001 // a very bear-y christmas

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Xiaolang Li shared a photo. 12/15 near Birch Hills

A general question: has anyone ever received something from Retrospec that was intended for somebody else? Or something you were certain WASN'T yours, even if the ticket said otherwise? Because I do have memories of a bear, but it definitely was not THIS one.

((pretend this bear is 100% handmade and doesn't have the Stieff logo or the name on it's foot, okay--))

Comments

[roseblooms]

I did, sort of. That is to say, I've received something that I'm certain doesn't belong to me, but that I eventually realized I had a sort of...connection to, regardless.

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I have my genuine doubts that this bear is connected to me, given what I remember. [Considering his memories involving Sakura so far haven't painted their relationship in the best light, he doesn't even consider she could have possibly made it for him-- or given it to him, for that matter.]

What sort of item did you receive, though? If you don't mind me asking.

[roseblooms]

A mirror. It was broken when I received it, and I couldn't for the life of me work out why someone would send me something like that, save for perhaps as some sort of twisted joke about bad luck.

What I found curious, though, was when people tried to take it from me, or suggested that I be rid of it somehow, I became...agitated, to put it lightly. I didn't understand why I had it in the slightest, yet I very much did not want to be separated from it, either.

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A broken mirror? I guess it helps with my idea that it's the smaller things that fall through the gaps of Retrospec's mail system, but-- isn't that dangerous? You could have gotten hurt from that. [... never mind that Retrospec has already sent people weapons in the past, which he is WELL aware of, but that just seemed more immediately harmful.]

... that is very... strange, though. Maybe it's our 'other self's' subconscious feelings for these items, but I didn't think that was something that could be a thing. I mean... now that I think about it, I don't really want to put this bear back into the mailbox, even though I don't need it. And I don't want to pass it on to some stranger, either...

--but you said you eventually remembered your connection to it, didn't you? What was it?

[roseblooms]

It was very dangerous. I haven't even taken it all the way out of the box, to be honest; with all the glass, it's safer to simply leave it in there, to catch any pieces that might get away.

As for my connection to it...well. It turns out it's not an ordinary mirror. Evidently when it was unbroken, it had the power to grant the bearer a single wish. Their heart's desire.

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... oh.

Do you think Retrospec possibly broke it, once they sent it to you? Not that I entirely believe that something like a mirror can hold the sort of power to do such a thing, but-- if it COULD do that, I can imagine it'd mess with whatever they're doing here to cause all of... this. The soul alignment nonsense and the unreality stuff.

Did the other you wind up using it? Ah-- I mean, if you already know what it does and all.

[roseblooms]

Oh...no, that's not Retrospec's fault. I remember it being broken, as well. Someone important to me did it, as I recall. His reasons would be a bit complicated to elaborate on without getting far too sidetracked with exposition, but...suffice to say, shattering it was a means to an end. It had nothing to do with the actual power of the mirror in and of itself, save that it was a mirror to begin with.

And...yes. He did end up using it. Tried to, at least, but someone stopped him.

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I don't mind exposition! If you don't, anyway. It might help me figure out something on my end, too.

[But also, he's kind of interested about it?? Sorry, Kit, it's not often he hears about other people's memories (save for those connected to him), so he'a rather fascinated by the whole thing. Granted, it's not hard to rope him into fantastical stories if they seem to have a nugget of truth to them. Though this is probably why you always get duped, Xiaolang--]

But why would someone stop you? Or, ah-- him? If it has the power to grant someone's greatest wish, why shouldn't they use it? I mean, unless there was a catch, or the forces behind it were too much.

[Or...]

... or if your other self's wish wasn't with the best intentions?

[roseblooms]

Ah, well — if you're certain, I'll do my best to at least keep this linear, then. Just a moment, however; I'm going to switch this conversation to a private one between the two of us, if you don't mind.

[And thus this becomes private;]

Let me start, then, by explaining that the mirror in question didn't precisely belong to my other self. It...came into his possession, to be sure, but it wasn't his. Quite understandably, the person it did belong to wasn't happy about having lost it, and thus sent someone to retrieve the mirror accordingly. That person, who came to retrieve it, was the "someone important" I mentioned.

My other self was happy enough to relinquish the mirror to him, as best I can tell. However, another acquaintance of his took objection to the attempt at retrieval, and picked a fight with that important person. In the course of the fight, the mirror's surface was shattered. And as I was watching the fight, though not precisely participating in it, I recall that happening.

As for your other question — let me ask you to reason something out for yourself. Suppose it were less of a "granting" of a wish, and more of an exchange — a "something for something in return" proposition. What do you think would be worth the granting of a person's greatest wish?

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Oh, um-- I don't mind. I didn't realize that was a feature on the app, so go ahead. [Granted, Xiaolang hadn't had much time to fool around with the Retrospec app since he got it, but it was good to know?? This way he could talk to Sakura in peace without worrying about people taking screencaps of his awkward duck moments with her coughPROMPTOcough

He reads through Kit's explanation thoroughly, a picture of the whole scenario forming in his mind, though the question at the end does give him pause. The concept of the mirror itself was kind of unbelievable-- there was no way such power could possibly exist, at least in this world, but theoretically...]

I suppose it depends on the scale of the wish. If your heart's greatest desire was something relatively small, like... maybe trying the best chocolate sundae in the world, then I can see the price being something that could balance the costs for the ingredients and the work. But for something bigger, like mass riches or eternal fame... I'm not sure what could be given to compensate for it. Your memories, perhaps? Or your soul, if you believe things like that actually exist.

... I will say both of the people in this story, your 'important person' and your acquaintance, were hugely reckless. If the mirror was as valuable and powerful as you say, then they should have taken more care in protecting it from getting broken. Especially the one trying to get it back.

[roseblooms]

You're fairly close in your latter guess, actually. And in your assessment of the person choosing to use it being "hugely reckless". As it turns out, the price for having one's heart's desire granted is the life of the person making the wish.

That's quite the trade, isn't it? To be granted the thing you want most, but with the guarantee that you won't live to see it come to fruition.