tabularasa_rp | open | i hit the bottom but I'm on the mend

Probably too distracted by how weird it is, right? This isn't the only place like that...

[ She's thinking of her church now, and its combination with the cafe. Though she hadn't minded it to begin with, it's still a strange merger. ]

Oh? [ At the question, Aerith looks pleasantly surprised, and nods. ] Yep! That's me! I'm Aerith.

[ She doesn't ask how he knew, because...well, in this place, there are a lot of ways it could have come up. Considering the recent memory scramble...maybe he'd seen something of her in Tifa's past. She doubts the other woman had just mentioned her in conversation in vivid enough detail for this man to recognize her on sight. ]

[he hums -- she's not wrong about how weird it is -- and then shifts, turning to face her more fully albeit somewhat awkwardly, his limp and the brace he wears to help with it obvious in even that small a movement]

Damien Brenks. [and he's just going to hold out a hand] I'm a friend of Tifa's, too. [ ... it's bizarre, thinking of himself as having friends, but well, here we are. Tifa saw at least some of him, really saw him and didn't flinch. that counts for something]

[ She moves to shake his hand in return, nodding again in acknowledgment. ]

Nice to meet you, Damien! Did you meet Tifa here, or...?

[ Is it possible he's also from Midgar? Either way, Aerith steps back and smiles affably, hands linked behind her. ]

[he nods once, as he takes his hand back, another soft hum accompanying the gesture. nice to meet you, too, Aerith]

Here. I spent a lot of time at the bar, when she was still working there. [mostly because, before Kaiba and his walkways, his options as to where to hang out were limited. at least he could be social, at the bar. at least he could sit down when his leg started to bother him] Though, from what she tells me, I'd fit in well, back home.

[Tifa said he'd make a good member of AVALANCHE. he's -- still not sure if he believes that, all things considered, but]

[ Aerith nods in understanding, putting the pieces together one at a time. Bars are a great place to meet people, apparently, and Tifa had been at Heavenly Blanc for a while before taking a break from the place. She'd probably met a lot of the other 'residents' before her leave of absence. ]

Oh, yeah? [ There's a soft laugh at that, but certainly not a cruel one: it's just like Tifa to have assessed a stranger after knowing him a short time and deeming him well-suited for AVALANCHE (she assumes). Tifa's so personable, and so perceptive, and always has her mind back in the cause no matter where they are. ]

Well, that's certainly an endorsement! I hope you took it as a compliment. Tifa's one of the strongest people I know, and she really has a good sense of the people she meets!

[ Qualities that make her a good bartender, maybe? ]

[he nods, the corners of his lips twitching upwards into a sort of smile. again, he's not sure that Tifa didn't read him completely wrong, but -- well, it's complicated. it's all so fucking complicated, and either way]

I did. [he absolutely took it as a compliment]

[the smile fades, in measures, before he continues, explains:] We have a company very similar to Shinra, back home, from what I understand. We call them Blume.

Oh. [ Well, she assumes that she knows the implications of that. "A company very similar to Shinra" can't be anything good. ] ...I'm sorry. If they're even a little alike, then...I'm sure it's pretty tough, where you're from.

[ And if Blume has anywhere near as much power and influence. Aerith sighs shortly, clearly not Shinra's biggest fan, to say the very, very least. ]

What kind of company is it?

[it's definitely not anything good]

A tech company, on the surface. [a pause, and then, obviously quoting, he recites -- ] The world's foremost innovator of high-tech, high-performance communications and security technology. [ -- and from the tone of voice he takes, he doesn't sound like their biggest fan, either] They have their hands in a hundred other, dirty things, though.

[a deal to produce smart weapons for the police and military, with Tidis, for one. spying on the people that use their products and selling their data to the highest bidder. mind control, with the Bellweather. they even have ties to the Irish Mob, the Chicago South Club]

They're practically running Chicago, at this point. [with ctOS] The rest of the country isn't far behind.

Sounds like Blume and Shinra would go hand in hand, all right. Guess it's no surprise that there are companies like that everywhere. After all, there's opportunity to take advantage of people everywhere...

[ And to take advantage of their Planet, too. ]

Chicago's the city you're from? [ She ventures a guess. ] Well...I hope you can find your own way to knock 'em down a peg, then. People like that really need to be taught a lesson!

[ Shinra won't last forever, but it does more than enough damage in its time. ]

[he nods]

Chicago's the city I'm from. [a beat] And I know someone who's working on that. [his former partner turned rival, Aiden Pearce. it's complicated] Not exactly how I'd do it, but he's certainly putting a bee in their bonnet.

Good to hear someone's working on it. [ She nods firmly, in support of this anonymous stranger who is working to bring down another of these unsavory companies. ] Is it nice for you to have a break from it, though? Being here is...not always perfect, but...at least Shinra's not here. That's what I think, anyway.

[ Unfortunately, Sephiroth - the larger threat - is here... ]

[he barks out a laugh, at that, though there's a certain amount of bitterness to it]

Being here is an absolute breath of fresh fucking air, compared to home. [a beat] Particularly now that I can get around a little more. [has he mentioned the whole crippled thing? it's nice that this place is a little more accessible, now, thanks to Kaiba -- and, apparently, himself, even if the L isn't running, at the moment] So, no argument.

[ Aerith nods in agreement, seemingly energized by the conversation, and particularly being around someone who also is a little excited to be in this place. At least, for now. ]

I'm with you! It's a good, ah - distraction from things back home. Since we don't know how long we'll be staying, it's best to make every day count, right? Even if it can be tough to figure out days and times...

[ C'est la vie. It's one of the funny trappings of this world. ]

At least I haven't run into one of those weird -- [how to put it?] -- weird errors this place has been spitting out, while trying to wrap its head around time. [not in awhile, anyway] Though, now that I've said that ...

[now that he's said that, he pauses, almost waiting for something to happen to spite him. when it doesn't, he flashes Aerith a brief, wry smile, before, speaking of time:] It was late November, when I left home. [a beat] I don't suppose our concept of months line up?

Sure, we've got November! But I can understand why you'd ask that... Things can get kinda tricky, with everyone here being from such different places.

[ It's nice to be able to talk about months in familiar terms, though! ]

...But, it was December where we were. Makes sense, since - like you said - time is a little strange here.

[he nods]

Definitely unsurprising.

[a beat]

How about the year, if you don't mind me asking? [it's a little pointless, to know the exact date it was, when she got here, for all that their calendar seems to be where their worlds stop lining up, but -- well, he's curious. he's always curious]

Hmm? It's εγλ 0007. [ Somehow, he's the first person who's asked. ] What about you?

[ Maybe these are questions they should all be asking each other? There could be more continuity than they realize... ]

[those sure as some Greek letters and numbers. he shakes his head a little, that in mind]

2013. [a beat] I guess that nixes that theory. [that their concepts of time line up. not that he sure what that would have proved, if they did, but]

[ They sure don't make it easy to figure out Final Fantasy dates, that's for sure!! ]

Darn. Close, though! [ Probably?? ] Sometimes you can tell by the fashion, too. And by how people talk. Sometimes I meet someone here, and I know right away that their world is...nothing like mine.

[ For better or for worse. ]

Know what I mean? But you're dressed pretty familiar, and we at least have the same months, right?

I do.

[there are people like Aerith, who's fashion and manner of speech line up with his, like she mentioned -- and then there are people like, say, the Exarch, who is very obviously from worlds away]

[though:] Though, I'm not sure someone from my world would reach for a sword, in a fight. [and from what he's seen of Tifa's memories, Cloud running around with one isn't entirely uncommon, not like it would be, where he's from]

No? [ She laughs a little. ] Well, not everyone carries around a big sword, even in our world. You'd be surprised!

[ Tifa obviously fights with punches and kicks, and Barret has his arm. Aerith herself typically uses magic, directed by the rod. ]

Soldiers use 'em a lot, though. And mercenaries. [ Overcompensating much?? ]

Are they always so big?

[is it overcompensation? because his first thought is to label it that, too, but he could be wrong. he's only ever seen Cloud's giant sword, and only then in one of Tifa's memories]

Hmm...not always. But, they are a lot of the time. [ She shrugs, smiling mysteriously. ] Who knows why.

[ Seems like the two of them might know. ]

You should ask Cloud about it, if you haven't met him yet. Not sure what kind of answer you'd get, though.

[they absolutely know, and he smiles for a moment, too -- smirks, really, like a man in the know of some terrible secret, and not, you know, on the inside of a dick joke]

[either way, after a beat, he sobers and shakes his head] I've seen him around -- [both just around and through Tifa's eyes] -- but we've never had the pleasure. [a beat] He and Tifa are close, though, aren't they? [maybe he should introduce himself, just by virtue of him being one of Tifa's friends]

[ "Close" is a way to describe it. Her smile turns mischievous. ]

You might say that. [ Aerith says, enigmatically. ] ...They grew up together.

open | i hit the bottom but I'm on the mend

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