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[notsolomon]

This is William Twining. I shall reply to your message at my earliest convenience. Thank you. ***BEEP***

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[notsolomon]

[William listened to the explanation intently. So it was a computer that functioned the same as a high level magical grimoire and could turn anyone who had it into a high level sorcerer? That was incredible, beyond anything William could imagine. What would Mathers think of this? Did Kevin know about this?

When Kazuya offered it to him though, William blinked.]

You are offering to let me borrow it? Me? But it's so powerful...

[He wanted to take it of course, because it looked incredible, but this? This was too much for a first meeting.]

Are you sure that you are okay with lending it to me? With some of the things that happen here, it might be better in your hands. I do know some magic after all, so I am not completely defenseless.

[He just couldn't stand up to an actual demon, angel or demigod, or anything else like that.]

[belfire]

Ah, but that's why I'm lending it to you: because of some of the things that have happened here.

[Like "The Jungle". A few people had died there, and the predators that had prowled beneath that thick, green canopy had been dangerous enough to give even himself pause, and that terrible accident that claimed Ket's life... then, there was the volcano, or - wherever it was everyone else went to. This place was safer than the lockdown, true, but it was still dangerous. Kazuya could survive easily without his COMP, but William? The only person he met who was truly and honestly a kindred spirit? Well... it was a no brainer, really]

I can take care of myself perfectly fine without it, but you... [Kazuya gently closed the lid of his COMP] I understand your feelings, you know? To feel helpless while surrounded by creatures that are older and more powerful than you. I just want to give you a bit of a leg up, like I was given. It's only fair when your opponents are demons and angels.

[He smiled and held the COMP out, giving it a tempting little wriggle;]

Besides, I've outgrown this. If I face a high level demon without it, chances are I'll crush it underfoot without breaking a sweat. [Bold, but true. Mostly. If Lucifer popped his head back in, Kazuya would be destroyed, but against the likes of Beldr or Belzaboul or anything like that? Psh. He'll come out of it battered and bruised, but very much alive and on top] It'll serve better use with you. If it'll make you feel better though... just think of it as being a temporary loan. If I ever need it, I'll come and claim it back off of you. Sound fair?

[notsolomon]

[After a moment of consideration, William takes the comp and looks it over and smiles a little, because he is moved by this offer.]

Very well then, a loan. I will make sure to take good care of it in the mean time.

[Despite how dinged up it was, it looked expensive. Terrifyingly so, like all electronic devices were.]

And it is appreciated. I should ask Kevin what he thinks of it to make sure, since he might have his own ideas about it.

But, it might be nice to have on hand. Or even to study for a bit.

[If only Isaac was here. He would have delighted in this and probably have even been jealous. It would have evened the playing field between them. Though, when he thought about it, that wouldn't have given William much pleasure in the long run. He wanted their next magical duel to be one of equals.

Though for now, this was fine. Monsters didn't play fair after all.]

So does it need to be charged or anything like that?

[belfire]

It's got a decent battery life, but yeah, make sure to keep it charged. I've got a hand charger back in my apartment for it... I'll, er, give that to you later.

[When he remembered. You may need to send him reminders to go snag it - it was a pretty important piece of kit, after all! Electricity and plug sockets weren't going to be around everywhere you went!]

Anyway, open the COMP up. It'll need to register you, since you're a new user. It creates some sort of mental link or... something. I'm not sure, I don't really understand its inner workings all that much. Far too complicated and technical for me. [Oh... hold on...] Ah, but, when you do, be on guard. I'm not sure if the COMP completely reboots if someone new starts using it, so it miiiight spit out a demon as a "test". Don't worry, if that happens, I'll take care of it. It should only be a Kobold or something equally pathetic. After that, the COMP should work normally and you'll have unlimited power at your fingertips!

[notsolomon]

[Yeah he's gonna have to nag the living daylights out of you to get that vital piece of equipment, isn't he? Fortunately William is a pro at that sort of thing.]

...yes that would be useful to know, about a demon possibly appearing.

[William said dryly as he opened it up. He wasn't exactly afraid anything small like a Kobold though. He was fairly used to sprites and fairies by now. Granted, this probably wasn't the same thing.]

So do I just wait and it'll do this registration?

[belfire]

[Kazuya coughed, admittedly embarrassed at nearly forgetting that very important titbit]

Ahah... um, yeah. [He pushed up from the sofa, circling around the coffee table to boldly perch on the arm of William's chair, peering at the COMP. So far it was showing the menu that Kazuya had up before] Huh. That's strange. It should be- oh, there we go.

[Mid-sentence, the COMP's screens went black. This was quickly followed by a stream of nonsensical code spitting itself across the bottom screen at a speed too fast to properly read, while the COMP let out a bizarre, high pitched noise reminiscent to a computer fan]

Yeah, it's making the connection now and...

[Kazuya paused, and the moment he did, the code stream stopped and a coherent sentence appeared, which drew a rather exasperated noise from him:

Peaceful days are over. Let's survive.]

That still shows up? [Geeze, Naoya, could you be any more dramatic?] Okay, so, now, it should boot up the demon summoning programme. Or, er, attempt to. Hopefully nothing'll pop up and it'll go to the menu like usual.

[Sadly, that didn't happen. Instead the COMP began making a rather peculiar noise. It was like listening to a ye olde dial-up trying to connect to the internet, quietly screeching and making eldritch noises as it - presumably - attempted to connect to the server that was more than a world and a dimension away. After half a minute of this-

ERROR. COULD NOT CONNECT TO SERVER. COULD NOT CONNECT TO SERVER. REBOOTING. REBOOTING. REBOOTING... REBOOTED. INITIATING PROGRAMME IN OFFLINE MODE. SOME FUNCTIONS WILL BE UNAVAILABLE. PLEASE CONNECT TO BABEL SERVER TO ACCESS THESE FUNCTIONS.

And with that... ding. The menu from earlier reappeared, only with a few icons greyed out and inaccessible]

Yes, it worked! Hah, looks like you can't summon demons anyway even if you wanted to. Perfect. Well, go on then, explore it a little.

[notsolomon]

[Well that was an ominious message. And a really stupid one considering their situation here.

But still it seemed to be working now and William began to explore the menu.]

...it looks simpler than the Cerevice at least. But it seems like it also might be more of a pain to use.

[But, he's already beginning to understand it a little, being a genius and all. Still, he had better make sure he knows what's what.]

So which one would allow me to use magic?

[belfire]

[Kazuya watched William familiarise himself with the COMP, genuinely impressed. He was digging into it almost as fast as Atsuro, and considering he was from ancient England or whatever...]

Go to the folder labelled "Team". Your profile should be there. If you select it, it'll come up with your skill list, and you can equip them. When you do that, you just... know the spells. It's like... it's like the incantation pops into your head, and that's enough, you don't need to chant anything or prepare a circle or whatever. You just flick your fingers and the spell's cast instantaneously. It makes battles go really fast.

[notsolomon]

[Honestly, it was part of effort when it came to William using technological devices, and part genuine interest. He usually understood the mechanism behind such things or at least felt he might come to in the future. Unlike stupid, unwieldy magic.]

Very well..

[He selected it and began to tap on some skills. Hmmm, well he felt something change.]

This is almost frightening in it's simplicity.

[Yes, he was going to have to watch this COMP very carefully to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.]

[belfire]

Yeah, that's the problem with it.

[Kazuya paused, his expression becoming unreadable. The COMPs, while a massive advantage against demons, were dangerous. Especially during the lockdown, where everyone and their dog had one and society completely broke down. So many people murdered each other, for food, from fear, for ideals...]

Back home, they were mass produced and distributed to the wide public. It... it didn't end well.

[notsolomon]

...that sounds very grim.

[And the shift in Kazuya's expression said just as much. It was tempting to ask, but William didn't wish to force him either.]

I promise I will keep it safe. And I will definitely let Kevin know, so he can do the same, should anything happen to me.

[belfire]

Good. And, hey, if need be, you've got my permission to destroy it. It's a veeeery dangerous piece of kit you've got there, so treat it accordingly.

[Kazuya forced a smile, and clapped William on the shoulder briefly before sliding off of the chair's arm. He felt rather satisfied with himself, yet at the same time, he needed to be without company for a bit. Too many old wounds were poked in this conversation. But like hell Kaz would say that outright. No, time to make a dignified exit without rousing suspicion!]

Anyway, I better shoot off. I feel like I've overstayed my welcome. [He gave William a rather dramatic bow, with a great flourish of his arm - it was obvious he was attempting to imitate the Western bows of historical films (dramas)] Thank you for hosting me, future husband! The tea was good!

[notsolomon]

[Kazuya taking his leave was a little abrupt, that William would have questioned it, but well, a lot of import had been said. Enough as it was. He rose and nodded.]

For someone who breaks and enters, the conversation was rather enjoyable. Though speaking of that...

[He sighed, because really.]

You can just knock the next time you visit and come in through the front door. Neither I nor Kevin will mind.

[belfire]

Visiting someone by going through the front door? What a novel concept...

[Joking, of course - but, seriously, he was so used to breaking in through the window, that going through the front door did seem almost strange. He even entered his own apartment via the window sometimes!

...

Okay, thinking on it, that was kind of weird]

But I'll give it a try sometime, maybe. [He waved vaguely in William's direction, and moved away - towards the window of all things] See ya around, future husband! Say "hi" to Kevvy for me!