poly_chromatic | 132 Howls: Accidental video

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mercy thompson series - mercy thompson

132 Howls: Accidental video

[Mercy had gone running early in the morning, then headed into the magic shop to get some stuff done before she opened. All of which meant that she had missed the curse happening until her first customer came in and kissed her in what she assumed was some random outburst of gratefulness for having gotten him the hard-to-find ingredients he'd ordered. She disentangled herself quickly and moved a few feet away.]

Well, um... you're welcome. Glad we could help.

[And she was back behind the counter.]

You have a good day now.

[She shook her head as he left.]

What the heck was that about?

{OOC: Please come in and kiss her or catch her on the way home.]

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[Have a poorly dressed Harry looking around and picking stuff up and look a little out of sorts in general.]

So, I don't suppose you need an assistant or anything. Till I can get my own gig going? I really kind of need money for normal clothes.

[Mercy smiled at him.]

Hey, Harry.

[She came around from behind the counter to see him.]

Absolutely. I can totally use an assistant here. Both of my main people went home. Besides, it belonged to other you, so you'll have a job here as long as you want.

I can also loan you some money so you can at least buy some clothes that will fit you a little better.

[It's a little embarrassing to have to ask for that kind of thing, he's pretty used to supporting himself. But there is definite relief and thinking he won't be stuck in one pair of jeans or the sweatpants he got from the welcome center forever. Mostly he wants a duster.]

Went home for the day or went home... home?

[looking down at the sweatpants, chagrined.] They're pretty bad aren't they?

[Have a relived look though not jubuliant because it's stil making him feel like he's imposing to keep getting handouts from her]

I can earn my keep. You have a good collection.

Left the City, went home.

[She smiled up at him ruefully.]

There's been a lot of that going on lately. People leaving, I mean.

[And grinned at his clothes.]

Well... you're a little taller than your average Joe, so most hand-me-downs are going to look a little odd. Don't worry, though, we'll call it a advance on your salary or something.

[Not that she cared about the money. For once in her adult life, she really didn't have to worry about it much.]

Thanks. I mostly just kept it up from what other you had here, with the odd addition or three of common things people ask for.

Oh, I should tell you. Merlin works here. As in THE Merlin.

How does someone do that, anyway?

[She seemed... a little lonely then and he resisted the urge to touch her shoulder in reassurance but then she was smiling again.]

No need to be polite on my account, I know I'm a giant. [He sighs and looks at where the sweatpants end.]

Sorry to be a burden.

...

[What you said last has just registered. And he's just kind of staring.] THE the? I assume you mean the original one and not the head of the White Council [because let's face it, Arthur Langtry would never sit around working in a magic shop. He would be turning a University into a political force of nature or something. Maybe kicking puppies.]

White beard?

Leave the City?

[Mercy shook her head.]

No one seems to know. Except maybe the deities and they aren't talking. All I know is people come and go seemingly at random. Sometimes they return here, sometimes another, well, 'version' of them arrives... there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.

[She laughed again.]

You're no burden at all, but if you were my friend Kyle's size we could just about share clothes. You and I? Not so much.

[And now she's downright beaming.]

THE the. But he's practically still a kid, maybe in his early twenties. And shortly after he arrived Arthur did too. As in Prince Arthur, some day to be King of the Round Table.

Well damn. Nothing's ever easy.

[He chuckles at that giving her obvious size a pointed look.]

Yeah, if I wanted to look like I was trying out for the lollipop guild I'd consider it but I think it would be indecent on me.

[OK, give him a sec that's a little bit difficult to wrap his brain around because... yeah.]

That is. It's just really kind of freaking me out here.

[Just. Sticks his head through the doorway to the storage room or something with the most indignant expression.]

"Practically still a kid"? Thanks for that one.

[Mercy laughed.]

Well, you are, you know.

Compared to the ancient white-bearded Merlin they tell about in the legends.

And Harry, this would be Merlin.

Merlin, Harry Dresden, wizard and new employee. I seem to be collecting wizard these days.

[Turns around to see the skinny, gawky boy with his head out the door looking only marginally indignant and a little bit self depreciating. He turns back to Mercy looking a little disbelieving.]

That's Merlin? [Well, he supposes Merlin must have been young and awkward at some point. He just never ever expected to see it. Still, he didn't look like some sort of great political mastermind or superwizard. He looked a lot like Harry remembering feeling during his own teen years.]

Er.. Hey. Nice to meet you? [What do you say to the teenage version of a legend?]

[Shuffles with the staff before moving over and stuffing out a hand]

[If he could read your mind, Harry; he's not a teenager, thank you very much. Merlin rolls his eyes, but the indignation melts away quickly enough and he puts on a lopsided smile (because you do not quite deserve a real one) of some sort as he steps through the doorway properly and takes Harry's hand.]

This is Merlin.

[Maybe he allows himself to sound just a little annoyed, but mostly it's sort of... controlled neutrality.]

Newly arrived, I guess? Welcome to the City.

[Mercy figured she'd stand back and let these two get to know each other, so she leaned back against the counter with a smile on her face and just watched.]

[Yeah but he looks like one. It's the gawk. No doubt he can find a way to earn Harry's respect beyond being a legend. He's wondering if he ought to get an autograph. It seems like something you do when you meet someone like that. But how lame would that be? And besides he looks like - fifteen. And yes, the song from the Disney movie is running through his head with images of fishes going in and out up and down. Hells Bells, focus Harry.]

Yeah, pretty much, hence the magnificent fashion display. [Gestures to the highwater sweatpants and I ♥ NY t-shirt.]

Sorry it's just... you seem so normal.

[With a snort and rolling of his eyes, Merlin does laugh a little as he folds his arms and gives Harry something like a meaning look.]

Of course I do. I'm no one. What did you expect?

[While he isn't exactly normal, and special even among the special, he's just... Just Merlin.]

To be honest, [he takes a second to consider it, head tilted to the side, fingers brushing along the 5 o'clock shadow at his chin.] I've only known the current Merlin and he's kind of an asshole. I always imagined the white beard though. And maybe bulkier? But I suppose everyone's gotta be young sometime, right?

[Rubbing his hair self deprecatingly so that it sticks up everywhere] Hell, I don't know. I never expected to meet you or anything. Time travel breaks the laws.

You need to expect the unexpected around here.

[Okay, the bloke seems alright. Merlin supposes he can give him a pass for that sort of rude disbelief at seeing him.]

I don't really have a need for being bulky, do I? I'll leave that to the knights.

Don't you need to do that everywhere? [Says the guy who makes paranoid sound like family fun night]

No, not really. Although it doesn't hurt when something's trying to eat your face off. But yeah, knight pretty much have the massive bulging muscles thing down. Not all of them [Shiro was tiny and old and gentle after all.] but most yeah.

[Well. There's a bit of a point there, so Merlin just shrugs.]

I'm sure I could use magic against someone who tries to eat my face off.

Sometimes those things just jump out at you and there's not enough time to get a spell off you know? Then it's good to be fast or strong. No shame in running. Has anything ever tried to eat your face off? [He'd had to deal with dragons and stuff hadn't he? Harry met a dragon once, and he'd really rather not do it again.]

Edited 2012-08-19 07:12 (UTC)

Not quite so literally, but close enough.

[He's pretty quick at whipping up spells.]

Edited 2012-08-19 09:15 (UTC)

I've had it happen literally. Spells are only as fast as your brain is at catching up. [Aaaand now he realizes that sounds like he's slow in the head.] Anyway, sometimes they catch you by surprise. So it helps to be able to give yourself the time to get space between you so you can get back to the magic or at least a gun.

No guns where we are.

And if need be, I can always slow down the time.

[So. W/e w/e.]

Yeah well not all of us are super time-stopping wizards. Some of us are just shooting fire at things and running wizards.

[Have an exasperated look with mild interest because stopping time breaks one of the laws. Wasn't Merlin the on who made the laws? Or is that bureaucracy from later? Not the same world possibly even. Also, how does one go about stopping time? The best he's seen is a guy who could put up a field of thick air so that his opponent had to move through it like pudding.]

[Different worlds, different rules, Harry dear.]

I know.

And for some reason a lot of things try to kill me. [He's sighing.]

Totally not my fault.

I know the feeling.

Well! Can't hurt to be around Merlin, right? Maybe we can learn from each other. Or more likely I learn from you but who knows, right?

I may be Merlin, but I'm not that great yet.

[He grins now obviously teasing.]

Nothing great like stopping time or anything. You're super mundane.

Oh.

...oh! No, that's not-- That's all instinct.

[Wait.]

I mean, not everything comes that easily to me. I'm not all-knowing or anything either. I just... learn quickly.

Sort of.

[He's chuckling now.]

You learn magic through osmosis or something.

Well gut is how most people start I suppose. Before they start learning from books and mentors.

Through what?

Os... osmosis... it sort of er... percolates into your brain while you sleep. It's a cellular thing that no one in your time knows about. [He's holding his forehead because he realizes how much of a headache explaining cellular biology to someone from Merlin's time would be. Even a very smart someone. Because there's a lot of background and he never particularly like biology anyway.]

Ask a doctor?

I think I will.

[Or look it up in the library.]

Edited 2012-08-22 20:32 (UTC)

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132 Howls: Accidental video

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/gently threadjacks THAT OKAY WITH YOU TWO?

Fine with me!

Thread jacking is perfectly fine :)

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