edgeoflife | Summer Solstice

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Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice Fair

The sun is shining, the Mognet is working again, and the summer solstice fair is here! The WRO hopes to makes this an annual thing, but this is the first year they're doing it. Everything you could ever want from a fair is here and open to the public.

*Fair Rides: Ferris wheels, a mini rollercoaster, that thing that looks like an octopus and spins around--the WRO spared no expense to make sure everyone would have fun here today. There's even a gravity ride that takes you up to the top of a pole and then drops you!

*Food: So much food. So much unhealthy food. Funnel cakes, hot dogs, burgers, ice cream, you name it. And it's all fairly cheap too, since the WRO promised to pay for half of what the merchants sell!

*Carnival Games: And most of them aren't even rigged! The Gold Saucer donated games for the fair and there are so many games. There's your standard shooting games, some basketball games, a dunk tank, hoop tosses, you name it. A few are rigged, though, so buy beware! There's also a few card tables set up in a tent for those who like their games a little less wild.

*Speed Dating: ...yeah, the WRO has no idea. This came with the Gold Saucer stuff, along with a Cait Sith and Moogle mascot pair that will coax anyone they can into sitting down and participating.

*Job Fair: With the influx of new arrivals, both native and Streamers, some employers see a golden opportunity to get some jobs filled! In one corner of the fair is another, mini-fair fill with tables and presentations on various workplaces: the WRO, ShinRa Tech, the volunteer emergency services of Edge, and the Highwind Air Taxi Service, just to name a few. Anyone of working age is welcome to wander in and have a look around.

Of course, the fair is taking up the entire center of Edge, so there's lots more to see and do!

[[Feel free to make your own top levels! Welcome to Edge of Life!]]

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Cats, man. They did what they want. Zack's only thought regarding that was that Rufus was going to have a handful when 'Keiko' got bigger.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Wish I knew myself."

It would make things easier to adjust to, if there was something he was supposed to be doing. Knowing if this was a permanent change or just a temporary one would also be nice. Yet Zack wasn't going to sweat it. What will happen, will happen. He was just going to take advantage of what was being given.

"Another me? From a different world?" That within itself was perplexing. "Is that even possible?"

Also showing up to Rufus' wedding. Huh. Zack wondered if it was something other than obligatory. It wasn't like they were especially close now was it? Still. Weird to think about.

"Who was the lucky person?"

Of course he wasn't going to be able to keep his mouth shut. Go fig.

He knew how to train couerls...and what he didn't know, Tseng did. They would be fine, but he was a little indulging right now.

A shame Fair didn't know what he was doing, and then came the rest of the questions. Rufus sighed. "It is, I met him....and it doesn't matter who I was married to, as I am not married to him here."

"Oh c'mon... It's not gonna hurt to tell me since it's not a thing for you," Zack grinned. "Not like it's going to be Tseng or something."

He snickered at his own joke. There was sure a mental image. But man... Who would wear the dress? Probably Tseng, honestly. Like he wasn't cleaning up after everyone anyway...

"What was this other me like? How did he even get here?"

How did he manage to survive all those bullets?

The only sign that Zack's joke got to Rufus was the fact that he looked down at his couerls and refused to look back up for a moment. Tseng again? Really?

"You would have to ask him, but from my understanding it had much to do with the fact that Cloud Strife did not survive Nibelhiem in his world."

...That Cloud Strife did not survive Nibelheim. Those words stop Zack in his tracks. Briefly, there was a vice grip on his heart, all the air sucked out of his lungs. He couldn't quite comprehend Cloud not making it. If he hadn't... Then that would have been just one more person that he wouldn't have been able to save - unable to do anything for.

It didn't sit right with him. Not at all.

"And the experiments?"

"I am not sure, to be honest. I didn't ask for details." He watched Zack as he spoke. "Your doppelganger requires a cane or staff to walk, so it shouldn't be too hard to find him. If you can't, however, I believe a boy named Riku might know." It was just a guess, of course, but he knew that they were living together in the apartments thanks to some surveillance.

A cane? What was this other him, an old man? It was sort of tempting to give the other him a hard time about it. Tempting. Not that he would do it.

"I don't think I'd have a hard time tracking him down if I wanted to."

Perhaps he would. Later.

Rufus hummed. "He's hard to miss. Anyway, that's all for now. I'll have Elena apologize for her treatment of you." He paused. "And if you're looking for a job, ShinRa Technologies is almost always hiring."

"A guy that looks like me - sort of - won't be missed at all."

Zack knew the offer was coming. It would be silly to assume otherwise. Before he wouldn't have even considered it. Not after everything else had happened. Now? Zack huffed, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Hiring for what, exactly. My skillset is pretty specialized."

He wasn't some scientist and he wasn't about to go back to what he was doing either - even if Zack thought that what he was doing was fine at the time.

Rufus snorted. "Security, what else? I am not a popular man, Zack, and while I do have the Turks they cannot be everywhere at once, not to mention my building is frequently the subject of bomb threats and vandalism. I could use your talents, and I won't kill you if you want to quit." Which had been company policy with SOLDIERs.

Rufus? Not a popular guy? Say it ain't so.

"I'll think about it," came his honest answer. "You're trying to change things, right? But I want to be able to help other people. Not just play bodyguard."

"We are, yes. And I understand, but I felt I had to ask." It couldn't hurt. "If you end up needing a job, my offer still stands."

"I know. Pretty much figured that you would," Zack shrugged. "And it wouldn't be so bad, being around people I know."

"I'm afraid it's mostly employees who worked for the company after your death," Rufus explained. "I think you might have known Tseng, Reno, and Rude before, maybe one or two of the lower ranking R-and-D crew."

"I was kinda talking about Tseng and the others," he admitted. "Not many others would stick by the company after everything that has happened, right?"

Of course he wanted to know if Rufus knew. The experiments and the secret labs... About the damage that was being done to the Planet was a whole. The second part Zack doubted. One of the reasons he didn't ask was because it didn't matter now.

"We actually had a surprising number of employees return, when the word went out. Mostly those who had no other skills or weren't hired by the WRO." Rufus shrugged. "But most did leave, yes. My company is blamed for much in the world today, and most of it was the fault of ShinRa Electric Power."

Even if it wasn't strictly his fault. He had just landed the presidency when the company and world was going to hell. Still, he would shoulder that blame if it made the Shinra name trusted again.

Heh.

"Got to admit," Zack started, shifting on his feet. "It's awfully hard not to respect someone owning up for past mistakes - even if they didn't personally make all of them."

That, right there, would probably be one of the other reasons that he would consider ShinRa again. Zack did have a hand in some of that misery, whether intentionally or not. Regardless, Rufus was on a pretty rough road.

Rufus smiled ever so faintly. "Thank you. I do have one favor to ask--if you learn of anything regarding the Lifestream or run into anyone we should be aware of, please let us know."

In other words, look out for people that could be dangerous. As if Zack needed to be told that. Of course he was going to be keeping an eye out for people that could cause problems.

"Maybe the one you should ask to find out is Aerith. She's pretty tuned in, yeah?"

What.

"Did the Lifestream send her out as well?"

"Not sure," he admitted. "But if the Lifestream is ejecting the dead, then don't you think it's a possibility?"

After all, he died before she did. Was it really unreasonable to think that there as a good change that she was here as well? Zack wouldn't doubt it.

Rufus hummed thoughtfully, resting his his chin on his clasped hands in front of him. "I hadn't considered her, to be honest. She is an Ancient, after all...then again, that might simply mean she's more likely to be sent back. I'll have the Turks keep an eye out for her and let you and AVALANCHE know if we see her,"

"Well... You know who else you should probably consider..."

It sounded ominous, because it was. If the Livestream was kind enough to spit out the friendly dearly departed, that was fine. However, they needed to think about the ones that, well... weren't so friendly.

"Oh, trust me, we are already watching for him in particular, as is the WRO. No one wants to be caught off-guard and wind up in the same place we were three years ago." No matter what Cloud thought.

"Well no," Zack mused. "But he's not the only one I'd be wary of."

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Summer Solstice

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