Eric could admit it, even without stuttering so much now: at first, he had been scared of the cat-loving magician. Of course, Marvin was nothing compared to the demonic giant that liked to prowl the forest at night, but he'd still been almost as scary as Henrik. The magician had kept to himself, watching from afar if not off doing his own thing or out making sure no other humans were trespassing... Or whatever he did, disappearing. He wasn't so much snobbish about Eric's status as a permanent guest as he was... Aloof.

But then, one night Chase had taken Eric out to the meadow, as they habitually did. The moon was the shape of Cheshire Cat's grin, and there was just enough light for even weak human eyes to pick out their surroundings. The fatherly giant had taken up his spot at the base of the hill, with his back slightly supported by the earth, and his cap tugged down over his eyes; Eric found sleeping between his arm and chest pacifying, so he had been curled up in his favorite spot when he'd first heard the low hum buzz in the air. He opened his eyes and looked around, at first not seeing anything out of sorts. His eye was then caught by a soft green glow in the distance, and he rubbed his eyes to check that it wasn't a dream; nope, it was definitely real, illuminating the surrounding leaves with a haunting look.

He glanced hesitantly at Chase before slowly climbing over the giant's arm. He slid onto the ground with a small wobble, and then he tiptoed through the grass and sidled through the bushes. His investigation took him to a small spot of space in the throng of surrounding trees. There was a huge tree stump at the center, but what was more noteworthy was that a giant figure's back faced him; they were a wall of black, but that black pooled around their folded legs, resembling a cape. Their hands glowed green as they gestured and flourished, with cards of the same luminescence hovering just above the stump. Eric felt his mouth go dry as he realized that this was a magician at work... Probably not to be disturbed. But before he could turn and go back, Marvin's insouciant voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Shouldn't you be resting with Chase?" Swallowing, Eric slowly turned back, wringing his handkerchief as the magician lowered his hands and turned his upper half to face the human. His eyes were glowing a bright green, and the four symbols on his mask also glimmered with magic. Eric felt his heart pick up speed as he realized how much trouble he must be in, breaking into a sweat as he started rambling.

"I-I'm-I'm sorry, I-I was-I-I was, I-but I-I, I s-saw the-the glow, and I-I should have just m-m-minded my own b-business--" Marvin put his hand up, and Eric immediately shut his trap with a wince. But to his relief, he wasn't punished.

"It's fine," the magician instead said calmly, "I'm just... Well, I'm not used to seeing other people out here at this time. I mean, yeah, Chase likes to come out here a lot, but he doesn't know that I too allot my time here." Marvin tilted his head. "I figured it was only a matter of time before you too indulged in the habit. It is rather meditative." Eric figured that was an okay sign that he wouldn't be pushed away. He was curious, but he didn't want to be rude, so he simply took a step and tried to peer up at the floating cards. They were... Strange. Not like normal cards. They had big numbers on them, and he could see different colors like blue or yellow.

"You want to know what I do out here." Eric looked up at Marvin. The magician had not phrased his words as a question, but a concise statement. He shyly nodded. Marvin sighed softly and swished his wrist. The human felt an odd weightlessness overcome him, and the next thing he knew he was glowing green and flying through the air at a controlled velocity. He yelped, startled by the sudden circumstance as he was lifted up to the opposite end of Marvin, and his feet gently rested down on the ancient wood. He blinked and looked down at himself as the magic faded, and then he looked over at the cards and frowned.

"... U-u—?... Oo...no...?" He read off the back of them.

"Childish, I know, but sometimes it's good to appreciate the simpler times in life." The magician neatly folded his arms on the edge of the stump. "Plus, they were the only cards I had on me when... Well, you see what we are."

"... Wh-what's... Oo-no...?" Eric quietly asked. He was surprised to see Marvin's eyes widen a little under the mask.

"You don't know what Uno is?" Eric shrank a little.

"O-oh... I-I'm-I'm sorry, I-I'm suppose to know wh-what that is, a-aren't I?" He asked sadly. "Ohh, I-I'm sorry...! I'm sorry...! He shook his head and started fervently wringing the hanky again, words flying out of his mouth before he could stop them. "I-I didn't have-I didn't have much gr-growing up, I-I-w-we-we didn't have a-a lot. We-we had each-each other, though! B-but- w-well, w-we-we had-we had dogs, b-but they-th-they died, and-and so did e-everybody else, a-and, it was all my fault!" His voice had risen to a strained and squeaky pitch. "Just-just me and my-my dad! ... Now I don't have dad... I-I don't know where he is... Or-or if he's dead too... Ehhh.... I didn't have a lot, growing up... I had a lot less... Before... B-before..." Eric slowly trailed off, staring vacantly. Then he shook his head, forcing a pained smile on his face. His cringing grin immediately faltered, however, as Marvin was regarding him with an ambiguous expression.

"... You're a lot like Chase." He waved his hand, and the cards fell onto the tree stump. "You both have had issues in the past, relating to tragic families." He crossed his arms, and the cards flew up, shuffling themselves into a reformed deck. Eric found himself fascinated by the spectation. "It's difficult, when the figure you're suppose to be able to depend on is never there. It always breaks something in you, deep down in a place that's often impossible to see. Some are afraid to raise their own young, afraid of becoming a monstrous parent. Others want to give their offspring a better chance than they were given, working harder to accomplish a successful life in parenthood... You, however, don't seem ashamed of being abused, like Chase. Perhaps--"

"Oh, no no no!" Eric piped up, quailing, "M-my dad, he-he never-h-he didn't- h-he doesn't--!"

"I see, my mistake," Marvin curtly conceded, abruptly ending the conversation there. Eric tripped on his words and lapsed uncertainly, wondering if he should say more to defend his dad. But he didn't want to be annoying... But he didn't want Marvin to think that his dad was a bad person. No! Derek was good, he just... He just... He was hurting.

He had to be tough, didn't he? As the youngest, that meant he was unfamiliar with the world still, inexperienced, and his dad was just trying to toughen him up a little so he could someday continue the family company...! Yeah, that had to be it.

"... He-he's not a-a bad person," Eric finally mumbled, folding his arms insecurely over his chest. His shoulders quivered a little as his heart fluttered uncertainly, but if Marvin noticed he didn't give any indication.

"... How about I teach you how to play?" Eric wavered, looking up at Marvin with wide eyes.

"R-really?" He asked softly. "Y-y-you don't-you don't m-mind?" Marvin shook his head, smiling just enough to show a thin line of his white teeth.

"Of course not. It's been a while since I've had a new opponent. The others are either always predictable or always coming out on top." He used his magic to shuffle the deck and then transfer seven cards to each side of the stump. Eric watched with his feet rooted in place, forgetting how to breathe as he witnessed the incredible demonstration. "I'll never figure out how JJ gets so many draw four cards," Marvin added with a light chuckle. Eric tilted his head as the top card of the remaining stack turned over beside it. A red six. What now though?

"For this round only, I will look at your cards to make sure you understand how to play." Marvin twisted his hand to turn over all of the cards, revealing their dealt hands. "The object of the game is to get rid of all the cards in your hand," he began explaining, "To play a card, you must choose one of the same color or number and place it on top of the reciprocating one. This one—" He tapped the card with a black nail. "— is a red six, so you can either play one that is a red card, or one that has the number six on it." Eric studied his cards. There were numbered ones, but there were others with weird symbols on them. And what was that black one? It had +4 on it, and boxes of four different colors.

"And-and it-it doesn't matter the-the color?" He asked, pointing to a yellow six. Marvin nodded once.

"Same number." Eric shyly put his hand on the card, about to take it to the center when it moved on its own. He stifled a yelp as it passed through the air and placed itself over the first card. "When you want to play a card, just give it a nudge and my magic will place it for you."

"Oh, o-okay."

"Now..." Marvin moved one of his cards onto the growing stack: a yellow three. "Different number, but same color." Eric nodded a little as he turned to his own hand. He hesitated before tapping uncertainly on a yellow eight, and it delivered itself onto the upturned pile. "Good." Now the magician placed a green eight. Eric felt something stirring his chest. For a second, he worried that he was about to pass out-- again-- but the feeling wasn't constrictive like his anxiety. It felt... It felt nice, actually. Like his chest was loosening up. Like he was relaxing.

Like he was having fun.

"Now, this card." One of the weird cards on Eric's side elevated slightly. "This is called a skip card. It skips the person who is to play next. With two people, it means that the player can go again. With more people, it just means that the next person's turn is forgone." Eric found himself nodding, listening with rapt attention. "This one is green, so it may be played."

"I-isn't it mean though?" The young man piped up. "T-to skip your turn, I-I mean." Marvin grinned, baring his sharp canines humorously in the soft glow of their game.

"I won't take offense." Uncertain, Eric timidly sent the skip card on its way, and then he looked for another card to play.

"... I-I can't go again," Eric noted.

"Then you must take a card from the deck." Marvin passed a fresh card over to him. "If you still cannot go, then you must say 'pass'. If you can, then play it." Eric looked, and it was a green one. He gave it the push it needed to fly itself over to the pile. "Good." He felt a warmth rush over him as Marvin nodded his head in approval. He wasn't sure what feeling he was experiencing, but it felt really good. It was like being cold, but the goosebumps were from an internal sensation. He supposed he'd have to ask Chase about it later. Maybe he was getting sick.

"Now this one," Marvin held up a card similar to the skip one, "Is called a reverse card. With just us, it basically is a skip card, but with more players its purpose is to reverse the playing order. We've been playing you first and then me, but if I play this then it switches the order."

"And-and you get to play again," Eric guessed.

"Correct." The magician placed the reverse card, and then he added a new card to the lot. "This one is a draw two. Playing it forces the other opponent to pull two more cards from the deck." As he spoke, the top two cards flew over for Eric to see. He had fallen quiet, seeming to be lost in thought.

"..." He suddenly walked over to the black one and pushed it onto the pile. "D-draw four," he announced nervously. He studied the magician's face for any hint that he had messed up, but all he could note was Marvin's brow quirking up behind the mask as he respectively collected his new cards.

"And what color would you like?" He asked suavely. Eric blinked and looked at the card again, his eyes landing on the four blocks of color at its dark center.

"B-blue?" There was a second of silence, a second where Eric was regretting his decision and panicking, dreading, wondering if he had done the right thing, but then Marvin cast a blue seven, and the human's shoulders slumped as he sighed in relief.

"Very good." The warm tingly feeling came over him again. He realized it was because he had been praised. He had done something right! Finally! It felt more gooey than he expected, but his stomach wasn't knotting so hard either. He didn't even realize that he was smiling as he played his next card, but Marvin gave him a surreptitious glance, his features softening slightly. They played on, with Marvin offering a couple of tips here and there and answering any question Eric had, but it wasn't long before he fell silent save for the occasional "draw two" or "skip". And then...

"Uno." Eric blinked.

"What?"

"You say 'uno' when you have only one card left." Marvin nodded to Eric's last remaining card. The young man shyly repeated the word and watched Marvin's play. And then he pushed the final card forward: it was a wild card. Marvin observed the card as it set itself down on the shabby pile that had grown considerably, and then he concedingly set his cards down. "You won." Eric's eyes bugged out.

"I-I won? I-I-I won!" He gasped. Disbelief took its course before Eric started grinning stupidly. "I won!" He echoed, dumbfounded. Marvin remained seemingly expressionless, but the human didn't notice the corners of his lips slightly curled upward: it was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. Ecstatic, Eric hurried across the stump, and out of his bewildered energy he hugged the magician's thumb. "Th-thank you!" He weeped. "Thank you!" Surprise betrayed the giant's stoic look as he gazed down at the small man hugging his hand, and then he slowly moved his other hand to lightly pat Eric's back.

"N-nothing to-nothing to go crying about," he mumbled lightly. Eric giggled breathlessly, snuggling his thumb. He'd done it, he'd won his first game! He felt so good! He felt wonderful! "How about another round?" Marvin suggested. Eric eagerly agreed, and they were back at it again. Marvin kept the cards facing their respective players, however, only using his magic to pull and push the cards that Eric wanted to play onto the pile or draw from the deck.

They were on their third go when the cherishable moment was interrupted. "Marv, hey Marv! Have you seen--?" Chase pushed the last of the branches aside as he stepped into the secluded area, only to stop midsentence as Eric looked up. The human's eyes lit up.

"Chase!" He yipped. "Marvin taught me how to play Uno!" Chase visibly relaxed with a breathless sigh of relief, almost looking faint.

"O-oh? Did he really?" He walked over and took a seat on Eric's side of the stump. "How many times you beat him?" He asked playfully, the tease directed toward Marvin.

"Twice," Marvin replied, unprovoked, "He is a worthy opponent." Eric let out a bubbly giggle and pushed his next card. Chase smiled and scratched the back of his head.

"So this is the third round?"

"Yep!"

"Awesome! Not many have conquered the magnificent Marvin." Marvin rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault you keep ending up with all of those skip cards," he reminded.

"Psh! You're looking at a real gamer here. I've got so many wins under my belt that I can't even count that high!"

"Rrriiiiight, because it's not like I can use magic or anything to cheat."

"Well if you did, then how do you explain all those wins, huh bro?" Eric caught a knowing glimmer in Marvin's eyes, making him think otherwise about the using magic bit: but he used it for a good reason. He had probably used it to help Eric win tonight too, and Eric was okay with that. He felt better after playing with the magician. Winning every now and then was fun, and healthy.

He's a nice person. Eric smiled before letting out a sleepy yawn and rubbing his eyes. "Looks like he's yours again, Chase," Marvin interjected, taking advantage of the distraction before his soft spot could be exposed.

Awwhh. Are you all tuckered out, Eric?" Chase ruffled Eric's hair with one finger, while Marvin swept his hand across the stump for all the cards to sort themselves back together.

"Mm-hmm." Eric situated his glasses back on his nose before leaning into Chase's hand. The huge hand tilted, accepting his small weight and scooping him up off the stump, and he was then carried through the air before being nestled against his protector's chest. He snuggled up happily, curling into the warm wall as he was concealed from the prying eyes of the world. He closed his eyes and, within minutes, was sound asleep in Chase's arms.

"... I'm glad you let him play," Chase murmured warmly. Marvin put his hands on the stump, his fingers laced together in a conjoined fist.

"Not knowing what Uno is is a heinous crime." The protective giant let out a soft chuckle, adjusting his arms more securely around Eric.

"Well, that's not really his fault..." Marvin nodded. "Well, we better head back, the sun's coming up in a couple more hours, and... Well, you're really busy, so..." As Chase stood and turned, the magician suddenly spoke.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Chase halted. Marvin's unwavering gaze was trained on his backside. "You can't be blamed for other people's mistakes. You can only learn from them and become a better person... And you're doing well by that." Chase kept quiet. He swallowed and haltingly glanced over his shoulder, a shaky smile forcing itself over his hesitant lips.

"Th-thanks," he brought himself to say. He quickly turned and walked off, leaving Marvin alone once more in the quiet clearing. Marvin sighed and looked down at his cards. He plucked the top one off the deck and turned it over, revealing a Reverse. The magician let out another sigh, closing his eyes.

"Time to set things in motion."