7. Merlin Takes Off His Coat

"Yoohoo, I'm home!" caroled a light male voice, but Ren didn't want to hear it. She was alone, she'd always be alone—

"Hey, lady," breathed the voice, right against her ear. "I've got that—whoaaaa!" Ren struck out as she jerked herself upright, her fist hitting something soft.

As she focused blearily on her surroundings, she consciously realized Merlin had returned and now sprawled on the floor next to her. A basket with some red and blue fruit rested on the ground just behind him, luckily just barely safe from being upset by his fall backwards.

Luckily? Hah. The last of the sleep fled Ren's mind and she glared at Merlin. "You knew I'd wake up badly, and you did that anyhow."

Merlin put his hand behind his head, his eyes closing as he laughed. "Ehehehe. You were just so cute when you woke up. Hey, hey, here, look what I brought for you. Those berry bushes were loaded." He swung the basket between the two of them like he could hide behind it.

Ren's nose twitched at the sweet, pungent scent. Then she decided forgiveness was good for the soul and took the peace offering. The berries came in three different sizes and colors, and each one tasted fresh and strange and wonderful. As she munched steadily, Ritsu knelt down beside her, staring at the basket.

"Where did those come from? We only grow the blueberries."

Merlin snatched a berry right under Ren's fingers and said, "I picked them from your village fields." Then he popped the berry into his mouth. "Mmm, they're delicious! Those fields must be legendary."

Ritsu's brow furrowed. "I don't understand. I'm sure—"

"He probably put them there himself before picking them," said Ren after swallowing a mouthful. "Don't pay any attention to him, Ritsu. He enjoys confusing you."

The younger girl looked between Ren and Merlin as her eyebrows drew down. Then she said, "Bad Merlin! Go sit in the corner!"

Merlin chuckled again and stood up before bending down again to pull a handful of berries from the basket. His knuckles brushed against Ren's. A shiver ran down her spine. She kept her eyes down until she saw the hem of his cloak moving away.

Ritsu cautiously tried the unfamiliar berries and then said, "Hmm. They're okay, I guess. Not as good as our berries, but they'd be good in a pie together."

After soothing her hunger, Ren peeked at Merlin, who wore a little smile as he flipped through Ritsu's book. Watching for his reaction, she deliberately said, "Thank you for the food, Merlin."

His little smile became a wince. He glanced up. "Hey, did I hear you say you wanted some new clothes earlier?"

Narrowing her eyes, Ren said, "Yes. And you said they'd require too much energy to make."

Merlin waved a finger. "I said creating magical armor along the lines of Excalibur would require too much energy. Ordinary clothing isn't a problem!" He stood up and plucked a single extremely long hair from the back of his head. "Just step this way."

Ren swallowed another mouthful of berries and stood up. Even recognizing his behavior, she scowled. He knew exactly how to piss people off while doing things for their benefit, and she didn't like being so easily misdirected.

After she moved closer to Merlin, he flicked the silvery hair at her. It moved magically to spiral up her arm and around her torso, before puffing into a brightness that obscured everything. As the spots faded from Ren's eyes, her pajamas fluttered against her skin and then changed. Violet ribbons tightened around her and merged into a fitted bodice with a short flared skirt, black leggings and high-top laceless sneakers.

"Wow," said Ritsu. She held up her foxette. "Learn to do that, okay?" The foxette chirped agreeably.

Ren peered down at herself, smoothing her hands over the soft fabric of the bodice. She could tell at a touch that the fabric was breathable and organic in origin, but not a common material. The skirt had layers that supported its flare without weighing her down, the leggings made sure she'd be comfortable even when it was hot, and the shoes had flexible, flat soles.

"Hmm," she said. Even though she really had nothing to complain about, she felt vaguely dissatisfied. After a moment, she realized it wasn't the clothing itself that displeased her, but the method of obtaining it. "How long will it last?"

Merlin, who had been watching her with appreciative amusement, said, "Oh, a little longer than I do. "

"Well, okay," Ren said. "Thank you."

His smile flickered and then broadened. "Now, since we have to wait for that Lancer before we make any plans, you can indulge my curiosity by coming outside and showing me your skills. You too, Ritsu." Without waiting for a response, he vanished into the subterranean hall leading to the courtyard.

"Oh dear," said Ritsu, and pattered after him. Ren stood alone in the summoning chamber, running her hands over the skirt, trying to tame her sudden apprehension. She discovered slits in the overskirt that went to pockets in the underskirt. Useful. Unusual. And they didn't help her apprehension at all.

"Come on, Serendipity," called Merlin, and sighing, she went.

***

"What skills do you think I might have, given that I can't remember who I am?" Ren asked as she and Ritsu stood before the mage.

"You can talk," countered Merlin. "Anything you've practiced sufficiently in your previous life should still be there. But what I'm most curious about is your ability to defend yourself. A Master, or Summoner," he nodded at Ritsu, "can't just expect to sit on the sidelines when their Servant is in battle."

"Well, some do, at least in the stories." said Ritsu. "But they're usually losers or bad guys."

"What do winners and heroes do?" inquired Merlin, although he kept his gaze on Ren.

"They work with their familiars somehow." Ritsu shrugged. "Maybe they fight alongside them, if they know how to do that. Or maybe they learn magic to make their familiar's job easier. Or, if they have a lot of familiars, they might be really busy coordinating all of them."

"And you, Miss Ritsu?"

Ritsu gave Merlin a jaded look and put her furry golden companion on the ground. "Get him, foxette!"

The foxette looked between Merlin and Ritsu, and then scrambled up to Ritsu's shoulder where it bared its teeth and growled like an angry kitten in Merlin's direction. "I run away," concluded Ritsu bitterly.

Merlin beamed at her. "Smart girl. But I bet you can learn a little magic, too. I'll talk to you about that later. First…"

He walked right up to Ren and pushed her shoulder hard. She stumbled backward and he promptly swept his staff against the back of her leg. Her stumble turned into a sprawl, but she twisted as she fell, landing on her bicep and using the momentum of the fall to roll back up to her knees.

"Hey! I just got these clothes five minutes ago!" Ren bounced to her feet and checked herself instinctively for rips and snags. When she glanced up, her self-inspection was arrested by the intensity of Merlin's lavender gaze.

Then he laughed. "Ahaha, sorry about that. It wouldn't have worked as a test if I'd warned you! You fall well!"

"Thanks," muttered Ren, suddenly keenly aware that somebody with any kind of combat training probably wouldn't have let Merlin's heavily foreshadowed shove happen. Or maybe he'd expected her to realize what was coming and simply run away, like he'd praised Ritsu for doing. "Can you teach me magic, too?"

"Nope. Let's see how you handle a sword, though." Once again, he pulled a sword from the central twist of his staff before laying the staff aside, but this time he held the sword handle-first toward Ren.

Awkwardly, feeling painfully self-conscious, Ren took the sword, first in one hand and then with both. The tip dipped as she struggled to figure out the correct grip. Suddenly Merlin stood behind her, looking over her shoulder.

"Like this," he murmured. His arms closed around her as he put his hands over hers, adjusting them so the sword wasn't quite so uncomfortable to hold. His breath puffed against her cheek and she went hot all over. "There you go." His head turned so his nose just skimmed her hair and then he withdrew.

"Yes," he said, smiling as he once again appeared in front of her. "I'll teach you how to use that. Much more your style!"

Ren swished the sword back and forth and adjusted her feet to a position that felt stabler. Harder to knock over. "All right. Now?"

"Yes!" He paused and she waited. After a minute she realized he was waiting on something from her.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Go ahead and attack me!" He waved his arms, flapping his long sleeves at her.

Ren stared at him. "You're not even holding your staff. What if I hurt you?"

He laughed. "That won't happen. You won't even hit me. But you should try, all the same."

Annoyed, Ren stalked toward him. He stood still, until she swung the sword at him, at which point he stepped out of the way.

Flapping one sleeve again, he said, "You know, enemies don't stand still for you to hit them." She turned toward him and he backed away. This time when she followed him, he kept moving.

Irritated, she launched into a run, swinging the sword as she did.

Once again, he simply stepped aside, smiling at her. She stopped abruptly, pivoting, letting the swing of the sword pull her around, and his step turned into a skip. Then he ran lightly over to the other side of the courtyard. "I don't think I even need this yet."

He stripped off his mantle and the jacket with the flappy sleeves and hung them on his staff, then swept his pale hair back and stood with his hands on his hips. Although they'd been almost entirely hidden by mantle, jacket and hair, he wore a tight, sleeveless black shirt and loose black and gold trousers. Somehow without his jacket and mantle, he looked like a different person.

But when he grinned and said, "Or are you giving up already?" the illusion shattered. Once again, Ren stalked toward him, leaning the sword against her shoulder as she shook out first one cramping hand and then the other. He moved away.

"What is this supposed to be teaching me?" Ren demanded, and then jumped forward, stabbing out with the sword faster than he'd been moving.

With his bare hand, he smacked the flat of the sword to one side, a strike Ren could feel in her upper arms. "Oh, all sorts of things. Come on, I bet you can do better than this. Hit me and maybe I'll tell you."

She jerked the sword back toward him. He hopped backward before pivoting around her and leaning forward to tuck her hair behind her ear. She whipped the sword toward him and he swayed and ducked away, laughing.

After that, he ran away more, and she chased him, half-annoyed and half-determined. He kept teasing her to keep attacking him despite her growing weariness. She could see how laughably slow her swings were but that didn't discourage her. She didn't have the training for this, so of course she'd be slow. And as she slowed further, her muscles burning and aching, she watched him until she determined a deliberate pattern to his retreats.

She simply didn't have the speed to take advantage of that right now, but if he trained her another day…

Then Ren realized that Ritsu had stealthily positioned herself behind Merlin: not where he was, but where he'd be the next time Ren charged at him. She tightened her nearly-numb hands on the sword and, without thinking too hard, lunged at him.

Ritsu crouched down behind him as he danced backward, and he ran right into her. His arms pinwheeled as she pushed up and he tumbled over her, head over heels, landing on his hands and knees in the dust.

Ren dodged around Ritsu and skidded to a halt over Merlin, bring the sword around toward his upturned head. She knew how slow she was, but he didn't roll out of the way, allowing the flat of the blade to smack his shoulder.

Pushing himself back to sit on his haunches, he said, "Very good, Ritsu! Ren… you know you're supposed to hit people with the sharp side, right?"

She scowled. "But I hit you all the same. Tell me the point of all this."

Merlin took the blade between two fingers and a thumb and twisted it right out of Ren's hands, catching the handle with his other hand. Suddenly her hands hurt terribly and she gasped, trying to flex stiffened fingers. Somehow doing that made the rest of her body's aches speak out: her stomach, her legs, her arms, her shoulders…

"Technique is pointless without conditioning," said Merlin calmly. "You did fall well. You've practiced. Your muscles remember even if you don't. But your muscles didn't know anything at all about moving with a sword. Now, they've got a starting place—"

Lady, came Cú's voice in Ren's mind, right before he materialized among the three of them. He looked irritated. "Yo, I have intel and you're probably not going to like it. Short form: we're not the only Throne Servants here."