Mathis

[residentflorist]

code

Aquilegia
From Latin columba, "dove", due to the flower's
resemblance to five doves clustered together
Wisdom, intelligence, innocence

Comments

weekend zero, sunday

[residentflorist]

[well. what a pleasant morning. after finding out that they may very well all be officially doomed, aerith decides to break away from the group at large and goes back to a place she's been finding herself returning to frequently as of late. she pushes open the doors of the church, letting them close silently behind her before she looks up and realizes she isn't alone.

she remembers some of the things that have been said, and she remembers mathis's first response when he arrived. so she eases into the approach, a small smile on her face as she steps forward.]

Not a bad place to hide out for some peace, is it?

[cumulative]

Y-yes... it always feels quiet here.

[he's in one of the pews, knees pulled up to his chest to curl in on himself.

clearly he is SO fine after all of that!!]

[residentflorist]

That is the nice thing about churches. Seems like no matter where you go, they're always a little quiet even when everything else seems pretty scary. [she'll go ahead and walk on, approaching the pew before she just has a seat next to him. she doesn't crowd him, but enough that she's at a good distance to talk to him.]

How are you feeling, Mathis? [tell her how completely fine you are.]

w0 monday

[residentflorist]

[this is when i realize aerith permanently has short sleeves and wears skirts so this is going to be a fun week. but for now she doesn't seem to notice anything off, standing in the middle of the church with her hands on her hips and assessing the area. their other new roomies are out (and she probably sent cloud out on some errands), but she offers mathis a smile.]

Well! This probably isn't so bad once we get settled in. [PROBABLY? just don't touch the cursed bible when it inevitably returns.] Wanna help me check the cushions? Some of them might not be in great shape for sleeping.

[cumulative]

O-okay...

[he definitely slept here already because he's glued to lucas at night, so he probably hasn't... actually left the church yet, or realized there are any words on his skin.]

It can't be... that bad. I was able to sleep last night.

[when he comes over to join her, it's a little clearer that he has something written over his exposed collarbones thanks to that off-the-shoulder fashion. fake, it says.]

[residentflorist]

[yeah clerith has also slept at the church before and that's part of why she's saying it, though debatable if they were there last night. the other part is really that she's hoping to give him a little task to put him at ease.

things that do not put her at ease: seeing that word. it doesn't change her expression much, though her eyes soften just slightly.]

You get used to the bells, right? [she will open the chest though where the cloths and cushions are stored, carefully kneeling down to peek inside. the bracelets on her arms shift enough to reveal the word "loss" as she looks through.] Cloud and I were here a few times, too.

w0 friday

[residentflorist]

[hi, sorry, she is absolutely just running back into the church despite being swampy and smokey. WHERE IS THE CHILD.]

Mathis!

[cumulative]

Y-you're all right...

[AERIIIITH

he looks so relieved to see her, actually.]

w0 sunday

[residentflorist]

[ooooh boy everything is super duper bad! everything is so bad. today has been long. the entire weekend has been long, and by the time aerith returns to the church she's had time to kind of regroup and settle after watching boothill's fate.

but there are always going to be people who likely are still struggling harder, and it's why she seeks out mathis. whether she finds him back at the church or on her way there, she immediately changes her trajectory to walk up to him.]

The last couple of days have been a lot. How are you, Mathis? [are you okay...]

[cumulative]

[he is indeed back at the church! he's also regrouped, now that he's a little bit calmer.]

I-I'm all right, thank you... this was just- more than I thought would happen, so soon. I know what we were brought here for, but I thought there would be more time...

w1 thursday

[residentflorist]

[anyway, wherever mathis may be, aerith is approaching and gently putting a hand on his back because it is still affection week and boy howdy has this child had a week.]

...you doing okay? The last couple of days has been a lot to handle.

[cumulative]

Th-they have been... um, I'm... all right.

[he has his knife back, at least, but there's not a lot of conviction in saying he's fine.]

But I think it's... best if I don't spend too much time with others for a while.

w1 saturday

[cumulative]

[back at the church

i'm giving you this one because you live here too when he's back at the church he's curled in on himself somewhere crying WE'RE DOING SOOOO GREAT]

[residentflorist]

[NO MATHIS BABY...she's just going to enter the church and upon hearing him crying she will approach. she sits next to him, briefly reaching out to touch his shoulder.]

Mathis...come here. [do you need a hug? please come here.]

w2 monday

[residentflorist]

[good morning, we're in hell still. and by hell i mean they're probably making their way out of the church.]

Think there's another door in the woods? The fog changes a lot, so...maybe we can explore together.

[or maybe not, because the minute aerith steps through the threshold of the church and out to the town mathis gets to see whatever the fuck's going on here until 2:26:56]

[cumulative]

[ohhhh boy. that's-- that's a lot. not just the mention of some sort of ancients, but the mention of...

the way he speaks of it is familiar, the words not entirely unknown to mathis either. and bringing up her mother that way-

he's definitely shaken by it, but he still glances over to her worriedly.]

Aerith, a-are you...

w2 thursday

[residentflorist]

[mathis if you're not back in this church post-healing so help her god. either way. whenever and wherever, she settles next to him and gives him another once-over.]

That must've been pretty scary, huh?

[cumulative]

I-it was...

[but he's fine. he's-- fine.

he has also been healed-- where he was burned is now scarred black, with a red pulse beneath. like there's still something there, eating at him. that's fun!

one hand is pressed loosely to his chest.]

w6 wednesday

[residentflorist]

[at some point when the party winds down a little...she's still in the vineyard! sort of just glancing around at their set-up. she's still somewhat transparent on-sight but it doesn't look like she's going anywhere for a bit.]

So...we probably have a few things to talk about, don't we?

1/2s you bc i need icons

[cumulative]

I... y-yes, I think that we do.

[cumulative]

[but also]

W-wait, though, what-- what was going on with the strange letters-! They still won't sign them!

w7 wednesday

[cumulative]

[hewwo! mathis is Somewhere today. there are so many places girl help i am not picking one. void hours.]

Oh, Aerith... a-are you all right, after yesterday...?

[residentflorist]

[there are many places!! we are outside, we are wandering, and we are in a pretty okay mood.]

Heya. [sparkly emotions.] Yesterday was actually pretty okay as far as parties go, but I'm okay. Did you have fun at least?

w7 friday

[residentflorist]

[at some point after anis's arrival, perhaps you are passing by the cemetery again on your way from the fountain visiting the overseers, or maybe on your way somewhere else. either way, you will find aerith here, and she appears to be...kneeling in the dirt with her eyes closed. hm.

continue?]

[cumulative]

[oh... hmm.

...he doesn't want to disturb her, and so mathis ends up just joining her there, kneeling quietly next to her.]