[Tifa stares down into her cup while Aerith mulls it over, not wanting her to feel any amount of pressure beneath her gaze, only looking up at her again when she starts to explain, and there's an understanding in her eyes. Tifa had gone through the same thing, found out what the future holds from Rufus, and then a little more from Cid.
So, she knows what it feels like...
While Tifa still doesn't quite know a lot of things, she wonders what Aerith might...]
[Her stomach drops like an anchor drops to the ocean floor, and it's clear all across her expression as well as she meets Aerith's eyes.]
... My end? Of course I wouldn't, I'd fight, and—
[They fought against Fate and Destiny, didn't they? Fought to change it so that they could break free from those shackles, right? And yet...
Her lips press into a thin line, and she tries so hard not to get to her feet in all her confusion and outrage. She tries to remain calm, but her fingers tighten around her cup so tight that the porcelain squeaks in her grip.]
[She frowns a little, nodding in agreement with Tifa's response.]
'The future is a blank page.' I've said that before, haven't I?
[And she believes it— she wants to believe it, because she feels it's the way it should be. It's what had given her the strength and resolve to fight against Fate alongside Tifa and the others, and keeping that in mind, no matter what she'd heard from Rufus... it shouldn't matter, should it?
It shouldn't change how she feels, and yet— it's so much easier when there isn't someone who's already experienced what's come to pass, telling you what they know.
She exhales.]
Things are going to get bad for our planet, Tifa. Worse than they already are. And we're going to fight for it— all of us, side-by-side. I know that for certain.
[She sits quietly, hands folded on the table as she listens. What is someone supposed to say to that? What is she supposed to do? They are stuck here and, more importantly, she wants to stay. This version of her wants to stay. So, it takes her some time to finally come up with a response, and it's certainly not the one that she would have wanted. Not that she knew what that was...]
... I had a feeling it would.
[She chews on her lip, her brow furrowed in thought.]
Rufus told me some things, too. Not much, and I asked him not to go into too much detail, but...
[Aerith nods her understanding— for a long while, she, too, had asked Rufus not to go into too much detail, because you really couldn't un-know something once you knew it, and she'd thought it would be better safe than sorry. Maybe it would have been better if she hadn't caved and let curiosity get the better of her, but...
Maybe now that she knows, she can change things for the better.]
We were just leaving Midgar. You and the others— you rescued me.
[She can't help but offer a small smile as she says so. Somber as the conversation is, she'll never be anything less than eternally grateful that they had cared enough to come after her— to help her, even without her asking.]
[She nods again, her lips pulling into a worried little frown. She remembers all too well when Tifa had left, even if it had only been for a short while. Her presence had been missed, as had Cloud's.]
Two weeks, and things changed that much...
[She furrows her brow slightly and searches Tifa's face, concerned. Her poor friend must have been carrying a lot.]
I guess we really had no idea what we were about to find ourselves in the middle of when we first met, huh? One thing led to another, and then... everything just got so much bigger than us.
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no subject
So, she knows what it feels like...
While Tifa still doesn't quite know a lot of things, she wonders what Aerith might...]
And? ... What did he tell you?
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A lot of things. Not everything, I don't think, that would be impossible, but...
[How much does Tifa know? She has to wonder.]
Tifa.
[Her voice is soft, uncharacteristically somber.]
If you knew exactly how and when you were going to meet your end, what would you do? Would you just accept it?
[They had made such a point to declare themselves free of Fate's shackles...]
no subject
... My end? Of course I wouldn't, I'd fight, and—
[They fought against Fate and Destiny, didn't they? Fought to change it so that they could break free from those shackles, right? And yet...
Her lips press into a thin line, and she tries so hard not to get to her feet in all her confusion and outrage. She tries to remain calm, but her fingers tighten around her cup so tight that the porcelain squeaks in her grip.]
What exactly did he tell you, Aerith?
no subject
[She frowns a little, nodding in agreement with Tifa's response.]
'The future is a blank page.' I've said that before, haven't I?
[And she believes it— she wants to believe it, because she feels it's the way it should be. It's what had given her the strength and resolve to fight against Fate alongside Tifa and the others, and keeping that in mind, no matter what she'd heard from Rufus... it shouldn't matter, should it?
It shouldn't change how she feels, and yet— it's so much easier when there isn't someone who's already experienced what's come to pass, telling you what they know.
She exhales.]
Things are going to get bad for our planet, Tifa. Worse than they already are. And we're going to fight for it— all of us, side-by-side. I know that for certain.
no subject
... I had a feeling it would.
[She chews on her lip, her brow furrowed in thought.]
Rufus told me some things, too. Not much, and I asked him not to go into too much detail, but...
[A tilt of her head.]
What's the last thing that you remember again?
no subject
Maybe now that she knows, she can change things for the better.]
We were just leaving Midgar. You and the others— you rescued me.
[She can't help but offer a small smile as she says so. Somber as the conversation is, she'll never be anything less than eternally grateful that they had cared enough to come after her— to help her, even without her asking.]
no subject
You... remember how I went back home for a few days, yeah?
[She won't go into detail, of course, because she knows what it's like to not want to know, but...]
It's already pretty bad as it is. It'd barely been two weeks.
no subject
Two weeks, and things changed that much...
[She furrows her brow slightly and searches Tifa's face, concerned. Her poor friend must have been carrying a lot.]
I guess we really had no idea what we were about to find ourselves in the middle of when we first met, huh? One thing led to another, and then... everything just got so much bigger than us.
no subject
[It's only going to get bigger, she thinks... just judging by what she knows now compared to what she did before.]
If there's anything you want to know... then all you gotta do is ask.