II.

[takeyouapart]

Okay. Er. Still getting used to having a diary everyone can read. Bear with me, please?

First of all, I should say thanks! For the warm welcome. Everyone I've talked to so far's been dead nice. Appreciate it. Easily the friendliest prison I've been in. Not that I've been in prison much. Once or twice. Unfairly!

Yep...that was clever.

Comments

Giles totally missed his intro, but has been reading comments!

[ripper_watches]

Merlin? As in...

Er, are you quite sure you're not- Are you- I mean... That is, it would have be quite fascinating to speak with you on the subject of magic.

OH THIS HAS POTENTIAL.

[takeyouapart]

I'm not a sorcerer. Really. Someone must've got mixed up somewhere, and...yeah.

...I do know a bit about magic. Theoretically. Picked some stuff up here and there.

Nothing about how to do it, or anything, obviously. That would be bad.

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY. Also, Giles = one track mind

[ripper_watches]

I mean, of course, it's not the same, but even theoretical discussion- Well, it could be quite illuminating, as many of the texts I know of, well, they're not particularly instructive. Much of the subtlety has been carefully hidden or deliberately lost and, well- I don't suppose I could be so bold as to ask if perhaps we could discuss it? I'm afraid it's a passion of mine. I would very much love to pick your brains at some point...

[takeyouapart]

Well, I'm...not busy right now if you want to have a chat.

A theoretical chat.

Er, you'll have to tell me where to meet you, though. I'm not exactly sure where things are right now. I got to the library all right, but...yeah.

I'm heading to bed, but want to start an action spam?

[ripper_watches]

Really? Wonderful! That's fantastic.

I'm the head librarian, so the library would be quite suitable, I think. Will you manage to find your way?

Yes, yes I do. B]

[takeyouapart]

I think I'll be okay, thanks. See you in a minute.

[Action!]

[takeyouapart]

Getting to the library from his room is fairly straightforward - he's managed to make the trip once without getting lost - but when he nudges his way in it seems pretty much empty. Which is a relief, in a weird way, because while he had arranged to meet the librarian - bugger, he'd forgotten to get his name before leaving his journal behind - it was around here that he saw or at least thinks he saw...

....well, somebody he'd be frankly relieved to have left behind in Camelot.

"Hello?" Library. Needs to be quiet. Oops. He lowers his voice. "Mr. Head Librarian? I forgot to ask your name, sorry...it's Merlin...?"

[Action!] - And I'm so sorry about my crap lateness with this

[ripper_watches]

[While waiting for Merlin to turn up, Giles is somewhere deep in the shelves, sorting books. Well, he's meant to be sorting books, but in fact has been distracted by a particularly interesting reference to 12th Century Mayan summoning rituals.

He glances up at the noise, though, of course, he can't actually see the doorway, due to being among the stacks. Distractedly, arm of his glasses held in his teeth, he speaks:]

Yes. Er. Yes- [A pause as he runs a finger down the page, eyes flicking over the words] -of course, come in. I'm just- I'm back here.

[He doesn't clarify where "here" is. Not helpful, but Giles-as-librarian was never meant to be particularly helpful. He's in this for the books.]

[Action] - is cool c:

[takeyouapart]

Merlin goes ever-so-slightly rigid at the voice, because he knows it. Rarely so distracted, usually snapping orders at someone or other, never speaking to him directly except to tell him he's an idiot or to blame him for something Arthur's messed up -

To his great annoyance, his feet are ignoring the advice of his head (specifically, turn around and run and never come back) and following the voice into the shelves. Science - no. History - no. Mythology -

- oh, bugger.

He's not in his crown, or his robes or anything like that, but it is absolutely definitely Uther.

Merlin almost squeaks it. "Sire?"

[Action] - Thanks bb

[ripper_watches]

[Being a librarian in an American high school had helped Giles develop a number of skills. One of these was the capability to carry on a conversation with little to no thought, a kind of autopilot. He speaks without looking up, pushing his glasses up onto his nose for a better look at the page.]

Yes, hello there. Just- [He waves a hand at some big chairs in a nearby corner.] One moment.

[And then his brain catches up with him, and he remembers that, one) this is Merlin, even if not exactly at the age that would have been his expectation, and two) ..."Sire"?]

Er.

[He looks up, frown on his face.]

Pardon?

[Action]

[takeyouapart]

Ohh this is bad. This is so, so bad. It is actually physically incapable of getting worse - and Merlin had agreed to have a theoretical discussion of sorcery with him. He vaguely knows that the King can be very personable when he feels like it, never to him obviously, but --

Of course. This is a trap. This is a trap, and Merlin's about to get beaten to death by a heavy hardback edition of Dealing With Gullible Idiot Sorcerers. Merlin doesn't spot the confusion, only the frown, and he takes a long, sliding step back.

"Um. I'm...really, really sorry, sire. I think there's been a huge misunderstanding, and I'm sure you've got better things to be getting on with sooo...I'm going to go. Yep."

[Action]

[ripper_watches]

[It's hard for Giles to work out how to treat this Merlin. After all, he is one of the greatest wizards of all magical history, but on the other hand, he's just a boy. Probably only as old as Buffy had been when he had first met her. That just adds to his confusion.]

I- Wait, please. What- Er. [Giles is rather lost for words. But this opportunity? Too good to pass up. So he forges ahead.] That is... I would very much like to speak about what you know.

[Action]

[takeyouapart]

The words come out in a great desperate rush: "I know! That's sort of the problem, because you're going to completely take what I said in my journal out of context and what I've said already is enough evidence to have my neck put on a block somewhere and - um - "

Finally, the look of faint consternation on Uther's face trickles through into Merlin's awareness and he just...stops for a moment.

The scar above the King's right eye. It isn't there. What?

" - and...we've never met before, have we?"

[Action]

[ripper_watches]

[And at about the same time Merlin figures it out, so does Giles. Although the exact reasons the boy seems to be so nervous are unclear, obviously Giles looks like someone from his world. Someone not particularly friendly. Merlin had called him sire...

He shakes his head at Merlin's question, train of thought lost.]

No, we haven't. [Giles begins to polish his glasses on his hankerchief.] Erm, I'm afraid you've just had your first experience of one of the strange phenomena the Barge has to offer. Quite a, ah, surprising number of people have identical bodies here, though they may have never met one another before.

[A beat.]

Who did you believe I was?

[Action]

[takeyouapart]

"Oh. Really? Er..."

It sits with him slightly more comfortably than some of the other things he's learnt since coming to the Barge. If there are all sorts of different worlds, places where he himself is all sorts of different people (mostly elderly and bearded), then it sort of makes sense that two people could look exactly the same?

It's really disturbingly uncanny, though.

"The King. Erm. Uther Pendragon. I'm his son's manservant and he...doesn't like me all that much."

[Action]

[ripper_watches]

Uthe- You're telling me that I look like, like Uther Pendragon?

[Giles shakes his head, a strange kind of smile on his face. Yes, Uther wasn't the most moral of those people in Arthurian legend, but still- To look like some form of King Arthur's father. It was something to wonder at.

Yes, he was geeking out just a little.

Eventually, he got himself back to his present company.]

And you're- You're Merlin. You're very young... I mean, er, I sort of expected a beard...