Jamie
*Somewhere to the north of much of the world, having wandered the land for some time and having become accustom to one another for some time, Grim and Merc were camping and planning their next moves in Grim's big ol' scheme to wrap Merc up into some scheme to return his name to royalty.*

*And that, it seemed, involved Grim trying to teach Merc how to properly use a weapon. Grim had handed the lad a wooden sword and was rather eagerly trying to get him to strike a plush substutute doll with it.* "If you are to become a real man, Mercutio- and you are- then you must learn to fight using a weapon fit for a gentleman. Is that understood~?"
Aaron
*Yep, it was camping time for the Duosion and Dartrix, having met Grim not too long ago, he already begun enjoying the Dartrix's company by the time they first met, bonding with them, though he did cause the Dartrix some trouble here in there due to his lack of listening to directions. 

Merc hadn't been a good weapons user, well he never wielded a weapon actually. The only weapon he really used was the guitar attached to him.* "Merc understands Mr.Grim!" *Yeah, Merc totally understood the assignment, and soon enough after obtaining the weapon with psychic powers, he'd... Bonk the substitute doll rather than stabbing them, ok for a first attempt... Right?* "Did Merc do it right?"
Jamie
*Grim had quite a bit more patience for Merc than he did anyone else, extending even to swordplay... Although he wasn't good at showing it.* "I- no. No, Mercutio, that's not quite right."

*He waltzed up to the sword, although he paused and gave Merc a daring glare.* "Now don't swing while I'm near." *He widened his eyes in a pushy way before grabbing the sword from his psychic grip, holding it in a regal stance.*

"Now repeat after me." *He motioned to draw the tip of the blade near the doll's stomach.* "Cut open the gut," *Then, motioned with a thrust and a step,* "Then strike through the liver. Understood~?" *He turned and held the sword out to Merc with an open hand, wide smile on his face.*
Aaron
*Merc kinda just look confused at Grim, he wasn't really sure what he did wrong exactly, he kinda just did what he usually did, was this wooden toy meant for something else?* "Oh, ok!"

*He looked at how Grim used the sword in a way that was unfamiliar to the Duosion, he mostly used stuff like the wooden toy for bonking and stuff, he also wasn't sure what a liver was, but he didn't wanna disappoint grim so he decided to wing it! Soon enough, Merc took the wooden sword, not in a regal stance since he was a flying blob, before doing similar steps to how Grim did it, position the toy near the doll's stomach... And... Boom! He struck! ...Upwards. He hit the dolls chin launching it towards the sky before shortly (maybe hitting Grim's head depending if you're ok with that) looking back at Grim.* "Merc is sure Merc did it right this time!"
Jamie
*Grim, with the softest pout he could muster, shook his head.* "That wasn't even two strikes, Merc..." *As the doll went up...* "... It's a gentleman's strike. It's like... You know what? I think there's a better way to do this.

"You like playing games, right, Mercutio? Well, how about-" BAP! *The doll landed on Grim's head, whereupon he turned around and flailed his arms at the air.* "BEGONE!!!! ... 

"... Oh." *He looked at the fallen doll.* "... That gives me an idea.

"Mercutio, watch closely." *He kicked up a stick from the ground, holding it in one of his hands.* "You see this stick? It's a rude stick, I'm not too fond of it. Now, watch this." *He tossed the stick up, and...*

*... With a `Leaf Blade`, summoned a spectral strand of grass into his hand, slashing the stick in two.* "Very satisfying, isn't it? That only works because I use the sharp of my blade. Yours is wooden, but..." *He picks the wooden sword up, then hands it to Merc.* "... It should still do the trick."

*He then went a little bit away and returned with another stick, holding it high and above his head, vertically.* "Now you try, with the wooden sword.*
Aaron
*Merc would look towards Grim... Oh, he didn't really do it right again, kinds made the little Duosion sad, but hey! At least he wasn't disappointed!

Of course, soon enough before Grim could finish speaking, he'd be bonked by the doll, it took Merc some effort but he did not giggle after Grim started flailing around, he did take the time to say.* "Mr.Grim, you're funny!" *However.

Soon enough Merc would go to pay attention to the Dartrix once again after he asked, he talked about a rude stick, and Merc thought it was pretty rude of the stick to be like that, and soon enough, Grim dealt with the rude stick with a quick leaf blade, which Merc would look with astonishment represented with sparkles in their eyes!*

"That was super cool Mr.Grim!!!" *Merc would say, before he soon enough stated that the wooden sword could do similar, before promoting the Duosion to do the same.* "Ok! Here Merc goes!"


*As soon as Merc said that, he launched the wooden blade at a fast speed with a ``psyshock`` powering it, leading to small winds to past above grim as the stick was snapped in half, before the wooden sword fell into a nearby bush.* "Did Merc do it this time?"
Jamie
*Grim stood still, for a moment, shell shocked by the raw strength Merc was able to throw around.* ... Eugh. I'm glad he's learning to use a sword *After* We've had our fair share of bouts. *The owl shuttered, dropping the remaining fraction of a stick quickly. Behind, the spinning sword- it cracked along its length as it embedded itself into the bush.* "You know what, Merc? I think you'll do just fine without too much swordplay."

*He raised his beak up, proud of the lad.* "I think that's enough tutoring for the day," *He insisted, stepping around the kid.* "Some dinner is in order. I'll see to it." *Taking care of Merc made Grim feel... Weird. Like a dad, obviously, but like... One of those dads who was getting weirdly changed by finally having a family.* Eugh. If only the kid was a bit smarter.

*...*

*Grim had finished adding the veggies to the cast-iron, stirring it gently over the fire as he looked over to Merc.* "Did you tidy up your sleeping bag," *He'd ask, routinely, as he did every day.* It's important a child learns to stay on top of that. *But, aside from that, he seemed to have his attention elsewhere.*

"You know, Mercutio, you're getting closer to the age where you'll be venturing out on your own. Have you decided what you're going to do?" *He stirred a bit more slowly than usual...* "When you grow up, I mean. You can't be a vagrant forever..."
Aaron
"Yay!" *Merc didn't know if that statement was a good thing, but it seemed like that Grim had been proud of him, that's what he thought at least. He did indeed do what Grim wanted, which was break the stick, so.. He won the game! Yippee! He looked towards the sword as it spinned around as he thought highly of himself.*

"Yay, Merc likes dinner!! " *Merc already knew Mr.Grim probably knew about his like of dinner, the Duosion just liked stating it again and again when he wanted to. Merc didn't know much about tutoring but it seemed important! And also eerily similar to teaching... Which is something Merc was told about at a younge age... Could it be... No, words all mean something different! He was pretty sure on that.

...

Soon enough, a time skip happened, neat! Merc was already tidying his sleeping bag when Grim asked, which he would soon respond to Grim's question with a affirming nod
 Merc didn't have a... Amazing memory if he had to be honest, so he often forgot to do things, he was getting better at remembering though, especially tidying up his sleeping bag!


Soon enough though, Grim asked Merc a question, a question he really hadn't thought of. 'what are you gonna do?' Merc of course heard it before in different contexts, but also... He wasn't sure about growing up and stuff. He had kinda lived alone for the most of his life with no real goals in mind until he met Grim, which even then he didn't do much...* "Merc isn't really sure- Merc never really thinks about those types of questions often, Merc likes to do things they want tho! Like... Using this toy for games!" *He'd psychically pull off the guitar from his back with his psychic powers.* "What about what will Mr.Grim will do when he grows up?"
Jamie
"Hoh, I am grown up, Merc. I'm..." *He stirred idly for a moment, trying to find a way to phrase it that didn't sound like he was giving Merc parental approval to bum around all day.* "I'm taking care of you, and I go out into the forest and find food for us. And sometimes, I fight- criminals, bad guys, for money." *Jobless.* "It's not a very fulfilling life, but, it's the life that I live so one day I can... Do something better. So I can take care of you. And one day..." *He took a bowl from the rug he set out on the ground and pulled it up, ladling a hefty serving of soup into it.* "... I'll be doing something else. Like organizing Pokémon and policies. For money."

*It was basic potato soup. With veggies. And one or two berries. Again. But Grim always put a bit of seaweed on top in the shape of a smile- for Merc's bowl, at least. Bland, but homely and filling. With a careful slide of a spoon, he handed it to Merc.* "That's a good starting point, though. That guitar of yours- learn to play that, and you'll be a musical socialite in no time. Perhaps even serving in someone's court...! You know, Mercurio, you might be able to get a job along the lines of making friends. Friends with Pokémon who don't want to be friends, friends with Pokémon who are scared to reach out- that's called *Diplomacy*, and it would make you a *Diplomat.*" *He smiled and poured himself out a bowl as well.* "Oh, but I'm afraid *Negotiation* Might be a bit too much for you. You'd have to be a bit mean to do that..."
Aaron
"Oopsies! Merc forgot-" *Merc listened to the Dartrix talk about about what he did.. Fighting bad guys for money, and taking care of Merc while also hunting... Merc thought it was cool, despite what the Dartrix said. As Merc would continue to watch the soup being made, he thought about what the Dartrix meant by organizing stuff, Merc didn't really know what organizing polices were, but it sounded fun! Mostly because he didn't know what it was.* "Merc doesn't really know what job needs to organize pokemon but it sounds fun!" 

"Thanks Mr.Grim!" *Is what Merc would state before looking at the soup, it was cute! It had a smiley face like usual, Merc liked the smiley face c: . Merc would then start to consume the soup with the spoon as Grim continued to talk about other things that Merc could do, like play music, Merc liked music, though he wasn't sure how his toy would help him. He didn't really hear about this 'guitar' before, so he decided to ask.* "What's a guitar Mr.Grim?" *With him still having a mouth full of soup (do duosions even have mouths? Oh well.), then Mr.Grim would talk about something else, making friends? Sounds fun! Making friends who don't wanna be friends? Less fun but ok... You have to be kinda mean in order to do it? This diplomacy thing kinda sucked from what the Duosion was told...* "Merc doesn't like the idea of becoming a diplomat, sounds kinda sad... Merc would rather buy um... A musical socialite! Merc doesn't really know any other thing Merc can be when Merc grows up, other than a teacher since Merc didn't go to school and would like to be a teacher to know what it's like!"
Jamie
*At Merc's guitar inquiry, he glanced to the instrument on Merc's back; then, with a sigh and a shake of his head, he took a sip of soup.* 

"A musician? So you want to perform. You want to perform music," *He stated, carefully considering his words so he doesn't dash Merc's dreams too easily.* "Well, that won't be easier. Or less sad. You might not get a lot of money, and Pokémon might pretend to be your friend just because they like your music. But, I suppose that if you want to be a court bard, then you'd certainly have a respectable life.

"But Merc," *He stated, leaning in.* "You're great with Pokémon. And you have a pure heart. There's not a doubt in my mind that you're one of the kindest-hearted Pokémon in this region. And I think this world- these Pokémon- they need a diplomat like you. Someone who's earnestly good. Someone who's... You." *He gestured his wing at Merc.*

"Pokemon don't enter politics because their heart is full of kindness. And kind Pokemon don't often want to rise to the challenge of leadership... I'm not saying this role has to fall on to you, Merc." *He glanced away.* "But would you at least consider it? You're one of the most pleasant Pokémon I know."
Rebecca
"Music is nice, Merc likes music at least! Merc thinks it's nice!" *Merc would state before also taking a sip of his soup, before Grim would start to cut down on the idea of being a musician, saying it was also going to be sad as well, which made Merc go :c, because he didnt like the idea of having something that would be sad, which was kinda obvious, sad things sucked, they didn't feel nice to the blob, happy things were better! All the blob could respond with was a sad.* "Oh."


*It seemed like Grim was asking Merc to be a diplomat.. Which Merc didn't really know what that job was other than how Grim described it earlier... Which kinda sounded bad. But... Grim would say how a kind hearted pokemon like Merc would be good for that type of job, especially since most people who go into um... 'politics' aren't nice, if Grim wanted Merc to do it then...*

"Merc will consider it then Mr.Grim!" *He'd state before sipping all of his soup.*
Jamie
*Grim gave Merc a resounded smirk, rather happy with the impression he left on the kid. Thinking he was getting to that age, Grim took a few sips of his soup before declaring,* "Then I think you are ready, Mercutio.

"This is a privilege not all Pokémon can take at such a young age, but with your strength, I think you'll be fine. From now on, Merc, you are permitted to leave and explore the world as you see fit." *He gave a wide grin and gestured to himself.* "That's right! You can go and explore all on your own! You'll learn much more out there than I could ever teach you.

"But..." *He paused, clattering his beak.* "Do stay safe! There are many, *Many* Horrid Pokémon out there. Many who will take you for a fool and rob you clean. Do be careful, and come back if it ever gets too much. Do you understand?"
Rebecca
"Oh.. Is Merc gonna become a diplomat?" * Merc would state before Grim would finally state what he meant, exploring the world! Oh! Merc had already been exploring the world, but he still went along with Grim, since he didn't wanna make the Dartrix feel bad. He had been living by himself for a while somehow, despite living at a orphanage for a few amount of years. He would like to explore the world as well!*

"Oh! Thanks Mr.Grim! Merc will try his best!" *Merc would say then bow, which was a little awkward looking since he didn't necessarily have legs so it kinda looked like a prolonged nod before finally unbowing.*

"Merc will make sure to be safe, so don't worry Mr.Grim! Merc will make sure to visit Mr.Grim as well!" *He said with a joyful tone as usual, not really realizing how hard of a job it would be to become a diplomat.. He still needed to learn what that meant.*
Jamie
"Of course. And be sure to pack berries, food, money, extra utilities, orbs..." *He started to list off a few other extremely unimportant items, like spoons and forks and napkins and whatnot.*


"And do be sure to visit me every so often. ... This may be the last time we see each other for a while," *He stated. He knew Merc was on his lonesome before, but now, there felt like some kind of responsibility to it...* "...

"... And be sure to give me one last hug before you go."
Rebecca
*Merc would nod as grim listed off items, all of Grim's words just kinda going over his head. He wasn't all that good at memory, which was certainly not good when you are trying to live alone! Oops!*

"Merc will visit!! Merc likes seeing Mr.Grim and hanging out!" *Merc didn't really know what Grim meant by for a little while... Grim was always close! That's what Merc knew at least.

When Grim asked for one more hug, Merc gave it, in the best way he could, which was kinda only a small tackle, which thankfully only felt like a squishy ball softly tapping the Dartrix, before eventually letting go and waving goodbye with the guitar, leaving towards where he thought he remembered civilization was.*
Jamie
*Grim met the tackling goo ball with outspread feathers, wrapping them around the lad and coddling him close.* "Now, you stay safe out there, okay?" *Taking hit sweet time and feeling an empty pang well inside, Grim passed a lethargic sigh.* "I suppose this is... Farewell, for now. Good luck out there, Mercutio." *And, with a rather remorseful wave, he bade Merc farewell.*