[Action]

[gardeningaia]

[It's rather late in the evening to be out in the snow, but so Aerith is. Behind ch. 4, out in the forest, she's cleared the fresh-fallen snow from a small patch of earth and is now kneeling down in it, talking to Faeren.]

Wasn't it strange back then? Everyone changed so suddenly! ...Were you...a little nervous? Hm... But...people seem to be treating the forest and plants all right. Better than they do back home.

...Did I talk to you last time? No, you don't need to tell me. I'm sure I did. You don't have a voice, but still, it's less quiet when I'm talking to you.

[...and so on. In general, Aerith is just naturally chatty with spirits anyway. She'll be doing this spirit-talking for a while into the early night, roaming around the perimeter of the village to see if she can get in touch with Nala... The cold and still-falling snowflakes don't seem to deter her. This is more important.]

Comments

[thestormishere]

... Doesn't matter. I'm not going to let you sign your own death sentence.

[ Suddenly ominous declaration? Check. But that's what you get for being her only friend here so far, Aerith. ]

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

What?

[Ominous indeed--that's a level of seriousness Aerith wouldn't have expected, even from Lightning. Her hands momentarily tense, the free one drifting to her abdomen.]

Light... your world's magic... it's something terrible, isn't it. Why? You have to pay a price for it?

[She just doesn't understand where this is coming from.]

[thestormishere]

[ Bingooo. And if Lightning's initial silence and way her body language keeps closing up isn't answer enough... ]

Stuff like this... the price isn't worth it.

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

But this isn't your world. You know that, just by looking at the sun! [She definitely remembers that weirdness over "Phoenix".

...The sun. Lightning didn't want to talk about that, and now she's getting alarmed over spirits of nature.]

... Do you think these spirits are like your fal'Cie?

[thestormishere]

I...

[ Aaaand... burn. Curse her younger self and her still-present faith in the fal'Cie! ]

-- You don't know if they're not like fal'Cie! Them and the Malnosso-- locking us up in here, using us as playthings...!

[ ... Keeping her from her Focus. She shakes her head emphatically and then looks down angrily, pressing a hand into her chest. Ugh, she's upsetting and confusing herself here. ]

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[Something very, very bad happened there--and Aerith can't help but feel sorry for Light. It's one thing to be disconnected from nature, like so much of humanity is. But feeling like the forces behind it are enemies... She frowns, stepping closer to Lightning, her voice soft.]

The Malnosso locked us up. I definitely don't trust them--not one bit. But the spirits didn't do that.

My world has magic too. It's not a dangerous thing. I'll be okay, I promise.

[thestormishere]

Tch!

[ This would be where Lightning remembers she already said she didn't want to talk about fal'Cie. How lucky Aerith is, though, to be from a place where humans apparently live for themselves rather than for the whim of others.

... This is also the sort of thing that's bound to advance an unfortunate l'Cie's Brand. Lightning half turns away, her hand still on her chest and staring at the ground. ]

Where does it come from, then?

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[Sorry Lightning, she is unaware of your Brand or she'd be more careful about upsetting you. :(

And brb making tutorials ICly]

The knowledge of the Planet. Every living thing has a spiritual energy. When they die, that energy rejoins the Planet with their memories and knowledge in an underground current. It's called the "Lifestream". And that Lifestream allows new life to be born. But in places where it runs near the surface, some of it may crystallize into materia instead. [She gestures with her hands, showing the rough shape and size of it--small enough to comfortably hold in hand.] Those materia are deposits of knowledge the old inhabitants of the Planet knew. How to make fire, ice, summon spirits, even things like how to copy others' techniques! They do all kinds of things. By drawing on them, people today can do the same.

[thestormishere]

[ What the heck, that is one of the weirdest things Lightning has heard yet. Well... at first, anyway- excuse her, while she tries to figure out how that might fit into her own world, particularly with this whole souls rejoining stuff that... sounds sort of like the Door of Souls concept, and of course, the talk of materia. ]

Crystals, then? And... that allows you to use magic?

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[She nods, glad--it's clear Lightning's skeptical, but she at least seems to be listening.]

That's right! That's how it works. Anyone can do it, as long as they're willing to learn.

[thestormishere]

Hmn...

[ Lightning crosses her arms. Anyone can become a l'Cie too-- after all, just look at Sazh's kid! Branded, used, and then turned to crystal, and yet barely old enough to start really understanding what fal'Cie are supposed to do for Cocoon in the first place. That's not right at all.

But Aerith seems set and... how is Lightning expected to counter that? Especially when her argument boils down to... well, stubbornness, basically. She's still just trying to work out how this is supposed to work. That means... hypothetical question time! ]

... What would happen if one of those crystals was put inside someone?

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

Inside someone? I've never heard of anything like that. [She is from before remnants popping brightly-colored orbs into themselves, or Dirge's plot revolving around a before-unknown materia embedded in Vincent.] It shouldn't be done. It's just not right.

[thestormishere]

Well--

[ Lightning puts her hands back in her pockets suddenly, huffing so that her breath fogs in front of her face. ]

-- That's how it's done back on Cocoon. Yeah, there's AMP tech too, but if you want to start throwing around actual magic on your own? You need to get a fal'Cie to put its Brand on you. Make you a l'Cie.

[ Worded a little deceptively there, considering all of the l'Cie she knows regret being marked, and only two of them even had any initial choice in the matter. Hopefully the tone of her voice makes it clear that it's Very Bad anyway, though. ]

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[So it does. And the mention of "brands" makes her pull a face--she's seen numbers on humans before, as the result of experiments.] A brand...people shouldn't be marked like that. Why would they do that? [If they're part of the natural order...]

Your world seems so different. And...not always kind.

[thestormishere]

[ Obviously they have their reasons, but damn, talk about uncomfortable. Lightning's not sure what to say at first, so she just... glares up into the sky instead. ]

I guess... it's not exactly the paradise they'd have you believe. Not by a long shot. But... it's not all bad, either.

[ That's what she has to tell herself anyway- losing hope in Cocoon's the first major step to either Cie'th-land or Ragnarok and destruction-central, after all. ]

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

I believe you. It has good people, after all. I can see that right now.

[thestormishere]

[ Lightning... isn't going to refute or accept that comment. She looks at Aerith a long moment, then bows her head slightly. She's still absolutely behind her mission, but... it's hard to say if she is a good person, when the vast majority of Cocoon's entire population wants her D-E-A-D. Maybe for legitimate reasons. ]

... How long do you plan on being out here?

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

What, are you still worried? [She puts her hands in front of her, flexing her fingers as if that will tell her--which it kind of does.] They're starting to stiffen up on me... guess that means not much longer!

hard for me not to take this as a zombie comment, now 8|

[thestormishere]

Hm. Anything say you actually have to freeze yourself half to death before you find these 'spirits?'

[ Also, uh. Good luck having any more success in short time after hanging around someone as unfriendly to the idea as Lightning is. ]

aerith promises not to eat light's brains. ... :9

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

[She gives a short laugh at that.] I wouldn't let it go that far. [She is fairly bundled up, even if she keeps taking the gloves off.] It was kind of impulsive, coming out right now. --And what about you? You're out here too.

be careful now, Lightning takes her murdering things that come after her v. seriously

[thestormishere]

Yeah. Not for much longer.

[ Standing here for this conversation has totally ruined the warmth she did have going, dangit. She takes a step back, using it to start turning away again with hands in pockets. ]

...does that make it okay if she goes after someone else?

[gardenerofgaia.livejournal.com]

Hmmm--oh, okay! [Since she seems to be leaving already 8|a] Have a good night.

depends on whether or not their screams bother her 8|

[thestormishere]

[ A pause while Lightning looks just a little frustrated- she was sort of hoping Aerith would get the hint and come with her, but... she won't press it. She just inclines her head a moment and then turns to stalk walk away. ]