Child of Earth, Lover of Light

Aerith meets Namine

2006-02-08T21:14:58Z

-=[The Burbs: Around the Corner]=-----------------------------------------------
The cracked road runs by a set of stores that provide what the residents of the Burbs need. A busy laundromat sits on one side of the road while a Comic store and Drugstore sit across the street. Several residents of the Burbs can be seen passing by as they go about their business.
-=[Players]=- -=[Things]=-
Aerith
Sora

Nice to be with a friend, no matter who that friend is or how old she is...especially when it's one you have a fond memory of. Such would be the case if Sora hadn't seen Kairi, Riku, Namine, or his parents for a long time. No, not seeing Aerith in so many years made their few reunions the past month so much sweeter. And here she was, not only offering to help him carry his laundry home, but wanting to meet his mother as well! Oh, won't mommy be so surprised to see that her little boy has brought home his former babysitter, now all grown up! Sora, as he carried the laundry in one basket, standing beside the pink-clad woman, couldn't beam more happily. Looking up at her, Sora says, "Aerith, won't it be great again to see mommy? Maybe she'll even ask you to stay for dinner, that is...if we have enough! Oh, won't that be nice? And maybe we'll even run into Riku, Kairi, or the others...?"

Aerith can't help but giggle a little. It wasn't just because a 14-year-old boy just said the word 'mommy'... rather, it was because hearing him merely say the word sent Aerith back into nostalgia-land, in the old days when his mother used to stop by at the playground to ask Aerith to babysit little Sora for the evening. With nothing better to do, of course the pre-teen agreed! She could just hear little Sora now... 'mommy, Ae-with, come pway!' It made her feel silly, but her eyes glazed over for a few seconds at the memory.
Meanwhile, as she was gazing off at the wall, she continued to absently fold shirts and clothing as though she'd done it a million times, like a young mother would naturally know. "Riku and Kairi, you say? I think I remember them..."

Namine was sitting on her little foldable stool that she carried with her art pad, looking up on occasion to peek at her subject matter. This time, it was as simple as drawing the Comics store, complete with the posters in the window. She doesn't say much, but smiles softly when she sees Sora and Aerith walking along the street toward her.

Sora continues to pad by, one step at a time, trying the delicate balancing act of walking and talking to a girl at the same time, when he sees the familiar messy moppy blond hair of one of his several childhood friends. "Hey, Namine!" calls out the young boy as he stops his walk for a moment and tries, like the dickens, to look over the blond girl's exposed shoulder, "Whatcha drawin'? Whatcha? Whatcha?" The kid's bright blue eyes peer at the pad with a mixture of curiosity and happiness.

Once they had finished collecting and folding dry laundry, Aerith and Sora had begun walking back to his home. As they idly chatted, Aerith couldn't help but wonder... (What did he mean 'if we have enough'? Does his family not have much money? I don't remember them being particularly poor, but... 12-year-olds don't pay much attention to such things.)

Out of nowhere, they come upon a young woman who seemed to be drawing on a sketch pad in front of the comics store. She looked familiar somehow, but Aerith couldn't place it. However, she noted Sora's immediate familiarity with her, and hoped she would figure it out. In the meantime, she watches and waves a little with her free hand (laundry in the other) if the girl happens to look her way.

Namine looks up again and nods to Aerith with an almost shy smile, before turning to look up at Sora. "Oh, hi Sora... ...Drawing the comic store... the details on the posters especially... they're difficult," she says softly, looking back to her picture. She didn't show her art much, but Sora was one of the few people she felt comfortable showing the pictures off to.

Sora leeeeeeans his small head over until his smooth chin was resting on Namine's exposed shoulder, his bright blue eyes looking at the older teen's drawings. Both being fresh faced, it's kinda hard to believe, but Namine is older than Sora. No matters, as the scruffy haired boy's chin rests on his friend's shoulder, Sora expresses, "Oh wow! That looks waaaaaaay cool, Namine! It's like you're drawing the real thing! (whatever that means) Hey...!" The kid jumps up with a start, coming around to Namine's front, dropping the laundry basket on the ground, and poses in front of Namine, in her way, as if he were a muscle man, "Maybe you can draw Cap'n America! Or Wolverine! Yeah...! Maybe you'll become a great comic book artist one day!" By now, the young boy was standing on one foot, the other behind him , his two arms spread out as if he were a swan. Looks like a dorky version of the Ginyu Force more than Captain Impressive.

Aerith stands back a bit, as she doesn't know Namine yet. However, the name sounds familiar. She smiles a little at the goofy act Sora's suddenly put on, as though he were trying to impress her. "So, Sora... is this one of your old friends?" her voice seemed to be implying the question, 'should I know her?' although Sora may or may not pick up on that. Aerith wasn't trying to butt in on the conversation, but being introduced would be nice, especially when she was wracking her brain to remember Namine.

Namine giggles slightly and sticks her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. "...If you like, and can hold still, maybe I can draw you as a super hero, Sora..." she says, blushing a little bit. She looks up to Aerith and shrugs. "I live a few houses down from Sora... in the yellow one... though I don't get outside much... only when I'm drawing things outside..."

Sora pauses a second as Namine and Aerith confer, holding the position with, quite possibly, the goofiest expression a kid can get on his little boy face. His bright eyes pass betwix Aerith and Namine for a long moment, trying to figure out if the two were picking on him or not, trying to decide if he should blush or not. Instead of embarrassing himself too heavily, the kid looks up at Aerith and remembers that he has a place to go. Straightening up, he says, "Maybe tomorrow, Namine, I just 'membered I need to get this stuff home. See ya soon, Namine! This way, Aerith...!" With that, the kid walked onward.

Sweating, Aerith follows after him, although vaguely she still remembered where he lived, at least the neighborhood. "So... how long have you been friends with Namine back there? The name sounds familiar to me." She shifts the laundry basket to rest on her other hip as she continues walking beside Sora.

Another brief scene before the background changes were made to Sora's character. On the way to Sora's house to re-meet Sora's mother, Aerith and Sora come across Namine. This isn't the greatest of scenes, but hey, you can't have the good without the average, ne?

Aerith

A Lazy Day for Laundry

2006-02-08T20:55:11Z

-=[The Burbs: Tub-o-Bubs Laundromat]=-------------------------------------------
Rows of washers and dryers fill this busy Laundromat, several currently in use by a group of women who are chattering to each other as they wait on their clothes. A repairman is busy working on a malfunctioning dryer in one corner while the owner sits behind a desk reading a comicbook.
-=[Players]=- -=[Things]=-
Aerith
Sora

-=[Obvious Exits]=--------------------------------------------------------------
Back Room
Laundromat: Back Room
Exit Store The Burbs: Around the Corner

Yawning, a now very-tired Aerith decides to take a break from delivering by resting at the local laundromat. The place had been open for as long as she could remember, and it had been years since she had last entered it. Stepping in, Aerith glances about trying to remember the inside of it, waving to the few people who turned to look at her as she walked in. She didn't recognize any one inside, and no one seemed to recognize her, which may have been for the better. She didn't want to be questioned about exactly why she'd left the neighborhood. Sighing privately, she takes a seat on a bench and leans against an unused dryer to rest her back for a bit.

A young boy is already there, and is equally bored and tired, quite ready for his chores to be over, quite ready to go out and play, as all good boys are want to do so. And while Sora would rather be going out and playing, or reading comic books, or exploring secret places boys shouldn't explore, he's instead stuck in the Laundromat waiting for his parent's clothes to dry. Look who's doing laundry chores today. The kid is laying on a nearby bench, eye closed, half-drifting, and looking about as cute as a boy can look...all sacked out.

Aerith 's eyes had scanned over Sora the first time around, seeing as he was lying down and much less visible. After sitting, she glances around the room a second time, more slowly, and her gaze finally falls on the sleepy-headed Sora who seems to have similarly collapsed here on a break. After watching him breathe for a few minutes and resting her feet and back, she finally rises and steps toward him, sitting on the bench behind him. Aerith then leans over, looking over his half-asleep form as though she hadn't been able to look at him closely enough before without being rude. He was so adorable... so much like she remembered... and now he was a young man, about the age she had been when she lost her parents. Ahh, the sweet days of youth.

Sora's small nose wiggled a few times as the dust of the Laundromat floated around, not enough to make him sneeze, but enough to make him shift a bit. He hadn't grown as much as the other boys in The Burbs, in fact, the kid was a bit diminutive overall, stopping at four feet and five inches; and his frame was slender, just athletic enough to prove he was a boy who played outside instead of wasting away in front of the television. His skin was so smooth and his face was dollish, there is a subtle boyish scent to him, and as Aerith got closer, the boy's face seemed to radiate a soft and sweet smile, even though his expression was so totally relaxed. He just -felt- happier and more gentle. He doesn't quite 'wake' just yet, even though he's stirring.

Aerith watches him stir with a rather intent stare, almost like a mother would glance at her now-grown child whom she has raised from infancy. He seems to be having a nice nap, and she almost preferred not to wake him. The young woman was content with simply watching his smiling little face. (I miss those days when we were little. I wish I could have them back... I'd give anything to retrace these steps and be innocent again.) She sighs quietly, resting her head in her hands as she just watches him.

Sora's girlish lashes start to flutter as the boy rouses from his partial slumber, his young face slowly showing signs of wake as those beautiful blue eyes shine softly in teh artificial light. THose bright blue eyes, deep enough to dive into the depths of the heart with, focus softly on the woman in front of him. Slowly, the kid's black pupils dilate so that he is looking at Aerith and nothing else. A soft smile parts his smooth lips as he whispers, "Heya, Aerith...fancy seeing you here..." His smooth cheeks get a soft pinkness to them. His smile is soft, not that big cheesy one, and his young confidence shines.

Aerith immediately blushes, embarrassed by the odd notion that her thoughts might have been unconsciously written across her face. "Hey Sora. Yeah..." She smiles a bit. "Couldn't help but notice you in here... but then I saw how happy you looked asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. But since you're awake now..." She stretches a bit, a little tired herself. "can I ask why you're sleeping at the laundromat?"

Sora seems to be held in that blissful state for a long, long moment before the realization that he was actually 'staring' at Aerith hits home. His childish cheeks get very pink for a moment as he scoots to a seated position, looking around for an excuse, any excuse, that he can fathom for Aerith. Finding none, the boy puts his hand behind his head and chuckles goofily, saying, "I just kinda dozed off, eh? I was doing laundry for my mom and all, and....." Sora catches himself as he sees the blushes on Aerith's face, softly calming down and asking, "I guess I just fell asleep..." Eyes to the side....embarrassed.

Aerith doesn't seem to notice he's been staring. She was more concerned that he might have noticed SHE was staring earlier, and is still blushing slightly for that reason. Listening, she perks up as he mentions laundry. "Oh! You're actually doing laundry here! <3" she exclaims, her face brightening. "How sweet of you. Boring, isn't it?" She scoots over to the bench he's seated on and seats herself beside him. "No wonder you dozed off! Any idea how long you've been here?" She glances up at the clock.

Sora is all nice and comfy as he wallows in his teenage humiliation. Aerith was someone he was very close to as a child, more than a babysitter, a friend, and the fact that he couldn't remember her was just awful to the boy. Small feet tapped as he looked about, wondering where everyone else in the Laundromat was...maybe everyone's gotten the laundry done already. Well, the boy looks back just as Aerith's healthy hips sit next to him, and the boy's cheeks go pink again, dying down after an exhale, "Well, I think it's been a hour or so, Aerith, not sure..." Swinging his little feet, Sora added, "...it's one of my chores that I get allowance for..."

"Ohhh," Aerith nods, her hips snug in the bench beside him in a sensual way that she was probably not even aware of. "You have really nice parents, Sora. A lot of kids don't even GET an allowance. Nothing like that in an orphanage, believe me." She rubs his close shoulder in a friendly way and smiles gently to Sora, noticing he was a little down. "Hey... your laundry will probably be done soon. Is it in the washer or the dryer?"

Sora felt himself warm up inside as Aerith's hip rubbed against his, the boy not even cognizant what was happening within him, save that a part of him was starting to wake up some, and if this continued, he'd get extremely embarrassed. So, the kid tries to distract himself, "I don't really get much, Aerith, just enough to buy some stuff....sometimes....I guess it's okay...." As his shoulder is rubbed, he does something very unusual, he leans his little head against the adult woman's arm, eyes cast downwards, "It's in the dryer, but the day is almost over, Aerith...I gotta go home soon."

Aerith puts an arm around him and squeezes gently, rubbing his head gently and playing with his hair a bit through her long, delicate fingers. "I know... but maybe I could help you carry it home. My deliveries are done for the day, and it would give us the chance to talk some more... and maybe reminisce a little?"

Sora gives the woman a soft smile and nods, just as the dryer's buzzer goes off in the most DEUS EX MACHINA way possible! The boy stands and, with a mirthful giggle, starts to empty the dryer, "That's a great idea! Dad works real late, but you can meet my mom!"

Aerith 's face flushes again. Meet his mom? Wow, she hadn't seen Sora's mother in almost 10 years. What would she say to her? "I hope she remembers me..." Aerith murmurs, standing and absently smoothing out the creases in her clothing. "Maybe she'll help you remember me a little better, too," she adds with a wink, to let Sora know she wasn't sore about it. "Mothers are good for all sorts of things!" Meanwhile, she steps up behind Sora and reaches for some of the clothes. "Here, I can fold."

Sora isn't even thinking about the connotations of Aerith meeting his mother, that it may bring back unwanted or unhappy memories. Never. Not with Aerith. Nothing but happy and sunny memories for Sora! As the woman comes behind him to help him fold, Sora says, "Sure thing, Aerith, just let get this she---" The boy stands, and then freezes, his face going pink again. They must have been too close, for as Sora stands, he finds his small frame perfectly nestled within the form and frame of Aerith's body, as if his body was fit to be there.

Aerith laughs and musses up his hair as she reaches around and over him for the shirts in his hand. "I'm right behind you, silly. Here, let's do the sheets first since they're biggest." She sets the shirts on the bench beside them and walks around to take the other side of the sheet. "It will take two of us to fold this. You know how, right? You take a corner in each hand like this..."

Sora breathes a sigh of relief when no teasing or ribbing comes from Aerith, for if that had been Riku, the jokes wouldn't have ended. The young boy merely nods to the older woman, taking the shirt in his small hands, and folding it the way that they showed him, the prescribed way that did indeed seem to work the best. The boy followed Aerith's example as he folded his shirt, saying, after a long moment, "I'm glad you came back, Aerith..."

Aerith finds Sora snoozing away the day in the Burbs Laundromat, and decides to say hello. Ultimately, she gets invited to re-meet his mother whom she hasn't seen in almost 10 years.

If you're confused, please remember that this scene was done before Sora was given the background change that he had moved to and from a number of adoptive parents, all of whom failed the good parenting meter, and before Aerith's age at the time she and Sora were separated was decided on. I felt as though re-writing it would have changed too much of the scene for it to be worth reading, so I left it as-is, even though this particular scene can't be 100% canon with our characters anymore. It's still a sweet little scene.

Aerith

Sora plays Blitzball

2006-02-08T20:39:16Z

-=[The Burbs: Sand Lot]=--------------------------------------------------------
This empty lot is covered with sand and weeds, a well traveled path leading towards a set of unused Monorail tracks. Broken bottles and other trash litters the area.
-=[Players]=- -=[Things]=-
Aerith
Sora

-=[Obvious Exits]=--------------------------------------------------------------
Path to Street The Burbs: East Street
Up to Old Tracks Abandoned Monorail Tracks

Near the end of another hot day, and Sora is in the sand lost near the edge of The Burb, playing by himself. His best friend, Riku, was off again 'doing his own thing', and the rest of the kids in The Burbs were off playing by the river, something that Sora didn't feel like doing. So, instead, the young boy was near a crumbled section of wall, kicking a soccer ball at the wall, catching it with his foot, then kicking it back. HIs title face had a look of concentration on it.

Aerith was wandering through this end of town once again that very next day, this time wearing a yellow summer dress and carrying a smaller basket of blue flowers. She looked rather old fashioned in such a pretty yellow-and-white dress with a white sun-hat... except for one thing: those hiking boots. But her step-mother always told her to be ready to hike, play or run whenever you need to, no matter what. So, high heels? Out of the question.
Spotting a familiar head of hair in the sand lot, Aerith heads over that way, pausing a few yards from the sand. "Hey, Sora-chan!" she calls, smiling.

Ka-thunk!
The ball hits the wall and bounces off, landing back near Sora's big yellow shoe, the kid promptly kicking the ball back and towards the wall. As the ball bounces back towards the wall, getting ready to head back to the spiky-haired kid, Sora gets low, sticking his heart-shaped butt out some, hunching low, bracing himself, his little tongue sticking out the left corner of his mouth, a look of TOTAL concentration on his young face. Ready....ready to kick the ball!
His foot rears back...
Aerith says, "Hey, Sora-chan!"
...and in true Charlie Brown style, Sora misses the ball completely and kicks way up in the air, the rest of his young body following in suite. Letting out a very girlish 'arrrrrggggh!' Sora flies upwards about thre efeet, and then leands - with a thud - right on his back.
Little papou fruits spin around his head as he recovers from the THUD, looking up as the woman approaches him, eyes trying to refocus. He looks dazed, but uninjured.

Aerith 's eyes become little black dots in her face as she watches Sora promptly miss the ball completely, fly up into the air and land hard on his back in the sand. She quickly runs over, hiking boots kicking up the sand (but not in his face) as she jogs toward him hurriedly, one hand over her mouth. "Ohmigosh! Sora-chan, are you okay?! I'm really really sorry!" >< She leans over his face, looking down at him to make sure he's okay.
Sora's little world of boyness was spinning in a daze as visions of comic books, blitz ball, and amusement parks, his head ringing as his eyes come into focus. SOmewhere, in the sub-ether, he thinks he hears the voice of an angel calling out to him. Then, he blinks a few times as things come back into focus, the kid making the smooth outline of an adult's face, a very pretty one, leaning over him and looking at him very intently. Those smooth young cheeks get very pink as his nostrils catch the scent of flowers. A few more seconds and Sora is totally 'back' in reality. "Hey....Aerith...." The boy smiles a shaky and embarrassed smile up at her, "...ummm....I'm okay....how are you....?"

Aerith still looks concerned. "Are you sure...?" Her green eyes study him intently before she sets down her basket and reaches out a hand to help him sit up. "Oh me? I'm just fine! I was making another delivery in the area... I guess word of mouth about my business has finally reached this place, so I'll probably be making lots more deliveries here in the future. And it's not as though I can afford a car... although I don't mind walking, I wouldn't mind having a bike at some point. But, I'll have to earn enough to get one first!" Aerith yaks freely, apparently pleased that he'd asked her how she was doing. She seems eager to speak with him as she seats herself on the large wooden board that served as the border of the sand lot. "I hope I'm not bothering you... although it seems I already have." She frowns and closes her eyes apologetically.

As Aerith talks to him, Sora seems to calm down significantly, a relaxed smile on his small face showing how well he feels. The youth waits until the adult has moved away from him...her face having been quite close to his...and that making the kid feel a bit different....and sits up, running his fingers through his hair, getting rid of the bits of dirt and dust and twigs. The young boy rests his hands in his lap, now sitting crossed-legged, looking up at Aerith as she yaks quite freely at him. Sora smiles back, softly, saying, "I'm okay! And thanks for asking, Aerith...! And no....all I was doing was working on my kicks...!" The kid points to himself with his thumb to his chest, "I'm gonna be a world famous blitz ball player one day, ya see!"

Aerith blinks. "Blitz ball? That sounds familiar, somehow... what is it, again?" she asks as she reaches over and brushes off some of the sand on Sora's sleeve, very mother-like, almost without thinking.

Sora doesn't even flinch as Aerith brushes the dirt off of his shirt, used to being fussed over by his mother. Instead, a gleeful giggle emits from the kid's throat as he jumps up and grabs the 'soccer ball', boucning the wobbly thing a bit before balancing it on his hairless skinny knee, "Blitzball is a great game of reflex and skill! It's like soccer, Aerith, but underwater. It's becoming the biggest sport in the world super-fast!"

Aerith 's eyes widen. "Underwater?!" The young woman tilts her head to gaze at Sora as he begins to display some of his skill. "Wow. I must have forgotten that part when I first heard about it. So, are you on a Blitzball team?"

Sora giggles as he bounces the Blitzball (quite clumsily, actually, if Aerith wants to make a deal out of it) around his body, saying, "Yeah! You practive out of water can get VERY strong and fast, but when you play, it's underwater, and it's SO COOL. I seen them Blitzers hold their breath for nearly ten minutes before!"

Aerith giggles. "Ten minutes? That sounds impossible, but... hmm, maybe!" She holds up her hands, palms open. "Ohh, you must be a good player, then! Especially if you practice like this a lot. May I see?" She smiles prettily, her green eyes dancing with delight. Not only was she beautiful, but Aerith seems to have a sparkle of joy about her all the time. It's no wonder she's good with kids.

This is a brief little scene between Aerith and Sora that just sort of fades out without a real conclusion or scene-ending. You could say it was sort of practice, but we kept everything ICly that we did. Basically, Aerith startles Sora when he's about to kick and causes him to miss the ball completely. Short and funny :D

Aerith

Introductory Scene: Aerith meets Sora! (...again)

2006-01-31T19:03:29Z

What a day it is! What day! You know what day it is! It's 'new comics' day! And for a young boy living in The Burbs, that was the best kind of day! And as young favorite spot by the riverbank to read them. Ah ha! Riku would be sooooo jealous to know that Sora got his comics first! The small smile that crosses the boy's lips shows that it's a guilty pleasure he cannot wait to indulge in...

A nice, sunny midday it was indeed! Perfect for walking, Aerith decides as she strolls down the sidewalk, until it ends, and then walks on the street at the very edge of the grass. Wearing her old pink dress, she was beginning to feel as though she'd walked back in time. (Wow, this is my old neighborhood and everything... I've been meaning to come back here, but it's been so long.) She smiles, gazing at the trees that have grown up since she was last here, carrying her big basket of many-colored flowers in one hand.

Sora's yellow shoes squeaked along the cracked concrete roads of the 'just Around the Corner', all he could think about was getting into Action Comics, getting his latest subscriptions, paid with his meager allowance, and getting to his room to read them.
For the moment, the young boy's mind is centered on the small wad of change in his pocket, change symbolizing several weeks of mowing his front and back lawns, taking out the trash, and keeping his room clean. Chores. The boy hates them, but being too young to have a real job, his parents are his only source of income. Sometimes...Sora wonders how Riku gets that extra cash he has, but the thought isn't in his head for long. A quarter, a -whole- quarter drops from his jumpsuit and rolls along the ground away from the boy, towards someone else, a person Sora's not quite looking at as he stumbles forward to get the coin, his little fingers reaching, his eyes wide, "Oh crud....!"

Feeling very 'natsukashii'(nostalgic), Aerith is so busy staring off everywhere but where she's going that she doesn't even notice when, as she's passing a building to the street corner, a small boy starts stumbling right toward her.
As he yelps, Aerith is startled back into the present, and she halts as the kid jerks to a stop right in front of her at her feet. "Whoa!" she startles and nearly drops her basket as a few flowers fall out. "Excuse me! I didn't see you..." she starts, blinking as she takes a closer look at the boy.

Being a bit of a clumsy boy, Sora stumbles forward, landing on all fours right in front of a woman in a pink dress, the boy a mere few inches from the woman's brown shoes. "Ow!" winces the boy, having landed right on his knees. "That smarts!" Slowly, Sora leans back and looks at the woman in front him, first at her feet, one which is standing on his quarter, a few spilled flowers nearby, then are her legs...but not too long, since he was taught that staring is rude...the up, past her pink dress and to her face. Sora squinted as he knelt up to get a better look at the woman's face, the sun behind her almost giving her a golden halo.

The young woman blinks down at him, peering at the bright-and-blue-eyed boy with crazy hair, red jacket and big yellow shoes. Something about those eyes... that cute little nose... that crazy spikey hair that looks as though it's never seen a brush... so familiar. (I know this boy...) He was hardly a boy, once she saw his features. Here, kneeling at her feet was nearly a young man!
The young woman peering down at Sora was not nearly as young as he. She looked to be in her early 20s, perhaps, with huge bangs and a red bow in her hair, her long brown locks tied back in a big braid. She was wearing silver bracelets on each wrist, and strangely, hiking boots (in a dress, no less!). Her smile seemed to make the sun shine brighter, as her beauty was certainly something to behold.
Aerith gazes at him for such a long moment, that it becomes a rather awkward silence. When she realizes she's staring, she blushes. Quickly, she reaches down and takes the quarter by her shoe, reaching out to hand it to him. "I think this is yours..."

By the time the woman realizes she's staring at Sora and blushes, Sora's got about five or so question marks above his head, the boy thinking to himself . o 0 (What's up with her...? Is she over-heating or something?) Those bright blue eyes blink a few times, his head tilting to the side, his lips parting to let an errant breath suck in and then slide out. This was dumb. She was standing on his money and all he could do was look up at her...and why? Then she began to lean down and her facial features came more into view.
Yeah, there was something about this woman that struck a chord with Sora...as if he...was somehow remembering her...or someone like her. Those bright blue eyes blinked again as Sora struggled to remember why the woman leaning down towards him seemed so...so...familiar...as if he's never seen her before, but has known her his entire life.
Sora's smooth brow creased as he got frustrated. This is real dumb! A frustrated breath exhales from his nostrils as the woman speaks, holding out his quarter. Without thinking, Sora takes it, delicately, and murmurs, "Thanks, lady....sorry I almost ran into you...."

"That's alright..." At the tone of his voice, his soft murmuring, and at the warm touch of his hand, it begins to dawn on Aerith how she knows him. She bends to begin gathering the fallen flowers, until she finally can't take it anymore and glances over at him again, pausing. "I... I think I know you from somewhere. Are you... from around here?" Those kind green eyes focus on his face as she speaks eloquently, poised with a purple flower in hand.

A moment of hesitation before Sora starts to help the woman pick up her flowers, noting how fresh they seemed, as if they were just plucked from their stems and placed in the basket to sell. The boy looks up at the woman with a somewhat surprised look on his youthful face as she claims to know him, that nagging feeling he's been having just getting stronger, "Yeah....? No kidding, ma'am...." The boy hands her a red rose, saying softly, "I feel that way too...and yeah...I grew up here, ma'am, been here all my life..."

Grew up here...? been here all his life...? Aerith takes the rose almost absently, so lost in thought that she's staring ahead blankly. Then... Boom.
Aerith suddenly sputters, her eyes widening. "S..Sora?!" she blurts, astonished. If her memory was correct, this was the same little boy she used to play with on the playground... he was less than half her age at the time, only around 3 or 4 years old, but they would spend hours on the playground. She'd even offered to babysit once, but they already had a babysitter who was much older and more responsible.
Aerith covers her mouth with her free hand, the other still holding the rose. "Is it really you, Sora??"

Again, those blue eyes blinked several times, Sora's small head tilting to the side, his small lips pressed in the form of a small 'o'. The look of bewilderment stays until after she spouts on his name. At that point, Sora's mouth open in a gape. Who was she? The boy's mouth closed and his head lwoered, his brow again creasing. It was as if he was trying to remember, very hard, but couldn't, and the intense look on his face showed it as he again murmured, "Do...do I know you, lady...?" Sure, she dressed like she was from The Burbs...but...could she be...could they know each other? . o 0 (How can I forget someone...?)
"Yeah...I'm Sora..." Looking at her left side, the her right side, that nagging feeling remained... "Ummm....I know you too, don't I...? You're.....you're from here....right?"

Aerith smiles, her cheeks flushing slightly as the memories start flooding back. She nods. "Uh-huh... well, sort of. It's been almost 10 years since I left this neighborhood..." Her warm smile broadens as she senses his confusion, deciding to break the suspense. "My name's Aerith! We... we used to play together on the playground. Remember? We'd play pretend all by ourselves... I was actually around 12 then, but you were so little, I understand if you don't remember..."

And still, the boy doesn't remember, so young he was when this woman proclaimed t know him...so young and yet...there was something about her...
Leaning forward, almost like an inquisitive kitten, Sora sniffed some, as if smelling the woman, or her flowers, catching her scent and learning it. It was a good scent, a safe scent, a warm and wholesome scent, and as Sora's nose took in that scent, he felt he's smelled it before, "I think....I think...." The boy looks up at the woman, "Aerith...." A smile small crosses his lips as a vague memory or a young preteen girl playing with him as a toddler, "...I...I remember...."

Aerith's lips part in a grand smile, showing her pearly teeth as she returns his blue-eyed gaze with an equally nostalgic, happy look, and she nods. "Yeah! You know... the girl in the pink dress! That was me. Pink was my favorite color, then... I guess it still is, but I always wore that thing! We used to go out and..." she pauses to think, her eyes shifting to gaze upward. "...and gather flowers... and you'd build these big castles of sand and pebbles. Little houses for bugs... I made you a hat once! It wasn't very good, but I was still new at sewing, and... remember?" She giggles, staring longer at Sora as he's leaned much closer now. She can smell his scent, so outdoors-y and wild, quite a young man.
"You've grown so much, now... but your hair hasn't changed at all!" She giggles some more. "That's why I made you a little cloth hat, I think. It looked so cute on you, like a pirate cap with the little deelie bob on the end!" Aerith actually reaches out and takes him by the shoulders, still crouching, and looks at his face from different angles with a silly little smile. "My, what a young man you've become."

It takes a moment before Sora realizes that Aerith was serious...she -really- knows him and remembers him, and her own recounting of memories helps the kid to remember things himself. Sand castles and bug houses. Pirate hands and flower beds. Sora could remember slim details, but nothing major, and that was just crazy...you're not supposed to forget your friends, and this Aerith sounded like she was a friend...
But then the woman puts her hands on his shoulders and looks him over, very scrutinizing, and this, more than anything else, makes the young boy blush, his smooth cheeks get that rosy hue that only youth can get. His shoudlers squirm some and his head jumps to the side, his eyes narrowing as he mutter in a totally embarrassed tone, "Why ya looking at me like that?"

A tall white haired figure approaches the Burbs from edge of the city, his long black coat flowing behind him. Bright blue eyes seem focused on the city of Los Anime and it's urban spires. A long curved sword hangs from his left side and his hand rests on it's scabbard. He seems oblivious to anyone else unless they block his path, seemingly following a silent call only he can hear.

The young woman presses her lips together, trying to hold back a giggle. "S...sorry," she mutters as she pulls her hands back, the smile not leaving her lips. "You're just so... so much like I remembered you, and yet... so much bigger. How old are you now?" She re-begins to gather the flowers in her basket, as though doing so would make the scene between them less awkward than she'd made it already. She doesn't notice the approach of anyone, nor hear it. She's far too focused on this conversation.

On the other hand, Sora would probably welcome almost any distraction from the awkward moment with the older woman, the blush painfully obvious on his cheeks. It was a mostly chemical problem, those hormonal changes during adolescence making fluster and blush so easily at Aerith's actions. He turns to look at her, his lips parting to ask her to let go, when he sees the black form of some beautifully terrifying man. His little mouth closes...all the boy can do is stare in a mix of admiration and suspicion.

Cold blue eyes turn to the pair, the white haired man studying them with the empty eyes of a predator viewing his prey. As he approaches the darkness of his aura reaches out to the two talking people. Each fluid, graceful step bringing the black clad man closer as he makes no effort to modify his path to move around them, as if he expects them to simply move from his path.

Aerith stops as she notices Sora's not listening. Something behind her has caught his attention. Puzzled, she turns her head. The instant her gaze falls on the approaching man, her stomach tightens and her breath catches. She gasps, feeling the cold aura emanating from his presence as he moves closer and closer. "N-no!" she yelps, trying to move to stand--but her knees won't budge. It's as though the sight of his dark countenance has frozen her in place. Her eyes are wide. "Who...?" she starts to ask, fright evident in her voice.

The boy seems to be totally taken aback by the way that Aerith reacts, and as this stranger gets closer, she only seems to get more frightened. Quickly, the boy stands and gets to his feet, those rubber soles squeaking as he moves over to stand in front of the woman and the man. He had no idea what any of this was about, but his instinct to protect a friend was too strong, "Dude...!" The boy looked up, fearlessly, at the man, "I ain't never seen you around these parts...but if you're lost, you need to head back the way you came to get to the main parts of the city...it's all Burbs around here."

Seeing the pair failing to move from his path, the man in the black trenchcoat pauses, his blue eyes staring emotionlessly at Aerith. His beauty is in stark contrast to the darkness his bright blue eyes hold. He flickers his gaze to the young boy blocking his path and finally speaks, his words without feeling, "Move parasites, scurry back into your holes and continue to live your meaningless lives." Sora and Aerith's words seeming to have passed him unheard.

At that, Aerith finds the strength to stand, a flower in one hand, the other gripped in a tight fist. "Excuse me? I think you need to leave..." Her eyes narrow. She was still feeling it... that void, almost like a black hole that seemed to be sucking in anything that came too close. All coming from this big pretty boy with an exceedingly long sword.

On the other hand, the young boy felt no such anything from the silver-maned adult, since after all, he IS a young boy and not quite a warrior of the heart yet. He does, however, feel the rudeness of the man's turn and gets very offended by the words barfed out at him by the older man. Little fists balls up as he takes a step towards the man and grits his little teeth, fearlessly, "Dude! THat ain't cool! You can't talk to us like that!" His small hand swipes at the air, "Especially not Aerith! She's a lady!"

"I have more pressing matters than killing women and little boys. Move yourselves from my path and you may continue to scurry about your futile lives for a little while longer." The white haired man says, his voice still devoid of all emotion as he gazes soullessly at the pair. He appears unmoved by their words and hardly even notices the boy, his cold eyes returning to stare into Aerith's.

After the shock passes, Aerith scoffs at the tall grey-haired stranger. "How dare you talk like that... as if you're the only important one in the world." She shivers a little at his soulless gaze. "You had better take your bad attitude somewhere else. You aren't welcome here."

Putting his small hands on his little hips, Sora continues to glare up at the man, "Hey, dude, you can't go ordering us around like....like you're the mayor or something!" He does, however, take a few steps back into Aerith, as if his small frame can press her away from the danger, "You better not threaten us again, unless you want us to call the police or somethin'!"

Long white hair shifting behind him as he steps forward in the wake of Sora's steps back, the man says in his strangely emotionless voice, "I am the only important one, and soon Mother and I will be the only ones in this world at all." He seems to have no heard Sora's words at all, as if anything the boy has to say is unimportant. "This is your last chance to move from my path, I have allowed you to waste too much of my time as it is." he commands the pair tonelessly.

Why him? Why was he ordered to go out here and...oh, never mind. The sooner it's done, the sooner he can get home and ponder imponderable things. Like why he dreamt he was a moron the other night...ah, hell with it. Oh. Right. 'Peacekeeping.' Looks like Squall's going to be in need after all. Folding his arms, and with an utter lack of emotion or any sort of regard just tells the taller man, "Leave." So saying, he doesn't even bother looking at Sephiroth. Such things aren't his problem.

Blink blink. Aerith finds herself quirking a brow at Sephiroth's next words. "Ummm... what?" she asks in disbelief that he could be that crazy. Then suddenly, before the tall guy seemed about to carry out whatever threat he'd made, some other guy steps in from around the corner.

Huh? Where'd he come from? Aerith blinks again and takes Sora's shoulder, pulling him back a bit more in case they needed to get out of the way of whatever might be about to happen.

The Burbs ain't what they used to be anymore! At least that's what Sora is thinking as two men, all mostly black, with about as much emotion as the cardboard cutouts of Doctor Doom and Captain America in the window of Action Comics have. Thinking that flight is the better idea, Sora reaches back and attempts to take the woman by the hand, his dexterity not bad for a kid as he tries to lead Aerith, hastily, away from this area of The Burbs.

Sephiroth steps further forward, continuing on exactly the same path he had been walking before he stopped before Sora and Aerith, as the woman pulls the boy backwards. His empty eyes don't even flicker to look at the new arrival, no response escaping his lips as he seems to be done talking. Seeing Sora attempting to lead Aerith away from his path, the man takes no hostile actions but merely continues to walk forward, his eyes turning back to gaze into the distance at something only he can see.

Huh. Mission accomplished. He doesn't waste words on man or boy and woman. He's just doin' his job. The impassive SeeD starts to walk off, but his path does take him in the same direction as Aerith and Sora. Not that he pays attention. His concern is just...peacekeeping. Unlike Sephiroth, however, the SeeD simply avoids others, and keeps to himself.

"But..." Aerith starts as Sora takes her by the hand and pulls her away. "... but I want to know what he's doing here!" she says quietly to Sora as she turns away, reluctantly starting to leave, although she keeps looking back at the two men, who seemed to be ignoring them now. "He's up to no good.." she's obviously concerned, but with nothing to go on and a crazy guy who won't even listen to reason, there was little Aerith could do but allow him to pick a fight--and that was no good either. And who was this other guy? He seemed to be trying to help, but he also didn't seem to care. Weird... what's happened to her neighborhood?
Finally, she allows Sora to pull her away, Flower Basket and all, leaving behind a few white and red roses on the grass where they'd been sitting. "Is this common around here now?" she mutters to Sora as they turn the corner.
Squall pages: If this were full RP, you could spend a PP to get by Squall's apathy. If you played 8, you know as well as I what lies buried inside of him...

It was crazy, but it was exciting. And as they walked away from the two non-chalant ne'er-do-wells, the boy shook his head, a small grin on his little mouth... "Nope....but ya gotta admit, Aerith..., Sora looks up at the adult woman and smiles a very comforting, but cheesy, young grin, "...that was kinda cool, ya know!" And with that, he leads Aerith to a safer part of The Burbs, a place not as many people know about...!

Squall's path happens to take him through his standard patrol route...which, yes, includes safer parts of the neighborhood. He continues to avoid boy and woman both...and follow his own path. He seems to keep his eyes ahead of him, and nothing bothers him. Unpeturbed...he moves on...

This opening scene chronicles Aerith's first meeting with Sora in-game, where she discovers that not only does she recognize him, but that he is the little boy she used to babysit since he was 2 and she was 11. Bonuses include a brief encounter with both Sephiroth and Squall. Hope you like it!

Aerith