[ Erik only has to wait about a minute for Zack to show up. He gives a brief little wave on his way over, and though he looks pretty normal (scar on his left cheek notwithstanding), his eyes have a distinctive sort of glow to them. ]
Hey! Thanks for coming up.
[ One would think a door would need a key, but Zack just pushes it open. His Warden item is slotted into his armband along with his other materia so that takes care of that. ]
Oh yeah - sorry I didn’t say before, but I’m Zack. You?
[ Zack doesn't put anything in them. He just asks the bartender (whoever is on shift at the time) for some of the scotch Erik mentioned and some ale for himself.
While they're waiting, he simply says - ]
I've been working here for about a year and a half now. And it's been my experience from meeting a lot of people who aren't human - and working with them - that a lot of the time, if they have a problem with humans, it's for a good reason. And I don't always have the context for why that is because the Admiral seems to like to pull people from different versions of Earth instead of where I'm from.
So...I wanted to follow up because I want to hear about it.
[ Erik can be suspicious, of course, but Zack genuinely means what he's saying. ]
Okay, well a dictator emerged in one country of the world where I happened to be a child and decided that one peaceful and integrated religious group was to blame for all of society's problems, which I happened to be a part of, so he rounded us all up and sent us to factories designed to kill as many people as possible as efficiently and as quickly as they could. And they managed to kill millions of us before they were overwhelmed by the forces allied against them in the war they started because they decided to multitask and annex the countries around them at the same time. If he could have just picked one set of people to brutalize at once, he might have been successful, as a matter of fact, but he just had to have everything right away.
[ Zack listens to all that silently, his expression sober. He can only imagine the kind of impact horrors like that have on people - especially children. It makes him think of Shinra and its war of attrition against Wutai.
He takes the drinks when they're ready and offers Erik his. ]
I can see why you wouldn't really like humans after that. Or trust them.
We've had some bad shit kind of like that, but I wouldn't say it's the same.
I wouldn't say it was 'humans' quite yet. In the death camp it was discovered that I had an usual ability, but I couldn't control it. I didn't know what I was or that there were others. They tortured me to bring it out, but it's also why I was kept alive when my family was slaughtered. I hunted them for a while, the people that did it. Once I grew up and found ways to teach myself how. But then I found out there were, in fact, other people with unusual abilities. And shortly after that, governments found out about us. They tried to kill us. And when that didn't work, they started putting programs into place to control or imprison or destroy us. It all sounded a little too familiar for my taste. And that's when I learned that that's what humans are.
[ Unfortunately, none of this sounds implausible to Zack. Not because he’s seen the exact same thing — people with powers targeted for being what they are — but rather because he’s seen humans target each other just for the sake of corporate greed.
He’s quiet for a few moments, and it seems like he’s contemplating the glass in front of him. ]
We’re really bad about that, aren’t we? Being cruel to others because they’re different or because they have something we want.
[ A pause, then- ]
I’ve been hunted before - but not for those reasons.
Honestly? It was a wrong place, wrong time kind of a thing.
[ Or at least, that’s the best way he can figure to describe it. ]
The company that I worked for — in case you couldn’t tell from what I already said about it on the network — was shady as hell. And once you got too close to company secrets, that meant you were basically disposable.
So — a couple years ago, Sephiroth and I were on what was supposed to be a routine mission. But we ended up discovering some really shitty things about what the company was doing — and had done — over the years. The result of that mission was Sephiroth basically went nuts — he burned the town we were in to the ground and slaughtered most of the townspeople.
In trying to stop him…my friend and I got hurt enough that we didn’t get out. So the asshole in charge of the science department at Shinra thought the best thing to use the survivors for was to shove us in a basement and do experiments on us.
When I finally managed to get out, four years had already gone by. And at that point, all I was to the company was an escaped ‘sample’. So I was on the run with my friend for a while after that.
I mean, he’s dead now so there wouldn’t really be a point to that. And even if he wasn’t dead, I wouldn’t waste a deal on him since dealing with him is something I could do myself.
[ Is Zack implying he’d do a murder if Hojo was still kicking? Yes, yes, he is. ]
I’d rather use a deal for something constructive. And the Admiral has been really good about keeping his promises - in case that’s something you’re interested in down the road.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Re: audio
Date: 3 Jan 2023 19:20 (UTC)Re: audio
Date: 3 Jan 2023 21:30 (UTC)See you there in ten?
Re: audio
Date: 10 Jan 2023 19:50 (UTC)audio
Date: 11 Jan 2023 01:27 (UTC)Hey! Thanks for coming up.
[ One would think a door would need a key, but Zack just pushes it open. His Warden item is slotted into his armband along with his other materia so that takes care of that. ]
Oh yeah - sorry I didn’t say before, but I’m Zack. You?
Re: audio
Date: 12 Jan 2023 20:49 (UTC)Erik.
[He follows him in.]
What did you want to talk to me about? [A pause, then an added title.] Warden.
no subject
Date: 12 Jan 2023 21:58 (UTC)I didn’t ask you up here to police you or something, if that’s what you’re asking.
[ He goes over to the bar to start getting drinks. ]
I just had some free time and figured it was as good a time as any to follow up on the conversation we were having on the network.
no subject
Date: 13 Jan 2023 17:41 (UTC)no subject
Date: 13 Jan 2023 17:51 (UTC)While they're waiting, he simply says - ]
I've been working here for about a year and a half now. And it's been my experience from meeting a lot of people who aren't human - and working with them - that a lot of the time, if they have a problem with humans, it's for a good reason. And I don't always have the context for why that is because the Admiral seems to like to pull people from different versions of Earth instead of where I'm from.
So...I wanted to follow up because I want to hear about it.
[ Erik can be suspicious, of course, but Zack genuinely means what he's saying. ]
no subject
Date: 13 Jan 2023 17:56 (UTC)I've been on the receiving end of an attempted genocide and several waves of oppression. Do they have Nazis on your Earth?
no subject
Date: 13 Jan 2023 18:23 (UTC)No - and that's what I mean. Me, Sephiroth, and Cloud are from a completely different planet. Our histories don't match up at all.
So when I say I don't have context - apart from, like, one flood where I was a gypsy from medieval...France? For a week? I'm not exaggerating.
no subject
Date: 13 Jan 2023 18:32 (UTC)no subject
Date: 13 Jan 2023 19:32 (UTC)He takes the drinks when they're ready and offers Erik his. ]
I can see why you wouldn't really like humans after that. Or trust them.
We've had some bad shit kind of like that, but I wouldn't say it's the same.
no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 17:03 (UTC)I wouldn't say it was 'humans' quite yet. In the death camp it was discovered that I had an usual ability, but I couldn't control it. I didn't know what I was or that there were others. They tortured me to bring it out, but it's also why I was kept alive when my family was slaughtered. I hunted them for a while, the people that did it. Once I grew up and found ways to teach myself how. But then I found out there were, in fact, other people with unusual abilities. And shortly after that, governments found out about us. They tried to kill us. And when that didn't work, they started putting programs into place to control or imprison or destroy us. It all sounded a little too familiar for my taste. And that's when I learned that that's what humans are.
no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 17:22 (UTC)He’s quiet for a few moments, and it seems like he’s contemplating the glass in front of him. ]
We’re really bad about that, aren’t we? Being cruel to others because they’re different or because they have something we want.
[ A pause, then- ]
I’ve been hunted before - but not for those reasons.
no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 17:26 (UTC)For what reasons?
no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 17:47 (UTC)[ Or at least, that’s the best way he can figure to describe it. ]
The company that I worked for — in case you couldn’t tell from what I already said about it on the network — was shady as hell. And once you got too close to company secrets, that meant you were basically disposable.
So — a couple years ago, Sephiroth and I were on what was supposed to be a routine mission. But we ended up discovering some really shitty things about what the company was doing — and had done — over the years. The result of that mission was Sephiroth basically went nuts — he burned the town we were in to the ground and slaughtered most of the townspeople.
In trying to stop him…my friend and I got hurt enough that we didn’t get out. So the asshole in charge of the science department at Shinra thought the best thing to use the survivors for was to shove us in a basement and do experiments on us.
When I finally managed to get out, four years had already gone by. And at that point, all I was to the company was an escaped ‘sample’. So I was on the run with my friend for a while after that.
no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 18:10 (UTC)no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 18:18 (UTC)He used to be my superior officer - but that went out the window with that event.
no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 18:27 (UTC)no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 18:42 (UTC)But we were friends before that event happened - and that’s all I’m looking to be for him while he’s here.
no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 18:50 (UTC)no subject
Date: 14 Jan 2023 19:00 (UTC)...both, I think. I understand why he's done the shit he has even though I don't agree with it. As long as I can do that...I can work through it.
There's only one person I know I couldn't do that with, and I hope he never comes here.
no subject
Date: 16 Jan 2023 22:42 (UTC)no subject
Date: 16 Jan 2023 22:59 (UTC)[ Is Zack implying he’d do a murder if Hojo was still kicking? Yes, yes, he is. ]
I’d rather use a deal for something constructive. And the Admiral has been really good about keeping his promises - in case that’s something you’re interested in down the road.
no subject
Date: 17 Jan 2023 19:16 (UTC)(no subject)
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