Probably. I see no reason why I should be dragged back, but you never know what the future holds. If someone had asked me a month ago if I would ever be warped into another world for some cult's ritual I'd have said it was impossible.
[Good news, Erin, the author hasn't done anything with you in years and apparently you're not one of his favorite characters to write, so nah, you're safe. No more adventures for you]
Good point. Can't say any of us were expecting something like this, especially when so many of us were in the middle of something important. But the good thing about it is you survived to escape twice. And there's a chance for us here, too.
[There is...being asked makes Erin ask too, because hey, some amount of nosiness happens when you're a journalist! Since they touched the topic of where Erin had been before the cult summoned her, she turns that around:]
Where were you, before you got dragged into all this nonsense?
Oh, here and there I guess. [vague, but still truthful.] We were traveling a few places before we ended up here. Our friends are probably waiting for us in the last place we were. We still have a long way to go, too.
Oh right, the cat with the strong accent. [The one Aerith met at the Golden Saucer...] So you're all traveling around, I see. And somewhere in that Cloud is a racer on chocobos. Whatever those are supposed to be.
[She can't help but piece together what she has heard about, to have an idea of the things Cloud and Aerith and Yuffie have seen and experienced]
Yeah, Cait Sith. We met him at the Gold Saucer and he joined us for a while. Yuffie didn't join us until we were leaving Costa del Sol before that. And Vincent is...[she hesitates in that she has no idea how to describe this weird vampire man.] He has his own goals, but they align with ours.
[there's a smile though.]
Gotta make money somehow, right? We pick up jobs in different towns to keep us going.
Usually whatever people had available. Fighting monsters, making deliveries...escorted a dog once. Little things that people can't do themselves because they're too dangerous or just because they need an extra hand.
That all better have paid well. Being on the road with a group is already difficult enough, being broke would be one pain more.
[...hmmmmm...]
Not that you seem to have a problem with that. If anything seems to me you like them enough to find their company very welcome despite the trip.
[An educated guess, mostly! Erin is perceptive enough to be aware Aerith has a strong friendship with Cloud and Yuffie, and it's not hard to guess given how sociable Aerith is she would easily make friends with the rest]
It really wasn't that bad. Our group got along pretty well, mostly, and we've got a few people who really hate the idea of wasting money. [so yeah. it's like what erin said, aerith has a tendency to just be fine with any company given. she's grown particularly close to the others in the short months they've been together.]
[Kind of makes her feel jealous, really. She spent years in hell with pretty much zero true allies, and due to some circumstances only had one single friend for years after she returned to the living realm. The thought of how nicer it'd all have been to deal with if she hadn't been alone is an intrusive thought to her right now]
Guess things like this bloody cult thing and ruining it is better to do with company than alone, too.
[Maybe she should be glad there are so many here in the same situation instead of just her, somehow]
Exactly. [which is a good point for erin to realize and she's happy to make it.] We're all here and we all want the same thing. Doesn't it make sense for all of us to be working in the same direction than to be trying things on our own and possibly getting even more scattered? I get that sometimes being here can be pretty uncomfortable...[what with all murderers and victims in the same space.] But we're still together. We can make the most of that.
Really not used to this, is all. At least I should be glad the company is decent. There's several of you I'd actually willingly hang out with any time. That's more than I can say about the average person I have worked with.
Word from the wise, Aerith, you're the luckiest person ever if you manage to surround yourself with people you actually like. If you can stay with the bunch you're traveling with forever you should. Stick with them.
[Erin has no idea what the goals you and the rest of the crew have, but in her opinion? You have stumbled into something extraordinarily rare by having reliable friends, hold onto them for as long as you can. Don't let go, ever]
[lmao @ staying with her friends forever...but she doesn't really give any tells, keeping the smile on her face because the sentiment's sweet and true. she'd love that, if possible.]
I've gotten lucky. I'll admit that, but...it took me a while to get to this point, too. Practically my whole life, actually? [all of her friends are extremely recent.] But just means it's not too late for other people either. Decent company is a good start...maybe even a step in the right direction to finding more decent company when you get home?
Eh, I have been told I'm difficult to get along with, so that's not really going to happen.
[A little too prickly for that, other than a handful of close friends and family. Other than that, it's going to be a small circle altogether.
honestly the reason why she has been lonely is more because the options for socializing were not exactly abundant for a long time. like, who was she going to make friends with at work: the head editor who really needed to dial down her voice twenty decibels? the guy who every time erin was near a guy joked about she finally finding a boyfriend regardless of if the person is sixty or fourteen? assorted coworkers who are presumably very dull to be with?
of course she is considered difficult to deal with she is just not willing to deal with their bullshit]
[she shakes her head because while that might be true, she doesn't find that to really be an acceptable answer.]
Difficult personality or not, everyone has the capability of finding the right friends. Sometimes before you know it you're settling on compromises. You're learning to meet people halfway. And they start doing it back so that you're both working together on things instead of just besides each other. Most people aren't really that hard to like.
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[Good news, Erin, the author hasn't done anything with you in years and apparently you're not one of his favorite characters to write, so nah, you're safe. No more adventures for you]
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Where were you, before you got dragged into all this nonsense?
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[She can't help but piece together what she has heard about, to have an idea of the things Cloud and Aerith and Yuffie have seen and experienced]
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[there's a smile though.]
Gotta make money somehow, right? We pick up jobs in different towns to keep us going.
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[She sympathizes with that! Was in that kind of situation for a short while]
What kind of jobs? It doesn't tend to be a lot of opportunites out there for odd jobs.
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[the sidequest life.]
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[...hmmmmm...]
Not that you seem to have a problem with that. If anything seems to me you like them enough to find their company very welcome despite the trip.
[An educated guess, mostly! Erin is perceptive enough to be aware Aerith has a strong friendship with Cloud and Yuffie, and it's not hard to guess given how sociable Aerith is she would easily make friends with the rest]
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It's better than being alone, don't you think?
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[Kind of makes her feel jealous, really. She spent years in hell with pretty much zero true allies, and due to some circumstances only had one single friend for years after she returned to the living realm. The thought of how nicer it'd all have been to deal with if she hadn't been alone is an intrusive thought to her right now]
Guess things like this bloody cult thing and ruining it is better to do with company than alone, too.
[Maybe she should be glad there are so many here in the same situation instead of just her, somehow]
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Word from the wise, Aerith, you're the luckiest person ever if you manage to surround yourself with people you actually like. If you can stay with the bunch you're traveling with forever you should. Stick with them.
[Erin has no idea what the goals you and the rest of the crew have, but in her opinion? You have stumbled into something extraordinarily rare by having reliable friends, hold onto them for as long as you can. Don't let go, ever]
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I've gotten lucky. I'll admit that, but...it took me a while to get to this point, too. Practically my whole life, actually? [all of her friends are extremely recent.] But just means it's not too late for other people either. Decent company is a good start...maybe even a step in the right direction to finding more decent company when you get home?
[whatever erin's situation may be, she means.]
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[A little too prickly for that, other than a handful of close friends and family. Other than that, it's going to be a small circle altogether.
honestly the reason why she has been lonely is more because the options for socializing were not exactly abundant for a long time. like, who was she going to make friends with at work: the head editor who really needed to dial down her voice twenty decibels? the guy who every time erin was near a guy joked about she finally finding a boyfriend regardless of if the person is sixty or fourteen? assorted coworkers who are presumably very dull to be with?
of course she is considered difficult to deal with she is just not willing to deal with their bullshit]
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Difficult personality or not, everyone has the capability of finding the right friends. Sometimes before you know it you're settling on compromises. You're learning to meet people halfway. And they start doing it back so that you're both working together on things instead of just besides each other. Most people aren't really that hard to like.
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[Aerith, our local socializing pro]
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