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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[...Surely, somewhere in Aerith's mind, she has considered that there are probably situations where the crimes on those pieces of paper hold some kind of truth. Where her own comes into question is... Well. Ambiguous. Up for debate and consideration. Is she guilty?

Maybe.
Probably.]

So... you think this place is a punishment. But from whom? And why would we all be brought to this one place when it's likely many of us come from a bunch of different worlds?

( on the one hand, yes, marc does want to know more: he doesn't think it's quite as cut-and-dry as 'marc, you're a criminal, you have fucked up so many times in your life, here's your punishment', except—

—there's also a very large part of him that thinks that it could be exactly that. it really might not be any deeper, because he is that guy on the parchment. he did do everything he's been accused of. he hasn't entirely ruled out that everyone else isn't exactly as they seem, because it wouldn't be the first time, but— )

Do I think this world is everything it portrays itself to be? No. It could be a dream, it could be a false reality created by something with the ability to affect the minds of others. ( it wouldn't be the first time. ) But whatever it is and however we've been brought here, it's by someone or something that knows us.

( might his feelings on it change later? yes, maybe. )

There are beings to which worlds and time are playthings. ( he lifts a shoulder in a tight shrug. ) I'm not saying accept it, I'm saying most lies have an element of truth. Don't presume everything we've been told is false.

( also that's drifting away from his original point, which was— ) And don't presume we all want the same thing. That's a good way to get hurt. You don't know everyone here.

[That's a lot to take in. So much, in fact, that Aerith wisely doesn't have an immediate response to it. A lot of that is because she's taking each part of what he's said and giving it the consideration that she feels it deserves. She can't argue against any of it and this isn't really a situation where she'd even want to.

It is presumptuous to think that some people would want the same thing, though it is an equally difficult thing for her to imagine anyone wanting to stay in this place. Sort of. How badly does she want to go right back into a laboratory chamber, waiting for the moment she gets used in some kind of experiment?

Not really, honestly.]

I wasn't trying to offend. [She could explain more, but sometimes intention doesn't mean a thing and she knows it.] It's possible there are people who are here who don't want to go home. I just want to help people who need it. That's all. If there's something I can do, then I should.

[It's as simple as that.]

I'm not offended. ( just to make that clear. for all else he might be and do, marc doesn't get offended easily. frustration, anger, annoyance? yes. offence? not so much.

marc's own reasons for helping others isn't as selfless as that: it's about him and always has been, his own need to mitigate self-loathing and guilt for past actions rather than an intrinsic need and want to be a good person — of course, he wants to be a good person, but it's not inherent. it's not something he wants to do because it's who he is, it's something he wants to do because he so often hasn't been. because making the right decision, the moral decision doesn't come naturally to him.

(how had he described it to andrea sterman? he's marc spector, the guy that makes the wrong choice every time.)

he's heard a variation of aerith's sentiment before, from spider-man. marc's (almost always) been fond of him, not because he's not annoying (he is), but because he is a good person. ) I'm not unreasonable enough to think that people can't hold different points of view.

—I mostly just thought I'd missed something. ( it wouldn't be the first time something presumed to be common knowledge has just flown past marc. )

If you're missing something, then I'm probably missing it, too.

[She can say she wants to help all she wants and without a doubt, she certainly will, but words are easy and actions are not. Aerith understands that despite whatever her heart of good intention may strive for, her own capability (especially in this place) may limit her. It's important that she not make promises that she can't keep and though she's willing to offer some kind of emotional and mental peace of mind, even she's aware there's a limit to what she can and should give.]

I think a lot of people looked at my offer and just assumed I made it without thinking of the possibilities. Or that I had something to gain from it. Or any other number of conclusions that could be made about me without even knowing me. That's fair. We're all strangers. All we can do right now is make assumptions.

[And that is just human nature, even for a girl who is only human in part.]

( he hmms in acknowledgement, quiet and thoughtful. he doesn't think that just because he's missed something, aerith has too. people pick up on different things, piece together different parts of the jigsaw.

not to mention, marc hasn't spent much of his time getting to know anyone yet. sure, he's spoken to one or two of their group, had the odd conversation ("conversation"), but 'people person' and 'marc spector' have never gone hand-in-hand. )

You've got a bodyguard. For whatever else, you're clearly capable of thinking about possibilities and repercussions. ( a beat and there's quirk at the corners of his lips, there and it's gone. an assumption. ) And it's disingenuous to say we're all strangers. ( within their group, he's picked up on that much, at least. )

—But you come across as a good person. ( potentially a little naive, but given personal experiences, marc's willing to wager that some of that is possibly a desire to see the best rather than an inability to notice the worst. ) A person's assumptions says more about their biases and experiences than you.

Oh— [He's caught her again. He's very observant and she realises almost immediately, thanks to the gentle and fleeting turn in his expression, that she's gone and not been as clear as she ought to be.] You're right. After all, Cloud and I aren't strangers. I doubt very much I was the only one luck enough to be here with someone from my world. Of course other people who share a world with others here wouldn't be strangers...

[Aerith laughs a little. Maybe sheepish, but she's never claimed she was perfect. On the contrary, she's likely relatively quick to admit her flaws. And perhaps even to embrace them, as long as she's doing her best to improve herself. Being described as a 'good person' leaves her feeling warmed right to her core.]

I certainly want to be a good person. I try to be, anyway. That might be all that I can do. I don't mind if people judge me based on that.

Luck's one way of looking at it. ( marc's alone and, after he'd read the parchment, he'd fully expected to be. there had been a part of him, the part that had wondered where on the scale of 'reality' versus 'delusion' versus 'hallucination' versus 'dream' this sat, that had expected to see bushman or randall.

(but mostly bushman, given his crime(s).).

that would've settled one question, though it's not as if either randall or bushman have ever managed to stay dead for long — not that marc can talk. but regardless of who — friend or foe — he hypothetically might have found himself here with, if he had, he certainly wouldn't have called it luck.

or: weird, marc can't relate. ) I expect it's by design. For impact.

Impact.

[That's one heck of a word to use to describe it. Not really wrong, though. It's thought-provoking and maybe that's a part of the intention, too. Although provoking thought seems like a weird way to punish someone for something they've done that's supposedly 'wrong.'

No. She definitely doesn't know what to make of it.]

It probably is all intentional. Whatever the end-game is, I can't tell. But you're probably right.

( marc lifts a shoulder. where aerith thinks it'd be a weird way to go about punishment, marc clearly doesn't. )

But like you said, all we've got right now are assumptions.

That's true.

[Her smile turns a touch more confident and she folds her hands together with some consideration.]

Let's leave the theorising for how we're here. Why we're here. What to do next. When it comes to the people here, I want to find my own answers. So with that said, do I get a name to go with the profound conversationalist?

[She means him. New world, who dis.]

( he's been better about his name: he's finally — after tigra had all but ruined everything (affectionately) — relented and been okay with reese calling him 'marc' and not 'mr. knight'. soldier, he doesn't think will ever call him anything else — except boss — but that's just the type of guy soldier is.

in terms of here, though? it shouldn't be a difficult question, and yet.

'knight' is on the tip of his tongue. he'd told his therapist that his preferences for clothing — the suit and the shroud — were because they were all things that dead men wore and marc spector was dead (several times, not that it stuck), whilst he'd told reese and tigra that he wore the mask and went by 'mr. knight' because he had loved ones to protect. a secret identity to keep secret.

tigra had pointed out that his 'secret' 'identity' was on fucking imdb because he'd thought it was a good idea to make a documentary about khonshu.

or: his reasons were bullshit excuses, and he's not doing anything moon knight related at present.

he exhales, mouth setting in a thin line, before— ) —Spector.

Edited (clarificaaaation) 2023-02-23 13:49 (UTC)

[He thinks about it for what feels like long enough to suspect that maybe the name he gives her isn't his real one and Aerith decides that given the circumstances they've all been—literally—dropped into, that is probably not to be unexpected. Sure, she's given her name without much fuss and it's highly unlikely there's another 'Aerith' in this world, she doesn't seem too particularly concerned about people being familiar with her personal details.

Maybe she doesn't care. Maybe she's really confident in Cloud's abilities. There are any number of reasons for this. All that matters is that Marc is probably taking the wiser way out of this.]

Spector, hm?

[She tries the name on for size. It sounds enigmatic. Isn't there a word like that? Spectre? And those are like... ghosts and spirits, right? She wonders if that's intentional. If there's some kind of link there. But she doesn't bother to say so.]

Well, it's very nice to meet you, even if the situation might not be ideal!

( ah yes, welcome to marc 'my real name sounds as fake as my fake name' spector, aerith.

it's not a difficult name to pronounce, so the reason for aerith repeating it eludes him — not that it matters, as she's quick to move on to proclaiming it's nice to meet him and he murmurs softly, a distracted mm that isn't meant to be impolite, he just isn't often the recipient of any 'nice to meet you's. )

Yeah. Given the situation. ( anyway. he waves a hand. ) Good luck with your roomsharing.

Thanks!

[That said, since he's been so kind as to bring it up—]

You know the offer extends to you too, okay? If you need a place to stay, just come visit. Don't mind Cloud. He's not as scary as he can sometimes seem.

[Although in her opinion, Cloud's not very scary at all for a member of Soldier. Of course, he'd hate to know she's saying anything like this. So much for not sharing too much information about him. Or them.]

Scary and I are old bedfellows.

—And I'd assumed, given the lack of exclusions, that I'm not excluded from the offer. ( the remark is — something, though, and marc's not quite sure if it's a commentary on him or if it's more to do with her. a dislike of being alone? a want for companionship? who knows. ) But I have somewhere to stay. ( ... ) Thank you.

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