npc || amun [ @ hierarchy ]

[nightnpcs]

( ping ping ping. or, y'know, whatever your phone chime is. the face of a man who looks like he's never smiled once in his entire life appears on your screen. you may have seen him before, while you were busy surviving a storm or battling reapers. no matter. you might as well bask in his impromptu company now, because his appearances are few, and his indulgences even fewer. )

Allow me to make this clear. For those of you who wonder still: I am the Hierarchy. You do not come to us; we summon, invite, and hire. Order is of the utmost importance if you wish to survive, and time is of the essence. Do not waste mine.

( behind him, movement. if you squint, you may notice strands of greying hair near the door, though the person it belongs to remains off-screen. )

Your personal troubles are your own. If you expected us to hold your hand, do think again; there are far greater affairs to attend to, so do yourselves a favor, and look for soulmates. We've prepared an application for you, easily accessible from your device's home page. Should you need additional information, perhaps it's time for you to practice self-reliance.

I will not be answering questions.

( and the feed cuts, abruptly, without greetings or a name. )

ooc note

► Amun will not be responding, though you're absolutely welcome to react, comment and discuss amongst yourselves on this post! Other NPCs might show up!
► This is, more or less, Tinder for Soulmates o/ You'll find the permanent post (aka phone application) right HERE! If you're interested, simply fill out the form and comment on the post, and bam. Browse, swipe left or swipe right, and have fun! This is not mandatory.
► Forms and replies should be posted ICly (yes, even if it's located in the OOC comm -- you may choose one (1) thread for october's AC) .
► Another character may post in your character's stead. Additionally, feel free to have their Shadow influence their blurb!
► The application offers all the information your character needs to know! To recap: All that's required for another Restless to become your Soulmate is for them to enter your home, touch your Tethers upon invitation, and from then on, a piece of their soul will merge with yours, fortifying your Self. As a literal extension of your being, they'll easily gain access to your thoughts if you let them (or if you're careless), they'll experience your pains, fears, and joys on weaker levels, and their voice, touch and overall vicinity can become great soothing weapons against your Shadow. However. If two characters already share a powerful bond and one incidentally touches the other's Tethers, it's an accidental done deal. You may thank Naruto's player for this.
► You may have multiple Soulmates!
► If you have questions regarding the app, redirect them here!

Comments

[nagano]

You want a general definition or whatever the hell it is in the context of this place?

[telepathy]

yes

[ both, clearly ]

[nagano]

Nice. I don't know, the former is really subjective. Some people see soulmates as companions that transcend "typical relationships," whatever that is.

Others just use the word as a stand-in for life partners, lovers, spouses...

As for what it means here, I just detach my conceptions and think of it as a completely foreign term. Sounds like it's a "contract" we Refugees need to form in order to "survive."

Those are my guesses.

[telepathy]

survive isn't the right word is it

[nagano]

Scraping by is probably a better way to word it, if you want to be really cynical.

Assuming this isn't all a scam or another way for those Reapers to try and turn us into slaves.

[telepathy]

you too?

[ she didn't enjoy running into them. ]

we can survive alone. contract or not.
no one needs another person for that.

[nagano]

Yeah. I didn't take well to the shackles.

[ Not the warmest welcome, no. She came out way worse for wear than he did, though. ]

I don't disagree.

There are benefits to partnerships and working in groups, but if you can shoulder it alone then who's to tell you what to do?

However, it's important to take into consideration that if the asshole who was on the comms isn't just talking out of his ass, we may be putting ourselves at an unnecessary disadvantage because we're being distrustful or skeptical or thorough.

I want to see if I've got more options before I make my decision. I prefer to keep to myself, but if that's not a realistic way to get by in this hellhole, then I'll adapt.

Mm. Sorry. Got a bad habit of rambling.

[telepathy]

it's ok
it's helpful

[ besides it spares her the effort of having to talk back. ]

[nagano]

Feels like I just talk into the void sometimes.

I'm Kaito. I know it contradicts what we've just exchanged, but if you find yourself in a bind that you can't get out of on your own, you can contact me.

[ If he could read the sentiment in her emotions, he'd sympathize. He's a talker now, but growing up was a different story. The less he saw of other people, the better. ]

[telepathy]

why would you do that

[nagano]

Want the short answer or the silly and long-winded philosophical answer?

[telepathy]

both

[nagano]

I can do what I want.

That's pretty much it for the short answer.

I had a side job when I was alive, trying to help folks with their problems. Sometimes it was searching for lost cats, sometimes it was appeasing enraged spirits so they'd stop trying to kill humans who unintentionally fucked up and insulted their grave site or shrine or something.

Someone called me a philanthropist once. Didn't believe it, still don't. I'm just a weird guy going against the status quo by being a loner and helping other people.

[telepathy]

[ a lot of what he says resonates. he may have reacted to being a loner differently — not being able to stop talking, it seems, while mavis never really learned how to hold a conversation. but they are not so different. hm. ]

im mavis

[ she might, in fact, reach out to him. if she needs anything. not help. she's not going to telegraph weakness like that. but if she could use a partner, maybe. ]

[nagano]

[ He expects a lot of possible reactions. That she won't care, that she'll find his reasoning stupid, that she's just been stringing him along until she gets bored. There's a non-zero chance that s̷o̴m̶e̸o̶n̴e̴ has been planting a few of those expectations in his thoughts.

In any case, he's appropriately thrown off when she replies with an introduction.

It's not rejection, and it's not ridicule. Kaito knows loners. He knows the abrasive ones and knows the dismissive ones. The fact that his blabbering isn't driving her away seems... promising.

So for once in his life, he replies succinctly. ]

I'll remember that.

[telepathy]

whats a philanthropist

1/2

[nagano]

[ Oh, NOW you ask... ]

2/2

[nagano]

[ He's actually a touch amused that she saved the question for after introducing herself. ]

Hmm.

A philanthropist is someone who tries to do good for the sake of doing good. They are typically identified by their lack of ulterior motives.

Sounds rather unbelievable. Everyone has an ulterior motive. Or at least, that's what I would have told you when I was younger. Now? I guess it doesn't really matter. I'm gonna help people. Their opinions about my motives don't mean a thing to me.

[telepathy]

if they really dont matter why mention them at all?

[nagano]

Hm.

That's actually a pretty good question. It's not like I can unhear or unread their opinions. My abilities don't fall into the field of memory wiping.

I'll hear some pretty discouraging stuff sometimes... But if anything's going to stop me from what I want to do, it's going to be a reasonable argument. Not someone's opinion.

[telepathy]

[ she doesn't answer. it doesn't occur to her to wrap conversations up, first of all, but she also just sort of ... lays there thinking about what he's said. is it that different from her? she doesn't get many opportunities to help, but ... it still feels like the right thing to do.

why does he want to do it? is he also hoping it will change something?

it shouldn't matter, she decides. he's just someone who she can reach out to if she needs another body for something. better not to overthink it. ]