Jessie did not often acknowledge many of her talents, but one thing she was proud of was her powers of observation. She was, for the most part, a very quiet girl, though most people mistook it for shyness, when they first encountered her. Her time with Biggs and Wedge had allowed her to fine tune her ability to observe until she eventually became an excellent judge of character. That was why the three sat together now, quietly going over their meeting with one Tifa Lockheart. "What do you think, Jess?" Biggs ran a hand through his short, black hair, steel-gray eyes watching everything at once. His gaze was not like Jessie's, quiet, contemplative. Biggs saw things, skimmed over them, moved on. "She's cute, huh?" Wedge coughed in the corner, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. "Yeah, she's real cute." Biggs scoffed. "I didn't ask you. Come on, Jess, what do you think?" Jessie toyed with her glasses, frowning in concentration. Biggs always wanted to know what she thought. It was endearing, for the most part, but at times it became taxing, especially when she was as perplexed as she was now. She didn't know what to think of Tifa, really. The way Barret had described her, she had expected someone as boisterous as Biggs, but the actual Tifa was far more subdued. She asked questions, but she never probed too deeply. She never asked for anything more than what Jessie could offer, in their talks together. She was an excellent listener, and Jessie found herself opening up a bit more than she had intended to. She was a good person; Jessie thought, just, there was something else, something that seemed a little off. "She seems nice," Jessie finally responded, nibbling on the nail of her ring finger. "But I think you should get to know her a little bit better, before you start to flirt." Biggs, to his credit, looked sheepish. "I dunno, Jess. She's really pretty." "She looks like she's been through a lot," Wedge piped up, stretching his arms. The boy was more solidly built than Biggs, and just a little overweight. "So I don't think she's lookin' for a boyfriend." "Yeah," Biggs ran a hand along the side of his jaw, a nervous gesture. "We've all been through a lot, I guess. Whatever happened to her; I bet it was the Shinra." His eyes darkened, and he fell silent, quietly brooding. His mother and father had been killed by the Turks, a result of his father's illegal weapon trafficking during the war of Wutai, and Biggs became yet another orphan, another faceless child in the slums of Midgar. He had found Jessie shortly thereafter, rooting around in a garbage can. When he asked her if she was looking for food, she had responded in the negative, and informed him that she was looking for a piece of metal to finish making a taser. He had thought she was crazy, until he saw the thing. From then on, he had 'kept Jessie around,' as he put it, for 'insurance.' Jessie followed him because she believed he needed the extra help. He hadn't been as tough when they had first met. That had been years ago though. Jessie stretched her arms behind her head, yawning. She had no idea what had happened to Tifa, but she had no doubt in her mind that Biggs was correct. "Yeah, I bet it was." The little trio was silent after that, hearts heavy with memories of their own. ---------- One morning, Tifa asked Jessie to accompany her to Sector Five. Jessie had never really visited that particular Sector before, but she remembered there being a junkyard nearby, and a playground. Tifa seemed very excited about the whole thing, but Jessie knew the slums better, knew the dangers involved. "Just us girls?" Tifa asked, slipping on a pair of worn-in gloves. They looked to be made of some sort of black cloth, with iron bands along the knuckles. "I think we should take Biggs, just in case. It's really dangerous in the slums. You haven't been here for a long time, have you? You don't look like you're from Midgar." To be honest, Jessie would have enjoyed the time with Tifa, but Barret would probably worry about them both. Tifa had mentioned knowing martial arts, but Jessie took in her pale skin and small build, and figured she wasn't exactly up to fighting off bad guys, not yet. "My mom was from Wutai," Tifa responded distractedly, tying the laces of her boots, "and my dad was from...a place called Nibelheim. Mom visited Nibelheim right before the war, and never left. I was born there, lived there my whole life." "Hometown?" "Yeah, you could say that. It's gone now, though." Before Jessie could ask what she meant, Tifa had already moved toward the makeshift elevator in the bar. She tied her long hair back into a messy ponytail as she waited for the elevator to lower, tapping one steel-plated sole against the floor. "I'm going to go get Biggs. You mind waiting a minute?" "No, not at all. You're the guide, after all." Jessie knew without looking that Tifa was smiling. "Right. But maybe...you could lead the way? I know where we're going, just..." Tifa gave her an embarrassed grin. Biggs had been right; she really was sort of cute. "Yeah, sure. No problem." Jessie lowered her head onto the countertop, sighing at the feeling of cool wood against her forehead. She had no idea what Tifa wanted to show her, but she was sure it was exciting. Tifa seemed pretty exciting; she was full of energy. She heard the elevator start up, and Tifa and Biggs popped up. Tifa was laughing at a joke Biggs had just told her. Jessie smiled as well, though she had no idea what the boy had just said. Their laughter was contagious. On the way out, Biggs put his hand on the small of Tifa's back to lead her out, and Jessie forced down the odd feeling in her stomach. ---------- Meanwhile, Aeris was just preparing to leave the house, hefting her staff over her shoulder before calling out to her mother. "I'm gone, Mom! Be back soon!" She heard an exasperated sigh, and then a defeated, "Well...please, just be careful, alright?" Aeris allowed herself to smile. Her mom really did love her, and she hated to make her worry, but she had to watch over the flowers. She felt a connection there; the connection to the Planet that her...real mother had told her about in furtive whispers as they prepared for the next set of experiments that awful man would put them through. She remembered a lot about Ilfana, but over the years, some details had faded in her mind: the curve of her mouth when she smiled, the way she smelled, how she laughed. She didn't want to forget, and she never would, but her memories had become disjointed over time. It made her a little sad. She wanted to talk to someone about it, but she only had mom to talk to, and it felt like a betrayal of sorts, mentioning her birth mother in front of Elmyra. Mom had been nothing but good to her; she didn't want to make her sad either. It wasn't fair at all, what with all the worrying she put her through. She really wished she could explain, but it was always far too difficult to explain it to people. They just couldn't understand, not even Mom. She set the staff down carefully for a moment as she bent to tie her boots. The staff was surprisingly well-made; it had been a birthday gift from her Mom. The Materia inside shone brightly, a Fire Materia. That had been a gift from Zack, right before he left. She wondered what had happened to him. Mom always said he was good-for-nothing, but she felt that he had a good soul. Zack was a good person. She hoped he was alright. I got you a Magic Materia, 'cause it's the same color as your eyes. Hope you like it! I wanted to get you something practical, since it's so dangerous out here. She smiled at the memory. He really had been a ladies' man; probably found someone else. The thought sent an uncomfortable stab through her heart. She really had loved him a lot, but now, she only hoped he was alive, even if he was with someone else. Her thoughts moved to her meeting from a couple of days ago, with the girl named Tifa. She seemed very cheerful, and bright, older than her years. A little rash, Aeris thought, but she believed she had a good head on her shoulders; she could feel it. Aeris had never really had many friends, and Tifa was the only person who had looked at her gift with flowers in wonder, instead of fear. She hadn't seen that sort of innocence before in a while. Zack had a bit of it, but it was buried underneath training regiments, bright Mako eyes and too many fights. Everyone was so hard now, so rough around the edges. They had built up so many layers to keep from feeling pain each time a disappointment hit them, and their innocence was pushed underneath, so far away that nothing could reach it. You'd only see glimmers here and there; a small glance of what had been lost. Midgar was like that as well, the whole city was a wayward child without innocence, only harsh steel and forgotten promises. She hoped this city would not break Tifa, but she had seen it so many times in her short time here; she wasn't sure the girl would make it. She prayed, for her sake, that she would. Even from her short meeting, she knew Tifa was a good person, just like Zack had been. It would be a shame to see someone like that break under the pressure of Midgar's cruelty. She shook herself from her thoughts, making her trek to the church with quick, purposeful strides. It would do no good to dawdle; there were monsters all through Midgar, a result of their callous rape on the planet. Monsters were attracted to the wellspring of lifestream energy the reactors pumped away. She quickened her steps. Perhaps she would see Tifa today. ---------- "Hmm...I know it's around here somewhere..." Tifa continued to follow Jessie and Biggs, shaking the boy's hand off gently when he tried to lead her. He was a nice guy, and he was awfully cute, but she really wasn't ready for something like that. Besides, she noticed things, and she thought Jessie might like Biggs, just a little bit. She didn't want to get into the middle of that. Biggs was cute, but he wasn't worth a friendship, not really. She barely knew him, anyway. "So..." Biggs rocked from side to side, scratching his chin. "You mean to tell me there's a church around her somewhere? I don't remember any church. You sure it wasn't something else?" "I'm sure. It was a church." "What did you see in the church?" Jessie asked curiously, looking from side to side. They had been attacked by a few monsters earlier, and Jessie was still on edge. Tifa and Biggs had dispatched of them with their fists easily, but that still didn't mean that the trip had been easy. At the thought, Tifa rubbed her shoulder, sore from where a monster had rammed into her. She really needed some armor, but Barret had mentioned gil being tight, what with four teenagers and a baby under the roof. He did odd jobs, but it was barely enough to make ends meet. Tifa hoped she would get her strength back soon; she'd help even if he didn't want her too. She had never been an ungracious guest, and helping Barret make some gil was the least she could do, after he had saved her life. She barely remembered how she had gotten to Midgar. She'd get flashes here and there, the fire, then pain, glimpses of Master Zangan hurriedly preparing a Cure spell, tears running down his weathered face. When she finally gained consciousness, Master Zangan had left, and she was alone. She had darted when the doctor asked her for payment; she had no money, how did he expect her to pay? The adrenaline was gone as quickly as it had come, and she found herself surrounded by leering punks almost immediately. That's when Barret had came to the rescue, large and imposing, his right arm replaced by a dangerous-looking machine gun. Those punks had bolted out of there really fast, after that, and when she tried to thank Barret, she passed out all over again. When she awoke, a little baby was crawling all over her, gurgling. The baby had big, brown eyes and a little tuft of brownish-blonde hair on her head. "That's Marlene," she heard Barret say. "My daughter." At Tifa's confused look, he laughed. "I kinda adopted her. You aw'right? You hungry? Thirsty?" "A glass of water would be nice." "Aw'right. Hey, you can stay here while you get better. You fight, right? I saw those gloves." "Yeah. You want me...to stay?" She wondered what her dad would think, her staying in a strange place with this big man and his little girl. Barret seemed to read her mind and shook his head. "Naw, naw, don't think nothin' like that. I ain't like that; I ain't gonna hurt you. You just look like you had a rough time of it, is all. You ain't gotta stay if you don't wanna." His shoulders slumped, and she watched him grab a glass, and balance a baby bottle with a surprising show of dexterity. "Jes' don't want no girl out there on the streets, by herself. You could get yo'self killed. And it won't be for free, not really. I do a lot of stuff on the side, gotta have someone here to take care of Marlene." Tifa stared at the little baby, and picked her up, listening to her coo. "I can do that," she said, and it was settled. Barret had never tried anything; he was a good guy, a really great dad too, even though he couldn't be around all the time. But Marlene loved him more than anything, Tifa could tell. She had been really lucky to find him. And now she had Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie, Aeris too. Her life was looking up a little. She trotted up ahead and pointed to the small church in the distance. "There it is! I knew it was around here! Let's go! I can't wait to show you!" ---------- Aeris heard Tifa before she saw her, her hesitant steps against the wood floors, and then the gasps of two others...she turned around quickly to see Tifa followed by a couple of other teenagers, eyes wide with wonder. "Wow...just...damn. Check that out! Flowers!" the boy said. The girl gave him a mildly disproving look. "Don't use profanity. We're in a holy place." Aeris smiled at them, and then glanced over at Tifa, who gave her a cheerful wave. "I hope you don't mind...I brought my friends." "Not at all." Aeris grinned. "So...are you going to introduce me?" "Oh!" Tifa waved a hand in the direction of the boy. "Biggs, this is Aeris, Aeris, this is Biggs. And," she waved a hand in the girl's direction. "Aeris, this is Jessie. Jessie, Aeris. Jessie's a genius; Biggs said she can build anything." Jessie blushed, giving Aeris a polite wave. "I'm not really a genius..." Biggs shuffled around, uncomfortable, listening to the girls talk like they were all old friends. The flowers really were something else, but he figured he was intruding. Besides, Jessie didn't have any friends that were girls, and he didn't want to goof it up for her. He gave the three a mock bow and grinned. "The flowers are really cool, Ms. Aeris, but I figure I should give you girls some time alone and all. I'll be outside if anyone needs me." Tifa and Jessie barely acknowledged them, so engrossed in the flowers, but Aeris waved good-bye. "See you, Biggs! And oh, call me Aeris!" Biggs grinned and slipped out. Flowers in Midgar, who would've thought? You see something new every day, I guess. Geez, I wonder how long they're going to be in there? I'm hungry... ---------- "So...Aeris, how long have you been doing this? Growing the flowers, I mean. It's really amazing!" "For as long as I can remember," Aeris responded softly, smiling gently at Jessie. "I remember when I was very young, my mom and I were just coming back from Wall Market; we had to do some shopping, and we found this church. I...felt something from it, I guess, and I had to come in. Poor Mom, she didn't have any idea what was happening, and I kept yelling at the top of my lungs, 'Mom, mom, there's life here!' I guess it's a little weird, that I was so excited about it." "I don't think so," Tifa murmured, patting Aeris' shoulder. "That's how I felt when I first learned how to play the piano, I remember. I had always hated it before...but when I finally got the hang of it, it was like...magic. Just, the melody streamed out of my hands...I really did enjoy it after that." Jessie listened to the two talk, feeling a little left out. She didn't really have much to say on the subject, or anything that could compare. She stared down at a flower, white with pink edges. She had never seen flowers before, and she wondered what this one was called. "Um...Aeris?" Aeris looked over at Jessie. "Yes?" "This flower is beautiful. What is it called?" "Oh..." Aeris looked a little troubled for a moment before responding. "It's a sort of flower that people call a 'rose.' The name of that rose is Pristine. When you pick it, all of its petals fall off." Jessie quickly pulled her hand away from the flower. She had no idea that could happen to a flower. Aeris laughed when she noticed, giving her a slight smile. "It's alright. The flowers are very resilent here. Umm...hmm, would you two like to know a bit more about the flowers?" Both girls nodded their heads eagerly, and Aeris began explaining each of the flowers there. Carnations and tulips, lilacs, poinsettia and chrysanthemum, orchids, lilies, irises and roses, deep red and pink, yellow and lavender, violet and white. The girls seemed very engrossed, asking the flower girl all sorts of questions, and Aeris finally felt as if she fit in for once. She could show these two her flowers, and they would be pleased, happy, instead of afraid and disgusted. When they left, she handed each girl a flower, a lavender rose for Tifa, and a daisy for Jessie. After a moment of thought, she gave them one to give Biggs, a large, bright yellow sunflower. "A long time ago," she murmured to herself after the two had left, "flowers had meanings, each one different from the first. But everyone's forgotten them, now." ---------- "So, what did you think?" Tifa asked. She twirled her rose around, mindful of the thorns. Jessie bit her lip and considered, stifling a giggle when she watched Biggs walk past them, the sunflower decorating his unruly hair. "I think she's very nice. And the flowers are beautiful. How did you meet her?" "Oh! Umm, I was kinda wandering around the slums, and I found the church. I went in and found her. I wonder how she does it? You know, makes the flowers grow. It's really fascinating." "I think so too," Jessie murmured, twirling the daisy between her fingers. "You think Barret has a vase or something? We should put the flowers somewhere they can get water." "They probably won't last very long, without the sun." Tifa frowned, gazing at her rose. It was a really beautiful flower, but she had pricked her fingers on the thorns when Aeris first handed it to her. "You have to be very careful," Aeris told her, taking her hands in her own. Tifa blushed at the memory. She had been really gentle. "The thorns are really sharp; so you have to hold the stem in a way that'll keep you from getting hurt. Don't crush it in your fist. Hold it gently." Tifa had followed the instructions, but now she felt her heart sink a little. The poor flower; she should have left it where Aeris could take care of it. Now it was going to die. Jessie noted her expression and gave her a weak smile. "Umm, well, we can keep them in water until tomorrow, and tonight I'll work on something, a lamp, I guess, to give them the proper sunlight, artificial as it is. Then, they won't die. How does that sound?" She was surprised when Tifa nearly bowled her over with a hug. "Oh! That sounds terrific! Thanks so much! You really are a genius." "Umm...thanks for the compliment. And, it's no problem." Jessie hugged the other girl back. She hadn't really had many friends like this, and Tifa was always so happy...Jessie hadn't been really happy in a long time. Maybe Tifa was a good influence; she seemed to make everyone feel better, just being around. It was a nice thought, and it was also what made Jessie so happy to help the girl. Besides, she really didn't want her little daisy to die either. It would be a shame; the thing had clung on so tenaciously to life in the slums, and Aeris had been so kind, to give her the flower. She didn't have to, they had just met, but the gift made her feel warm inside. She wouldn't let the little flower die, and she wouldn't let Tifa's rose die either. It would be a shame if that happened, and she didn't want to make Tifa sad. It seemed really...wrong, to make someone like Tifa sad. "I'll get to work on it right away, actually. Just...um, you should get something to put the flowers in." She felt odd all of a sudden, with Tifa being so nice, and Aeris as well. She almost wanted to cry. It was such a nice feeling, being noticed. Biggs noticed her, but not in the way she wanted him to, and Wedge didn't notice much of anything. Her previous relationships with people, they only seemed to want to use her for something, but she felt none of that here, even though she had just met Tifa and the young flower girl. So that Tifa wouldn't see her crying, she quietly excused herself, slipping into the room Barret had set up for both her and Tifa. Grasping the tiny flower in her small hands, she wept, filled with an emotion she had not had felt in years...happiness. ---------- A/N: This chapter went through a lot of issues, what with me destroying it, then starting over, then destroying it again, and so on. I'm finally finished, and I'm a bit dissatisfied with the lack of action, but then again, this story will be focusing on the relationship, moreso than any action-type of things. I hope that it didn't go too slowly for everyone else, and I will try my damndest to have the next chapter up a bit faster than this one. Thanks everyone, for waiting, and for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Another note: I'm pretty sure that some of the flowers I mentioned wouldn't usually grow in an area like Aeris' church, but um, chalk it up to her Cetran heritage?
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