Half way through his book, and Ariel had finished her drawing, he closed the book in his hand and then went to change into something more convenient for movement.
After he and Ariel had changed their clothes, they stepped out of the house and locked the door. Merlin followed the path from his memory and returned to the station that they left earlier.
"I just want to get something from the boys in blue, we won't stay here long" Merlin explained to Ariel as they walked through the door.
As he arrived, he walked up to the female officer that sat by the desk, and he tapped twice on the desk.
"Excuse me Officer… Carol" he gave a soft smile as he read her name off her tag "I'm looking for Officer Jamiel…"
He didn't know the name of the officer who questioned him yesterday, so he asked for the only one who had told him his name.
'Why do all the female officers I know look good, I mean I know only master Jet, but still… I might just join the government if they offer me a female partner' Merlin sighed inwardly.
"Officer Jamiel… may I know who's asking?" Carol asked calmly as she measured him with her eyes.
"I'm Merlin, we met yesterday in the lab, he'll remember me if you ask him" Merlin replied.
"Alright I'll relay the message, please have a seat and wait for a while…" She gestured to a chair by the side, then she turned to make a call on the telephone beside her.
"Come on Ari, let's wait a while" Merlin walked to the chair while still holding Ariel's hand.
His reason for coming wasn't to get information currently, he was hoping to exchange a few shards he had for the currency they used, he was not planning on taking Ariel on a short tour of the city while using that moment to gather information for himself.
'Heh… taking her on a tour in her own city… I believe I'm the one on the tour' Merlin lampooned in his head.
He planned to return when he had a general idea of how this city operated, maybe it would give him some insight on how to conquer this nightmare.
"Sunny and the gang kill a few saints with Noctis' help, I have to kill a corrupted demon, but gods know if these guys will offer to help… I can't tell who's situation is worse" He muttered quietly in his seat, but he underestimated Ariel's hearing.
"Big brother… Who's Sunny?" Ariel turned to him and asked quietly, she thought he was whispering to her so she whispered back.
"Sunny… well he's my friend, a very close friend of mine" Merlin whispered to her with a smile.
Ariel beamed at his words then asked in a low voice.
"Wow, big brother's friend… Can I meet him?"
Merlin hearing her words hesitated, then he offered a melancholic smile and ruffled her hair.
"One day Ari… one day"
"Okay I'll wait, but, who's Noctis?" Ariel nodded then asked again.
"Noctis is a very nice guy, he helped Sunny a lot, so he's a good guy" Merlin smiled while he thought 'I really hope Sunny gets nightmare, I'll need to see what happened in the second nightmare, hopefully there won't be much changes from the original… plus I really want to see Noctis in action'
"Another friend that's cool" Ariel smiled again.
The next moment, from the hallway beside them, someone walked out, it was the same person they had met in the lab, Officer Jamiel.
"Ascended Jamiel, it's good to see you again…" Merlin stood up to greet him, and Jamiel looked like he hadn't slept at all since the night before.
"It's good to see you too Merlin…" Jamiel replied in a tired voice.
"You sound stressed, is everything okay?" Merlin asked.
Jamiel ran his hand through his hair and sighed.
"The cleanup's a hassle, and the only surviving researcher just committed suicide this morning… and I don't even know why I'm telling you classified information…"
"It's alright… I haven't heard anything so far" Merlin offered him a light smile.
"Thanks… so how may I help you?" Jamiel asked tiredly.
"Well I need to exchange shards for some currency, I'm sure they briefed you on my situation…" Merlin said calmly.
Jamiel sighed and gestured for him to follow.
"I heard of the situation, I'll show you to the head officer, he'll help you out with your situation"
Merlin took Ariel and followed him through the hall until they arrived at the office of the head officer. It was the same one that had interrogated him yesterday, Merlin hadn't gotten his name since he wasn't in his uniform and his tag was unavailable.
'Jeffrey huh… cool name' Merlin thought as he read the name off the nameplate on the desk.
"Chief!..." Jamiel did a salute before he continued, he explained the situation that Merlin had told him.
Jeffrey took a look at Merlin who stood calm, then he nodded. Merlin exchanged seven ascended and thirteen awakened shards for a large amount of money that he simply stuffed into his dimension ring.
"Thank you…" Merlin offered him a polite nod to Jamiel, then he turned to Jeffrey and asked.
"Any update about Project X?" For safety, he placed an illusion on Ariel to make her unable to hear their further discussion.
The head officer contemplated for a while before answering.
"We're still on it, but multiple sightings suggest that the abyss creature has gone over the wall… but before that, I have a question about the child…" he turned his eyes to Ariel.
Merlin stared at him and answered calmly.
"What're you curious about?"
"What was a twelve year old child doing in a research lab of that kind… we wanted to get the information from the last surviving researcher, but unfortunately he can't give us that information anymore" Jeffrey turned his gaze to Merlin while gauging his reaction.
With the clown's body control, he didn't even bat an eye as he replied.
"The researcher I met, probably the same one who is unfortunately not with us anymore… he told me that she was the daughter of the dead head scientist, but I don't know how she got into the lab…"
Merlin was thoroughly telling the truth, he knew why she was in the lab, but how she got in, whether through the back or front door, he had absolutely no idea, but whoever listened to it would feel like he didn't know anything.
'Sunny's truth twisting skills are really coming in handy…' Merlin chuckled inwardly while offering no change of emotion outside.
"I see… well if there's any necessary information about the abyss creature, we'll relay it to you" Jeffrey nodded then dismissed them.
In the hallway, Ariel turned to him and asked in an innocent voice.
"What were you guys talking about? It was like I was hearing two voices talking at the same time and I was confused"
Merlin turned to her, he was genuinely surprised and confused, he had used an illusion to make their discussion seem as if it was about clothes and shopping, but he didn't expect her to be able to partially bypass the illusion and hear some of what they were saying.
He sighed and answered her with a soothing smile.
"Don't worry about it, it was just grown up stuff, let's leave that and go ahead and have fun"
"Okay…let's go" Ariel nodded, then smiled as they left the station.
Merlin stepped out of the station with Ariel beside him, the streets bustled with people going about their lives, vendors shouting to attract customers, children running across sidewalks.
Merlin stretched his arms and asked with a smile
"So... where do we start?"
Ariel looked around excitedly before pointing toward a row of restaurants.
"...Food?" Merlin chuckled and pulled her along "I like the way you think."
Merlin eventually chose a cozy family restaurant after asking a passerby for recommendations and divining a few affordable locations. You can't blame him, if he went broke in a nightmare, then it would be an even worse nightmare.
The waiter handed them menus, though Ariel barely looked at hers, she simply pointed at one of the colorful pictures and said with a smile.
"I want this!"
Merlin looked at it, he was really hoping that the ingredients were safe as he wasn't accustomed to the world.
"...A giant burger?" He asked because that's what it looked like, he wasn't sure.
"And fries." She nodded and added enthusiastically.
"Okay… if you say so" Merlin smiled as he thought 'I hope the fries of this world is similar to what I know, if I see some out of place fried stuff here, I'm leaving…'
He ordered one for himself as well, alongside some drinks for both of them.
Several minutes later, the waiter and the food arrived.
Ariel's eyes sparkled.
"So big..."
"Go on, try it…" Merlin couldn't help laughing, then he retrieved a coin from his dimension ring, then he flipped it and it landed on his hands.
'Heads… it's safe to eat at least'
Ariel ignored his little movements as she carefully picked up the burger with both hands, she took a small bite and her eyes widened.
"How is it?" Merlin asked with a smile.
"...It's delicious!" She replied, sounding a little muffled.
Merlin smiled before taking a bite of his own as they started eating.
For several minutes, the only sounds between them were chewing and the occasional satisfied hum from Ariel.
She tried dipping fries into every sauce on the table.
"This one is sweet."
She tried the other.
"This one is spicy!"
Then the last one.
"This one's... strange."
Merlin smiled at her actions then he tried the last one.
"...That take like mustard"
'Is it even possible to have mustard in the dream realm…' he wondered inwardly.
"I don't like mustard." Ariel proclaimed as she pushed the small plate to him.
Merlin chuckled and continued with his own food.
After eating, Ariel leaned back with a full stomach.
"I'm full… it was fun, thank you big brother"
"You're welcome…" Merlin ruffled her hair and then paid for the meal as they left the restaurant.
..
.
As they continued walking through the city, cheerful sounds drifted from nearby, Ariel who seemed familiar dragged him to the place, soon they arrived at a large public park, children ran across the grass while parents chatted beneath the trees, there were swings, slides, climbing frames, and even a small lake where people rented paddle boats.
"A park… that's nice, I haven't seen one since…" Merlin muttered to himself but he was cut off as Ariel stopped walking.
"..."
Merlin noticed her gaze lingering on a particular spot in the playground.
"You want to?"
"...I'm too old." She spoke lowly
Merlin looked at her then he chuckled.
"You're twelve… you're very much young… that's literally playground age."
"...Really?" Ariel beamed as she turned to him.
"Let's have fun." He nodded.
The hesitation disappeared instantly as she sprinted toward the swings she had been looking at earlier.
Merlin watched with an amused smile as she climbed onto one, she awkwardly pushed herself forward once, twice, then higher and higher.
Soon laughter escaped her lips, the sound made Merlin pause, it was probably the first genuine laugh she'd had since he'd met her, his smile softened as he remembered his little sister he used to play with.
..
For nearly an hour, Ariel tried everything, the swings, the slides, the monkey bars, she even challenged a group of younger children to race across a climbing structure, she won spectacularly, he was genuinely surprised with her speed, agility and stamina.
He watched as the other children accused her of cheating, then he burst into laughter.
At one point she convinced him to sit on a swing beside her, he sighed dramatically then he smiled before sitting down.
The two gently swung back and forth.
"..."
"..."
"It's peaceful." Ariel said softly.
"...Yeah." Merlin replied.
Neither of them said anything else, for the rest of the time, they simply enjoyed the breeze.
..
.
After leaving the park, Ariel spotted a toy store, her pace slowed, then stopped, she turned stared through the large glass window.
Inside were shelves filled with dolls, plush animals, toy swords, puzzles, and colorful figures.
Merlin noticed immediately and turned to her and said.
"You want to look?"
"...Yes." Ariel answered shyly.
He smiled and took her hand as he led her inside.
"Let's go…"
The moment they entered, Ariel's eyes wandered everywhere, she carefully examined every shelf as though she were inside a museum, he quietly followed behind her with his hands in his pockets, inwardly he sighed.
'Raising a child really is tough… will I ever get one? I wonder… with my flaw, I'll probably not see the need'
Beside him, Ariel picked up a fluffy white rabbit plush.
"It's soft..." She hugged it and smiled.
Then quickly placed it back–
Moments later
She found a small stuffed fox.
"This one's cute..."
Back onto the shelf–
Then a teddy bear–
Then another rabbit–
Then a tiny dragon–
Each time she'd smile, then carefully return it.
Merlin watched with a smile, then he eventually asked.
"Why aren't you taking any?"
"They're expensive..." Ariel lowered her head and answered. (Best girl fr…)
Merlin blinked then he ruffled her hair.
"...Who told you to worry about that? You like them?"
She nodded, then he picked up the fox, the rabbit, the dragon, within minutes, Merlin was carrying an entire basket filled with toys.
"Big brother..." Ariel turned to him.
"Hm?" Merlin looked at Ariel who was alternating looks between him and a white teddy bear.
"That's enough..." She muttered softly.
"You sure?" Merlin asked as he stared at the teddy bear.
"..."
She looked at the teddy bear one last time.
"...Maybe one more."
"I thought so…" Merlin chuckled.
When they reached the counter, Ariel looked increasingly nervous as the cashier scanned everything, the total appeared and Merlin simply handed over the money without even blinking, inwardly he sighed.
'I've officially broken the record for spending the most money since arriving in this world, and the money's not even real, but my lost shards are…' Merlin shed an illusory tear.
"...That was a lot..." Ariel muttered by his side.
"I still have plenty…" Merlin shrugged, as he saw the smile on her face, the pain of the shards immediately left him.
She hugged the shopping bag close and smiled brightly.
"Thank you… big brother"
Merlin smiled and took her hand as they walked out the store.
"No problem Ari..."
..
.
Their next stop was a clothing store, unlike before, Ariel seemed even more reluctant.
"I already have clothes in the house…"
Merlin looked at her oversized shirt and sighed.
"Technically… this doesn't count, those boys in blue didn't even get the right size…"
"But…"
"No buts…" Merlin cut her off with a smile and she didn't argue anymore.
Inside the store, Merlin let one of the attendants help choose clothes, and soon Ariel disappeared into the changing room.
A minute later—
She stepped out wearing a light blue hoodie and black skirt.
Merlin nodded and complimented.
"Looks nice..."
He thought back to his time shopping with his sister and he smiled.
The attendant smiled and added.
"It suits her." (It always does when someone else is paying miss attendant…)
Ariel blushed before returning inside.
Then came a cream-colored sweater_
Then casual jeans_
Then a white dress with a light cardigan_
Each outfit made her look more like an ordinary girl instead of someone rescued from a laboratory.
Merlin bought everything she liked, along with comfortable shoes, pajamas, socks, hair ties, and a warm jacket.
By the time they left, Merlin was carrying several shopping bags while Ariel carried only the small bag containing her plush toys.
She looked up at him and asked.
"...Are you tired?"
Merlin chuckled and replied.
"Did you forget… I'm the strongest…"
She gave a light laugh then continued walking.
…
As evening approached, they returned to the house and rested from an exciting day.
Ariel hugged the stuffed fox she'd insisted on carrying instead of packing away.
"...Today was fun."
"Yeah it was…" Merlin stretched on the chair.
She smiled brighter than before as she asked.
"...Can we do this again someday?"
Merlin looked towards the peaceful scenery outside the window, for just one afternoon, he'd almost forgotten about corrupted demons, abyss creatures, and nightmares.
He smiled gently and answered her.
"Yeah… we'll do it again."
Ariel beamed, clutching the fox a little tighter as she snuggled in her bed.
Merlin smiled and said to her.
"Good night Ari…"
"Good night big brother…" Ariel replied softly.
Merlin stared at the sight and his smile became wider, to anyone else, it looked like nothing more than an older brother spending an ordinary day with his little sister.