⒉ video

[brighthearted]

[ Things have really changed since she got here.

She still remembers Keine's words - about trusting the gods who have done them no real ill - and feels very naïve, and wonders what the other is thinking now.

Her face is very grave as she turns on the video to address the whole city. What she's about to say might get her in trouble with their unkind patrons, but she's ceased to care. ]

... it's become clear to me -- and, I think, to many of us -- that the gods of Asgard are not our friends, and they can't be trusted. They're willing to hurt us, bully us, and even kill us just to get what they want, and they'll do it over and over. They said as much to me themselves. In fact ... I hate to say it, but I think we need to consider them our enemies, and plan accordingly.

[ She shuts her eyes for a moment, in deep and troubled thought. But she is calm, and unafraid. She opens them again, and there is steel in every aspect of her. ]

To be honest, I'm not too sure what that means. It's a big task to undertake, and possibly a dangerous one. But I think what we can do is try to be ready for anything. That means working on our powers, on self-defense, and possibly even a warning system. Maybe a designated safe-house for anyone who can't fight. I'm open to ideas.

... thank you for your time.

[ added several minutes later: ]

One last thing. I am aware that saying these things might make me a target for the gods, if they're willing to go that far to punish us. But I wouldn't wish that on anyone else. Please, even if you agree with my belief that they are our enemies - think twice before admitting as much.

( Private to: Sora, Riku, Naminé, Roxas, and Ven )

I'd like to speak to all of you. Soon, and in person. You especially, Ven, Riku. But I expect all of you to come. No buts, and no backing out of it.

[ Is she upset? ... yes. All this death has been too much. ]

Tomorrow, in front of Odin.

Comments

[Filtered; audio]

[faints]

Even me...?

[Filtered; audio]

[brighthearted]

Yes, Roxas. Even you.

[ With some small humor. It may be only voice, but she can still tell him apart from Ven. ]

video;

[darkbreak]

I know there was someone... Merlin I think his name was, that was thinking something along those lines. At least about a second hospital.

[Private]

[He knows he should probably sound a little more polite, but... a lot of her talk has him worried and feeling anxious.]

A meeting for what?

video;

[brighthearted]

That sounds like a good idea. If he doesn't contact me here, I'll seek him out.

[Private]

A lot of things. But I've seen a lot of you taking unnecessary risks, and that has to stop.

[video]

[suppressthedark]

[Oh.

This is right up Ichigo's alley, what with his newfound hatred for the gods. He doesn't care if he's punished for agreeing with it-he's had enough of their hospitality so far.]

...I agree.

[His face is grim, and set.]

[video]

[brighthearted]

I'd say I'm glad to hear I'm not alone, but it's hard to be glad about something like this. [ A sigh. ]

So. Any ideas?

[private video]

[trinitylimit]

You know Ven? Gosh, he must be really old.

[private video]

[brighthearted]

[ ... hm. ]

Of course I know him. He grew up on our world. We've been friends for years. ... what makes you say that, Sora?

not here;

[sicarius]

[They do not announce themselves openly, and in seeing this, it has him worried. Fighting against an oppressor is nothing new to him. Working against the unjust law and helping innocents is how he lives.

But he does it in secrecy, with no plan to ever voice himself or his brothers. Ezio worries that in them seeing this, they will be able to plan, to strike out, since their victims are very much in plain view.

Personally, he believes Aqua would do well to learn the second law of the Creed: Be discreet. But she doesn't know of the assassins and Ezio is not certain about where her allegiance would lie.

But at least it is a comfort to know the Brotherhood has those with a similar train of thought, even if their methods are completely different.

He's just hoping now that the gods don't openly strike those here down with ease, for speaking their minds.]

not here;

[brighthearted]

[ Honestly - truly - if someone were to make her confess her real intentions, that is part of her plan. Draw their ire, be a target - better her than others. She's fine with that, though her friends might not be.

And if they strike her down ... then that's just another indication that this is all the more necessary. ]

[Anon Text - Filtered]

[key_illusion]

So you use the enemy's technology to create resistance plans. That makes sense.

[Text - Filtered]

[brighthearted]

... you again.

Yes, that would be the idea. For all I know, this will make me a target, but I had to try.

video;

[deadcenter]

You can say that again. I figured as much ever since I first came here and this place reminded me of a prison with some fucked up wardens.

video;

[brighthearted]

I should have taken your words more to heart. You warned me about the dangers of this place, but I just couldn't believe... [ A sigh. ]

[Filtered - Text]

[lethechained]

All of us at the same time?

[That's... very disconcerting a prospect, that there would be something so important, and-- what more could there be to it?]

[Filtered - Text]

[brighthearted]

Yes.

Is that a problem, Naminé?

audio;

[halfremembered]

Does it matter if we agree with you aloud when one of thee gods can teach us how to read minds without so much as a touch?

[ It is a thought that's been spinning in his mind for a while. All the gods might be incapable of such things, but Loki might and if he's anything like the deity Aether knows, he will be more than interested in the thoughts of common folk. ]

This isn't a stage where you can hide what you believe and hope it comes to fruit regardless. In a war against a god, you either fight or you don't.

audio;

[brighthearted]

[ A pause ... and then she makes a soft sound, almost a laugh. ] If they can read our thoughts, then it doesn't really matter what precautions we take in the first place, does it?

[ Anyone who would agree with her is very likely to have been thinking the same things already. That is not a danger she can protect anyone from. ]

Believe me, I plan to fight. But I don't want to unnecessarily risk the safety of others.

video.

[flattered]

[ oh, you are certainly a brave one, speaking out against the gods in public. this wins aqua an applause from this end of the line. keep in mind though that if it looks and sounds sarcastic, chances are it probably is. ]

Gutsy move! I'm only a bit disappointed that you weren't suspicious from the get-go, but sti~ll, bravo!

video.

[brighthearted]

.... who are you, exactly?

[ Senses the sarcasm. Doesn't appreciate. ]

[video; incoming wall of text]

[histories]

[she's no less upset, really. But she's been keeping calm, and taking note of every thing the gods are saying, in Baldr's post.]

A good day to you, Aqua.

I fully understand the rationale behind your thoughts. To that, however, I will point out that it is clear that not each and every one of the gods are united in their views.

Trust aside, there is no doubt that I do not agree with their decision to prove to us that our powers are incompatible with this world in such a fashion, but in hindsight I believe that it did serve its intended purpose, even if it may be a cruel means to an end. But the decision is made, and what's done is done. The intervention of the gods here aside, your intention to plan in accordance with regarding them as enemies is not a bad one, if misguided to some extent.

Misguided, why? Simply because there is no need to regard the gods as our enemies. And neither is there a point in doing so; as the last incident has proven to us, there isn't really anything we could do if they had truly intended to punish us.

Instead, we should prepare for any further emergencies from outside sources, such as the dragon attack from a month ago, and the more recent ice fairy raid. Working on our powers is a good idea, indeed, and training everyone to be able to defend themselves is no doubt useful, as well.

However, what we truly need is organization - teams to respond to a variety of different threats, to evacuate and treat the wounded, for example. What we need are leaders, leaders to keep everyone inspired, to keep everyone orderly. Would you not agree?

[video;]

[brighthearted]

Hello, Keine.

[ It's a polite greeting before the other woman starts speaking. And Aqua listens to all of it, quietly. Really taking it in, considering, weighing, judging. ]

It sounds to me like we're on the same page about what to do. That's exactly the sort of thing I'd like to see - organization. I think we could get a lot done if we worked together on something like that.

But I just can't agree about the gods. Whether some of them feel differently or not, the end result is the same. People are dying, and two of the gods told me personally that they don't care, more or less. I'm sorry, but I have to treat them like the enemy.

That doesn't mean I think we should fight them, or challenge them head on. It would be a waste of time and effort. I just ... don't think they're worth our trust. [ Her smile is a little sad. ] I hope we can still work together.

[audio]

[parasiteye]

Well, at least you caught on faster than most of the other idiots here. I've been telling people this for two months already.

[audio]

[brighthearted]

It was still too late. I should have trusted my instincts from the very beginning.

... sorry I never called like I said I would, Kaz. Things got kind of busy.

video

[selfestheim]

I agree with everything you've said. I never really trusted them to begin with, but after all this has happened, I've had enough. The past few days have been the final straw. There's no way we can just take this kind of stuff lying down.

I don't care if I'm made into a target. So what if they try to punish us—that won't stop us from what we're doing, right? Like you said, they've already made it clear that they won't hesitate to do things to us. The more prepared we are to deal with it when the time comes, the better.

[despite how young he is, the determination on his face and in his voice makes it clear that he means every single word he's said in his message. this isn't the first time he's been in a situation like this, after all.]

video

[brighthearted]

... that's true. Thank you for standing with me.

So, I take it that means you want to help with organizing a better crisis response system?

video; private

[wingblades]

... all of us?

[Aqua, you recognize his "am I in trouble" tone of voice, right. Did he do something wrong? ):]

video; private

[brighthearted]

Yes, Ven. All of you. ... don't worry, you're not in trouble. [ Warmly. She knows that face and that tone of voice. ]

[video]

[whatagoodgirl]

If you do become a target, the backlash might not be as bad as you're imagining. [She - yes, she - will explain that if she's asked.]

Anyway, you're not alone. Not at all.

[video]

[brighthearted]

... what makes you say that?

[audio]

[lackstact]

You should have never trusted them to begin with.

[By "you" she actually means everyone in Asgard including herself. Then again, she never once fully trusted the beings who kidnapped her to begin with. Doesn't help her opinion over them was never a good one. Over time it has gotten worse and worse especially during this month.]

I doubt they even care. After all, we are nothing more than pawns for their own amusement. Why would they care if we hate them? They'll just laugh and mock us over it.

[And now to get down to business.]

Merlin is the person you might want to speak with about organizing shelters, self-defense training, and a warning system. He seems to be the only one on top of things like that from what I've been able to see. You should definitely let him know you are interested in giving him a hand, he can seriously use all the help he can get.

Re: [audio]

[brighthearted]

I see now that that was a mistake. But you're right, they don't care. They told me so.

[ A sigh. ] Yes, that's the second time I've heard his name. I'll contact him. Maybe together we can start to get the city organized.

[video]

[starryguyed]

Fight... gods?

[ it's in a smaller than usual voice, because Tsukiko really has no experience with fighting divine beings, and somehow, declaring them enemies doesn't sit right with her.

But it's true that the people here have been suffering... ]

[video]

[brighthearted]

No, not fight them. They're our enemies, but they're also essentially untouchable. At least for now. It would be a waste of our time to try and chase after them. We'll be much better off trying to organize so that we're better prepared for future attacks.

[river_danced]

They took us away from everything we know. Without even a word to us, or us to them.

Of course they're unfriendly.

[brighthearted]

... I suppose I wanted to believe they had good intentions. But you're right. It should have been obvious from the start.

[not a comment]

[aeterno_arma]

[He saw the post but he has nothing to say. Not because he doesn't agree with her, but b3cause he knows better than speak his mind here where the gods can see it.

The gods gave them their new powers, they can take those away just easily no matter how much they train them. They need to find a different way to fight them, and that's why he will try to do.]

voice.

[bloodyperky]

They're Gods. [ shrug, man. ] It's what they do.

But it might be best not to unite 'us all' under the same banner. Not everyone who is against the Gods is an ally.

voice.

[brighthearted]

Is it? I only met one god before I came here, and he wasn't very pleasant. But I thought he might have been the exception.

And I suppose that's true. But I'll try and keep an eye out for anyone dangerous.

sorry for late, i was away!

[soldieringlife]

I'm with you on this. I'd like to help.

You can count on me, Aqua. Anything you need, just say the word.

no worries!

[brighthearted]

... thank you, Zack. I appreciate the offer. [ And she smiles for him, warmly. ]

Actually, would you like to come with me? I was going to continue exploring the city. I'm hoping to find some good locations where safe houses might be set up.