002 [video]

[soldieringlife]

[Zack's sitting in his room, and on the desk, close to him are some potted bright yellow flowers. They almost seem to glow with warmth, though there's nothing magic about them. They're exactly what they seem.]

Back where I'm from, we don't have this "Ides of March" story I heard some people talking about. Sounds like it's about a leader from some other world.

I sure am grateful to the gods for the history lesson, but I don't care to play games with people's lives and safety. To get loyalty, you have to give it. I'll gladly fight for a good cause, a good leader. If we're supposed to be fighting a war for them, why would they stab their own soldiers? [He laughs. The sound's a little rueful, a little cold, but a moment later, he glances briefly toward the flowers, and then his expression softens.]

That's a rhetorical question. It's not that I don't know that happens all the time, but I don't want to be a part of it. Do the "right" thing, you get a reward, do the other, you get it in the neck. [He's been there.] Are we not feeling enough emotions for them on our own, so they have to stir us up more?

Now look, I like getting presents from home as much as the next guy, but not at the cost of someone else getting hurt. I don't think the people we've left behind, the ones some of us got mementos of, would want that either.

Doesn't sound like the gods are out there listening to us, but if they are, I wish they'd at least explain, whether they're responsible or not. What do the rest of you think about it?

Comments

video

[zanarkandbabe]

[ Tidus is replying from the hospital and oh god he hates it there, so he's already a bit agitated from restlessness. ]

Wait, you're saying this is all because of that crazy old man from a few days ago? Well that's not fair.

video

[soldieringlife]

Apparently so. I saw a couple people on here saying that, and they seemed to know what they were talking about. And no, it isn't.

You doing all right over there? [He recognizes the hospital decor, having spent a fair amount of time there volunteering by now.]

video;

[orphean]

It's not ethical at all. [She's quiet for a moment; she's grateful for what she's given, but there are a lot of things about this that are bothering her.] Good people hurt for no real reason - it was hard for anyone to know that the Ides of March would be something that happened here.

video;

[soldieringlife]

[He nods.] No, it wasn't. It was cruel. And pointless.

Even those people who do want to help the gods--how were they to know they had to take that man seriously? There's lots of reasons not to trust a stranger, especially in a place like this.

I'd just gotten here, and I was listening to everyone and everything, but if I'd been here a while longer, who knows?

( video. )

[sends]

The people who were hurt... You believe it was done by the people who brought everyone here?

( video. )

[soldieringlife]

I think so. Based on what I've seen people saying, it looks like it.

It seems like it was a test. Anyone who talked to the old man and ignored him got stabbed, and anyone who listened to him had a present from home show up in their rooms.

I don't know who else could bring us presents from home but the ones who brought us here, and the gods haven't come forward to say anything about it.

[video]

[callmegenius]

That's some pretty deep stuff, man. Also makes me glad as hell I didn't get any gifts.

Re: [video]

[soldieringlife]

Ha, I don't know how deep it is. [He has to shake his head. He's not used to being "deep".] Just something I was thinking.

That's one way to look at it. I don't like knowing that somebody else paid the price for it, in a way.

Hope you didn't get hurt, either.

[histories]

I don't think it's appropriate to simply blame the gods for every single thing that has happened... Though indeed it wouldn't be appropriate to credit them as such, either. Putting it that way would only make our situation seem all the more hopeless, considering how it appears that everything is within the control of the gods - why not seize control instead, at least to some measure? Why not do what we can to prevent death, to protect those that are less capable of protecting themselves?

[video]

[soldieringlife]

[He nods agreement.] Right, like I said, they might be responsible, they might not. But I can blame them for not taking action or help us and not telling us what's happening.

I'm not going to rule out that everything might be under their control. [People in power don't strike him as trustworthy anymore.]

But even if it was hopeless, which I hope it's not, that's just what I've been doing and what I'll keep doing. My only loyalty's to the people here who need me.

[video]

[hungryfor]

Pretty flowers!

[Streeeeeetch. Hands go in pockets.] Power makes people suck.

[video]

[soldieringlife]

Thanks! [He manages a smile at this. It was good to see them, in spite of everything, though it's sad to see them, too.] I like them, too.

And I couldn't've said it better myself. You've got it in a nutshell, there.

video.

[battled]

[ She recognizes those flowers and it makes a little pang go off in her chest somewhere. Seems everyone looks to Aerith even when she's gone. Even Tifa has wished for her. Not just the one she's met here, but the one she remembers. ]

Zack... [ Stabbing their own soldiers. That's gotta sting. ]

I would like very much if the gods explained all of this to us, but from what people are saying, they aren't quite up front with answers. It's as if they don't want us to understand.

video.

[soldieringlife]

[From Zack's perspective, he's the one who's gone. He left Aerith behind, never kept his promise to her. But he smiles when he sees Tifa's face.]

Hey, Tifa.

[It does hurt, coming back to life, having to work once more for people who don't seem to care if those who serve them live or die, if they suffer or not.]

That's what it seems like to me, too. Since they have talked to people in the past, I know they can. But they don't.

How's Cloud holding up? [And of course, it's easier for him to worry about someone else, better than thinking about himself.]

[video]

[lackstact]

They're not only stabbing their own soldiers, but the idiots are also getting rid of the loyal ones too.

[Grumpy teenager was grumpy, but not at the man speaking, of course. She was irritated at the gods of this world. More than usual. So she'll speak in a guarded attitude.]

From what I can tell, these gods have the bad habit of scolding us while giving us information over the situation. Even then, they're vague on the specifics. I can give you information if you want, but I'm sure someone else can better explain it to you than I can.

[She glares a bit about the thought of someone being loyal to the gods. The very same gods she was beginning to hate day after day of being in Asgard.] Tch. Don't hold your breath. These gods will do nothing to help because they expect us to do all their dirty work. So you're stupid for even thinking of following them! Think more of yourself and your own survival!

[She'll add under her breath, almost barely audible to hear: "The rules haven't changed, only the strong will survive..."]

[video]

[soldieringlife]

Getting rid of them? What do you mean by that?

[He detects the grumpy teenagerness, but it doesn't bother him, and he doesn't blame her.]

I know a little about them, not that they've told us much about themselves, but I don't know why they'd do a thing like this.

Thinking of following them? [He shakes his head.] That's not what I meant. I might've, if they'd come to me openly and asked for help, and if they'd done the same for the others here. My loyalty's to the people here who need my help. I'm just saying they're not doing themselves any favors.

[He won't think of himself and his own survival first. He thinks of what Angeal had done. Whether he'd been right or wrong, he'd done it to save everyone.

And again, Cloud had been hurt, and he hadn't been able to do anything to help him.]

I'm thinking about everybody's survival.

video;

[orgiamode]

I agree. I haven't been here long, but... there are many answers to questions they owe us. It's not exactly fair that we cooperate with them and their mission while we suffer with such little information.

video;

[soldieringlife]

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. I'm sure there are a lot of us who'd help willingly if we were asked and given some answers.

I haven't been here long myself, but I don't like a lot of what I've seen so far. It's not fair, and it's not right.

[nofarplaneyet]

*Auron tried to follow along with the story. It seemed like he was missing some key information somewhere.*

Did something happen here recently? I just arrived. Still figuring everything out.

[soldieringlife]

Hi there, welcome. [Zack gives a wave.] I haven't been here long myself, but yeah, it's been a busy week. Let's see, I'll try to explain... [He thinks for a second.]

This might sound weird, but first of all, there was this old man walking around, warning people about the "Ides of March", which I'd never heard of before. If you listened to him and asked him what it was all about, he'd say something about a betrayal.

After that, these animals started showing up, birds and lions. Sort of like--signs? [Zack doesn't quite understand it all.] And finally, one day, everybody who didn't listen to the old man got stabbed. Just like that. By someone who looked like somebody they trust.

[video] hello

[hydeandseek]

_{[Okay, so Kyle hasn't been unaware of what's going on - but he doesn't have any details. And this seems like a guy he can ask about it.]}

I've heard about these stabbing incidents. What's the story?

[video] hello there!

[soldieringlife]

Okay. This doesn't make a lot of sense, but then, what does, here?

I might not be the best one to explain it, but as far as I can tell, an old man showed up and talked to a lot of people, with a warning about these "Ides of March". When I asked him what it was all about, he said something about a betrayal that was going to happen soon.

As it turns out, those who didn't listen to him ended up getting stabbed. Just like that. By someone who only looked like somebody they trust, so it wasn't a real betrayal, but it seemed like it.

Those who did listen--got a present.

video

[selfestheim]

My thoughts exactly.

[he really couldn't have said it better himself.]

video

[soldieringlife]

Hi, Hope. [A small smile.] Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so.

[He just wants to do what's right, but lately, back home and here, what's the "right" thing to do hasn't been so easy to figure out.]

And now I'm not sure what to do about it. I don't want to stand by and watch my friends--or anybody--get hurt and do nothing.

[video] sob late

[starryguyed]

I'd like to know whether they were or not, too.

[ it's all Tsukiko can say, subdued and tired, but so frustrated, because no one had expected this, and no one (as far as she was concerned) had deserved it. ]

[video] it's ok, i went on hiatus anyway!

[soldieringlife]

We won't know for sure unless they tell us, but--I can't help but think it seems suspicious.

[He sighs. He shares her frustration, especially because--he just doesn't know what to do.]

video

[amant]

[Oh, a conversation on the gods. France has a few things to say about that matter, he does... though, he's got an opinion on just about everything. Have a Frenchman looking casually aloof. At the situation, not you darling.]

If there is one thing I know about the powers that be, it is that they are rarely kind. It is a universal, apparently.

video

[soldieringlife]

No, you're right--I'm with you on that.

[He doesn't have anything good to say about the powers that be back home, that's for sure, but he smiles in spite of it.]

This is only my second universe, so maybe I'm not the best judge, but I doubt anybody here can prove us wrong.