Intro Log: November & Event: Nothing to Be Drone About It

[faileas]

Intro Log: November & Event: Nothing to Be Drone About It

I. ARRIVAL Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. A moment later, you feel a tug, and you find yourself stumbling into a dark, musty room. Behind you, a mirror stands ornately decorated with reminders of home wrought in brass and wood: the faces of people you know, and symbols important to you; all things that send a pang through your chest with the desire to return to them. Touching the mirror's surface does nothing but leave the stain of your fingerprints. When you turn to survey the room, you find there are hundreds of other mirrors. None of them are as decorated as yours - they're plain and dusty, speckled with age. Then you realize a second thing: You're not alone. Distantly, the ringing bell of a clocktower can be heard. But no matter its distance, the time is clear to make out: it chimes three times, stark, resonating like a pulse of something in this mirrored hall that you and others have found yourselves in, along with... several items, perhaps even creatures scattered across the floor around other mirrors? For those familiar with magic, they might feel the power of the witching hour upon them, though it will feel different from what they're used to - in fact, everything does. You're certainly not the only ones here, however. On the first floor, with the doors wide open behind them in the foyer, is a small group headed by two individuals. As people begin to arrive, to come from the higher floor, they're waiting - and they're waiting for you, and your questions. Explore the rest of the mirrored halls you've now found yourselves in, or proceed to the foyer? Leaving the Looking-Glass House makes it obvious that the clock striking three was for 3 AM - the night sky is faintly cloudy, but the stars are dim in the face of two moons. The Looking-Glass House is rather nondescript two-story cottage made of grey brick, sitting at the edge of The Coven's courtyard; stones which glow as you step on them mark the path to and from the two buildings. While fairly small and plain on the outside, the inside has been enchanted to be the size of a large library, with hundreds upon hundreds of mirrors hanging, standing, and resting inside its walls. Some are broken, some are cracked, and some seem completely uninjured - but all of them are just as plain as the cottage itself, showing age in the silver beneath their glass and in the greening of their metals... Well, all except a character's personal mirror; to characters, one mirror - the one they came through - will be decorated lavishly with metal-and-wood-wrought reminders of home, and the surface will be as clear as a brand-new mirror.

II. THE WELCOME PARTY Whether you've decided to find a way out of the building you've arrived in, or decided to explore the rest of the Looking-Glass House - and perhaps finding a few familiar faces among the crowd - you feel a pull towards the foyer of the first floor. It's like a firm suggestion, as if to take you by the hand and draw you to where it begins, and the source of it becomes quite apparent upon finding one's way to the front room: a tall, comfortably-dressed older woman and her even taller wolfish companion, along with those which feel to resemble yourselves in a world-traversing sense: Mirrorbound, they're called. "Just a few of you this month, hm? Don't mind the junk across the floor where you came out, someone is sorting that!" The woman sets her hands on her hips, with her Bonded casting a glance at those looking confused - newly arrived - and those who may have followed them in to talk to the newest addition of their mirrorbound bunch. "About time for introductions though- this here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament and my Bonded, and I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven - but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds, winking. "The lot of you must be as tired and confused as the last batch - hullo to those who've joined us, too! - so just a moment, dearests, I'll set all you right up—" With nothing more than a wave of her hand, rows of seats are summoned; despite their wooden nature, they're all sturdy and comfortable, filling the foyer and spreading out a ways into the lawn behind them, making room for all of the new arrivals as well as the previous batch. After all, they'll find this just as interesting. The Witches and Monsters that accompanied Nessie and Mhairi move to make room, and some disperse into the building itself to see if there's anyone who needs tending to. Mhairi steps forward as the chairs materialize. "Please, those who are able, join us for a moment. There are many questions that I'm sure you have - we will do our utmost best to answer them, and you may take any that we can't as a promise to find some sort of solution or answer." NOTE: If you wish to interact with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here for a handwaved, summarized answer to your character's burning questions. For those that'd like a more player-based interaction, Aefenglom has its own Welcome Wagon! These are players who've volunteered for the role, and those that didn't sign up may assist as well if they'd feel their character would -- have fun, and make friends. Additionally, those with notable injuries or sickness will be attended to ASAP by Coven-based witches, and should anyone be curious about what they are - if they have magic potential, or if they swing a different way - then this can be done during this and the general hour or so the new arrivals are within the Coven's grounds. There are ongoing classes on magic, monsters, and Bonding as well, though they take place more during the day than at night - feel free to have your characters attend them at any time!

III. THE HAVEN After an hour or two of general chaos, questions that the natives attempt to help with, and injuries tended to for those who arrive in poor condition, it's time to make a trek to where you'll be staying while Nessie and Mhairi continue to search for a solution to the situation. As you're leaving with a few Bonded for guides, peculiar-looking devices - watches, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament - are passed around to all the new arrivals; they're given a quick rundown on their functions and bid to test them out when they can. They can even do it as they make their way out of the Coven's courtyard and to the Haven. Formerly part of the Aristocratic District, The Haven is just as well-kept and brightly-lit as the district it hails from. The houses err on the tall and ornamental-side, large enough to fit several families (or, according to the upper class, their one family, several dozen servants, and guests), especially closest to the Aristocratic District. They become a little more modest and smaller as one gets away from the realm of high society and nearer to the Residential District proper. Newcomers are shuffled here and invited to find somewhere to live - the Coven is currently handling expenses for the houses themselves in a program implemented by the Parliament, though if your character wishes to have anything extra - like maids, chefs, and so on - they'll have to pay for them themselves with their own earned money. Much of the landscape and fixtures are the same as in the Aristocratic Districts, though it lacks formal emergency services due to its roots as part of a district that already did. Much of the housing already has furnishing due to the speed at which homeowners were relocated; they were given enough time to collect their valuables, but standard furniture such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind for those moving in. Other houses appear the same, but the dust on the floors suggest these houses were left before the new arrivals even showed up - a reminder that the Cwyld can strike just about anyone, regardless of standing. Another portion of this district has been opened up to the new arrivals: the barracks, the row of buildings pressed against the very edge of the Bright Wall. As the city's military force no longer has the same presence it previously did, the barracks have gone into disuse, and a cleanup effort has been in place since before the new arrivals came through the Looking-Glass House. For those who desire something a little less opulent, the barracks might just be the answer. The barracks can also be used for business, for a welcome center, a communal space, for anything that the residents of the Haven see fit to use it for - so long as the legality isn't questionable, on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven. For those who aren't entirely sure who they want to shack up with, they have a small survey for them to fill out and post on the board they've magicked up in the center of The Haven. The board also very helpfully reads aloud each form for everyone to hear in a cheerful, monotone voice. It isn't able to be shut up, nor is it easy to ignore, being imbued with a kind of amplification magic. It reads simply the information you've offered up yourself, or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun.

IV. Nothing to Be Drone About It While a handful of mirrors in the Looking Glass House at 3 am on the 15th spat out people - new Mirrorbound or perhaps returned Mirrorbound - many other mirrors poured forth items or small creatures, all on their own. The night cleaner resigns himself to a long night as he has to deal with mess and confused folk, but he isn't terribly surprised. It was around this time last year that something similar happened with the mirrors. They may not understand it, but it looks like it may be a pattern, relics of the Mirrorbound's lives reaching out to them from home as gift or curse. The night cleaner fetches Miss Nessie to handle the arrival of a handful of new Mirrorbound, and then returns to start tidying up everything else. Luckily, she assigns him some help in the form of a young Witch named Emmelie, eager to prove herself. Not wanting to crowd the Looking Glass House, in the ensuing hours, she turns to an invention of hers to sort out the stuff littering the room with the mirrors. The goal, of course, is to get each item back to its rightful owner, and she firmly believes in better living through magic innovation! Unfortunately, it becomes clear fairly soon that Emmelie's brass flying saucers, which she had hoped would effortlessly deliver each item based on magical signature matching, could use a little... fine-tuning. The big saucers complete with six segmented mechanical 'arms' to hold the cargo in place are persistent as they zip around the city, often trying to take the shortest path to their programmed destination - whether it means they bump endlessly into barriers such as walls, get stuck on rooftops or in the River Temese, or knock over people, natives and Mirrorbound alike, who happen to be in their flight path. Some of them end up at the wrong Mirrorbound, and bump incessantly into them until they take the offered item, uncaring if they're who it belongs to or not. Of course, some deliveries go smoothly, exactly as they are intended to, but... they're in the minority. By the early afternoon, Emmelie is sending out a voice message that can be heard by Mirrorbound anywhere in the city, her young voice panicked as she explains what happened with her inventions and your mementos of home, adding at the end: "Ahh, it's such a mess! Look, you've got to help me, and please don't tell Miss Nessie, she'll never trust me with anything important ever again! I'll owe all of you so much if you'll just help find and return everything to where it needs to go!"

Welcome to November's combo Intro Log and event! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs. The network system is free to use once characters have their watches as well; information on that can be found at the bottom of the Setting page, while any extra questions about it can be found in the FAQ index. Quests can be picked up as well right over here at November's Quest Pickup thread. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans, let the mods know and if you have any questions about the log, ask them here!

Comments

[exsoldier]

[ With so much to cover, so many questions to ask and things to talk about, it's hard to even know where to start. Zack doesn't mind taking it slow, just enjoying each other's company at first and then getting to the heavier stuff later, if that's what Aerith would rather do. It's not about putting things off so much as not spoiling the moment too much.

Aerith's soft fingertips tracing over his face, as if relearning him by touch rather than sight, is enough to make his stomach twist and his back straighten. He can understand why she feels a need to do it, with how he'd vanished on her, even if he'd never meant to leave her in the dark. He's apologized to her about it before, though she won't remember. He'll have to do it again.

As soon as Aerith starts to wriggle, Zack is quick to relent and set her down. Explaining what they are seems as good a starting point as any. It's no surprise to find that she's a Witch again. Could that sort of thing even be changed, if someone left and returned? Better not to think about it too hard. ]

Why wouldn't it be okay? [ He sets one hand on his hip and shrugs. ] I bet you'll take to the magic here no problem.

[ Clearly he isn't a Witch, and he takes a moment to glance down at his hands before he responds. ]

I'm a Monster. Obviously. A chimera, more specifically. Some of the natives have it out for us, for whatever reason. But ehh, it is what it is.

[bloomly]

A Monster. ( softly, she repeats it--with a faint, reassuring nod of her chin. it goes with what cloud was saying, anyway, so it's not much of a surprise, though it does mean that she takes a moment to really look at him, moving away just a few steps so that she can take him in. he doesn't look drastically different, at least not in the sense that she can tell; there's his eyes, of course, and the feathers, but even as she rounds on him, taking slow, measured steps in a circle around him, he lacks a lot of the things that surprised her about cloud. )

A chimera, okay... ( she has no idea what that is, but she's going to go along with it--playfully, with a nod, as she finishes her inspection and moves to stand in front of him again, her hands clasped. ) Well! You don't have a tail or ears like Cloud does, so that's a little disappointing...

( teasingly, but she smiles up at him. ) But you still look just as handsome as I remember.

( she tilts her head back, to the small cottage that's at her back, and moves slightly towards it, like she's afraid to turn away from him completely, like he might disappear if she does. ) Do you want to come inside? There's tea, but I haven't tried it yet.

[exsoldier]

[ Strange as it is to be sized up, with Aerith walking a slow circle around him and taking him in, Zack allows her to carry out her inspection. He realizes that this is a lot to process all at once, so if she needs a moment to catalogue all of his changes, that's fair. It doesn't feel like she's judging him, in any case.

No, Aerith instead expresses disappointment that he doesn't have more animal parts. Zack starts to laugh, but is cut off when she manages to sneakily slide a compliment in there as well. He bows his head and rubs at the back of his neck, flustered in spite of himself. ]

I'd love to come inside.

[ He moves after her, happy to be led into the cottage that she and Tifa have picked out for themselves. ]

If it makes you feel better, I will have a tail eventually. And wings. Cloud's been here longer than I have, so that's why he's got more changes.

[ Either way, it's nice to see that Aerith is taking all of this in stride, like she always seems to with anything odd that occurs around her. She's resilient that way. ]

[bloomly]

( opening the door, she leans her weight into it, slightly, an ear craned towards the stairs; she can't hear much of anything, which means that tifa must be out. that's surely because tifa's definitely been practical about things, trying to get them all set up and comfortable here, and as much as she's wanted to go exploring--and has, in some instances, running across the city to chase things down or visiting some of the orchards--there's been a part of her content to stay here, admiring the grounds where she might, just might, be able to grow something. it looks too lonely outside the cottage without flowers of any kind.

but since they're alone, she lets zack in before shutting the door quietly behind him. there's a table, at least, though it's a bit rickety, and she gestures to it before she moves towards the small, open kitchen to get some water going for tea. )

Wings will be nice... I saw--someone else, with wings, earlier.

( given how stern cloud had been, about not getting involved with the turks, she doesn't want to admit to letting rude walk her home. )

I just hope it won't be painful, for you. ( softly, as she sets the slightly-dented kettle on to boil, steeling her expression before she turns on her heels and advances towards the table, choosing not to sit at it, for now. ) I...

( well, there's no use beating around the bush, is there? her gaze goes down to the floor, like she can't look at him and say this. )

...worried, that you... that the reason you... That maybe it was something painful. Or maybe you just got tired of... me.

[exsoldier]

[ Someone else with wings? Aerith seems to trip over that statement, just slightly, and it does make Zack wonder. He naturally thinks of Sephiroth first, but in truth it could be any number of people, and maybe Aerith had just been surprised by it, regardless of who had them. Wings had a very specific meaning in their world.

When she expresses concern over any pain that might go along with the transformation, Zack is quick to shake his head, even as he takes a seat at the rickety table. It's a little off-balance and probably needs some repairs here and there; tightening a screw, sanding down one of the legs. Maybe he could help. ]

It'll be fine. Nothing I can't handle.

[ Each full moon there's a transformation, and to say it was painful would be an understatement. He's getting used to it, though, and there's no reason to worry Aerith over something they can't change.

But then the subject shifts to something that needs to be addressed, and sooner rather than later. ]

What? There's no way I could get tired of you. [ He shakes his head, unsettling his hair and some of those feathers in the process. ] But... I do owe you an apology. Believe me, if I could have gotten in touch with you and let you know what was going on, I would have. But that... wasn't really an option.

[ Now it's his turn to lower his gaze. How much should he tell her? How much does she want to know? Zack's barely even talked about this with Cloud, but Aerith deserves an explanation, doesn't she? ]

[bloomly]

You don't owe me anything.

( and she can finally say that and mean it.

because as much as she didn't want to hold it against him--as much as she knew, could feel it when he wasn't there, anymore, that something had happened beyond just a delay or some other kind of trivial trouble, emotions are silly, fickle things, beyond her control, at times, and she would be lying if she said there hadn't been days she'd been angry, days she'd been upset, days she'd wondered whether he had just up and left without saying anything at all. days she'd wondered what she must have done to deserve something like this. but she can't admit that to him, can't show that side of herself when it's weak, and wrong--but here, now, with him sitting at this small, old table that her and tifa polished clean, she doesn't feel any of that sadness anymore. any of that resentment.

whatever happened--and she knows, in some way, knows and doesn't want him to know that she knows, or how, or why--he doesn't and shouldn't be bad about it. )

I'm sorry there was nothing I could do.

( she's still studying the floor; she can hear the water starting to rattle some, in the kettle, but it's not whistling yet, so she doesn't have an excuse to run back for it. )

I wish I could have fixed it all for you. Maybe if... ( --i had given myself up? would that have led things along a different path? if she hadn't been so stubborn? ) ...No. I don't know.

This place... gives you a chance to be happy, doesn't it?

[exsoldier]

[ If Aerith truly believes that Zack doesn't owe her anything, maybe that's his cue that she doesn't want a full explanation. At least not one with all of the gory details. How much she might already know from Cloud, he couldn't say, but there's no need to rely on that either.

Aerith has always been the person he can lean on, the person that he can break down around and know she won't judge him for it or think any lesser of him. If he could talk openly to anyone about it, Aerith would be the person. But does she need to be burdened with all that? ]

I appreciate the sentiment, but... I'm glad you weren't involved. That you were safe in Midgar. [ As safe as Aerith could be, anyway. Zack's aware that she was under near constant surveillance from the Turks now, but that's a form of protection, in a weird way. It didn't stop her from being captured by them eventually, according to what Cloud had told him.

Her next question is at least a bit of a bright spot among the rest of it. Zack sits up more straight in his seat and nods. ] That's how I'm seeing it, yeah. I get another chance. To spend time with you, with Cloud... [ He trails off there. There are other people here from their world, but that comes with way more complications.

There's a brief pause, and then he looks up at Aerith, his expression somewhat guarded. ] How about you?

[bloomly]

How about me?

( there's a smile when she says it, questioning, but she brings her gaze up to look at zack, sitting there, comfortable at the table. what she really wants to do and what she should do seem to be at war in her head; it's probably wrong to be so comfortable with him, no matter how cloud may have teased her about it being silly. better to just spit it out, then, to rip the band-aid off, maybe, but her nose wrinkles and it's obvious that she's not necessarily sure of it when she starts. )

I think...I probably have to go back sometime, don't I? To...

( there's a faint glimmer of her gaze, sidelong, before she looks back at him again. ) ...to fix things. But.

Until then... ( fidgeting, she reaches forward for one of the other chairs, laying her palms on the top of it, squeezing the wood in question. ) I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything, either. If there's... if you have a life here that's different, or if you want different things... I don't want to take that away from you. But if you wanted...

( the water's starting to bubble a bit more; she can hear it, but she doesn't want to go back for it yet. instead, she's training her gaze on zack's face, curious and slight, like she's afraid of what the answer might be. )

Well. What do you think you want to do? About...us, I mean.

[exsoldier]

[ Ultimately, Aerith doesn't give Zack much in the way of detail when it comes to the status of things back home, from her perspective. He already knows that people can be brought from different times, and while he would assume that she would have been plucked from the same point as before, he also isn't so sure.

She has to go back to "fix things." Cloud had told Zack about how Aerith supposedly helped repair the Planet even from within the Lifestream, so it doesn't answer the unspoken question he'd had: does she know about her fate?

Before Zack can dwell too much on that, though, he's distracted by the point that Aerith is getting at here, which is about them. It's something they never discussed so openly when she was here before, and so for a moment all he can do is blink in surprise that she's laying it all bare here and now.

But maybe that's for the best. They should be on the same page. ]

Oh, there's, uhh... [ Zack pauses, lifting one hand to rub at the back of his neck. He frowns as the rough skin of his palm slides over soft down feathers. You'd think he would be used to it by now, and yet it's a brief reminder of how much both of them have changed. ]

I mean, that's up to you too, right? I hope you know I never expected you to wait for me. Five years? That's a long time. So if things have changed, or if you found something else... I get it.

[ The handful of months he's been here in Aefenglom doesn't really compare. And it's not like he's found someone, either. He's made friends, sure, people he trusts and relies on, but nothing quite like what he had with Aerith. ]

[bloomly]

( her hands twist at the wood beneath them, wishing that she could wrench it free or find something less solid to fidget with; but at the same time, it's almost as though she doesn't want him to know that she's fidgeting, doesn't want him to take anything out of the way that she's acting and make his decisions based on that instead. it's silly though, isn't it, to assume that he might want anything else--even if it's been five years, even if some things have changed, there's nothing in her that's wanted to give up on the way that zack made her feel. nothing in her that found something even close. and does he feel that way, too? or is he just being kind to spare her feelings?

it's annoying, because the kettle starts to whistle and she presses her lips together against a sigh, because there are words she could blurt out like always, but it doesn't seem quite right to. instead, she turns on her heels, retreating back the few steps to the kitchen so that she can tend to the water, to fix them both a cup of tea and carry one, each, in her hands, setting down the less-chipped cup in front of him first before she sets her own on the table.

noisily, or perhaps inadvertently, she drags one of the chairs closer to his, dropping herself down right at the edge of the seat. )

Things haven't changed for me. ( that much is obvious, from the way she sets her gaze on him, large eyes that study his face with just that hint of an aching longing to touch it again, like she's afraid he might up and disappear from the chair beside her. ) I haven't found something else.

( and then, directly, even if it makes her stomach twist to ask-- ) Have you?

[exsoldier]

[ While it seems almost cruel, the way that Aerith scurries into the kitchen to handle the tea before actually answering him in any way, Zack knows it's really just a case of bad timing. While she's in the other room, he takes a moment to let out a sigh, leaning both his elbows onto the table. There's no reason for the two of them not to be honest with each other, and if the five years he was gone had led to something new in Aerith's heart, he's not about to judge her.

If anything, it'd be good to have closure, right? He'd like to know where they stand, rather than having to dance around each other.

When she enters the room again, Zack pulls his arms away from the table and shoots her a smile. He places both hands around the teacup for a moment before lifting it up to his mouth to take a careful sip. As he's doing so, Aerith finally delivers her answer.

Nothing has changed for either of them. They haven't found anyone else. So...

He sets the cup down, and the small clatter it makes against the wooden table seems awfully loud in this room, which is mainly vacant.

Zack meets Aerith's gaze, which is expectant even if she doesn't want it to be, and he shakes his head. ] Nope. Guess... until we had a real talk, it didn't seem right, you know? I wasn't going to give up on things that easily.

[ So where does that leave them? Zack clears his throat, caught in an internal debate for a moment, but decides there's no reason to stop there. ]

So, what do you think? Should we pick up where we left off?

[bloomly]

( she doesn't want to admit that it's a relief to hear it--she doesn't want him to feel like she's just been sitting there, waiting, desperately hoping for something that feels almost selfish, in some ways. after all, if he's been here awhile, then surely he's met all kinds of new people? the kinds of people that might make him happy, in her absence, or someone that fits better with him, someone to change his mind or swing his heart around. the fact that he's been hanging on to things just as she has, that even with all the years that stretch between them, neither of them have given up despite everything... she doesn't mean to, but she starts smiling before she can stop herself, something small and almost shy as she meets his gaze and nods, faintly.

pick up where they left of? of course. is she really such a fool as to let someone like zack get away?

her hands are still warm, maybe a little too warm, from the tea cup, but she reaches out with both of them anyway, reaches to take zack's wrist, at first, and then slide down to squeeze his hand between both of hers. if he needs it for something, too bad, it's hers now. )

Guess that makes me Zack Fair's girlfriend again, doesn't it? ( she's teasing him a bit, trying to see if it'll make him blush--but she's also still just beaming up at him, grinning, amused and warm and so relieved it's almost palpable. ) What an honor.

( and then, using that grip she has on his hand, she tugs--pulls, forcing him to lean slightly in her direction, so that she can lift up out of her seat and lean into him, peck him a small kiss on the cheek before sitting right back down in her chair, mischievous. )

[exsoldier]

[ While Zack's hands have been resting near the teacup, he relinquishes one of them to Aerith without a second thought. Her hands, both warm and soft, are still familiar. How many times had he wished for this while he'd been a captive under the Shinra mansion, bobbing in a literal pool of mako? The memory, visceral as it is, forces an exhale out of him.

Aerith's teasing tone is enough to draw him away from those thoughts, and in a hurry. Zack scoffs, his lips curling into a more muted smile. ]

And I'm Aerith's Gainsborough's boyfriend? Not such a bad deal, either.

[ It's then that she yanks him forward to kiss on him on the cheek, and that's when Zack's expression shifts into a proper grin. He settles back down without chasing after her, mainly because he's got a few other things on his mind. ]

You sure you don't mind the whole chimera thing? [ Just to be sure. He glances down at his hands, then lifts them both to show her. ] These are gonna be more like a bird's talons, over time. I'm gonna end up with a tail and wings, too. Just so you know what you're getting into...

[ Somehow, Zack doesn't think that's going to deter Aerith at all. Which brings him to the next aspect of this world that they'll need to talk about. ]

There's Bonding, too. You're going to want to get one set up sooner rather than later.

[bloomly]

( zack lifts his hands, but it's almost like she's not even listening: she rests her palms against her thighs, gentle and soft, like a student who is settling in to be studious or a child who's trying to look poised in the face of a lecture; yet her eyes go from his hands to his face, watching that instead, as though the information is both nothing that fazes her and also nothing that is particularly important. to her, it doesn't much matter what he becomes. it doesn't matter if he has a tail--and that's partially because she saw how much fun it can be to play with one, thanks to cloud--and it doesn't matter if he has wings, it doesn't matter if his nails curve into claws or if his teeth get sharp or if he gets even more feathers.

and that's because-- )

You'll stay the same, won't you? ( she says it softly, earnestly, like the rest of it is all just tiny, minute details that don't matter; one of her hands lifts, presses against her chest. ) In here?

( there's a faint shrug--her fingers go in, close against the dip of her dress, the part where it collars down to her chest. ) None of the rest matters.

( but he brings up a good point--something that cloud also brought up. she knows that it's necessary: and knows that while she and tifa could get away with it for a little while, that doesn't mean that they can last this way forever. she can't even really volunteer to help tifa with it, because they're too similar: it would only help for so long, could only be a tiny salve for something that needs much more serious assistance. and it's silly to be nervous about it, or to be determined to try to figure it out on her own, but she still presses her lips together like she's considering it, looking over all the information she has that she can count on. )

Would you mind? ( her eyes glance up at him again: not expectant, not demanding, just curious, wondering. ) Or would that be...too much?

( too much pressure? too much for him to handle? too much her? )

[exsoldier]

[ That is what it comes down to, isn't it? Zack glances down toward his own chest, reaching up to set his palm against it for just a moment before he nods. There are caveats to that, as he's already felt how much this whole Monster thing can warp his mind. At his core, though, he's still him. Even if he gains some new instincts, it doesn't actually change who he is as a person.

But, well, even if he knew that? It's still nice to hear it, from one of the people who matters to him most. Everyone else here from his own world is also a Monster, so there hasn't been the same sense of being so different from them.

There's something almost timid about the way Aerith asks about the Bond, and Zack can't repress the fond smile that takes over as a result. It's fair for her to be uncertain about it, as it's not a concept that really exists on Gaia, whereas it's expected and commonplace here. And... it takes some getting used to. But if he's managed it with Cloud, he sees no reason why it would be an issue with Aerith.

If anything, having a Witch to balance him out will be good. ]

Definitely not too much. [ He winks at her, something near to roguish now that he's recovered from that previous uncertainty. ] You can have up to three Bonds before it's any kind of problem, and you being a Witch means it would be good for both of us. So...

[ It doesn't need to be something formal, although it's also something that requires an entire ceremony. And with Aerith, it feels like he may as well acknowledge the specialness of it. Zack reaches one of his scaled hands across the table, holding it out to her. ]

What do you say?

[bloomly]

( that's a good point, and something that she thinks endears her to the thought even more: he's a monster, of course, and though she sort of assumed that, having been here for longer than she has, at least, he must already have bonds with enough people to make things okay, having her there as a witch to help even him out is a good thing. it means that it's more than just selfishly wanting to be close to him, or selfishly wanting to keep herself safe, too: it means that she's helping him, that she's serving some sort of purpose for him, and that much makes her feel much better about it.

so she meets his wink with a laugh, scrunching up her nose, and then she looks down at the hand he offers across the table. playfully, she lifts a hand to her chest again, as though she's appalled by the thought. )

Zack Fair, are you asking me to bond with you...

( but she's teasing, and it's obvious; her hand falls, laying her palm down against his, fingertips that brush up against his wrist and then down, further, like she's tracing the lines of his hand rather than trying to hold it. her smile is so warm and relieved when she glances back up at zack again, and it feels so good to have him sitting there, real, that she almost thinks she might--no. she won't do that. but her eyes do dart down for a moment, lashes fluttering, before she nods. )

Let's do it. You'll have to show me how it works, of course... They didn't really explain all of that back there. Do we have to go somewhere special for it?

( seems like it's some sort of ceremony--but he would know better, and she is always comfortable putting her trust in him. )

[exsoldier]

[ If Zack didn't know by this point when Aerith's teasing him, he would be forced to ask himself how well he really knew her. Not that she keeps up the act for very long, and as her hand brushes over his, her fingertips sliding down as if to learn him all over again, he's left with a dumbstruck smile. The truth is, he never in a million years imagined he'd be this lucky.

There is a look she gives him, though it's just for a split second, too fast for him to chase after it, even though he does wonder. But the good news is that they've got plenty of time with each other now, and there's no need to rush. Bonding is one thing; easing back into a relationship is something they can do on their own time.

Not that he expects it to be that difficult for either of them, regardless of how much time has passed.

At her question, he nods, shifting his arm to grab her hand and give it a quick squeeze before he pulls back. ]

Yeah, it's done at the Coven. It's a pretty typical thing here, so you just have set something up with them. Doesn't take too long, though you are supposed to exchange vows of some kind.

[ There's a brief pause before he breaks out into a mischievous grin. ]

Better start drafting something up now.