(no subject)

[icedark_elf]

Title: Ritual and Rite
Author/Artist: GW Katrina aka icedark_elf
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII: mercverse
Pairing/Character: Zack
Theme: 17-Narrow Bridge for 25_streetsigns
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: FFVII isn't mine, however, the concept of mercverse is.
Wordcount: 433
Warning: None other than teenage Zack.

Yep, another one. One more from Mercverse tonight then on to plot for PuppetKitty.


Ritual and Rite

He was being lectured. Again. With a sigh, Zack tuned out his tutor. Why did the man continue to try to teach him how he should act in court? Zack didn’t even want to be there. Hadn’t been since he was thirteen and had someone approach Cloud about “A possible marriage between their children.” Cloud had politely turned the woman down, but Zack could still feel the feeling of ick he had when he remembered her eyes.

He had been looked at like a piece of meat enough as a child to know that look. No. Just…no.

“You are the charge of Lord Strife, young master. You must learn these rituals. It is your duty as the heir to Lord Strife’s to be ready to….”

Zack tuned out again. He was booooooored.

He had started to really hate the court life when he realized how bound in ritual and rite it was. How everything was straight-laced and tied down tight. A narrow path, with no deviation encouraged. The only time anything changed was when that ritual laid a path that bridged between normal life and a major event. A wedding, a funeral, a change of power. Those things shook things up a bit, but even they were a set pattern.

Zack -hated- set patterns. It made things boring and predictable. The important things got bogged down under all the pomp and glitter.

Well, he still -liked- the glitter, but other than that, Court was so boring that he was glad Cloud was teaching him bodyguard techniques. At least that gave him something to do. Not that many assassins or poisoners were going to be caught by him. But it was fun, and he liked the training. Cloud was mixing in actual fight training along with the noticing things and the like.

It was a mixed blessing, as Zack was noticing a ton more shiny things as well as how people were around him. And at fourteen his idea of shiny was still distressingly similar to his idea of shiny at eight.

Still, Zack hated court. Hated the limited vision and the restriction it represented. Full of narrow minded people for the most part, and ones who didn’t listen to what they could change.

If he cared about them, he would try to help fix the pool of rot it had become. But he didn’t. The only person he cared for was Cloud, and that Cloud also knew that the court was full of sick things meant that Zack didn’t have to do anything except help watch the blond’s back.

That made life good.

Comments

[edenfalling]

Hmm. If he cared about them, he would try to help fix the pool of rot it had become. But he didn’t. That has the ring of foreshadowing, once you bring in Aeris and her troubles. I like!

I also like how attached he is to Cloud; definite loyalty there on both sides. I wonder when he learned to care about other people? Because clearly by 'canon' time he can and does...

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

*grins* Cloud saved him in a very real way, and Zack isn't going to forget it. And he will, just got to work his way up to it. Plus it's Zack. After they save each others lives a few times he'll love them to bits. *nods*

[twins-randomity.livejournal.com]

I liked the bit where Zack thought about how his training helps him notice the shiny, and also snerked because I don't think Cloud is actually going to need an heir.

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

Zack is rolling his eyes about the heir thing as well and that's why he's all "I don't -need- this...."

And Zack likes the shiny. It's all pretty and stuff.

[twins-randomity.livejournal.com]

Shiny is always awesome. *nods*

[artimusdin.livejournal.com]

Okay, Zack learning the High Formal Stuff is very, very amusing to me. Because you know he'll find a way to do something "properly" but at the same time make a complete mockery of it all.

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. That is part of the reason they don't do court any more after Zack kept getting challenged to duels. Which entertained him so Zack kept -doing- things to get himself challenged.

Zack has interesting ways of entertaining himself.

[artimusdin.livejournal.com]

....... *dies* Well, he has to keep entertained somehow. And it's not as if those court!peacocks could keep up with a Cloud-trained Zack. *nods*

[chofi.livejournal.com]

Zack: Sir, you have insulted me and my honor! We meet on the field of onions! Water balloons at dinner time!

[artimusdin.livejournal.com]

Bwaha!

[forgottenlover.livejournal.com]

Mock the stupid man who thinks that Cloud'll ever fall over!

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

*snickers* Thus Zack's tuning him out. Like Zack is ever gonna -need- to know how to take over Cloud's estates.

[chibirisuchan.livejournal.com]

I hadn't realized they spent this much time around court -- my impression from some of the other fics was that court was a place Cloud showed up once in a while but he spent most of his time on the road. Or is that something that changed after Zack had gotten some court training?

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

Well, once Zack got -good- at fighting, he ended up in a lot of duels. Thus Cloud keeping him the hell away from court.

Plus the rest of the family demanded the boy have the "proper" education. At least until he started to use it to tear into them.

Cloud doesn't like Court. Zack doesn't like Court. Zack+boredom=destruction waiting to happen. Cloud uses that to his advantage.

[pegunicent.livejournal.com]

Can I have shiney to? Oh wait...

-pets the poor bored boy- It gets beter I promise!

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

*snickers at Zack* Yeah, it does. They stop demanding he be trained when he starts using it to be a dick.

[chofi.livejournal.com]

Damn. Now I'm regretting chucking "Royal Palace Consultation" from the FST.

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

*snickers*

[http://users.livejournal.com/sha_gojyo_/]

Zack and shiny things. Heh.

[kuro-fenikkusu.livejournal.com]

Does Zack have ADD? He seems to like shiny objects a lot.

[icedark-elf.livejournal.com]

I think he's just easily distracted when bored, and Zack gets bored easily.

The boy is a magpie, I swear he is.