Butterflies and Hurricanes [Open]

[Aerith]

Is everything really over? It's too quiet.
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[August 21st]

Tranquility for this long was quite strange to Aerith. She appreciated the peace, of course, for it gave the citizens of Radiant Garden a much more noticeable spring in their steps. Hope was on the rise, and it was infectious. The town was beginning to look even more like it once did.

It had been a couple of weeks since Jericho had dropped her back here after saving her from death at the hands of Notre Dame's superstitious guards. He had left no clue as to where he was going or why, and he had gone without taking either her or Cinderella with him. A few days later, she could no longer find that little alarm. It had simply vanished.

A terrible thing, to be sure, since not too long after that Nadia had shown up at her door, desperately seeking any news Aerith could tell her about Jericho. Despite her attempts to be helpful, Aerith could not persuade Nadia to stay a few days with her, and she had left just as quickly as she had arrived.

Since then, Aerith had had very little to do in terms of anything cosmic. So, she returned to what she never grew tired of doing--tending her flowers. By now, they had blossomed very nicely, and she had even extended her small plot to include more of them. Because of the abundance, she had been able to start smaller gardens elsewhere around the city. The people marveled at how quickly she could grow her flowers, though only a select few knew about her special ability.

For the moment, she was staying in the garden around her house, just in case Cinderella needed her for anything.

[Nothingness]

What smells like shit?

Leon gave Viola a two-fingered wave, calling out to her as she started heading back towards her ship. "Glad to hear it's all going well. If you're not to busy, look around town--wouldn't hurt to meet up with Aerith, Cloud or Yuffie." "I guess I'll check." Viola called out in reply, both of their backs to each other.

She had only stopped in to check out how things were going in Radiant Garden. After all, Leon was the inspiration for her father to start up the Shield--may as well check to see how they were doing. What she wasn't too fond of was wasting time meeting the others. Summer was still shaky enough as a leader, and Viola wasn't interested in leaving her on her own for too long.

Unfortunately, during her walking-while-musing, she had unwittingly come upon one of the aforementioned RGRC members. Specifically Aerith. And not only that, but had actually walked into the garden, clearly trampling a few flowers and stating, "What's that fucking smell? Oh, flowers. Huh." She scrunched her nose up in disgust for a moment, stepping off of the crushed flowers.

It was then that she noticed Aerith, and said rather unabashedly, "Sorry about the flowers--kinda spaced out there."

[Aerith]

Goodness gracious.
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The serenity of the moment was broken rather abruptly by an uncouth woman who had wandered into Aerith's garden. Not only that, she had also stepped on a few of the flowers. Aerith gasped a little, and her eyes widened.

"You should be more careful with flowers," she said with a slight hint of disappointment. Moving over to the crushed blossoms, she put her hand over them and concentrated. They quickly regained their form and color beneath her touch.

Once she had finished, she stood back up and examined the newcomer. Rough around the edges was certainly an appropriate label for this woman. The language alone was astounding to Aerith. But, as with most everyone, she put on a forgiving smile and clasped her hands together in front of her waist.

"Hello. I've never met you before. Are you a traveler, or are you considering making this your new home? I'm Aerith."

[Nothingness]

What's good or graceful about this smell?

Be more careful with flowers? Please--they grow back or you plant more. As if animals didn't eat and shit them out enough already. Viola simply gave the woman a somewhat mocking nod of agreement. And hell, if this chick could heal them, why was she complaining? People made so little sense sometimes...

Oh, she was Aerith, huh? "Leon told me a bit about you--I'm Viola, the captain of the Traverse Town Shield. So, nah, I'm not gonna be staying in this shanty town when I've got my own shittier one to get back to."

Viola certainly hoped that there was more to Aerith than a pretty face, pretty clothes, and 'pretty' flowers. Whatever--may as well stick with a subject that they could carry for a bit. "So, I take it you've been working hard on keeping these up?"

[Aerith]

You're making me work at this.
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This woman was certainly cruder than anyone Aerith was used to dealing with, and it was taking her a moment to adjust. "My flowers? Oh, yes. I've had little else to do for the past couple of weeks. It's been odd transitioning back to life before...everything happened."

Her eyes wandered over the garden as her thoughts went elsewhere. Suddenly, she realized she was being rude and looked back at Viola. "Ah, I'm sorry. You know Leon? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, if you're from Traverse Town. How are things there?"

[Nothingness]

I wonder how loose she could get?

Well, clearly this woman was not only planting and healing flowers, but drying them, rolling them up, and taking some big fucking hits of them as well. Maybe Viola really could get to liking Aerith. Kick back, take a few hits, ad talk about the dumbest shit anyone's ever thought about--yeah, that'd be nice. Hell of a way to relive stress, that's for damn sure.

But, Aerith caught herself and asked Viola another question. "Yeah, I sort of know that manic depressive. He 'inspired' my father to start up the Shield in Traverse Town with his stories of wanting to protect his home and other peoples." She rubbed her nose, the flowers getting to her a little. "I took over when my old man died like a goddamn idiot, and so far things haven't been too shabby. A little crime, but I manage to keep most of those sacks of shit in line. How about things here? Certainly looks nicer than my depressing dump."

[Aerith]

Tea Time?
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Aerith knew people coped with life events in different ways, but hearing Viola talk about her father with a touch of contempt was very unsettling. Of course, she knew nothing of their relationship before his death, so she was not quick to judge. Then again, she was never quick to judge.

"Would you like to come inside for something to eat or drink?" She had noticed Viola's continued aversion to all the flowers and didn't wish to make her uncomfortable. "Also, thank you. We've been working as hard as we can to make this town what it once was."

[Nothingness]

I can't take it anymore!

"Huh? Yeah, sure." Viola actually meant, "Thank the fucking lord. I can't stand these flowers!", but kept the comment to herself. Of course, she wholeheartedly expected to find the inside of the house loaded down with flowers, but was pleasantly surprised to find that that wasn't the case.

Although she didn't drink tea often, she did enjoy it. All good things in moderation, after all. Otherwise they get stale. "Yeah. If you don't mind, some tea with a bit of honey." She said with eerie niceness, taking a seat in a comfy armchair, looking at the contents of the bookshelf across from her.

Her thoughts suddenly exploded with the utter shock of her current situation. "Wait a goddamn second, what the hell am I doing?" Viola whipped her head around, taking a better look at her surroundings. "The fuck am I doing in a place like this? Goddammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Leaning back in the chair, she slowly relaxed and closed her eyes. There was no way this would be the status quo for more than five minutes. "Alright, that's it. Once she gets back, she's got some answering to do for all this!"

[Aerith]

Time for some conversation, perhaps?
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Upon entering the house, Aerith went to the kitchen to put on some water to boil. While she waited on that, she gathered the tea leaves and some honey, and she also made herself a sandwich. Working in the garden always built up a healthy appetite, after all.

Once the water boiled, she steeped the leaves in it, then poured herself and Viola two cups, making sure to add honey to both. "Here we go," she said cheerfully and handed Viola hers.

"I hope it's to your liking." She took a bite of her sandwich, chewed carefully, and swallowed. "Do you plan on staying here for long?"

[Nothingness]

It's time to throw down!

"Thanks." Viola took the cup of tea, restraining her anxiety for the moment. It actually wasn't half bad--rather nice, if she was to be completely honest. Instead of voicing that, she simply said, "It's perfect."

As she calmly sipped her tea, she found herself getting more and more relaxed. If anyone from Traverse Town were to see her now, they'd probably think she fell on her head one too many times. "I don't think I'll be staying much longer. I really need to be getting back there. ...there?" Viola looked down at her cup of tea with utter confusion, setting it down cautiously. What was going on, again?

"Ah, damn it!" She exploded, finally regaining her composure (or lack thereof). "What the hell are you? Seriously? Are you the fucking embodiment of all the good in the world or something? Alright, ya know what. I want you to do something for me." Stomping towards Aerith, she leaned in and pointed to her chin. "I want you to hit me. Give me your best fucking shot. I don't care what you do--slap me for all I care! Just...DO SOMETHING!" She needed some sort of verification that this lady was normal in some way. It was really disturbing to her.

[Aerith]

You're a strange woman.
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Aerith's grip on her teacup tightened, and she leaned back into her chair. Having Viola's face suddenly filling her field of vision was more than a little startling. And the request was even more surprising.

Setting her cup down into her lap, Aerith's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "Why...why would I hit you? You're a friend, aren't you? At least, if you aren't my friend, you're Leon's friend, so that makes you mine by extension."

What an odd demand. Even if Aerith had consented to it, she bore no feelings of malice toward Viola. Any attempts to cause her harm would have been halfhearted. And she would have hurt herself more than she would have hurt Viola.

[Nothingness]

You're the strange one!

This woman still wasn't getting it! She was impossible! "Are you telling me you've never had anyone annoy you to the point where you just wanted to smack them silly?" Viola ran her hands down her face, shaking her head vigorously. "And friends fight all the time. Maybe not with fists, but words, at least! So, come on! If you've got at least a shred of frustration towards somebody, ANYBODY, take it out on me!"