Dream ✖ 019

[stoicism]

Effects: A feeling of being called to duty, a deep sense of being needed and a feeling of fulfillment.
Warnings: None in particular

Comments

[stoicism]

[Frank takes notice of Meryl watching him as she rewinds his dream. The woman seems fixated on the screen but the young soldier knows well enough that she's not actually looking at him. He sits in silence long enough for her to watch through the events again before he finally speaks.]

I have been without orders for so long... I find myself longing for those days.

[stoicism]

[Even though Frank himself never truly understood it, he recalled and recognized the strange influence Gene's voice had over not only himself but all soldiers in the faction. The immediate desire to follow and obey would be instilled in any man within earshot, no matter what the command may have been.]

I was still a threat... That man was not always able to speak in my presence. They needed a method of controlling me.

[stoicism]

I am uncertain of how to explain it. I was compelled to follow orders only when that man spoke... To anyone else, I was a threat.

[stoicism]

There was no being I despised more than that man. As I have stated, I am not certain how to describe what compelled me so... But when he spoke, everyone listened. Everyone obeyed.

[There is only a brief pause before he answers the latter part.]

I'm uncertain what answer you are expecting. I am soldier.

[stoicism]

[As it seems Meryl is having a difficult time understanding what he can't rightly explain, he decides to leave the subject of Gene aside for now.]

I do not attack unprovoked.

[stoicism]

You assume many things. It is a habit I would suggest breaking.

[stoicism]

I would be interested in learning where you've obtained this information.

[He cannot recall ever attacking unprovoked before... He assumes he has, in the past when the culture tank wiped his mind clean but during his time in Somarium, every assault and every strike has had purpose.]

[stoicism]

[Meryl's words serve to alert him but his expression remains unchanged. How was she aware of the night he arrived at Naomi's? She isn't smart enough to simply be pulling this idea out of the air but at the same time, perhaps he should tread lightly. If she is bluffing, he must call her on it.]

I asked you to tell me who I have assaulted when unprovoked. What you choose to fabricate holds no meaning to me.