AU Event: For the Planet [action]

[earthlychild]

[Who's the lady dressed all in dark gray and blue? Why she's familiar....almost. Aerith strides right past people in Garden, her loose (and suddenly short) hair flying behind her. There's no time to stop and sort out her memory: she needs to confirm for herself that things really are as safe as they appear to be. She tightens a dark blue scarf around her neck and steps onto the observation deck, gripping the ledge tightly.]

I'll complete my obligation and then I'll leave. I have no use for this, and it has little use for me. How can any of this be important in the end? In the end, it's still our job to ride the tide. Not control it.

[But she is definitely going to ride the tide back home straight into kicking certain awful people in the face, she thinks, clenching her fist. She glares out into the gray of the day, allowing her anger to start to pass.]

Comments

[hispeedchase]

[Chase had been shooting grats when he thought he thought he saw Aerith walk past. He follows her to the observation deck.]

Are you all right?

[earthlychild]

I'm not hurt and I'm not being chased. So there's no danger. I'm just...irritated. Are you usually cooped up here like this?

[Aerith has faint, confusing memories of a man who'd never seen combat before coming here looking vaguely like this one. That didn't match the present, so she'd just assume it was a faulty memory. He had to be some kind of soldier too.]

[hispeedchase]

[Well sure was... literal.] ...Aerith?

[And then he decides to let it drop and play along.] What, in garden? Sometimes. I haven't taken a mission since Balamb came under attack. Feeling restless?

[earthlychild]

That's my name. You must've met the other girl.

[She smiles sadly.] No, I'm not craving attack. I'm craving something different. I want to rise above the trouble here.

[hispeedchase]

There's another girl?

That's why we're fighting, isn't it? To rise above the troubles?

[plotdeviceturk]

Miss Aerith?

[His tone is soft, the change rather apparent and it's got him worried.]

Why don't you step back a bit, it's quite windy.

[earthlychild]

[Aerith freezes. It's been so long, but she remembers that voice. That voice...]

Who sent you? Why?

[Her hand twitches, reaching for the staff folded on her back.]

[plotdeviceturk]

Sent me?

[He's unarmed, and opens his hands as if to prove it to her.]

Nobody sent me.

[earthlychild]

[Aerith's frown stays. He probably means he'll be attacking with magic, and she has to prepare for that.]

So it was all your idea to impersonate Tseng? Who are you?

[fierybluebird]

What makes you think we're controlling the tide instead of riding it, eh?

[Don't look now, but Marco is perched on the railing, taking a smoke in human form, but he looks up at Aerith's mumbling to herself.]

[earthlychild]

Because we have to take control of our fates. It's no use being someone's pawn.

[fierybluebird]

[Snorts, blowing smoke to the wind.]

And just who are you a pawn of?

[earthlychild]

No one anymore. I might've finally found a place they can't reach me.

[rerebrace]

Strange place for a sermon, lady.

[There's a dark-haired teenager lounging atop the ledge she's leaning on, one leg hanging down, as if it's the most comfortable seat in the world. The teeth visible in the amused grin he flashes her are disconcertingly sharp, but apart from that, he's a bit too small to look terribly threatening. The question is, does he look familiar? Because he certainly isn't showing any sign of recognising her.]

Kudos for getting to the point, though. I think a lot of people could stand to hear it more often.

[earthlychild]

A sermon?

[She looks...faintly embarrassed, but shakes it off.]

It's been a long time since I could be accused of that. I should probably thank you.

[rerebrace]

Oh, you just like to climb on top of high places and spout a load of preachy crap for no reason? Maybe you need a real hobby.

[He shifts on his perch a little to make himself more comfortable, completely unconcerned about falling off.]

Pretty good metaphor for something you came up with on the spot, in that case. The tide looks like it only flows one way, but it always goes back out. It's just too large a pattern for one human to see right away. There's no point trying to go against it. If more people understood that... [A brief, unpleasant laugh.] Well, if more people understood that here, I might actually be getting somewhere.

[Apparently he doesn't have a problem with preachy as long as he's the one delivering it.

He looks her over with slit-pupiled eyes.] Guess I'm out of luck here, too. Don't remember seeing anyone like you around before.

[earthlychild]

I haven't had time for one, but I'll consider it.

[She leans against the edge of the balcony, eying him appreciatively.]
I've made it my job to try to understand. I have to figure some of it out. I've always needed to, for my own sake. And I can't say I have a recollection of you either.

[jointheclub]

Good morning, Miss Aerith!

[Seeing the Instructor on the observation deck might seem a bit odd, but in fact he has his wand out. Casually, he points it at the sky, drawing down a tuft of cloud like a cotton ball.]

[earthlychild]

[She slowly picks through her memories to identify him. Is that...]

Professor. You've been teaching for a while now, right?

[jointheclub]

A few months back here, after a well-deserved and unfortunately-ended retirement from the first I taught here. And Hogwarts before that, of course.

But I imagine you're not interested in Hogwarts. [Though he sounds like he thinks she OUGHT to be.]

[earthlychild]

It's a funny name, but. I feel like I know it. Magic.

There's not much pure magic in the world these days. Everything's tainted.

[mirage_diver]

[What the hell had he been signed up for? This was a military academy, there shouldn't be any reason for him to do things like this...

Nonetheless, it was a task sent to him, so he had to find this person and, well... extract the necessary information. Finding her was the easy part, at least - though the people who described her said she had long hair in a ponytail, not... her current style. As of such, there was a moment where he needed confirmation.]

You the one named Gainsborough?

[earthlychild]

One of them, yes.

[Unlike most of the others, she has no recollection of him. That's strange.]

Why do you ask?

[mirage_diver]

I'm supposed to do... something for you... I guess. Gifts, if I'm reading this right.

...I have no idea what exactly would be a good gift and I'm not one of those socks types.

[Locke. Locke, no. YOU ARE THE WORST AT SECRET SANTA.]

[earthlychild]

[Wait. Why was he assigned to give her a present? Was this some welcoming thing this Garden liked to do?]

I don't see why not. Socks can be practical in the cold. But I'm probably more in need of a hat.

[She touched her ear, wincing at how cold it was.]