Aerith's Church - 06:00

[epitaph_weapon]

Who: Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair, Lapis WEAPON

Status: Closed

When: 06:00am

Where: Aerith’s Church.

What: Lapis WEAPON is born within the church before Aerith and Zack find themselves waking up in the company of the newly created WEAPON.

Comments

[still_lookingup]

It took everything he had to help her up and out onto the church's dry floor, but Zack managed to keep his footing, all the same. The obvious concern on his face didn't waver until she was up again; the move had clearly been rougher on Aerith, and if she hadn't gotten bounced back as quickly, he likely would've clawed his way out of the pool driven by nothing at all but sheer determination.

As it was, however, that didn't seem like it'd be the case any time soon. He was either going to have to think up something genius or try to huff it out, neither of which Zack was so certain he could manage. With a weak, sheepish grin, he joked, "So, no time to devise an elaborate system of pulleys, I guess?"

Even though he supposed it was a lost cause, he still cast his gaze around what he could see of the cluttered church floor. Now that he was having less trouble seeing, Zack could identify most of what was there, but none of it looked quite like it would help--just a bunch of debris and pretty flowers.

Had Aerith been more suited to it, he would've suggested using one of the beams that had fallen from the broken roof as a lever, but he was sure she wouldn't be enough of a counterweight to do more than get them both injured. And even he wouldn't risk that, at a time like this.

"Just gimme a minute. I think I'll be able to get out on my own," Zack assured her, smiling as best he could given the circumstances. After another minute, he waded up to the edge once more and planted his palms firmly on the flat surface. It was almost laughable. At any other time, something like this would've been child's play for either of them, but when he tried to lift himself out, it was an honest struggle.

And he only made it halfway on the first attempt, his legs still dangling in the cold water. With a grimace, Zack refused to let it go so easily; he dug his feet into the earth as Aerith had, and eventually he was crumpling to the hard floorboards, panting, but finally out.

[revenio]

She smiled at his joke, glad that they both had enough strength to do that at least--to smile, to keep panic at bay even though it would be so very easy to just scream at the absurdity of the situation. A weary frown on her face, Aerith looked around the church for something to help, but there was nothing that she could see that could be considered useful. She didn't like how much of a struggle this was turning out to be.

Aerith did what she could to help Zack, even if all that consisted of was trying to help pull him onto solid ground. Her wet boots slid towards the water, and she was forced to drag herself back every few seconds. Once Zack seemed to be free from the pool, she fell back onto the floor beside him, coughing but smiling at their little victory. Baby steps, right?

"A-are you okay?" She asked once her breathing had regulated itself. Their resurrection and the beast could be discussed later--like Zack had said, they needed to worry about themselves right now. The hows, whats, and whys... those could wait. It seemed like they had time, now. Then again--life on the planet wasn't as long as life within the lifestream. But that was getting into things that Aerith's mind just didn't want to dwell on so soon.

[still_lookingup]

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'll be fine," Zack replied, once he could find the breath to form the words without wavering. The more he spoke, though, the more the sound of his voice rounded off from that rough, forced tone to something much more ordinary. And it hit him again that they were alive--only this time, he didn't quite feel like jumping for joy.

There were a number of problems that came with living, and they weren't the sort of things one could necessarily forget, even after so many years of death. But neither were the survival skills he'd picked up from years working for Shin-Ra. They had to find food and they had to find shelter first and foremost, neither of which could wait for very long. At least they had a leg up on the latter, however; the church was old, but what of it that was still standing looked perfectly sturdy.

"You know this place best," he said, taking deep, even breaths to keep from breaking into another unstoppable fit of coughing and grabbing the end of a nearby pew to help himself up to sit. "Is there anywhere in here where we can hole up for now?" He didn't want to bring up the fact that now that they were out of the water, he was dying of thirst.

[revenio]

It occurred to her that her mother--well, her adoptive mother--could still be living in Midgar. She had been in Kalm for a time, but ultimately returned to the home she had shared with her husband and later Aerith herself. But it was a long walk from the church to her old home, and she wasn't sure they could even stand as it was.

Briefly, the thought hit her for the first time: she could visit her. And for that matter, she could visit everyone else. Cloud, Tifa, Marlene--they were all nearby. Instead of feeling excited, she felt terrified. Aerith was at peace with her death, and other time, everyone else had come to see that in one way or another. They had said their goodbyes. But returning to them, alive... what would that do to them? Of course they would be happy, but what if this was only temporary?

She reasoned it really would be temporary if they didn't do something.

"There's a room over there." Aerith pointed to a small, unadorned brown door placed in the back corner of the church. "I used to use it for storage, but that was because it was the only place without large holes in the walls. Other than that..." She shook her head. They were in no shape to go far. After managing to push herself up into a sitting position like Zack, she looked down at her legs with a sigh. This was going to be yet another battle with their bodies.

[still_lookingup]

They were going to have it tough for a while; this was the most important thought in Zack's mind, overarching every other priority, organizing them in his own patternless array. It would be a little better after they'd both had enough time to reacquaint themselves with this material realm. ..But he could already imagine that their survival between then and now would depend upon some rather unorthodox behavior. Especially if Midgar was as much of a cesspool as it had been all those years ago.

"Great. I bet that'll do just fine," he replied with a resolute nod, not terribly enthusiastic but happy to know they'd have some little security. Again, he was glad that at least one of them had been so randomly blessed with an intimate knowledge of the exact building they'd come back to.

Noting the way Aerith was regarding her own legs, Zack smiled faintly. There was definitely no lack of empathy in him for that expression.

"Uh, but, how about we wait a while before trying anything too drastic?" he suggested, lifting his hands (still a chore) to shake some of the water out of his hair. "Maybe until we're dry."

[revenio]

"That sounds like a good plan," Aerith smiled, amused that too drastic translated into getting up. Walking? That seemed utterly insane. She made an effort to reach her toes, stretching her arm out as far as it would go--but she fell pathetically short, her waist scarcely wanting to bend without threatening to snap her spine. "This has to go away soon. We're probably just in shock, right?"

Shock was an understatement for what Aerith was feeling. She didn't know what to bring up first--their resurrection? The beast that had just been there? The lifestream? It would be far too obvious that they were avoiding the subject if they chatted about the weather or the state of the church or any other little thing that didn't really matter.

Lowering herself back onto the floor, she stared up at the ceiling, hands folded her over abdomen. Her cold fingertips searched for something--a tear in her dress, a sinking hole--anything that would be a tell-tale sign that she had been dead, but there was nothing. It was like it never happened.

"We should find them once we're well enough to walk out of here." Her eyes were still on the ceiling. The "them" she mentioned was AVALANCHE, and despite her hesitation, she knew they would be the only ones that could offer them any real help. Even if it was just a place to stay.

[still_lookingup]

"Shock, yeah. What else could it be? It's just the transition or something." Dropping his arms back down to his sides, Zack leaned into the hard edge of the heavy bench behind him. There weren't many of the pews left unbroken, he noted, but the church didn't seem to have gotten any worse since the last time he'd seen it. (Not that that had been oh so many ages ago; even in the peace of the afterlife, he'd been too fond of the world.) Maybe there was hope for the welfare of the world outside, yet, if this was still a sanctuary.

He would have to hold up hope, though. He felt like a rag doll in this state--a soaking wet, lead-filled rag doll that really didn't have any intention of getting up anytime soon. So maybe his initial prediction hadn't been so far off base. It was definitely starting to look like determination and what little pride they could muster were the only ones on their side.

Snapping out of this uncharacteristically melancholic contemplation at the sound of Aerith's voice, Zack nodded reflexively. It took him a moment to realize who she meant, and just what she was suggesting, however. And when he did, he wasn't so sure he thought it was the smartest thing.

What kind of reception would they get if they just knocked on the door of any member of AVALANCHE? Sure, they weren't too likely to recognize Zack, but Aerith they'd know the very instant they saw her. Was it worth turning their lives on end again, before they were certain what was wrong with the planet?

"I don't know," he said, still trying to keep the conversation light-hearted, "Spike's probably older than me, now. How awkward do you think that'll be?

"..Although I gotta admit, I don't see what other choices we've got, right now."

[revenio]

Her hands were clasped together, flexing every few moments to keep the blood flowing in her fingers. She didn't like this feeling at all. The cold was everywhere, and no matter how she tried to warm her hands and arms the cold just clung. "The transition," she repeated, weighing the words. "It always has to be water, doesn't it?"

Lakes, rain, pools. At least when Cloud returned in the water, his body wasn't as weak as theirs. Then again... he hadn't been gone as long as they had been. He had been gently pushed back into the world. They, on the other hand, were ripped from the lifestream.

The ideal situation would be a heartwarming reunion. An opportunity for second chances. But the smile faded when she thought about the reality. It had taken Cloud a long time to move on. She didn't know if he'd be more horrified or surprised to see them alive. "We can't do this alone... whatever 'this' is..." Live, return, or simply find some answers.

She laughed, though it was so soft it almost sounded like a sigh. "We're going to give everyone a heart attack." Though the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see everyone. In person. Life gave her the chance to talk to them, to reassure them that there had always been someone watching out for them. She watched Zack in silence before adding, "I think he'll be glad to see you, though."

[still_lookingup]

"I don't know," Zack muttered, shaking his head slightly as he repeated himself. He supposed it was kind of symbolic when he thought about it--birth, death, rebirth. Why not water? It made a vague, fitting sort of sense. "Something to do with the Lifestream, I guess."

Even though the idea worried him considerably, nothing quite compared to trying to imagine the look on Cloud's face when the two of them stumbled up to his door. Aerith made a good point; they probably were going to stop the poor guy's heart, or at least give it an awful jump. That, or the less amusing alternative: he simply wouldn't believe it. They didn't have any reason to be back that, Zack assumed, anyone else knew. But, again, those were worries for another time, a little later.

"Hey, I really hope so. I sure as hell don't want him mad at me." He laughed in response, and it was close, again, to the way he'd sounded before. Their untimely resurrection had taken toll on them physically, but as far as Zack could tell, neither one of them had lost any spirit.

"You still cold?" he asked abruptly, realizing that if sitting around wasn't doing much for his own temperature, it probably wasn't helping her all that much, either. Taking a deep breath and bracing himself, Zack attempted to push himself up from the floor. With any amount of force, he only seemed able to lift himself a few inches, but that was enough to help him scoot across closer to where Aerith sat. "I'm pretty sure neither of us has any body heat to spare, but at least we can suffer together, right?"

[revenio]

Aerith was mentally hitting herself on the head. She knew something was wrong. She had a feeling--and she knew never to ignore those feelings, because they were frighteningly accurate. But she never would have imagined this. Of every possibility that had crossed her mind, she never even fathomed that she and Zack would be alive again. Then again, nothing was impossible, so maybe she should have expected it.

Aside from their re-entrance into the world and the large creature that had greeted them, Aerith couldn't sense anything wrong. The Planet sounded as it had previously: silent. Still, nothing. No answers.

"It'll be okay. Things will seem a lot better once we're able to move around again," she assured, and honestly believed it herself. If they could just get to Tifa's bar, they could figure out things from there. There was no other option but to face whatever reactions the others may have. And Aerith told herself she would understand if they were more fearful than happy. Given the past, she would understand completely.

"A little," she admitted. The cold didn't seem too bad anymore, but she wasn't sure if that was because the weather was warming or because her skin was going numb. She made an effort to scoot a little closer to Zack as well, resting her lower back against a small portion of fallen pillar, holding out her hands. "Here, give me your hands."

[still_lookingup]

"I was just thinking the same thing," Zack admitted, trying not to pick and wonder at every little effect resurrection could have possibly had on them. He had no doubt they'd recover their reflexes and strength soon enough--he couldn't afford to doubt it. But would he ever be a First Class fighter, again? And if he wasn't, would he be sufficient help to keep Aerith safe until she could deliver her message, however vague?

Whatever the answers to those questions, no voice in his head seemed prepared enough to speak up. Maybe it was fear, or maybe he really just didn't want to know, but either way the subject remained, pressing down upon him.

"Sure," he replied, sitting up, away from the only moderately comfortable slab of debris and offering her his hands. They were depressingly wrinkled, and Zack only barely recognized them as his own... But they most certainly were his, all the same. Distantly, he made a mental note to find a mirror before long. Maybe if he had a good look at himself, this reality would reassert itself in full.

"So, what do you think..." He shrugged a shoulder, nodding his head toward the church's heavy doors, hanging ajar. "What do you think it's like out there? Do you think they really made a mark?"

[revenio]

Her hands were in no better shape. When her hands touched his, she was surprised at how it felt. It felt like almost nothing at all. Clumsy, cold fingers experimentally pressed against Zack's hand. It was real. They were real. She hummed a little to herself, trying to warm their wrinkled hands. "Are you going to be interested in going swimming anytime soon?" she joked, trying to keep the mood light.

"I think so." Aerith glanced over at the doors as if she expected someone to walk through them. "The world is better than it was. It's changed a lot since we were around." Without ShinRa looming over the people, things could only improve. AVALANCHE had made the world a better place with their efforts. "I won't be upset if this is a chance to experience the world they've helped create."

But of course, things couldn't be that simple.

"We had to have been brought back for a reason," Aerith continued, "But I'm... not afraid, you know? It's not often that people have second chances like this." She believed that they would be able to handle whatever was going to come their way. "No rest for the weary, hmm?"

[still_lookingup]

"You find me the jacuzzi, and I'll be there." Zack laughed honestly, forgetting a little bit of that worry in his amusement. His movements were still sluggish, and they took a marked effort, but he tried rubbing his hands together, anyway. If he could get a little friction going, maybe he'd warm up a bit, get rid of the awful, sinking numbness.

"Oh yeah? Can you--I mean, is that somethin you just feel?" he asked out of curiosity, looking over at Aerith again. Of course he knew that she was a lot closer to the planet, and really to everything, than someone like him, but it had always seemed impolite to ask just how much she was aware of. Perhaps now, though, there were more important things than being a little bit rude.

Nodding once more, absently, Zack turned his gaze to their unhealthily pale hands, pressing his over hers in an attempt to warm them, to regain some proper sense of touch. "We were sent back here for something, and I think we both know it's got a lot to do with all of those bad feelings you've been having. Don't be afraid of anything, though. We're here for a reason, and that means we've got to stick it out until the end.

"No rest at all."

[revenio]

Glad to hear some laughter, Aerith nodded in agreement. Anything but cold. Tea, a blanket, a warm meal. It all sounded wonderful, and Aerith hoped to be able to get one of those things sometime soon.

"Kind of," she smiled a bit sheepishly. "But... this is just something I believe. Th Planet has nothing to do with it." She didn't mind him asking, even if her ties to the Planet were nothing but a frustration now. However, she did have her own intuition, separate from everything else--and she simply felt that Cloud and the others had bettered the world. It would be a different experience.

At Zack's words, she smiled appreciatively, flexing her fingers once again, feeling a little warmth in them. It was a good sign, even though their revival may not have been.