Jaded had been out and about. She had located the streets and was watching everything. Some speeches she enjoyed, and others were not her taste, but she watched nonetheless. This was her duty she felt as a member of the community to watch at the very least. There were times that she felt compelled to say something. There were things that people felt strongly about and things they felt were just needed to be said. Jaded had never shied away from her voice when it was needed.

Now though she was watching. She was observing the things that she had seen.

"I've seen that guy over there." Jaded pointed. "He got his promotion recently. If crying for bloodlining is the way he wants to portray himself and his family in the future, it will be interesting to see."

She had watched the young man getting his button. Her annoyance at being told that she could not speak by him earlier in the week had not defeated her work ethic. She could only hope that his views did not reflect those of his leader. She would watch.

"I've seen the talk of the war parties in the most recent take down. Some were so well brought up that I was impressed. Others were lacking, but nonetheless it brought people talking in the streets. That is great."

Jaded thought about all the post war speeches. She shook her head to remember the ones that had come before her. The best friend she had lost and those amazing leaders she had heard about.

"I have watched and listened to reasons why standards may be slipping. Some of these have a few merits. Others I do not understand so I watched."

Jaded recalled to her memory that people seemed to think that standards should be allowed to fall so low after a war. She couldn't understand that because when they tried to pull those standards up they would have such a long way to go. Why do people make the extra work on themselves? she thought.

"I have listened to people talk and speak on all kinds of things. Do you prefer to watch or be apart of things?" Jaded had suddenly turned to the person staring at her. She knew she had been rambling for quite some time.

"I'd prefer to get involved. To speak up. To have a voice. This is a community I care enough about to brave the insults and speak my own thoughts. No one else will speak them for me. "

Simmering down just a little bit. Jaded tilted her head and waited. She'd stare at that person who was looking at her as if she had three heads until they replied. She could wait all night.

Deirdre clamped her Peterson pipe between her teeth as she listened to an young woman who seemed at first, to be speaking to herself.  Still, regardless of the possibility of the girl being insane, she had caught Deirdre's attention.  Finally the speaker turned and made eye contact and Deirdre squinted, sizing up the woman and her questions.

"You speak of a community young lady, but all I see are a mess o' men in suits and hats, walking by one another each day with as little care for their fellow man as they have for any o' the other beings on this earth.  What's a community?  A place to be nurtured and cared for.  A place to live your life and raise your family.  But here, here I see naught but the greed of man.  Money turns a mans head faster than a pretty woman, and so I don't see as much a community as I do a bank made of lives.  Unfortunately there seem to have been too many withdrawals lately. But as to your other point.  I prefer to speak when I need and hold my tongue when I don't." 

Jaded listened to Deirdre.

Perhaps you are right. Perhaps people are just in everything for themselves, but I know there are people that give their all into everything from their family to their community. Those people are too few and too far inbetween, I agree, but they do exist.

Turning her head she smiled politely at the man who spoke next.

Thank you for the compliment Sir. I appreciate that you took time out of your busy day to speak even if you couldn't go into details on my topic.

I think ''we'' should allow (not encourage!) standards to slip, even if only a little bit, because it will happen inevitably in some way after a war. I don't think it's the goal of anyone to go and let the standards drop, but I think there's an increased demand for VIP etc and the usual post-war confusion and chaos does't help. Authorization's (and the speeches about them) might be more repetitive and messier among other things.

I disagree. You start letting them slip and its harder to come back from. However, I understand we all have our own views.