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Memory Share Broadcasts

[ 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

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[ 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. ]

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.

[ 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.

[ 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. ]

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.

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. ]

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. ]

[ 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. ]

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. ]

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. ]

[ 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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

I had wondered if that might be a possibility for people brought to places like this. It seemed a bit too good to be true to say with such certainty that people would be sent back to their own worlds. [ Still, he doesn’t like having the proof of it in front of him. ] Wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if you’re ever interested in sharing.

[ Likewise, Waver moved past the apology concerning his family and on to the actual topic of the Mackenzies. ]

They certainly don’t, generally… I remember asking Glen if he was mad, when he revealed he’d figured things out… He said he was, but that apparently he thought I was more… gentle? than their real grandson and that he didn’t think I meant any harm. [ Made him wonder what his real grandson was like, considering he was pretty sure he’d been a teenager with a bad attitude and a chip on his shoulder. Then again, whenever Glen or Martha had asked something of him, he’d never been able to bring himself to say no and indulged them instead. ] They were too nice.

I know they had a grandson for certain, but they hadn’t been in contact since their son moved his family to Australia early on. Glen seemed to indicate they had very little contact with them after that. I think he was worried his son resented him for staying in Japan and that it affected their grandson's opinion of them…

[ Her deadpan expression and comment gets a look. He knows a dig at his habits when he hears one, after all. He huffed with a frown and moved to at least clean the mixture from the counter to keep it from spreading. ] A generous suggestion, but I’ll pass. [ He’s not looking to replace Gray’s gentle fussing and attempt at being helpful with chaotic Imps. Somehow he had a feeling the contrast between them would be rather stark and annoying to get used to. ]

The Matou family use a species that starts off as something classified as a worm, as their familiars, that can grow and evolve depending on which one they use. Most often, they use them to enhance their own abilities. [ There were also rumors around the head of the family that suggested that the man couldn’t be killed by normal means. ] There are said to be variations they used to control people, but they would have had to get near me to implant one and I was only left unguarded once during the entirety of the war. [ Iskandar had kept him close. Always in his chariot or at his side, where others couldn’t reach him. ] And that one time was during a truce between myself and the Einzebern mage to deal with the monster Caster had created. The Matou mage was elsewhere. Even then, they’d hardly waste their time controlling on a lackluster mage like me.

This has happened before… Different in what way? [ Well, wasn’t he lucky to have gotten to experience this new variation… ] Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I have a feeling you’d get along. [ They both seem skilled at teasing him, after all. ]

I wouldn’t. At least not like the kind we discussed prior. [ Rubbing his temple, he finally looked at his phone again. ] Aren’t there more interesting things for you to focus on?

[ Like anything but his weird life situation and exposed memories? Probably not, but a guy could hope. ]

In some ways, I suppose it’s not. At least not in the idea that those with power and prestige hold themselves higher than the rest of the world. [ That was only a small portion of it, of course. There were other aspects to it that he was lucky enough to not be affected by, but explaining them would breach the privacy of his students and he wasn’t willing to do that without reason. After all, he didn’t like that his memories were thrown across the network. Other people knowing his past, he doubted they would feel any differently. ]

Yes, those that know of it, anyway. After the fourth grail war that I was a part of, the association had the details of it obscured. Very few mages today speak of it, beyond those of us who intended to participate again. Even Professor Kayneth’s death is hardly noted outside the family. Which is quite strange, for the death of a Lord and someone as powerful as him to not garner a larger reaction than it did beyond the family. [ A few people had put effort into researching the Grail War, of course. He’d met one family that had recently… But as a whole, the war was spoken of more as a rumor these days outside participants and those higher in the association who picked representatives to send. ]

Change like that takes a long time, especially at the Tower… But It’s nice to think that I’ve started something that will make a difference in the future… At the very least I’m glad for the chance to help my students make the progress and improve their talents during my time there is over.

If you change your mind. [ She shrugs. Honestly who could blame someone for not wanting the imps around? He would be right that they were very annoying, especially if they started to become attached. ]

Worms as a familiar. [ She scrunched her face up in disgust and shook her head. There had to be better choices for a familiar than that. ] But could you ever actually be sure? [ Now she was just teasing him again. It seemed like it always had a way of going back to that. She tilted her head. ] Lackluster? You're so hard on yourself. [ Not that she had any proof he wasn't lackluster, kind of the opposite really, but it still seemed odd that he put himself down in that respect so much. ]

Little crystals fell down that showed a memory to the person that found them. [ It'd been a lot nicer that way, more private, easier to contain. ] Of course you wouldn't. The one making it never would.

Nah. Can't say my schedule is too filled up here.

There are a few people that have been to through several. I think there's also a few people here that come from worlds where dimensional travel is common. But no, there's no guarantee you'll be sent back to your exact world. Most people just find it more comforting to think that. [ And all the power to them. Sometimes people needed some sort of comfort. ]

Did you at least have a good reason for why you did it? [ Maybe that had been what had helped him to get over being angry. ]

Resenting your parents for staying in one country while you move to another seems petty. [ There were a lot worse things a parent could do. ]

Which has always seemed rather foolish to me. Power and prestige should be earned by merit, not by inheritance. [ But what was she to say to that? Much of her own wealth was inherited, as was her power in her society. Still, she'd worked hard to at least seem as though she was worthy of that inherited status. Many others that she knew of could hardly say the same. ]

Why was it all obscured to such an extent? [ That seemed like some intense lengths to go to even cover up a Lord's murder. ]

I suppose you are right there. Change takes considerable time. At least you'll more than likely have some sort of impact on how a new generation thinks as they go into the world on their own.

I’ll know where to find you. [ Because she tended to find him, really. Still, replacing Gray was the last thing on his mind… So, messy the space would stay, at least until he warmed up to someone insistent enough on assisting with the issue whether he asked for it or not. ]

I’m sure! 110% absolutely sure! [ He huffed, giving her an annoyed, embarrassed expression. Why did people like to tease him so much? Because he was an easy mark and too reactive, that’s why.

Her comment gets a shrug as he tries to put things to rights. To Waver it’s just being realistic, not being down on himself (it was kind of, his feelings of inferiority were well known to those around him). ] It’s just a fact. Compared to other mages I’m hardly anything impressive… I have to work and think several times as hard as my peers to even keep up. Every one of my students has more potential and power in one finger than I’ve had with nearly thirty years of experience.

[ The fact that many improved more quickly and rose to more impressive heights under his instruction than they had with other teachers was something noteworthy, so for someone who wasn’t powerful… He still had his strengths. The professor in him never failed to come forth and explain or teach things. So he drops the rag, tugs off a glove and rolls up his shirt sleeve. ] Even without counting that my family hasn’t built up much experience with practising magecraft compared to other families, or that my magic crest was removed, I wasn’t really born with the best capabilities that a mage could be.

[ Flicking the mental switch, mana flooded his magic circuits momentarily, an almost electric blue pattern raced up his arm under the rest of the sleeve before disappearing. It wasn’t impressive. The few lines that seemed to look something like you would see on a circuit board were rather thin. ] In my world, mages are born with magic circuits. They’re a system tied to one’s nerves. Circuits are often tested and ranked… So the more powerful the mage, the more circuit capabilities. I have among the fewest that can be had, so naturally I have a lower output than most.

[Thus, his description of himself seemed accurate. He’d mostly come to terms with it, even if he did still get the sting of jealousy every once in a while… Rolling his sleeve back down, he frowned lightly. ] Falling crystals…? That’s definitely different from this. I admit, I would probably have preferred that to the more accessible network. Then again, not knowing who has your memories could also prove complicated.

Some would say that means you should find a hobby, huh?

Edited 2022-11-17 19:49 (UTC)

[ He wasn’t unfamiliar with travelling between other planes, and it was sensible to consider that going home wasn’t as sure a thing as they were told… But having confirmation was disappointing. Sighing, he shook his head. ] Better to know it’s a more certain possibility than to continue to believe it’s not possible, so thank you for that.

[ Waver wouldn’t say it was necessarily a good reason so much as a practical solution to a problem… But Glen had seemed to let it go so very easily. ] I didn’t really have much in the way of funds at the time, I’d already spent everything I had on my tuition and boarding at the Clock Tower and the loan my friend gave me for the plane ticket didn’t go much further than that… So at the time it just seemed like a practical solution to pretend to be their grandson.

[ If anything, Glen probably saw some teenager that didn’t have anyone and took pity on him and his weird giant friend that showed up. Missing the family that they’d lost connection to themselves, and getting the idea that Waver might need someone in return. ]

Those are my thoughts as well, but family seems to be an odd thing sometimes…? I certainly haven’t had a hard time keeping in touch with them over the years, even with the distance.

Agreed, if things were that simple I expect the clock tower would be a different place… [ Instead it was often described as a pit of vipers, but it was the field he had chosen to try to make a difference in while he worked towards his other goals. The complications introduced by the Lordship definitely… hadn’t helped, in some ways. Now he had to deal with the other Lords more regularly, face to face, and they were all very like Kayneth.… Aside from Lord Inorai, perhaps, she was an odd one as they went… Still not trustworthy, but she had a keen interest in the modern world, more than most mages.

If it were a different time, like the age of gods, things might have been different… But those days were long over, and all they could do was look towards the next change whenever the balance of power shifted again. Waver wasn’t naïve enough these days to think that would happen easily, or even within his lifetime. ]

Some of it was likely due to a request from the three families and the church, there was an incident with the Caster who was summoned… [ Waver’s tone is one of disgust, he’d been the one to find the workshop. He was still haunted by that discovery, just as much as the night King Arthur came at them with the intent to kill. ] He caused many atrocities along with summoning a monster in the middle of Fuyuki River that nearly was beyond our abilities to stop… So many that the association had to step in due to the breaking of the laws concerning the secrecy of magic… But I believe the rest of it was obscured by the association due to someone pulling strings. I’m still trying to work that out, actually… [ He thinks it might have something to do with the person who stole Iskandar’s relic from him, but the professor doesn’t have enough information yet. ]

That’s a nice thing to think of. My students are all rather bright and forward thinking individuals. [ Mostly, but it’s clear by his tone that he’s more than a little proud of them and their progress. He’s not sure how much of an impact it would be, but it’s kind of her to suggest that. ] Thank you for saying so, Mitsuru.

Will you? [ That'd be interesting if he did! She seemed more than just a tiny bit amused by the idea at least. ]

Ah, 110%? How very sure. [ Said like someone who absolutely does not believe it. There was even a smirk on her face as she said it, though out of some vague amount of respect she did at least vaguely try to hide the smirk. She tilted her head a bit and then shrugged. She wasn't entirely certain if she believed it was just that it as just realistic but she'd go with it. ]

Realistic then. [ The tone says she doesn't quite buy it, but she does listen and watch. ] I see. That's quite different than how magic works in my world. [ Sounded a lot worse too. She folded her hands over her chest. ] So you're at a disadvantage but still try? [ A part of her was a bit impressed that he still kept trying even though. ] Wouldn't it have been easier for you to find a different occupation? [ If magic was based on these patterns and circuits that people were born with, then it seemed strange to pursue a career in something you weren't gifted at. ]

I preferred the crystals. [ she shrugged. ]

I have a hobby. [ Annoying him! ]

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Memory Share Broadcasts

action bc she's rude

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

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