying his pencil down, Merlin sniffs the liquid, and smiles -

but it's not in his eyes, not infused with the amount of mirth and careless nature it usually is.]

For me? It's not even my birthday.

[far be it from him to put aside something that's very welcome, actually, when he's in this state, and uncaring, he tilts his head back to drink some of the wine from the spout before he offers it to Zero.]

[invasif]

You must be tired.

[courtmagic]

aren't we all, after a battle? you should look to your own strength.

backdated, flowers

[extirpator]

[ at this doorstep will be a bouquet of pink snapdragons, bound together by a delicate lavender ribbon.

there is also a nier attached to it. he happens to be carrying them. ]

Hey.

[courtmagic]

[when Merlin answers the door, the change around him isn't just the smile that's not on his face. it's been replaced by something thoughtful, a heaviness compared to his usual aura. he's in a mood, but exactly what type isn't too clear.]

...Hey. You're still alive.

[Nier and his flowers. he can't tell if the blooms comfort him or are mocking him where they are.]

( text )

[acatastoria]

Thank you, for doing what you did, to help save Akvos.

[ assisting shiro, assisting in figuring out the magical runes . . . astoria doesn't know all of the details, but she felt merlin's presence more than most. ]

[courtmagic]

[being contacted by Astoria? that's a surprise for him.]

you're kind, lady astoria. it's why you brought us here, isn't it? to do what we could to save the worlds we would see.

[it feels odd to be thanked for something that felt like a failure. he knows it isn't his fault, and that there are things to take solace in, but still, it felt like a mess with no clear exit, one that he was trying to put to rest in his mind.]

( text ) shortly after the message is sent asking you to sign ur name.

[insubordination]

What category can I put you under?

[ YOU AREN'T GETTING OUT OF THIS. ]

[courtmagic]

none. i'll be passing.

[why would he volunteer himself for more work?]

action (post Merlin Runs)

[intoningly]

[ Thankfully at this point all traces of pink have been removed from Zero's body and hands. She's dressed in a clean gray jumpsuit and is no longer dripping onto the floor or rubbing her pink fingers all over Merlin. ]

Do you fucking mind?

[ Zero turns in her bunk to face the door, scowling at the sound he's made upon entering their shared room (as slight as the sound may have been). She's continued to be the world's worst roommate by refusing to leave the room for the past few days.

Most of the time she's asleep, and when she's not asleep she's yelling at her roommates for making too much noise.

Zero wrinkles her nose ]

Got any food on you? I could eat a goddamn bear.

[courtmagic]

[she's pushed him to having his hair braided back for now, which is a sign as to how much he didn't want that pink goop in his hair at all. instead, it's been mealtime, and because Zero is a baby who doesn't want to go out, Merlin has resorted to bringing her some food when he notices she's not there.

she wouldn't do the same for him, so this isn't fair. this is selfish behavior.]

Yes. Do you want me to feed you, princess?

[he's being a shit and it's a good thing he's several feet away from her so he can't get smacked.]

action (after the return from the horologium)

[thedarkbond]

[Ren is more than happy to be back in the temple and no longer on that ship, but he currently has A Problem. That problem being that he started out having a nap with his cat, and now he's woken up and his cat is nowhere to be seen. Obviously this is a mystery that needs solving, if mostly because someone might not be too happy to have a cat invading their room.

He passes quite a few that have no sign of feline trespass, but might have some other weird details that he stops to look at before moving on, continuing over the rooms until he passes the doorway of one that...he has to stop at look at for a moment, because that sure looks like there's a tree in there.

And also his cat, which it takes him a moment longer to notice, at which point he steps inside.] Oh, there you are, don't run off on me like that...

[He may not have entirely noticed the room is presently occupied yet.]

[courtmagic]

[there is most certainly a tree growing through the floor in that room - and also, it looks deliberate, if the floor being structured to accommodate it says anything. it filters the daylight into something softer, makes the room less stark, although it's definitely occupied, which will become clear when Ren steps in.

the cat is curled up on the bed, napping atop the blankets, and a hand is outstretched to keep it close. the owner of that hand is as fast asleep as the cat, and he shifts a little in his slumber - it's Merlin who's resting there. Merlin whose staff is propped up closer to the bed, who has his desk organized with paper, notebooks and pens, with fresh flowers on his nightstand and definitely several pillows around his head. he looks a sight more peaceful than he had been on the ship, but it might be because his dreams have decided to treat him well for now.

in any case. your cat's been visiting different people, Ren. how dare they.]