Drive [Clive, Aerith]

[Aerith]

What else am I supposed to do?
--------

Aerith didn't look up at Clive. She couldn't let herself believe what he was saying, even if she knew it was true.

"So... to save a lot of people... a lot of other people have to get hurt?"

That wasn't right. It couldn't be right. What kind of universe was this?

She softly gripped part of her dress, still looking down at it all the while. If it came down to simply saving more people than Jericho destroyed, she didn't know if that would be good enough for her. There had to be more she could do. There had to be some way to reconcile both the light and the darkness.

"I try my hardest to do what I think is right. But it doesn't seem like it's enough."

[Nothingness]

I Hope You'll Understand

Clive nodded at Aerith's realization. Change rarely came without a price, and the price that it normally came with was pain in some form.

"Just thinking that it's not enough should be enough. That way you're not satisfied with it. It's how you get the drive to keep going." Uncrossing his arms, he leaned against the wall, trying to get Aerith to meet his eyes. "I know it sounds like a miserable way to think, but it's the only way to keep up hope--that end goal where you are satisfied."

He scratched the back of the head; he didn't feel like he was making much sense. "I guess what I'm saying is that you can't keep looking at what you've done, but just keep looking for the future you want."

[Aerith]

No, I hope you do.
--------

Aerith finally looked up, all traces of confusion gone. She had regained her usual calm assurance.

"You don't have to explain things to me like I'm six years old. I'm not a child. I'm hopeful and optimistic, not stupid."

She studied him for a moment, then shook her head. "You can't convince me that accepting the suffering of some people is perfectly fine as long as a greater good is achieved. It isn't simply a miserable way to think. It's... it's inhuman and callous. I expect that sort of thinking from Jericho. Not you."

It was her turn to take on an admonishing tone. "I suppose you've learned nothing since coming to stay with me. You've stopped killing with your own hands, maybe, but you still lack the understanding that all life is important. You're willing to stand by and sacrifice as many as it takes to fix 'the problem'. Of course, you aren't doing the sacrificing yourself, but you've accepted that there isn't anything you can do to change the fact that it has to be this way."

She stood up suddenly, quiet determination in her eyes. "Well, I don't accept it. I'll figure this out myself, even if no one else will help me."

Crossing to the door, she opened it and walked outside, heading straight for her garden. She needed time to think. To her surprise, her absence had not made the flowers suffer. There were tell-tale signs of someone taking care of them.

She stood in the midst of them and thought.

[Nothingness]

The Tables Have Turned

Instead of taking what Aerith said to heart, Clive simply smiled as she stormed out. "That's just what you need to do." He muttered, walking into the kitchen and starting to make some tea.

As he sat, waiting for the teapot to start whistling, his mind picked through what Aerith said. While she was right to call his way of thinking callous and inhuman, she was wrong that he hadn't learned anything. In fact, living in the world had made him appreciate human life more than ever. Standing on the rafters of a house, looking down at all the comings and goings of the people below, watching every action and seeing every facet of life--he could see that everything was connected. Before, he knew that when he killed he ruined the lives of those connected with the deceased, but now he could truly visualize it.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to wear those rose-tinted shades that Aerith had glued to her face. It was sad, yes, but sometimes there were casualties, no matter how hard one tried to prevent them. And yet, maybe he should stick his neck out more. Maybe that was what was really missing in him. He had the capacity to care about others, but he never let himself do so.

The whistling of the teapot interrupted his thoughts. He quickly busied himself, getting the various ingredients for his wife's personal blend. Filling two cups, he walked outside , finding Aerith in her garden. Tapping his boot against the wall to get her attention, he handed one of the cups to her. "Here."

[Aerith]

That's all.
--------

Clive had followed her. Aerith closed her eyes and sighed. She wasn't upset with him, no, but she needed to be alone right now. Too many things to ponder.

Accepting the tea, she took a sip and looked silently out over her flowers. "Thank you for taking care of them while I was gone." She paused. "I need to ask you to do it again very soon."

It was inevitable that she would leave again. No matter what Clive said, she wouldn't let everything collapse. If this was the only way to stop that from happening, then she would do it. At least until she found some way to keep more people from getting hurt.

"I'm going with him again. I'm sure he'll be coming back for me soon. But I think Cinderella will stay here. Please make sure she stays safe."

That was all Aerith needed to say to Clive for now. He knew how she felt and that she was going to do what she thought was best for everyone.

After finishing her tea, she wandered back into her house just in time to see the alarm float quickly out of sight. Without thinking about it, she muttered in its direction.

"When do you think he'll come back?"

[Slash]

The alarm bobbed up and down with new life, and Jericho's voice emitted from it as if it was a speaker.

"Hm? Me? You're talking about me? You want to go? I'll be there in a day at the most." It paused, rotating around in the air for no discernable reason.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. If anyone speaks directly to this thing, I hear it. So if you need to tell me something, just talk to this."

It popped back into a corner.

[Nothingness]

Not Quite

"I'll keep her safe, don't worry. Maybe she'll even somewhat enjoy my company." He laughed a little, moving out of the way as Aerith left. He wanted to end it right there, but he needed Aerith to do something for him, too.

He finished his cup of tea, absentmindedly staring at the various flowers and letting his mind wander. Once his cup was empty he walked back into the house, setting the cup in the sink. As he made to leave, he stopped at the doorway, and turned his head a little to speak. "Aerith, may I ask a favor of you, as well?" He felt a little awkward asking the question, but he figured that this was something he needed to learn. "Can you show me how to heal like you do? I think if I can do that, I might understand better. Please?"

[Aerith]

There's only so much I can do.
--------

Aerith should have expected something like this. Of course talking to the alarm meant getting in direct contact with Jericho. How silly that she didn't know that.

Before she could say anything in response, it disappeared again. That turned out to be for the best, since Clive walked inside soon after. And with an odd request, no less.

"Teach you to heal?" She thought about it for a moment. Honestly, what she really wanted to do was lay down in her bed and sleep.

"I don't think I can teach you my magic, but I can try to teach you the basics. First aid, herbal remedies..."

She busied herself in the kitchen, pulling out samples of different herbs and explaining to him what their various effects were on the human body and mind.

After she had gone on for a while, she asked, "I hope I didn't go too fast for you."

[Nothingness]

Time Well Spent

Clive was quite impressed by Aerith's knowledge of medicine. He made sure to remember everything she said, just in case it came in handy. Though, he had hoped she could at least help him figure out how to use healing magic, but maybe just understanding the concept would help. Baby steps.

He had barely noticed how quickly time had flown by when they finished. "No, you didn't. Thank you--I think I've found a little bit of the answer I wanted." As he walked to the door, he said, "Keep yourself safe." Before leaving her house and returning to his own.