scawwy: pc: aerith

[trashprince]

[ flowers u flowers u flowers u ]

Comments

week0 tuesday;

[trashprince]

[ throws them outside the church since that's aerith's home and where much of today's action has been. caelus sees her familiar face and gives an instant wave.

the word stellaron appears in black ink on his exposed forearm. ]

Hello again.

[residentflorist]

[puppy cloud is probably inside sulking but that doesn't mean aerith has to be. she's outside of the church, mostly to watch the activity of the town, and it means that she immediately smiles when caelus greets her. there's the hint of ink scrawled across her own forearm, but with her hands behind her back it's a little difficult to see immediately.]

Hey! [immediately cheerful in spite of how crazy today already has been.] You know, I don't think I got your name last time. I'm Aerith. [did she likely read caelus's poster later? yes. is it still nice to actually introduce yourself? also yes.]

[trashprince]

[ puppy cloud and cloud puppy. caelus wasn't around for the appearance of part two and may have never figured out there was any body swappage at all. oopsie. ]

Caelus. It's close to yours without the 'thhh.'

[ why is aerith the cutest and kindest?? ]

How's church living?

week0 friday;

[trashprince]

[ haha imagine if i started the thread with this icon anyway-- ]

[trashprince]

[ nothing like that. caelus sits calmly (if with the most rancid of vibes), on a bench, staring at the pyre. he has his bat between his legs, the head of it digging into the ground by his toes. ]

[residentflorist]

[...approaches gently. he might smell her before he sees her given the smoke, but she will move in front of him to get his attention.]

Hey. Can I join you?

w0 saturday

[residentflorist]

[off to go find the baby...which is to say aerith is giving caelus a little bit of breathing room before she sets off to find him, checking for where he might be hiding. when she comes across him, she just pauses before him.]

...would you rather be alone? Or would you like company?

[trashprince]

Come on in.

[ of all places, he's in his horse stall in the barn. perhaps because it's the last spot anyone would look for him, given the events of today's trial. ]

The barn has a lot of space now.

[ ha ha. ha. ]

[residentflorist]

[...that's fair. she will enter the stall and crouch down so she's nearby. this is probably stinky, but it is okay.]

It's hard to feel like that's a bright side considering what was lost to get it, huh?

w1 thursday

[residentflorist]

[after the four extremely injured and probably traumatized people seem to have settled, aerith is back to walking around the island. she seems to be walking for the sake of walking, and maybe caelus is leaving from visiting someone or maybe he's returning himself. either way, she sidles up to him and falls into step.]

Can't say I saw this coming, but I also can't say I'm surprised.

[trashprince]

[ caelus seizes for a split second when another person is beside him. relaxes when he slants his gaze in their direction and discovers it's aerith. ]

Every time I think I know the rules to this place, something changes.

[residentflorist]

[oh. she does pause a little upon seeing him seize up, holding a hand up as if to steady him. just her. she is harmless.]

Think that might be by design. They can't stand to let us get too comfortable here. [she shakes her head.] Like yesterday wasn't bad enough?

week1 saturday;

[trashprince]

[ this time they don't have to bump into each other. caelus seeks out aerith after trial.

has she returned to her goat church? snuck into a villager house? ]

[residentflorist]

[it's the scene of a crime, but she's out at the beach! caelus can find her standing at the edge of the water and looking out at the surf. her hands are behind her back, clenched into little fists, but otherwise her posture gives no tells.

she hears someone behind her though and turns to look over her shoulder, straightening up a little and giving him a small smile.]

Looks like you two were onto something after all. [y...ay.]

[trashprince]

[ caelus almost leaves her to her contemplation, but decides to trek out to the water's edge after a moment of dillydallying.

when aerith speaks, he shakes his head ]

That was all Marina. I was looking where she was looking.

[ on his own, caelus was spinning up tales of red herrings. herlock sholmes, he is not. ]

week2 monday;

[trashprince]

[ the beach is gone. their cows. their barn. the scenes of so much carnage and also so much bonding.

the gas station hardly appeals to him the same as the sand and coconuts--pre-murder--had, but there are prepackaged snacks. the possibility of garbage cans (waiting to hear back from mods with baited breath). so is all hope lost? no way.

he waves at aerith when he sees her, package of gummy snakes in his hand.

that's when his vision blacks out.

and then he sees the doomsday beast.

he feels the stellaron expanding in his chest, the all-consuming gaze of nanook--aeon of destruction, kafka promising him a future where his will paves the path.

the moment when it's all going to end far too soon. he's only been alive a moment. he's only known march and dan heng and himeko for a blink. already a failed project. already about to kill everyone.

until welt saves him. he falls.

and back at the gas station, caelus comes to, leaning heavily against the nearest shelving. the gummies on the ground near his feet. ]

[residentflorist]

[okay. well. she's just immediately bringing her hands up to his shoulders to stabilize him and keep him from potentially just dropping onto the floor. that was...well. that was a lot. and she has context for what that was, and how that was happening, and she tightens her grip just a little to try and help ground him.]

Caelus. Look at me. [foooocus.] ...can you tell me where we are right now?

[trashprince]

I'm...

[ in a dingy gas station with aerith who he met a long time after he left herta space station. ]

Right here. Didn't mean to scare you.

[ lifting a hand to hold his own temple. ]

That was--that was after I woke up without my memories. It was at the Herta Space Station. I know what happens afterward. I join the crew of the Astral Express. The Stellaron is stable. Kafka...

[ it's hard to both mistrust and feel a string drawn taut between you and another person. ]

She tells me more about myself later.

week3, sunday

[trashprince]

[ sure they met by his grave but now they can also hang out at the Just Cats store. caelus is crouched down, holding out his own paw for one of the kitties but they seem unimpressed. ]

[residentflorist]

[when she approaches, her steps are quiet and slow as to not scare off the kitties. but she crouches down next to him and offers him what looks like a white styrofoam cup. judging by the faint tint to it, it is a smoothie.]

Give 'em time. They're all really friendly, but they're getting used to us sitting down and letting them come over on their own.

[trashprince]

[ smoothie??? this place has smoothies?? accepts with gratitude and slurps with appreciation. wow. smoothie. ]

Thanks. I'm not in a rush. And I might smell like Pickles.

[ already went on walkies.

no need to push the cats until they're ready. ]

Is this place new?

w4 sunday

[residentflorist]

[whether he's inside barks n waffles or he sees her while he's passing through in the mall, caelus may find aerith browsing through a few books and picking things out for herself. but she's pretty aware of her surroundings, and without many people in this town it's easy enough to hear when someone's close by. she looks up from where she's reading the cover of a book and offers him a smile.]

What a weekend, huh? [it's light, but gauging. hi friend, how're you holding up.]

[trashprince]

Five again.

[ the math is mathing but in horrendous, despicable formulas that caelus would rather not understand. he picks up a book at random, flipping through, eyes not seeing much of anything. ]

I want to ask for your help with something.

w7 saturday

[residentflorist]

[where is our galatic baseballer...she's searching the graveyard for him mostly!! pspsps...



she may or may not have a victory smoothie for him.]

[trashprince]

[ VICTORY SMOOTHIE!!! that works. he climbs out of the nearest dumpster (no... yes?) to meet her.

he has been in the graveyard. that's become more home than the village. ]

Aerith! Hey!