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. )

[sends]

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

[video]

[callmegenius]

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

[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]

[hungryfor]

Pretty flowers!

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

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]

[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..."]

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[zanarkandbabe]

Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just bored.

[ He twiddles his thumbs in his lap while he contemplates something. ]

Dammit... What the hell do we do about this? We can't even reach them! And I definitely don't like the idea of walking on eggshells in a place where the..."gods" or whoever can just stab us for taking a wrong step.

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[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]

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]

[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.

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[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. )

[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]

[hungryfor]

It's all the activism. Gives a girl the good words.

[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]

[soldieringlife]

Must be it. What kind of activism?

[He has mixed experiences with activists, some of those he's known having been of the "destroy all humanity" variety, but there had been some good ones, too.]

Maybe we could use a little more of that, here.

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.

[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.

[video]

[lackstact]

It's just as I said: They're getting rid of them by sending them back home. So if you're too loyal, then it's a matter of time before they get rid of you too. [Just like in Raikou's case.]

All these gods. They're only fooling around with us. They don't care about us. As long as we're good enough entertainment for them, then that's all that matters. It's clear as day that these gods are manipulative bastards toying with us.

[At least, in her eyes they are. She'll never trust them!]

Good to see we agree on something, then. [A ghost of a smile will appear on her lips, but her sore mood appeared just as soon. Her thoughts were really on the situation. Along with her own duty as a member of the Shimizu family. Yeah, she was only in charge of keeping the balance between the Nabari and surface world, but she still felt like her duty was never over due to a technicality.] Yeah, I would've done the same too. After all, the job of the strong is to protect the innocent and all. As far as I know, the natives of this world are victims. I would've done anything just to help them more than the gods. [However, she'll look down sadly.] But now, I'm not so sure...

[Too many thoughts and responsibilities are beginning to clash due to her current situation and thoughts.]

[video]

[hungryfor]

Dead rights! [Peace sign time is go!] I'm a poster child.

And my partner takes me along on Chimeric Anti-Defamation League stuff sometimes.

[video]

[histories]

Zack, you must realize that typically gods do not interfere with the lives of even those that live in direct servitude of them. Blaming them for not helping us will not do anything but breed resentment against them.

Whether or not they are in control is not important, either. What's important is doing what we can.

[video]

[soldieringlife]

Sorry, I do blame them. I don't mind if people resent them, if they have a good reason to. If that's the case, there's nothing wrong with them being upset, and maybe they should be. [He's not about to let authority go unquestioned or follow it blindly, ever again. Not after what he's been through.]

They already interfered when they picked us out to bring here, and I know they can show up and talk, because people've seen them. Gods... [He shakes his head, thinking of Genesis' goddess.] I don't know what I believe about gods, or if I even believe they are gods.

It is important to know the truth, especially about the people in charge. It's not going to take away from good people doing the right thing and helping out.

[video]

[soldieringlife]

Dead rights? [That's the first he's heard of something like that, but hey, he can get with it.] If the dead are still up and moving around like you where you're from, sounds like they should have rights.

I never heard of a Chimeric Anti-Defamation League. What is it, exactly?