Who: Chase and Kiley Where: Their room When: Mid morning, after the announcement
Before Chase even opened his eyes he knew he wanted a cigarette. Not the gross, stale things they'd been smoking at Zenith for the past few weeks, but the fresh, nearly limitless supply they'd had in the bunker. That, the engine, and the space the house provided were the only things he really missed. Well, that and blue dresses with garters.
For a few seconds he burrowed into Kiley's hair, then sighed quietly and rolled to the edge of the bed to pick up the laptop. He kept it plugged in on and resting on the floor on "his" side of the bed, pushed up against the wall. He supposed it would have been better to keep it on the nightstand, but he found that if he woke up in the middle of the night, and felt like checking the network (which he had, twice), this position was better to ensure that the glow from the screen didn't wake up Kiley. It was close enough to the head of the bed that he was in no danger of stepping on it at least. He didn't exactly know why he'd felt compelled to check last night, though he supposed it had something to do with his uneasy network conversation with Lennon the day before. He didn't really want to dwell too much on it, knowing that in the end he trusted his friend, even if he was worried. Even if he felt a little betrayed. Because Lennon and Lila had apparently hung out "a few times", and Lennon hadn't mentioned it once. They'd have enough interactions that, of all people, they'd pointed out each other in the sea of all Zenithers to give props too. And that didn't feel right. Not only because of everything Lila had done to Chase, but for everything Chase had done for Lennon. He was Lennon's friend, not Lila, but the way Lennon had avoided and shifted in the conversation unnerved him. And hurt. It felt less like Lennon just hadn't said anything and more like Lennon had purposefully avoided mentioning it. But what the hell did any of that even mean?
He realized he was wide awake and chewing his lip so hard that it was close to bleeding. Quietly, he reached for the laptop and opened it on the floor, despite the fact that at this point in the morning the light from the screen was likely much less abrasive than the daylight sneaking in through the windows. He saw the message from TPTB first, and reread it a few times just to make sure that it was right. Felix was Kiley's friend, right? The guy she hung out with sometimes? He gave his prize to everyone?
Minion, his brain chirped even before he thought that maybe someone should say thank you. Maybe he should. He could, and probably would, but would his cat count as a prize? His heart skipped a beat, then sank. Wouldn't Minion just be used against him? He'd get hurt, or worse, but Neptune had been around for a while and nothing had happened to him. Would Kiley mind a cat? They shared a room so it would be up to her too. He could feel his toes wiggling in excitement even as he reread the message for a fifth time, looking for any loopholes or indications that maybe he wouldn't be allowed.