[ Despite the unhappiness clamoring for purchase on her heart, there's a relief in the way Parsee moves to hug her, arms tight around her from behind. Her head leans back, dropping to lay on the other's shoulder, and if it wasn't for the bitter jealousy burning in her eyes, the smile on her lips would surely look amused, triumphant. ]

You know, I told you we'd be friends.

[ Parsee didn't seem to believe her at the time, but they're here now, Rinoa stubbornly holding on as always, and Parsee not giving in to the instinct to push her away. A victory to enjoy later, then, when she doesn't feel like she wants to just curl up and cry, or scream, or both. Because right now, her smile is twisting into something less kind, a shake of her head as she sits up again. ]

I hate that I cared. It's like you said, he's a fake. I don't understand how... [ There's a pause, a frown as the words sort themselves in her head, and she sighs. ] So many people have their loved ones here, Parsee. It's not just Tifa and Aerith and Cloud. Even Ren...

New friends are nice but it's not the same.

[ She's cycling back to those same feelings again. Later, she'll be horrified at how easily she was able to reject the idea of the new people in her life in favor of the old, especially when they're people she's come to care about a lot. But right now, she's fixating. ]