ic inbox | aerith gainsborough

[gardenful]

@aerith

flowergirl

---

ABOUT ME

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If I miss your call, leave a message! I'll get back to you, probably. Just kidding, I will!

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after persona stuff, w2 @Tenn

[incompletely]

Hello, Aerith-san? This is Kujo Tenn. Are you unharmed?

[gardenful]

Of course I am! :)

Are you?

[incompletely]

Yes, I'm fine, but I haven't forgotten about our restaurant agreement. After all that fighting, you must be hungry. Would you like to see what's around town?

[gardenful]

Of course I would! I hope you've got some ideas of the kind of place you're looking for!

I'll meet you around the entrance to the dorms. Just give me a few minutes.

week 2, post persona

[ilfochrome]

Good morning. The pictures are ready for developing whenever you're free. There's a photography lab at [street name here] that should work, so let's meet there. --Ukyo.

[ text sent off, ukyo will be waiting where he said he'd be even if aerith doesn't confirm that she's on her way. even on a random streetcorner he stands out with his long green hair, height, and fashion sense, camera bag slung over his shoulder with a non descript paperbag in one hand. ]

[gardenful]

Ooh, exciting!

I'll be right over! :)

[ He certainly does stand out, enough so that Aerith doesn't have much trouble finding him once she's on the right street. In fact, it makes it real easy for to stroll right up to him. ]

Hey! Didn't wait too long, did you?

[ilfochrome]

Not at all, don't worry. [ he holds up the paper bag in his hand. ]

Did you eat breakfast before coming here? The whole process will take about an hour or so, so I brought some pastries if you're hungry.

[ if she takes the bag or just peaks inside, there are fresh danishes and croissants 🥐. ]

[gardenful]

Wow, someone's thoughtful!

[ She'll take the bag and peer inside, her face lighting up at the contents. ]

I actually didn't eat, so this works out perfectly!

[ So don't mind her as she takes a croissant out of the bag and tears off a piece to eat. ]

Have you eaten?

some time in week 3

[ushirono]

[ When Fuyu arrives, the first thing he does is drop his bag and head for the bed, where he lies face down on the mattress. He's obviously exhausted, because he doesn't usually do this. Sometimes you need to carry yourself with a distinct image, but fuck that. He's tired.

Hi, Aerith. At least his clothes aren't damaged this time. He got better at killing things in Nekyia without taking damage. ]

[gardenful]

[ Oh, hey, he's improving! Aerith is proud (sort of). She looks up from where she's making her own bed just in time to watch as Fuyu collapses onto his own. ]

Working hard in there?

[ It sure seems like it. ]

[ushirono]

Mm.

[ He turns his head on the bed to look over at Aerith. What the girl doing. He seems visibly relaxed while on the bed too, as opposed to his usually on-guard mode which is all the time, until this week hit. ]

[gardenful]

[ He's... relaxed? And not giving her a guarded stare? Wow, this is really weird. She quirks an eyebrow. ]

Feeling alright?

week 4, sometime post-meeting

[beautifulknight]

Greetings Lady Aerith,

This is Argenti. I am reaching out to you following everything that has transpired at the meeting.

I did not wish to say anything on it, as it was far too public to pry into private affairs, but I could not help continue thinking about what you divulged. And how you might be feeling following that.

If you have time to chat or meet, I would very much like to do so.

Sincerely and earnestly,
Argenti, a Knight of Beauty

[ ...Yeah, he typed this like a letter. But hey, there's a new message! ]

[gardenful]

[ Wow, it's like she's received a letter, but in text format! It makes her smile, despite its serious contents. ]

Sure! :) Would you like to grab lunch, or go somewhere quieter?

[beautifulknight]

[ A most elegant letter...! ]

I am not certain as of yet.

How about somewhere quiet? I believe that there are farms on the outskirts.

[gardenful]

A farm, huh? I haven’t seen any of the ones here.

So, why not? It’ll be a little adventure.

When do you wanna meet?

week 6, post Arcana forecast

[bloodandstars]

[ Maika doesn't like being cooped up inside in the best of circumstances, and less so when things have been getting... distinctly more annoying. She's only a few more obnoxious events away from deciding to start sleeping outside altogether.

But for now, giving in with minimal grumbling to an outing is the next best thing. It's a strange reminder of their early conversations to wander through Carnation Court with Aerith, Maika not even mindful of the way the space she unconsciously leaves between them has reduced. When another pushy food vendor turns hopeful eyes towards them, it's only natural to dodge back towards Aerith and nudge her shoulder to hurry her along a little. ]

They're vultures today... If you get conned into doing more errands for them, I'm making a run for it. [ (threat) (real??) Maika scans the restaurants around them for haven. If they go sit, they won't be targets anymore... probably. ]

[gardenful]

[ It's nice walking around with someone by her side, and it's why she always makes an effort to go out with someone else whenever she does go on her little ventures. It just so happens that most of the time, she enlists Maika to her cause.

And if this time she's paying less attention to the space between them, well... she doesn't think Maika will mind all too much. ]

Aw, come on. You wouldn't do a good deed for one of our lovely citizens?

[ She grins, knowing full well that the citizens in this town in their present state are anything but lovely. But she lets her self be nudged along anyway, eventually coming to stop at a table for two. ]

You hungry? I know I am.

[bloodandstars]

And feed into more of their conflict bullshit? Not a chance.

[ See? She even has an excuse ready-made for why she isn't going to play along with them. She's not being difficult... she's being strategic.

Luckily Aerith is either quick on the uptake to play along with her plan, or else their thoughts are moving along the same lines. Maika isn't going to examine too closely which it is. It doesn't matter, right? Either works for her purposes. ]

Please. Before I have to take a bite out of one of them instead.

[ Joking? Probably? But since Aerith is amenable, Maika is quick to shepherd them in. ]

week 7, dreamscape!

[moonshaded]

((cw bullying/abuse, violence, interphobia, harassment, depression, parental death))

[The Aerie behind Kainé's dressing room door is dark and cold with falling rain just like the outside world.

> check the weathervane:

A small, sharp-featured child stands in the middle of the downpour and looks at the weathervane as it spins, waiting for it to stop. When the hawk's beak finally halts pointing east, her expression becomes troubled.

There's no time for her to react further. A sharp rock arcs through the air and strikes true against her head, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. Countless other stones follow, pelting the girl much harder than the falling rain. Blood drips from her forehead, but she remains indifferent. It doesn't hurt. A lie. They can't hurt her. A lie. Everyone knows she deserves this. A -

"Yoo- hoo! Kainé!" The voice makes her stomach roil with nausea. Dimo, the leader of the bullies, is a large, heavyset child with a twisted sneer. More rocks from the other children rain down as he comes closer, as she struggles back to her feet. "What's up, freak? You like the rain? You like gettin' all wet? Or did you finally decide to run away from home?"

Home... it sounds like a joke. She doesn't have one of those anymore. Smoke rises in patient plumes from the steel huts embedded in the cliff face surrounding them. Many of the children's parents are home, but they do not intervene. Some of them even watch from their darkened windows in approval. The child who is being tormented is deserving of her treatment.

Kainé steps back in one futile attempt to get away from the onslaught of blows and words that feel like them. It's too late. The other kids have already moved in, and there's no way out.

"I didn't say you could leave, freak."

The crowd of children is a crushing, impenetrable wave of bodies moving in on her. It might be difficult to reach her right away.]

[gardenful]

[ What would be an otherwise quietly pleasant village is disrupted by the violence in front of her, a little girl getting hit in the head with a rock that makes her stumble and then another and another and another—

Her feet start moving before she can even think about it, the reflex to intervene kicking in as she tries to make her way toward the crowd. The fact that the little girl's name and stark white hair might be familiar to her doesn't register, not yet. That will come later, when her head has cooled down and her heart has stopped racing painfully in her chest.

While she can't easily break her way into the crowd, she can call out loud enough for even the kids right in front of the little girl to hear her. ]

Hey! Don't you kids have somewhere to be? Studying, maybe? Or doing some chores?

[moonshaded]

[The crowd of children ripples like a rat king, undulating waves of bodies that circle and act with one head. When Aerith begins to chastise them, the kids start to dissipate a little, allowing her to get near, one step closer to puncturing the routine recording of the horrible memory on display. The sensation of whispering from the cliffs and steel houses surrounding the steep crater only grows; more eyes on all of them.

The girl wasn't expecting this, either. Pinching her eyes closed, Kainé lowers her head and doesn't look up - at the bullies or anyone else. Her voice wavers with barely contained tears as she attempts to look away, getting pulled back by rough, grasping hands every time.] Stop... don't stick up for me. [She doesn't deserve it.] They'll go after you, too.

[Adults don't usually interfere, and that's just enough to make the shadow of the past try to drag Aerith into the spectacle as well, to make her watch and understand. The dumb broad obviously just doesn't know what she's dealing with. She gets a smug, knowing look as his insults increase in volume and cruelty. "Oh, look! The little freak is gonna cry! What's wrong? Are you sad that everyone hates you and wants you dead? Whatcha acting like a girl for, huh? Everyone knows what you really are!" He grabs the child by the face, trying to pry open her tightly closed eyes. "Show us."]

Post-Fray Palace

[beautifulknight]

[ A lot has happened as of late and soon the time of reckoning will be upon them...swifter than any single one of them might imagine, Argenti presumes. Given the timeframe of expected events and occurrences that are happening here or there, at that.

Argenti himself will track Aerith down immediately, hoping to at least speak with her before anything else crazy happens. Besides, he needs to express his appreciation as well; he foregoes sending a message and leaves it in the hands of Idrila, locating her in the shopping district sooner rather than later. ]

Lady Aerith! There you are. Might I have a bit of your time, provided you are not busy?

[gardenful]

[ Argenti's voice is familiar over the din of the shopping district, and she turns to try and find him. The moment she does, she waves. ]

Of course you can! Come on, let's do some window shopping.

[ She'll motion for Argenti to follow her into a cute little boutique filled with jewelry, handbags, and clothes. ]

[beautifulknight]

Window shopping...I have not done much of that as of late.

[ Argenti enters into the cute little boutique. As he does so, he pauses, looking at the jewelry. Should...he get a new piece of jewelry? He has had only the singular earring thus far, but...

Well, as he considers this, he does wish to speak on one other reason he tracked her down. ]

Lady Aerith, I wanted to also tell you that I am most grateful for your assistance in my dearest Fray's time of need. Though I was rather certain that you would be one that would make certain to help out as you said you were, every little effort I feel has made the difference.