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The Wild Harvest

[ Which is... technically! Not a lie. (It's Kazuma's house.) She wonders if word of mouth about their restaurant has reached Aerith, and whether or not they did a good enough job between the three of them, passing out the cookies. Her, Kazuma, and Solider 76.

Either way... ]

We were closed for the festival, but I could show you?

[ Hard work doesn't go unnoticed by Aerith. It had been a quaint way of drumming up interests, and things like cookies aren't all that common in the slums. People get by, doing what they can to survive. It's the sort of life that bleeds you dry. Still, she misses it. (The sky, in truth, haunts her a little here.) ]

i think i remember some cookies being handed out with that name on them. was that you?!
i'll be right over. i could help you open up if you like!

Guilty ☀ But don't worry, we won't be open yet. Consider it a private tour of sorts. Here:

[ What follows is a quickly-drawn, yet accurate map of the Residential Area, even taking into account all of Reverein's changes this month. The Wild Harvest is marked with a yellow sun and some arrows. She has no idea where Aerith is, but hopefully that helps! ]

By the way, are you afraid of snakes?

[ Ooh, thinks Aerith, gathering up her journal and moving immediately. A private tour of a local restaurant. Susato sure knows how to sell something. ]

got it, give me two shakes!
as for snakes... well, it's me they should be afraid of 👊
do you keep one as a pet?

[ AERITH, PLEASE DON'T PUNCH HER FRIENDS THE SNEKS...

Susato laughs, before committing pen to journal again. ]

We have a few in our garden. They don't bite. [ ...Well, unless you threaten or try to hurt Kazuma. (Or herself...? But definitely Kazuma.) Please don't do that either. ]

[ A promise will be made that no snakes were harmed in Aerith's presence, by her hand or another's. ]

pest control! you must have really nice tomatoes thanks to their full bellies
can i see your garden?
wait sorry i'm leaving now

[ Indeed, about fifteen minutes later, Susato will hear a familiar voice calling out from outside The Wild Harvest. ]

Hello? Anyone home? Maybe I should have tried a back door...

[ Of course she can see the garden. That's part of the tour!

She'll quickly fire off a message to acknowledge as such, but immediately she'll realize that she is not ready for... well, anything. She looks down at herself, but then shakes her head, moving as if she's running late for school. ]

[ The thing about staying over at someone else's house unexpectedly is that there isn't a change of clothes readily available. She'll have to fix this in the near future, but for now, when Aerith sees her, she'll be in clothes that are decidedly less pink, and look to be a size or two too big.

Her hair is still down and wet from her shower. Normally, she shouldn't dream of allowing anyone to see her like this. She should be thankful, at least, that they won't have to greet any customers.

After some minutes, if Aerith doesn't wander, she will hear the locks on the door start to rattle, and the door will open. ]

Sorry! Were you waiting long?

[ The door opens and she's served an eyeful of Susato very obviously wearing Kazuma's clothing. She speaks, but Aerith barely acknowledges it. It's only after a little nod that she giggles and moves past Susato to take in the sight of The Wild Harvest. She'll spare her the adult amusement Aerith could tease her with. ]

Not too long.

[ Spinning on her heel to look back at her, Aerith approaches Susato with her hands behind her back. A conspiratorial sort of look is upon her features, the smile still knowing. ]

[ LISTEN......she's not going to talk about it.

Susato shuts the door closed behind Aerith and then locks it up again, turning back to her as she takes in the interior. They find themselves in the dining area at present, though all the chairs are neatly turned upside down and propped on the long table; and across the bar and all the stools that are literally made of wood, there's carefully placed cloth to keep from too much dust over their period of inactivity.

Around the room along the walls are vines that almost look like Christmas lights from a distance. Hanging from the vines are numerous small fruits, ranging from completely round to crescent shaped, glowing faintly like little moons. ]

. . . G, Good. [ Why is she looking at her like that???? ] The garden is this way, but if you're hungry, I can make you something first.

[ In all due honesty, it's a perfect hang out spot. It's not hard to imagine how bustling it must get. While it's clear that Susato works here, it's just as obvious that it's Kazuma's adventure— surely he lives upstairs if Susato's managed to wrangle into some of his clothes very obviously.

It's the fruit that holds her attention the longest. She thinks not just of the celestial body overhead, but the face of a woman she's come to regard very fondly. A voice echoes in the depths of her mind, the memory still warm. "We found you." Smiling, Aerith turns her head back to Susato before approaching once more. A coy little smile playfully splashes across her face.

Then, she reaches out to pinch her on the arm. She said she would! ]

There you go. Still dreaming?

[ She doesn't know what Aerith may be thinking. If the moon has any significance to her at all, she will probably find nights unsettling and lonely here in Reverein, given its notable absence. But right now, Susato just finds it comforting to see her new friend.

Despite the fact that she brought back up what was most likely intended as a joke in passing, Susato has already forgotten. She can't say it hurts, but there's a bit of a squeak that is cut short as she idly reaches up to rub it. Then her mouth just kind of hangs open in a light laugh. ]

Oh. Well, if it were that easy, I suppose none of us would be here.

[ A sort of silence falls between them as Aerith smiles, taking a step back to take in the morning buzz of a girl in love. It takes her back to the open sky between an open, gaping hole in the ceiling of her church. There are days where the sky beyond Midgar's steel plate is so clearly visible‐ the open, free sky where the rich and fortunate trample over the slums' hopes and dreams below. She tilts her head, thinks the baby fat in Susato's cheeks makes her face look round like the moon, and then smiles. Nostalgia keeps nipping at her heels in Rever....Rev-whatever.

If it was that simple, she'd have all the time in the world for nostalgia. She silently agrees with Susato. ]

More importantly... [ Turning to zip away to where she thinks the back would be, the girl always running from something keeps going. ]

Garden! Let me seeeee!

[ Susato is not usually this slow to react, but she does take a moment to giggle at Aerith's sudden burst of energy. Then she thinks that it's probably bad form for the person giving the tour to fall behind, so she kicks her feet into gear, running along right on Aerith's heels. ]

Wait! I'm coming.

[ Lucky guess, at least. If Aerith is the type to pay attention to signs, she'll see that she's going the right way, and once she finds herself in the garden, it'll be quite obvious.

More glowy moon fruits line the vines that snake along the wooden fencing, and there are rows of lettuce, tomatoes, and various other herbs and crops where they grow some of their own ingredients fresh. It looks like there are ponds dug into the dirt, lined elegantly with stone borders. Some may even have water in them, but they don't seem to have any fish (or life) in them just yet. There is a wall of glass jars filled with flowers and variously-colored viscous substances, arranged almost like a stained glass mural.

Susato charges in behind Aerith, and there's a faint hissing that seems to start up in response, though no snakes can be immediately seen. ]

[ When the garden opens up for her, she is taken aback. A twinge of homesickness twists in Aerith's gut, the same way the drop on a tall slide blooms anxiety in your belly. It's beautiful, full of life and then some. The hissing is not lost on her, but even that seems like the hum of cicadas, or the buzzing of bees. It adds to the element, and Aerith shows for the fiftieth time in her life that she doesn't listen. She peals out into the garden, braid swinging in the light, to look into the nearest pond. Lilypads swim, bobbing along the surface of the water. She can imagine the frogs inside, groaning and ribbiting in their little bubbly voices, and smiles.

It's homely, she realizes. Would anyone notice if she snuck a sleeping bag out here? Hmm... ]

Susato! This is just heavenly. [ A light light sparks with joy in her voice. ]

You need amaranths. I can help! They're these little perennials that can be harvested for vegetables... They're so sweet. Nutty, too! And they add such a beautiful pop of color. Like flags!

[ This is it. Her element. ]

Edited (that wasnt the icon i thought it was JGHKJDHG) 2022-06-01 22:21 (UTC)

[ Susato is glancing all around them. She's expecting Yumie or Ryuji at least to poke their heads out at the new voice, but all of them really are shy on the whole. She remembers how they hid even from her, at first. If asked, she would probably say that was the first time she would ever describe them as "cute."

Oh well. She can feel their eyes on her, but she continues allowing them to observe. It doesn't feel right, like she's taking credit for something Kazuma built, but she will beam at Aerith's comments anyway. What else can she do but... accept it? ]

That sounds like a wonderful addition. I have learned a lot from Mr 76, but I will still take all the help I can get, when it comes to the growing of our crops and flowers. [ Especially if it would help her help her father with the greenhouse...! ]

Did you have amaranth at your church as well as the lilies?

[ A new name to remember, she gathers. ] 76? [ A smiles teases at her lips. If she's using "Mr.", she wonders if 76 might just be a reference to his age as well, but it is a quip she keeps to herself, thankfully. Her fingerpads grace the very surface of the lilypads. It is a gentle touch, one she nearly doesn't allow herself. ]

Church? Nope. I grew them at my house. They're actually in season soon! They stick around until it gets too cold. You can make the most lovely baked goods with it. Sounds like something you could get some inspiration with... plus, they're beautiful.

[ If she focused on it, she could probably show Susato, in truth, but settled on the warm stone with all this life around her... she just wants to soak it all in. ]

You don't do it all yourself, then. So?

[ ...Soooo. ]

[ There were some weeks where it felt like she did it all herself, because boys are dumb, whether they're old and bitter or... young and bitter, and vengeful. She smiles pleasantly, however, thinking about what it would be like to see Aerith's church or house in a dreamscape.

But she understands what she's getting at. ]

So...? I am merely fulfilling my role as his assistant, even if it is not in the way I originally envisioned. Kazuma-sama put forth the idea and makes most of the decisions, but he takes a lot of guidance from Mr 76.

As do I.

[ The church is something sacred, a special place where the only other flowers in the slums bloom away from her home. That isn't the only reason it is special to her, however: Aerith would think of a man-sized hole in the ceiling where two different men have tumbled down into her life through, and she would think of her mother's withering voice outside in Midgar, among all those people for the first time, telling her gently about a holy place she wanted to see.

She never got to.

As Aerith stares out into the greenery of Wild Harvest, she thinks her mother would have liked this place, too. ]

This Kazuma guy fellow is efficient, isn't he? [ It's a beautiful place, she thinks, looking out into the landscape, beaming sunnily still. ] He found you both a good teacher.

Can I meet him? This 76 guy.

[ She thinks him a kindred spirit, in truth, someone who sees the value of life in a flower. ]

[ Wait until she gets to tell Aerith about how he can grow plants with dreamotion. Or maybe she could show her his little room, tucked away behind the wall of colorful jars, where he maintained his own private garden. She still has to tell her all about the Dawn flowers, but all that would come in due time. ]

Of course. You simply must meet both of them. We...

[ A brief pause. Suddenly Susato is overcome with memories of her friend Leia, and the way she would dash in and out of the kitchen, nearly dropping orders on multiple occasions. There is a nostalgic smile. ]

We're actually looking for a new waitress, you know.

[ That nostalgic twist in her smile is not lost on Aerith, who turns her head to look over to Susato. The long braid her hair has been twirled into dances in the breeze— idly, she wonders if it really qualifies as a breeze. It's gentle, just like Susato's voice. She's the sort of person everyone relies on, she thinks, but Aerith wonders how often people ask her how she's doing. ]

Really? [ Her voice quirks up in pitch and she turns to lean forward, hands balled into excited fists by her side. ]

Are you asking? If not, I'm asking!

[ ...Wow! That pose totally looks familiar!

Susato wasn't sure how Aerith would react, but seeing that shakes the wistful nostalgia right out of her--or maybe it was that breeeze. Susato actually laughs. If she wasn't asking before, she definitely is now. ]

Yes! If you are interested, I am definitely asking. The only other person I haven't told you about yet is our bartender, Miss Tifa.

[ The expression slips from her face as easily as ice cream melts. The mention of Tifa is enough to wind Aerith up, and immediately she's stepping forward, excited and a bit confused. ]

You know Tifa?

[ Of course, Aerith muses, looking aside to glance at the moon shaped fruits that had held her attention moments before. She can picture her cooking up a new cocktail easily, and then it strikes for the second time in a few precious moments just how homely this place is. She thinks of little Marlene, crying beneath the bar of Seventh Heaven, over the loss of her house.

A fond smile coaxes it's way onto Aerith's lips despite herself. ] She must really like this place.

[ There is a curious tilt of her head as Susato nods. Tifa has even told her about Seventh Heaven. Despite the glow of recognition on Aerith's face and the way she closes in on her, however, it doesn't occur to her immediately that they share a home world. After all, Tifa's name was broadcast to all of Reverein.

. . . Right along with her own. ]

She helped me a lot when the men couldn't be here.

[ A pause, and Susato laughs. ]

She makes for an excellent king.

[ Of course, Aerith remembers that. A little bloom of fondness in her eyes tattles on her, but she turns back to the moon fruit, thinking of Tifa. ]

She does! She's a great friend, too. [ We found you, she'd said. Aerith remembers it: that confident, caring smile that disarmed her immediately. Somehow, she thought, Tifa knew what she needed to hear. ]

I knew that she'd like it here. [ It's only a little louder than a whisper. Still, it's confident. ] She did the drink menu, didn't she?

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back at it again at krispy kreme

just for a little longer...!

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