purpleandgray | TFLN: overflow

Why? Because you're from chaos? That doesn't make you evil. [Dean lowered his voice slightly so that they wouldn't be overheard. He got a little distracted by Merle's eyes but he could focus on the conversation. Mostly.]

It's kind of like life and death. Order and chaos just balance each other out. Chaos... destroys and changes things and change is needed. Everything will become ordered again and then be chaotic. [He was practically reciting the sorcerer that taught him how to use his magic. He had explained things in terms of balance. Magic was never black and white. It was a whole mess of colors.] Unless you're doing stuff like killing innocent people and stealing souls, I'm not going to think you're evil.

I'm honestly not sure. My conversations with her haven't been very comprehensible for several years now as I'm sure you understand. [ Merlin gave a soft chuckle, looking a little sheepish. ] It becomes exceedingly difficult to hold a discussion over spelling duels.

But you're correct. [ He nodded, searching Dean's eyes for something and feeling a little helpless realizing that it was hard to look away. So, he didn't bother even trying. ] From Chaos the whole universe was born, Order gave it shape, Chaos broke it and so on, the circle goes on. However, you wouldn't believe just how petty those universe shaping powers can be. It's like watching married couples fight. They don't realize that without one there isn't much point in the other. And when you're smack in the middle of it, it becomes a life threatening job as a goal keeper.

Julia, I don't think she even knew about the forces at play. She just felt I was dangerous. And of course she was right. What possessed her to take me on is beyond me, but people do strange things when they're lied to.

[ Merlin grinned, perhaps a little weakly. ] No, please, don't think I'm evil.

Come on, anyone with magic is dangerous technically. We control forces beyond most peoples' understanding. How you use that magic is what matters. That's... that's just like day one stuff right?

[He bumped his shoulder against Merle's smiling encouragingly.] So far, I'm leaning towards the not evil side of things. But you haven't really told me much of what you do just that you've got chaotic based magic and a kingdom. Which, wow, still kind of blows my mind. I had no idea when I woke up in your bed. Not a very... kingly bedroom.

[It was a little telling that Merle didn't mention what he did as King just that he was one. Dean didn't want to assume that he was evil just because he avoided talking about it.]

[ Amused, Merlin wondered what kind of a respond he would have gotten from his parents or Mandor if he'd have given them the same kind of explanation. A cuff to the head most likely. Dean seemed to think he needed encouragement and it said enough about him to Merlin to like him just a little bit more. ]

I haven't told you because mostly it's very boring. I hold audiences with various Black Rim delegates, I hackle with demons, I sometimes have the good fortune of talking with my uncle at the other end of the universe, I dodge my mother and brother and their claws of control, I end wars and start new ones probably pretty much daily. But that's how life is in the Courts. It really doesn't stay still for a moment for you to get used to anything. You see, in Amber everything is very stable. Time goes slowly, hardly anything changes all that often. In the Courts everything changes all the time. You have to first of all manage instinctive shapeshifting just to stay alive. Politics change almost daily because the houses are always at odds with each other. One day it's the church of Snake, one day it's the house of Chanicut, and so on. When you have gazed into primal chaos a couple of times, you come to realize that you don't get to shape it. You only get to sit on top of it and hope to give it a little bit of direction so that it doesn't run rampant over the rest of the world.

As I see it. My most important job is to prevent a war against Amber. Keep the powers at even keel. So much of the universe got sort of accidentally destroyed and recreated and reshaped the last time the powers that be felt like they needed to duke it out.

I suppose it makes me a little... [ He pauses, trying to be actually genuine here. ] Callous.

That's just... just the way things are in your court. It doesn't make you callous. It's just a different culture. Different magic. I don't see anything evil about it. [But then again, Dean hosted demons, necromancers, and vampires on a regular basis. The sorts of magic users others would consider evil were paying customers and people he laughed and talked with each night. Oddfellows was neutral so he sort of had a different view on everything.]

Maybe I'm just crazy but none of that sounds evil. Sounds like a headache. I mean I do a lot of work running a club but that sounds worse, much worse. If someone acts like an asshole I can throw them out and never have to see them again. You don't have that luxury, I'm guessing, with all your politics and stuff.

No, I don't think it is evil. [ Merlin said, probably a little too brightly. He was kind of tired of dancing between two extremes, which was his life most days. Less so now that he was chained to Chaos so firmly. ] Chaos and order are just two extremes that are neither good nor bad, just extreme and in thus portray both of the qualities in extremes.

[ Which must have sounded like a load of vague bullshit but he couldn't really help that. ]

And yes, it is a pain in my royal ass. Honestly, if there were someone worthy of the position, I'd be more than happy to give it away. [ This must have sounded very arrogant and it probably was. He didn't try to camouflage it as anything else. ] My brother went through quite a bit of noble blood to get me on the throne. Without asking if I wanted it or not. So my options in the end were to put my little brother on the throne, take it myself or be willingly assassinated. Good choices. What comes to assholes I would rather not deal with, I could have them removed from the picture. But some other asshole would climb to their place and sometimes with vengeance.

[ He gave a small shrug. ] Your job sounds like more fun to be honest.

[Dean laughed and shook his head, sitting back in his chair. It did put some space between them but he could still see him and see his eyes which were engaging and just a lovely color.]

Parts of it are. I get to spend my nights charming guests and basically entertaining all night long but I also have to deal with New York inspectors and government bullshit to keep the place open. Have you ever tried to get an alcohol permit when you don't have a college degree in business or any real business background? Trust me, it's a bitch. [There were some favors and bribes and potential problems in how Dean got his but he tried not to think about it too often. The club continued to do well. That was the important part. He could pay back a lot of those debts soon.] And then there's always normal people who don't understand why even though they're fabulously rich and important they can't get into the club. Hunters try to sneak in looking for easy pickings and doing the books and inventory and ordering and repairs. It's kind of a bitch sometimes.

[Even complaining there was a note of fondness in his voice. He loved his club.]

[ If you like the palest blue. Merlin leaned his elbows on the table, shoulders squaring up. There was a bit of a tattoo peaking out from under Dean's sleeve. He would have liked to ask about it, but couldn't really work it into the conversation right now.

Later. ]

Pros and cons, [ he replied simply with a small curve upon his mouth. ] Mine doesn't have much in the way of personal pros.

[ The ice cream was melting but still good as Merlin spooned some into his mouth. This was probably the most casual and yet in depth date he had ever had. In all fairness though, he had never really had much actual dates aside from Julia. Hookups, sure, but dating was different. ]

So, we've talked about work. What about hobbies? Do you have time to do anything else but work and magic?

I do have quite the social life and meet the most interesting people.

[He ducked his head, blushing just a little. It was the first sign of bashfulness from him since they had met.] I like music. I play and collect guitars. Piano. Drums. Uh, I sing a little. Just for fun in the shower or you know, making dinner.

[And he had the worst case of stage fight which was ironic considering he entertained for a living but he didn't actually sing it was different.] I also like to walk around the city, literally just wander and see where the magic takes me.

[ Merlin had always been a jack-of-all-trades but music was one of the things he really didn't understand. He liked it! But he didn't have a musical bone in his body. He just applauded artists who could entertain with it. ]

I'd like to hear you some day, [ he said with a small, rather private sort of smile, half amused, half charmed by that little bit of bashfulness that Dean had reserved for his craft of choice. ] Are you good?

[ Yes, he was digging for treasure but you don't get to be the king of a mountain of ass-monkeys if you're not capable of at least a little bit of manipulation. Dean seemed to to have a lot of standards in general, if he'd rate himself at least a decent, he probably was right about it. ]

At playing? I'm fantastic. [That he wasn't humble about. He loved music, loved playing it.] Singing, I'm decent enough.

[That he was more humble about. Dean was good but he didn't easily share that fact on the first date. Maybe once he was confident that Merle wouldn't make fun of him for anything he might be a little more honest about his skill.] I can't paint like you unless it's finger painting. I am an awesome finger painter.

[ A mellow sort of grin spread across Merlin's face. He was pretty sure Dean was better than decent. But he didn't persist. All in due time. ] I'll be waiting for that private concert then, [ he said with a hint chuckle. ]

Really, though? Wow... I'm impressed. Finger painting is pretty hard. [ Now he was laughing, it was catching in the tone of his voice. ] Let me see those talented fingers. [ He reached over the table and took Dean's hand in his, pulling it close to his face as if to inspect those pain-ready fingers. But instead there was two thumbs slowly tracing gentle circles on the valleys and hills of Dean's palm and occasionally sliding up along a digit. ]

I'm not an expert but I'd say these are artistic fingers.

You know, that's pretty smooth but if you wanted to hold my hand you just had to ask. [Dean smiled brightly, utterly amused by Merle's massaging his hand. It was very charming that he made such an effort to indulge his joke about finger painting.]

If there's any art in those fingers it's for music and not much else. [He wiggled the fingers in question at his face.] I know a little bit about motorcycles and fixing them too. That's how I made a living before Oddfellows. They're pretty talented at some other things I can't talk about in public.

[He winked at him.]

Such accusations. [ Merlin shook his head in mock dismay. That hadn't been smooth, it had been completely dorky but it was or had been a big part of his personality. But he didn't let go of Dean's hand, not yet anyway. ]

So, I was right. Talented fingers. In music, mechanics and private arts. [ He spoke in a soft, almost lyrical way as he turned Dean's palm in his hands and took the tip of his finger to the palm, tracing small lines and patterns into his skin. A curious design was starting to shape up from faded black lines, just a tiny bit of glamour that would disappear before the night was done. ]

Private arts like assassinations or secret cocktail recipes, I'm sure. [ Surely, Merlin knew what Dean had suggested but he couldn't resist making fun of their rather blatant flirting. ]

[Call him odd but Dean found dorky charming. There was something honest in someone willing to look like a dork even when trying to impress.]

I leave the cocktail recipes to my bartender. She's got the experience and she's psychic. It's a two-for-one deal all in my favor. [He felt the tingle of magic against his palm but the protective ward tattooed into his skin didn't reacting meaning whatever Merle was doing wasn't dangerous. It was just idle magic or something boring.]

Are you a palm reader? Going to tell me my future?

Psychic and a bartender. Now there is a cocktail that doesn't seem a lot of fun for her. [ Merlin knew he had been hitting on various bartenders while drunk so many times in his life that he would feel awfully sorry for anyone who could read his thoughts too as a shitty bargain deal.

The design turned into a more delicate one by the second he spent more time on it. He was now adding colors. ]

That's another thing I can't do at all. My dad is pretty impressive actually. He can scry with the trumps, the cards, and predict what's going to happen. Big lines, mind you, nothing like where did you lose your car keys. But he's of Amber's old blood, kind of a mythical being really. He doesn't know a single thing about magic and claims to be a soldier instead of magician, but then he can instinctively make shit happen that can't be described as anything else but magic.

[ Merlin gave a shrug, then glanced up from his work. And now there was a hint of something uncertain about him, the first time he portrayed anything but a completely confident visage to Dean. ] I started a trump sketch of you. Was thinking of turning it into one of those cards.

She's very good at what she does, including protect herself from all the psychic noise at the club. I wouldn't trade her. [He wouldn't trade any of his staff, actually. They were all incredibly good at their jobs and incredibly loyal. He cared a lot about them.]

You mean one of those cards were you could transport to me whenever you wanted? [He wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea right off the bat but Dean wanted to know a little bit more about what that meant. The cards weren't anything he understood. They weren't anything he could do.] I mean if you wanted a picture of me I'd be happy to send you some for your phone.

[ Snorting, Merlin let go of the hand finally and leaned back in his seat. ] No, it's not just a picture. It's a communication device. One that can be used from a world to another and furthermore, used for travel.

[ It was a bit more than that but he didn't want to go into the metaphysics of it.

For his purposes it was just a device to make communication easier when not on the same plane of existence, really. Trumps could be used as protection, anchors, spying devices, and more. But Merlin rarely bothered. He had other means for those things, less hazardous means for those exact purposes. ]

Okay, I admit, I don't think my texting plan covers other planes of existence and I'm not sure I can enchant my phone to do that without a little bit of research. If you want to do that I don't have an objection to hearing from you more often. Maybe even a second date more often?

[Dean definitely would like to spend more time with Merle, learn more about him. Even just talking magic with him would be fun. They were from two different worlds, literally, and it was fascinating to learn what he could do and what else was out there.] I do still owe you that concert.

Little bit probably wouldn't cover it, [ Merlin said gently. He was pretty sure he'd bring his own card to the second date and teach Dean to use it. Maybe that would make the days in the Courts a little less boring. ]

Also, it means I could bring you to Nola easier for our second date, have a dinner maybe? [ His brows shot up in a question. It felt good to know Dean wanted to see him again. ]

And you could bring your guitar. [ He finished with a smile, aimed for a grin, but what emerged was quite definitely a warm smile. ]

Oh come on, I'm not as magically powerful as you but I think I'm motivated enough. [He winked at him, amused. With the right motivation he could figure it out. Magic was flexible, adaptable, and amazing like that.]

Sundays work best for me. The club's closed then. [There were other nights that would work too but Sunday would give them more time to spend together for whatever Merle might have planned.] I can bring a guitar. I have more than one.

Though, I should probably start thinking about going back to work. I can get you in the front door no problem.

But because easy is boring, I'm rarely ever in one place. You'd have to invent universal magic, my friend. [ Teasing, teasing. If Dean could do that, Merlin would love to be part of it. Just to see it happen.

He finished his coffee then. It was already a bit cold. ] Sunday then. I'll trump you. It looks a bit like shimmering at first. Don't look away and let it happen.

[ Merlin started to rise, understanding how it was urgent to see work well done. ] I'd like to see your club, yes. Shall we then?

Now you're being deliberately complicated. [He shook a finger at him as he got to his feet. He waited for Merle then offered him a hand to hold on the walk back.]

Got a time for that shimmering? I'd like to make sure I'm ready on time and not, you know, half dressed when you whisk me away. [The sun had disappeared behind the buildings and the city was coming alive for the night. Dean was in his element.] I mean if you want to see me half-naked I understand. Lots of people do but let's try and keep some of the mystery.

See, you've caught on my greatest scheme, [ Merlin admitted readily while taking Dean's hand in his with probably a little more care than was necessary, his thumb describing a few rises of Dean's knuckles before settling.

As far as the mystery went, Merlin would have to admit that this was the first time he did something like this, slowly edge forward with mounting curiosity. And the longer they went on, the better he felt about it. He had a feeling eventually it would drive him crazy but that was something to worry about then, not now. ]

How about five? That'd give us time to grab a few drinks in a jazz bar before the evening crowd, too. [ How could he let Dean walk out of Nola without live music? ] Don't worry, though. If you happen to be half naked, I'll dress you up. One of my shirts would probably work as a dress for you. [ He's not that much bigger but joke is a joke. ]

And what makes you think I wouldn't look great in your shirts? [Dean raised a challenging eyebrow at him. Too-large shirts were the most comfortable thing on the planet. He could also totally make himself look great like that. He could be great in anything given enough time to make himself presentable.]

I'm good with five though. How casual should I be? I'm not sure what the dress code for New Orleans is. [Or where Merle planned to bring him. It would be an adventure in every sense of the word.] I mean, I can dress like I do for work but sometimes that's a little much.

[The suit and tie thing didn't always work for dates. It was pretty formal and professional.]

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that icon is the most adorable.......

he is an adorable human being.

that he is.

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