TDM I

[thetonmods]

The Ton Test Drive Meme I

Welcome to the The Ton's first ever Test Drive Meme!

The game will officially open on the 1st of April (lol) and we will announce this via the game's Plurk account. Applications will open on this date - please do not submit an application before then as it will be ignored until the opening date.

Please note that the Test Drive Meme does not require an invite.

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Arrival

I. WELCOME

You don't remember when or where you fell asleep exactly.

Perhaps it's the tickling sensation of a low hanging tree branch brushing against your nose or the feel of the slightly damp grass underneath you that causes you to awaken but when you do you'll find yourself lying amongst a glade of wisteria trees. You're not alone - nymphs of the trees laugh and dance about you, clearly amused at the new arrival. Along with them, your new loyal servant is here on Pheme's bidding. How this servant looks is different to each arrival. Some are saddled with short, stout butlers, others are welcomed by towering, busty maids. Regardless of their appearance, they introduce themselves with a kindness and warmth that is simultaneously reassuring and strangely impossible to resist when they beckon you to follow them from the grove and out into the city of Andovale.

The closest structure within sight is the Palace and its grounds. It is here that the Lady Pheme resides and from here that she rules over the city, your servant explains to you. You have been selected and brought here personally by her. It is she who assigned the servant to guide you through the regency-inspired city that is your new home.

Eventually, they will bring you to your new residence within the outskirts of somewhere called the "Trade Quarter". You are now the resident of a room within one of the many imposing town houses which make up the Grand Crescent. Throughout your stay here the servant will be your own personal butler or maid. This is where all new arrivals will be living for the time being you are told. Your servant will also give you a crash course on life here and the concept of Thumos - the energy or life force that keeps Andovale and all life within it going - including you now that you are here. It's generated through acts of intimacy, whether that be physical or emotional.

Once you have been shown to your room, you are given two things: a network communication device and a letter. The letter reads as follows:

My dearest reader,

Welcome to Andovale.

The delights of our fair city are yours to explore.

I do hope that you make your stay here a most interesting one. I shall be frightfully disappointed if you do not - and we do not want that, do we?

You will hear from me again very soon.

Yours Truly,

Lady Pheme

You are free to wander about and explore the house and its surroundings as you please. It's certainly spacious enough. As well as your own quarters, each of the townhouses of the Grand Crescent have large communal areas, which includes the kitchens (although why you'd like to go there when your servant can fetch any delicacies you'd like for you!), a dining room, a parlour with its own small library, two drawing rooms (somewhere you can go to chill out basically - harp music anyone?) and a generously sized garden. Strangely, unlike most accurate regency townhouses, there do not appear to be any servant's quarters - perhaps these servants don't need to rest? Or they go somewhere else entirely for that.

Why not introduce yourself to your new housemates? Or enjoy some tea and cakes that have been prepared for you personally by your retainer, which they seem to keep insisting on bringing to you?

---

II. AN INVITATION

Your arrival coincides with the beginning of spring and with it the height of the ton's social season. What kind of social event can signify the start of this better than a grand ball?

Coincidentally you won't have long to enjoy your new home in peace and quiet. Wherever you are within the Grand Crescent your house's assigned butler or maid will track you down sometime during the day. They are not empty-handed and they carry a silver tray, upon which is an envelope with a wax seal bearing the letter "P". Inside the envelope is an invitation. An invitation from your benevolent ruler, Lady Pheme herself.

Each character will receive an invitation identical in wording to the one below:

MASKED BALL

YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME HERE


Is requested to attend the ball at THE PALACE, on 25th of March current, at 9 o'clock p. m.


Do not trouble yourself - masks will be provided upon your arrival.

Lady Pheme

You have already been told that an invitation to the Palace from the lady herself is the only way in. So if you want to find out anything about the tyrant lady then you better get yourself gussied up. Your servant can help you find something appropriate to wear - or not appropriate, the choice is entirely yours after all. The ball awaits.

Masked Ball

For the first time tonight, the gates of the Palace are open. Whether you're arriving on horseback, by carriage or on foot, you must travel through those gates and down a wide sweeping roadway, lined with immaculately trimmed hedges and roses bushes.

Stone steps and huge double doors greet you at the other end. Once you go through these doors, you will enter a grand entrance hall. You will see this room and the ballroom only. All other rooms are out of bounds and no amount of physical force or magic powers will get you to them.

In the short time that Andovale has been in existence, Lady Pheme has already built herself a bit of a reputation for being rather erratic when it comes to the Palace's interior. She seems to change it on a whim whenever she feels like it. She does so hate being bored after all. The colour scheme she fancies on this particular evening is black, white and silver. The many servants and attendants milling around are dressed all in white and are of course, wearing masks themselves. Every free surface is covered in grand flower arrangements, also in white.

Upon arrival, you are handed two very important items. The first is your dance card, the second is your mask. You will not be able to enter the Palace ballroom without both of these items.










The delight that is the dance card is key to every regency ball experience. Traditionally held by young women, at this ball everyone gets one. The dance card is used to record the names of those with whom you intend to dance each successive dance with at a formal ball such as this.

Got cold feet? Dancing not your thing? You might find that card being magically filled out for you. One second it's completely blank, the next you look down and find yourself with a list of delightful individuals with whom to show off your dance moves. (You have Pheme to thank for that - she's just looking out for you!)

Curiously, there is no sign of your generous hostess herself. Just a throne sitting empty at the top of the ballroom.

As for the masks, well... they're not quite what they seem too. It isn't as though you'll have any choice but to find that our for yourself. As previously mentioned, there's no entering the ballroom without one on. You might be able to persuade someone to swap masks with you or ask a member of the Palace stuff for another one - but they're all about as chaotic as each other.

Hey, at least the drinks are unlimited.

A typical regency ball usually ends around 5 in the morning so you might be here a while.

Note: The images below are just a guide, you can decide exactly what your mask looks like as long as it fits within the colour/animal category described.

Silver Mask

Simple and classic - unless you go for one of the more elaborately patterned ones.

The wearer of this mask will find themselves experiencing only the most pleasant of hallucinations. We'll leave the interpretation of that up to you.

You're also hungry. Really damn hungry.

Blue Mask

Masks of this hue will leave the wearer with an overwhelming sense of sadness. You're just plain bummed out.

Unless that is, you get yourself someone to dance with. In fact the only way to feel remotely normal or cheerful while you're wearing this mask is to dance the night away and you will feel compelled to do just that. Otherwise you're just going to be a giant sad sack all evening and nobody wants that.

Peacock Mask

Wow, so you like to make a statement, huh? Or maybe it was the only one within reach. Either way, nobody's going to fail to notice you in one of these.

Seriously. No, seriously, is it just you or is everyone staring at you? You know the mask is pretty garish in comparison to the others but this seems like an overreaction...

The truth is this mask makes you irresistible to others. So you have the personality of a shovel? Your problems are over, my chum. All of the ton will now be dazzled by your sparkling wit and the positively flawless way in which you conduct yourself. Everyone's laughing at your jokes, even when you didn't make one. Everyone wants to be the first name on your dance card. You might even find yourself with a couple of marriage proposals by the end of the night.

You lucky thing you.

Pink Mask

Two words: MEET CUTE.

Come on, it's everyone's favorite trope! You know that romcom hero or heroine who is delightfully and cutely clumsy? Always bumping into their future love interest? Well, this mask lets you become just that.

You know, after your third spilled drink of the night this could actually get really annoying.

Harlequin Mask

There is no such thing as privacy for those who end up with a harlequin mask. It may take you a while to realise (unless someone else takes pity enough to point it out to you) but this particular mask projects the wearer's innermost private thoughts onto the front of it for anyone else to read.

Let's hope you're not thinking anything too insulting. Otherwise, we might have a fight on our hands.

Cat Mask

This mask causes the wearer to start acting... well, like a cat.

Chasing shiny objects, randomly knocking glasses off the drinks table, rubbing yourself against somebody else's legs... all of that. You weirdo. What will it take to ward you off? A spray from a water bottle? A laser pointer? If only those had been invented...

Golden Mask

This mask will really amp up your Thumos production. When we say really, we mean really.

The slightest touch from another will suddenly feel like ecstasy to you. Even something as simple and bland as someone tapping you on the shoulder is liable to have you feeling weak at the knees.

Naturally this could get a little awkward if you've never even met the other person before. Oh well, at least they can't see your face properly.

Red Mask

Red is the colour of passion. That must be why you're passionately angry at that person. Specifically the first person you lay eyes on once you enter the ballroom. You might even say that they are your nemesis.

Does this person even know that they're your nemesis? Probably not. (Unless they just happen to also put on a red mask and lay their eyes on you at exactly the same moment!) It doesn't matter. Clearly they must be stopped.

Now no decent, upstanding member of the ton would condone actual violence of any kind. Particularly not at a high society soirée such as this. Your fighting must be sneaky, subtle - make them feel like they're simply not welcome here! Throw thinly veiled insults at their attire, literally throw one of the vol-au-vents at them when their back is turned, accidentlly spill your glass of lemonade in their lap... Do whatever it takes. Well, within reason.

How do you like them apples?

The bustling market of Andovale's Trade Quarter is known for having only the finest produce. This week there is a new stall that has never appeared before and it does not specialise in your run of the mill fruit and vegetables.

This particular stall is selling golden apples. In appearance they appear to be literally made of solid gold yet the beautiful woman minding the stall demonstrates that they are perfectly edible. In fact, they're downright delicious - you just can't stop yourself taking a bite. We would venture to say that they are probably the most delicious apples you have ever tasted.

They also come with side effects.

The legendary Golden Apples of the Garden of Hesperides were a wedding present to the goddess Hera from Gaia, the ancestral mother of all life. The apples promised immortality and anyone who ate them would never again experience hunger, thirst, suffering or illness... well, these apples are but a pale imitation of that. No, you won't become immortal but for exactly twenty-four hours after you've taken your first bite you will find that you don't need to eat, drink or rest. Your strength and stamina will increase tenfold and things that would normally cause harm to you cannot. Optionally, you may also be feeling extremely concupiscent, as the locals would put it - aka horny to you and me.

Somehow there's always a bad apple in the bunch though, right? Or several.

Unfortunately some of these apples are Apples of Discord. If you happen to pick one of these, one bite will still give you all of the traits mentioned above but for the next twenty-four hours you will find that unluckiness and chaos seems to shadow your every step...

So maybe you're passing beneath an open window and a maid accidentally empties a vase of water and some dead flowers on your head. Maybe you're in your local inn just trying to have a quiet drink but find that others are constantly trying to start a fight with you. Trying to get lucky with that special someone? Maybe certain parts of your anatomy just will not get with the program. And we advise you to maybe avoid carrying anything delicate and breakable for the next short while.

Wildcard

To assist you with inspiration our full list of Andovale's locations can be found here.

Want to play something that isn't listed here? Go ahead!

Please note that TDMs are considered game canon.

Both prospective and current characters who are already in game will be permitted to top-level on TDMs.

As your first port of call, we would recommend having a read of the premise page, as well as our rules. For any general game questions you may have which are not answered by the FAQ then please leave a comment on the FAQ page - for any questions specific to this TDM then please respond to the questions comment below.

Most importantly - have fun!

Comments

2 with a side of pain

[floresco]

[ The clatter of glassware and the sounds of a familiar voice apologizing profusely is more than enough to get Aerith to turn from her out-of-the-way vantage point watching the dancers on the floor and look toward the source of the noise.

That's... But the writing on the front of her mask doesn't get any further than that. The tall man is masked, but that voice, that familiar silhouette - they strike a certain chord, evoking feelings she had to make herself let go of a long time ago. Wait... replaces the first unfinished sentence writ across her forehead, her feet moving of their own accord, bringing her closer to the tall not-so-strange stranger while they make their apologies to the person they bumped into.

She waits, her mind going a mile a minute, and the writing on her mask scrolls rapidly to keep up with the cadence of her thoughts - No! Yes? It really can't be. What is this place trying to do to me? Her chest aches enough that she forgets that she's staring right up until the man lifts his head and she catches sight of the remarkably blue eyes peering out from behind his mask. ]

Zack?

[ It can't be. He's dead, I felt it happen. ]

[promissory]

[Aw, dammit. Not only has he been bumped into someone - a young woman, he notices, who doesn't seem too perturbed by this interruption to her night - but it seems he jostled her glass of champagne in the process. And caused it to spill over her gloved hand, then fall and shatter on the floor.]

Man, I'm so sorry.

[He takes he randomly without thinking and starts to wipe the liquid away that hasn't already seeped into the fabric, as if that's going to do any good.]

Hold on, I'll get you another drink, okay?

The woman just giggles and makes no effort to help Zack, but he still turns around to look for one of the help making their rounds with drinks or finger foods. Maybe his height is the problem tonight. It's not his fault he's just really tall, though! Or he's just used to taking up more space as a fighter. Kind of stupid, but it makes sense.

When he spots a traveling tray of drinks, he's about to head in its direction, but a voice stops him in his tracks. Rather, it's a voice calling his name.

A familiar voice. He thinks. Unless it's just wishful thinking on his part.

When he focuses on where the voice came from, he realizes there's a woman who had been in front of him. When he gives himself two seconds to think, he realizes she's of a similar height and build to the woman on his mind. And that hair color...

No way.

It's been four years. Longer now? It feels like yesterday. His feet carry him across the short distance and Zack immediately reaches out for her hands. He glances at the mask, catching words spelling something about someone being dead, whatever that all means, and just shakes his head, mouth parted on so many sentiments that don't find their way into the open. In the end, there's only one thing to really be said.]

...Aerith?

[floresco]

[ The way he says her name pulls on her heartstrings, and despite the incredulously phrased it can't be scrolling across the forehead of her mask, Aerith takes a few steps closer, reaching up without a moment's hesitation to lift the stranger's mask off of his face.

Zack... ]

Zack! [ There's so much joy and hope, but grief too hanging in the way she says his name, her eyes filling with tears as she draws her hands away and pulls off her own mask, staring at him in complete, thunderstruck wonder. ]

Have you been here all this time?

[ She thought she had been sure that afternoon when she felt him return to the Lifestream, but, maybe she was mistaken, maybe that sudden, gnawingly raw empty space in her heart was because he'd been lifted out of their world, and dumped into this one.

Stranger things have happened, as their current predicament might suggest. ]

[promissory]

[As soon as Aerith reaches up toward him, Zack leans in and makes it easier for her to reach for his mask. Whatever she wants to do, he'll let her. It's only fair, right? He disappeared on her without a word. And after he promised he'd see her again after the Nibelheim mission...

Man, what a piece of crap he is.

But then she removes her own mask and Zack just takes her in. Some of the other partygoers whisper to themselves at the audacity of these two to go bare-faced, but he doesn't hear any of it. He just sees her beautiful face, her bright eyes, this woman he's missed so much in such a short amount of time. All Zack wants to do is take her into his arms and never let go, but he remembers how that last letter of hers said that it would be the last. It's possible she moved on from him, found someone else.

Again, that would only be fair. So he holds himself back, though it makes him ache at the same time.]

Hey. Um. Yeah, I showed up here earlier today.

nelson muntz going haha

[floresco]

[ She's imagined this reunion so many times over the years Zack's been missing, but it's never gone quite like this. The hug she's dreamed about doesn't come, leaving her standing there, looking over his face (the best face, her favorite face in the history of all faces) and mirroring the hesitation she finds there. ]

Did...

[ The word comes out awkwardly like she isn't sure of what she's asking, even as the questions roll rapid fire in the forefront of her mind - a thing he's spared from now that the mask has been pushed off of her face. Did you get my letters? Are you going to tell me what happened?

Aerith doesn't know how to feel, but she knows how to act like she feels just fine. The tension hanging in the air between them is broken by the sound of her laughing quietly, her hand lifting to flutter at him while she shakes her head, carefree and amused. ]

Long time no see!

[ Somehow, it's harder to fake her way through this than it was to keep a level expression while Hojo salivated and raved on the other side of her cell, then, she could lean on the anger he invoked to fuel that defiant spark of hope in her. Here, in a strange world, confronted with something she's worked so hard on accepting was unthinkable, all she can do is feel the woeful twist in her chest. ]

Do you want to go for a walk outside?

[promissory]

[Zack has had no time to prepare for this, not seriously. Of course he had planned on getting back to Midgar - and somehow staying out from under Shinra's nose; he still has to iron out the kinks in that one - and seeing Aerith again, even if she had moved on. If that is the case, the least he can do is give her some closure. Just a peek inside that church that had become such a sanctuary to him, if mostly because of the woman who inhabited it most of the time, and a quick, 'Hey, sorry about that, I'm not dead or anything, just got a little hung up!' And then he could figure out what to do after losing the woman he -

But what can he reasonably say to her in so many words and without making her worry? Well, worry more. He has been gone for literal years. That's still a shock to him. He's lost so much time. But he still doesn't know what to say. Aerith deserves an explanation and the truth because he isn't sure he can brush off being missing for over four years with a simple excuse like, 'Things didn't go to plan.' No shit, they didn't go to plan; he left and never came back! But neither can he just say he got caught up in a messed up science experiment and he's even more of a screwy cocktail now than when she met him.

What a disaster.

He watches her, though. He watches her because there's nothing else he can do and he sees the emotions flit over her face and it makes Zack feel even more guilty. But she's trying and he has to do the same. So when she starts to laugh, it does something to him and he opens his mouth to say something - ]

It's been a while, huh?

[- right at the same time she quips long time no see and he can't help but laugh a little after realizing their little stumble. It doesn't feel great. It doesn't even feel particularly good, but maybe they just need to get back on the right foot again. It's been over four years. It's only natural they've gotten a little out of sync, right?

He hopes so.

Then, a few - awkward? - moments later, Aerith suggests a reprieve of sorts. Zack exhales, his shoulders slumping a little in relief.]

Please. Let's get the heck outta here.

[For a second, Zack considers waiting for Aerith to lead the way, since this was her idea, but something makes him reach for her hand and start making a (civilized) break for the nearest exit. Maybe it's a test, too, to see if she'll still let him touch her or if she'll pull away at the contact. He has to know.]

[floresco]

[ The way their words trip on each other makes her heart feel heavy and light like she can see a spark of their former selves in the way they edge around one another now.

More than anything, Aerith wants to be overjoyed by this. It's a gift; even if he really did ignore all eighty-nine letters at least he was safe, at least he was somewhere, possibly being happy, at least that terrible certainty she felt that afternoon was some cosmic mistake rather than the worst thing she could imagine coming true.

That doesn't feel like the truth though, at least not the whole truth, but before she has a chance to start mulling it over he takes her hand and knocks the wind out of her completely. Her heart leaps in her chest, and without thinking twice she tightens her hold on his hand, letting him lead the way out of the party and into the gardens beyond, grateful for the way his height and boundless energy aid them in cutting through the crowd.

By the time they're outside she's sped up enough to fall into step beside him, stealing glances at his profile as she tries to work out what, out of a million things, she wants to say to him first.

It isn't until they're far enough away from the other clusters of people who've gone out for fresh air that she finally convinces herself that starting with the biggest thing will make everything else they probably have to talk about seem easier. ]

What happened to you, Zack?

[promissory]

[He feels a spark when the skin of their hands meet and when she grips his tighter, it's like something reaches inside his chest and squeezes it. But in the best way. She doesn't pull away. She keeps holding his hand. It feels good. It feels right.

Zack doesn't pay attention to anyone they pass by. Not the people gawking at their unmasked faces, not the betrayed girl to whom he had promised he'd get a replacement drink, no one. He just has to get out, he has to be alone with Aerith and try to make things right again.

The fresh air hits him square in the face and he feels himself relaxing a little. Maybe he's been away from crowds for so long that he doesn't know how to function anymore. Maybe he's just overwhelmed by this pleasant surprise of seeing his old - current? - girlfriend. It doesn't really matter. Soon enough they find a secluded area in the garden, with hedges and plants tall enough that they give some semblance of privacy. They're still holding hands. He never wants to stop.

Now that they're here, though, Zack still doesn't know how to start up the conversation again. There are so many things he needs to tell her, but which should come first? It's as he's contemplating this that Aerith beats him to it, once again. Zack looks at her, but exhales again. Man, she doesn't pull her punches, huh.

Zack has always been pretty tight-lipped when it comes to his life as SOLDIER. A part of it was because what he experienced at any given time simply couldn't get out to the public. SOLDIER and the Turks weren't too dissimilar in that way, though they definitely operated under different approaches. So he simply never confided in Aerith very much when it came to such details. And even if he could have divulged, it's not like what he had gone through was really suitable for date talk or just pleasant company.

But now it's a little different. The company he gave almost half of his life to wants him dead. Even if he did turn himself in, he's not content they wouldn't just kill him anyway. He knows too much. Or, worse, they'd just stick him right back in a mako tank and he'd probably wish for death. All of his work, all of the loyalty he gave to Shinra and to SOLDIER, and for what?

He doesn't owe them anything anymore. But he owes Aerith an explanation, even if he may not go into the gnarly details.

Zack looks at their joined hands, runs his thumb over her knuckles and tries to keep himself calm.]

It all went wrong.

[That's so vague and won't be satisfactory. Zack lifts Aerith's hand to his forehead and he keeps it there for a moment, keeps her close while he has her.]

I'm okay. You see that, right? I'm okay. Before I say anything else, just know that.

[He lowers her hand and continues.]

The mission went wrong. It was supposed to be routine, but things got out of hand and... Shinra...has a lot of skeletons in the closet. I've known for a while, but it's really bad. Anyway, a friend and I got caught up in it. We...became test subjects. For four years.

[...There really isn't a nice way of conveying all of that, is there.]

[floresco]

[ Those first four words weigh on her like stones, making her hold her breath without thinking. He guides his hand to her forehead, and she can't help but twist her wrist enough to slip free, enabling her to touch his cheek, his jaw, the side of his neck staring at him gravely as some woeful, bitter part of her psyche laments over how it was only inevitable that something involving Shinra would go wrong.

She was too young to know how to articulate it at the time, but Aerith never really understood Zack's devotion to Shinra. His pride in being SOLDIER First Class practically lit him up from within, and she was happy just to see that light, not yet brave enough to question what fueled it. ]

I see it, I almost can't believe it, but I see it, Zack.

[ Her hand slips back into his, heart aching at the warmth she finds there.

He died. She could practically feel him say goodbye Aerith was as sure of it as she is that it is him standing here now, answering the question she had worked so hard to give up on having an answer for.

The more Zack tells her, the worse she feels before the color drains out of her face and she draws away from him, sitting down hard on a stone bench situated in their little corner of the gardens. ]

Hojo isn't very nice to test subjects.

[ The music that threads its way through her words at the best of times is gone completely when she says it. Her expression is grim as she looks at him from her seat, deciding in an instant that though she's shocked and miserable now that she's begun to learn the truth about his disappearance, he's reappeared, and she can't waste that.

Aerith shakes off some of the sadness darkening her expression, raising her eyebrows at him hopefully as she pats the spot on the bench beside her, hoping he'll sit down so that she can take his hand again. ]

So what happened to your friend? Did they escape too?

[promissory]

[Aerith touches him, doesn't shy away; if he thinks about it for more than five seconds, of course, she wouldn't. Aerith isn't like that. But it's still reassuring and he tells her these things -

But then she does step away and for a moment Zack wonders if he's said too much. He's been vague on the details, but learning someone you liked got messed up in some stuff would be hard for anyone to hear. And it's been so long...even Zack doesn't know all of what was done to him. If he thought he was a monster before, hell. There's really no saying what he's been turned into now.

He tries to stay calm, though, and simply keeps an eye on Aerith as she sits down. Oh. Yeah, that's understandable. He probably should have asked her to sit down in the first place. Whatever, what's done is done. But while he was surprised when she broke away from him, the name that leaves her lips hits him even harder.

Hojo.

That...man, if he can even be called that. Zack clenches his fist at his side and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes against the flashes of memory that he does have. Hojo's face studying him as nothing more than a curiosity, and not a human. He's always been like that, but Zack simply wanted to see any potential for good in him before. He should have known. He should have known so long ago.

As the shock and anger that name brings him wears off slightly, Zack realizes that Aerith said his name almost familiarly. That's confusing. She's never mentioned anyone in Shinra before. They hardly talked about Shinra in their scant moments together at all. Sure, Zack guesses it's not a secret that Hojo is on the payroll, but he's not exactly the face of the company, either. And the way she said it, too, like a flower wilting or closing up at night. The moment she motions for him to sit beside her, he does, the question how do you know Hojo? on the tip of his tongue.

He bites his tongue and somewhat hesitantly reaches forward to brush his fingers over her cheek instead. Something happened. He can't say what, but it's obvious. He hopes his touch or just his presence can help soothe whatever else is hurting her.

Ah, but right. Cloud. He mentioned his friend. Zack gives her cheek one more gentle touch, then lowers his hand to find hers one more time.]

I got him out when I escaped. He's alive, but...but he's got severe mako poisoning. I've been taking care of him as best I can, but I'm not a doctor. And I don't think he's here so I don't know where he is or if he's safe or...or anything. He's a good guy. He didn't deserve any of this.

[floresco]

[ Once he sits down Aerith doesn't waste much time in shifting so she's close enough to loop one of her arms around both of his, well on her way to stealing his hand in hers again when he touches her cheek and momentarily knocks the thought - and most other thoughts - out of her head completely.

For the last nine months or so, she's felt his loss. It's not as keen as it was on that first rainy afternoon when the certainty she questions now swept over her, leaving her heartbroken and staring out through the hole in the roof of the church, but it's been present in the back of her mind. Meeting her friends and beginning their journey had helped her keep looking ahead, but here with him like this, the last four years and change might as well have not happened at all.

And she doesn't know how to feel about it.

She's thankful. She's full of uncertainty and questions that need answering, but she knows enough to be very grateful to sit with him again after hanging up the notion that she would get another chance to be beside him.

The way he bristles at the mention of Hojo doesn't go unnoticed. She says nothing, but her heart aches that someone she cares about as much as Zack knows what the worst thing she's ever experienced feels like too. Sooner rather than later, she'll tell him all about what he's missed right down to how fierce Tseng's hair has become through the years, but for now, there's too much she wants to hear from him to let herself begin. She's waited years for these answers. ]

Mako poisoning? What were you going to do with him, Zack? That's really serious.

[ Turning away from him with a frown Aerith looks at the ground, hating the thought of Zack's friend out there alone now. It makes her wonder how her friends are doing, and part of her can't help but feel guilty about how she's still happy to be here if it means she gets to sit and talk with Zack again.

With a decisive sigh, Aerith lifts her head, her eyebrows raising as she determinedly tries her best to lighten the mood. ]

It's funny, the one day I don't wear pink.

[promissory]

[He should be happy to see Aerith again. It's not the ideal place, having somehow gotten kidnapped here or whatever the hell is going on, but she's here and he's here and he just wants to hold her hand and hug her and kiss her and all he has to do is lean in close enough. But he reins himself in because it's been over four years and literally anything could have happened in that time. Aerith is so kind and so pretty that she could get any guy she could ever want.

Especially guys who don't disappear without a word.

He shakes his head and sighs when she asks what his plan was going to be with Cloud.]

I don't know. I've just been trying to get back to Midgar.

[He pauses, biting his lip for a moment before hesitantly glancing back up at Aerith. His voice softens.]

To you.

[She needs to know he still cares, that he's always cared. But he laughs a little.]

I dunno, I'll find someone to help him, then we'll leave Shinra and SOLDIER and become mercs or something.

[It may not be the best plan, but it's one of the only ideas Zack has at the moment. He knows he's taking a risk going back to Midgar, the seat of Shinra and where he would be most in danger, but he has to let Aerith know he's okay. He has to. At least he knows he's strong, too, and can defend himself. And Cloud, while not SOLDIER himself, has proven to be capable, too. They can do it. Once Cloud is back to himself and Zack reassures Aerith back home that he's alive, then they'll be okay. He'll make sure of it.

He has to.

Aerith's next statement causes his eyes to widen a little.]

Wait...you remembered.

[floresco]

[ To her. Her heart leaps at the thought even as the part of her that somehow still feels his loss, even with him sitting right beside her, has to wonder if that's what he was doing when it happened. Was he killed on the way back to her?

The thought stings enough that there's a moment where she can't meet his gaze, tears pricking in the corners of her eyes and forcing her to look away (no matter how much she can't get enough of being able to look at him full stop) until she can push that grim idea out of her head. ]

Become mercs? Not without me!

[ Is it pretending to say something like that and mean it, knowing that it's likely to never be the case, or have they been gifted some alternate future where his light hasn't been snuffed out and time is theirs to use as they please? She doesn't know, but the words feel fragile on her tongue when she says them, even though if such a thing were possible she would mean it from the bottom of her heart. Had Zack made it home in the world she knew, no matter what kind of trouble he brought along with him, Aerith would have done anything to stick with him.

They have here though. This time, however long it lasts - it's still time. She can enjoy the way her comment makes his eyes go a little wider, teasing him with a skeptical raise of her eyebrows. ]

What do you mean? How could I forget?

[ Lorcan had gotten her to change her hair for the party, but Aerith found a way to work the wide pink ribbon she always wore in any way. She tilts her head and shows Zack that now, letting him see how the length of silky fabric has been woven into the elaborate style Lorcan encouraged her to try in order to blend in with the crowd and not cause a scandal. ]

I wear it every day Zack, I always will.

[promissory]

[The idea of Aerith becoming a mercenary alongside him and Cloud is absurd to Zack. He's never seen her fight, though neither would he say she could never defend herself. In his experience, there's just an extensive gap between them. And he wouldn't ever want to put her in danger, on purpose or not. But he can tell she says it to lift the mood, so he laughs with her and bumps her shoulder with his own.]

Sure, sure. We'll be a fearsome trio, right?

[The smile stays on his face even as she shows him that very specific accessory, just worn differently. He keeps smiling even though what he feels upon seeing that ribbon, still pink, still vibrant against her hair, quickly overwhelms him.

I wear it every day, Zack.

I always will.

That has to mean...

After all this time, after his silence, after any opportunity to move on from him...she still wears it. Every day.

It's too much. She's right here and he hasn't seen her and Zack lifts a hand to tilt her head toward him before his lips immediately capture her own. If their noses bump in the process or the kiss isn't perfect at first, he doesn't notice. It doesn't matter.

Nothing matters except the two of them.

Zack loses himself in the sensation, kissing her for what is probably only seconds, but he feels like a man parched and this is his oasis. Aerith is always on his mind, even as he tries to figure out what his next move should be. He made a promise to her, after all, and there is the culmination of those twenty-three tiny wishes he has to carry out.

Still, he keeps his wits about him enough to realize he's also basically just thrown himself at her without warning. Sighing, he pulls away enough to breathe.]

...Aerith.

[floresco]

[ Aerith unwraps one of her arms from his so she can flex, her chin tilting up as she moves to strike a heroic pose - certainly one she remembers from him back when they were younger. At the time, Aerith thought Zack was proud of what he was doing, but now that he's told her what happened after he left for that last mission, she has to wonder how long he went, aware of all the deep cracks in Shinra, and all the shadowy places they could lead. They have enough to talk about, and more than their fair share of somber secrets to finally bring to light, for now, she's content to leave it alone and act silly to make him smile. ]

Hey, it's been a while, you never know. SOLDIER could be checking me out as a recruit. I've become pretty badass since you've been away, you know.

[ That playful look on her face shifts to something much warmer once she sees the way Zack's looking at her, and before she has the chance to say anything more in a mad bid to try and make this first meeting full of laughter rather than pain, he's kissing her and everything slots into place, with a resounding yes.

Her other arm slips free of his so she can bring both hands up to cradle the sides of his face, the pads of her thumbs brushing over his cheeks as everything else just slips away, leaving her with her heart pounding and her toes curling in the pointed toes of her shoes.

By the time he pulls back she's breathless, a light pink spreading over the apples of her cheeks as she leans in enough to rest her forehead against his, her fingers still lightly grazing over the sides of his face. The sound of her name makes the dazed smile on her face go that much wider. ]

I missed you Zack.

[promissory]

[It feels as if they've crossed some hurdle now. There's been the unspoken question of 'Do you still want me?' that Zack truly hopes has gotten blasted out of the water. It's obvious now, isn't it? But he knows, realistically, that there are going to be more obstacles in their way. It's simply been too long since they've been separated. Any number of things could have happened in that time, so many opportunities for questions to go unanswered. He has his own about Aerith, though they don't necessarily feel urgent. All in due time.

Time, right now, that is filled with her hands on his face and her voice saying things that he doesn't exactly want to hear, but aren't bad, either. Zack relaxes and lets a smile rest on his own lips as he basks in this moment.]

I missed you, too. I think about you all the time.

[Zack needs her to know that. She's never far from him mind. And after the almost defeated tone of her last letter -

The letter! Zack knew there was something else he needed to clear up! He sits up a little straighter and looks at her to make sure she's paying attention.]

I got the last letter you sent. It was the only one. I don't know where the others are or what happened to them.

[It's silly in hindsight to be worried about this when he can't be blamed. He was stuck in a mako tank for four years. Even if the letters did reach Nibelheim, it's not like he was in any shape to read them. But he still feels like he has to say - ]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

[floresco]

[ The letters.

For all the years she wrote them and all the time she spent wondering if they all just ended up in some Shinra incinerator with all the other mail sent to employees no longer 'with the company', she wasn't expecting an answer to that question, much less the apology Zack follows it with.

This time she can't stop the tears that spill past her lashes and streak down her cheeks, making her pull her hands away from his cheeks so she can hide her own behind them. Of all the letters to reach him, it was the last one, the one where she made herself say goodbye that did, and her stomach clenches guiltily at the thought. ]

No, Zack. You don't ever need to say sorry to me.

[ There's a tremble to her words that wasn't there before as she works to get her tears back under control. This was already more than she could have ever hoped for, it's hard not to be overwhelmed. ]

I should apologize to you. I didn't want to stop writing those letters, but, after all that time I started to think none of them were ever going to get to you. I thought I had to move on, but, I don't think I ever really did, or could.

[promissory]

[The moment he sees those tears, Zack's heart breaks. For a second he wonders if he should have brought the letters up at all, but then shakes that doubt away. This reunion is good, but it was always going to be accompanied by pain. He just has to remember that pain isn't always bad. They have to get through this.

And they will. They will.

There's no hesitation within him now. As she offers up her own apologies and explanations, Zack wraps his arms around her and pulls her to his chest, holding her close. If she needs to spend the rest of this night crying, then he'll sit out here until she's finished. Not that he wants that to happen.]

Hey. It's okay.

[Zack won't pretend reading that last letter didn't hurt. Of course, it did. To not only learn that four years had passed when it felt like, what, only a week to him? That was shocking enough, but then to know his girlfriend couldn't find any more justification to keep up the habit really punched him in the gut. But he gets it.

If their roles had been reversed, who is to say he wouldn't do the same?]

You don't need to apologize to me, either, all right? Things just...got so messed up. None of this ever should have happened.

[He reaches up to slip a hand under one of her own, to gently swipe at her tears with his thumb. His voice is quieter, softer.]

I get it, though. I don't blame you at all.