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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[Alphen can't help starting the video with a bit of a smile -- he doesn't know Aerith too well yet, but this just...really seems like her.]

I can't say I disagree. We're bound to get better information and results if we work together than if we don't.

I didn't realize you had a bodyguard, Aerith. Did they arrive here with you? That's pretty lucky. [pot, kettle]

[Once again, it's nice to have a like-mind in Alphen. She knew meeting him at the festival that she liked him right away and there's nothing since then that's changed it. If anything, hearing even just the short-lived affirmation of his words leaves her feeling a strengthened resolve.

At least not everyone thinks she's absolutely mad.]

He did. [She answers easily enough.] I found him just a little after I arrived, though I don't know how long he'd been here before we ran into one another. It's nice to have him here. It occurs to me when we were carrying things that I didn't ask if you had anyone you knew here. You know if you don't, you can come to me, right?

I'm glad to hear that. I can't imagine this would be an easy thing to deal with for people who arrived on their own.

[Makes him feel pretty lucky, in fact.]

Me? It looks like whoever's in charge around here is particularly interested in me and my friends. I found a lot of them after I got here. Not all, but...it still seems pretty miraculous.

Oh, wow...!

[Is it a better thing to have a bunch of people from the same world, or is it just more suspicious? Does it mean that Alphen and those he knows here hold a greater significance? Is it intentional or purely coincidental?

She decides to take it for the positive that it is.]

I'm so happy to hear you have them here. Even if it isn't all of them. It'll be easier to face things here with them, after all.

[If not for the inclusion of A Particular Someone, he'd find it almost unanimously a good thing. As it is, Vholran's presence here makes it harder to justify his theory that the Renans somehow have something to do with all of this.]

I feel the same way. We've all been through a lot together, and I trust all of them with my life. If I'm being honest...I think this place would be a lot harder to accept if I was on my own.

[She looks understanding. Aerith can agree with that. She doesn't need to have Cloud here, but undoubtedly, things are easier with him here. It would likely be the same for anyone else, she imagines.]

I'm sure they feel the same way, Alphen. Of course, now that I know you have some friends here, I'll have to meet them, too. I'd like to know if they're like you.

[Maybe they are. It could certainly help the cause for a better future for them all. Well, at least the immediate future of coming days and likely weeks. However long they're all caught up in this world.]

With everything going on around here, it's possible you already have.

[But he's hoping the same thing, honestly -- he has a feeling they'd all get along. A pause; his expression changes a little.]

... You haven't seen a girl called Rinwell around here, have you? She's the only one of us who was missing when we got here. It's possible she's not here at all, but...I thought I'd ask.

[You know. Just in case.]

Oh, that's true. I've met a lot of people since I arrived, but... no one who looks like you.

[Not that means anything, of course. She doesn't think there's anyone here who really looks like Alphen. What a peculiar guy. Easy to pick out in a crowd, though. How many half-masked alabaster haired young men are there? Probably not many.]

Rinwell? No... I can say I haven't met anyone with that name. I'll keep my eyes and ears out for her, though. It seems a little weird that the rest of you showed up without her. Maybe... she arrived somewhere different?

[And that's an entirely different thing to consider. Why did the majority of them wake up in a different area?]

[Well there's an easy assumption to make.] I wouldn't say any of them really look like me, but it's true that it can be hard to tell who knows who, especially in a place like this.

[Who would've ever thought they'd be dealing with people from entirely different worlds, after all? That feels like it changes everything. His expression fades for a second from friendliness to resignation; he doesn't seem surprised to hear that.]

I thought so, but...I figured I'd ask. Honestly, I'm not sure whether it's better that she's here alone or at home alone.

[But the thought of arriving somewhere different...]

That's a good point, though. There could be other people here who arrived somewhere else.

It's very hard to tell who knows who, but I guess that's the same for just about anywhere.

[After all, people back home might not have expected Aerith to have the number of connections she had. Not when first meeting her, that is. Once one has gotten even remotely into her head, however, it's pretty obvious that she just might have a habit of sticking her nose in everywhere.]

We don't know yet whether she's here or not. It's possible that she could be home. She might also be somewhere here. If you tell me what she looks like, I can tell you if I see anyone who matches her description. I'm looking for a few myself.

That's true. A lot of us look relatively similar, even if we're from different worlds...I guess people are people, wherever you go.

[It should be a comforting thought -- and it is, once he gets past the inane hypocrisy of Renan oppression. They're all so much alike, except for those little differences: artes and magic, one heart or two...none of it gives anyone the right to treat others so poorly. Even here.]

That's true. Thanks, Aerith. She's small, with short black hair. She usually wears blue, and a butterfly clip in her hair. [Oh, but on the same subject--]

How about you describe some of the people you're looking for, too? If I see them, I'll be able to send them your way.

["...people are people, wherever you go."

If that's not a true observation, Aerith isn't sure what is. It sounds obvious too, but when she really thinks about it, it's easy to take that kind of stuff for granted.

She listens to the description attentively and it's evident that she must be making some mental notes. Small. Black hair that's short. Normally wearing blue. And a butterfly clip. That's pretty specific when she thinks about it. Aerith is confident that she can track someone down easily if they matched it.]

Hm... There's a girl with long dark hair and very deep red eyes. She's super fit, and wears black and white. And there's another. He's tall and he has dark hair too, but it's short. He has a gun for an arm! He might seem a little intimidating, but I think he'd make people feel safe, too.

[Tifa and Barret both are eye-catching in their own ways. Aerith feels like, similarly to Cloud, someone could look at them and never forget it.]

[Alphen, too, is trying to commit the descriptions to memory. The way Aerith describes them...they must be good friends. His eyebrows lift at the gun for a hand part, though -- he can think of a couple people who would probably be very curious about how that works.]

They sound pretty distinctive, from those descriptions. I'll keep an eye out for them, alright? If they're around, someone's bound to have seen them.

Exactly. They all stand out, so it'd be pretty hard to miss them once you've seen them at least a time before. [Maybe two.] I appreciate the help. Seems like you're real good at that.

[Helping, that is.]

If you keep this up, I'm going to have to find a way to make it up to you. I can't really cook or anything, though, so I'm not sure what I really have to offer. Flowers, I guess? I can teach you just about anything to do with flowers.

[She sure hit the nail on the head.]

Don't worry about it, Aerith. We're all helping each other out, right? I'm sure I'll be relying on you, too, before too long.

[The man is in no position to turn down help in any form, especially from someone that has any sort of healing magic, and yet here he is.]

I can't say I've ever had a need to learn about flowers, but that sounds interesting. Is that a hobby of yours?

I hope that you do! I'm a real good listener and I want to help if I can!

[Which is likely almost painfully true. He seems receptive to the subject of flowers, however, and she is more than happy to bury him in it. As she is with most anyone else who expresses even a remote interest.]

It is! I really like flowers and I work with them back home. I really want the people back home to learn to appreciate them more.

I don't doubt that for a second. And I'll bet that skill is going to be in high demand before you know it.

[Whether for spying or for counseling...remains to be seen.]

That sounds incredible. I'm from a place where a lot of stuff just...doesn't grow. So I guess I don't have much experience with that. But I think a lot of people around here might find it useful to know about, since there are so many gardens around.

[Aerith the spy... sounds exciting!

She can empathise when he speaks of the place he's come from. Midgar isn't full of flowers either, after all. It's part of why she's taken up what she has. She looks sympathetic, offering him a nod.]

They're not super common where I come from either. The ones that are there have likely remained because of me tending to them. [Presumptuous perhaps, but she sure doesn't see much of anyone else taking care of them.] I think that's my favourite thing about being here. It's nice to see so many in one place. Feels like the people here care about them. And it seems like they grow pretty well, too. I wouldn't mind having a garden of my own.

As much as I hate to think about all of us being stuck here long enough to see it grow... [He gives a bit of a lopsided smile.] This certainly seems like the place to have a garden, with everything we saw out in the fields. Who knows, maybe there's a place around here with a spare patch of dirt. Never know until you ask, right?

I mean, if we have to be here long enough to see such a thing, at least we could see something pretty.

[Flowers make everything better is what she seems to be getting at without actually saying as much. His proposition is something she's thought about more than once. But she's already inclined to help Rinoa out with her own bed of flowers. Maybe that's all she needs. It could be a little selfish if she was growing flowers for herself. She'd rather help everyone else appreciate them.]

You're right. I will ask. Maybe it's something you'd help me with if I can get one. I know you said you haven't seen them very much. I could help you learn more about them if you'd like.

I guess that's true. It seems like something the locals would appreciate, too.

[...wait, what--]

Me? But I don't... [...know anything about flowers, but that seems like something she's already thought of. Hm. He wonders, momentarily, if she realizes she's a hard person to say "no" to...but she must. He's just been caught up in the trap.]

I don't know what I could help with, exactly, but I'd be happy to try it out. Just let me know what you need, alright? And when.

[Aerith doesn't even say anything immediately. She can hear him trying to get out of this, which would also be perfectly fine. She wouldn't force him into it, after all. So instead, she she listens to him stumble over his words, she simply smiles and it's as if everything about her does.]

That sounds just fine with me. I won't make you do anything too difficult. We'll just treat it like a learning experience. And we'll take one step at a time. Anything is easy to digest if you take your time with it.

[Well, maybe not anything, but he'll get the point.]

[To be fair, he doesn't exactly want to say no -- it feels novel, getting to learn new things...and besides, it sounds like a good way to keep himself busy. As much as he's hoping not to be here long enough for any of that to matter, the truth is, if he is, it'll be good to have something to do with himself.]

Alright, alright. I'll give it a try. I know you won't steer me wrong on advice and instructions.

It’s a deal, then! I have a great memory, so don’t try to get out of it, now.

[If it came from anyone else who wasn’t Aerith, it might sound frightening, but so much of what she says comes out with a touch of amusement. It could be hard for someone less familiar with her to take her seriously. Or to realise that much of her humour is merely a defence mechanism.]

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We can probably wrap this one up!