aterat | Open Catch-alls for September

Entry tags:

Open Catch-alls for September

Who; Lord El-Melloi II and anyone!
What; Open catch-alls for September
Where; The Historium, The Magic Academy, and the Harbor District
When; All through September
Warnings; None but will update if something comes up.
Note; If you would like something specific or have an idea, you are welcome to throw it at me. I am also open to writing personalized starters if anyone wants one. I can match action brackets if that's preferred, this is just my default setting lol. I would love to get this guy some more CR. I can be reached at this journal or on discord @ WhimsicalSpook#8219

So this is the academy? - The Magic Academy - OTA

Lord El-Melloi II (or Waver Velvet to some) had finally made his way to the academy for a look around. He’d gathered up a lot of base materials needed for demonstrations and projects that he tended to use as introductions to magic. It sounded like there might at least a few people who were new to these things, and he wasn’t unused to that. Aside from the 'problem students' he attracted at the Clock Tower? His department tended to be where the new, younger mage families gravitated, given he didn’t view them the way that other old-fashioned departments did.

And, recalling one Flat Escardos, sometimes even the experienced student did silly things or forgot basic knowledge.

So the tall mage had a rather bulky bag hanging over his shoulder as he strode through the halls with purpose. Well… Weary purpose, he wasn’t suited for carrying heavy things long distance, really. So the trek to the Academy and through its halls was a bit taxing on the man.

His keen olive green eyes had begun to take in the building, looking around and vaguely wondering what the place had been like before the disaster… Supposedly this was an important fixture at one point in time, if the townsfolk and what those he’d met since arriving had said was to be believed. Right now, he could at least appreciate the work that had been done to start to clean the place up already and see the potential in it.

Waver supposed he could have asked Illyana to show him around, but he didn’t doubt he’d bump into her or someone else at some point. For now, he just wanted to wander and get a feel for the academy on his own, ducking his head into doorways to get a look at the various rooms as he searched for where the lecture halls might be. He hoped to find a room that was suitable for a few students with room to grow, and a place to store the supplies he’d gathered.

And just as he thought he would, eventually he opened a door and stumbled across a person who happened to be around. “Pardon my intrusion.” He commented politely in a lightly British accent, torn between closing the door again and actually making an attempt at being social. The latter winning out, if only because he should probably get to know the people who might be here regularly. “I was just getting a look around.” He added with a nod in greeting.

Lost Among The Shelves - The Historium - OTA

While Waver Velvet had grown and changed quite a bit over the course of nearly ten years… Some things would never change. He had a particular thirst for knowledge and the written word that often had to be ignored in favour of his recent responsibilities in life. Reserved for small lengths of time during quiet afternoons, post-lectures or evenings in after a case solved.

Here, however, the young Lord had very few responsibilities outside those he had begun to take upon himself. He was more of a free agent here than he had been used to more recently, but he was also in desperate need of a distraction from thoughts of the life he needed to get back to and what he’d left behind that needed his attention…

So the Historium was becoming a favoured haunt once he found his way to it. The tall shelves and haphazard organization were a challenge, but one he was more familiar with as he picked at books and tomes at random to slip on top of a pile in his arms. Today, he was wearing something less rumpled than the clothing he’d had when he arrived. A dark brown coat with an oxblood red scarf draped over the lapels and a black dress shirt and pants, with a grey cravat in place of a tie.

For someone with very low physical abilities and muscle, he was seen to gather rather impressive piles as he wandered. Ignoring the strain on his arms and the almost teetering height of them as he carried his selections back to set on an empty table he’d chosen. Comfortable to sit at and hunch over the pages, slender fingers tracing over the words as he devoured each book.

Then it was back for another wander, finding his next targets… One could ask if he had a particular area of interest, but really he seemed to be pulling from one thing to another rather quickly. Even sliding in some novels here and there, detective novels being his preference, and stories about knights or kings and their quests or battles following close behind.

Eventually, the man was quite diminished by the surrounding piles, looking less like the tall, imposing professor that he was and more like the small, naïve young man he used to be. More Waver than El-Melloi II. It was going to be a pain to put everything back whenever he did decide to leave, but that wouldn’t be anytime soon. He wasn’t keen to return to the Red Building, and he was quite comfortable to enjoy this rare indulgence.

It’s run down. It looks like it’s going to collapse. It’s perfect. - Harbor District - OTA

Perhaps someone who went by a title such as he did should be wandering the noble district for a nice space to set up his mage workshop. Or even one of the nicer parts of the market… but that really wasn’t who he was. He was a temporary Lord meant to keep the seat warm for someone else once they were old enough to take their rightful place at the head of the El-Melloi family. It had just been slightly amusing, perhaps, for Reines to see the man who caused Kayneth so much trouble filling the role. Especially given he was a third generation third rate, to have him sitting at the table with the likes of the other Lords was somewhat hilarious.

He had refused to live at the family estate, between wanting to maintain some semblance of freedom and the idea of living in the same house that Kayneth once had, gave him indigestion. Plus… Being easy access for Reine’s teasing would probably age him faster. He had begun to care for his adoptive younger sister, but she still grated on his nerves at times.

Ruffling his feathers was her favourite sport, after all.

His preferences to avoid reminders of some places or people aside, there was something to be said for an uninviting space when you were more or less a social hermit by nature. Harry Dresden had warned him that the harbor district was dangerous, yes, but that also meant he wouldn’t be as likely to be pestered by locals for things that most tended to assume mages were good for. He could conduct magical experiments and research in peace, with only a bounded field to ward off the more brave and a dilapidated appearance to keep the faint of heart from approaching.

For those few anomalies in between...? Well, in exchange for peace and security he might consider mixing some compounds and potions for payment or assisting with some light magecraft if needed. As long as their request wasn't too much of a pain in his ass or above his skill level.

He had finally happened upon an old stonework building that might have been a small tavern at one time by the looks of the faded sign hanging on by one link and swinging faintly in the breeze coming in from the docks. The bricks were crumbling in places, and there was some stubborn plant life splitting the walls in other places as it fought to keep a hold. The windows were caked with dust and dirt, which unfortunately kept him from seeing the inside without going in… But even that was a selling feature. If he couldn’t see in, then no one else could. “Perfect…” He mumbled, nodding his head slightly as he moved to the door, tilting his head as he found the doorknob was stuck, rusted shut.

Well, that wasn’t too much of a problem. Breaking in would be easy enough with a little patience... He’d have to replace the doorknob, anyway. Then he frowned lightly. Glancing over his shoulder, he offered a tired sigh. “If you’re looking to rob me, you should know I have very little of value on me at the moment.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

“Hm… I’ve known a few people like that. Even if less practical things can be important for the human experience, a balance is necessary.” And to be entirely fair to Mitsuru’s friends, Waver also spent far too much time playing video games, in most people’s opinions. That said, it was usually reserved for when he didn’t have other duties to attend to or research to be done. So it mostly just affected his social life, more than anything.

Waver nodded, having heard a similar description himself since arriving. He wasn’t entirely surprised by it… He’d known plenty of magi that caused catastrophes and utter messes by going a little too far for the sake of their own research and magecraft. Her question shakes him out of his contemplation, though, and he offers an answer. “I was the head of the Modern Magecraft Theories department, which is a fancy way of saying I taught a little of everything and how to better apply it in the modern age. While it’s important to consider the past and to pull from that knowledge and experience, the old ways can only get one so far as times change. I believe to avoid stagnation, it’s imperative to explore new avenues and potential innovations.” Not that any of the other lords understood that, considering it an amusing joke or an affront to their ways more than anything.

The man waved off the apology awkwardly. It wasn’t entirely necessary after all. As prickly as he could be, he knew it was clear that it had come from a place of good intentions. Instead, the man decided to focus on her offer of telling him more about that other place. “I would appreciate it if you shared your experience, then. Just so I have a little of an idea of what to expect should something come up.” He did not intend to touch the mirror, not at all… But there were always exceptions and reasons for doing things that you might not expect. If a situation where he needed to were to come up, he wanted to know more about it.

His brow rose lightly at the comment. “Have you?” An ability comparable to scrying could mean a few things, and Waver couldn’t help but find himself wondering about this rather strange young woman and what she could do. In favour of keeping the flow of that conversation going, he nods at her follow up question. “I have, in a few situations. Though I would say this is the furthest I’ve been from my own reality… Most notable would be a few brief visits to a reality marble. A contained world that can be accessed by it’s creator. It’s… Like materializing and projecting one’s inner world on reality while still remaining separate.” He could still imagine the one he’d been in… Could feel the heat of the sun beating down on the sand below from a clear blue sky… Dropping a hand, he continued. “The second would be more recently on a train that's existence is comparable to the underworld, built by vampires that runs parallel to the real world, inaccessible once it's started it's trip without invitation.”

The tone of her response suggests his attempt at making her feel better wasn’t particularly successful, and he frowned lightly. He really did suck at this kind of thing… “Hm… I suppose it doesn’t.” He would feel pretty darn foolish himself, and he had on more than one occasion in his life. “But at least we can take some lessons from our experiences.”

"I see little importance or value in the things they spend time on," she said rather dismissively. It was certainly harsh, but Mitsuru was quite often rather harsh. Truly it should be rather expected that she would be so. Besides, Junpei was probably quite used to her harshness at this point. He seemed more inclined to just sigh with an exasperated 'oh man' lately than actually be too offended.

"That sounds like quite a fascinating class to attend. I regret there is nothing like that in my own world for me to look forward to when I enter University." What a shame she'd have to learn normal things while there were worlds that had such exciting things being taught. She let out a tiny sigh of disappointment at the thought.

She gave a sharp nod and then began to recite what she could recall: "It was always dark there, dark and oppressive. There was a creeping fog that always left a foreboding feeling in it's wake. Everything there seemed..." she looked thoughtful for a moment as she tried to think of something to describe it. "Diluted? From what I have learned from speaking to another it also seemed as though the world changed. Our descriptions of the location did not precisely match. Any residents I encountered were never the same. There were times where I thought I recognized someone and then other times where they looked completely foreign to me. I am afraid I am uncertain what caused the change, though I suspect it might have had something to do with me. Perhaps my thoughts influenced them?" She wasn't entirely certain there, but her tone did sound quite certain of all the rest. From the few experiments she had done with approaching different 'residents' of that place she had seemed to notice a pattern in them reacting slightly different depending on her. Whether that was due to what she was thinking about or how she was feeling or something else entirely was an unknown variable to her.

"As I said, it is not much."

At his question she simply gave a nod, though she offered no further explanation. There may be people here with impressive and varied abilities but there was still hesitation in her to explain her secrets. Perhaps she hadn't learned her lessons as well as she had thought. Or perhaps she had just slid back into old habits. Her eyes widened at his explanation though and she gave him a look that showed that she was quite impressed. "How fascinating. It truly puts into perspective how small my world has been." Which was a bit funny considering how much she'd thought she'd known. Compared to some others here it seemed even the otherworld of Tartarus and the Dark Hour were small. There was still so much for her to learn. "A train in the underworld built by vampires. How did you end up invited?" Why would he have accepted the invitation was the real question she wished to ask.

"Indeed. And lessons are always important. I will not make the same mistake again."

The harsh dismissal of the things her friends spent their time on definitely made him wonder, it reminded him a little of himself in some ways, and a lot like another young mage he knew… Either it really was a lot of useless rubbish they were wasting time on, or it wasn’t quite that bad and they just needed to learn to balance a little better. But he doesn’t voice that. He has a feeling the reaction probably wouldn’t be a pleased one on her part.

“I would say it might not be as unlikely as you think, but given you’ve mentioned having some kind of ability yourself but haven’t heard of the Clock Tower or other schools like it… I suppose that would indicate we’re from similar but different worlds.” He offered a frown, slightly sympathetic. He could understand the disappointment, but he moved on with a thoughtful tone. “Well, while you’re here, you are welcome to sit in at the Academy once I’ve started classes. I can’t say how useful you’d find it, but you might find it interesting.” The man does not offer people to sit in on his classes often, since most people annoyed or exhausted him, depending on the day. But Mitsuru had given him the impression of a studious young woman who took education seriously, his preferred kind of student (as much as he grudgingly would admit, he cared about the less serious as well). And he was curious about her own abilities… As much as she wasn’t keen to speak on the topic given her vagueness, maybe in time that would change.

And then Waver was caught up in her explanation, committing the details to memory to go over himself later on. It was actually a little more than he expected, considering she said it wasn’t much. Tapping a finger on the table lightly, he turned a few things over in his head. “Diluted…” It called to mind something he’d been puzzling over recently, but it was a separate matter… “So dark, diluted, almost like a shadow of this world?” Less substantial, but still… Enough to be considered a place on its own. “Or perhaps a distorted reflection would be more apt, given how you got there.” He added absentmindedly, eyes narrowing slightly. The fact that it sounded like the people themselves were in a constant state of flux was odd. But her words get a thoughtful hum. Something about her idea doesn’t seem entirely strange. “Perhaps…? It doesn’t seem impossible that a world with a less solid state or image of itself might be easily influenced by the thoughts and feelings of those from more solid worlds with a firm existence by comparison.”

He shook his head a little as she finished. “More than I had to consider before you spoke on the subject, it might be worth comparing the experiences of others who went as well.” To see if there were similarities, something that added strength to one theory or poked holes in another.

But her question gets a slight rise of one brow, and he propped up his chin on a hand resting on the arm of the chair he sat in. She should have asked the question she wanted to, Waver would always point out that instead of ‘how,’ it was ‘why’ that mattered where situations involving mage society were concerned. “How would be that someone gave me the invitation and a reason to accept it, of course.” He could let the matter rest at that, but he was used to reminding Gray how important the ‘why’ was, and it’s easy to fall into a routine regardless of the difference in people at the moment. “Now, that tells you less than you were hoping, I’d expect. The ‘Why’ is what brings you closer to answers to a more satisfying answer.”

He would always encourage asking, even if there were things he might be a little more vague on the answers to depending on the subject. “The ‘why’ that I was wanted on that train is still somewhat clouded but I am starting to work that out… but the why I accepted an invitation to such a place is that whoever gave me the invite did so by stealing something important from me and replacing it with the invitation.” Thus luring him somewhere he would normally never go in the first place.

"That seems to be the most likely deduction. There are a few people here from the same world, but there are more that seem to be the only ones from their place of origin." Even with the people from the same world it seemed as though there were differences, mostly in time. The people here from her own world were quite spaced out in terms of time and it was just a bit confusing. Confusing but also quite intriguing in a way. She gave a nod to his suggestion. "Thank you. Perhaps I will take you up on that." At the very least it would give her something to do eventually.

Her eyes widened at his observation and then she gave a solid single nod. "Precisely! Like the shadow of a world..." How had she not thought of that on her own? Had she truly slipped that much in her observation skills since arriving here? A shadow of this world seemed so obvious, especially given her own experience with shadows and other worlds. "I think you are on to something there." Perhaps...something here had fractured and caused the mirrors then? "Could it be possible the portal that brings us here has caused some sort of warping that created this world?" That was the closest to sense she had come to making of the situation. "Something like Tartarus..." That last statement was muttered to herself as she stroked her chin thoughtfully. Tartarus had been created due to the ripples caused by the explosion at the research facility. If that could happen in her own world, then it seemed even more likely that a tear in a world could happen in a place as unstable as this.

"My..." she trailed off as she tried to think of how to describe Shinjiro. There was an awkward shift of her body before she continued on: "my teammate went in as well as a few others from a...different team." Hm. Their world was quite complicated, wasn't it? "I will tell them to speak to you." Not suggest. Just tell.

"I see." For a moment she was afraid that was all he would offer. While she was a curious person she was also a very polite person, which meant she would hesitate to push too much about someone's personal life. Thankfully, he did at least give a tiny explanation. "It sounds likely that it might be some sort of trap."

The professor nodded lightly. He’d keep an eye out for her at the academy then. It was good to know at least one person with a thirst for knowledge might attend and make it worth the effort.

“Between that and the constant state of flux this world itself is in… It does not seem impossible.” He mused after considering the theory she posed thoughtfully. He could see she was surprised by the observation, but she had continued to carry it in an interesting direction that proved she had a good head on her shoulders for these things. He liked to see it, even if the theory itself was a little unsettling. Between the business with the void cryst and that… Well, he had a bad feeling about the uncertainties of what could happen next. Her quieter comment gets a rather sharp glance. His attention was caught by that. Well… how could it not? “The dungeon of torment from Greek mythology?” Waver considered the idea briefly, but wondered if she was speaking of that or… “Or are you referring to something specific to your world sharing the name?”

It was not strange to hear the young woman say she’d ‘tell’ the others to speak to him over asking them to… He was used to young people who were used to telling people what to do, perhaps. Even telling him what to do… But it made him wonder what put her in that kind of mindset. It made her sound like a leader. That plus the awkwardness in her description of the others who had gone ‘teammate’ over friend seemed to suggest that it was likely. “I would appreciate that if your teammates are comfortable speaking on the subject. We should document what we can of these things as they happen to compare later as the situation evolves… Especially when records around here seem lacking in general.”

Waver inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the suggestion. “I would say a trap is a good way of describing it, though I believe there’s probably more to it than that.” He responded with a small frown. It wasn’t strange for there to be attempts on the life of one of the lords of the clock tower. Even Reines had experienced that before she decided to have him fill in for her until she was of age. He had as well since taking the position, at least once was proven intentional when he’d been cursed. Though part of him felt like he was being toyed with or tested more than anything as connections from one situation to another were made, there was more to it than a setup for an assassination attempt.

He couldn't do much more than puzzle over it, though, given he'd been pulled out of the thick of it to arrive here. Hence his... over-ambitious dive into research tonight. Something to distract him.

“The world has changed even in the short time I've been here." Which wasn't precisely short but between going back home and coming back here she'd lost track of time somewhat. Which was, quite frankly, not something she wished to admit to. She hesitated for a moment at his inquiry, frowning ever so slightly at her own slip up. "I apologize. I was referencing something in my own world. I...can explain if you have some interest." Though she did try to keep her tone in line to try to dissuade interest. Something in his behavior so far told her she more than likely would not succeed in that. It was not that she didn't want to tell him about it, but rather that she was so used to it being some sort of huge secret she had to keep to herself. Changing her view point away from that was proving much harder than she thought it would be.

"Only one is a teammate. The others are...well, it's a bit complicated but I suppose you could say they are simply others from my own world with access to similar abilities." That was...the easiest way to put it. "I'm certain they would be willing to speak about it at least some. One is quite personable to say the least." From what she'd seen of the young heiress she was quite willing to talk to just about anyone. In all honesty, she seemed a bit too eager to help in general.

"I think there are a few individuals here who have kept records of different things that have transpired. You may be able to request their information as well." Though she honestly wasn't entirely certain if they had continued to keep records or if they had stopped. It had been a while since she'd heard anyone speak on it.

"More to it than simply being a trap?" Even more curious. "It must be frustrating for you to be brought here away from that then."

“The rate at which it changes seems to be quite fast, based upon that and a few things I’ve been told by others since arriving… Makes one wonder.” He murmured, more to himself. Harry had suggested a cycle, one that likely was broken if the Void Cryst was at the heart of it… So how fast things should be changing, if they should be changing like this at all, was a curious thing. If it was trying to catch up to where it should be, to rebuild itself, or if it was meant to be more gradual… He found himself puzzling over that as much as his own puzzles.

That said, if he noted Mitsuru’s hesitation in responding concerning Tartarus? He either hadn’t noticed, or his own curiosity on the subject was great enough that he simply put it aside for now in favor of being nosy. It was a problem at the end of the day. One that made him rather unpopular with other mages, since he could never quite help to ask or digging into subjects that might be better left to secrecy. “No need to apologize, but I would be interested in hearing more about it. It’s a curious name to use.” He responded with a vague explanation for his interest, at least.

“Ah, I see. I’ll keep that in mind when I reach out to them, then…” He responded to the correction, musing to himself over the detail. A different faction, perhaps? That was common in mage society. Perhaps it was something of a similar nature as well in other worlds for people with similar abilities. A similar power, but with a different way of doing things… It was good to hear that at least one of this other group would be open to sharing. Made him wonder about the others, though. “Thank you, miss. You’ve been most helpful this evening.” He added with a brief, appreciative smile.

“It’s too elaborate a setup to be simply that. Targeting Lords of the Clock Tower is not uncommon, and where some are concerned, it can easily be done without pulling them somewhere so out of the ordinary or strange. And certain… complications had been revealed before my arrival.” He wasn’t sure he could explain more than that, considering the subject of heroic spirits and the complicated system they followed… Or did not follow in this situation… So he nodded at the statement. It wasn’t something he could or would deny. “It’s very frustrating, for all the speculating I could do on the subject, it will do little good while here. Though I am sure that there are many of us frustrated with being brought here in the first place.”

"What does it make one wonder?" She reached a hand to her chin and stroked it thoughtfully. Curious that he had some sort of thought on it himself. She had a few herself, but it seemed quite difficult to really pinpoint anything here. Even the little information she'd gotten about the Void Cryst had seemed unsatisfactory. It simply led to more questions than answers.

"Ah, of course. I would have no issues explain it, however it is a bit complicated of a subject. I would not want to burden you with a long explanation." Unless he really wanted it. If he did then well, she supposed she could certainly at least make an attempt to explain it. Even if the situation was rather personal and complicated. No matter how often she was told it wasn't her fault she still had a difficult time not holding herself at least somewhat responsible.

"I can't imagine I was really that helpful, but you are welcome all the same." She appreciated how polite he was about the subject but still couldn't quite see how she was particularly useful in any manner. Mostly it seemed like fairly generic things for her to tell someone, nothing too useful.

"I see. It sounds like you were brought at a very unfortunate time. When I first arrived here I had also been brought while in the midst of something that I still required quite a lot of answers still." It had been rather frustrating being stuck here without any way to get any of those answers. Though, having been through it all now...she wondered if it hadn't actually been a bit better not knowing. There was little point on lingering on a thought like that. "So, you are certainly not alone in finding the timing frustrating." The timing had been the only frustrating part about being brought here though. Beyond that she was...rather content with certain aspects of the place. Not that she would readily admit it.

Waver considered how to best answer the question. It was a curious subject. “I had a recent conversation that indicated that this world has been remade several times due to the void cryst before the experiment and subsequent accident.” He gestured slightly and leaned forward, wishing for a moment he had something for a visual aid as he continued. But they were in a public space and he wasn’t hauling a mystic code out here as tempting as it was.

“The fact that the world has been remade several times before indicates to me a cycle. One that seems to have been interrupted.” That wasn’t exactly the point, but it was connected to his thought. “So if it’s a cycle, and the major catalyst is missing… One must wonder how this all worked before the experiment. Was the rate of things changing slower, or was the world more complete upon its recreations and were the changes different somehow when things were operating as they should be?” The abruptness of some changes, the fact that some things were meant to be here but thrown to another plane of existence during the explosion from the experiment like the Academy… It struck Waver as odd. He finally sat back again and shook his head. “That’s just my speculation based on what I’ve been told since arriving, though. I expect there’s too much we don’t know to draw more definitive conclusions.”

As Mitsuru warned him that her explanation might be a touch long, Waver offered one of his rare smiles and gestured at the absurd amount of books piled on the table. “You’ll find I don’t tend to think of complicated subjects and long explanations as a burden, miss. If you’re up for sharing, I would find it interesting to hear and learn about a subject like that.” He’s a professor, after all, long-winded lectures were the norm for him… It would be a change to be on the receiving end of one, after all these years. Waver never turned down a chance to learn something, after all. Not back then, and certainly not now.

At her response to his thanks, he hummed slightly. Her doubts were, in his opinion, silly. Even simple information or directing someone to those with more was useful. Due to the nature of simple information being simple, many people could write it off as something everyone simply knew. But he had only arrived recently, so having such things shared for him to store away for reference later was important.

“I suppose many would say we can only hope that our stay here won’t be long, though knowing how luck works when you need to be somewhere… We’re at the mercy of this place until sent back.” He mused, smile turning wry and a little sympathetic. There were.. only a few instances in which he would be content with being here. Specific people showing up would likely make him relax on the subject a little, but even if he had wondered about the odds of that happening…? The mage wasn’t holding his breath on that.

"I see." She'd at least partially suspected something of the sort herself, though she'd had less than wonderful luck in digging just how many times it had happened. "I was able to speak to one of the old members of the Academy. Though they were able to tell me very little about the nature of the Void Cryst itself. It's unfortunate she wasn't the one in charge." It really was a shame that the only survivor they could speak to wasn't the one with the most information. "I wonder more about what the purpose is of destroying a world only to remake it and begin again." It seemed like quite a waste of both lives and time. If it was some sort of cycle she couldn't help but have a slightly ominous feeling about the motives.

"I see. If you are certain..." she hesitated and then folded her arms across her chest as if she were steeling herself. "Tartarus is the direct result of the mistakes of the Kirijo Group." There was nowhere better place she could think of to start the explanation than with that admission. Despite everything there was still substantial guilt tied up inside of her but she wouldn't hide from it. Nor would she hide from the responsibility she felt she had.

"My grandfather learned of the existence of another world where beings known as shadows exist. Upon realizing that shadows could manipulate time and space my grandfather sought to find a way to control them. It was an ambitious and noble goal at first, one built upon the pursuit of knowledge." At least that was what she tried to tell herself. That was what she had to believe. The alternative was thinking that her grandfather had been quite mad from the start.

"Unfortunately, the nature of shadows was much more complex than we could have imagined. The truth they uncovered was that of the Fall, where Nyx would descend upon our world and destroy all of humanity. I..." she trailed off for a minute as shadows of guilt, regret, and a deep sadness danced on her face. "I like to think perhaps that truth was too much for them." It was kinder to think that way. If she thought that way then it meant her grandfather had simply lost hope upon the discovery and resigned himself to simply bringing it about. That was a more pleasant thought than him being some megalomaniacal villain.

"Further research led to the discovery of the herald of Nyx, Death itself. After this discovery they felt as though there was no denying destiny. They determined that death would be a deliverance for everyone." What a horribly embarrassing thing to admit of her own blood. That he would simply accept that as the future was horrid enough. Yet he had gone further still by encouraging it. He planed to help usher it along. It was disappointing to say the least. "They collected Shadows to combine them together to resurrect Death. In doing so Death would summon Nyx and our world would cease to be. One scientist disagreed with their plans and attempted to stop them. This caused a massive explosion destroying almost all of the lab. This destruction led to the creation of Tartarus. It grows out of the ground every night at the site of the former lab during the Dark Hour. The tower is massive, unpredictable, dark, and crawling with hostile shadows."

She paused again, this time to shake her head sadly. "I apologize, that was quite the lengthy explanation." Probably much more than he had bargained for.

“Yes, she’s been mentioned to me… I hope to have the chance to speak with her at some point myself.” Even if it seemed that she didn’t have as many answers as they may wish for, it would be nice to hear about these things from someone who was there and a part of things. Especially since it seemed like the people in charge knew very little themselves. “That too is a curious thing, though I also wonder how complete the ‘destructions’ prior to this particular cycle was… Especially as I’ve been told the locals seem to suddenly remember or accept things as being a part of this place that weren’t at first, such as the academy. There are a lot of unknowns, and it seems like something we should hear about if it’s an important part of the world.” But it seemed what they didn’t know could fill a book… Which should exist, but didn’t seem to.

But that was something to think about at a later date. Instead, Waver fell silent in favour of listening to Mitsuru’s explanation about the ‘Tartarus’ she was referring to in her world. He didn’t interrupt, despite the fact that his mind was already forming a few random questions in response to various parts of her story. Though… Some of it was familiar for all that, it was also different. Scientists and mages, at times, were not too different in that they would push boundaries and go a little too far for the sake of some great discovery. It always started off as noble or ambitious… But it didn’t always end that way.

And often times (nearly every time) to his own knowledge, the weight and resolutions would fall to their heirs. Mitsuru’s tone and expression, as she explained, conveyed that well enough. It wasn’t as though Waver hadn’t learned to spot the signs in the last ten years of teaching, when someone’s guardians had pushed a little too far.

It was one of several things that genuinely angered him about society. Harming or putting too great a weight on those who were the future of their world for the sake of their own discovery or furthering the ‘family business’ as it were… Or leaving their messes behind for the young to pick up and either answer for the crimes of their parents or carry the guilt with them through life. Either in turn continuing down the dangerous path themselves or trying to do better in some way. “I see, so essentially it was the effects of an experiment that went beyond what was originally anticipated and triggered a potentially cataclysmic event…”

In hindsight, he was almost sorry for asking for the explanation… But he had, and it did given him a little more insight into the young woman before him. If he wasn’t used to dealing with mages who would be offended by suggesting their family or parents had been wrong to put something so heavy on them… He might have said more. Especially if they themselves were present, but instead Mitsuru was here to share the story. So, as tempting as it was at times, sometimes one had to hold their tongue. A lesson hard learned by him, honestly.

“Truth be told, I am not entirely unfamiliar with situations like this. While science and magic differ in a lot of ways, mages also tend towards pushing boundaries in the name of discovery, and… it’s not uncommon for something to get out of hand or go in a direction not anticipated.” If her grandfather had been a mage in his world, the association would have put a sealing designation on him immediately… Which either meant a preservation of him and his research… Or something more final for the crime of nearly ending the world.

His expression was neutral enough, but her apology gets a shake of his head. “You have no need to be sorry.” He responded, firm on the matter. For one, he had asked for the lengthy explanation. For another, this wasn’t her fault, even if he couldn’t come out and say that much against her family that he didn’t know. “I presume you and your team you mentioned have been dealing with this up until your arrival here, then? Seems like you’ve definitely been pulled out of a complicated situation yourself…” He added thoughtfully, wondering how such a situation was even monitored or handled from one moment to the next. Her mysterious ‘ability’ perhaps having something to do with it.

“I wish you more luck than I had." A hint of frustration leaked into her voice there only to be made a bit more intense as she noticed it. It seemed the longer she spent here the more her ice queen exterior thawed out and normal emotions slipped into her every day speech. What an awful thing. "I have wondered about that. Is that things reappear or is it something else?" She stroked her chin thoughtfully before continuing on. "Perhaps these places never truly existed. We only have the locals word on that particular subject to go by. It is entirely possible that they merely think these things existed before. Some have postulated that they are as connected to this world as the buildings and landscapes that appear. If that is the case, then it might make sense for their memories to be influenced by the changes as well. Perhaps when something new appears they are also given false memories of it's existence." Though the problem with that theory was the ever present question of why. What purpose would that serve? Unless this entire world was only some sort of experiment to whomever was truly in control.

How amusing it was to consider that as she gave her explanation for Tartarus. There would be something painfully ironic if this world held any such similarities to the experiments the Kirijo group had done. "In a way, yes." She looked down, clearly a bit ashamed to speak more, but she had come far enough to simply resign herself to the full truth. "After his discoveries my grandfather and his team eventually reached the conclusion that helping to bring about the Fall was the only logical solution. Death would be a release for us all. One scientist disagreed and made an attempt to stop them. His attempt caused the explosion and it was a chain reaction after that." She could hardly blame him for his actions though. After all he had managed to prevent the Fall, at least for a time. The real villains of the story were her own family and there was no way around that.

"I see. I suppose that is an unfortunate inevitability of those who dare to investigate things so much greater than themselves." Would people ever stop venturing into such territory? No. Even now there was a part of her that was interested in learning more about the other world and all that came with it. Perhaps that was just the destiny of human curiosity.

"Yes. We...were unfortunately mislead. That..." she swallowed. "It was quite disastrous." And even if they had prevented the Fall it had been at quite an extreme cost.

Waver was used to speaking to people who frustrated him. It would either go half decently or he’d get pissed off, depending on how this person approached speaking and answering questions. He did appreciate the luck, though.

But the man hummed a little about her musing. “That does sound like a potential possibility, especially as we can’t be sure about the validity of what the locals say.” But the professor couldn’t help but wonder about the possibility that the truth was being stated. “On the other end, if we can believe them… We have at least a rough idea that there are people here who existed before the last… I think I’ll call it a ‘reset’ for ease? According to what I was told by one Harry Dresden, the Academy itself was thrown in the incident into another reality entirely before it rejoined this world here.” He folded his hands in front of him, elbows resting on the arms of the chair, and fingers knitting lightly. “So I find myself wondering if there are other places waiting on this other plane to rejoin the world, and if their reappearance doesn’t make the people here more complete.” He’s not sure if they could say one way or the other, though, it again seemed just as likely people could be lying…

But people either being made anew or called from the last reset while only operating off the information they need and gaining knowledge when they needed it… He hummed thoughtfully. “There’s a ritual in my world, one to call people from the past to the here and now. That said, they only retain memories that are necessary due to how much power it would take to bring the most complete version of themselves back. Calling upon them more than once will result in them only retaining basics of what they need. The lives they lived, and knowledge of how the world they’ve been called to works, rather than prior experiences with being called upon.” Sighing lightly, he shrugged and unfolded his hands. “So they may be regaining information as necessary rather than all at once to save on effort and power… But the people here don’t feel like that kind of being to me, so even if it’s similar it’s not entirely the same… But I find it hard to not wonder if it’s slightly similar in some way.”

Waver was sure the decision had made sense to her grandfather at the time, as… insane and unstable as it was to believe that such a thing was truly the answer. But sometimes certain truths, certain realizations, made one susceptible to snapping and making rash decisions because it felt like there was no other option. Lucky for them, there was at least one scientist that had questioned and tried to put an end to it, even if it sounded like it still hadn’t ended things without further issue. “I’m afraid it is. Magic or science, humans are always driven to reach depths beyond their reach… Not always a bad thing, mind you, but sometimes the risks are greater than the reward.” But people stilled tried anyway, and ignored the consequence, unfortunately. Or… slipped enough to embrace them.

Her obvious shame over the hand her family had in it though is still nagging at him, he really does hate when the old leave those who come after them to pick up the pieces and bear the burden alone. He’s not really good at comfort, and far better at admonishing people like her grandfather for their idiocy… But he realizes he has to say something. “It takes a particular strength to pick up the pieces when a mess is left in your lap. When one can’t change the past, we can only do our best to correct the present to preserve the future.” He finally uttered, still unable to call it anything but a mess that had been dumped on Mitsuru. “So disastrous or not… Your world was lucky for you and your team.”

"I would caution putting full trust in anything the locals say." It wasn't something she meant in a particular harmful way but just a precaution she felt was worthy of suggesting. "However, I do see the value in taking what they have to say into consideration. I think there has to be some truth in their memories." Mitsuru just couldn't quite believe that everything about their memories was true. That seemed far too simple for how things worked in this place. Granted the theory he was possessing was very interesting. "Hmm. That also sounds like a solid theory. Though if that were the case would it not imply that the world wasn't precisely destroyed but rather just...misplaced?" If they were simply located in some sort of other plane then that seemed more likely. "It has seemed as though we have found more ...alternate planes?" there was a tiny bit of a question in the tone, it wasn't precisely a topic she was intensely familiar with. Mitsuru was used to being an expert and anything less made her feel a bit uncertain. "One woman that died here also mentioned being kept in another location for a short time after she was returned to life. Though I lack some details of that."

She did however find what he had to say very interesting. "I would be interested to know how such a ritual works." But it seemed like quite a lot to question at the moment. Besides, she supposed the details of it hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things. Mitsuru was simply the type to enjoy learning. "It does seem likely it might be such a thing, or at the very least a similar concept."

"Mm. And in this case the risks were indeed far greater than the reward." Deep down she couldn't help but wonder if anything they had learned had been worth it in the slightest. Nothing the Kirijo Group had discovered could really be used for the benefit of ..well, anything as sad as that was to think on. It seemed as though it had only brought pain and suffering to everyone involved.

"Ah," Mitsuru frowned at the compliment. That was not something she felt she deserved praise for. Not just because it was her duty, but because they had not been fully successful. "Our leader was the one to truly stop the events my grandfather put into motion." She had simply...brought them all together. She looked down at her feet and wrapped her arms around herself. "And he paid for it with his life." Another layer of guilt to be added. "Thank you, though."

Waver did not warm up to people particularly well. It could take him a while to get used to strangers and oftentimes he didn’t really engage much outside the classroom or casework. So it should be noted that even he was surprised to find he was enjoying this conversation with Mitsuru. She was bright and full of very good points and alternate thoughts to further the conversation. It was damn refreshing if he was being honest. Even if his students were all terribly bright in their own way, by now Flat would have devolved into some confusing comparison to a movie plot. Svin would be growling at him for it, and it would have begun wearing the professor down. “A decent amount of caution and skepticism is smart when dealing with anyone, so I agree that it would be best to consider their words from both angles.” He agreed with a short nod, offering a small smile.

The interest in his tone was evident as he continued on the subject of alternate planes. “That is my current thought on the subject… The cycle of the world destroying and remaking itself with this void cryst, could mean that certain things are meant to be here regardless of the reset… If it has the ability to move things to alternate planes even temporarily, it could be part of the cycle. But we don’t know enough about the cryst and how or why it does what it does at this point to say so definitively.” But if it was… The odd rate that things appeared here could be a delayed and slightly stuttered version of what was meant to happen, not quite working properly because of the void crysts destruction that caused the old world’s end and this one’s beginning. “I have also heard about death, about this world being… different… I should see if I can have a word to find out more about this other location, though.”

It took him a moment to consider her interest in the subject. On the one hand, it wasn’t hard to explain, nor was it exactly a secret. On the other hand, if she wanted more details, it could turn into a longer story that he didn’t tell a lot of people. Even Reines could only speculate over it based on snippets he’d shared and rumors. In the end, it seemed unfair to say nothing, considering what she’d shared. “I don’t mind telling you how it works, but I should warn you in return that it might take a little while.” And while he had a feeling he already knew the answer? Waver would leave that in her hands, because she had given him the opportunity. He would do the same in return.

The mage felt his frown deepening considerably, though, as Mitsuru continued. So not only had she been let to clean up her grandfather’s mess… She’d lost someone in the process. Someone important if the way she seemed to draw in on herself was anything to go by… When she spoke of her team, he had presumed she was the leader herself, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case either… “Then I’m also sorry for your loss. It’s… never easy to lose someone close to you. Especially under circumstances that were put upon you all by others.” Worse if she carried the guilt of that on top of everything else. Carrying the burden of another person’s life on your hands was not an easy thing. He knew that well enough (even if he would not admit it wasn’t his fault either) that carrying the burden of another life was particularly difficult regardless of how you felt about them.

"I...have unfortunately learned that there is considerable truth in an outlook like that." Prior to the betrayal at the hands of her mentor she'd had at least a bit more trust in others. There had been a need for secrecy due to the nature of SEES but she'd at least had faith in some adults around her. After that...well, it was quite a different story. Now skepticism and a vague aura of suspicion coated nearly every interaction she had. After all if you couldn't trust someone that was practically a part of your family who could you trust? Not that Mitsuru could fully trust even her family, not given how her grandfather had treated her and others.

"I do wish I had been able to find out more about the cryst. It truly is a shame we could not speak to the head of the Academy themselves." Again, it was a dark thought to have, they should be grateful they had anyone to speak to. "I appreciate the little information the sole survivor has given us but...she seems to know so very little." So many of her answers to Mitsuru had simply been that she didn't know. In all honesty it had been a rather frustrating conversation. "Good luck speaking with the young woman who died. Her name is...Illyana I believe. She seems about as forthcoming as the survivor of the academy." Actually, from what Mitsuru had observed that woman seemed less forthcoming. Mostly because it seemed as though she got a certain degree of enjoyment when it came to being vague and ominous. It also seemed she had disturbingly little interest in finding things out about this place, despite the fact that she obviously held considerable power. Power that could be quite useful. She couldn't imagine a conversation with her being too productive.

"We have nothing but time in this place." It was a matter of fact way of saying she wanted an explanation. "But if you would rather save it for another time I can certainly understand. I would not want to take all your time here." Even if she did sort of wish to take all of his time. He seemed quite fascinating and as if he'd experienced quite a lot in his life. Experience was something to be valued and learned from. Besides that he was quite an interesting man to speak with. Not only was he open to telling her things but he also seemed to treat her as something of an equal. Most adults would be loathe to do so.

She squeezed herself a little tighter before admitting quietly: "We lost many people. One of my companions here," the one she had mentioned much earlier in their conversation in regards to why some may be a bit okay with the situation, "he was killed back home. My father was murdered as well. Then, in the end, our leader sacrificed himself to seal away the entity we were fighting against. Those were not the only losses either." Though her tone held a certain amount of forced indifference as she spoke. They were the deaths she felt the most responsible for after all and those stuck with you the most. Not that she didn't feel strong remorse over the deaths of Strega, she most certainly did. But that one was a bit more complicated and a bit more personal. For the most part she simply chose to not speak on that and keep it tucked away as far in the back of her mind as she could.

"I was...I organized our group. I brought us together, my family funded us, and I gave most calls outside of direct battle. Our leader however made combat calls. He possessed a unique ability that made him far more qualified than I." So, perhaps with that added bit of information he could understand why she felt personally responsible for how things had gone.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to make things so depressing."

“A sad truth, but a valuable one to keep in mind nonetheless, I’m afraid.” It was an unfortunate lesson to learn, but it was one Waver found everyone learned eventually, as pessimistic as it may seem to some. Though… he often wished the young had the luxury of waiting longer to learn it. Reines not even a pre-teen, his students much the same… The trust he had from them all had been earned, hard earned with some… Questionable choice on their parts as it felt sometimes. Though Reines had enough hanging over his head and the Velvet family crest in Melvin’s hands, so perhaps she simply felt more secure for it. In some ways he supposed having remained blind to it till his teens when he sold everything to attend class at the clock tower had been a blessing as much as it had been a rude awakening to what he’d been warned of when his mother was still alive.

Waver hummed a little, fingers drumming lightly on the arm of the chair. “It would be nice for the opportunity, but it also depends on how forthcoming they might be with information about their research… If the sole survivor of the incident doesn’t know much, there is a chance that the head might not be particularly eager to share…” That, of course, was based upon Waver’s experience with powerful mage families trying to keep their secrets and doing very stupid things (in his opinion) to keep things in their own control. “I would’ve liked to have had the chance to see the actual research materials and documentation for analysis… But according to someone I spoke to, nothing survived the reset as far as they’ve found.”

Illyana… Waver let out a small sigh at that, “Having met the woman, you're probably right… But I do see her at the academy, should the opportunity arise, I’ll see what I can learn.” Which would in all likelihood be nothing if Illyana didn’t want to talk about it, but it would be useful information to know nonetheless… He wasn’t keen on testing it out or experiencing it for himself either way, though.

A wry smile crossed his face at the statement, “You’re not wrong about that, certainly. We do have the time.” And he wasn’t going anywhere, now was he? Not back to the Rail Zeppelin anytime soon, or his space in the red building. He was camped here for a reason, and it just gave him an excuse to hang around in a comfort zone for a little longer.

And damned if he didn’t have it in him to say a flat out not to her as she continued to explain. There was a particular bubbling feeling of anger in him, one that would have likely exploded more easily in his younger years... It was one that sprang up when he was reminded of what Svin’s parents had done to him for the sake of the family magecraft, or Gray for what her entire village had been trying to do to her… The list went on from there, and now he couldn’t help but feel this added to the bunch for all that he had only just met the young woman. But the reception of such thoughts and opinions wasn’t always good, and he’d rather piss off the people responsible than their victims. “Then I believe I should have the time for at least explaining that much if you're interested… But first...” He straightened slightly, shaking his head at the apology. “If you were to try to paint any of that in a positive, cheerful light, I’d frankly be rather concerned. So no apology is necessary. It seems to me that you did what you could with an impossible situation that was thrust upon you and your group by circumstances caused others.” And it was obvious for a variety of reasons why she felt so responsible, but the blame was due on those who’d caused it… Not on the cleanup crew, as much as others might pressure one to think as such.

Again, he could be a bit hypocritical when it came to the blame game... But the young should not grow up to be him, in his opinion.

His response said, he gently pushed a pile of books out of the way to clear the table slightly… It didn’t do much considering the mess, but it was obstructing the space between them slightly. “Now… I presume that if our worlds share similarities, that you’ve heard of the Holy Grail, yes?”

“Most truths have an element of sadness to them. It's better to know the truth though." Always. It was always better to know the truth than to be blinded by it. Though, she shared his sentiment in thinking that it would be nice if the young had more time to keep illusions of optimism alive. Perhaps it was strange that she didn't count herself among those 'young' despite her actual age. In the end though Mitsuru had never really been given the chance to be young.

"Perhaps even less eager now after they caused such a mess." That was another thing she had some personal experience with. She'd kept quite a few things from her peers and from her friends in general, things tied directly to just how connected her family's research was to the disasters around them. "It's rarely easy to acknowledge fault, especially when it has such dire consequences." She cast her gaze away from him for a second and then shook her head. "Isn't it strange that all of these," she gestured around at the books. "appeared but nothing to do with these resets and research?" Now that she thought on it, that seemed rather...odd to say the least.

"If you do discover anything from her, do let me know. I would be curious about what she recalls of this other place she was kept." If only to be prepared should something happen to her or someone she cared for.

Her small frown lessened at his words and she looked up at him with an expression that was almost grateful. "Thank you." There was no denying that she still thought that she could have done more, should have done more, but she was also a realist. They had done their best given the circumstances around them and that had been all they could have done. Sometimes it was...nice to hear those words from another, especially someone impartial and completely uninvolved with the situation and it's complexities.

To his question she nodded. "I have. It's a treasure tied to Arthurian language, said to grant eternal youth?"

Waver would definitely consider it strange that she didn’t count herself as young, especially if he found out just how young she was… She couldn’t be more than a year or two older than his students, at best, if his guess was correct. But knowing what he did, it was unsurprising, perhaps in its own way. Her childhood had been taken at the end of the day.

Definitely less eager to admit to something that was a failure, especially if they wanted the opportunity to try again and perfect whatever they’d been doing. Which, of course, ran the risk of starting this whole mess over again and making it worse… So perhaps it was just as well that they weren’t here now, in a way… But it still meant fewer chances for answers. Her gesture gets a small frown, tone slightly frustrated as he agreed. “It’s too strange, while I know some might say it’s only a coincidence… It’s hard to not wonder if things haven’t been removed and hidden away for one reason or another…” It was one thing to think that things might have been destroyed, but if all of this could be here.. Why couldn’t there at least be one or two things that were actually pertinent to what happened remaining?

And if it had all been removed on purpose… What did they not want the arrivals to learn?

“I’ll be sure to share, best to be prepared for such possibilities when possible.” And Mitsuru was probably one of the few he’d intentionally keep an eye out for and go out of his way to inform of important information. It was a small list that likely would only grow if certain people arrived at this point.

The frown on her face relaxing was… Good. It at least meant that he’d managed to say something that helped ease things somewhat. It was always rather delicate to approach such things, and he tended to feel fairly awkward in social situations… But he tried harder when it came to his students and the young, and was better at it than he would think of himself or admit.

Nodding, the professor’s expression shifted to something thoughtful. “In my world, mages have come to use it as a way to refer to an item of great magical power. Rather than simply granting eternal youth, it’s considered capable of granting any wish of the one seen as worthy of possessing it. There is a ritual to manifest the grail created by three founding families. The ritual takes Fuyuki, Japan. It’s considered a rather minor ritual… Though I suspect it’s more likely that it’s kept quiet for other reasons. The grail chooses seven magi to compete in a ‘Holy Grail War.’ This is where the calling upon those from the past that I mentioned earlier comes into play. Those chosen by the grail have usually secured relics and artifacts from famous historic figures from the past, and summon these heroic spirits serve to form a team with the mage who called them to compete.”

Though considering the spirit called upon to fill the role of ‘Caster,’ in the war he competed in… he would argue that not all those summoned were great or heroic… “Upon their summoning they retain all their memories from when they were alive, and are granted a working knowledge of the modern world, but they do not retain knowledge of prior summons in past grail wars because of how much power it would take to call them in such a complete state.” There was a slight shift in his tone to admit that point before he continued.

“The seven spirits called upon generally fall into one of each specific category.” Holding up his hands, he began ticking them off one by one with a lowered finger. “Saber, Lancer, Assassin, Caster, Archer, Berserker, and Rider. Once all seven are summoned, the grail war begins, and the ritual is completed only when one team remains standing after all other spirits have been defeated.” It was a battle to the death, and oftentimes both the mage and the spirit were killed because the mage could easily be re-chosen by the grail if a servant spirit became available. Waver was only one of three survivors, purely because another spirit had seen fit to spare him. “The winners, at that point, would have their wish granted by the grail.” Not that he knows what the hell went wrong when he competed… He can’t imagine that any mage would have wished for what happened, but… The whole thing had been kept oddly quiet, and answers hadn’t been found.

"From what we've been able to uncover, it does seem like someone is hiding things. I suspect that someone would be the individual who the Aspects referred to as their creator." Though there was a disturbing amount about that individual that was simply an unknown. Like why they had simply vanished leaving the Aspects 'in charge' of this place. Or at least as in charge as one could consider them. They often seemed just as confused as the people brought here. Given how little information he had left them with it seemed logical to suspect he didn't want them to know much. If he didn't want his own Aspects to know, then why would he want the people brought here to know anything?

Powerful people often sought to hide things from those they deemed as lesser. Perhaps that was it. Or perhaps this creator had something more personal to hide. "I've theorized that if this creator is the one that creates and then recreates this world, perhaps it's because they're never satisfied?" Perhaps the world was rewritten once they decided it wasn't quite what they wanted. If it was something like that then it would make sense that he would want to hide evidence of failures. At least it made sense in the context of her own experiences with powerful people hiding big mistakes.

"But there's nothing we can really do other than endlessly theorize." And at the moment she was a bit tired of that. Thankfully he continued on with a slightly different subject, a better one in a way. "Any wish at all?" That seemed like a rather dangerous thing depending on who won. Though, she really couldn't help but see the similarities between what he was describing and Persona. "I see. It's a bit like what we call Persona. Many of ours are famous historical figures or mythological beings. The big difference would be our Persona are still a part of our psyche rather than the true manifestation of those individuals. To actually meet those figures in the...sprit? Flesh?" She wasn't quite clear on that. "It must be truly magnificent." And awe-inspiring.

"I assume the categories reference how they fight?" Again, it was strangely similar to how her own team was categorized. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at him very intently at him. "What sort of wishes did those winners make?"

That was an interesting theory that she posed… Waver’s brow furrowing slightly at the thought. “Makes you wonder what would make them satisfied enough to see it as a complete world without needing a reset.” He murmured, finding that as unsettling as the idea of the cycle that this place seemed to operate on with the destruction and reset… Finally letting out a long breath, he nodded. “You’re right, of course… Theories only get one so far without more to go on or proof of something being correct.” And so, he focused on the topic at hand. Not an easy feat, exactly. Waver tended to fixate on something when it seemed important and magical in nature.

So he set his mind upon the subject of the grail war, sparing further theorizing. “Any wish, or so the explanation goes. It makes it an enticing prize worth the risks for any mage or heroic spirit summoned.” But she was right, there was a particular danger depending on who won. Someone with particular ideals could do irreparable damage to the world, and Waver didn’t like to think about what might’ve happened in the caster duo had won. What would a demented serial killer and an equally unhinged caster have asked of the grail if they had ever cared about it at all? Most mages, one could expect, would seek a way to reach the root of all magic… While his own wish had been the stupid demand of a child before he started to rethink things near the end of the war.

“Is that so…? I should like to hear more about these personas, then, at some point. But you’d be correct in the difference. I imagine the compatibility would be more guaranteed in such a summons if it was part of your own psyche rather than the spirit themselves summoned. An ill-fitting team between mage and spirit is not unheard of, and that runs the risk of the one summoned being unsatisfied and killing the mage and either going back to the throne or finding a mage chosen by the grail who is free to make a new contract and supply them with the mana needed to remain.” There were some protections against such things, of course. The contract came with a command seal for three orders that could not be ignored, but the mage needed to be quick enough to use them… And most saved them for the burst of power they gave the spirit to aid in battle.

“Flesh would be correct. While it is more convenient for them to remain invisible in spirit form unless confronting someone given it takes less mana, they can manifest in a solid physical form.” Certain conquering idiots had preferred it despite the waste of mana. Though Waver had eventually realized he had no room to complain, considering Iskandar had neglected to draw mana from him unless necessary, given how weak he’d been back then. There was a slight, nostalgic shift in his face at her comment, though. The wrinkles between his brow easing slightly, eyes softening at the thought. Perhaps a bit telling, considering he hadn’t openly admitted to taking part himself. “To stand by the sides of and speak to those greater than us? It would be a rare and potentially life-changing experience.” For all that most mages didn’t think of it that way, seeing the partnership more temporary familiar than comrade… Waver was sometimes thought to be foolish for being so affected by his experience, unbecoming of a mage… But he didn’t see it that way, he couldn’t after everything that had happened.

Shaking his head slightly, dispelling some of the nostalgia, he continued. “Right. The class represents what they’d be known for. For sabers, they would be most skilled with swords. Riders are known for the mounts or vehicles that were part of their legends, and so on.” Humming slightly, he continued. “It also serves as a way to strategize based on the strengths and weaknesses known for each class.” The subject of winners gets a light frown. “Truth be told, I don’t think the ritual has never seen a proper completion since its creation. The first three were ended without a true victor and the fourth… Something happened, I believe, and a flood of curses overran part of Fuyuki… I can’t imagine anyone wished for that.” It’s unclear who even might have been considered a victor…

“Nothing we could guess.” That statement she said with the utmost confidence. If this creator was after their version of perfection, it would not be something they could understand. It would have to be something deeply personal to them and as such, deeply specific. To her it felt as though there was no way they could ever theorize what that might be. Certainly not with as little information as they had about this creator. So, she moved on with him away from theories and the frustrations that surrounded them.

"What would yours have been?" Perhaps it was a bit bold of her to simply ask the question outright, but sometimes curiosity forced boldness out of even the most polite people. Regardless, she showed no signs of regret when it came to having asked. This was an exchange of information, wasn't it? It only made sense for the question to come up at some point.

"I'm certain we will have the time," she gave him a smile at that. They had nothing but time here after all. "So the summoning isn't based on some sort of pre-established compatibility between personality traits or goals?" That seemed...odd and even more dangerous. How precisely were they chosen then? Simply based on capability to be team? "Do the mages choose who they are trying to summon or is it random who one is placed with after the ritual?" While there were certainly similarities between her own world and his, there were so many differences in this that it was hard for her to not ask a million questions. "Is it based solely on whomever has enough mana to match with some spirit?" If that was the case then was the spirit stronger if the mage was stronger?

"I can only imagine how impactful that could be. Depending upon the spirit you could learn so many things from them. I could only imagine what questions I could have answered from Artemisia herself." She had ben known as a tactician and commander, perhaps she could have learned from her. Or at the very least perhaps she could have better prepared for how to deal with the weight of that kind of responsibility.

"I see. At least their name is descriptive." That seemed like it might make things a lot easier in terms of knowledge. She furrowed he brows at that. "How odd that it's never been completed. Then there's no proof that it it even works?"

“Wishes are often best kept to oneself, aren’t they?” Came out first, glancing at Mitsuru thoughtfully, part of him having only intended to explain the ritual and not admit to the experience. Not that it was a stretch to think that someone who knew about an obscure ritual knows as much as they did because they’d taken part. And… Even in his world, it wasn’t much of a secret depending on who you were anymore. So he let out a breath. It was only fair considering how much she’d shared with him… “But to be honest, mine had been something particularly foolish and wasteful… I wanted to be recognized and respected by those around me.” The professor sounds annoyed just admitting it. He really had been a bratty child. “There are certain beliefs and expectations of mage society in my world… So I thought if I could win the grail war, I could be seen differently. I was a stupid teenager, I’m afraid.” He shrugged slightly, admonishing himself easily. “Even if my wish had changed by the end of the war, I really had no business being there in the first place.”

He shook his head at the question. “Not at all. That’s not to say one can’t put more thought into the spirit they attempt to summon, but there is no guarantee that one will get along with the being summoned.” The next few questions went hand in hand, so a full explanation that covered and expanded upon the ideas. It wasn’t like they were in his world, and he didn’t have to worry about someone getting it in their heads to try to compete themselves like he did where his students were concerned… “In order to summon the spirit, it’s necessary to have something that was connected to them in life to ensure a successful summon. So, if the mage knows who they would like to attempt to summon, they generally get their hands on such a relic to use as a catalyst in the summoning ritual. To get one’s hand on such an item, of course, can be quite difficult and expensive… So the summon also would depend on the mage’s resources.”

“So while it’s important to have the mana output to sustain the heroic spirit summoned, the summoning has little to do with the mage themselves and more on what they’ve secured that is attached to the spirit. And… There are circumstances where one relic could call upon a different spirit than expected.” Which Waver himself had only come to realize recently due to Iskandar’s relic being stolen from him and used by the thief.

“I could imagine you would learn a lot from her had you the chance…” It was hard to not wonder himself what such a team up would be like. It almost seemed like a pity these persona beings didn’t come with such communication, given they were connected to the person themselves. That said, he would never condone Mitsuru competing, because he had taken a liking to her and the idea of her competing in the mess that was a grail war could mean her death… Mages thought little of ending each other, and there were things he had seen that even most adults wouldn’t handle seeing particularly well. “Not everyone realizes that potential benefit, of course, but it’s an opportunity that one shouldn’t overlook if able.” He’d been, again, terribly stupid and used to having to learn things for himself. Asking questions in Kayneth’s class, questioning things in general, often meant ridicule from the professor and a round of bullying from more powerful classmates after the fact. So Iskandar had to constantly point out that he could just ask for a story instead of going out of his way to read about the king’s life.

“Exactly, and referring to them as their class has the bonus of hiding their true name from other spirits and mages. Knowing their name, after all, could mean knowing what they’re capable of and their greatest weaknesses if their stories are well known.” Not that such secrecy had meant anything to Iskandar. The king had literally inserted himself in the middle of a fray and boldly announced his name despite Waver’s thoughts on it. “Unfortunately, you are correct. While there have definitely been indications that it has the potential, there has never been a proper end to the ritual.” But the potential was enough to draw mages in every time the time came for a war. Even Waver had been trying to secure his entry into the next, before Iskandar’s relic had been stolen.

“Ah, you're right, I apologize for being so forward." She'd rather expected him to leave it at that and she certainly would have understood that. It was quite surprising that he continued on, especially given how personal his wish had ended up being. The rather stoic facial expression she usually wore softened some at his admission and she offered up a small smile. "I'm not certain if I would call that foolish. Perhaps a bit wasteful, yes, but not foolish. The pressure of expectations can be quite overwhelming, particularly if you feel as though you're never quite meeting them." That was something she knew all too well herself. People often vastly underestimated how much expectations could weigh on someone and eventually crush them. Even more so when they were young and impressionable. "I could hardly fault someone for wanting a wish like that to come true." She could have easily seen herself wanting something like that in his situation.

"Ah! I see, that makes much more sense," she said with wide eyes at his explanation. She could see how that would end up tapping considerable resources. "Artifacts like that are quite rare and important in my own world without such significance. They must be even more sought after where you're from. I imagine that must cause problems on it's own." It made her wonder if even the relics themselves caused conflict among mages. Her brows furrowed at that next little tidbit though. "How would a one relic call on a different spirit than expected?" That seemed like it would be impossible unless the relic had been held by more than one individual throughout history?

"It would certainly be a lovely opportunity." There was a hint of a wistful quality to her voice. She knew it would never be possible but the idea was rather nice to think about. "I can't imagine how they could not realize the potential benefit." Now that was something she did think would be foolish. "Though, I suppose there are some who are much more focused on the end goal of winning that wish?" An individual that was particularly narrowminded and driven might neglect to think of anything beyond just that.

"A fair point. This battle sounds exhausting with it's need for secrecy. It must be difficult to constantly looking behind your back for threats." It was as though they had to account for every possibility of someone using knowledge, power, or weakness against them at any given moment. Mitsuru was quite used to betrayal and paranoia, but this seemed like it was in a level all it's own. From what he was describing it sounded as though paranoia and secrecy might be all there was to it.

Waver was oddly quick to shake his head. “Your kindness is appreciated, but unnecessary.” There were few things that the man didn’t budge on. One being his own inadequacy, and the other being how very foolish he had been as a teenager. It had been something hard learned, and drummed into his head by certain people and experiences. So Mitsuru’s words were kind, and appreciated for what they were meant to be, but he’d never quite believe them. Even as he’d learned to push forward and come to terms with certain aspects of himself… Enough to make something of his life… He still had a particularly famous inferiority complex. What he knew or had decided about himself would always be hard for him to move past. He didn’t look for sympathy, nor expect kindness on the subject. Which could make things a touch awkward, especially if Gray pointed something out.

Mitsuru had hit the nail on the head concerning relics. It could literally empty a mage’s accounts in order to win one at auction or secure the purchase of something so priceless. The case at Iselma would have been several times less complicated were it not for one mage having decided they needed a relic, and wanted it enough to storm the residence of the mage who’d purchased it for other reasons… “The fights that can break out between mages is rather frightful on the subject, I’m afraid. Being caught in the middle of it is no picnic, either.” He rubbed at his temple, a frown deepening. He really had hated that case, between the attack on his sister and Touko Aozaki’s creature running out of control, all over a simple Cinderella enchantment that had destroyed the catalyst to summon Siegfried? It had been an absolute mess for him to deal with.

The question gets a small pause, the easiest way being to explain his current situation with Iskandar’s mantle and this so-called Hephaestion that had appeared… But Waver instead took the easy way out. There was another example he could make, as much as he didn’t like the spirit involved. “Take the story of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, for instance. Should you happen to get your hands on a piece of that very table? One could successfully summon Arthur, perhaps… But it would be just as likely that you could get any of the other nights that sat at that table given they’re all just as tied to the story. So if one wanted to be sure of their summon, they would be better off gaining a relic that would be tied to the specific spirit alone.”

He smiled wryly as Mitsuru came to the conclusion that he would have offered as an answer, tilting his head forward in a brief nod. “Yes, that would be it exactly, I’m afraid. Many mages see the partnership as a means to an end, and forming attachments or bonds with the heroic spirit is considered unnecessary by many mages.” And here was Waver, nearly ten years later, wishing he could have the chance to see the man he’d summoned again. He was a very odd duck as far as mages went, though, and they often said as much.

“It certainly can be. One never knows when a killing blow might come from the shadows... Even allies made are all tentative, given the nature of the war and the prize everyone is attempting to win by the end of it.” He shook his head slightly, huffing lightly. “Then there’s the fact that some heroic spirits see little reason to conceal their identities and go boasting based on their rather oafish, overly friendly personalities. The challenges one faces can come from so many complications, from outside parties or within the team.” That wasn’t even counting entrants who hadn’t even cared about the grail, and only sought to commit atrocities.

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