"Lady Vivian?" the mother of the druid household hosting Vivian, Isolde Berne, stuck her head around the doorframe to check on her Vivian and her daughter, Marin, who was helping Vivian find some clothes and use the bathroom appliances, such as the shower. At the moment, Vivian was learning of the enormous benefits of the curling iron.

"Isolde, these are truly magic! How did you come across such items?" Vivian exclaimed.

"My lady, they're just everyday appliances. Very common in the modern world," Isolde responded.

"Mm I see. I'm not sure how I feel about these so-called 'shorts.' They expose so much leg. And all the dresses and gowns are just the same! Do they not consider it improper to show this much skin? Especially without occasion…" Vivian added.

"Times have changed. This really isn't even that bad compared to some… especially with their booty shorts and crop tops," Marin said.

"I suppose they have," Vivian laughed. "So much is different, but I must admit to the practicality of some things. Like shorts. Running and tracking in woods must be so much easier when ladies can wear pants."

"Well, my lady, I'm not sure how much tracking and running in the woods we actually do, but it is better for sports," Isolde said.

"Sports? You have tournaments around here?" Vivian asked.

"Jousting has been discontinued for a while 'round here, but we have new sports that women can play, too. You know, soccer, basketball, gymnastics…" Marin said. Vivian looked at her quizzically.

"They're a more recent development as well," Isolde added hurriedly.

"It's almost seven o'clock. I really do appreciate these time telling machines. As it is my duty as the last priestess, I must find the one who guards Arthur. Has your family found who it is yet?" Vivian asked.

"It happened after the death of your mother and Morgana, but our heritage tells us that the one who guards him is named Merlin, or Emrys, which is his druid name. We, unfortunately, haven't identified him, though we assumed he would stay close to where his king is buried," Isolde told her.

"He must be a very powerful sorcerer to keep hidden for so long. He could be anybody. Most likely an old man, given his age, but he is more than capable of producing an age spell," Vivian mused. "But no matter. I should be strong enough to feel the presence of any spell no matter how well hidden. The sorcerer though… he may just be talented enough…"

"Lady Vivian, if I might suggest, you should probably integrate yourself or at least get a feel of what the younger generation is like. Maybe I could bring you to socialize or something," Marin suggested.

"Hmm, yes that is quite a good idea. I may even be able to track Emrys down if he's hiding among the youth. And after all, I must become accustomed to the dialect of this age," Vivian said.

"Um, my lady, a first lesson might be to use more contractions," Marin offered timidly.

A few minutes later, Marin, along with her two brothers Cormac and Alister(who shared Marin's same blond hair/blue eyes look) led Vivian into one of the few clubs in town. Epidemic was the most in nightclub in Glastonbury, and on Friday nights, everybody who was anybody would be either there or partying at the lake.

"So just try to play I cool and don't get to annoyed if boys start hitting on you," Marin warned.

"Hitting on me? Why would…" Vivian trailed off.

"It means they think you're cute," Marin answered. "They're trying to see if you're interested in them."

"So in this era men express attraction with violence?" Vivian asked, perplexed.

"Oh! No, not at all! It's just an expression for when boys come up to you and flirt with you," Marin explained.

"Um, I see… bothersome," Vivian commented. Marin had finally convinced her to wear some faded, denim shorts and an army green tank top with a lighter green lace crop top over it. Vivian had been able to squirm her way out of most of the make-up, but Marin had insisted on at least a bit of liner under her top lash. Her hair was left down to "blow elegantly in the breeze" as Marin had put it.

It was only eight, but the club was already overflowing with party-going teenagers.

"See anyone you think is cute?" Marin asked.

"Not quite yet… There will- There'll be someone. I can take care of myself, you know," Vivian answered.

"I'm sure you got all the boys back in the day, but you have to know now exactly the right way to get them interested. Just watch what I do. See him over there? Now he's a cutie," Marin said as she pointed toward what looked to Vivian to be a totally blockheaded brute. Marin practically skipped over while Vivian trailed along reluctantly at a distance.

"Hey!" Marin said brightly. "What's your name?" The poor boy blinked and looked quite surprised to realize she was talking to him.

"Um, Keith," he stammered.

"Well Keith, I'm Marin. You come here often?" she continued. Vivian almost laughed at Keith's bewildered expression. She supposed Marin was quite pretty, but she really needed to improve her taste in men. Poor Keith was obviously not used to this. Nor did he seem very bright.

"Hey, you better find someone or I'm gonna find someone for you," Marin said giving Vivian a knowing expression.

Vivian scanned her surroundings; her eyes landed on a tall boy with dark hair standing in the corner talking to a girl. Vivian decided it was more accurate to say trying not to talk to a girl. The girl had bubblegum pink hair, the absolutely shortest mini-skirt Vivian had ever seen, and was trying pretty hard to engage him into conversation; but no matter what she said, he courteously dodged her attempts at flirting. Since she was pretty sure skipping wasn't going to be her thing, Vivian casually walked up to them and waved.

"Hey," Vivian said, remembering to use the slang, "I'm Vivian! I'm kind of new here, and I want to- wanna get to know people." It was standard enough. The youth of this age seemed to live to socialize.

"Oh, uh, I'm Cassie," the girl said, momentarily distracted. The boy took the opportunity to completely ignore Cassie. Almost totally blowing her off, Vivian nodded and turned her attention back to the boy.

"And what's your name?" she asked smoothly. The boy tried to conceal a smile at Cassie's expression of total indignation. Vivian guessed Miss Flower-Hair wasn't used to not getting all the boys and attention.

"Michael. You said you just got here?" he asked, giving her his undivided attention. Cassie stomped off angrily.

"Yes," Vivian answered rather smugly as she watched Cassie and her friends shoot her murderous looks from across the room.

"Well Vivian, than you for saving me from that unpleasant little situation. Cassie's a nice girl, but she's gotta learn when to quit. I mean, pink isn't everyone's favorite color; I much prefer green," Michael said, throwing her a charming smile. Vivian unconsciously looked down at her green shirt, then caught herself. She had to admit, this guy was smooth. He was also cute. Very cute.

"So, has your whole family moved here, or just you?" he asked.

"Just me. I'm staying with the Bernes," Vivian said. Something in Michael's eyes flickered.

"Out of curiosity, why would you want to move here? There really is nothing. I can go ahead and tell you, if you're seeking higher education, this is definitely not the place."

Vivian thought quickly. She had to come up with a plausible answer; Michael seemed pretty perceptive.

"Any education is better than none at all. We live in a sort of remote area, so my mother taught me. But we decided it was best that I finish up my schooling elsewhere," she said. It wasn't strictly a lie; Morgause had taught Vivian almost everything she knew. "And why are you staying here? You obviously don't quite find it to be the most interesting place."

"I just moved here as well. My granddad is getting on in years and needs help. I came up for a year to help him," Michael replied.

"Oh that's sweet!" Vivian said, feigning the reaction she was certain Cassie would've had.

Merlin immediately noticed her the moment she walked through the doors of the club.

Most likely druid, he thought. Or maybe she's the priestess I overheard the family talking about.

She was beautiful, with long, silky, brown hair and the most peculiarly colored eyes. He studied her for a moment longer before being interrupted by another girl. Her hair was dyed a simply unnatural shade of pink, and she seemed altogether too loud.

"Well hi there!" she practically yelled. "I'm Cassie! Who are you? I haven't seen you here before!" She is just too excited, Merlin decided.

"Michael," Merlin replied.

"Ooh hot name! So where ya from?"

"Somewhere, but not here." At this point, Merlin started tuning her out and maneuvered through the questions without giving much of anything away. She seemed like a nice enough girl, but she was dreadfully boring. Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin noticed the druid girl approaching. He turned to look at her and smiled, stopping Cassie mid question.

"Hey, I'm Vivian! I'm kinda new here and I want to-," she took a breath and rephrased, "wanna get to know people." Merlin couldn't help but smirk at Cassie's impatient expression. He supposed she could be quite the brat when she didn't get all the attention. This Vivian was good at blending in, but he could detect the slightest bit of uneasiness at her use of modern language. He realized it was a possibility that she may not even be from this time period. She even held herself with slightly different air than most teenagers.

"Oh, uh, I'm Cassie," Cassie said. She turned back to Merlin, but he has already given his undivided attention to Vivian.

"And what's your name?" Vivian asked.

"Michael. You said you just got here?" Merlin replied. Michael Emerson was the name he always used as an alias.

"Yes," she said. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed Vivian's smug expression when Cassie stomped off. Girls could be fickle creatures.

"Well Vivian, than you for saving me from that unpleasant little situation. Cassie's a nice girl, but she's gotta learn when to quit. I mean, pink isn't everyone's favorite color; I much prefer green," Merlin said. Vivian looked down at her green shirt, then looked up sharply. A light blush touched her cheeks. She was a really cute druid.

"So, has your whole family moved here, or just you?" he tested her. He needed to know her relationship with the Bernes.

"Just me. I'm staying with the Bernes," Vivian said. So there was no familiar relationship. Vivian may or may not have authority over the Bernes, but Merlin guessed she did. People preserved in time were usually very important; you didn't waist a spell that draining or big on someone without an exact purpose.

"Out of curiosity, why would you want to move here? There really is nothing. I can go ahead and tell you, if you're seeking higher education, this is definitely not the place," he asked.

"Any education is better than none at all. We live in a sort of remote area, so my mother taught me. But we decided it was best that I finish up my schooling elsewhere," Vivian replied. There had been an almost undetectable pause before she had answered. Merlin guessed she was lying, but now, if she wanted to support the lie, she had to enroll. She seemed to be more or less the right age to attend the local college. He guessed she would be sort of behind if she weren't from this time period, although she seemed pretty bright.

"And why are you staying here? You obviously don't quite find it to be the most interesting place," Vivian asked him.

"I just moved here as well. My granddad is getting on in years and needs help. I came up for a year to help him," Merlin said without a pause.

"Oh that's sweet!" Vivian exclaimed.

"Well don't get too excited; it was only half voluntary," Merlin said. He smiled at Vivian's almost comical reaction. She was picking up very quickly on girls' modern behavior.

"Do you want to dance?" Vivian asked. The offer surprised Merlin, since this sort of dancing was definitely not something Vivian would be used to.

"Sure," he replied. Maybe he could catch her off guard when she had more to focus on blending into the crowd. He studied her expression carefully as she led him to the center of the room. She appeared calm but concentrated at the same time. They both swayed to the beat as some of the less hyper teens did. Merlin could tell Vivian was becoming a bit perturbed by some of the more recent dance moves; she would gracefully sidestep the gyrating teens with a slight look of disgust on her face. A slow song came on. Vivian took Merlin by surprise when she spun around and placed her hands on his shoulders. Realizing what she wanted, Merlin placed his hands on her hips. They awkwardly swayed back and forth; it was what passed as dancing with teenagers these days.

"I feel like a zombie doing this," Merlin confided in her. Vivian laughed. It was a sweet, clear sound. It reminded Merlin of Freya's laugh.

"I feel the same way," she replied. "I mean, I know right?" Merlin chuckled at Vivian's semblance of modern language.

"What's so funny? Was it something I said?" she asked.

"Not at all," Merlin brushed it off.