[Talk - Yusra]

The girl with the hijab kept her distance from me, but she didn’t seem quite as icy as the others. She smiled politely, but the way she fidgeted with her necklace betrayed her nervousness.

Yusra

…Hello. You’re another one with a talent, aren’t you?

Timaeus

Yeah, um, my name’s Timaeus. I’m the Ultimate Librarian…

Yusra

Oh, what an auspicious name! What opinions might you have on the origins of the universe, or the construction of matter…?

Okay, two people catching on could be a coincidence, but three was just getting weird.

Yusra

Yusra Samara, reserve course. I must be the only one here, then, without a Talent…

Timaeus

Well, the robot didn’t say anything about one, either… though I’m not sure it’s even a student??

Yusra

Yes… I don’t know what to think about that thing just yet. Creeps me out a little…

That didn’t seem to be the only thing creeping her out… Oh. Ishi was looming behind me like an overzealous security guard.

Timaeus

Uhh Ishi? I think you’re making her nervous.

Ishi

Wha… Oh! Sorry! Don’t worry, I don’t bite!

Timaeus

I-I don’t think that’s… Anyway! What are you studying, as a reserve course student? Or have you decided on a specialization yet?

Yusra

Oh… interior design, mostly! A little architecture, too.

Timaeus

That’s awesome! I wish I knew more about that kind of thing… the lobby in my library back home needs some renovating.

Yusra

Heh. Let’s focus on getting out of here first, yes? Wherever we are…

She pointed at the portrait on the door next to her. Though there wasn’t much detail in any of them, it certainly seemed to depict an orange hijab.

Yusra

Did you see these pictures? This one has to be me, right?

Timaeus

Yeah, I found one that looked like me, too. And the rest seem to match up with the others… I guess the kidnapper put them up?

Yusra

Don’t see who else could have. They even got the clothes right… A little uncanny.

Timaeus

Yeah, more than a little.

People don’t usually wear the same clothes 24 hours a day, and even those with strange outfits like Ishi or Michi had portraits correct to the last detail… But I guess that would only be useful information if there was a way to tell how old the pictures were. Everything here was so clean, it was impossible to guess an age…

Yusra and I chatted a little more as I worked up the nerve to talk to the others. I wondered how she got into the reserve course, whether it was talent (with a lowercase T) or money or family influence… But it seemed pretty nosy to ask right now!

I mean, it didn’t really matter, right? We were all trapped here just the same.