Again, Now (Tseng)

[serif]

((Alternate title, Me And My Stalker.))

A wall had collapsed, taking scaffolding with it. No one’s fault, it had just had enough and fell apart. They did what they could to minimize this sort of thing, but it happened. There had been a total of seven cracked or broken ribs, a broken arm, and one bad crush injury with internal bleeding. All patched and stable now, and the rubble was clear enough that no one would get hurt on it..

They’d been lucky.

Aerith sat down on a bench and leaned back on the wall behind her with her eyes closed. For just a moment, she looked worn, tired. It passed quickly.

[sephiroth]

There were not many people who truly knew Aerith Gainsborough. Tseng was one of them, though it had been so long. Maybe she'd changed. Probably, though, not as much as one might think.

He'd been exploring some, really not quite able to put the expedition to rest and return to Traverse just yet. They had found Reno, but Reno was not the only one here, it would seem. Others that... it had been too long. It was good to know she was safe, or at least alive; though she probably would be less than pleased to see him, Tseng was willing to bet. Still, upon catching sight of an all-too-familiar figure, he adjusted his course to approach.

She hid well, even now. "Aerith." He said the name simply, almost off-handedly. It had the feel of a stranger, as though they were meeting for the first time. Appearances, however, could be deceiving. Tseng had known her for a very long time, long enough to know better than to look at what she chose to show. She, in turn, knew better than to show exactly what she felt.

((Not the best, but...))

[serif]

((But you always say that.))

Her eyes flew open and her name, at the voice, and a flicker of something so mixed as to be unnameable crossed her face.

What could she think? What could she feel, about this familiar stranger who had always been at the edges of her life? But if there was anyone who had known her, it was him, and there hadn't been a lot of people who had been there her whole life. He had always been there.

The city had been decaying, rotting but it had sheltered her, cradled her. The plate above had been her sky. This man - he might have taken her a any moment back to that place, was likely the most dangerous person she knew, but he had watched over her. He had terrified her, and she had felt safer with him there.

So maybe she'd never really been sane. It would explain a lot.

But then, anything that connected them had put a wall between them, and it had been so long now that it was almost like meeting a stranger. Almost, but not quite. Like meeting someone from a past life, or a dream.

But as open as Aerith was, she was far more reserved and secret then most would ever guess. So all of this showed only as a flicker, and in the strangest tiny smile as she said, simply, quietly, and without fanfare, "You made it too."

[sephiroth]

It hadn't been a question of who was on what side, once the darkness came; no other question made sense any longer. Who survived? He'd called all he knew, but they were either unable to answer, out of range, or...

...never able to answer again.

So much had changed in so little a time; Shin-Ra no longer mattered. Tseng was not a cruel person by nature, though in those days he'd often let his temper get the better of him. Days that seemed so long ago, now; a time and person he only thought he knew.

Just like Aerith, who he no longer found excuse nor reason to know... and did anyway.

Or did he ever?

He nodded, though the action seemed... redundant. If he hadn't made it, or she, neither would be here, now. "You look well."

[serif]

"I... am, I think." She could think this - that the old ways where dust and darkness, and everything was different, and new, and some things didn't have to change even when they were remade.

The trouble was, that didn't tell her where to go. "You look.... I don't know."

[sephiroth]

He dismissed a reply, not having a good one, and instead nodded. "Mind if I join you?"

He merely did not yet have any words to say, due to having too much to. With the destruction of that world, there was a lot that was taken for granted; a lot of social cues, taboos, things unsaid that no longer even mattered. It was interesting, meeting her again, for the simple fact. He wondered what that made them to each other now. Enemies? Allies? 'Someone I used to know'?

One way to find that out, if he could.

((...no muse...))

[serif]

((I'm not sure there's anything new to say just yet. *prods* Oh well....))

She didn't know, but she was willing to try. "I was hoping you would," she said, offering the seat beside her.

[sephiroth]

((Just been tired...

Dialogue isn't the strong suit of these two. *reading over* Nor is posting mine lately...))

Tseng nodded, taking the offered seat beside her, and staring off into the distance for a moment. What to ask, or say? He started in, almost conversationally. "Rude and I have stationed in Traverse Town." It was...really all the news he had - more importantly, it was significant in an open channel of communication. Ordinarily, back then, nothing would have been told her; either positions or future actions. It was the best way he could say, without saying it, that things were indeed different now.

[serif]

That's a nice place," she said, which didn't mean anything and could mean anything and why did just talking have to be so lords-be-dammed complicated?

She smiled like everything was normal - and it sort of was - "I lived there for a while. A long time, actually."