Reconnect: Maira

Reconnect: Maira
Date of Scene:	06 December 2013
Location:	Traverse Town - VALKYRI HQ - Main Hall
Synopsis:	After recovering Alice and bringing her back to VALKYRI HQ, Aerith finds herself with more questions than answers. To clear her thoughts of a few of them, she turns to one who she's sorely in need of a re-evaluation with.
Cast of Characters:	Maira, Aerith, Chita

---

Aerith has posed:
When was the last time Aerith was in this place?

As far as she knew, there was only once, and then she'd had to go somewhere else. She couldn't remember. But sitting here, watching over the blond-haired girl, she didn't think it was a bad thing.

They'd saved her from someone far more experienced and competent in battle than they were, and by the skin of their teeth at that. It'd taken her a few cure spells and a bit of her spirit to fix everything, but due to that, she only needed a day to recover. There was no telling when this one would wake, though.

She sighed and stood, her mind burning with questions. She had no idea who this girl was, or why she was so important, but those were questions to be asked of those who knew what was going on. Those questions however, led to other questions, and she knew perfectly well who could answer the specific ones that came up. So she made her way out of the room and looked for a certain member of this organization.

Maira has posed:
Maira is relieved to have Aerith's help with the injured. Usually, it is just her. Sometimes she will call Faruja for help when she's particularly overwhelmed with the wounded warriors. Though she hadn't escaped unscathed, she was one of the best off by the time that fight had ended, a large part of that having to do with the Dark Knight showing up to protect her. What a strange and ironic turn of events /that/ was.

Maira is as of this moment, flopped down on the couch looking exhausted. She'd seen to Chita, Mercade, Avira, Angantyr...she's completely spent for the time being, but they are all stable and well on their way to a full recovery. Whatever doesn't kill them makes them stronger, right?

Maira sighs heavily, hand over her eyes. When had Seith grown so powerful? Or had he really been holding back previously? Well, they had prevailed in the end. Maira would have kept fighting to the last--they all would. That's why he wouldn't win.

Aerith has posed:
"You make sure that you take care of yourself, too."

Maira would suddenly find Aerith just next to her, having approached from the right. The Cetra put a hand on her right shoulder and channeled what healing energies she could. Fortunately she had plenty to spare. But with Maira's hand over her eyes, Aerith was certain that the young lady was in the process of thought.

Considering what they'd been through recently, those thoughts were not good.

Maira has posed:
Indeed, Maira is troubled by many things, this the most recent. It really seems like the Shadow is growing stronger.

Maira removes her hand from her face when she hear's Aerith's voice, smiling softly. "That's why I'm resting...but thank you," she says, feeling the healing wash over her. "Save it for the others though, they took a lot more damage than I did. You know what we need? Food. We should eat something. Like ice cream--a bucket of it," she says with a small laugh.

"How are you feeling? Is Alice doing alright?" she asks, sitting up.

Aerith has posed:
A sigh. "She's asleep. No injuries, at least none that I can see. I am not about to make any assumptions about what would have happened if Seith got away with her." Aerith shook her head. "But then again, I have no idea why he wanted her in the first place. See this is why I hate missing out on things; I have to ask too many questions after."

Maira has posed:
Maira nods. "Good...I'll have to check her more when she's awake," she replies. It might take a bit of time. "As for what would have happened...I can only guess. At best, they'd have locked her away, probably kept in her that strange...stasis so that she couldn't hurt their plans. She's a princess of heart," Maira explains. "They have the power to bring worlds out of the darkness, and protect them from falling...the Shadow Lord's want them. Er...us," Maira ammends quietly, sighing.

"Well, now is probably a good time for questions--I'm totally getting that ice cream though," she says, standing and going to the freezer. She pulls out a tub and two spoons before wandering back to the couch.

Aerith has posed:
Wait... she said us.

Aerith regarded Maira a bit closer now as she headed for the freezer, and came back with a nice, big tub and two spoons. Silently, Aerith took one and twirled it in her fingers for a few moments, chewing on her next words instead of the icy, sweet treat.

When she did speak, it wasn't with a question. "Y'know, I feel like I've failed you, Maira."

Chita has posed:
About this point, possibly due to the voices, Chita shifts and lets out a pained sound before realizing he had no idea what was going on or where he was or if he was even alive. Which is why as he slowly sat up, he listened and tried to figure out what was going on. Sounds of fighting? Sounds of conflict? Pain? Anger...

Ice Cream?

The main source of his injuries came from the surges of magic that had been used to knock him out, the lingering claw marks on his chest from the feline heartless and various bumps and such from being thrown around like a ragdoll after he was unconscious by the tornado. Otherwise, though, he wasn't physically hurt that much. Just... hurt from the magic.

Pushing himself to a stand he let his hand drag along the bed and felt around carefully with his other until he found the nearest wall, following it with one hand and holding the other out in front of him as he tried to figure out where things were in relation to him and, mostly, where to go from there. The bump and following grumble of pain came from him hitting his knee on a nightstand that he was just a bit too tall to feel until it was too late.

Maira has posed:
Maira scoops a huge bite of ice cream onto her spoon and puts it in her mouth, smiling happily. Ice cream makes everything better.

At Aerith's words though, Maira's eyes widen, then blink. She waves her spoon emphatically. "Wherever you are going with that, don't go there. You haven't failed me at anything! If anything...I failed. I should have gotten in touch with you sooner. I've...been through a lot, but really, haven't we all? I guess its just been...really awkward to talk about--plus, there are things that are best not known by everyone, you know?" she says.

Maira turns then, hearing Chita start to rise. "Oop," she says, then hops up to head over toward him, taking him by the arm. "Hey, you're at Valkyri HQ. Had you brought here to recover. We're eating ice cream, come join us?"

Aerith has posed:
Aerith glanced over toward Chita, going silent as he entered. The last she'd seen of him, he'd been severely damaged by one of Seith's terrifying attacks. The fact that he was still walking around was a testament to his resilience. Still, she said nothing, merely watched Maira and Chita interact.

Chita has posed:
Chita visibly tensed when someone approached, not knowing for certain who they were. Blindfold off at the moment and possibly being cleaned with his shirt, he had on a pair of pants that were otherwise still a bit dirty from the fight the night before. When he heard the voice though the tenseness relaxed and he went to respond. "I... ca...n" His voice was a bit hoarse, like he was straining to make a sound come out. Well, having taken the brunt of Maleficents magic to his eyes and came out unable to see, it was only chance, or perhaps the fast healing after that and it not being truly that powerful, that left him able to speak or not worse.

He wanted to say he had no intention of being a burden, that he could be on his way, but when he opened his mouth to speak again nothing came out and he gave a small cough of a grumble before letting himself be led wherever. Not like he could really resist anyways.

Maira has posed:
Oh please, he could very well resist. Maira saw what he did to Seith. Still, who would want to resist ice cream? "I'll get another spoon," she says once she's led him to the couch. She fetches the spoon and returns. "Alright then....so...uh...where were we? Chita, you probably want some answers too. If I have them, I'll try," she says before going for another spoonfull of ice cream.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith grimaced. Whatever he'd endured damaged more than just his body, to be sure. She'd have to check him out later, but then she remembered his reaction to the last time she'd tried to help. Perhaps it was better that she left him alone for now.

Aerith cleared her throat and made her best attempt to recall where she'd left off. "I was going to ask you a few things... about yourself. I've come to the realization that what I first thought about you was wrong. In fact, I was wrong about a lot of things between us." She chuckled. "Here's an example: I thought we were from the same world. But that's not the case, is it?"

Chita has posed:
Possibly, but he was also pretty injured at the moment. Or at least feeling the pain of it rather than physically showing it. Brought to the couch, Chita takes a seat and reaches up to rub at his throat almost curiously before he heard Aerith shift and turned his face towards her, trying to figure out who it was. She wasn't moving or any such, or speaking just yet, so he wasn't sure. "...pass." he said relatively softly, when the remark of wanting answers, before the spoon was placed into his hand. He didn't really make any moves to take such though, so much as trying to be polite as he held the spoon and listened.

Aerith's voice surprised him and he turned away from her so she couldn't see his face, not quite 'looking' away so much as just... turning a bit and trying to mind his own business.

Maira has posed:
Maira listens, letting ice cream melt in her mouth, her amber eyes fixed on Aerith. "Actually," she says, gesturing with her spoon for emphasis, "You were only half wrong! So...the story is a complicated one, and one that I only learned fairly recently. When we first met, I didn't know anything of the things I do now," she says, taking a deep breath. The first part of the story is easier, emotionally, for her to tell. "See...you know that Dark Knight guy that was there last night? Who showed up to protect me? Well, at first when I met him, he tried to kill me. Uh, frequently. He was searching for hearts of Light and...testing them, I guess. I think, maybe, Mateus (that's he Emperor of Palamecia, who is controlling the Dark Knight) sent him to maybe try to find the princess of heart for his world. What he found was, well, me...and I felt a pull toward him, it was so strange...and then I met Mateus. You remember Uist of course? My ghost companion? Well, he recognized Mateus--it triggered something in him. He started to remember his life...."

"Then, when Uist became corporeal for a few moments, Mateus also recognized /him/. It turns out, that Uist actually worked for Mateus' father, the emperor before Mateus. He was a soldier in his army. Now, Mateus' father was dabbling in the darkness before the World of Ruin came about. He figured out how to open the Corridors of darkness, and sent his soldiers to explore the worlds. Uist was one of those soldiers. He was sent to another world...to Midgar...and that is where he met my mother."

"Uist...was my father. He just never remembered anything about his life before he met Mateus again. So...my mother was from Midgar, but Uist was from Palamecia. He fell in love with my mom and they went back to Palamecia, which is where I was born," Maira continues. Goodness but she hopes they are following her here. "But the Emperor grew more and more dangerous. When I was still very young, they went back to Midgar--but Uist, he died there, leaving just me and my mother...then, my mother died only a few years later, before she could tell me anything about my father or the world I was born in. So...I was raised there in an orphanage, never knowing any of this."

"So...um....yeah. That's what happened...with that," she says, reaching for ice cream again.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith remained silent before anything else, wondering what else she'd been mistaken about. That knight... well, now he was in the business of defending Maira. Long as he continued to do that, the cetra had no issues with him. There was, however, the part about how she was only half-wrong. "So you really are... what I thought you were? I'd rather not be alone again, the very last of... well, what I am."

Maira has posed:
Maira sighs quietly, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. "Aerith, I don't know. How could I know? My mom died when I was six. She never spoke to me about anything. How would we know? Maybe, she was some part Cetra? I don't know...I mean, would you know? Could you like...look in my heart and know?"

Aerith has posed:
Aerith smiled and placed a hand on Maira's forehead. "There's a way I think I can figure it out. Cetra always had a different... aura... than everyone else. It's what allows us to interact with all sorts of spiritual energy. Even if you have a little bit, there's the potential for it." She ran a hand through Maira's hair. "I'm not going to make any assumptions about you anymore, but that one gut reaction when I saw you the first time still hasn't gone away."

Aerith closed her eyes. "I think, now it's time to make sure." She might not be able to read hearts, but energy, she could do. There had to be some part of Maira that was an exact match to her own wavelength. "Do me a favor and empty your mind, okay? This'll only take a second."

Within a few moments, she went silent, making her best attempt at finding that one part of Maira that was exactly alike... because from the way things were going, and what she'd seen the young girl go through, coincidence was not a word the flower girl would use.

Maira has posed:
Empty her mind? Oh boy, that was going to be difficult. Luckily, she has been practicing this a lot to control her magic, so she nods and closes her eyes, letting out a slow breath. She simply lets the storm inside of her quiet, focusing on the humming of the power through her body.

As for what Aerith finds, it is very much up to interpretation. There is something there, a difference in spiritual energy. How could there not be, with the kind of magic she wields? It does seem to have a certain resonance that Aerith might find familiar.

"Aerith...even if my mother was some small part Cetra...you are the last of your kind. I'm sorry...but think, there could be more who are like me, who are...something new? A blend? Heh...lot is possible with the worlds as they are," she says softly.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith chuckled. "While I'd like to say differently, I think you're right." She removed her hand from Maira's forehead. "I'm not too sure what to make of this, that I got it so wrong." Aerith sighed again. "Dunno why I started to teach you everything I did. I'm starting to wonder if it had any effect at all."

Chita has posed:
"Being alone..." Chita says softly, "...is not so bad. At least you are not hiding from your own, hm?" The Viera gave a small chuckle as if trying to lighten the 'sadness' that was there a moment ago.

Maira has posed:
Maira frowns deeply. "Just because...it isn't what you thought, doesn't mean it was all pointless. I've needed all the held I've gotten along the way," she replies, placing a hand on Aerith's shoulder gently. "I'm sorry...maybe Uist would have known something...but he's gone," she explains, the real sadness seeping through. "When he remembered, he started sort of...leeching the life from me. He couldn't help it, his spirit was trying to pull itself back to life. We had to...seperate," she continues, looking away. She'll not go into details just now about how that had nearly killed her--would have killed her if not for her friends restarting her heart. She wouldn't go into just how much she missed him.

Maira looks to Chita. "Heh...we've all been through a lot, haven't we? We've all lost so much, but we can't focus on the things that seperate us. We have to focus on coming together as so many of us have. We've come from entirely different worlds and lives. Now we are together, fighting against the people who tore our worlds apart. Isn't that just...completely amazing?" she says with a warm smile, looking between them both.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith chuckled. "I'm really starting to believe you're a Princess of Heart after all. You've got the mindset for it." Aerith lowered her head for just a brief moment, gathering her next words. "If I really had the ability to read into your heart, I think I would love what I found." She glanced toward Maira. "I don't know if there's anything you want to ask me, but go ahead. I mean, we're basically starting over now, right?" A smile. "So go ahead. I'll try to answer as best I can."

Chita has posed:
Not noticing the smile, Chita didn't respond to such directly, or even that he was being looked at. He did nod just a little though as if agreeing to the basic sentiment of what was said. He did finally ask, "That... man, what hap...pened to him?" He hated interrupting, but now that he was thinking about things, his hand once again idly rubbing at his neck, he had to know to settle his own thoughts.

Maira has posed:
Maira blushes and looks away. "What, my word wasn't good enough?" she jokes, laughing sheepishly. Maira goes back for more ice cream, and at this rate she's going to end up finishing off the carton. "I don't really have any specific questions...just...what has been going on with you? It has been some time, I can't imagine you've managed to completely stay out of trouble either," she says with a grin.

"Seith?" she asks Chita. "Angantyr kicked him through the portal he opened. We saved Alice, for now that has to be enough. Chita...do you have any idea what he wanted to do with you?"

Chita has posed:
Seith wanted something with him? He hadn't even realized such. Was such obvious after he had fallen? Before? Was he too wrapped up in the pain of the magic to realize such? How much longer had the fight gone on after the magic had burned through him as it had? So much he simply did not know. He went to speak again but couldn't quite say what he'd intended, so he simply shook his head to respond.

Now he was curious too. What /had/ Seith intended with him?

Aerith has posed:
Aerith frowned. "I have no idea. But I don't like it." It was all she would say before answering her question. "Well... I've been trying to reconnect with a few people, not to mention get in touch with those who I've been running into on a constant basis, but never really got to know. I suppose this was as good of a time as any to touch base with you, but it seems I've gotten more out of this than I bargained for." She looked up at Maira with a smile. "In a good way, of course."

She looked down again. "You wanna know something? I still remember when I came along to save you from Vector." Aerith shut her eyes, brows furrowed. "I think when I saw what they were doing to you, it... well it hit a bit too close to home."

Maira has posed:
Maira's breath shakes as she inhales. Memories of Vector are still very recent. Time hasn't worked its magic to dull them in the least. Vector had been...a nightmare, even among nightmares. Not the worst thing she had suffered, but certainly close. "Don't....ever let them get you," she says. It's all she can say. "That Shadow Lord, Rakassa, I still need to find her. She has my necklace, and I intend to have it back."

Aerith has posed:
Aerith gave a nod. "They're as bad as a certain... problem... in my world." She sat back on the couch. "It's strange, isn't it? You never knew your mother, I never knew my father... yours died at six, mine at five..." She stared up at the ceiling, her mind putting each piece in place. "They tried to do something terrible to you in Vector. I've had some version or other of that same terrible thing happen to me for half of my life, though the first part of it was almost exactly what you went through."

Maira has posed:
Maira shudders. "I'm so sorry...that something like that was ever done to you. Was it ShinRa...?" she asks, though she expects the answers is very much yes. Maira places and arm around Aerith and gives her a small squeeze of comfort.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith gave a nod, but didn't respond for a few moments. "It's /still/ Shinra. They still want me for their little project, but it's been postponed until further notice due to the Heartless being everywhere at once." She grimaced. "I'm not angry at them, though. In fact, I suspect many of them want to do right by my world. They just... happened to fall into the same pit as those who want to exploit it, and everything else they can get their hands on."

Aerith sighed and closed her eyes. "I just need to be stronger for everyone, you know? I feel like what I'm doing isn't enough. And after that fight where we barely survived against Seith, when he was being serious about ending our lives?" She shook her head. "This is possibly the most useless I've ever felt."

Maira has posed:
Maira nods, sighing quietly. "I think there are many more important things they should be worried about. I met someone from ShinRa once--he landed a helicopter on Angan," she says. "He seemed...nice?"

I mean, people try to land things on Angan all the time, right? Obviously didn't stop him!

"Just think though Aerith...that world, it isn't gone forever. We could look for the world shards, and for the princess of heart...and we could bring it back. It's not hopeless. Sure, the Shadow is strong, but we're stronger! It was very close...but we prevailed, didn't we? We'll keep prevailing, and we'll keep getting stronger. And most importantly? We'll stick together," she says with a bright smile. OPTIMISM POWERS GO!

Aerith has posed:
"Stick together, huh?"

She smiled. "A single stick breaks, but bundled together, they are strong." Aerith opened her eyes and leaned forward again, giving Maira a sidelong glance. "I wish I could do more for you. I wish I could have met you earlier, before all the worlds were mashed together."

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles in agreement. "Heh, me too! I didn't have any friends but Uist back then--really, its actually kind of amazing we didn't meet before," she says with a laugh. "I spent a lot of time inside...I was sick a lot, so I didn't really get out much," she explains, her eyes going distant. "It's amazing...I can't believe how much things have changed--how much /I've/ changed...heh. Pretty crazy, right?" she says, looking around.

"How are yu feeling, Chita? You can stay for a bit you know...or maybe Aerith will take you home with her," she jests, laughing lightly. They were friends, right?

Chita has posed:
Chita went to respond to the remark with a light uncomfortable laugh and attempting to speak, but all he got out of his sentence he'd intended to say was, "...home... but... more... pet." He was moving his mouth inbetween those words, so it was likely he'd intended to say something else. But what was up for interpretation. As for how he was feeling, he didn't directly respond, not sure how to respond to that anyways.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith glanced toward the viera, her eyes narrowed. She wouldn't respond to his stilted answer, but she could definitely tell something had gone horribly wrong during that fight. Still, she hesitated to mention it to him, much less do anything about it. They were friends, or at least she liked to think so. Aerith just... well she had a feeling she'd strained it, quite a bit.

She'd have to address that issue. Just not now.

Maira has posed:
"Yes I was making a joke," she says with a laugh. "I'm feeling a little better now, so I should really go see to some people. Feel free to stay as long as you like though, both of you!" she says, getting up to put the ice cream away before moving back to check on all those still laying in bed.

Aerith has posed:
Aerith got to her feet and made her way back to Alice's room, sparing Chita one last look. They probably wouldn't see each other for a bit... and she wanted to tell him to take care...

...But then he'd take that the wrong way, wouldn't he?

Aerith smiled and shook her head as she made her way toward the Princess of Heart. After all, she wanted to be there when Alice woke, to make sure everything was fine before she left for Goug again.