floweroftheslums | [IC] Inbox

Hey Aerith!

I was wondering, what sort of flowers do you want to paint on your wagon? And colours, what colours? I went by the store and picked out 30 types of paint and I can mix them easy peasy lemon squeezy? I also got stencils, lots and lots of stencils too.

[ He's seriously ready, Aerith. The world is his favorite flower girl's oyster. ]

Edited 2024-04-01 13:45 (UTC)

Oh, well, I can do the painting, Zack. You don't have to do everything, you know. I mean, it's nice enough as is.

I promise you, anything I paint won't be good, I don't mind mixing up the paints though, feel free to use me to your advantage, I got one of those rare days off and I'm gonna spend it with the best girl in all of Midgar, yeah?

Well, I guess that means that I'll have to be in charge of painting everything.

And, it does sound like a good way to spend the day. So long as Tseng or Sephiroth don't blow up your phone every five seconds.

[No, she is not annoyed that she never really gets to spend time with Zack. Nope. Not at all. Everything is fine.]

[ Listen, he's a SOLDIER, he is used to being commanded ]

I figure you're gonna need someone to clean paint brushes and do all the dirty work, I got that-- also I'll totally silence my phone for a few hours.

[ Kunsel could come get him if it was super important, that would buy him an extra half an hour of time at least? Zack wanted to spend more time with his best girl and he was going to attempt to get as much as he could out of it. ]

[While Aerith plays at being bossy, she's actually not that good at it long term, so a small project like this with Zack might be the best for her to get it out of her system.]

Well, I could use someone who can lift heavy things. I think you're qualified for that.

Is silencing your phone going to get you in trouble? It's not worth it if you can't leave headquarters after you return.

I've been a good SOLDIER and have done some hard missions, I think I deserve a little uninterrupted time with my best girl, yeah?

[ He would let any communications from Kunsel come in, Kunsel would absolutely notify him; all soldiers got notified where the tasks were going to keep them from stepping on each other's toes-- so if it was really important, he would know. ]

I can also swing down at the cafe and get us a lunch basket?

[She really does want to see him. They don't get to spend enough time together, truth be told, but there's a pit in her stomach that says what he's saying is too good to be true. Something will happen.

It always does.]

Oh, did you have someone else in mind? I guess I should have expected it to happen eventually.

But, if you're being honest about making your way down to the church, I can make sure that we have lunch. Unless you don't trust my cooking, Zack.

[ Something always happened, didn't it. Perhaps it was a good thing that they spent this time together, made every precious moment last like a crystalline memory, caught on the feathered wings of the planet. ]

When have I ever not been honest? It's impossible for me to lie. [ And his poker face was absolutely lousy, Angeal had told him that several times over ] But if you want to cook for me, I was going to treat you though-- your always doing such wonderful things for me, that I sorta want to repay the effort you know, you deserve the world.

[ And Zack wanted to give it to her, as much as he was able to. ]

[She never lets herself fully give into a moment with Zack, no matter how much she wants to. Because ever since they met, there's always been something keeping them apart. She cherishes every second, every memory she has with him, but there's a part of her heart that knows that she'll be mourning him and what they could have had in a different life.]

Oh, it's not that I don't think that *you're* not being honest. Just a bit naive. There's a huge difference, isn't there?

I don't know what I'd do with the world. I just want to spend time with you.

[ Zack's a live in the moment type guy and that is because he works for SOLDIER and he knows well the risks, he doesn't think ever of if he'll ever come back alive, he won't-- not until the last possible second. And then? It'll be too late for the would'ves and could'ves ]

You're not the first one call to me naive and you probably won't be the last. [ Even though tone was hard to read over the communicator, one could absolutely infer the tone, and that was typical Zack levity. ]

Then I will bring my SOLDIER biceps and a willingnss to work.
Oh yeah, and an appetite for whatever it is that you'll be fixing for food... but once again it's totally okay if you don't feel like preparing anything, I have gil and a cute girl to spend it on.

[Well, it's kind of hard to forget who and what she is when she's constantly hearing the whispers of the Lifestream all around them. Letting go completely is something she can't do. It's why life outside of Midgar terrifies her. Despite Zack's teasing, she's not sure she can trust the skies outside of the city and the closeness the plates offer.]

There's nothing wrong with it. I find it refreshing.

[That's what Zack is for her: a breath of fresh air in her close, stifling life. Maybe if there was some sort of guarantee that they could be together, she'd give in completely to being that girl who leaves Midgar and is with Zack Fair. Until there's something definitive that happens, she's just going to enjoy the bright light that he brings into her world.]

Oh, I guess I will have to make you something good then. I need to prove to you that city girls can cook as well as your mom, don't I? Besides, you can use your gil to purchase ingredients so this cute girl can cook for you.

Just give me a list and I'll swing by the commissary and pick up the ingredients.

[ though to Zach, she would always be a little bit of the country within her; her little home with Elymra, a place filled with light and butterflies. Quite unlike anything that truly existed in the slums, he always felt like he had found a little bit of paradise when he covertly came to visit her there. ]

And then I will bring my stomach and a healthy appreciation for food. [ He could tuck it away with the best of them, especially if it was the robust cooking that he knew that Aerith was good at. ] Also my muscles, for the building of the wagon.

Edited 2024-05-09 01:35 (UTC)

[Included in the text is a list for food that she doesn't have to do a lot of cooking to do. And if he gets the ingredients from the stores above the Plates, it'll be even better. Besides, if she's going to be feeding him, she'd rather he get that sort of food, as someone who needs to keep a certain physique under all the Mako pumped into his bloodstream by the scientists of Shin-Ra.]

Sounds like a plan. I'll make you a good meal like you won't be able to get in the kitchens elsewhere and then we can pain the cart that you built. Or not.

[There's a certain thrill of the mundane domesticity that awaits them that she can't and won't quash. When else will they be able to have this again, hm?]

[ Everything and the best for Aerith. He'll make time to pop into the fancier stores, pick up even a few special treats as a surprise; there is strawberry shortcake (he knows for a fact) perhaps even a bottle of sparkling lemonade to go along with the list of ingredients. He has a passcard for the train line going all throughout Midgar, and he also has money of which he does not spend very much of it.

He'll also swing by and pick up some specialty paints, perhaps an opalescent lacquer to make the words on the Flower Cart stand out. ]

I look forward to the most excellent meal that we are going to have together, as for the painting-- I will come prepared, a SOLDIER is always prepared for any eventuality, yeah!

[ Oh Zack, you sweet summer child.

He really did have it down bad for the Flower Girl. ]

[She might not have a lot of things in the ruins of the church in the Sector 5 slums, but she knows exactly where a coal stove is that she can use to make everything she wants. It's one of the few things that have survived from the pre-Shin-Ra Midgar of the church. She's used it a few times and it works just fine with a little work.

And while Zack has muscles for his muscles, Aerith is not a total slouch. She knows exactly what she can handle and she works around that. However, she won't deny that having a hot guy to lift all her heavy objects is really nice. And something she likes.

When Zack shows up, he will find the church's flower area empty, but her light humming coming from the bowels of the ruined back area.]

You can go ahead and put those bags on that flat board. I'll get to them in a second.

[ Zack was very good natured about it, he was the sort that took pride and pleasure in being of use, so as he came into the ruins of the old church within the slums, his arms were laden with groceries which he then set down exactly where Aerith directed.

Wearing his signature sleeveless turtleneck though hew as sans the metal shoulderguards that protected him within battle. He then stepped aside, making a motion as if to roll up his sleeves. ]

Alright, what would you have me do? I can slice, I can dice-- I can even flex as long as I can get a smile from my best girl.

[ A wink and a smile, and also a slight hip wiggle as if he had an invisible tail that was perennially wagging right out of happiness, he really did have some puppy-like tendancies which really did explain his nickname all across SOLDIER ]

[Aerith turned around as soon as she heard the items hit the board and gave Zack a huge smile. As if he had to ask for one. It's rare that she doesn't smile when he's around.

As much as he claims that she brings light to him with her smile, his very existence seems to light up her world in a way she can't explain. Since the day she found him passed out in her flowerbed, nothing has been the same. But the times she gets to talk to him and see him are her favorites.

She notices that he's practically vibrating with excitement and she shakes her head fondly before lifting up a finger to mock-scold him.]

Nuh uh. No way am I letting you touch anything. You can sit down over there [She points to an area that has a few chairs and a table that are cleared off for use.] and talk to me while I work. I can't have you distracting me with your nervous energy while I'm going to be holding sharp objects.

[ He thought that Aerith was cute when she frowned or was angry, but he did feel that ba-dum-thump in his heart when she cast a smile in his direction, and he understood in a single moment why he fought, so that he could make a difference, make the world better, safer-- if only for a little bit.

He'd tell everyone about her, about why she was the most beautiful girl that ever existed, waxing poetic to anyone who would listen-- in those free times that he had which wasn't devoted to duty; gods he almost had Kunsel kick him a time or two (probably) for good reason.

If there was anyone who was made to be a wife guy, it was Zack Fair. ]

Yeah, you have a point there Aer.. but the offer still stands, I am completely at your disposal, but I suppose I could tell you about my last mission if you'd like. [ At least the non-classified bits of it, the fights and almost getting owned by a Tonberry.

And thus did Zack sit his butt right down in the chair indicated. ]

Edited 2024-06-09 23:13 (UTC)

[Aerith is amused at how obedient he is at her command for him to sit down. There's a bit of terror as she realizes that probably makes him a very good SOLDIER.

It's why he's always so busy. If he's to be believed about the why, anyway.]

I'd love to hear about what you can tell me. I never know where you are when we're separated.

[And she's seen so little of the world that she gets to live a bit vicariously through him.]

Did you go to a beach?

[ It was true that he was a well-trained Puppy all told, he usually did things when ordered or commanded; though there were a few times that he'd rushed in and that had been when his heart had been involved. Those were things that he did not particularly want to think about-- those would absolutely act as compromised bias. ]

Ah, there were a few trips to Costa del Sol however not at all glamorous like you'd imagine; barely got to unpack my swim trunks, but I did have a shaved ice there-- that's their specialty, you know. [ As if he'd go to the beach and not get a beach treat, a 'pup cup' if you will. ]

The boat out to Costa Del Sol from Junon was peaceful though, no rough weather at all the times I've gone. [ He jitters his foot back and forth, a testament that he definitely did enjoy movement; it has hard just sitting there without assisting in some way. ]

[His willingness to obey is both endearing and troubling, but only because she cares for him and knows that Shin-Ra is not a good company. It doesn't have the good of Gaia and her inhabitants in mind in the way that it acts. Its scientists are nearly all monsters wearing human faces, but Hojo is the worst. Everything about their behavior terrifies her in a way that she can't share with Zack.

But, she plasters it all over with a smile and she listens to him talk as she finishes up what she's doing and then goes through the bag of items he's brought her. She'll whip him up a meal that he can't find up on the Plates or anywhere else.]

I'd love to go to Costa Del Sol at some point. I bet the ocean is beautiful.

[She turns around to look at him and sees his foot shaking. He really couldn't just sit still. So, she'll give him a task.]

Alright, SOLDIER. I need you to go into deeper to try and clean up some of the debris. One day I'd like to have more use of this place, but I don't have an overabundance of muscles like some people to do it all myself.

[ Please be still his beaating heart, imagining Aerith in a bathing suit, dancing amongst the waves with that smile on her face as the sun kissed her upturned face. The image was compelling and it brought him to mind of simpler times-- perhaps he could take leave and take her out there to Costa Del Sol, perhaps a romantic evening down at the Golden Saucer too though that was a possibility.

But then there was so much in Zack's mind, the possibilities seemed endless and thoughts of death never crossed his mind. The world was opened up before him and it was such a bright shining thing to him.

He jumped up almost immediately, with a grin and a haphazard salute. ] Alright, ma'am-- it's my pleasure for such a pretty picture. Here let me go and.. [ And he was off, this was the perfect way to work off his restless boundless energy though thankfully it was all Zack and not the Mako.

A few minutes go back and he calls back. ]

I can take you, to Costa Del Sol.. I'll even let you bury me in sand!

[Aerith is no better, imagining what Zack would look like at the beach. Thankfully she gets to see the guns all the time because he seems to be allergic to sleeves. And, well, he also likes his clothes pretty skin tight, which is probably good for fights, but does a number on her libido.

However, she's trying to be a realist here with their relationship. She loves him, but he's married to his job. She knows it. He knows it. And she's not sure that he can leave it even if he wants to.

So, she keeps them from the front of her mind and pushes them back where they belong. She'll take them out later and examine them when alone, mainly so if she starts to cry, no one will see or hear.]

Oh!

[She should be used to his eagerness to please, but sometimes he still takes her by surprise. She's still not quite sure what picture she's painted for him, but she does appreciate the help and the ability to get a great deal of the meal made while he's hauling rotting beams and roof tiles out of the back space so that she can move around a bit more easily in her little church.]

You'll take me to Costa del Sol? I don't think I'd bury you in the sand, but I'd love to play in the ocean and to see the sunset against the waves.

[She starts to move things to the table she's set up and looks over at him, eyes bright with the thought for just a second.]

And you promise you won't tease me if I have trouble being outside the city for a while?

[ Being a cheerful himbo SOLDIER, he is often not terribly aware of the rather attractive pressence that him and his faction make all across Midgar, he is merely going about doing his job so he does not think of anything that perhaps Aerith could be watching him with something a little less innocent than admiration. He would be flattered though to know, might even cause him to flex a little bit more.

Offer to open more pickle jars; not because he doesn't think she can open a pickle jar by herself-- but just to let her see his forearm muscles clench as he does so. ]

I would never tease you, I think it would be cute to see you be eager to see outside of Midgar proper, to see all of those wonders and joys pop across your face, there is nothing that I think would be beautiful than that.

[ His blue eyes softening a little bit. ]

When we go together, I want you to tell me all your impressions-- every single one. No matter how small, they matter and they mean something.

[Honestly, if he could kiss her more, she'd be happy with that. Being in his arms is a bright and warm memory that she carries with her when he's away. Aerith can never have that many of them.]

I guess that's true. I'm more likely to tease you.

[She does it all the time]

Not even a super busty beach babe?

[And then her heart breaks a bit, the teasing gone out of her when he says that. The small spot of joy drained out at the reality of their situation.]

I'd like that. Maybe some day we can go.

[ Zack is hopeful that it will happen, that he will get to go outside with Aerith, to take her through Kalm, Junon-- all of those places on the way to Costa del Sol and the Golden Saucer; one day he would give Aerith a proper date, complete with flowers.

He'd dress up really nice and kiss her hand, take her to a nice restaurant somewhere in one of the locales they visited.

It was something to work toward, wasn't it? ]

What you are making smells absolutely delicious, if only all the SOLDIERS could be as lucky as I? But I'm not gonna let you go so they are shit out of luck, yeah!

[She's not as optimistic as Zack is, but she wants to be. She wants to have that time out with him like any other girl and her boyfriend, without fearing Shin-Ra will call him away and then come kidnap her again.

But there's a shadow over her heart that she has to shake off but just can't manage.

So, like all healthy people, she's going to ignore it and smile for Zack and help him have his fantasies.]

There's only one SOLDIER I would ever think of making food for. Well, maybe if your mentor showed up I might feed him too. The rest are out of luck, it's true. Now, sit down and I'll serve you.

[It's not extravagant, but macaroni and cheese with bacon, tomatoes and onions is delicious and healthy. He can eat as much as he wants. He paid for the food, after all.]

[ It was a shame that Zack did not think them mere fantasies, but perhaps it was a good thing all the same that Aerith was indulging in them, and not disabusing them. ] What, and have 'geal fall terribly in love with you too? I'm not sure I can compete with him.

[ Such a chuckle that came from Zack's lips then, he was only halfway joking, but also Angeal was another person that he admired above all else.

The food smells delicious, exactly what was ordered and it was rare for him to get a good homecooked meal, and so he sits down-- preparing to deal great justice to what Aerith had made for him. ] Gosh, Aer-- I this looks amazing, I feel utterly spoiled by this.

[Well, if they were going to be reality, it would take a lot from Zack to make them so. It's not that she wants to think so negatively, but a girl has to look out for herself in a world run by Shin-Ra.]

I don't think I'm that great. Why would your mentor fall in love with me?

[She gives him a sweet smile before turning away from the table. He hasn't actually told her that he loves her in so many words before this moment, but she's glad that he shares her feelings, even if she's not sure she could tell him so without a lot of prodding. Besides, seeing him gush over her cooking is embarrassing and she can't handle all this change at once.]

It's not that much. [She turns back around to place a kiss on his cheek while he eats.] Besides, you deserve a good meal, even if this is really the only thing I can do.

[ Oh no, well his words had inadvertently pinned him for being absolutely head-over-heals for Aerith, the sort of in love that had him thinking about her during his coldest nights. At the kiss to his cheek as well as the disarming statement, he could feel his cheeks colour in a way that was boyish despite his strong muscles or war-seasoned experience.

Because well, Shin-Ra had not prepared him for love.

He twirled the food around on his fork while he considered for a second. ] Well maybe because you are kind, talented and beautiful.

[Aerith puts her hand on Zack's arm, squeezing gently before retracting her hand. Even with all of his training and travelling, he's still so innocent. And it's that strange dichotomy that Aerith loves about him. Not the only thing, mind you, but one of the biggest.

His answer makes her laugh though.]

What if I only have eyes for cute puppies? I don't think your mentor fits that description, does he?

[ Cute puppy? For a moment he has to process what Aerith is saying, and then he laughs-- it is a laugh out loud with head thrown back as he absolutely chuckles; his eyes crinkling shut. ]

Well, no-- I wouldn't think of him as a puppy, more like a bear.

[ and he was pleased that Aerith thought of him as cute, though ideally perhaps handsome would also be accepted all told.. but he'd take puppyish because he knew that it came from a place from fondness. ]

And you are a flower, a beautiful flower that blooms in the deserts of Midgard.

[His laugh is so full of life and happiness. She soaks it up like it's the sun that she's missed by living in the slums. True the area around her mother's house is very bright and full of life, but she's pretty sure that it's the only place under the plates that gets enough sun that could support flowers, outside the one spot in the middle of her church.

And, well, with his description of Angeal he's just made, she can't help but laugh as well.]

I'm not a big fan of bears, so there we are.

[And the puppy comment is something that she's heard Tseng refer to him as, but that's besides, the point.]

And you're a big flatterer. Finish eating and then we can spend more time together.

[ Zack wouldn't have minded if she was to be honest, as long as she spared a thought for him well he'd be perfectly happy; he was not the possessive sort and that would go on long after death when he wanted Aerith to be happy even if it wasn't with him.

He gets up from the table very quickly walks over and engulfs her in a hug, she was sitting but it was like gravity that pulled her. He was so much taller than her, even more so that he was standing and yet he would lean down and drop a kiss against the top of her head. ] I will, I cannot say I'm not relieved that you like puppies better than bears.. more my luck, I suppose Angeal will have to get his own flower girl.

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oh? did you order some FEELS?

No, No I did not, you terrorist.

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