first reflection → video

[heartmirror]

[ The video opens with a closeup of Stephanie's hand, as she does her best to get it into place. When she eventually pulls back, she nervously tucks a loose lock of hair behind her ear and gives the steamgear a slightly awkward smile. ]

Um... hello, everyone! I guess I'[m a little late doing this, but I was looking for a place to stay... it feels a bit weird, just picking a house like this, but it's better than sleeping on the streets, right?

[ She picks up the steamgear and turns it, giving everyone a look of the apartment behind her -- it looks like a loft apartment, lots of bleached wood and sparse decoration. Once she's done, Stephanie sets the gear back on the table in front of her, still smiling nervously as she does so. ]

Anyway... I guess we're all stuck here for now. I don't know anything about fixing up computers or machines, but I'll do my best to help out.

But what I wanted to ask is... is there any way to get things... you know, fixed? Um, stuff we brought with us from home, I mean, that stopped working.

Comments

[uselessrabbit]

Ah, hello.

[ Reisen feels so incredibly awkward sending a video, but she knows she has to try to get to know people, even if her natural inclination is to find a place to just sort of hide. Natural prey instincts. ]

What sort of things do you need fixed? I know a girl who is a dollmaker, maybe she can help?

[heartmirror]

It's hard to explain! There's nothing really wrong with it -- I mean, there aren't any missing pieces or anything like that. It just isn't doing what it's supposed to do.

[ She gives the other girl a slightly awkward smile, managing to not look too weirded out by the ears. She's seen enough weirdness over these past few days, so she'll roll with it. ]

I think it's the same for everyone else's things, right...?

[uselessrabbit]

[ Reisen's so used to being around normal looking humans, that she forgets they might be surprised to see her ears. ]

I think I understand. [ She nods a few times sagely. ] I can't talk to my warren, and I can't fly or anything.

[ Everyone flies, it's totally normal to her. ]

[heartmirror]

[ f... ly...? Does that mean this other girl's a magical girl, too?

Well, the only way to find out is to ask, though she does sound pretty nervous as she speaks. ]

You can fly? Wh--while you're not here, I mean. Do you have any other powers, like-- like magic, maybe?

[uselessrabbit]

Of course I can! I'm not just a useless rabbit you know!

[ She hates being called useless! ]

Well, it's not really magic. I can control wavelengths of sounds and the visual spectrum. It's my special ability.

If you're looking for magic, then you should talk to Alice, she's a witch.

[heartmirror]

[ she's a rabbit? A sound controlling rabbit?

this place is just getting more and more confusing by the second. ]

That's... it's not exactly what I was looking for, but thanks for your help! [ slightly strained smile. ]

Who's... who's Alice...?

[voice only]

[miraculess]

Ah... I'm afraid I don't know. ...It depends on what's broken, I suppose...?

[voice]

[heartmirror]

It's um... well, it's not really broken, it's just not doing what it's supposed to do. It's a mirror, in a compact, you know?

[miraculess]

[a puzzled pause]

It isn't reflecting?

[heartmirror]

No, it is-- it's just not reflecting what it's supposed to reflect. Does that sound... weird?

I'm sorry.

[miraculess]

... It does sound a little strange, but I think that would only mean that it's in good company.

[heartmirror]

[ Stephanie laughs, though it comes out a little awkwardly. She's being laughed with and not at, right...? ]

I guess everyone here has something weird they've brought from home, huh...?

[deserve]

There are some here who know science. Enough to fix what's broken, I think.

[heartmirror]

That's good! I was worried we'd be stuck here forever, eheh... but I guess with so many people here, someone had to be able to fix something, at least.

[deserve]

Oh, I would hate to be stuck here forever. I enjoy traveling, as enjoyable as a place may be.

Are you enjoying your time here so far?

[heartmirror]

I'm not... enjoying it, exactly. I mean, it's not awful being here! It's just, I'd rather be back home, you know?

But I guess that since I'm here, I need to make the most of it.

[deserve]

That is a nice strategy. How do you make the most of something?

[heartmirror]

Hm... I'm....

I dunno.

[ awkward laugh. ]

I guess I'll just have to find whatever works for me and just go from there.

[spacecase]

Oh-oh-oh, what is it? What do you need fixed? I can fix a lot of things!

[No, she sees nothing wrong with going excited dog on a person she just met.]

[heartmirror]

You can?

[ Stephanie perks up visibly, looking hopeful. Maybe it's a little silly to expect someone to fix the mirror, taking into account the whole magical transformation item thing, but she might as well give it a try. ]

Can you fix um... m--magic... things?

[ she feels about six hundred kinds of awkward just saying it. ]

[spacecase]

Perhaps, if I tried really hard, but...[she frowns.] I'm so sorry, but I don't think your magic thing is broken, it's just the way things are here. I used to be able to use magic as well, but--[Jade snaps her fingers at the screen, but since she has no more Space magic nothing happens.] It's like that now.

[heartmirror]

Ahah... I thought as much. [ she gives a weak smile in response. ] I mean, everyone else's things have just stopped working, haven't they? So it's probably something to do with Veloxia.

[ she purses her lips in thought. ]

Maybe she can't make our things work while she's broken?

sorry for the lateness, feel free to ignore

[spacecase]

That's a good point! I would have not thought of it that way before, maybe when we fix her a little more, we can get some stuff back that is important to us!

[voice]

[lascivia]

Ah, I know what you mean, dear. But unfortunately... I do not think there is a way to fix things, just yet.

[ A shame, really. ]

As for the housing, well, the city is empty save the strange machine-people that inhabit it, so... I really don't think there's anything wrong with finding someplace for yourself.

[heartmirror]

Yeah, the robot... people? Are they robots? They kinda look like it...

[ it's only now starting to click that she's in some kind of sci-fi land. She's kind of used to the magical girl genre. ]

Even so, it feels a bit weird. Someone used to live here, it was someone's home. And now I've just... taken it over. You know?