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AERITH GAINSBOROUGH
JOURNAL: inheritedearth
VOICE: ★★★★★

RENO
JOURNAL: emcharge
VOICE: ★★★★✩

BIGGS
JOURNAL: leafhouse
VOICE: ★★★★★

RUFUS SHINRA
JOURNAL: shinralegacy
VOICE: ★★★✩✩

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Want to play with any of the above? Leave a comment with their name in the header and a prompt or a starter and I'll get back to you!
➝ AUs welcome! Otherwise, all characters are available from various canon points: OG, Advent Children or Remake.
➝ Some memes for ideas: caught in the rain, soulmates, body heat, otherworldly, deserted island, and of course random scenario. Feel free to make up your own! Hell, you can even just text them, they've all got phones.
➝ Other old muses (Cloud, Cid, Yuffie) in need of dusting off are tentatively available for tagging out later on!

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I would believe that— although I bet he'd never admit it. Too much pride.

[She gives a solemn nod, or as solemn as she can manage while trying to keep another grin from breaking out. The irreverence of it all is part of what makes this moment in itself so enjoyable.]

Hmm... well. There's only one way to find out.

[And it's not to ask him outright.]

When we do come across chocobos, we should watch him very carefully— see how he interacts with them! He's bound to let something slip.

You think so? As long as we aren't watching him too carefully. Wouldn't want him to get self-conscious about it.

[If there's anything that she thinks would throw him off his chocobo groove, then it's knowing that her and Aerith have their eyes on him, the reason being unimportant. Now all they have to do is find some chocobos to make that happen...

Tifa allows her soft laughter to fall away when a bird flits into the tree above them, choosing to land on a low-hanging branch that stretches over their heads. It chirps, pecks at the wood, and then hops up further. She watches it with a tired smile before it zips away to find another perch.]

You know... [she begins after some silence.] When all of this is done, we're planning on rebuilding the bar.

[Aerith's visit to Seventh Heaven had been brief, and under what may have been the worst possible circumstances. She'd heard about it from Cloud beforehand, knew that Tifa took pride in her work there— that was more than enough to make her curious about the place that meant so much to her friends, and she regrets what happened to it, to all of Sector 7. Her expression softens.]

I wish I had been able to see it before...

[She trails off, because neither of them needs to say it aloud. They know exactly what happened, and yet she smiles, however faintly.]

If you do rebuild it, I'd love to see what you do with the place. It means so much to so many people.

Of course!

[Tifa props herself forward, bringing her knees to her chest so she can rest her chin on it, and her head tilts as she regards Aerith with a brighter smile.]

You are gonna help rebuild it, right?

[She wouldn't want to do it without her. Aerith is part of the family now whether she likes it or not, and it's important to Tifa that they all have a place in building a new one for them. All of them.]

It's gonna be a ton of work, so I'll need all the hands I can get.

Me?

[She's more startled by the suggestion than one might expect her to be. She's not easily surprised, and her smile hitches wide a moment later. She hadn't thought of herself as being included in that 'we,' but Tifa seemed to think otherwise, and that touches her in a way that she doesn't quite know how to express. It's been lonely, growing up the way she has.]

Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

[How could she say no to an offer like that?]

Anything you need, I'll be there!

Anything, huh?

[There are so many things that will need to be done in order to do it, and she'll leave most of the heavy labour up to the men, but she's already started brainstorming ideas on things for them to do, too. Traveling on foot gives her plenty of time to her own thoughts.]

I was thinking of starting a garden outside the new bar. You know, for things that I could use in recipes! I don't have the same green thumb that you do.

[Well, that just happens to be her specialty! Her expression brightens further, as though Tifa has just offered her the entire world on a silver platter. The chance to seed and tend to a new garden is a rare opportunity!]

I would love to help! There's nothing better than the vegetables you grow yourself, too. Tomatoes, carrots— we could plant a bunch of herbs, too!

[You can't cook without those!]

Your cooking is already famous, but nobody else will even be able to dream of measuring up to Seventh Heaven if you have that stuff on hand!

[Tifa responds with an enthusiastic fistpump, glad that her idea seems to have brightened the mood. This is a much happier thing to talk about anyway, and relevant to both of their interests. It's nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, too.]

With the plate and soil, it was hard to grow anything in the ground, but maybe by the time we get back, things will be different.

[They are going back, right? The people are probably already working hard to rebuild Sector Seven, and she'd like to see it when it's all done. It'll be a while, and they have bigger fish to fry right now, but eventually...]

Imagine... a freshly grown tomato on a burger... Oh! Or peppers on a pizza!

That sounds incredible!

[And while the meat skewers they'd had for dinner had hit the spot after a long day of walking, she's finding herself pining for exactly those things. Even if they don't know that they will be able to go back, the dream is a good one— something to look forward to, something to work towards. Sector 7 is Tifa's home, same as Barrett's, and while Aerith can't imagine that she herself will really be able to go back...

It's nice to think about.]

And when it's all set up and the bar has been reopened, I'll be sure to bring my mom by! I think she would love to be treated to someone else's cooking for a change.

[Wouldn't that be nice? Taking her mother out to dinner seems such a normal and yet unattainable thing. Another dream, one she'll hold onto to help her get through whatever comes next.]

I'm... really glad we met. I'm lucky to have met all of you, but I've never really had friends before now.

[Her head tilts at the last part, but she's no less happy to hear that. Especially after everything that's happened, it's nice to know that she still has people she can count on, and people who can also count on her to be a friend. It is surprising that Aerith claims she hasn't had friends before them – she seems the type of person who could draw people to her fairly easily. She got through to Cloud somehow, didn't she?]

I think I should consider myself the lucky one.

[Besides Jessie, she's surrounded by boys all day! And that's only one of the hundreds of reasons!]

But why do you say that? You don't strike me as someone who wouldn't have a lot of friends...

Well...

[It's not like her 'secret' is so secret anymore, is it? She smiles a bit sheepishly, shaking her head.]

I'm friendly with some people around Sector 5, but it's not he same as having real friends. There's always been so much I couldn't talk to people about, and for a long time, wandering too far from home was right out of the question.

[Really, it still should have been, but she's terrible at following rules.]

It got lonely being 'different,' you know? And my mom was always worried. It was just us a lot of the time.

[Tifa nods in understanding. She can't say she knows what that's like, having been surrounded by people all the time, but she can empathize. Life would have been very, very different without them all... without Cloud.]

I get that.

[She reaches a hand out to place over Aerith's, and she gives it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.]

There's nothing wrong with being different. If we were all the same, I think things would be pretty boring.

[She brightens immediately, her smile softening into something more genuine and truly appreciative as Tifa reaches out to her. They'd befriended each other instantly upon meeting one another, and Aerith continues to be grateful for that— there was certainly room for insecurity or jealousy between them, given the situation, but when she looks at it, it simply isn't there, and she's glad their friendship had immediately been important enough to the both of them not to let anything so petty get in the way.]

You always know just what to say, don't you, Tifa?

[She bites back a laugh, though part of it still escapes.]

No wonder everyone relies on you so much. I think you're right— it would be preeeetty boring if we were all the same. I've never minded being who I am, but it was hard to be alone all the time. I'm glad I don't have to be anymore.

[She tries, and she's glad that she's able to get through with it. Tifa doesn't want Aerith to feel like she's any of those things—different, alone, and anything else in between—so when she sees her smile, it draws her own wider and brighter.]

Never again.

[As long as she's around, Aerith won't ever have to worry about being alone, and Tifa doesn't think they have plans on going anywhere soon. Though, there is something to be said about the opposite of that...]

You know, being surrounded by people isn't all it's cracked up to be either.

[And she isn't just saying that to make her feel better.]

I remember hearing that only really popular people ever say that.

[But there's a teasing note in her voice, a familiar glint of mischief in her eye. Tifa is kind, but she's also genuine, and Aerith doubts she would say anything just for the sake of making someone else feel better if she didn't believe it, at least to a certain extent.]

But really, is that so? Hard to find time to think on your own with all those people around?

[There's definitely something to be said for the peace and quiet she'd always had while working in her garden. Those moments were to be treasured, even if she'd only been making memories with flowers instead of other people— they had feelings too, after all.]

[Tifa rocks back and forth, hands clasping behind her knees and shoulders hunched, a blush forming on her cheeks.]

Something like that, yeah.

[She was popular as a kid, but that wasn't it. Having a lot of friends usually meant not having that One Friend that she could do everything with.]

Cloud and I weren't close growing up. Stubborn, as always. [There's a fond laugh because some things never change.] Sometimes I wonder if things would've been different... if we had been!

[... Would he have left to be a SOLDIER?]

Edited 2020-07-14 01:31 (UTC)

Stubborn? Cloud?

[She draws back, her hand flying to rest against her chest as she feigns shock, though she's unable to keep a straight face. She laughs, biting at her lower lip to cut it short.]

I never would have guessed.

[But Tifa's thoughts beg another question.]

Do you wish they had been? Different, I mean?

[She's pretty sweet on Cloud now, at least from where Aerith is standing. It's hard not to be curious.]

[... There's never really been an opportunity to voice these feelings, and even now, Tifa still has reservations about them, pausing and mulling it over before giving an answer.]

Honestly? Sometimes.

[She shakes her head, with nervous, breathy laughter ringing out from her. It feels strange to be talking about this with someone, but it also feels like a weight being lifted from her chest. She wonders if Aerith has noticed anything strange about him, too, but she keeps that thought to herself.]

It was his dream to become SOLDIER. He wanted to be a war hero, and who am I to get in the way of that, right? I feel like wanting things to be different just makes me selfish.

You wanted him to follow his dreams. That's sweet!

[She shifts her weight and her position, tucking her legs beneath her and leaning forward with a hand braced against the ground for support.]

I don't think you're selfish, though. It's just wishes! "What ifs." We're all allowed to dream dreams, Tifa.

[A peal of laughter flares up in her chest.]

I guess we are.

[There she goes again, spinning things into encouragement. She'd wondered before, too, if wishing that he could have stayed behind in Nibelheim was a selfish thing to want, and if things would have turned out differently if he had, but it's not like she can go back and change any of that!]

I was still a kid then. Wishing on stars and all that! [She still does it, when she can see them.] I'm just glad that he's back. Even more glad that he's getting along with everyone so well. About as much as anyone can hope for with him.

Wishing on stars...

[It’s a nice idea— something Aerith had never really had the opportunity for with the steel sky above, but she’s certainly heard of it, and read at least a dozen stories where characters did the same.]

Hmm. Did any of them ever come true?

[Tifa's arm wraps around herself, gripping her other one tighter than she means to.]

Y'know, I wonder about that.

[She tries to think back to the things she used to wish for, but then everything that followed was a sequence of very unfortunate events. The opposite of the things she would have wished for. But she isn't about to let that ruin an innocent conversation about something as silly as wishing on stars.]

Probably! I wished for a lot of things back then, I'm sure some of them would have come true. [A beat, as she grins at Aerith.] Wished for more girls to be around. That one came true.

You wished for that?

[She looks momentarily taken by surprise, but grins broadly in the moments following. That's awfully sweet— and not unlike Aerith's own desires.]

You know, I wished for that, too. Never on a star, but I think it still counts! I've never had many other girls around.

[Or other people in general, come to think of it.]

I'm— really glad we met. Even if the circumstances have been kind of crazy?

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just winging this because idk

you got it babe!

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