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PLAYER INFORMATION:
CHARACTER INFORMATION:
WRITING SAMPLES:
PLAYER INFORMATION:
CHARACTER INFORMATION:
General:
CHARACTER NAME: Zack Fair
CANON: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
CANON POINT: Zack went to Since 1969 from the point of his death in Crisis Core. He comes to Midnight Syndicate from the point of Sephiroth's sacrifice to save Zack and Aerith from his doppelganger.
CHARACTER AGE: 23
CANON HISTORY: There is a decently in-depth article here on the Final Fantasy Wiki. Additionally, a summation of the Crisis Core storyline is available here on the wiki.
CRAU HISTORY: At the point of his death, Zack experienced the sight of his dead mentor reaching out a hand to him — and escort to the Lifestream. Zack took Angeal's hand, gave himself over to the embrace of death...
...and woke up in what to him was a very strange place. Called the 'Hotel California' it was a 1970's-Earth-styled resort in the midst of a desert — a resort whose guests could not leave, no matter how they tried. Add to that two-week-long day and night cycles — days of relaxation and (dare one say it) fun were a stark contrast to nights when things twisted and decayed and hotel "guests" had to fight for their very lives. And since misery would be lonely without anguish and woe, isn't it appropriate that in a hotel of strangers and strange things that Zack should run into two certain people from home: Aerith Gainsborough and Sephiroth, a.k.a. Girlfriend and Best Friend. But keeping in mind the very important theme of misery-anguish-woe, neither of the two was from a point in time that synced up with Zack's own. Sephiroth was from early in his last mission with Zack — the mission in which he went crazy, burned down a town and slaughtered its residents, and ran Zack through when Zack attempted to stop him. Aerith was from much later than Zack's death — was from the point of her own death in fact, a death at the hand of the very same sword that impaled Zack, wielded by the very same man, resurrected in his desire for vengeance against the world.
Yup. Needless to say, it was a very interesting time for the three, though fighting for one's life does make one bond to one's companions. Though all masters of Keeping Bad Things To Themselves, Zack eventually did share with Sephiroth exactly what happened in the Nibelheim mission and that Zack himself hadn't seen Sephiroth for five years — though he opted out of saying what exactly had happened to him in those five years, the tortures he'd suffered at the hands of Hojo and the escape and life on the run that had eventually led to his death on the cliffs outside of Midgar.
Enter another period of night, this one in which an amusement park turned twisted and evil. Zack, in the company of Sephiroth and Aerith, found himself in the House of Mirrors — mirrors that reflected not current images, but scenes from their pasts. Through those mirrors Zack saw the horrors that his companions had to face in their lives. Through those mirrors his companions learned of his own torture through Hojo's "experiments" and the circumstances surrounding his death. Through those mirrors emerged a doppelganger of Sephiroth, born of Sephiroth's doubts and the negative memories of Zack and Aerith — twisted with the hate and rage he embraced in Nibelheim, intent on ending the lives of the trio. Their Sephiroth, the 'real' Sephiroth, gave his life so that Zack and Aerith could escape with their own.
Though Sephiroth was resurrected the next day period, Zack had not run into the man — instead, he woke to find himself in Eros.
CANON: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
CANON POINT: Zack went to Since 1969 from the point of his death in Crisis Core. He comes to Midnight Syndicate from the point of Sephiroth's sacrifice to save Zack and Aerith from his doppelganger.
CHARACTER AGE: 23
CANON HISTORY: There is a decently in-depth article here on the Final Fantasy Wiki. Additionally, a summation of the Crisis Core storyline is available here on the wiki.
CRAU HISTORY: At the point of his death, Zack experienced the sight of his dead mentor reaching out a hand to him — and escort to the Lifestream. Zack took Angeal's hand, gave himself over to the embrace of death...
...and woke up in what to him was a very strange place. Called the 'Hotel California' it was a 1970's-Earth-styled resort in the midst of a desert — a resort whose guests could not leave, no matter how they tried. Add to that two-week-long day and night cycles — days of relaxation and (dare one say it) fun were a stark contrast to nights when things twisted and decayed and hotel "guests" had to fight for their very lives. And since misery would be lonely without anguish and woe, isn't it appropriate that in a hotel of strangers and strange things that Zack should run into two certain people from home: Aerith Gainsborough and Sephiroth, a.k.a. Girlfriend and Best Friend. But keeping in mind the very important theme of misery-anguish-woe, neither of the two was from a point in time that synced up with Zack's own. Sephiroth was from early in his last mission with Zack — the mission in which he went crazy, burned down a town and slaughtered its residents, and ran Zack through when Zack attempted to stop him. Aerith was from much later than Zack's death — was from the point of her own death in fact, a death at the hand of the very same sword that impaled Zack, wielded by the very same man, resurrected in his desire for vengeance against the world.
Yup. Needless to say, it was a very interesting time for the three, though fighting for one's life does make one bond to one's companions. Though all masters of Keeping Bad Things To Themselves, Zack eventually did share with Sephiroth exactly what happened in the Nibelheim mission and that Zack himself hadn't seen Sephiroth for five years — though he opted out of saying what exactly had happened to him in those five years, the tortures he'd suffered at the hands of Hojo and the escape and life on the run that had eventually led to his death on the cliffs outside of Midgar.
Enter another period of night, this one in which an amusement park turned twisted and evil. Zack, in the company of Sephiroth and Aerith, found himself in the House of Mirrors — mirrors that reflected not current images, but scenes from their pasts. Through those mirrors Zack saw the horrors that his companions had to face in their lives. Through those mirrors his companions learned of his own torture through Hojo's "experiments" and the circumstances surrounding his death. Through those mirrors emerged a doppelganger of Sephiroth, born of Sephiroth's doubts and the negative memories of Zack and Aerith — twisted with the hate and rage he embraced in Nibelheim, intent on ending the lives of the trio. Their Sephiroth, the 'real' Sephiroth, gave his life so that Zack and Aerith could escape with their own.
Though Sephiroth was resurrected the next day period, Zack had not run into the man — instead, he woke to find himself in Eros.
Personality:
In canon, Zack Fair is, in a way, a study in opposites. His natural personality is best described by the phrase "free spirit": he's friendly, caring, flirty, and can be energetic almost to a fault. His mentor Angeal Hewley had modeled to him the importance of honor and what it means to pursue one's dreams; along with "becoming a hero" these ideals are a large part of what defines SOLDIER for Zack.
Or "defined," because all dreams must eventually give way to wakefulness. But let's hold that thought for a moment.
Zack was a teenager when he left his hometown and his family to travel to Midgar with dreams of joining SOLDIER. Approximately four years after that he'd achieved the rank of SOLDIER Second Class; still young and still idealistic he believed that he was truly on the path of becoming a hero – enough so that his brain sometimes got ahead of him, as evidenced in training sessions wherein Angeal would put him in his place. Even so, he was a "good person": dependable, cheerful, and still very much believing that what he was doing in life was the "right thing." He'd learned a great deal, yet he was still in many ways an idealistic, almost naïve teen.
Then, as the saying goes, "life happened."
In relatively short order, Genesis Rhapsodos, one of the highest-ranking SOLDIERs defected, Angeal defected, the war ShinRa was fighting with the country of Wutai ended, and Zack received a promotion to First Class. So many events in such a short time could not come without some sort of consequence, especially on the part of the people left to pick up the proverbial pieces. While Zack was shown to retain his upbeat personality (tempered, of course, by the blow that was Angeal's absence), he also clung stubbornly to his belief that Angeal was not a traitor, that Angeal would not betray his honor like that. Perhaps it was naïveté and perhaps it was loyalty – more likely a bit of both – but Zack believed, truly believed, that Angeal was not the monster he claimed himself to be. Even to the very end of his mentor's life, when Angeal merged his body with that of several monsters, forcing Zack to slay him in combat – even then, did Zack believe in the man's heart and his sense of honor. His belief ran so deep that he accepted the burden of Angeal's Buster Sword – the physical symbol of what honor meant to Angeal – allowing his mentor to pass it on to him with his dying breaths.
From that day forward, Zack's demeanor took on a much more serious note. Even after his (implied by game canon) mourning period, he displayed an attitude that was much more subdued than his previous, sometimes unbelievable level of energy. "Zack the Puppy" was still very much himself, but tempered, honed – shaped, in a way, into his mentor's shadow. Angeal had been the "heart and soul" of the SOLDIER program; Zack is seen taking on that role after the elder man's death, passing along the importance of holding true to one's dreams and honor. It's a belief so strong in him that he draws his sword against his superior officer and sort-of friend, General Sephiroth when the General is gripped by the madness of the creature Jenova. It's a belief so strong in him that at the sight of a figure he thinks is Angeal, he is able to force himself from the torture-and-experimentation-induced stupor of floating in a Mako tube in Hojo's lab, breaking out of captivity with a Mako-poisoned Cloud in tow.
It's a belief so strong in him that he gives his life on a cliff top, fighting against too-steep odds because the company he had lived for, the dream he had lived his life pursuing, had come crashing down on him.
In Since 1969, Zack was given what could be termed a literal new lease on life — whisked away from the jaws of death and healed of his wounds, reunited with his girlfriend and best friend, he could have started completely over. However, with the circumstances of the hotel as they were, Zack started to become a little jaded as well; he remarked at one point that even an innocent-seeming child could be an assassin. In one respect it was a good attitude for a SOLDIER to have: in such a proven deadly place, one had to stay sharp to stay alive. But on the other hand he was relaxing less and less — only truly letting his guard down around his two trusted companions. It could even be said that he needed them, because they reminded him of a time when he could be a little happier, a little more carefree — even though looking at them also reminded him of the horrors each of them had faced, horrors about which he could never have done anything.
Or "defined," because all dreams must eventually give way to wakefulness. But let's hold that thought for a moment.
Zack was a teenager when he left his hometown and his family to travel to Midgar with dreams of joining SOLDIER. Approximately four years after that he'd achieved the rank of SOLDIER Second Class; still young and still idealistic he believed that he was truly on the path of becoming a hero – enough so that his brain sometimes got ahead of him, as evidenced in training sessions wherein Angeal would put him in his place. Even so, he was a "good person": dependable, cheerful, and still very much believing that what he was doing in life was the "right thing." He'd learned a great deal, yet he was still in many ways an idealistic, almost naïve teen.
Then, as the saying goes, "life happened."
In relatively short order, Genesis Rhapsodos, one of the highest-ranking SOLDIERs defected, Angeal defected, the war ShinRa was fighting with the country of Wutai ended, and Zack received a promotion to First Class. So many events in such a short time could not come without some sort of consequence, especially on the part of the people left to pick up the proverbial pieces. While Zack was shown to retain his upbeat personality (tempered, of course, by the blow that was Angeal's absence), he also clung stubbornly to his belief that Angeal was not a traitor, that Angeal would not betray his honor like that. Perhaps it was naïveté and perhaps it was loyalty – more likely a bit of both – but Zack believed, truly believed, that Angeal was not the monster he claimed himself to be. Even to the very end of his mentor's life, when Angeal merged his body with that of several monsters, forcing Zack to slay him in combat – even then, did Zack believe in the man's heart and his sense of honor. His belief ran so deep that he accepted the burden of Angeal's Buster Sword – the physical symbol of what honor meant to Angeal – allowing his mentor to pass it on to him with his dying breaths.
From that day forward, Zack's demeanor took on a much more serious note. Even after his (implied by game canon) mourning period, he displayed an attitude that was much more subdued than his previous, sometimes unbelievable level of energy. "Zack the Puppy" was still very much himself, but tempered, honed – shaped, in a way, into his mentor's shadow. Angeal had been the "heart and soul" of the SOLDIER program; Zack is seen taking on that role after the elder man's death, passing along the importance of holding true to one's dreams and honor. It's a belief so strong in him that he draws his sword against his superior officer and sort-of friend, General Sephiroth when the General is gripped by the madness of the creature Jenova. It's a belief so strong in him that at the sight of a figure he thinks is Angeal, he is able to force himself from the torture-and-experimentation-induced stupor of floating in a Mako tube in Hojo's lab, breaking out of captivity with a Mako-poisoned Cloud in tow.
It's a belief so strong in him that he gives his life on a cliff top, fighting against too-steep odds because the company he had lived for, the dream he had lived his life pursuing, had come crashing down on him.
In Since 1969, Zack was given what could be termed a literal new lease on life — whisked away from the jaws of death and healed of his wounds, reunited with his girlfriend and best friend, he could have started completely over. However, with the circumstances of the hotel as they were, Zack started to become a little jaded as well; he remarked at one point that even an innocent-seeming child could be an assassin. In one respect it was a good attitude for a SOLDIER to have: in such a proven deadly place, one had to stay sharp to stay alive. But on the other hand he was relaxing less and less — only truly letting his guard down around his two trusted companions. It could even be said that he needed them, because they reminded him of a time when he could be a little happier, a little more carefree — even though looking at them also reminded him of the horrors each of them had faced, horrors about which he could never have done anything.
Abilities:
Zack is a SOLDIER – a man given superhuman abilities through exposure to Mako; a warrior whose body has been modified to perform at a higher level than ordinary soldiers. Zack is stronger, faster and has better reflexes than a normal human; he is by extension more resistant to illness and injury (though by no means immune!).
He comes to the game wielding the Buster Sword, a broadsword almost as long as he is tall. It is a heavy weapon though canon shows Zack's ability to wield it with ease, something that speaks to the level of enhancement a SOLDIER is given. The bulk of the blade is a dark etched steel; the base is given a gold color and a more elaborate, swirling design. (It is unclear if the sword's base is made of a different metal or if the gold is some form of plating over the main blade.) The hilt is plain and wrapped in red; the material can be assumed as leather for both durability and grip. The hilt is more than long enough for two hands to grip it, as Zack sometimes does in a guard position, but he most often swings it with a single hand and possesses the strength to do so with ease. The sword has two circular Materia slots near its base.
Which brings the discussion around to Materia! Materia is, essentially, crystalline Mako that enables a user to focus energy into the casting of a spell. By the point in canon from which Zack is taken, he has the potential to have pretty much every variety of Materia available in the game, and to have mastered each one of them. As this would make him ridiculously overpowered, he is only going to come into the game with six spells available to him – equal to the maximum number of Materia the player can equip to Zack in the game. Those six Materia will include:
Firaga: Enables fire-based attack spells. Throws three large homing fireballs at the target. Can strike multiple targets.
Blizzaga: Enables ice-based attack spells. A huge block of ice materializes above the target, then falls onto it. Can strike multiple targets and can miss if the target moves.
Thundaga: Enables lightning-based attack spells. Hurls a huge thunderbolt at the target. Can strike multiple targets.
Curaga: Enables magic that restores HP. Heavy healing based on MAG.
Dispel: Enables magic that nulls enemy magic. Removes beneficial status effects from the target.
Dualcast: Enables equipped magic to be cast twice in succession. Doubles MP cost as well. Does not work with Flare or Ultima. Once an item that grants 0 MP cost is equipped, Dualcast becomes extremely powerful coupled with strong spells like Energy, Quake, Electrocute and Graviga.
(Please note that the descriptions are courtesy of the Crisis Core player's guide, Materia section, pages 171 through 185. They are presented here only for accuracy in description; no infringement is intended.)
Zack has, thanks to experimentation at the hands of Hojo, received modifications beyond the cocktail of Mako and Jenova cells which are injected into all SOLDIERs' bodies. Hojo, in an attempt to recreate his "greatest achievement" injected Zack with more Mako and with Sephiroth's cells. Though the so-called S-cells did not overtake Zack's own DNA as Hojo had hoped — Zack's own genetic modifications, the way his body had accepted Mako and Jenova cells, were too strong to be overwritten — their presence would certainly allow for Zack to be influenced by Sephiroth, as it is shown in canon that Sephiroth is able to influence and even control those with Jenova cells. This would likely only ever come up for plot reasons.
Zack also has an amazing amount of willpower, such that it gives him the ability to push himself past his physical limits, as evidenced in his final stand. Even with his body failing he is able to keep fighting purely on his strength of will, and the inspirations of his memories of those closest to him. It is when his mind feels the fatigue of the fight and breaks that he finally falls.
On the more mundane side of abilities, Zack is shown to be able to ride a motorcycle. He has improvised a beach umbrella into a weapon, and he knows how to aim and shoot a gun.
He comes to the game wielding the Buster Sword, a broadsword almost as long as he is tall. It is a heavy weapon though canon shows Zack's ability to wield it with ease, something that speaks to the level of enhancement a SOLDIER is given. The bulk of the blade is a dark etched steel; the base is given a gold color and a more elaborate, swirling design. (It is unclear if the sword's base is made of a different metal or if the gold is some form of plating over the main blade.) The hilt is plain and wrapped in red; the material can be assumed as leather for both durability and grip. The hilt is more than long enough for two hands to grip it, as Zack sometimes does in a guard position, but he most often swings it with a single hand and possesses the strength to do so with ease. The sword has two circular Materia slots near its base.
Which brings the discussion around to Materia! Materia is, essentially, crystalline Mako that enables a user to focus energy into the casting of a spell. By the point in canon from which Zack is taken, he has the potential to have pretty much every variety of Materia available in the game, and to have mastered each one of them. As this would make him ridiculously overpowered, he is only going to come into the game with six spells available to him – equal to the maximum number of Materia the player can equip to Zack in the game. Those six Materia will include:
» Note: adapting the spell to the game setting, it will become what its name suggests: a spell that cure wounds and, to some extent, fatigue.
» Note: adapting the spell to the game setting, Zack will be able to use it to attempt to nullify magic-based attacks from other player-characters and/or NPCs as plotting allows. Or, in other words, it might not always work, and details would always be worked out with other player(s) beforehand.
» Note: adapting the spell to the game setting, this spell will enable Zack to quickly double-cast his other spells, but will fatigue him in so doing. If he overuses it, he runs the risk of passing out from exertion.
(Please note that the descriptions are courtesy of the Crisis Core player's guide, Materia section, pages 171 through 185. They are presented here only for accuracy in description; no infringement is intended.)
Zack has, thanks to experimentation at the hands of Hojo, received modifications beyond the cocktail of Mako and Jenova cells which are injected into all SOLDIERs' bodies. Hojo, in an attempt to recreate his "greatest achievement" injected Zack with more Mako and with Sephiroth's cells. Though the so-called S-cells did not overtake Zack's own DNA as Hojo had hoped — Zack's own genetic modifications, the way his body had accepted Mako and Jenova cells, were too strong to be overwritten — their presence would certainly allow for Zack to be influenced by Sephiroth, as it is shown in canon that Sephiroth is able to influence and even control those with Jenova cells. This would likely only ever come up for plot reasons.
Zack also has an amazing amount of willpower, such that it gives him the ability to push himself past his physical limits, as evidenced in his final stand. Even with his body failing he is able to keep fighting purely on his strength of will, and the inspirations of his memories of those closest to him. It is when his mind feels the fatigue of the fight and breaks that he finally falls.
On the more mundane side of abilities, Zack is shown to be able to ride a motorcycle. He has improvised a beach umbrella into a weapon, and he knows how to aim and shoot a gun.
Sins & Virtues:
SINS:
Envy - though present much earlier in canon as opposed to Zack's pull point, envy could be said to be a motivating factor of his early career in SOLDIER. Young Zack wanted nothing more than to be a hero like (or perhaps even surpassing) Sephiroth. In fact, he even comments that he had done "all the work" and Sephiroth had gotten "all the credit" in regard to the news coverage after the mission to Fort Tamblin in Wutai. Again, this is very much the attitude of younger Zack and not the more mature SOLDIER he becomes, but it has still existed in his life.
Pride - going a little bit in hand with Envy, Zack is aware of his abilities of a SOLDIER, that he is stronger and faster and more able than a "normal" person. At times it has gotten him into trouble, such as when he believed and enemy felled only for said creature to rise behind his turned back and strike at him (requiring, in two instances, for intervention from another SOLDIER to save Zack's life). But he is also possessed of another kind of pride, one that goes hand-in-hand with Angeal's teachings: that in order to be a hero, one must have dreams and honor. It is a belief to which Zack holds through his whole life, one that goes even beyond the SOLDIER program. It could even be said to be the belief that gets him killed; he could have dumped Cloud and tried to escape without the burden of a Mako-poisoned, unresponsive companion, but honor would not allow him to leave his friend.
Lust - though not a sexual sort of connotation, it can easily be said that Zack loves life and the idea of what his life could be: becoming the hero, getting the girl, being someone famous. Though some of this is tempered as he ages and matures through the events of the game, his love for life still exists. It becomes very important for him to do everything he can to protect life, from trying to save his mentor to trying to stop Sephiroth to ultimately sacrificing his own life for Cloud to live.
VIRTUES:
Patience it could be argued that patience is a must for all SOLDIER operatives, that they must recognize when is the time to charge in to a situation and when is the time to wait. But beyond that Zack demonstrates patience with those he knows and those he doesn't. Though the self-titled Treasure Princess (read: Yuffie) frustrates him both by obtaining his PHS number and texting him time and time again, and somehow making it to these "treasure sights" to scalp the reward while Zack deals with the monsters, he still goes every time because he is concerned with her safety. And though Aerith teases him by initially refusing to go on a date, then by asking him to grant her twenty-three tiny wishes, he still remains devoted to her. And though Sephiroth in Nibelheim is in the grasp of rage and madness, Zack still tries to the very end to reach for his friend.
Diligence - a virtue that could again be argued as necessary for SOLDIERs, or at least for successful SOLDIERs. The enhancements Zack received go a long way in helping to shape him to what he has physically become, but they are only part of the formula. He also needed to work and train hard to become what he is. He knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a SOLDIER, and even achieving that he knew he wanted to rise through the ranks to First Class. There was no easy road to take, no shortcut to the goal: it was achieved through hard work and perseverance, and in the process Zack learned the importance of those two things.
Envy - though present much earlier in canon as opposed to Zack's pull point, envy could be said to be a motivating factor of his early career in SOLDIER. Young Zack wanted nothing more than to be a hero like (or perhaps even surpassing) Sephiroth. In fact, he even comments that he had done "all the work" and Sephiroth had gotten "all the credit" in regard to the news coverage after the mission to Fort Tamblin in Wutai. Again, this is very much the attitude of younger Zack and not the more mature SOLDIER he becomes, but it has still existed in his life.
Pride - going a little bit in hand with Envy, Zack is aware of his abilities of a SOLDIER, that he is stronger and faster and more able than a "normal" person. At times it has gotten him into trouble, such as when he believed and enemy felled only for said creature to rise behind his turned back and strike at him (requiring, in two instances, for intervention from another SOLDIER to save Zack's life). But he is also possessed of another kind of pride, one that goes hand-in-hand with Angeal's teachings: that in order to be a hero, one must have dreams and honor. It is a belief to which Zack holds through his whole life, one that goes even beyond the SOLDIER program. It could even be said to be the belief that gets him killed; he could have dumped Cloud and tried to escape without the burden of a Mako-poisoned, unresponsive companion, but honor would not allow him to leave his friend.
Lust - though not a sexual sort of connotation, it can easily be said that Zack loves life and the idea of what his life could be: becoming the hero, getting the girl, being someone famous. Though some of this is tempered as he ages and matures through the events of the game, his love for life still exists. It becomes very important for him to do everything he can to protect life, from trying to save his mentor to trying to stop Sephiroth to ultimately sacrificing his own life for Cloud to live.
VIRTUES:
Patience it could be argued that patience is a must for all SOLDIER operatives, that they must recognize when is the time to charge in to a situation and when is the time to wait. But beyond that Zack demonstrates patience with those he knows and those he doesn't. Though the self-titled Treasure Princess (read: Yuffie) frustrates him both by obtaining his PHS number and texting him time and time again, and somehow making it to these "treasure sights" to scalp the reward while Zack deals with the monsters, he still goes every time because he is concerned with her safety. And though Aerith teases him by initially refusing to go on a date, then by asking him to grant her twenty-three tiny wishes, he still remains devoted to her. And though Sephiroth in Nibelheim is in the grasp of rage and madness, Zack still tries to the very end to reach for his friend.
Diligence - a virtue that could again be argued as necessary for SOLDIERs, or at least for successful SOLDIERs. The enhancements Zack received go a long way in helping to shape him to what he has physically become, but they are only part of the formula. He also needed to work and train hard to become what he is. He knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a SOLDIER, and even achieving that he knew he wanted to rise through the ranks to First Class. There was no easy road to take, no shortcut to the goal: it was achieved through hard work and perseverance, and in the process Zack learned the importance of those two things.
WRITING SAMPLES:
Sample #1:
Sample #2:
Thread from Since 1969, in which Zack and Sephiroth discuss what happened in Nibelheim.
Sample #2:
The manor was nice enough – physically, at least. It was well-appointed and kept in good repair, from what Zack could tell. That didn't help with the fact that he still felt uncomfortable there, in part because it was yet another strange place to which he'd been whisked, and in part because of all the sexual undertones and overtures in the place. It really wasn't his kind of thing! He could think of several guys who might call it a paradise, but all it did was make him think of his absent girlfriend.
In a way, he was glad she wasn't here; he wouldn't want her to be subjected to such things. But he worried too — worried that they'd been parted after having been united, worried that his presence here meant she was still stuck back in the hotel, and now without one of her protectors. He didn't like thinking of that at all.
Perhaps his preoccupation was why he'd been chosen to run errands in the town. Perhaps the sisters who ruled this place thought it would be a good focus for him. Zack hadn't minded, because he'd thought that the chance to get out and about would be more than welcome — a few hours of freedom from the atmosphere in what he'd been told was his new home.
Oh, how wrong he'd been!
He clearly should've looked over the shopping list a bit more carefully before he'd set out. The first few items were mundane enough. Even the, uh, lingerie he'd been able to purchase while (mostly) looking the salesgirl in the eye. But, as he stood outside of the shop indicated on his list and gazed at the requested items he seriously debated just quitting right there and damn the consequences. It wasn't the dildos or the vibrators that got him. It was the line that specified he was to ask for a plug that would, uh, satisfy him and for ropes to be wrapped about his body to make a proper present of him. Nope, he just couldn't — wouldn't — do it.
Until he remembered the screams he'd heard last night. They'd been faint but heightened senses had picked them up, and he hadn't liked what his ears had told him; those hadn't been screams of pleasure.
Zack closed his eyes, sighed, and tried to school his scowl into a more neutral expression. He even gave himself a mental pep talk: think of it as a mission, Fair; you committed to doing it, and now you have to see it done. It didn't help his displeasure much at all, but he'd do it, he'd return as instructed (and with the other packages he'd gotten), and he'd be wary of accepting any further errands from the sisters.
Taking one last breath to center himself, he pushed open the shop door and tried not to cringe at the sight of the wares it presented or the salesgirl (too) happily bustling over to him. "Uh, yeah. I need your help with this list..."
In a way, he was glad she wasn't here; he wouldn't want her to be subjected to such things. But he worried too — worried that they'd been parted after having been united, worried that his presence here meant she was still stuck back in the hotel, and now without one of her protectors. He didn't like thinking of that at all.
Perhaps his preoccupation was why he'd been chosen to run errands in the town. Perhaps the sisters who ruled this place thought it would be a good focus for him. Zack hadn't minded, because he'd thought that the chance to get out and about would be more than welcome — a few hours of freedom from the atmosphere in what he'd been told was his new home.
Oh, how wrong he'd been!
He clearly should've looked over the shopping list a bit more carefully before he'd set out. The first few items were mundane enough. Even the, uh, lingerie he'd been able to purchase while (mostly) looking the salesgirl in the eye. But, as he stood outside of the shop indicated on his list and gazed at the requested items he seriously debated just quitting right there and damn the consequences. It wasn't the dildos or the vibrators that got him. It was the line that specified he was to ask for a plug that would, uh, satisfy him and for ropes to be wrapped about his body to make a proper present of him. Nope, he just couldn't — wouldn't — do it.
Until he remembered the screams he'd heard last night. They'd been faint but heightened senses had picked them up, and he hadn't liked what his ears had told him; those hadn't been screams of pleasure.
Zack closed his eyes, sighed, and tried to school his scowl into a more neutral expression. He even gave himself a mental pep talk: think of it as a mission, Fair; you committed to doing it, and now you have to see it done. It didn't help his displeasure much at all, but he'd do it, he'd return as instructed (and with the other packages he'd gotten), and he'd be wary of accepting any further errands from the sisters.
Taking one last breath to center himself, he pushed open the shop door and tried not to cringe at the sight of the wares it presented or the salesgirl (too) happily bustling over to him. "Uh, yeah. I need your help with this list..."
Permissions
This list will obviously be adjusted as Zack settles more into the game.
Definitely yes:
Maybe:
No:
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