applenet | COUNTDOWN: THE SMALL VOICE THAT RINGS OUT

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COUNTDOWN: THE SMALL VOICE THAT RINGS OUT

Seven days remain. Or so it would seem. Somehow you might not still be convinced. This is all just a strange coincidence, but to go as far as to claim that you have other memories... can it?

But things have already been set alight inside the hearts of those chosen few who have received the app on their phones. For some, it's just the first bite of the apple. For others, it's been like shaking down an entire tree. Things are beginning to look... strange. Surely there are more burning questions on their minds by now.

The warning bells of the Nightly Curfew ring across the city. There's a faint hum from the phone this time before the icon appears. This time it displays a time: 1:00AM

The rest of the night is normal. Perhaps you've cuddled up with family, or you've gone to bed early to wait, but sure enough, time tick by right until 1 in the morning when...

You're back into that application again. A single question before you're even permitted to type anything else. And while it seems to be overwritten by something inside of you, it feels a lot more natural than before. Which is, truthfully... troubling.

WELCOME TO THE FINAL QUIZ!
Answer from the heart, the part of you that has been denied for far too long.

Do you want to remember?
Yes | Hell Yes| Definitely | Of course I do!

And yet, a tiny little font at the bottom. A bit hard to miss but if you hover your finger over it will answer for you...

No. Not yet...
Once you are done, you are tossed once more into the main chatroom. Now your user names are the names that you wrote down in the last survey, but with all those questions it's... hard not to think of them as your own. Maybe you'll be cursing at this device, but it looks like you're already deep down the rabbit hole by now.

[OOC: This is the final network post before Awakening. Users will now be able to speak of who they are in their AU life without the information being blocked by the application.

As a note! Characters who select "no" will not need to Awaken next week and will be able to delay to later. Instead, the character will be able to proceed with logs as a Pre-Awakened, be aware of certain issues happening in the city, however their memories will not be complete and they will be unable to fight back (apart from their own weapons). Note that they will be unable to use a Persona until they fully Awaken. There will be more details to follow, if you pick this option.

As always, while they will not get any new on their own, speaking with Luci might grant the Awakened more memories... be careful that they don't get more than they bargained for.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

too bad

[and just like that, Vincent's putting his shoulder to the bedroom door opposite the couch and letting himself in with far too much force and drama than is necessary. it's harder to hide from someone ten feet away, isn't it.]

[Kit would have been lying if he said he didn't expect Vincent to come storming into his room after such a conversation. As such, he didn't jump when the door finally flew open and banged against the wall. Instead, looking up calmly from his phone from where he sat on his bed, back against the headboard, Kit said tiredly...]

...you knocked loose one of the eyes.

[And pointed at the googly eye sticker on the floor that had previously been attached to the doorknob, its presence giving it the appearance of a cartoonish and perpetually surprised face.]

[...ah, yes. one of the many little quirks Kit possessed in the safety of his own home that drove his impromptu roommate insane. he looks down at the googly eye staring innocently up at him and seriously contemplates stepping on it; instead he merely gives it a gentle kick, sending it skittering under the bed to make for a slightly inconvenient retrieval later.]

Make it an eyepatch, then.

[somehow he doubted that the thought hadn't crossed the other boy's mind at some point. he seemed like the sort of grating personality who'd dress up his furniture for holidays.]

I'll consider it.

[Guess what, Vincent? The next time you see that doorknob, a black marker eye patch will be occupying the place of the missing googly eye.

Which was left for now under the bed, because Kit knew better than to turn his back to his guest when the other boy was in one of his moods.]

Was there something you wanted?

[wow, guess who's going to be hit with a rental fee whenever his dorm is inspected at the end of the year. that's one expensive passive-aggressive jab.]

What the hell are you driving at?

[he cuts right to the chase, not even bothering to pause long enough to provide context. Kit ought to be able to decipher his replies on his own by now. instead he stalks further into the room, settling down like a flighty bird of prey onto the edge of the other boy's bed. his foul look never abates.]

[For a moment all Kit did was watch Vincent, puzzling out what he meant and why just by taking a deep look into his eyes. Unfortunately, it wasn't a look that made things easier.

Vincent didn't have the same desire that he did to Awaken. Thus, he wouldn't understand why it was something Kit wanted. They shared a belief in the occult, but Vincent had a life worth holding onto...

Kit didn't. And what was worth anything would be taken care of by Kurama. He'd seen enough in his visions to know that. His 'life' would be in good hands. Better hands than his own, even.]

This is what I want. That's all.

That's not what I mean.

[while he had absolutely no desire to forsake himself, the most priceless treasure he owned, Vincent could at least understand another's desire to do so. wasn't that the dream of nearly every unhappy teenager? to shed their lives and ascending to something more meaningful.

(just the thought makes him sick)

what he couldn't wrap his mind around was what Kit believed he'd receive from Luci's attention. the voice behind their frustrations had proven himself time and again to be cagey at worst and uselessly vague at best. there could be nothing but humiliation in store for him.

so what, then, was he aiming to do with this..?]

[Oh, for crying out loud...]

I have nothing to lose by asking, and everything to gain if he responds and grants me what I want. It's that simple.

[He wasn't concerned with rejection. A refusal to give him what he desired didn't leave him in a worse position than he was in now, it just left him in exactly the same spot.

And even if Luci would attempt to humiliate him for asking...hadn't he said great risk yielded great rewards? This was worth it to him.]

Tch.

[his gaze grows even more irate, if such a thing was possible, and Vincent shakes his head viciously. for someone so smart, Kit really did seem to repeatedly fail to consider safety precautions for himself.]

You're painting a goddamn target on your back.

[and that bothered Vincent because...because what? because he lived with him now, he supposed. any malevolent forces seeking out the obvious weakness and desire here would certainly not balk at the chance to consume two marked people such as themselves.

that's what he thinks, anyway. the other possible explanations were simply too far-fetched.]

[Without fail, Kit met Vincent's gaze and held it, his own piercing and yet also lacking in any of the other boy's irritation.]

Someone has to, yes?

[Civilizations evolved by being willing to take chances and make mistakes. Without people who were willing to be pioneers, no progress would ever be made. That wasn't something Kit could tolerate. He wanted...to be better than he was, and to do something worthwhile. So why shouldn't he be the one to take those first steps?

It wasn't as if he hadn't had a target on his back all this time. Or all his life, even.]

If you're worried about backlash...I can go someplace else.

[The curfew didn't matter to him. He knew how to come and go unseen, and besides...there were plenty of places around campus where he could carry out his business at no detriment to his guest.]

I'm not worried. It's just annoying to be associated with someone so embarrassing.

[someone had to take those big steps into the unknown, yes. the most common term for them was fodder.

let the expendable others on that godforsaken network prod and poke the invisible beings which ruled their fate and bring down the lightning. infuriating as he was, Kit was also far too good for such pointlessly reckless behavior. even if right now he wanted to put his head through the desk.

but that's why despite the sharp way he rebukes his companion, Vincent makes no attempt to accept the offer of throwing the other boy out until things resolve himself. if he went elsewhere then he couldn't keep an eye on him easily.]

There's a simple solution to that problem.

[Kit enjoyed Vincent's company. He enjoyed it far more than he had allowed himself to enjoy anyone in a very long time. What's more, they were friends and 'partners' in their other life, their threads of fate intricately woven together, and the depths of their trust for one another fathomless.

Despite that, Kit would not fault the other boy for leaving if that was what he wanted to do. He'd made it clear the first night Vincent stayed that he was welcome to leave, and the same freedom applied to associating with him.

Fate might have had one thing in mind for them, but they were both fighters, both of them determined to be masters of their own destinies. It was easy to cut ties with someone...]

[for a long stretch of silence Vincent merely holds the other teen's gaze, expression void of anything - including the ire which had populated it just moments before. with so little to go on it's difficult to say if he's contemplating or merely dragging things out for the weight of it all.

eventually, he speaks.]

There is, but apparently you're allergic to common sense.

[it was more than easy to cut ties with someone. especially someone who, despite their swift rapport, could really only be termed an oddly close stranger at this point. after having made his point clear the first night he'd stayed here, Vincent knows that there's nothing holding him to this place, this boy.

but he never was particularly good at following the orders of others. whether he'd allow himself to embrace the true reason behind the decision or not, he was here for the long haul. Kit would need a scalpel and more than a few bottles of whiskey to remove him now.]

[For several minutes Kit was also silent. He knew that he sometimes lacked common sense and was a little too willing to sacrifice his well-being for the sake of progress, but he didn't know how to be any other way.

Why was it so hard for the new people in his life to accept that? He'd had no trouble with being able to do as he pleased in his youth. People seldom grew attached to him, and even less frequently tried to argue with his reasoning. His 'logic' was accepted along with his leadership, his ability to enforce his beliefs helping to keep people in line as opposed to in his way.

But now...in attempting to appear normal, had he actually let down his guard so far that people had slipped through the cracks?]

This is an impossible situation, you realize that, right?

Maybe for you.

[it seemed perfectly resolvable from where Vincent was sitting. his roommate could either back down and not engage with Luci should the little imp actually decide to grace him with conversation, or he could go through with it and slap that EVISCERATE ME sign on his back.

and if it was the second option? well, that was easy. he'd just have to deal with whatever came hunting himself before it ever had the opportunity to lay so much as a talon on the other boy's door.

he didn't understand friendship, or fondness. everything was categorized into usefulness, and it was rare that anyone found themselves able to measure up. Vincent can't connect his actions with the desire to protect someone from their own bad decisions, and so his mind doesn't even try. from his perspective this was simply keeping his free meal ticket functioning.]

[Kit would not back down. Vincent had to know that.

He had tempted Fate again and again every day since they'd met, never balking at the repercussions for the decisions he made. If there was pain, he endured it. If there was hardship, he labored through it. He'd hurt worse. He'd struggled to overcome greater obstacles. In fact, feeling life push back at him so violently reminded him that he was alive.

He wasn't afraid of being a target. He wasn't afraid of being hunted. In fact, he was of the opinion that the only way to keep himself out of the crosshairs was to remain a step ahead of his opponents. To always ask questions. Always be seeking answers. Be willing to dig for clues and get his hands dirty if that's what it took...and to be the hunter. That was how one survived.]

I can't give you what you want.

[that was how one survived only if they had caution, power, or both. Vincent's submerged himself in the ugly side of Hagu long enough to know that people with the sort of breakneck ambition that his partner carried rarely possessed either in large enough amounts to carry them through. lean too heavily on the edge of life and eventually it would bleed you dry.

their encounters had taught him that Kit hardly lacked for caution - but he'd also learned that it could easily be scattered to the four winds if he was riled up enough. the way he was now, bullheadedly smashing against the glass ceiling for no reason other than impatience, was in many ways the most senseless he'd ever seen him. if the sight didn't prick at him in strange ways he might even call it fascinating.

Vincent shifts before he replies, chuckling lowly and moving to lean against the headboard of the bed. it seems that he's planting himself for the long haul, or at least to be obnoxious.]

You make it sound as if I've never fought you before.

[it was fine if Kit wasn't willing to give him what he was asking for. Vincent was more than willing to take it from him.]

[Kit stared as the other boy settled into the remaining space next to him on the bed. They were shoulder-to-shoulder, at least until he felt compelled to pull his limbs in closer, knees drawn to his chest, and arms draped over top of them. His phone dangled limply from one hand, the lit up face now and then flickering with life, but whatever activity seemed to be taking place on the app seemed to be very far away from his current train of thought.

He wasn't even looking at his phone or even Vincent anymore, but some point across the dimly lit room. The hollow of the bathroom doorway, or perhaps a blank spot on the wall. Anywhere and everywhere that couldn't stare back at him. Or worse, stare into him.]

Is that what you came in here looking for? A fight?

[if the other boy senses his unease, then for once he chooses not to press upon it. instead Vincent unfurls his limbs, stretching out with all the ease and comfort one would visit upon their own bed.]

You're the one who said I was always trying to start trouble.

[an answer without a real answer. he's glad for how easily they come to him, and almost grateful to Kit for providing the perfect words to fling back at him in order to keep this intrusion from feeling out of the ordinary. antagonism was nothing new to them. it made perfect sense that he'd pursue the other boy into his room in order to continue squeezing him on this subject.]

You and everyone else. It's tiresome.

[But, despite his reluctance to look at either one, he was neither relinquishing his phone nor shoving Vincent off his bed and towards his bedroom door. For better or worse, the problematic people who had weaseled their way into his life were also repercussions he had to accept and learn to deal with. And in Vincent's case...

Even when the other boy's presence was disconcerting it was still somehow a comfort.

It was the strange amalgamation of those two very contrasting feelings that left Kit feeling even more tense than before, however. And with curfew having long since fallen and no academic work left unfinished to pour himself over, he was left without a means to channel his frustration.

He almost wished Vincent hadn't stopped at busting the door open. No, he did wish for that. Having anything else to think about other than the thing that was stolen from him and was being denied. That's what he needed.]

What's stopping you, then?

[it was a strange turn of events indeed: Vincent never thought that he'd find himself in the position of level-headed and obnoxiously amused while Kit did everything short of swinging a punch to start a brawl. there's certainly something entertaining about the unexpected reversal, but he can't saw that he cares for it. it's almost enough to coerce him into granting the other boy's wish.

almost.]

You, mostly.

[he tilts his head to the side to stare more fully at his bedside partner, heedless of the fact that it won't be met. there's something equal parts sardonic and sincere in the way he cocks an eyebrow.]

Your head's not in the right place for it.

[you're making a demand of him. hot-blooded as he was, Vincent couldn't stand being used as a vehicle for other people's desires. he'd refuse even a fight for that.]

You too?

[There was an sort of empty humor to Kit's voice along with what sounded a good deal like fatigue; whether the latter was due to the late hour or his exasperation at his current situation, it was impossible to tell.]

Deciding things for me...

[His whole life had been full of people like that. Teachers, the sea of foster parents he'd had, the first gang he'd been a part of, and corrections officers. They kept coming, people who thought they knew what was best for him and disregarded what he wanted or what he said he could do.

He could force a confrontation. He knew ways to get Vincent's blood boiling.

And yet...he chose to do none of things, instead opting to turn away from the other boy and stretch out on the bed, only with his back to Vincent and his face to the wall. If he couldn't fight and he had nothing else to keep himself busy to distract him from his frustration, then perhaps trying to sleep was his only option.]

You decided that for yourself. Don't get pissy when someone points it out.

[the only choice that Vincent had made here was the save his companion the embarrassment of having his denial physically beat out of him. his temper was always bobbing close enough to the surface that it wouldn't take much to break him out of this strange humor and into a fight, but for the moment...well, he had too much respect to solicit what would only be a sad, sorry distraction out of Kit.

either he recognized that or was simply lacking in the energy to goad him into battle. whatever the reason his sulking decision to attempt sleep was bizarrely endearing to his bedmate. it takes everything Vincent has within him not to laugh, and that's at the price of being unable to wipe the grin off of his face. thank god the other boy was facing the wrong way.

content that the conversation seemed to have been settled for the time being, he readjusts himself against the headboard. he'd drift off to sleep when he was ready, but for the time being it seemed more comfortable to wait until Kit himself had fallen asleep.]

[Although he had grown quiet and still, and although he had even closed his eyes, Kit had not drifted off to sleep. He was waiting. For the soft promise of Vincent's breathing. For the chance to check AppleNET again without raising suspicion. And for the opportunity to speak directly with Luci and plead his case.

When the time came, he was relieved to learn that, despite how dangerous it would be, what he wanted wasn't impossible. An early Awakening was within his reach. Not the power that came with it, but the part that mattered most of all: his memories.

Knowing that it would be the last time he saw Vincent this way and with his own eyes was nearly enough to convince him not to go. But the call of his long lost life and true identity gave Kit strength. He couldn't remain. He would never be content to wait and continue living a lie. He would never forgive himself if he didn't try...

...and by the time he did return, after a long and arduous night and an experience that surpassed painful, it was nearly dawn.

The door clicked shut softly behind him, habitually locked. It seemed that with remembering some things, he hadn't really forgotten any others. Miraculously, there was space enough inside his head for not one, not two, but three different lives. And it was the most complete he'd felt in a long time.

Probably, that was something that Hiei would understand, but Vincent was another matter. As Kurama made his way toward the bedroom, silently peeling off the jacket he'd left in, he wondered how long it would be until his friend erupted. How much time did he have left to enjoy with him, since now he was only pretending to be Kit Florentine?

Would he wake him if he tried to crawl back into bed?

He didn't want to so instead, in order to be close to Vincent without disturbing his slumber, he pulled out the chair at his desk and sat down. He would work on a new entry for his notebook: Digitalis Purpurea. Purple Foxglove. In memory of who he had used to be...]

[without any outside disturbance, it's several more hours before Vincent rises. he'd been a live wire earlier in the evening when he'd started that confrontation, but the tension and foreign feeling of anger borne from concern had worn him out more than he'd expected. with the worries in his mind temporarily buried in the subconscious, he looks peaceful as he sleeps.

for a few moments after awakening, he still looks innocent. it's only after blinking several times at the ceiling does he realize the mysterious thing he's missing is Kit's presence next to him, prompting the boy to shoot up as if he'd been electrified. when he turns to find the cause of his alarm sitting sedately at his desk, his face falls back into the familiar surliness.]

Tch.

[is literally all he has to say right now, running a hand through his mussed hair with equal disdain. without having been woken during the night and with Kit sitting right there, he has no reason to suspect that anything is amiss yet. for the moment, he has no intention of checking that thrice-damned network until after breakfast.]

Hiei ⚔ Andras

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This is based on discussed details, but we may still need to retcon some stuff after this point...

like anyone's even going to know if we fuck up and leave it