Memory Share Broadcasts

[ask_whydunit]

[ It was an odd day.

One Lord El-Melloi II had never addressed the network properly before. In fact, he only tended to even respond to people on it if it seemed necessary or the subject sparked his interest. He wasn’t a social creature, after all. So it’s quite strange for there to be a series of broadcasts, all showcasing particular moments in his life that he certainly would not have been open to sharing. Although some might have been... a bit confusing, considering they seemed to focus on a young man named 'Waver Velvet.' If it weren't coming from his phone, some might not have made the connection.

Needless to say, once he realized what had happened? He was going to have the fun of explaining that… Either on the network, or (if anyone is bold enough to show up on his doorstep) in person should they find him hiding in his workshop in the harbor district. ]

Memories:
(Note: All of these are written versions of scenes and vary in length, as finding decent clips is a nightmare)

Class Ridicule and the Theft of a Relic - Fate/ Zero memory - Conent Warnings: Public humiliation, Nobles in mage society are elitist assholes - Wordcount: 1650

The King's Request - Fate/ Zero memory - Content Warnings: Acceptance/resignation towards the possibility of death - Wordcount: 963

Finding Family - Fate/ Zero memory - Content Warnings: None, the Mackenzies are too wholesome. Glen MacKenzie took one look at this teenager who tricked them with magic and decided 'Well, he's our grandson for real now.' - Wordcount: 805

Becoming Lord El-Melloi II - Casefiles Memory - Content Warning: Abduction, guilt, someone taking advantage of said guilt - Wordcount: 1887

A Collision and Absurd Nicknames - Casefiles Memory - Content Warnings: None, just Flat being ridiculous and getting on Waver’s last nerve - Wordcount: 1024

Comments

action bc she's rude

[soulsword]

[ Some might consider Illyana rude. She herself would consider herself bold. Or brash! Bold and brash. Ultimately though, she's rude. If she was confronted about it, she'd certainly just accept that about herself. There were much worse things to be called than rude!

Rude was definitely what the moment called for though as she simply teleported into the House of one Lord El-Melloi II. Complete with the faint smell of sulfur her teleporting left behind, she twirled around looking for him and smiled when she finally saw him. She was dressed fairly typically for a 'normal' day for her: black pants with tears in them and a black hooded jacket with the hood pulled down so that her blonde hair framed her face. It was quite the contrast to all the black. ]

So, did bugs get implanted in you during the Grail War? Curious minds want to know. [ She tilted her head. ] Also, I thought you said you knew better than to just accept deals at face value. Tsk. Tsk.

[ Would a normal person open with your memories are all over our Network? Probably! Too bad she wasn't normal. ]

Waver needs a good startle now and again, right? Right.

[ask_whydunit]

[ Waver would absolutely call her rude, because invading someone’s personal space, teleporting through very carefully laid wards like they were butter, was not something polite people did. Any other mage would have put a gandr shot through her. But his were weak and would have just bounced off her and maybe singed the hoodie she wore a bit, and that was more effort and mana than he was willing to waste the energy directing.

Plus… Well, he was working on something. A glass vial in his hand held aloft as he studied what was inside to get an idea of if he was on the right track or not… Except Waver had bad nerves…

Like really bad nerves.

And Illyana had just randomly teleported into his damn workshop and started talking like she was always there. The beaker dropped from his hands with a yelp. He fumbled to try to catch the vial before it hit the counter, but failed and the wood finish was probably going to be ruined. Great. ]

What the bleeding- Illyana!? [ He looked up from the mess, heart pounding from the shock. ] No, bugs didn’t get implanted in my brain in the grail war! Geez, I didn’t even meet the Matou mage! [ Then what she said connected, and the man stopped ranting to squint instead, forgetting the state of the counter for the moment. He’d just been thinking of that a short while ago when he was outside… Had he even spoken of the Grail War to Illyana? ] Wait… Where did you even hear that…? Did someone tell you?

[ Because if someone told her, there could only be one person who would have said that… Was Reines perhaps here…? Shit. ]

[soulsword]

[ She'd have been pretty sour about her hoodie being singed so it was lucky for him that he didn't. Not that she wouldn't have deserved it completely for just busting in somewhere. Once upon a time someone had actually told her that it was rude to come in like that, but she'd pretend to not remember that. It was a lifetime ago after all!

At least she had the sympathy to feel bad about his dropped beaker. ] I could fix that. [ Probably. Maybe. With some spell. Or she could pay for him to repair it. Spell seemed easier. She put her hands behind her back in a strangely childish manner she shrugged. ] Too bad. It'd have probably explained a lot. [ Oh well. ]

You might want to check the device. [ Was that nice to just dump like that? Nope. But oh well. ]

[ask_whydunit]

[ Glancing back at the counter, he frowned, torn between griping over that and the fact that there was something going on here that he didn’t quite understand. Taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of his nose, he shook his head. ] I’ll clean it up in a minute… but fixing it would be appreciated. I just got this place in order… [ Said as though the space wasn’t already the most cluttered and messy space in the city… Waver sucked at keeping ahead of cleaning when he was focused on something, okay? ]

That’s not how it even would have worked, for god’s sake! [ He gestured slightly, before raising a brow as she continued. The device… it doesn’t take him long to pull it out of his jacket pocket and begin scrolling through the feed.

Illyana got to see his face start to turn very red, either from embarrassment or anger (it was both) at what he found. He stared at it for a very long minute before speaking up. ] Shit. [ So eloquent and Lord-like… ] So now they’re mucking around with using our personal lives as entertainment? [ Who the hell was behind this? What kind of magic was involved and how had he not even realized someone was doing it?

One thing at a time, Waver… Sighing, he turned his eyes back to Illyana. ] Based on your comments from before… I suppose you were referring to the one about when I met Reines, then. I should point out that wasn’t a deal so much as agreeing to take responsibility for the results of my prior actions.

[soulsword]

Looks like it. [ The response was given with a completely deadpan expression. ] Maybe I should rent the imps out to you. [ Was she suggesting imps could keep things more clean than him? Yes. Yes she was. Though, honestly, they were pretty good at it. Cleaning was the one task they seemed to have mastered. Everyone got one it would seem. ]

No? Too bad. How would it have worked? [ There was always something to be said for learning something new from another world. Illyana, being Illyana, watched his face shift colors with a visibly amused expression. The shit was really the icing on the amusement cake. She really shouldn't be amused, and she wasn't when it came to the fact that this place was using their personal lives against them, it was his reactions that got to her. They were just so over the top. ]

They've shown memories before, but never like this. [ And she hoped hers didn't get put up like this. The stupid crystals had been bad enough. ] That's the one. I liked her. [ Of course she would. ]

Some people would call that a deal.

audio;

[neurotoxicity]

Something like this used to happen somewhere else I was. [ That's probably not helpful. How to actually help....]

At least they weren't all bad. That old couple seemed pleasant.

audio;

[ask_whydunit]

Sharing people’s personal lives across a public network is normal? What a pain…

[ Now that he knew what was out there, he was feeling more than a little humiliated and frustrated again. Gritting his teeth, he supposed the message was meant as a warning. Ivy was reasonable and polite compared to some people who would remain nameless. Her comment at least gets a softer tone. How could he be pissed off talking about the MacKenzies? ]

Yeah, I’ll grant you that… You couldn’t find a kinder couple than them. [ He was pretty sure they were kinder than he deserved. ] Still talk to them now and again. Well, when I wasn’t here, I mean.

Re: audio;

[neurotoxicity]

Not in this place, but in another I was before coming here.

[ Disturbingly so there. It was something she definitely didn't miss about that place. ]

Do you? That's very sweet. I've never had family anything like that. [ And they seemed about as close to family as one could get. Good family at that. ]

Re: audio;

[ask_whydunit]

You were somewhere else before coming here? [ It sounded like she had been somewhere other than her own world before this. That was interesting news… And a little worrying. ]

Ah… I’m sorry to hear that… [ He responded, tone a touch awkward. Rubbing the back of his neck, he wasn’t really good at this himself. ] Mine died a few years before that memory. So I suppose I’ve been lucky to find family in odd places, since then… The MacKenzies were the sweet ones, though. By all rights, when Glen figured out about my trickery, he should have sent me on my way, but he didn’t… [ It had been a jarring experience, considering his life at the clock tower. To go from humiliation and discouragement to kindness and acceptance. ] I’ll never figure out why their real grand children weren’t around.

[neurotoxicity]

Another world like this. Not entirely like this, but a similar concept. [ They were pretty different in environment wise. ]

I'm sorry for that. [ She ignores his offer of sympathy for the most part, moving on from it without much consideration. ] Most people don't react well to being tricked. [ She wouldn't. ] Looks like you found impressively understanding people. That is strange their own grandchildren weren't in the picture. Did they have many?

video

[bufus]

[ Mitsuru looks about as awkward as one could look. Does she say something? Does she just pretend she never saw anything? What in the world is the polite response to this kind of thing?? ]

I...it would seem this place wanted to share. [ An awkward pause. ] That Professor seemed utterly abhorrent at his job.

video

[ask_whydunit]

So it would seem. [ And in turn, Waver looks… Well, he looks stressed and tired by now. Not that it took much to get him there, but the point stood. This was all terribly frustrating. He was a private person… But he supposed he couldn’t be too upset where Mitsuru was concerned. Waver knew a hell of a lot more about her than he had a right to after their conversations. Rubbing at his temple, he sighed. Kayneth was a difficult subject for a lot of reasons. ] He was teaching as mage society and the association expected. I believe I went into it lightly during our conversation a while back.

[ Still didn't have to call him out publicly without provocation though, if Waver had spoken up first about his paper he could have understood it... But he hadn't and that had just been humiliating. But... ]

That said, while I certainly didn’t like him or his teaching habits… I did learn a few things from him, the short time I was in his class.

[ And Waver felt rather responsible where the man’s death was concerned. So it was a bit of a complicated mess of emotions there. ]

[bufus]

You did, though I think you were rather gentle in your descriptions of it. [ He had been rather kind about just how egotistical and stuck in their ways it seemed this mage society was. She frowned and shook her head at the entire situation. It certainly wasn't her place to be critical of someone whos she only knew from a memory and a few stories. However, she couldn't quite help herself. ]

A teacher should not be so discouraging to their students. How is that helpful in the slightest? He could have made his point without being so utterly horrid. [ What was the point of being so pointedly discouraging? ] It seems highly inappropriate for him to devote so much time to personally humiliating someone. [ And egotistical. ]

[ask_whydunit]

Perhaps I was, but it’s a rather long and complicated subject involving the history of mage society. And as you can see now… It is not a pleasant one. [ And considering her own situation he’d been made aware of at the time, it had seemed kinder to not bring the mood down with the problems of where he was from. ]

Most mages learn from a very young age to exploit weaknesses. To hit where it hurts... To him, he probably thought if I couldn’t take it that it was all the more reason I shouldn't be there. Which… I was warned of long before I enrolled, but I wasn’t particularly good at listening when I had my mind set. [ But the Clock Tower was said to be the place to go to learn magic, and Waver had been devoted to learning. So enrolling had been the only answer to him at the time, despite his mother’s warnings against the decision. ]

That said, I do also believe in a different approach to teaching myself, to try to guide without humiliation or harm… Though my department is considered an oddity compared to the rest of the tower to begin with, and I’ve been lucky enough to have convinced a few like-minded teachers to return to the clock tower to work with me as well.

[ His students liked him enough that they literally would turn the place upside down looking for him if he disappeared now, and the results he got had the eyes of several other lords on him. ]

[bufus]

It doesn't sound particularly complicated. In many ways it hardly sounds different from how society works where I'm from. [ Wealthy groups in power were taught that they were born into the wealth and power and it was their sworn duty to uphold it. They were taught to look down on those beneath them and to focus only on associating with those of equal standing. Everything was about profit and honor to the group. In a lot of respects it sounded as though mage society held similar outdated and strict beliefs. ]

That explains a considerable amount about why mages are so obsessed with that Grail War and will enter it despite the obvious costs. [ What a horrible sounding culture. And a horrible way to raise children. Though it did explain why so many were so quick to betray and so hesitant for real alliances. It was like they were taught to be paranoid from the start. ] He seems like nothing more than a bully. [ Maybe that's all mages were in general though? ]

Perhaps you'll be able to start a movement towards reformation?

audio

[harrythelizard]

Okay. One: glad this doesn't happen here as often as it did the last weird place I was.

Two; all I'm going to say is this: what's your real name, because it's pretty obvious "El-Melloi the Second" isn't your first or your favorite.

audio

[ask_whydunit]

Oddly, you’re not the first person to say that to me today.

[ He’s slightly curious about that. Was Harry from the same place as Ivy or was it just a similar place… But he’s still feeling slightly awkward given the followup question. ]

But you’re right, it’s not… [ But it’s been a long time, and introducing himself properly does feel a little weird after so many years. ] It’s Waver Velvet.

audio

[harrythelizard]

Yeah, there's a couple people here who were in the last place I was trapped. We've all been there.

You know, I think I like Waver more, if it's alright by you.

audio

[ask_whydunit]

I wondered if that might be the case… I guess you might know Ivy then. She mentioned a similar experience.

[ So that was interesting to have confirmed, anyway. The request gets a small pause before he nods to himself, despite knowing Harry can’t see. ] It’s fine by me. I admit the only reason I didn’t start out with it when I arrived was a force of habit, that’s all. Been a while since I’ve been Waver Velvet.

audio

[harrythelizard]

Uh, yeah. Ivy's...a friend.

[He's never going to be good at talking about significant others. Never.]

Heh, well, sounds like a damned good time to try it on again. Names are important, Waver. They're who you are.

text;

[stealerofhearts]

[Sir. You could be an honorary Phantom Thief with that situation. His heart goes out to you. That was shameful, how your professor treated you.]

Did you end up proving yourself?

text;

[ask_whydunit]

No, unfortunately I fell short.

[ Not strictly true, he had proven himself to someone even if he didn’t see it that way, and at the end of the day, he had grown a lot from the experience. ]

text;

[stealerofhearts]

Nobody took your side, did they?

[He knew how that went.]

text;

[ask_whydunit]

Not at the school, aside from one of the other students, I suppose. [ Though Melvin was a bit… complicated as people went. ] Though during the Grail War, someone did stand up to Kayneth on my behalf… It wasn’t necessary, given I shouldn’t have been so foolish to do what I’d done to get there… but I admit it was appreciated.

[ Iskandar had hated how Kayneth hid in the shadows and let Diarumuid do all the work instead of standing by the knight. So when the man threatened from afar to teach Waver a lesson for his crime, to kill him personally. Iskandar had ridiculed the man quite thoroughly in return. ]

text;

[stealerofhearts]

[Ren would never be one to judge someone doing questionable things to get an opportunity to prove themselves.]

What did you do?