first; video

[labrador]

[ The man shown on the feed looks anxious and rather frazzled; while he holds his phone in one hand fairly steadily, the other can’t seem to stop messing with his hair, his fingers smoothing through it as though it will somehow help. It doesn’t. Keith can’t understand just what it is that’s happened in regards to this strange network; this is the only way he can think of to find out. ]

Ah, hello! I realise that you all likely have to put up with a lot of confused messages such as this. I apologise for adding to them. But, you see… I arrived in Locke City a few weeks ago, and have just started out as a police officer. But as I'm sure you can understand, things are rather…

[ Just before he gets to finish that sentence, he’s interrupted by a rather large golden labrador jumping up into his lap, and suddenly Keith drops the phone so that he can deal with the sudden addition to this broadcast. Eventually he speaks again, though his phone is now face down on the floor. ]

S-steady, John, steady!

[ A few seconds longer and a rather loud bark later: ] What I meant to say is that if someone could explain this current state of affairs to me, as well, I would be in your debt. I've never seen anything like this before.

Despite my confusion over this network and suddenly being able to connect in this kind of way, please allow me to help you, as well! I will do my best to serve you all in any way that I can. After all, as a police officer, it is my duty to assist the people of Locke City!

[ And perhaps someone can dispel him of some of his oblivious enthusiasm...? ]

Comments

[labrador]

[ As Keith slowly starts to read all of the information presented there, the colour quickly drains from his face. Once more it's all far too much for him to take in at once, but he honestly doesn't have much of a choice. He knows that. And yet it doesn't make it any easier for him to bear. ]

One... one of the numbered is modified?

[ That is the thing that sticks out the most to him at the moment. Kotetsu will likely earn himself more questions out of the blue like it as Keith slowly processes all of the information.

He's going to leave that last video for a little while, however. ]

[earnedmystripes]

[Another nod, and he takes a sip of his own beer.]

There's...three of us, actually. That are modified, I mean. One of 'em got her number after the modifying, the other two got them during a time they'd forgotten about the network.

[Pause.]

...That's a thing that happens sometimes, where people just all of a sudden forget everything about the network and their pulses and go back to the way they were before they got their number. It's happened to me before. I started leaving myself notes around the house about not going in to work if I can't remember a certain password, after that.

[It's 'old man' in Ancient Egyptian, because teenagers are terrible....]

[labrador]

But... but how could one simply lose all of their memories like that? And is it possible for them to return? Is there anything that triggers them to be forgotten about?

[ That is one of the most concerning aspects yet in Keith's mind, and it only serves to create even more questions than it answers. Not that it's Kotetsu's fault; he's doing the best that he can, and it's nothing that he doesn't appreciate, but it's also difficult to take in all at once. But he's trying his best not to overwhelm the other man with too many questions yet, even though he sounds scared. ]

[earnedmystripes]

We don't really know, on either count.

[More frustrating, unfortunate truths. Kotetsu was freaked out too, the first time he experienced re-reremembering after randomly forgetting for a week, nearly had a complete meltdown right there in the police station. It's how he found out Nick was on the network, looking back.

Another sip of the beer, and he leans back a bit in the couch.]

The only for-sure way to forget is to leave town.

[labrador]

It is not something that can be investigated?

[ Of course, he knows before saying that a solution would have been found by now if one existed. There are people who have been Numbered for a lot longer than Keith has, and he doesn't doubt they'd be onto something like that by now. The fact that there's no solution in sight worries him. What if something like that happens to him...?

Part of him doesn't remember what a normal life is like. ]

But it returns upon re-entering the city?

[earnedmystripes]

Not...really. I mean, when someone forgets, they don't just--have a gap, in their memory. It's like none of this ever even existed to them, like they've been living a normal life the whole time.

[He shrugs a shoulder, vaguely uncomfortable. The fact of the matter is, approaching people who've forgotten the network to try to figure out why they've forgotten is probably more dangerous than the possibility of forgetting in the first place. There's always the possibility of getting turned in for acting suspicious, after all. Especially with cops like them.]

And yeah, it does. I've done it twice now. [Beat.] Offnetwork reasons.