At Master Merlin's house, I usually start the day with her by helping her fetch water from the witches' well, followed by helping her repair her puppets and marionettes, after which I begin helping her with her daily chores. She keeps saying that there's a purpose to all these chores. I am not convinced. I am definitely not convinced.
"Master, you're bullying me, aren't you?" [Diana]
"Of course not, how could I ever bully this cute, chubby, gorgeous, playful, naughty sweetie of mine?" [Merlin]
As she says this, she begins to play wildly with my hair and pinches my cheek repeatedly, commenting on how puffy it is. It makes me happy to receive her affection, but
"You're definitely bullying me!" [Diana]
"No, definitely not" [Merlin]
She tries her best to hug me, a big tight hug by the looks of it. Her slender arms try to trap me in a hard to escape place, but I prevail by using wind magic to create an unpleasant smell, exactly like the one from that horrible swamp in Aru village.
Diana! Come over here! I just wanted to hug you! Maybe use you as a bolster for my evening nap" [Merlin].
"No!" [Diana]
An evening that was supposed to be a meaningful lesson with my master turned into a game of cat and mouse, with me, the mouse, trying my best to escape the beautiful cat trying to hug me.
The session continues until I start to run out of both mana and stamina. I pull out my wand to even the odds.
"My goodness, you did it! Tell me exactly what happened to make the wand change shape!" [Merlin]
Master Merlin changes from a playful to a serious and curious teacher. Naturally, as her student, I follow suit, telling her about yesterday's event.
"I see. Congratulations, the first step of my blessing session with you has now officially ended" [Merlin].
"You mean your session of getting free labor" [Diana].
"I see, my disciple is still unable to process why I am making her do all this. That's to be expected, so I'll tell you myself" [Merlin]
She rearranged the interior of her house by simply commanding the tables and chairs to rearrange themselves. I still find it fascinating, even though I get to experience it every time I spend my day here.
"Let me tell you this, to bless is to give to a soul.
" [Merlin]
"Gift, to a soul?" [Diana]
"True. When Titania blessed you with her blessing, simply put, she gave an important part of herself to your soul, making that part of her soul like you" [Merlin].
"So Queen Titania is a part of me now?" [Diana]
"Correct. Just like a chip in a chocolate cookie, you just need the right ingredients and methods to make the chocolate chip blend in nicely to make the most wonderful chocolate cookie" [Merlin].
"And you're saying that the free labor is part of a process to make the blessing part of my soul" [Diana].
Master Merlin goes on to tell me that Queen Titania, while playful, is someone who's a very hard worker. She tells with a reminiscent eye, regarding Queen Titania's daily training to become a queen, and some of the daily routine is exactly what I do whenever I visit Master, but
"What does all this have to do with my wand changing yesterday?" [Diana]
"Motivation. A lazy soul without motivation isn't fit to be blessed by her and the World Tree Wand. Simply put, through your daily training with not only me, but all of your teachers, your soul has grown to be a good soul, and with the motivation to save Kara and Mara, the wand has responded with your body, mind and soul to change its shape, and it will continue to grow as you grow" [Merlin]
"This wand can still grow!" [Diana]
"It can, but it can also deteriorate, depending on your soul from now on." [Merlin]
I see. I feel like I received a most valuable lesson
"Thank you so much Master! I'll be your bolster for today!" [Diana]
"Naturally!" [Merlin]
Now I can start helping Kara and Mara! After this session, I should go to the castle right away!
"Master... It's suffocating..." [Diana]
"Zzz..." [Merlin]
After this session and after escaping master deadly hug that is