[ Letting him speak is hard for her. The truth is, she understands well. There is a throbbing sense of uselessness that ebbs and flows without warning inside of her, the sensation that she did poorly by the group or even damned them. They had staved Eustace off for Phantom and Beat’s arrival, but they had lived seeing the damage and knew the pain of picking up the pieces. She looks down at her body, whole now, and thinks about the ring-shaped scar where Eustace had stabbed her. Beat had seen that in her— idly, she wonders if she comes up in his nightmares now.
Aerith shakes her head. ]
I know.
[ For a long moment, she says nothing. The fountain rushes water and she thinks about her dream, of falling backwards into the water, into the flower, watching Tifa’s smile grow smaller and smaller. Had that Tifa pushed her into the water? She can’t remember now. She thinks the real one would have hesitated, though, and so her gaze falls onto the brick pathway that’s been splattered with fountain water and she holds her tongue. The moment passes. Her thoughts don’t. ]
no subject
Aerith shakes her head. ]
I know.
[ For a long moment, she says nothing. The fountain rushes water and she thinks about her dream, of falling backwards into the water, into the flower, watching Tifa’s smile grow smaller and smaller. Had that Tifa pushed her into the water? She can’t remember now. She thinks the real one would have hesitated, though, and so her gaze falls onto the brick pathway that’s been splattered with fountain water and she holds her tongue. The moment passes. Her thoughts don’t. ]
What would you have done?