aterat | What could possibly go wrong here?

Entry tags:

What could possibly go wrong here?

Who; Aerith + Yusuke
What; Time for a painting session!
Where;Aerith's room at the gray building
When; July 23rd
Warnings;None

Truthfully Aerith's room in B-01 of the gray building could only be described as homey. Every shelf and table was filled to the brim with plants, some were clippings in glasses that she was clearly using as makeshift vases while many were actually growing in both potted and hanging planters. The hanging planters were placed mostly around the windows with their vines wrapping around the forest green curtains she'd put up. The only thing that seemed slightly out of place was the odd mural that had been painted on the wall behind her sofa in the living room. It had been painted onto a black background that only went halfway to the door with bright and vivid colors. Whatever it was trying to depict was probably a bit hard to place, but it seemed to be an abstract image of a small island coming into existence surrounded by flowers, stars, and various rather childlike depictions of creatures found here. A good chunk of it was hidden by the sofa and some hanging plants with bright white flowers.

It was definitely made abundantly clear that the white flowers were certainly her favorites. All in all it was a comfortable looking place. Call it homey at one's own risk, but that was really precisely what it was. Yusuke also happened to be the first person to see it. That definitely wasn't due to an active choice on her part, but rather that she just hadn't had an opportunity. After all she did spend what some might consider a considerable amount of time at her shop or in her garden. It was a lot easier to find her there than it would be to find her in the room she'd been given here. But, with Yusuke living in the Orphanage her little room here seemed like the best place to offer up.

Though really she was kinda starting to regret having agreed to this. As embarrassing as it was to admit (not that she had admitted it) she hadn't quite understood what he was talking about when he'd first mentioned he could prove it to her. Somehow she'd just thought maybe he'd offer her more compliments or something like that. Looking back on it that was kinda dumb of her, the young man mentioned art pretty consistently. But would she have ever thought he'd want to paint her? Especially after the comments some certain members of a certain trio had to say about her. Rude. That's what they all were: rude.

Regret or not it was way too late to back out. Let's be real here though, it'd been too late the moment she'd said she'd let him prove it to her. There was no saying no to him once he seemed excited, she just wouldn't have the heart at all. So, now she was stuck here kinda awkwardly waiting for him to arrive. She'd told him to just come in when he got there, that she'd leave the door unlocked, so there'd be no need to knock. She'd gotten a few snacks for them from the market (some blueberry muffins, a few pretzels, and some pieces of fruit) and had some water out for him. It'd taken her way too long to eventually just settle on wearing her usual light pink dress without the jacket. It'd been an entire debate in her head on if she should try to buy something special or not, which ultimately ended up with 'or not' winning out.

She liked her dress.

But now that everything was set up all she had to do was wait and hope that she wouldn't somehow disappoint.

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If Yusuke knew she was having second thoughts about their arrangement, he would be rather disappointed. After all, why wouldn’t he want to paint her? Even beyond proving that she was actually more beautiful than certain other people had suggested, she had a particular energy about her that had drawn the artist in. She was welcoming and kind, with a particularly playful nature even as he took her a little too seriously at times… But beneath that, there was seemed to be more than that... Hidden behind her cheerful tones and smiles, it felt as though there was something more serious there. Feelings she kept to herself, perhaps, and probably preferred not to focus on. More than she seemed, certainly, and so he would feel rather accomplished if he could capture her depth of character properly on canvas.

So his energy had been rather high that morning as he hurried through gathering up his supplies and finding a canvas that he hadn’t yet touched. Something in a decent size for a portrait, perhaps something she could display in her shop. After all, she was the proprietor of the place. Why shouldn’t her image be somewhere in the store?

He nearly left the orphanage without breakfast in his haste, but luckily, a friend managed to redirect his attention long enough to join him in the cafeteria portion of the building for a quick plate of scrambled eggs and toast. He would still be grateful for the snacks later on, of course. Something to be poked his way when he allowed them a break for Aerith to stretch her legs and work out any tension she might feel after sitting for long periods.

Finally, stomach full and supplies gathered under his arms or tucked away in his bag, he hurried out of the building to cross the courtyard towards the gray building where his friend resided. Balancing a small easel he’d scavenged and the canvas, he made his way up the stairs and down the second-floor hall until he found himself in front of the door that should be hers. He carefully adjusted his hold on the canvas and reached out to test the knob, glad it was unlocked as he turned it. It meant that he was at least in the correct place!

“Good day, Aerith? I hope I’ve arrived at a good time.” He commented before entering, finally letting himself into the apartment and looking around for his friend and to take in the space. It felt very comfortable. The atmosphere was just so lovely with all the plants everywhere, but the mural on her wall was certainly going to draw the teen’s attention rather quickly once his arms weren’t full and he’d made his greetings. Yusuke would undoubtedly have questions about it as they made some decisions, and he gave her a basic idea of how they would proceed.

"Definitely a good day," she said with a little smile as she stepped aside. "Put your stuff down wherever you want and feel free to make yourself at home." There was the couch and several chairs around her little glass kitchen table. She tilted her head to the side as she watched him look around her place.

"You know, you're the first one to see it!" Strangely she found herself pretty hopeful that he liked what he saw. Maybe it was the idea that he was an artist or maybe it was just that it was the first time anyone had been in. "Anything I can help you with?" she asked as she looked at his supplies curiously. Art wasn't really a common thing down in the slums of Midgar, so she hadn't really known what he'd bring with him. Really, it was still kind of strange that someone wanted to draw her at all.

“Thank you! I’ll leave things here for now while we decide where we wish to set up.” He responded, carefully setting the canvas and easel down next to the table and setting his bag on top of it carefully. It was nice to have his arms unburdened, and nicer to be able to study the apartment more closely.

He, of course, started wandering a little as he got a closer look at the plant life as well as considering the lighting in the room. Occasionally framing a particular portion with his hands carefully. His brows rose lightly at her comment though, “Am I?” Surely she had more company than him. She had been here longer than he had, from what he understood. “Well, I’m quite honored to have been the first to see it. These plants are stunning.” He commented, reaching out to gently brush a couple of white blossoms with one hand. He wondered if they could be worked into the piece somehow… It almost seemed appropriate that she was framed by such lovely blossoms and greenery.

Then the artist’s eyes fell on the mural and his eyes widened. Moving away from the plants and tilting his head one way, then another. What a lovely way to decorate one’s home… It was actually quite fitting. “Might I inquire about this? Did you paint it?” She must have, if he had been the only person to visit her apartment! Unless it had been there before she moved in, which was also a possibility…

The teen came back to himself a moment later though, realizing she’d asked him a question as well. “For assistance, perhaps you could tell me if there is anywhere in particular you’d find most comfortable for sitting. I should like to factor that in to the decision. After that, I will only need you to be honest if you need a moment to move about and stretch your legs. Sittings do take a while, and given you never have, I would like to at least make sure it’s not an unpleasant experience.” That would make for a worse painting, really, if she wound up being stiff and tense the whole time.

A part of her felt a little bad that she found the scene of him wandering around making frames with his hands. She felt even worse at the little laugh she let out as he continued framing areas like that. Now she wanted to ask what exactly he was doing but she already felt bad enough. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally make him feel like she was making fun of him or something like that. It wasn't that! Just that it looked like a pretty silly.

"You are," she confirmed. "Is that surprising?" She supposed she could see how, honestly the more she thought about it the more she realized it was probably a bit odd that she'd never had anyone else in. "I spend a lot of my time in my garden or my shop and I guess people just usually find me there." It did make her happy to hear him complimenting her flowers. "Aren't they? I had a lot of flowers like this back home so I guess I felt a little happier with them here. They represent reunion." Which was something she thought about quite often.

A hint of awkwardness entered into the way she stood as he took note of her mural. "Oh, yeah, I did. I had something like that in the room I lived in when I was a kid. I guess..." she trailed off as she looked over it. "It came to me after I tried to communicate with the planet here. I kept waking up with," she shrugged, unsure of what to call it exactly. "images I wanted to get out. So I did." Maybe that was a bit of why she hadn't had anyone else in her room. How could she pretend to be normal with a normal life when she had this thing here?

"Nowhere in particular. I'm pretty cozy anywhere here." She had worked pretty hard to get all the plants and everything set up for maximum comfort. "Don't worry, I'll be honest but I'm pretty used to having to sit still in confined spaces." It wasn't like the room her mother and her shared at ShinRa HQ had been large. Then there'd been the cells Hojo had put her in. She might not like the idea of being cramped or trapped in one area, but she was at least used to it.

“It is, though I can understand if one prefers their privacy… I can’t help but imagine you with company often, given the potluck you threw.” He responded with a smile, but it was still nice to have been her first guest. To get to see all this and get a glimpse of Aerith’s tastes for decorating her space was an interesting look further into who she was. It would definitely be beneficial as he began working on the painting, hoping to capture her and the complexities of her personality properly.

“They are truly beautiful, and the meaning behind them…” It was quite interesting, something else to consider trying to capture in the piece. The concept of perhaps the emotions that one might feel during a reunion between those who had been parted for a length of time… Yes, that seemed fitting indeed for anyone who wound up in this world, waiting for those they cared about to appear or to return to them. “I should like to try to include them in the painting, I think. Perhaps you would like to sit near them, something to fill the space around you with their gentle beauty.” He described, tilting his head one way and then another as he attempted to frame them again and get an idea of how they might be contained on a canvas in the size he brought.

Amusing as it was to watch, he wouldn’t be offended, as long as she didn’t point it out as weird. He was used to people finding his habits and animated (dramatic) approach to projects odd or amusing, and would gladly explain the thought behind it if she asked. It might not be a satisfying answer, but he would at least provide one for her.

“I see…” He mused with a more concerned tone, brow furrowing lightly. On the one hand, it would help the process for her to already be used to sitting still for long periods of time… But on the other, it was a little odd considering she hadn’t sat for paintings before. It made him wonder why that was… “I would still ask you to speak up if you start to feel any stiffness or a desire to move. It would help the process for you to be as natural as possible, and people tend to display tension in small ways they may not even realize.”

And he really would need her to shake him out of it if he got too into painting and forgot to offer a break. He’d been told his focus was sometimes a bit intense and hard to break. Which, really, was bad for both of them. It meant he forgot to do things most people needed to do in favour of continuing his work.

"That's nice of you," she said with a smile right back. "Back home I didn't really have that many friends." Or...any...friends. At least not until she'd met Cloud and Tifa and everyone. She had quite a lot of acquaintances from sector 5 but she wasn't entirely sure if she'd consider them friends. She also wasn't entirely certain if they'd consider her friends, but maybe some of that was just her knowing how many people considered her weird while she was growing up. "I had one friend when I was very young, but that didn't last too long." Strangely, she didn't seem entirely sad about the situation. If anything her tone sounded a bit distant, as if she might be a tiny bit lost in her the past. There was a reason she tried to not think about it too much. "I guess, I've just gotten used to being alone. Besides, my flowers keep me plenty of company!"

And she sounded like she meant that completely. "They appreciate the compliments!" Again, she sounded pretty serious about that. "Mmm, I think I'd like that. They're pretty important to me in a weird sorta way," she said with a gentle smile as she looked at her flowers. "They'd do well in a painting. Probably a bit better than me," her tone was light despite how self deprecating the comment could have seemed. There happened to be two hanging pots filled with them hanging around her couch near the mural. So, she moved over there and pointed at the couch. "What about here? It's near the window where a bunch of them are and then there's the ones on the wall in the hanging pots."

She nodded. "Don't worry, I'll tell you. As long as you let me know if I show any sort of small signs of tension."

“Ah… I think I can understand that better, then.” He responded with a sympathetic smile. Being isolated could make it rather difficult to socialize in his experience. He wasn’t sure if he would have learned to reach out more if it hadn’t been for the phantom thieves and their constant encouragement after he freed himself of Madarame and the rather isolated lifestyle the man had brought Yusuke up in. So if she wasn’t used to having friends in her world… It was probably hard to reach out in this one. Though her potluck had at least given him an idea of how well people thought of her to have attended, even if she had done it more for the benefit of others. He found himself rather glad that she had offered to be his model then, if only to perhaps provide a little company for someone who might need it. Even if she did seem rather certain that her flowers were excellent company.

Not that he could deny that they might be. There was something particularly soothing about being surrounded by something you liked. Though he tilted his head slightly in surprise as she informed him that the plants had liked the compliments. Aerith seemed… Very insightful when it came to plants, wasn’t she? Could plants enjoy a compliment? He did recall someone saying they liked being spoken to, anyway. “I see…? I’m glad they think so.” He added with a genuine grin, before his eyes drifted to the couch near the mural and moving over to it. Again, framing it lightly, he considered the window lighting and the plants… Even having the mural included in the backdrop would provide an interesting energy to the painting. It might just tie the whole piece together! Finally, lowering his hands, he nodded. “I believe this would be perfect! Let me set up and we’ll begin with an outline.” He responded with a rather excited tone, hurrying over to the table to grab the canvas and easel. He paused, though, before setting it up…

Right! Something on the floor. He had been recently scolded lightly for the mess he made of his space in the House of Solace, this was Aerith’s space… So he pulled an old sheet out that he’d stowed in his bag and spread that out on the floor first, then began setting up the easel and pulling a chair over.

“I assure you, I will speak of if I do.” he added with an absentminded smile. Knowing Yusuke, he would speak up rather quickly if something seemed off to him. “While I get this set up, perhaps you could take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Once you are, and I’ve gotten my supplies out, I’ll have you hold the pose while I work on the outline.”

"Can you?" she asked with a little curious tilt of her head. If he did understand she found herself a bit sad for him. There was a certain amount of sadness in the loneliness that she was familiar with that she wouldn't wish upon anyone else. It made her wonder what kind of life this boy might've led back in his own world. Not enough to ask, though. That welcomed more questions about herself and Aerith strongly believed in letting people tell things at their own pace.

A part of her wondered if perhaps she shouldn't feel just a tiny bit bad about the fact that he clearly believed almost everything she said. He wasn't wrong to think that she was insightful when it came to plants, but that didn't mean they held entire conversations with her. Even if she often wished they did. After watching him with his framing again she finally seemed to get what he was doing. "Oh! You're framing the picture like that?" she giggled at how silly it'd been that she hadn't figured that out immediately. "Smart idea." It probably gave him a much better idea of what something would look like on a canvas. "Is outline the first step usually?" she asked inquisitively as she plopped down on her couch.

"Is that to catch the paint? I don't mind if things get a bit messy! There's a ton hidden under this," she patted at the sofa. Aerith wasn't exactly an artist herself, so the mural had made quite the interesting mess. "But that's nice of you." Before she settled on a pose she decided to do one final big stretch of her arms, throwing them both up high into the air as far as she could. Might as well get prepared for a long time still! Besides, it always felt amazing to stretch out like that. Then she scooted herself in between two of the potted plants and looked up at them and moved over slightly more to make sure they were at a good angle to be captured. They sat low enough that some of the white flowers almost touched her hair.

"How's this area?"

Yusuke tilted his head, lowering his hands for a moment as she asked him about his habit. “Yes! I find it rather helpful in visualizing what might be contained on the canvas in a pleasing manner.” He responded with a light smile, rather pleased that she thought it was a smart idea. Not everyone quite got it, nor did everyone do it with the frequency that he did… But sometimes Yusuke just had a hard time not finding some inspiration and wanting to see how it might all look in his minds eye on canvas, and framing seemed to help. “I am glad you think so. It’s quite a helpful exercise in my experience.”

Brushing some wrinkles out of the sheet once he had it on the floor and moving to set up the easel, he tilted his head at the question. “Oh! Yes, it is. I’ve had more than a few people suggest I might start being more careful with paint splatter a little more often. And this is your home, after all.” He responded as he tested the legs on his easel to make sure that it was properly stable. His eyes drifted to the sofa curiously, wondering how much paint might be underneath it. “But that is kind of you to say. I’ll remember that in the future. There is something about the flow of creativity that sometimes calls for a bit of a mess, in my experience.” He added with a brighter grin, finally pulling a chair from the table over to sit in front of the canvas and pulling out his supplies to make sure he could access what he needed easily. “Yes, first I start with an outline of the scene to work out the pose and details like lighting and shadow to keep in mind and give myself a starting point.”

As she asked, he tilted his head thoughtfully and studied her position and the way the flowers were hanging into the scene… He hummed lightly, before gesturing slightly. “That is an excellent spot. I can capture both you and the flowers in on the canvas and the lighting is rather pleasant with how it illuminates you and some of the flowers. Perhaps you could look slightly this way…?” He added, wanting to see how her expression might look at a slightly different angle.

"Seems like it would be," she said with a nod of agreement. "Maybe I'll have to try it out when I'm making arrangements." It might help to keep things a bit more balanced. She always had a hard time deciding if she was adding too many tall flowers with too few small flowers and other details like that. Selling just one flower at a time had been a lot easier than the orders from the shop were. "You must have a keen eye. I'm jealous." If she hadn't been so determined to figure this out herself she might ask him for his opinion on her arrangements.

"A little mess never hurt anything," she said with a little shake of her head. "At least that's my view on it." She could see how others may have a different view though. Her eyes widened a little at his description of the process. Oh dear, what had she gotten herself into?

With his request she turned her head the completely wrong direction, correcting it quickly and letting out a little awkward chuckle. "Like this? Should I smile or anything like that?"

“Oh? I certainly hope it assists you, then. Do tell me if you decide to try!” He responded with a smile, quite interested in hearing if the habit might also be useful for Aerith’s floral arrangements. Having been to the shop once or twice now, he had to admit that it was quite beautiful. She had an eye for making things rather lovely, in his opinion. He was actually eager to provide her with some art that might help accent the setting in some way with her flowers.

So she didn’t think a mess would hurt? Well, that was nice to know. “I’m glad we both have a similar point of view on that. Not only can they be unavoidable… I think sometimes an accidental mess can be quite helpful in the process.” Sure, sometimes it could ruin something, but… Other times it almost made something better, a little surprise possibility that he wouldn’t have considered otherwise.

Though he was pretty sure he had a solid idea of how he wanted this piece to look now that she was sitting and they had the backdrop worked out. His focus shifting to the paper as she turned her head one way, then finally to the position he requested. Starting with the outline of her form and making note of the lighting. “Hm?” He started a moment later, almost slipping into his ‘focus mode’ as he worked. He did have to stop and consider it. “You do have a lovely smile, Aerith.” He commented, thinking back to how she’d appeared before when pleased with something. “So if you would be so kind, I shall try to do the outline of your face so you don’t have to hold it for too long.”

"Will do! I'll let you see whatever I put together with the method." She gave him a very quick thumbs up accompanied by a bright smile. "If it's good enough, maybe I'll even name the arrangement after you." Naming them wasn't something she did too often, but sometimes she liked to have specials with special arrangements that she gave some sort of name to.

"I agree. If you're too concerned about making a mess it might just cause you to tense up and not put your all into something, right?"At least that was how she saw it. Worries just ruined creative processes and she couldn't imagine anything that would cause more worry than the fear of making a mess. Especially if he'd already had someone bring it up to him. That just seemed like a recipe for making someone afraid of giving something their all. Which really seemed pretty silly. Messes could be cleaned up! Even the ones that were super bad could be fixed in some way with a little effort.

"You're sweet," she said with a soft smile. That was the same smile she tried to keep for him: soft and not overly forced. Maybe a bigger smile would have been better but that seemed a lot more difficult to hold for an extended amount of time. At least with something gentle and smaller she could be more assured to hold it for longer.

“Oh? I would be rather flattered if you did, Aerith.” He responded with a smile. It wasn’t necessary, but… What kind of flowers would the woman use in an arrangement that she might put his name to? It was a curious idea, and he couldn’t help but wonder how it might look.

Yusuke nodded with a small glance up from his work as she continued. “That is my thought exactly. If art is not allowed to flow freely, it may end up as stiff looking as you feel. That would hardly be beautiful and satisfying by comparison.” Clearly Aerith at least had a good idea of how art should work! Though she seemed quite creative herself, in his opinion, concerning her own form of art. Gardens and floral arrangements could be as interesting a medium as anything else, with the right hand to guide that which was being grown or displayed.

“I only speak the truth as I see it, but I’m glad you think so, my friend.” He responded with a smile of his own, before peering around the canvas, and his eyes widened a bit. “Oh! That’s perfect, just like that!” He commented quickly, sounding rather pleased with how the scene looked. The way the light hit her face and illuminated her features, framed lightly by such beautiful flowers? It would truly be a beautiful portrait. He was quite confident of that now.

"Guess I'll have to try it out then." Like him she wasn't entirely sure what kind of flowers would be used in an arrangement for him but she was pretty sure she could figure it out. At the very least it'd be an interesting little project to do.

"Stiff was the word I was looking for!" But she hadn't quite been able to figure out what she'd meant there. Luckily it looked like he'd gotten what she meant! "I can't imagine how sad it'd be to put so much time into something only to have it turn out stiff." That must be the absolute definition of unsatisfying. Yusuke seemed to put a considerable amount of effort into his art and she wondered if he was the type to get super discouraged.

"Perfect, huh?" Well, she'd just have to keep holding it for as long as she could manage. Which actually didn't seem like it'd be that bad of a thing to do. "Oh! Probably shouldn't keep talking, huh?"

She would, then? Yusuke offered a small smile. “I look forward to seeing what you put together!” He responded, wondering what colours or kinds of flowers she might use.

“It is truly a tragedy for a piece to turn out less than it could be, all because of stiffness or other discomforts.” He responded, perhaps a touch dramatic, but… Well, it was something tragic in his point of view. Not only because he was struggling with his ‘slump,’ but also because of the lingering discomfort over the idea of his work not being up to standards based on someone else’s view. The fear of failure and its consequences, be it because of his old mentor or the fear of his dream dying before it had a chance to begin now that he was out from under that man’s influence and seemingly had fallen into said slump the minute he was on his own. “So finding a comfortable space, and the freedom to express thoughts or feelings through their brush without fear of a little mess, is quite important for creating, in my opinion.”

Yusuke didn’t answer at first, so caught up in trying to capture that soft smile on his friend’s face, hands moving over the canvas in precise motions as he outlined her figure and began detailing her expression. It took her speaking up again for him to look up. “Oh, yes, I’m afraid that would be most practical. At least until I’ve finished the outline of your face and expression. You may resume speaking as soon as I finish, of course!” It just might take a little while, given he was something of a perfectionist. “I promise to say as soon as we’re far enough long, though.” He added, before falling silent again, brows knit in concentration.

"Have you found a place like that here?" It sounded like finding a place that he could work freely without worry was important to him. But with him living in the orphanage she wondered if he really got much of a chance to be by himself. One of the most exciting things for her here had been the discovery of the overgrown cottage. It'd seemed like the perfect place for her to start her garden. This place was so strange so much of the time that having a little place all her own that was familiar felt needed. In that way she couldn't help but hope everyone else had found something for themselves.

"Understood! Oh! Oops! Sorry! Lips are sealed from here on out!" she let out a light laugh before she quickly tried to stop herself and just resume smiling. This was harder than it looked.

Yusuke hummed his agreement lightly, taking a while to actually answer Aerith as he got rather caught up in his work as usual. He had an impressive level of focus that didn’t seem to be easily distracted once he got going on something. Perhaps it made things a little awkward for Aerith as she tried to hold the pose and smile till he was satisfied, but it wasn’t intentional on his part as his other friends would confirm. Even as he looked up, he was more focused on the details than on what might have been said at the moment.

Though, truth be told, some of it was because it was more practical to capture the details he needed sooner, so she could relax a bit and not need to stay as silent.

He finally stopped, setting things aside and resting a finger on his chin lightly as he considered what he’d gotten on paper so far. A few moments later, he nodded with a pleased smile. “There now, you should be more free to speak. And to answer your earlier question, I believe I am near to having a space like that. Somewhere a little more comfortable than the orphanage to work and focus.” Yusuke added with a smile, thinking of the potential location he and the other phantom thieves were looking at setting up as a gathering place.

It was kinda surprising just how difficult it ended up being to remain quiet and still. Elmyra had a point, Aerith always had been a chatterbox. She'd always been at least vaguely adventurous, never one to stay still for too long, and that was starting to show here. She tapped a foot and when he finally said she was more free to speak she let out a breath.

"Whew! That wasn't too bad!" At least not yet. There was still more sitting to be done but so far this wasn't too too bad. She raised a hand and brushed a lock of her bangs out of her face. "That sounds nice! What kind of place is it?"

Yusuke managed to divide his attention a little better nowt that he had the finer details of her face down on the canvas in front of him, moving then to the rest of her form and he would focus on the background of flowers and the mural last. Offering a grateful smile, he glanced up again. “I appreciate your stillness all the same. I do have a few friends who I don’t believe would be quite so patient.” He adored his friends, but there were a few who were hardly suited to sitting for long periods of time without complaint. Not that he didn’t understand it. Some things were just a part of who you were.

“Oh, well, it’s in an out of the way place. There are a surprising amount of abandoned places in this city, even with the state of everything. I’ll be sharing it with a few friends, but they hardly mind my messes.” Not that he would give too many details more than that. It was a hideout, after all. So he changed the subject smoothly back to Aerith. “And I believe between this and a scene of the market I’m working on, I should have a couple of things to put on display in your shop soon, if that offer still stands?”

"My mom would tell you that I'm that friend. But I'd tell her I proved her wrong!" So ha! She wins. "I wish you could meet her. She'd love you." He was the type of person she could easily see her mom wanting to feed and take care of. There was a certain vulnerability about him, kinda like he'd never really been taken care of by anyone before. That wouldn't be something Elmyra could ignore. As selfish as it was Aerith wished the woman was here. Something bad was happening in her world and at least here she'd kinda know she was safe. Plus...she could be with her again. It was selfish, but it'd be nice to be with her again.

She let out a little wistful sigh.

"That sounds pretty nice. Are they friends from home?" She couldn't help but be a little bit curious. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at him with excitement. It took all she had to not move to clap. She did jerk a little bit though. "Of course! I can't wait!"

“I believe after today you certainly can. I can vouch for your patience and stillness both.” He responded with a small smile at her rather victorious sounding tone. It is interesting though, to hear someone speak of their family from elsewhere… And because they would be sitting for a terribly long time, it was hard to not ask further. “Would she?” He was at least somewhat aware of the fact that he could be an acquired taste outside his group. “What is your mother like, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Continuing his work, he hummed lightly with a little nod in confirmation. “They are! They both arrived rather recently, in fact.” Which had been nice, even if he didn’t know one of them quite as well as they knew him… It was nice to have them near, and feel a little less alone in the world. Even if he appreciated the friends he’d made, like Aerith, there was something particularly comforting about having those from their group around. A certain feeling of belonging he didn’t think he’d ever find quite elsewhere.

He looked up, though, as she nearly moved, tilting his head slightly as he felt some relief that she didn’t move too out of her original pose. “I look forward to showing you then, but I must remind you to please not move much more than you have.” Otherwise he’d have to adjust the pose and that would leave the poor woman trapped for longer!

"Oh, she's amazing!" There was just a hint of sadness hidden behind her energetic tone. "She's...well, she's not my mom by birth. But she's never let that change how she treated me. Even after she found out how different I was she still kept me and tried to protect me." Of course, the protection only came because ShinRa had allowed it, but the fact that the woman had even tried? Well, that was pretty impressive if you asked Aerith. She'd stood up against the most powerful company in Midgar to protect her adopted daughter. She had a huge smile on her face as she continued. "Even all this time later she was still trying to protect me." It seemed as though it had finally reached the point where she had realized she couldn't protect her anymore. More than anything she hoped that she'd be okay. "She's also the best cook!"

She giggled and gave a nod. "It's nice to have friends. I miss some of mine from back home, but I am happy for the people I've met here." The fact that Yuffie seemed to know her so well wasn't lost on her. It was odd, but in a way she felt as though she couldn't complain too much with what she'd been like back home. The knowledge she'd had definitely had given her a slight advantage over the others. Then there was Leon who seemed to know an entirely different version of her. "This place can be complicated though." Not in too bad of a way.

"Oh! Sorry!" She stiffened up a bit in the hope that she could force herself to stay even more still.

At the hint of sadness, Yusuke couldn’t help but feel a little bad for asking… Really, in hindsight, it wasn’t hard to realize how much she must have missed the woman now that she was here. But as Aerith described the woman, couldn’t help the impressed expression that crossed his face along with the soft smile. “She sounds like an incredibly impressive woman, then, as well as kind. I admit, I would like to meet her myself should I ever have such an opportunity.” He offered in reply once she’d finished speaking. There was something particularly moving about people who took in and protected those in need and for nothing more than that. That family needn’t only be by blood relations… His brow rose a little as Aerith added on about her mother’s cooking abilities. “What kind of food does she make that you enjoy most, I wonder?”

“Yes, I have to agree with that… I am happy to have them, and I certainly miss those who haven’t arrived, but I also appreciate the people I’ve met here, such as yourself.” He added with a small nod of agreement. Really, he might not have adjusted to being in this world so well if it weren’t for the kindness of the friends he’d made before Haru and Ren had arrived.

He checked her pose again before resuming his work with a shake of his head. “I understand that it’s a difficult request, but I appreciate your patience.” Posing was hard work, after all!

"She is," her tone turned a bit wistful and her gaze became distant. "It gave my real mom peace in the Lifestream to know I had someone like her." There was an awkward shift of her position after she said that. That was a bit too far in the direction of things she didn't like to talk about. As quickly as it came the mood seemed to go and she gave a little smile. "Oh! Pies! My garden has a lot of vegetables and she makes some really great pies with them!" It made her wish she'd paid just a little more attention to how she'd done it.

"Thank you," she said with a chuckle. "I'm happy to be included. Buuuut what about you? You've heard a bit about me, how did you grow up?" It was only fair that the tables get turned some!

"I'm trying to stay still." Who knew it'd be such a hard task?

Yusuke could understand it would be a comfort to think that one’s family would find peace in the fact that their child was looked after in their absence. It sounded like Aerith really had someone caring to be there in her childhood and to look out for her, and it was nice to hear. Though at the mention of pies, he smiled lightly. “Oh? A pie with fresh garden vegetables in it would make a rather delicious dinner, I’m sure!” He responded with a smile, trying to not feel the slightest bit hungry himself at the thought. “So, between your vegetables and her cooking skills, you must have had some wonderful meals together.”

The question gets a small glance, something a little awkward in his expression as he busied himself with looking for something he needed as he prepared to move to the next step of the painting. How did he answer that particular question? If anything, it seemed like it would bring the mood down. Still, she’d asked after he had already been quite nosy about her life. His tone was careful as he proceeded, a little less energetic than it had been before. “I was taken in by an artist when I was around three after my mother’s passing. I suppose you could say most of my life has revolved around learning and improving my skills shortly after that when I took an interest.” That was perhaps a little brief for someone usually so full of words and eager to talk at length on so many subjects.

He peered around the canvas for a moment with an apologetic expression. “And it is your first time sitting for a painting. As I said, it can be a bit difficult.” Considering she’d shifted awkwardly a moment ago, he put things down for a moment. “How about a small break, now that I have the details and outline in place? You should stretch and perhaps get some water?”

"Mmhmm, we did! Always surrounded by fresh flowers as well," which certainly added to things nicely. "Though...I was late getting back a lot and she got kiiiiinda frustrated with that." Mostly with never knowing where Aerith had run off to. Which was, quite frankly, a fair concern. Aerith was wildly independent and stubborn, if she decided to do something she just did it. Combine that with the knowledge that Shinra was always looking to get their hands on her, well, you could see why her mom probably worried.

"I wasn't too much older than you when my mom died." Though, she supposed it was quite different for her. She had known her mother had gone somewhere better, somewhere she'd see her again. And she still had a few memories of her. At three she imagined he had no memories of her at all. Or at least only the vaguest of memories. It was very strange that he seemed so succinct about this topic. "What was the artist that took you in like?" She'd told him about her adopted mom, surely he had more to say about his adopted family!

Well, he didn't have to tell her twice. She jumped up and stretched her arms up high. "Oh! I bought some snacks, want some?"

Yusuke smiled to hear about where Aerith had grown up. Complicated situation or not, it sounded like she had some good memories with her adoptive mother. “That sounds beautiful. There is something rather nice about being surrounded by fresh flowers and plants. No wonder your space is so full of them evening now.” He added wit ha small gesture around the room, waving lightly as he finally pushed to his feet from the spot. Rolling his neck and rubbing his shoulder lightly to work a kink out of it form having been so still.

“Is that so…? I’m sorry for that, Aerith.” He responded in a sympathetic tone. He really didn’t have many memories of her at all, and it was something that bothered him considering something that represented her and her love for her son had been before him for so many years and he was none the wiser. Sometimes he even wondered if she might have been around longer had it not been for Madarame. Which made his feelings around the question all the more complicated as Aerith continued. Part of him wanted to do what he had used to do concerning such questions. But that would be pretending again, and he’d decided not to do that anymore. “I wish I had some stories like you did… But I honestly cannot think of how without offering half truths. He was not the man people thought he was, despite his giving me a roof over my head and teaching me more about art. I often find myself more confused and uncertain when I try to think about him, so I apologize for not really being sure of what to say.” That was all to say that it was complicated and he wasn’t sure he wanted to dump that on his new friend after she’d offered nicer stories.

But snacks sounded good if the grumble his stomach gave was anything to go by! “Snacks would be lovely, thank you.” He added as he made sure nothing would tip over among his supplies before following her.

"I bet you'd love to see our place then," she said with a smile. "I guess I subconsciously recreated it here." It hadn't really been intentional, weirdly. It just seemed to have happened over time. She'd brought things home bit by bit until she'd ended up with what it was now. Maybe it had been an attempt to create a reflection of what she missed back home. Deep down she knew it'd be a long time before she saw it again. If she ever did.

"No need to apologize. She went back to the planet." So there was no need to be sad, right? Everyone had always seen that as a strange reaction on her part, but that was only because they didn't quite understand. It wasn't their fault they didn't understand, though, and she never held it against people. Her expression softened at his words and she put a hand on his shoulder briefly, accompanied by a gentle squeeze before she moved over to grab the snacks she'd gotten to offer up. "I'm sorry. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. But if you ever do..." well, she wasn't going to push. The option to talk was there though, if he ever wanted to take it. She knew how it was to have things caught up deep inside that you didn't want to drag out.

"They're not much, but I have it on good authority that soft pretzels are basically the best things for snacks!"

“Reminders of home in a strange world would be a comfort. It makes sense that you’ve recreated the atmosphere here.” He responded with a small smile, he certainly could understand the desire. She was right, too. He would love to see this beautiful and cozy sounding home that Aerith had described, and to meet the woman who raised her who sounded so very kind.

He was a little surprised, perhaps, by Aerith’s response concerning her birth mother’s death… But didn’t most people find comfort in such things? In a knowledge or belief concerning where one’s loved ones went after death? They were from such different worlds. After all, it was hard to say how similar or dissimilar the matter of death was. He knew he liked to think his mother could at least rest more easily now that he was away from Madarame… That he had found people and friends who cared about him.

At the small, gentle squeeze to his shoulder and Aerith’s kind words, he glanced at her with a slightly sad but appreciative smile. “Thank you, Aerith… That is kind of you to offer.” She was right, though. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it right now or not. It had been a bit sudden for him to try to explain it, and they had been having a lovely afternoon before now. He didn’t want to dampen the atmosphere further. “Perhaps another time.” He finally decided, following her to the table for their snacks. Once he had some time to think of how to put it, to be ready to talk about it to people beyond his group and to not worry about bringing the mood down.

His eyes darted to the pretzels with curiosity. “I recall you had some of these set up at the potluck too, did you not? They were rather good.”

"I hope you've been able to find some of your own!" If not, she'd be happy to help him try to figure something out to bring him some sort of comfort. It seemed important to have comfort here of all places. Or at least it felt important to her, as was probably obvious by the way she'd fixed this place.

There was a sadness in his smile that felt oddly familiar to her. So many of her own smiles held that same sadness, the kind of sadness that one kept deep inside and close to their hearts. Sometimes it was more bittersweet than just purely sad and she wondered if that was the case for him too. Either way, she could at least recognize the heaviness that came from not wanting to stain the mood with sadness. It was respectable, if not a bit...worrisome. Sometimes it built up to keep things so close. But, they'd been having a nice time and it was meant to be a nice afternoon and her thought process on that was no different than his. "Anytime you want. I'm pretty easy to find, you know?" She was either in her shop or...well, now he knew where she lived. Something in the back of her mind told her he wouldn't seek her out to talk. But perhaps...another time she'd seek him out.

She pushed the pretzels over to him, a gentle nudging for him to take one. "I did! A good friend of mine loves them and I guess it's rubbed off on me."

“Thank you Aerith. Should I need assistance with locating something, I will keep you in mind. Though I do have my art at least, so I can at least paint.” He responded, though admittedly there were one or two things he missed from home. Though the teen wasn’t sure they were things that could be achieved here, after all. He couldn’t simply walk to Leblanc and have a cup of coffee (on the house, of course) and admire his mother’s painting here. But he could paint, and he had a few friends from home… So that counted, he believed.

The woman was rather smart like that, to have already guessed he probably wouldn’t seek someone out to talk about such things… So his answer was also probably to be expected. Polite and not a lie, so much as a half truth. “I will remember that, thank you, Aerith. And I suppose you are, knowing where you live and where you work.” He added with a smile, voicing her own thoughts as he reached out to select one of the pretzels to try. It was kind of her to consider such plans to give him the opportunity to open up, though. Some people just needed the right nudge, after all.

“Friends do have a way of doing that, don’t they?” He responded with a grin, finally nibbling on the pretzel thoughtfully. It was certainly as good as expected, humming lightly as he took another few bites. “And I dare say your friend does have good taste. These are rather delicious. There is something particularly comforting and satisfying about baked bread, isn’t there?”

"I'm glad you have that. I dunno what I'd do here if I hadn't been able to find a place for a garden." Sometimes hobbies became a huge pat of who you were and that seemed to be the case for both him and Aerith. This place was so different from home that it'd felt overwhelming at first. But finding something familiar, like the garden or his painting, it seemed like it made all the difference in the world.

"You're welcome. Who knows, maybe I'll find you then," she gave him a wink to indicate that she was just teasing. She'd never fully force someone to talk if they weren't quite ready for it. But he could guarantee that she'd be watching him closely to make sure he didn't start to seem like he needed a little talking to.

"They do," she said with a laugh. "I can't wait for some of my friends back home to start rubbing off on each other." Barret rubbing off on Cloud? That'd be hilarious to see. It might be silly of her but she kinda hoped that'd end up happening. "He does, doesn't he? He's got the best taste in food. And he's a great help at the shop. I don't know what I'd do without him." She was really lucky to have made such great friends here. "Mmmhm, it reminds you of a nice relaxing day."

“Yes, I don’t know that I’d like to think of us having to do without such comforts as your creative endeavors, on top of being in a place other than our own.” And if they had? A world without gardens and greenery? Without colour and art? How horrible a world would that be to end up in? Yusuke could hardly allow himself to imagine that for too long. It seemed far too depressing!

Yusuke glanced at her at the comment, offering a slight smile once he finally realized she was teasing. The suggestion that she needn’t worry about him like that was just on the tip of his tongue until it struck him that she was joking. It hardly seemed important enough to go looking for him, after all… She clearly had enough to worry about on her own.

“is that so?” He tilted his head curiously, wondering what Aerith’s friend group was like. “I like to think that could happen among our group, though some of us would like to see some things rub off more than others, perhaps.” He added with a small chuckle, knowing Makoto would probably like to see some of their studious members rub off on poor Ryuji and Ann… Though perhaps it would be just as good for some of them to learn that grades weren’t everything.

Listening as Aerith described this other friend, he offered her a small grin. The teen didn’t doubt her employee and friend felt as lucky to work with her if he was bringing by such delicious things. She seemed like the sort to draw in people, after all. It was nice to hear that she had those here as well that she could turn to, being separate from her friend’s back home. It seemed this place was like that, full of interesting people to at least connect with until they went back. On the subject of bread, he nodded quickly. “I agree! The smell alone of something freshly baked can be quite soothing.” It was why walking into the bakery was so relaxing, he figured.

"I think I would have been really lost. I've never been outside of Midgar so a new place like this was really something." Truthfully, she'd been nervous about leaving Midgar even though she was with everyone. It seemed seemed so silly looking back at it now that she'd been in this place so long. Still, this place was definitely strange compared to home. There were still times where she missed that great big steel sky, but she'd been able to build memories here. If she hadn't had the garden though, that'd probably have been a different story.

"What are they like? Your friends?" She asked leaning in curiously towards him. Clearly they were super important to him and she was curious what kind of group he had back home. "I didn't have many friends growing up, so it's always nice to hear about people."

Yusuke nodded. He could understand what she meant… Being thrown into an entirely new situation or place after being in one place, living in a specific way for most of your life and ended up in new and unfamiliar territory could be terribly jarring. The unknown could be as scary as it was exciting at times. He offered a small smile. “I’m sure that it was. Even without factoring in being in a world that isn’t your own without your friends, it’s a strange place on top of that. I am glad that you at least have been able to find your gardening to help.” And he was sure other people appreciated Aerith’s plants and flowers as well. The sight of life and greenery was a particularly important kind of beauty in the world.

The question gets a curious tilt of his head as picks at the pretzel he’d been eating. A warmer smile crossing his face as he tried to think of how to best describe them. “They’re amazing…! So very different, brought together by chance and circumstances. They’re all brilliant in their individual ways.” He almost wondered if they had the time for him to go on the long tangent, describing each individually or not.

“I owe them all a lot, really, for having known them for such a short time. Of the two that are here that you may meet, there are Ren and Haru. Ren tends to lead our group forward when we get together. He is terribly clever and very resourceful. He often helps me when I’m stuck with my art.” And recently reminded him that bringing trash home was not going to help his art… But that wasn’t relevant. “Haru, I’m still learning about… I apparently have arrived from a time before I met her, so I am getting to know her anew. She’s very talented, and has a very soft and welcoming nature from my experience with her thus far… It’s been weird, but we get along so well that it’s not hard to think we were already friends. I’ve learned that she knits and crochets. I hope to one day spend some time creating, even if our art styles are focused on different mediums.”

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