She was a self-defense instructor. Youngest on the island, but the best at what she was doing. She worked with Cloud and our friend Tifa sometimes while they were working with the Corps. [at the mention of yuffie's name though there are two emotions that should not belong there: frustration and guilt. that's nice.]
I'm not surprised you'd see your other friends there, too. [ just kind of sad. ] We saw Yuffie-dono and Anisphia-dono return on the other side, earlier... It looked like they'd been through a lot. Whatever happened, I'm sorry that you've all had to suffer.
Yuffie was. [that same pulse of guilt, and a little fear.] I don't know what happened to Anisphia though. We lost track of each other at some point in the night.
[ closes his eyes and radiates sorrow for a girl who definitely doesn't deserve to be killed, even in some kind of illusion. as much as she wants to be treated like the adults, she is still a child. ]
I'm sorry, Aerith-dono. It must have been difficult, even without your memories from home.
[ perhaps some of the others, too, then. terrible. iwatooshi sighs. ]
...I won’t make you keep talking about it, Aerith-dono. Everyone involved is safe now, and healing.
[ except maybe karlach, running off to die again immediately in break-in. ]
I’m more worried about how you’re feeling now. If it’s anything like what I’ve been told, it must be… disorienting, at times. But we’ll only be able to help you with what we know about.
[she's gonna find out about karlach later and be so mad.]
Sorry. [she says, because she knows it's a difficult thing to process and to talk about.] I'm glad everyone's safe and healing. If things ended the way it did for me and for Yuffie, I can't imagine that the others didn't experience something similar.
[perhaps we all tpk'd...hard to say.]
...it was very disorienting, yes. [...] Iwatooshi, how much do you know about Mathis's circumstances on his island? [did she ask this already? hell if she knows. she's trying to reconnect dots.]
It's very possible they did. These things seem to seek out the best ways to hurt us, somehow.
[ ough. this question. he looks conflicted - feels it, too, his concern for aerith warring with the responsibility he has to his partner, even if the connection is long broken. ]
...It isn't really my story to share. [ he says softly. ] But... you have his choker. You must know by now, don't you? The one called "Camille Claude," his brother, called Mathis-dono a homunculus.
...I remember the things from his memories. That week before we came here, when everyone was seeing everyone else's experiences. I knew back then. I just wasn't sure how much you learned before we had to leave. But you're right. I do know he's a homunculus, and how he came to be that way.
Makes sense. I know it's something he only recently learned himself. [but...she's nodding.] That's exactly it though, yes. Everything from not being the real versions of ourselves to having our memories manipulated. All of it.
...not really? [she sounds kind of confused because she's not sure what to feel right now other than "bad."] But it's temporary. All of it is temporary, and then the real Aerith can go back and I'll...
[hm. no. give her a second.]
...if I'm still dead, then maybe there is a different Aerith somewhere. But they might not find her for a while. [this is absolutely cyoa brain, but also aerith's own issues about being unsure if she's alive or dead at this point.]
[ "the real aerith." he doesn't like that at all, but he thinks he can understand where it's coming from, miserable as it is. the one consolation is that if this is an effect, it'll wear off in a few days, but how awful to know she'll be living with it for even that long.
the extra unfortunate thing is that he's not entirely certain how to respond in a way that won't make it worse for aerith. ]
...Perhaps. You seem very alive to me, though, and very real.
[she doesn't expect people to know what to say, or even try. being a copy of the real aerith means she can't afford to be upset if things aren't treated so delicately, she thinks. she does not say that to iwatooshi because she does not know what he's thinking, but she is thinking she's being unfair to him by mentioning it at all.]
Back there, we were created to look and seem very real, I think. [focus, aerith.] And here...we are. Real. Alive. All of us.
[not just the people who went on this trip, but everyone in the graveyard village, she means.]
[ i think she's still holding onto his arm but he's just going to set his hand on top of hers, gently. ]
It's the same for me, you know. I was never really a part of history, but here... here, I'm just like you and all the others. Real, and alive. It's not so different.
If you have trouble remembering, then I'll hold onto the memory for you, still.
[she is because she wants to make sure it stays attached to him. but that's nice, that helps.]
You're very much real, Iwatooshi. [firmly. why it's easy for her to say that about him and not herself right now, well, that's a whole other thing, but she's very sure of this.] You're real and you've made your own memories and you've lived your own experiences and that's what makes you a real, alive person.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
no subject
I'm not surprised you'd see your other friends there, too. [ just kind of sad. ] We saw Yuffie-dono and Anisphia-dono return on the other side, earlier... It looked like they'd been through a lot. Whatever happened, I'm sorry that you've all had to suffer.
no subject
And they seemed like themselves...? All in one piece? Nothing too unusual?
no subject
Why? Were they killed, too?
no subject
no subject
I'm sorry, Aerith-dono. It must have been difficult, even without your memories from home.
no subject
Considering I'm the one who killed her, I think difficult may be the best word for it right now.
no subject
there's a brief spike of alarm before he pulls that all back in, settling back into worry and frowning like he's trying to recall something. ]
Was it because of your memories? Or because of memories that you were given? Did something trigger it?
no subject
It was because of the memories we were given, and then memories that were altered. And then...wanting to stop the killers in their tracks.
no subject
...Was Yuffie-dono responsible?
no subject
no subject
...I won’t make you keep talking about it, Aerith-dono. Everyone involved is safe now, and healing.
[ except maybe karlach, running off to die again immediately in break-in. ]
I’m more worried about how you’re feeling now. If it’s anything like what I’ve been told, it must be… disorienting, at times. But we’ll only be able to help you with what we know about.
no subject
Sorry. [she says, because she knows it's a difficult thing to process and to talk about.] I'm glad everyone's safe and healing. If things ended the way it did for me and for Yuffie, I can't imagine that the others didn't experience something similar.
[perhaps we all tpk'd...hard to say.]
...it was very disorienting, yes. [...] Iwatooshi, how much do you know about Mathis's circumstances on his island? [did she ask this already? hell if she knows. she's trying to reconnect dots.]
no subject
[ ough. this question. he looks conflicted - feels it, too, his concern for aerith warring with the responsibility he has to his partner, even if the connection is long broken. ]
...It isn't really my story to share. [ he says softly. ] But... you have his choker. You must know by now, don't you? The one called "Camille Claude," his brother, called Mathis-dono a homunculus.
no subject
no subject
You're wearing the same choker that he does. Did you experience the same things?
no subject
no subject
Then I'm sorry. It was hard enough on Mathis-dono - it must be difficult for you, too, right? Are you sure you're alright?
no subject
[hm. no. give her a second.]
...if I'm still dead, then maybe there is a different Aerith somewhere. But they might not find her for a while. [this is absolutely cyoa brain, but also aerith's own issues about being unsure if she's alive or dead at this point.]
no subject
the extra unfortunate thing is that he's not entirely certain how to respond in a way that won't make it worse for aerith. ]
...Perhaps. You seem very alive to me, though, and very real.
no subject
Back there, we were created to look and seem very real, I think. [focus, aerith.] And here...we are. Real. Alive. All of us.
[not just the people who went on this trip, but everyone in the graveyard village, she means.]
We all have to remember that.
no subject
It's the same for me, you know. I was never really a part of history, but here... here, I'm just like you and all the others. Real, and alive. It's not so different.
If you have trouble remembering, then I'll hold onto the memory for you, still.
no subject
You're very much real, Iwatooshi. [firmly. why it's easy for her to say that about him and not herself right now, well, that's a whole other thing, but she's very sure of this.] You're real and you've made your own memories and you've lived your own experiences and that's what makes you a real, alive person.
[...]
But thank you.