A wizard was never late. In this case, he was early.
Merlin made sure to leave the library just as the sun was setting. He had gone through a cleansing ritual too, albeit a much smaller one, mostly involving meditating for an hour to cleanse his mind, and then having a hot shower, trimming his beard, combing back his hair, and wearing a freshly-pressed suit of the darkest midnight blue. The gold embroidery shone on the trim like stars. It was the same outfit he'd worn the night of the hellbeast hunt, and that had turned out well, so he felt it was a good omen, and a projection of strength.
He was, after all, going to be spending who knew how much of the night in the company of three very beautiful, highly formidable witches, and he refused to let himself present as any less than any of them. And this mortal girl too. He wanted her to see him and be impressed by his stature.
Rounding out the suit was the cane topped with crystal quartz, and it was that which tapped on the polished floor of the Enodia as he made his way up to Hecate's suite. During his meditation, he'd tried to foresee an outcome for tonight's venture, but with such an unusual outpouring of magic, it interfered with the reception of the vision, like a Bluetooth speaker next to a microwave. When the door opened before he had a chance to knock, Merlin smiled, completely unperturbed.
"Good evening, Hecate. You're looking well." He stepped forward to greet her with air kisses, then looked up and around the room. It looked utterly perfectly Hecate, and he nodded silent approval. "Ah, am I the first here? Wonderful." Being early (but not so much as to be rude) could be such a power move. Which it was, right now.