residentflorist

[on this fine day, aerith is leaving the church in her usual outfit, hair in its braid and pink ribbon holding it all together. the bracelets on her arms jingle just slightly as she walks, hands clasped behind her back as she begins to wander off on her own to check on the area. nothing really seems to have changed (that she's aware of immediately), but she does stop when she sees someone familiar.

she'd read a little of robin's poster after they met, but it's still better to do things the proper way and this is why she offers her a smile.]

Hey. I don't think I ever got your name earlier. I'm Aerith. [nice to meet you, etc. this is simple and it's a gauge to see if she's open to conversation, really.]

Oh. Hello. That was remiss of me. It's a pleasure, Miss Aerith. I'm Robin.

[ robin is also in her usual outfit. it's easier to see the word brother peeking out from her glove or little sleeve this way. ]

[not the brother...she does glance briefly at the word, but she's not going to acknowledge it unless robin does, really.]

It's nice to meet you. [sincerely! we are all in a terrible situation but aerith is still working off of the idea that the least they can do is keep trying to band together and figure out how to stop everyone from dying.] How have you been holding up? Hearing everything yesterday was a little bit of a shock.

It could be worse. [ that's not a front. she genuinely thinks it could be worse. ] I was hoping for a better reason to being summoned, but I'd prefer to hear that than some false hope.

I don't think we're sitting ducks.

[okay she's not wrong, and aerith nods along because yeah it could be worse. she's seen worse? (and sometimes you really just go from one threat wanting to destroy you right to another so you know.)]

That's a really nice way of looking at it. [actually she kind of wishes a few more people felt that way, if only because it might make things a little better for all of them rather than some of the people who truly have assumed everyone was going to die immediately.] As long as we keep at it, I think we really do have a chance of avoiding the ritual. We just need to learn a little more about what it takes.

If what they said wasn't wrong, we have two months. That's two months to learn how they're preparing, two months to devise how to dismantle it, two months to figure out how to escape.

[ it may not be easy, but she thinks it's possible. it's quite a while for being suddenly summoned. ]

It almost feels like we're meant to save ourselves no matter what. If they really wanted to use us for a ritual, why call us here so early? It doesn't seem like they need to prepare us for two months. Just themselves. [...] It almost makes you look at that question about fate a little differently, doesn't it?

[ oh. that does make her think. she hasn't thought about the profile questions since the ritual sacrifice reveal.

her expression turns pensive. ]

It does. That's a little... sinister, if that was on purpose. I don't think they care too much about us other than that we're here.

The fog is their security system.

There's always a way to dismantle a security system, no matter how tight it seems. We may not be able to get through the fog yet, but it can't be that way forever. [a pause.] They probably made it that way knowing so many of us would likely try to find them and end things ourselves.

I did ask if I could meet them, but I was told it would mean even less freedom.

[ but that's with the assumption of a peaceful meeting while nerfed. ]

But I won't believe in that as a final answer.

[she's afraid to ask what that means in that context, actually.]

I wouldn't take it as a final answer either. They brought us here. So they have to know that we'd want to meet them and try to reason with them. [or, as gojo said, beat up the bad guys. but reasoning is better for now.]

They'd have to care more about us to think about that.

[ she doesn't know how much she wants them to think of them. she goes back and forth. ]

[she deflates just a little.]

True. For now, we're really just numbers to them for a bigger picture. [which she understands as a concept but also she dislikes that. but then again she dislikes being special and someone who stands out entirely. it's a hard call.]

If they don't care too much about us, at least that means we have more of a chance to find a different solution without them blocking it right away.

[ she can dislike both. it's okay to dislike both things.

she clasps her hands together and nods. ]

I think so, too. I hope that's something that'll go in our favor. The more they ignore us, hopefully the better.

[she mimics the motion! and this means her bracelets kind of slide down her arm, and it means that robin gets to see a peek at the word they were initially covering: loss.

but she doesn't seem to mind much because if we just...stay positive! maybe it's okay.]

Who knows? Maybe we won't even need the full amount of time to find our way.

[ she sees the loss, perceives it, but is too polite to comment on it or even let her eyes linger long on it. ]

That would be the ideal. [ she is also trying to revive her pep. ] With enough of us, it could be more than a dream. We only have to find an avenue to go down first.

[ where the heck do you start investigating how to sabotage a ritual sacrifice ]

[very glad that's the set-up for this cr is "too polite to perceive."]

Some of us were thinking the best first step is seeing if we can go any further through the fog without getting turned around. We know that our overseers came through it, so...how did they do it?

[ ohhh the catchall theme.... pretty (i wrote this during inves and then YUUL STABBED ME AND I HAD TO DIVERT MY ATTENTION)

she nods. ]

They had an area of their own. It's like they had more access.

[ she's thinking about it like they're security permissions. ]

[my flowers...also man yuul really said "i will smash betray first" on you, damn.]

Maybe there's a way for us to gain the same access? Like the more we get to know them, the more we can infiltrate. [perhaps a little nepotism...just for them.]

Robin

w0 monday

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