And his heart was sinking, now. From his chest to his guts to his toes.
"It's... somethin' to be proud of, Rikku. First time I ever held up my head and said my name, it was this name. Wasn't that other kid, wasn't that nobody." He was so very interested, now, in whatever was on his floor. A bottle. Hey. "It's just... Joinin' the Turks was never about ShinRa. Rufus could'a died on Sunday and I'd still call myself a Turk. Still be damn proud of what I was and what it meant, even if there weren't no Turks left. I'm not gonna ever stop bein' one. It's who I am."
A long pause.
"But it ain't what I do. We do what we do, no matter what, because of what we are. But it ain't the same thing. We can stop doin' it and still be Turks. But we can't stop bein' Turks and still do it. Used to be, that was the only thing kept us goin'. We get it done. Why? 'Cause we're Turks, zoto. Now... Turks are still there. Yeah. But... That ain't what keeps me goin'."
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"It's... somethin' to be proud of, Rikku. First time I ever held up my head and said my name, it was this name. Wasn't that other kid, wasn't that nobody." He was so very interested, now, in whatever was on his floor. A bottle. Hey. "It's just... Joinin' the Turks was never about ShinRa. Rufus could'a died on Sunday and I'd still call myself a Turk. Still be damn proud of what I was and what it meant, even if there weren't no Turks left. I'm not gonna ever stop bein' one. It's who I am."
A long pause.
"But it ain't what I do. We do what we do, no matter what, because of what we are. But it ain't the same thing. We can stop doin' it and still be Turks. But we can't stop bein' Turks and still do it. Used to be, that was the only thing kept us goin'. We get it done. Why? 'Cause we're Turks, zoto. Now... Turks are still there. Yeah. But... That ain't what keeps me goin'."