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

[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.