expiationnet | [Video]

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[At first, there's just audio as Aerith is figuring out how this little trinket works. A phone would be easier, wouldn't it? As video comes on, she lifts a hand and wiggles her fingers in greeting.]

Hellllooooo!

[If it seems like she's too cheery, that very likely might be the case. Despite the situation and bizarre circumstances, she's chosen to approach all of this with a great deal of optimism. Smile, and the world smiles with you, goes the saying.]

I understand a lot of us are kind of going through the same thing and it's probably very easy to focus on what we don't know, but I thought it might be kind of nice to have the reminder that we have a common goal. So whether you arrived here with friends or without them, you're not alone! You have the rest of us, too.

[Gesturing to herself, she continues.]

My name's Aerith and I didn't arrive with very much, but if there's something I can help you out with, make sure you let me know and I'll do my best! Also, if you're having trouble finding a place to stay, I'm sharing a room here with my bodyguard, but I'm sure he won't mind too much if we make a little more room for you.

[You're welcome, Cloud.]

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I mean, I've heard stranger!

[ He laughs. She didn't say no, technically! He's gonna go with 'princess' for his theory. ]

What's a flower girl need a bodyguard for? Does your planet have a thing against flowers?

The city I live in isn't always the safest. I can usually handle myself for the most part, but sometimes even I need a little help and I'm not afraid to admit that. But as for plants...

[That certainly is a thought. She's not sure she'd describe it as having a thing against them. Maybe... they've simply forgotten that a world exists outside of the source of power they've extracted from the very living planet.]

Hm. I don't know that they've ever been as familiar with flowers to really have a thing against them. I think they just don't really think about plants and the world like that.

Ahh, gotcha. Sorry to hear that.

[ Peter gets it. Some places can be hella dangerous, especially if you can't fight or aren't armed. ]

So it's like an industrial zone, huh? Honestly, I'm not super knowledgeable about flowers either. Do you have any favorites?

That's a very good way of putting it.

[Almost right on, actually. Industrial to the max. Run on wealth, power, and corporate greed. Keeping the power where those above thing it ought to be. And destroying the planet while doing so.]

I like... all flowers, actually. They're all beautiful and they all have meanings. I guess lilies would be my favourite, though. Did you know that even the colour of a flower can mean something when you give it to someone else?

[He had every opportunity to save himself. Look what he's started.]

I've seen a few planets like that. They're tough places to be for sure.

[ The Kree empire comes to mind, but he'd much rather talk about the things she so clearly likes. ]

Lilies, huh? Which ones are those? All I remember about flowers is that red roses are to show somebody you love them... and that's pretty much it.

[ Go off, girl, tell him about flowers. ]

[Aerith takes the bait. Or would, if it was bait at all. In this case, she is simply very happy to talk about plants, especially to someone who genuinely seems interested in them. There's just not enough of those types back home.]

Hm. How to describe them. They come in all kinds of colours and designs. They have these long, sort of slender petals. Sometimes the petals are blank. Sometimes they have spots or long stripe lines. And then in the middle, these have their cute little styles. Those are the stalk-like things that come up and have pollen.

[It's possible that she's speaking a little quicker than she ought to while she's trying to motion indicatively, but she just can't help herself.]

Some types of lilies can symbolise ideas like love and affection. There are others that represent providence and virtue, innocence, and so on. There are even lilies that are thought to guide those who have passed on into the afterlife.

[ He does love watching and hearing people go off about their hobbies, this is choice stuff. ]

That's cool! Sounds like they're pretty varied.

[ He's learning so much! Who knew flowers had so much lore? ]

All that for some flowers? I had no idea they were that deep.

All flowers have different meanings. There might be a lot to learn about them, but I don't think most consider that. It's easy to look at a flower and admire it for just being pretty. I think for most? That's where they stop. And if they don't know about the meanings, then there's no reason for them to think about anything other than how it looks.

[That said—]

But now that you know a little about them, you'll be able to give flowers to people with a little more information behind them.

Huh. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought of it like that...

[ Flowers aren't exactly common in space, since so many of them can't survive in a vacuum, but Groot makes it work. ]

You know, I have a friend back home who'd probably love that. He's big on flowers and plants and stuff. I bet it'd blow his mind to hear about how much meaning we put into all the different colors and everything.

How do you know that he doesn't already know all of these things? If he knows a lot about them or works with them often, he might already be aware. These kinds of things don't usually come up unless it's a very specific conversation topic.

[Which would be a theoretical as to how Peter could go on long enough without knowing that.]

Either way, you can take it back to him and find out. [Eventually. One day. Probably. Whenever they figure out how to handle things.]

You know, you could be right. He could probably talk to them and get their side of the story, too. I know exactly what he'd say, too.

[ I'm sorry, Aerith........ Peter's friend is a walking tree. ]

But I'll be sure to let him know next time I see him.

[ Which will hopefully be soon, but. Yeah. ]

If you ever find out, I'd like to know, too. I doubt I know everything about flowers. There's probably so much more I could learn. I like being around them, though. I like seeing them. I like working with them. I want to fill the city my mom and I live in with them.

[After a moment's thought more, she grins.]

If you couldn't tell, I can get pretty carried away once I get started. They're a big part of my life.

They definitely help a place feel peaceful, at least in my experience. My buddy Groot --the one who likes flowers-- he's always the chillest one out of all of my friends.

[ He smiles right back. I mean, Groot is also a walking three, but that doesn't change the fact that he's the most well-adjusted Guardian by far. ]

It's cool, though! It's nice to hear people talk about stuff they're passionate about. Don't let anybody put out that flame, alright? Anybody who makes you feel bad's probably jealous that they don't have something they can talk about with that much passion.

I think that's exactly what it is. I always feel my best when I'm around flowers. Back home, my favourite place to be was with them. They don't bloom in most places, but around my house, they're everywhere. I do my best to take care of them. There's a church too, that isn't used anymore, and just this one little spot where the flowers grow.

[She's so far from home. Aerith feels wistful and yet just thinking about the flowers makes her feel at ease.]

I won't let anyone stop me. Actually, I think most people come to realise just how stubborn I am and eventually just give in. Must be my charm!

That sounds awesome. You must be super good at taking care of them!

[ Hey, he'd definitely suck at that, so this is real enthusiasm here. ]

Hell yeah! That's the way to be. If people don't like your energy, they can get gone. [ He laughs. He so gets it. ] I'm like that with my friends, too.

[She is extremely good with flowers. He praises her and she might as well be a flower herself, looking immensely pleased by his evaluation of her skills without even needing to see them. Some might call that a foolish naivety on his part, but Aerith stands to gain nothing by speaking falsely.]

You seem very confident! Self-assured? Are your friends like that, too?

[Sometimes one would say like recognises like. And in other times, one might also say that opposites attract. What kinds of friends does a man like Peter have? Some, she hopes, that help his proverbial wings unfurl.]

[ There's a reason he's the team's hype man. He's very good at it. ]

Yeah! You could say that.

[ He laughs. Okay, he can do better than that. ]

They're definitely confident. And they don't listen half the time. But they all really care about each other, even if they won't admit it. Plus, they all listen when it counts so... they're a really great bunch.

[ Oh, he could talk about his friends for days. ]

[In an ideal world, people would listen to one another, but Aerith also understands that the true feelings a person may experience is not necessarily something that can or will be easily expressed on the outside. Cloud is a wonderful example of that, though he is becoming quite... Well. Open isn't the word for it.

He's doing better! He's trying and Aerith can see it.]

They sound wonderful. [She wants to bubble right over with that sentiment and she suspects it's because friendship is something she deeply values in others. A lonely heart quite possibly often does.] If any of them show up here, you have to introduce me, okay?

[ Some people aren't so good with their feelings, much less talking about them. All of Peter's friends fall under that category, from Rocket's anger issues to Gamora and Drax's grief, none of them have it together. (Peter doesn't either, he's just coping differently, it's fine.)

It's something they share, and something that brings them together. And also one of the reasons he cares about them so much. ]

They're the best!

[ Man, though, he hadn't even considered the possibility of one of them turning up here though. It's obvious in the way he pauses, almost freezing for a bit while his brain reboots.

It's fine! That probably won't happen! ]

Uh, yeah! Definitely! If one of them shows up, you'll definitely know. They're not even a little subtle.

[She grins just listening to him. He sounds cute just talking about them. When people have those close relationships with others, there's just something about them that glows. She feels warmed right to the core.]

Sounds like a deal, then. And I'll introduce you to my friends, too. I'm not sure they're much like yours, but each of them is special in their own way. You would probably like them.

[Maybe not Cloud necessarily, but someone like Tifa? Barret? He'd probably love them.]

Until then, I think the way things are now is fine. I miss my friends from home, but I'm not sure I'd want them to be in the same situation that we're in.

[ They're his family 🥹 ]

Hey, I'll bet they are! Don't sell yourself short.

[ Or her friends, for that matter. But don't worry, Peter would try to get along with all of them. Even Cloud. ]

Yeah, I wouldn't exactly wish this on them. I think they'd have a hard time waiting around. They're more the kind of people who'd say actions speak louder than words. And explosions. Explosions speak louder than actions.

Exactly. I know I've been pretty understanding of the situation.

[Which is putting it lightly. Objectively, her behaviour alone would seem very complacent. She can't be surprised by the reactions of the others like them, as a result.]

I just believe in biding time. Gathering information first. I'm also concerned that if one of us does something we shouldn't do that we might all be punished as a result. I don't have any proof of that, obviously, but it's just a concern and I think it's better safe than sorry.

It's not totally unheard of for this stuff, honestly. Weirdos who do this kind of thing or have this kind of power usually have something in mind. So arbitrary scut like doling out punishments trying to get us to turn on each other wouldn't surprise me.

[ Sometimes you have to bide your time before you can get out there and change things. ]

I call that healthy caution. We can hope for the best and still plan for the worst!

I think healthy caution is a good way of putting it.

[At least he gets that. It's not that Aerith wants to be buddy-buddy with the locals. Of course, she wouldn't mind being on truly friendly terms, but she's definitely trying to think about all of them as a whole.]

But. Hopefully I'm wrong. No way to tell right now. I feel like we're sort of at a dead end right now. Waiting is hard, but we might not have an alternative. At least not yet. Hoping people can keep themselves together for the time being.

[ You gotta stick together in times like these! Not that the locals haven't been super accommodating, but even that is a little weird. ]

Yeah, I hear you. I doubt we'd be 'sentenced' if the plan was to drop us in a quaint little town where we can chill and relax. Waiting's our only play right now. Might as well stay out of trouble, for now.

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