WEEK 1

[strangerpeople]

WEEK 1

[You now know why you're here, Titled. The question now is, is there a way to get out of here without invoking the rules? What will those who brought you here do to get you to kill?

Time will tell.

There are fifteen strangers in this place.]

Comments

[byanyother_name]

Ursula, then. You're welcome to call me Shuuichi as well.

[He looks pleased to see the rose. As he reaches for the photograph and looks at it to confirm, his expression shifts slightly. His friends... He still doesn't know what, if anything, has happened to them. The sight of them all together and happy is enough to crack that hard knot of repressed worry.

It's enough that pain darkens his green eyes and tightens his face visibly until he manages to push it back down.]

Not precisely. It doesn't work quite the same way where I come from. But I do have abilities outside the norm, or did before I was brought here. My particular talents were in working with plants.

[theirmagic]

[ She does notice how he seems to look. As much as he tries to hide it, she can recognize that picture clearly brings him some pain. ]

... A-ah... well, that doesn't make you far from our magic, then. All magic starts in the natural world, and it ends there, as they say. Some of the greatest witches in the world eventually became plantlife.

[ She pauses. ]

Are they your friends? The ones in the photo.

[byanyother_name]

[He is trying to hide it very hard but it's a harder emotion to control than most.]

Intriguing. I've never heard of anything like that happening where I am from. My power is ki-based, from my own personal energy, but it aligns with the plants and nature because that is what suits me.

...yes. These are my friends. We've been through a great deal together and my last memory before waking up here was of being with them. [His finger brushes over the three other males, specifically.]

[theirmagic]

... I can see why the photo and the rose are both important to you, then.

[ She pauses, placing a hand on her arm. A nervous gesture, maybe. ]

I'd like to return to my students, too. They mean a great deal to me. I hope we can all make it out of here.

[byanyother_name]

Yes... It's good to have them back. Thank you for returning them to me, Ursula.

[He is trying to make this smile look something other than sad and kind of failing. But he's trying. He just...is having an Emotion right now.]

We will. I won't accept any other outcome.

[And there is steel in those words, usually kept hidden under Shuuichi's soft smiles and kind looks.]

[theirmagic]

You're very welcome, Shuuichi.

[ A bit less formal, if only because, well... she can see that expression. He needs a friend right now. She hopes he doesn't mind if she just... gently places a hand on his shoulder, or attempts to. ]

... If you ever need someone to talk to while we're trying to figure out how to get out of here, you can come talk to me. My door is always open. And I can certainly say that I won't judge you.

But I do have to ask... you didn't really deny what I asked earlier. Your profile is a bit strange. Would you... be willing to perhaps tell me why that long age is listed as it is, since you said it works differently? I don't want to jump to the conclusion of you not being human, since my Professor is someone who had been around since the Golden Era of Magic, for example, so...

[byanyother_name]

[He lets her do it. There's a heavy tension in the muscles under her hand, though it eases very slightly after a moment.]

I appreciate the offer, and I'll keep it in mind. I think there will be points when all of us will need someone to talk to...

[The rest is skirting very close to things Kurama doesn't tend to share, though. There's something in his green eyes as he looks at her, something that makes it very easy, all of a sudden, to believe that this person is over a thousand years old.]

This body is human. It is also genuinely sixteen years old. I was reborn into it, to a human mother that I care for very much. But much of what makes me the person I am is of that second age, and not human at all. ...I don't remember what drove me to such a drastic measure. I think it's one of the things that was taken from me when I was brought here.

[theirmagic]

I... I see.

[ She frowns. ]

Your mother must mean a lot to you, then. I hope you can return to her. We'll have to work hard to make sure that happens. I believe it will, with absolute certainty.

[byanyother_name]

She means everything to me. That's why I also believe completely that we will return to our homes.

[theirmagic]

I can quite understand. I have to return back to my students, no matter what I need to do. We don't get the things we wish for, we get the things we work for, after all.

[ A very good thing taught her that. ]

So we'll work hard to make sure that happens. You can count on me to try my hardest to get us all home.

[byanyother_name]

No wish comes without a price. [He should know.] Work is one of the kinder ones, all told.

And I do believe that. I appreciate it. I'll be doing my best as well.