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001: Strange Treasures (Video; un: ushiromiya_eva)

[The video starts with Eva carefully propping up her phone on the table in her room, then staring at it for a moment- just to make sure it was actually recording.

If this actually worked, it would be nothing short of a miracle, given her image of a high-tech phone was something with a rotary dial and earpiece, and certainly not one capable of sending moving images like she'd seen on the network so far. Thankfully, it hadn't taken her too long to find the option to do so, but she still didn't entirely trust it...

Judging from that timer ticking up along the top of the picture though, it was probably recording! So, Eva cleared her throat, and started her broadcast.]

Hello. Eva Ushiromiya speaking.

[Pause...wait, no, you finished the message then sent it out, didn't you? So it was more like a letter in that sense, right?]

Right- Well, I had a question regarding the items that were in our assigned apartments when we first arrived. Whilst one set of clothes were indeed mine, I believe there has been some confusion with the rest. I've been given a dress that is for someone much older than me, a key that doesn't fit anything in the apartment, and a couple of things that belong to my Father.

Has anyone else's belongings got mixed up, or is it just mine?

Oh, and what's everyone figured out about the different magics so far? We'll get this figured out better if we pool our learnings. I was assigned Spring and seem to have air elemental powers, but I'm going to look into it more closely tomorrow.

[A pause, before she decided to end it there.]

Well, excuse me.

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[Wait. Ushiromiya? That's...Kokichi's brow furrows before he begins his response.]

Eva - like the sister of Krauss, Rudolf, and Rosa? ...A pleasure. I've met some of your extended family. [He smiles cryptically.]

I might be able to tell you what those things are. Time seems a bit disjointed in this world. Wanna show me?

[It worked, she got a response! Although the response itself was... cryptic, to say the least. This older boy knew her family? And that smile seemed suspect!

Also, 'Rosa'...? Huh, that name didn't seem familiar.

She paused for a moment, wondering how best to answer the question.]

Krauss and Rudolf are my older and younger brother, yes. You've met them? I don't have any other siblings. [Yet.]

[Still, if he was a little older than her, maybe- ]

Are you one of Krauss' classmates?

...If you think you have any ideas, fine, I'll show you, but what do you mean time is disjointed?

[She balances the camera again- and the first thing she holds up is a dark coloured dress with her family crest emblazoned all over it, and some white trousers and mismatched gloves to go with it. She knew it couldn't have belonged to her mother- no way would she wear anything like that- but she had no way to recognise a dress from far off in her own future.

It was the least suspicious of the strange items though, so a safe place to start with this unfamiliar person.]

There's this old lady dress, for starters.

Edited 2023-03-06 22:44 (UTC)

I haven't met them, persay. I've met Krauss's daughter. Her name is Jessica. And I've met a maid serving the Ushiromiya family. Her name is Shannon. They were in Trench with me originally, so I know some hearsay. [He's also seen glimpses of their world.]

That has the crest on it. That's probably yours if I had to guess. Maybe in the future. Jessica would probably know for sure.

[So he knew enough to recognise the family crest, that was enough to prove he knew something and it wasn't just a bluff- but before Eva could dwell on that, the rest of what he said sunk in...and she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Well, at least the serious mood had been broken.]

Haha, wow...you mean Father actually found someone who tolerated Krauss long enough to have a kid? No way- hahaha~

[It wasn't like the idea of arranged marriages for her brother hadn't been mentioned, of course, but still!]

Neeheeheehee...weeeeelllll. From what I've heard, it's a liiiiittle shaky. Jessica loves her parents very much, but she's also kind of rebellious. Her mom seems like a real stick-in-the-mud, from what I heard, sooooo your bro knows how to pick 'em. Or have 'em picked for him? Didn't ask that much.

But still, miracles are more likely to happen than you think!

[She's definitely giggling, all the more gleefully at the idea that her brother had a stick-in-the-mud for a wife. ~~If only she knew how poorly her and said wife would get along in the future.~~]

A stick-in-the-mud, huh? Sounds about right. Father and Nii-san would want someone who was traditional, not too smart- one who 'knows her place' as a good wife. Sounds like they picked 'well', then.

[She put the dress down, taking a look at the rest of her stuff. If that dress was really her's, she still had some growing to do...]

...If it is mine, I can't say future-me has bad taste.

[That raised more questions though. Did future-her get married, too? What about her brat of a little brother Rudolf? And Rosa...who was that?]

...Jeez. You really do have that kind of rich family, huh?

[Not that Kokichi hadn't figured that from what Sayo had told him. But this really is just further confirmation that the Ushiromiya bloodline was a bit of a toxic one.]

Yeah, it's pretty nice. What else did you get?

Or if you want to know things about the future, I'm probably the best person to ask here.

Well, it's normal for people to think like that...that a woman has to obey her parents until she gets married, then she obeys her husband, and then her children when she gets old.

[The giggling made way for a more serious tone, a bitterness creeping in- it hadn't fully rooted itself in her heart yet. That would take a few more years. But this Eva still had hope she could overturn their views. That she could make her Father acknowledge her despite being a woman.]

...I'm more capable than Nii-san is, by far. So, I'll turn all that on its head someday. You know? If Jessica is rebellious, good. It's just what Nii-san deserves.

[The offer to ask questions about the Future, though, that was a tempting one. But it was such an overwhelming one, she couldn't be sure what to ask first...instead, she focused back on the items- holding up what looked to be a key with a butterfly design.]

This is the other thing I don't recognise at all.

Neehee. That's not what it's like back where I came from. There's hope of changing it - hell, the ladies I've met? They wouldn't take that from anyone. No matter who it was. But yeah. Jessica has that all turned on its head, for sure. She was out there even in a big tournament we all had in Trench, for fighting. She's good.

[Hmmm.]

Can't say I know what that's for, either. Seems pretty girlish, though. The proportions are right foooorrrrr....maybe a diary?

Edited 2023-03-08 00:03 (UTC)

[Hearing this person say all that...it felt strangely warm.

Yes, there was part of Eva who wanted to compare herself to these women that he knew- to argue that if they had it so easy then they were nowhere near as tough as he was claiming, not compared to her- but the other part of her grasped onto that sense of validation and held on tight.

There was hope. Things would change.

And a more childlike giggle escaped her as she subconsciously clutched the small key close. Perhaps he was right, miracles and magic really could happen, in her world.]

...I'm glad. Really glad.

[As for the key...the fact that it was something he didn't know actually leant credibility to what he'd already said so far. If he was making all this up, he'd have an explanation for this too, right?]

A diary... hm. Maybe. It certainly doesn't fit anything in the apartment. I wonder if it belongs to future-me, too?

[So much as Sayo had spoken of the Ushiromiyas in honesty - they were a broken family, full of broken people - this was a very different Eva Ushiromiya than the one he'd heard of. One who seemed comfortable in herself instead of putting on some grand image, one who hadn't grown the thorns she'd be known for later in life. She's someone who he can imagine being friends with, in fact. A resilient young lady with some hope still left in her heart.

Kaede or Shuichi could've truly brought that out, if they were here and knew what he did, but instead there was...him.

Still, it seemed to be enough. For now.]

Neeheeheehee. I'm glad to hear it.

And yeah, that's the most likely scenario. I was brought here with some stuff, too, but I recognize pretty much all of it 'cause it's my stuff from Trench.

[He isn't supposed to have a future.

So no wonder he has no future possessions.]

[It would be a few more years until the fractures in her psyche truly started to tear into her. Sure, the teenager he was talking to now was abrasive, stubborn and feisty, but it was a far cry from the woman she would become. One who lost sight of the magic she could call upon.

As for this mysterious person who had gotten a glimpse of her future, he was sharp, with a good sense of humour. She liked that.]

Trench huh... hey, if you said 'pretty much all of it' that means there's at least something there you don't recognise, right? Did you get anything weird?

...There's a couple of things here that belong to my Father, too, but I know what they are at least.

[The question was why she had them.]

Oh- you know my name, but you never told me yours. What should I call you?

It's more things I haven't seen in a while. [Kokichi moved back, holding up one of his items.] Like these. [He shakes a small purple bag back and forth.] There's bombs in here. Shaped like dice. My friend Ruby back in Trench made these. So I can't waste 'em. Got some extra clothes...oh.

[He holds up a music box.]

I dunno if it'll work over the network, but. This should play a song that calms you, no matter what. A fortune teller gave me it when I talked with her a bit. She was lonely, so she was grateful.

[Oh, right, his name,]

Kokichi. Name's Kokichi Oma. Nice to meetcha.

If they're bombs, are you sure you should be shaking them like that? Not like I'm waving Father's shotgun around.

[Three guesses what else came with her.]

...You'll have to show me the music box in person at some point, then, Kokichi-kun. Nice to meet you too.

[ This green haired eighteen year old hums curiously at Eva's predicament, looking just a tiny bit thoughtful before speaking up: ]

I haven't had any belonging mix ups myself... but I can answer the second question a little bit? First of all, hi! I'm Sonozaki Shion, nice to meet you. ☆

[ Might as well introduce herself, after all! ]

Apparently summer seems to be associated with fire. Oh, but I did go to the library to see if I could find some other information and unfortunately it doesn't look like there's much there, at least regarding magic. Just really basic stuff, like how you need to come up with neutral or positive words to help cast spells for the best result, although the words themselves don't reeeeeally need to make any sense. Like if you pulled a Cinderella and went "bibbidi bobbidi boo" or something, it'd work.

What else... oh, I suppose I should mention that you also need materials to make things? Like, you can use magic to enhance materials.

Nice to meet you too, Sonozaki-san.

I was going to take a look at the library myself, but it sounds like there isn't much to find there. But using positive words, really? ...Okay, I can see the argument for that.

[She seemed to be thinking quite intently, before getting out a notebook to make a couple of notes.]

I've found emotions can strengthen or bring out or strengthen magic, as well. I met someone with summer powers who's fire magic really flared up when he got angry. Mine's a little less clear...it seems to work best when I'm in a good mood, I think.

Ahh, just call me Shion. Sonozaki-san is way too formal and will be even more confusing for if sis ever shows up here.

[ Although she'd certainly be conflicted about it.

Whether it be to see Kotone, who doesn't remember her...

...or Mion, who only remembers Shion. Both of those prospects sting. ]

Unfoooo~tunately not. It seems like all the magic knowledge is probably in more specific places. But emotions, huh... I guess it depends on the season, huh? But 'anger', hm? I'll have to keep that in mind for the future!

[ She's also summer, after all, so this is useful info for her in particular. ]

I wonder if it's a trial and error sort of thing or if there might be some info about the specifics somewhere...?

Sure, sure. You can just call me Eva then. Siblings are a pain though, huh?

[She couldn't be sure, but she got the feeling that if her sister turned up that would be complicated for Shion. Maybe she was reading too much into it.

Either way, she was happy Shion was listening to her advice.]

Definitely. I'll let you know if I find out anything else.

But you'd think they'd have somewhere we could study our magic if they don't want us having to figure it all out ourselves- unless that's part of the challenge.

Ahaha... my relationship with onee is a bit different than normal siblings.

And maybe they do? I just haven't exactly. Found it yet.

Different? How so?

Well, I'm sure if there is something there I'll be able to dig it out, leave it with me.

[Competitive, much?]

We're twins.

[ Just to put it simply. ]

Well, good luck~!

Ushiromiya-san. It's good to see you again!

I had no issue with my belongings personally. Maybe those are things that someone back home meant for you to have someday and they accidentally got sent here?

My season is Summer... But no luck with working out how to use my powers yet.

Nakajima-san, you too. So you've had no luck with it? What have you tried so far?

[She'd have thought if he had powers before it would be easier for him, but perhaps the adjustment to call upon something entirely different was more of a learning curve than building up from scratch.]

Something meant for future-me, huh? It's not impossible, I suppose...

[She trailed off. Her eyes were naturally drawn to the dress first- it was clearly meant for an older woman, but she appreciated the style, so the idea that she'd wear it in years to come wasn't too much of a strange one.

But then her eyes grew wider as she started to put pieces together.]

...Wait, then-

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001: Strange Treasures (Video; un: ushiromiya_eva)

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I'm assuming he gave her a name before they parted ways last time but lmk if not and I'll edit