Flower Time! [OTA]

[ancientflower]

♥ Who: Aerith, flowers and you!
♥ Where: Everywhere!
♥ When: Any time before Event day!
♥ What: Aerith wants to enjoy the flowers and a good time!
♥ Rating: PG.


✿ I: Botanical Garden:
[This place was magical to her. It was so full of life. It invigorated her! There is a place she likes in particular, a patch of flowers that look so similar to ones back home, though they're blue and purple rather than yellow...

You'll find her wandering around, occasionally talking to the flowers (not that they actually talk back!), touching them or sitting on a bench basking in the warmth she feels from the flowers around her and the sweet, rich scent they emit.]

✿ II: Zoo:
Now would you look at you! [Aerith had never been to a zoo before and she had been uncertain about coming here, but now she has no regrets in it! The animals here are all so very strange.

Take this one for example. Such a long neck! And stripes? She'd never seen anything like it in her life. Though most of the animals here will be unlike anything she had ever seen. The only animals she has ever met in person are cats and dogs and the occasional bird.]

✿ III: Festival of Flowers:
[A festival made for this flower girl! Aerith will be found sat in the sun a great deal, usually surrounded by flowers and looking very much at peace just weaving chains of pretty, colourful flowers for any who pass by.]

(a): [Aerith can be found on a bench with flowers in her lap, and several woven into the braid hanging over her shoulder. Why don't you let her show you how it's done?]

(b): [A soft, sweet voice can be heard singing what sounds like a lullaby. It's evening and Aerith is still out, loath to leave and return to the quiet of her home. So she sits, legs crossed in a patch of grass, humming and singing to herself. Or the flowers. Does it seem like they turn to listen? Surely that's your imagination!]

(c): [Closed to Cloud]

Come on, Cloud! [Aerith had a good grip of her bodyguards hand and was tugging him along with her, as was her way, since he was being reluctant again. Things would be so much better if he'd just admit he loved fun things and skipped along with her!

She paused for a moment, that mental image causing a sudden laugh and then a shudder. No, that would not work for Cloud at all!

There was a patch of flowers ahead, in front of a bench. Lots of tiny, colourful and sweet smelling flowers that she intended to pick a few of.]

You'll love this!

Comments

[dontcallmebro]

[Part of Aerith's tone makes Cloud suggest she found what he said funny, making him blush a little.

Have fun? Well, maybe, but...wait a heck. No it won't be! What if people see him? And wonder what ex-SOLDIER First Class Cloud Strife is doing? He was lucky enough when Sasuke caught him reading a book about flowers and he passed it off as 'research for a job' and the guy didn't say a word. And maybe he did it because he thought of Aerith back then but.....like hell he was going to admit that.

He was about to make some sort of retort but then.....he sees the brief doubt on her face and then her smile before she says that she'll stay behind. And a part of him feels a little guilty.

Maybe he should.....ugh. He's not sure. A pout.]

.......I dunno how to make that sort of stuff anyway.

[ancientflower]

I can teach you.

[Aerith answered and reached out to delicately start to pick some of the flowers with longer stems.

After a few she looked up with a gentle smile.]

Is there a colour you like, Cloud?

[dontcallmebro]

[Teach? So they'd be making those things right here?

A part of him wants to say no, in case other people walked by. But then he'd feel guilty about leaving her to do it all on her own. So he relents.

Is there a colour he likes? Well, uh....grey and navy blue are more his thing but....she's talking about flowers, right? And those colours don't exist. Well, not ones he's heard of anyway. So he just goes.] .....Dunno.

[However, there's that flower she gave him which he then gave to Tifa. That's the one that sticks out the most and he doesn't know if that type of flower exists here. So he glances around and after seeing one that looks a little similar...] How about we pick those ones?

[Well, at least he's contributing somewhat.]

[ancientflower]

[Following Clouds gaze, she smiles and nods before moving around and over to those flowers. Kneeling down she reaches out and begins to pick several of the flowers.]

Just these?

[Even as she asks she reaches for a few others, complimenting colours, smaller flowers to help weave with the larger flower. She looked over and patted the place beside her.]

Come sit with me?

[dontcallmebro]

[Oh....she wants another colour?

Well, maybe the flower arrangement might look a little dull with just one colour. So....]

Maybe those purple ones there too?

[And he crouches down beside her, pointing to the ones a little to the left of him before reaching out to pick a couple.]

[ancientflower]

[Oh, he was beside her now! Wonderful! Aerith smiled brightly and nodded as she reached for those as well and added them to the others.

And then... She sat down. Right there.

There was a perfectly good bench beside them, of course, but Aerith was happiest close to the flowers. And with Cloud next to her she was even happier. She separated some of the flowers and offered them to her friend.]

These are for you. So now we learn how to weave them!

[dontcallmebro]

[Right.....they are really going to do this. Weave flowers together. He takes the flowers when Aerith offers them and.....stares at them. Well, this is gonna be weird, especially if someone.......

Goddammit. If he's gonna do it he's gonna make the best flower crown or whatever flower craft he can do! With this sudden and strange look on his face, he turns to Aerith.] Right. How do I start?

[ancientflower]

[She blinked at him... and then laughed brightly. A little shuffle so she was pressed up to his side, Aerith directed Cloud to watch her.]

Like this. Just do what I do.

[And with that Aerith slowly showed Cloud how to weave the stems of the flowers with each other to create a simple flower crown.]

[dontcallmebro]

[And Cloud focuses intently as he watches her weave everything together. When she finishes the first one

He fucks up the first couple of times with a small curse each time. But on the third try he seems to be getting the hang of it and he puts on an expression of intense concentration until he finally finishes his first one and ties it altogether. When he finishes, he holds it up to her, frowning, a blush on his face.]

....Here. Not nearly as good as yours but...

[It's pretty good for his first flower crown.]

[ancientflower]

[She watches him try his hardest, offering little tips, little corrections and words of encouragement until he finally has a finished product.

Aerith gives him her brightest smile and leans against him happily.]

You did great! For a first time it's really good, Cloud!

[dontcallmebro]

[Wait.....he did? She thinks he did well?

She's got this huge smile on her face. A genuine one. And seeing it and hearing her compliment....before he realises it, aside from his cheeks turning pink from the compliment, there's a small smile on his face as well.]

[ancientflower]

[Aerith loved his smile. He overthought his actions so much that he denied himself such simple pleasures as being happy. Smiling. Laughing. She wanted so much to help him learn that it was okay to do those things, but knew it would take time.

Still, these small smiles were victory enough, they made Aerith so happy to see them. But she also knew if she brought attention to it, Cloud would run away... So she lowered her head, her own smile still as bright and warm as before.

Gathering up more flowers, she began making a second crown of her own, humming softly under her breath as she did.]