A flower in the slums

sheepy

sheepyton

Outgoing, vivacious, caring, and positively motherly, Aerith is a seemingly simple woman. Between her rosy disposition, her rosy-colored dress, and a smile that seems ever present on her face, it is easy to discount this flower girl as, at best, normal or, at worst, underwhelming and uninteresting. In actuality, this is how she prefers it. On the surface, she is like a swan, gracefull skating across the water; underneath, however, there is a much more complex dance taking place to keep her afloat.

Aerith knew from a very young age that she was different. As a young child, much of her early years were a blur of memories and, while she almost never speaks of it, pain. Truly, her life began when she was taken in by Elmyra Gainsborough, and do this day her memories of her birth mother, Ifalna, are muddled. Even still, Aerith always knew, even as a young child, that she was somehow different. Hearing the gentle whispering of the planet, it was hard to ignore that somehow, in some way, she was strange. Whether or not her strive to be--or at least appear--normal stems from this is hard to say, but, unlike when she was a child, she no longer denies her differences but, rather, embraces them, albeit subtly.

Her happy, bubbly disposition is no act, Aerith truly is a kindhearted, and, at times, silly person. But, more to the point, she wants to try to bring joy to those people around her. This can be seen in small ways, such as selling flowers in the slum for a single gil, or in more selfless fashion. Aerith is not beyond acting in what she believes would be the most beneficial to her friends or, for that matter, the general populous. This has the unfortunate side-effect of tossing aside some of her own feelings about certain matters, which she keeps very firmly caged away. Not one to ask for much for herself, she places others' happiness far above her own, insofar as disregarding her own livelihood as a result. She will not give up on someone, no matter what, even after years of ambiguity and absence. She cares and loves deeply, completely, and for years to come.

If she can make just one person smile, that will make her happy.

This is not to say that Aerith isn't a happy individual--not by a long shot--nor that she has no capability for self-preservation. But there is a feeling of fulfillment from helping others live what she deems as a normal, happy life; perhaps because, even if she may not realize, she wants to be able to give that to someone, if she herself can't quite grasp it. She is extremely observant, keeping most of what she sees to herself until she feels necessary to speak, or to act. In some ways, she may see herself having something of a stacked deck, given her connection to the planet, but this is hard to say.

Despite a serene, sunny disposition, there are things that can make her angry, and while rare and not nearly as heated as others, this one can have a bit of a temper. Truth be told, she can come off as quite chilling when angered (like during the confrontation with Don Corneo), although she hardly ever lets that part of her be seen. She might huff and puff a bit, but outside of a few situations--usually concerning her friends being in danger--she is relatively harmless.

She is, however, more than a bit of a tease, and is prone to a sillier side when the mood takes her. This can be interpreted as being somewhat flirtatious (such as telling Cloud she would be his girlfriend if he acted as her bodyguard), but is almost always harmless. Certain people--particularly those she thinks or knows she can get a rise out of--elicit that sort of response, although her teasing is almost never in bad taste. Being the observant woman that she is, she can read a situation quite well, and knows when to be serious, or when she can afford to be just a bit more playful.

Peeling back all these layers, underneath everything, is an inherited sense of duty. Aerith is the last of an ancient race of people, and, as such, has very important responsibilities because of that. Connected to the Lifestream, she, like the rest of her people, has the ability to control it, and through that, communicate the wishes of the planet itself. For many years, she denied, ran away from this responsibility. However, after coming to understand that this heavy burden did not have to be carried alone (although she did opt to do the heavy lifting herself), she came to terms with it, accepting this duty. Even in death, her duty to the planet was not done, and, in subtle ways, she continues to affect the planet. As a Cetra, and as one of the few sentient souls remaining that could cause change, she doesn't question her actions.

In many ways, she is happy that she was given this gift. While she may not be able to walk side-by-side with her friends, she can still help them along the way. She can support them how she might, if she still stood beside them, and while her touch is relatively subtle for the most part, there are times she has felt it necessary to intervene.

It always comes back to Cloud. And, to that effect, Zack.

Her feelings for him are surprisingly complicated, but at the same time startlingly simple. He is so much like Zack, and yet, at the same time, a completely different person. A bit of a lonely soul--although she would never admit it--she took solace in that while she was still alive. But, at the same time, it saddened her. Even after writing so many letters to Zack, and getting what she thought was closure, there was still that part that missed him. But time and distance changed things, and perhaps that was why she clung so firmly to Cloud, in the hopes that maybe, with him, she could have those four years that she lost. But what blossomed there wasn't a romantic love but, rather, the kind of love that a sister has for a brother, a familial connection that could not be severed, even in death.

She still has a sweet spot for that chocobo-headed dork, even after all this time. While her feelings for Zack are still extremely complicated, even after being reunited, there is something about his younger friend that was like coming home to her. Where Zack was certainly her first love, Cloud's was much more, even if theirs was strictly platonic.

In so many words, Aerith is a complex flower, whose true beauty--and thorns--are very rarely seen, but most certainly always felt in one way or another. She is kind and nurturing; playful and vivacious; observant and dutiful to her friends and her people. She is much more than just a flower girl in the slums.

The Lifestream did strange things to one's perception of self; existence felt a bit more fluid, the concept of time nebulous at best, and the gentle hum of the planet curled around you, warm and kind like a mother's embrace. It was an existence that Aerith came to know over however long she drifted, occasionally pulling at strings, subtly affecting the world she once did yet at the same time could no longer call home.

The sudden silence was jarring. But, more than that, the sensation of falling, something she hadn't felt in years--she assumed it was years--jolted her awake. She couldn't see what was around her, a scream caught in her throat. Aerith was suddenly, keenly aware that she was, for the first time in a very long time, very much alone. Tears welling in her eyes, she willed it, demanded it to stop, fear quickly worming its way into her every thought.

Where was she? What was she doing here? Why was she falling? While she wasn't afraid of death, the fear of the silence, something she had never known before this moment, seized her. She screamed, if only to hear something, anything, fill the void.

"Wake up."

Someone answered. Forcing her eyes open, the brunette saw the peculiar light, warm and somehow familiar, resonate before her. Aerith reached for them desperately, the voice and the crystal, fingers widespread and grasping yet not quite touching the surface. Then, all at once, it was gone, as if it had never been, and, a sob bubbling in her throat, she curled in on herself, wrapping her knees into her chest and letting herself be cast adrift once more.

It was so quiet. So eerily, chillingly, painfully quiet.

She felt like she had been cast away for an eternity, time just as fleeting in this space as it had been in the Lifestream. Whether or not she had fainted or simply fallen asleep during the fall was hard to say, but the moment she heard voices, Aerith's eyes shot open. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light, and, without realizing, she brought a hand to her forehead.

"Where--"

"Kupopo." A moogle? Unfolding herself from the fetal position, Aerith turned toward the voice, noticing a pom hovering just above the top of her bed. Two arms followed it, pulling the rest of the rather small moogle up part of the way; Aerith helped it the rest, picking the creature up and setting it down.

What was a moogle doing here? And, for that matter, where was here? She felt strange, her head buzzing with something very different than the Lifestream.

Said moogle, who had done its very best to not fight this human woman while it picked her up, dusted itself off before giving her something of a pouty look. "You didn't have to do that, kupo. You probably shoulda kept playing dead, kupopo."

Aerith tilted her head a bit, somewhat surprised by the reaction. Shouldn't it have been grateful for the help? "You looked like you were having a hard time? And what do you mean I should have kept playing dead?"

While the moogle, sighing a bit at this human before it, began going into an explanation, Aerith cast a look around her, paling a bit. Sterile white walls, sterile white sheets, the two-sided mirrors placed on each facing wall. She knew what this was, heart dropping as she threw herself from the bed to her feet.

"Hey, I'm talking to you kupo!! Gosh, that is just so rude!"

This was a laboratory. A testing facility. The setup was different, but the effect was the same. A hand briefly hovering over her mouth, the brunette swallowed down her fear, looking around.

There were others. There were so many others...

Ignoring the young moogle's pleas and insistence to stay put and keep acting dead, she raced toward the first bed that she could find. She would get them, and herself, out. She had to.

[ The writing is extremely loopy to the point of being pretentious and, while the words themselves may not, the writing itself somehow exudes a sense of this being far, far beyond them. ]

To the Heroes of Light;

Spring is coming, which means that (hopefully) we'll be seeing new flowers bloom in Aqures Ixen and the surrounding areas. I'll be very curious to see what breeds blossom here in town.

Which brings me to why I am writing this letter. I was hoping to get a small group together to help me explore Aqurean forest and the calm plains. I'm very curious about the flora and fauna there, and from what I understand, both are good places to train as well. I am a White Mage by trade, so it wouldn't be the best idea for me to go by myself. I promise I'll make it worth your while!

Thank you in advance,
Aerith


PS. Flowers make good gifts, you know. If you ever have any questions, let me know and I'll help you pick something out for someone special.