Have high Cuckoo (pick the non sequiturs and other random/weird choices and you’ll find that some of them really aren’t that random after all) and Sweet and either start dancing alongside Merlin (possibly again) or give him a rambling speech about being trapped in an elevator. Alternatively, be intimidating (be a serial killer, have Wrath as your vice, have a heavy-duty weapon [but do not brandish it at him], and/or look physically imposing). Although the simplest option is to play as a pretty girl, especially one in a low cut blouse, and just ask him to ignore Merlin as they are practicing for a dance recital.
@AnneWest
Be a police detective in uniform and block the path between Ed and Merlin–you will claim that you’re conducting a very important sting operation and the dancing is important to it. You could also be a security guard and commiserate with Ed about lousy work conditions. You could also have had a pet minipig (which is not permitted in the apartment lease even if the pig is housetrained), so you know that Cheez Doodles are the way to Ed’s heart (and what bribes him into ignoring the pig when you walk him). You could also have 30+ Charm or the Eloquence talent, that allows you to distract him from Merlin by talking to him. As a last resort, you can attack him if you have a weapon, it will allow Merlin to finish the ward–but this has consequences down the line.
Or, you could let Ed be, join Merlin in the dance at the very beginning, and successfully avoid your other neighbors. That is another way to protect the apartment building.
@Unregistered
I can also add the Maia and Lili evasion. Would that be a good idea? That way all the information is truly corralled.
How to deal with Maia and Lili:
These two are the easiest neighbors to deal with, the only way to not protect Merlin’s dance from them is to not intervene at all. However there are various different ways to succeed with them, with varying affects on your relationship (whether that will have an effect later in the story is unknown).
If you are a handsome man, and/or sweet (>100) and/or charming (>30), either the friendly block or the intercept will be effective, and Maia will like you for it. She will also be curious if you have a broom, a houseplant, or a bunch of stuff in your hands. You can also block the way and do nothing else special. You can also successfully intimidate her if you have the Wrath vice, are a serial killer, and/or have a heavy duty weapon, but she will not be happy if you do it. Meanwhile (regardless of how you interact with Maia) her daughter Lili will run toward Merlin thinking she’s Elsa, but Adrian will successfully grab the kid before she gets to Merlin. After that you can interact with them a little bit, but it does not affect the dance. And then you board the elevator…
Again, the only way to fail at protecting Merlin from them is not to intervene at all.
