[center][h1][color=gold]Aerith Hastings[/color][/h1][/center]

[i][center][h2]-Main Road, Intersection between Docks/Suttling's Basin/Golden Quarter-[/h2]

[s]Thot Circle: Catching Up[/s][/center]

Resets: 5

Deaths: 4[/i]

[hr]

Aerith's eyes seemed to zone out as Chieko relayed the bad news to her, as the bomb of realization finally dropped into her mind and sunk to the bottom of her gut. She knew Ashton had tried to get her and himself before to kill each other to force a reset. She'd refused for reasons back then, though later had....given into that despair and done exactly that. And that throb of that pain, that despair itself even, seemed to rear up a bit within her chest again as thoughts of the past entered her mind. Without thinking, Aerith's hand came up to clutch around where her own heart was, and only out of the corner of her eyes did she see Chieko clenching her hands as well.  

Hiro was dead. The man who she had Chieko had arrived with, who had been a big help and she'd died alongside several times, was dead. The one who had been last to die the first time...was now the only one not returning this latest time. Aerith internally cursed at herself a bit, briefly indulging in the self-loathing and familiar pain from before. If she had not fallen into despair, perhaps Hiro would still be here. Maybe if she'd been able to stop Chieko, or at least had lingered around a minute or two more, she could have stopped the boy. 

Aerith did her best to pull back into her composure she tried to put on a smile, though it wasn't going to fool anyone at this point. It hurt, a lot. In fact, it made her even more glad to have found Chieko alive. But it all...felt like a mess as well, like a big sloppy mess. She'd tried to save Chieko's life, after Chieko tried to save theirs, and it had felt like all the blame was directed at her personally. 

And...were they truly right, in hindsight?

[quote][center][i][color=gold]'It was all your fault, you know? Little clingy bitch who can't let someone decide for themselves, right? She even tried to save you, and you decided to kill yourself! A pathetic excuse for a human being is [b]all[/b] you are!'[/color][/i][/center]
[/quote]

That was what her own mind had berated her with, and worse, over and over again among other things. The world had told her to up and disappear so long ago, coming here had been a blessing in disguise. A hell, however, was all that seemed to have awaited her in the process. 

A hell of constant death, seemingly inevitable dying, and chaos among those of them from Earth. People not willing to listen, feelings of wanting to get back at those assassins, it...to the culminating event that had led to Hiro's death. 

But...no! 

No, this was not a good train of thought to have. This wasn't right. Joy had saved her from despair, even if in a way that perhaps abused Aerith's own low and desperate position to Joy's benefit. But she had saved her that day in part at least, even if via a deal with another witch who's powers had done the heavy lifting (she wanted to talk to that one witch if she could too). She was alive for one reason or another, and needed to make use of it! Melancholy had given her perspective as well, giving her a drive to find the answers to all of this. She didn't care if she had to talk to the gods of this world too to figure it out. 

More than this, she owed herself and Chieko (at least in her mind) to do her best to [b]live[/b] and not just give up on things. She had felt the sting of pain and injury, the hell of her former home, the taste of poison in her veins, and the despair that would make one want to give up all hope at least once. She had to persevere, right? It was the only way forward, the only thing that made sense when she thought about it all. 

That...that was the only way she ever got anywhere before as well. So she would find that happy ending, even if it took everything she had to get there! 

But as Alistair spoke to her, Aerith snapped a bit out of her thoughts and looked back over to the boy. It was nice to see his face as well, if she were to be honest, though his words stung back at her prior train of thought as he left off with a question. She most earnestly agreed that they needed to communicate, or 'catch each other up' as it were, if they wanted to try to avoid 'that' again. She wasn't the most keen to speak up about it...but she'd just been thinking about it, at least, and whilst the pain hurt it also made the talking perhaps a little easier. 

[color=gold]"We went to the Clinic, and Quill was intent on getting Hiro alone. Chieko spoke up before i could claiming to be a 'clairvoyant' the bandits thought us to be, then trying to save us by going alone with the bandits. 

I...after seeing her die the first time, after all the times i had died again before then and seen others die, i panicked. I didn't want to see her die, or go off on what seemed like a death sentence. I was called out then, and...my plan failed. Completely. 

Then I...I...I tried to kill myself. I felt like trash, like i couldn't help protect anyone, and only ever got in the way. 

That is the short of what happened in the city, after that...well, i'd like to hear what all of you went through then first. If that is ok."[/color]

The dark-haired girl tried to speak where only Alistair could hear, though the chances Chieko might have heard it were very high as well. Not much space they had for private conversations, anywho, when trying to [b]keep[/b] it private. But she had avoided mentioning lord talus, and the resurrecting, or any of those things. At least, to try to avoid Aki or any other nearby innocents like being harmed...again. She and Ashton had learned that much the hard way, at least, and she didn't want to risk this right now. 

Though Odessa's sudden appearance spooked Aerith a little, causing her to jump back for a few seconds before she settled down. The horned captain's words, however, did seem to make sense to the dark-haired girl. She'd slept with a witch for who knew how long, and gained a power of sorts that...well it nature wasn't very 'light' as far as she understood it. It was like instinct, perhaps, to get that kind of feeling about herself. 

[color=gold]"I mean Alistair, yourself, and Chieko no harm. That much i can assure you, and i am actually here to help however i can,"[/color] Aerith said to Odessa, attempting to be cordial with the other female with a few brief words. 

Turning to Chieko again, as the other girl spoke about any who wanted to help to come with her, Aerith felt a smile come to her face. Small, but it was a real smile at least. Chieko wasn't pushing her away, and she was happy for it. Perhaps her and the chunni girl didn't fully agree on things before...and maybe still not about that stuff from back then for all she knew....but that wasn't a reason to leave each other in the dirt. Frankly, she was just glad to be able to help to boot. At least have a chance, anywho. 

Waving to Alistair to come, at least if he was able to now that this strange horned girl was here, Aerith then began to jog off a little to catch up with Chieko and walk alongside her. She could maybe make the excuse, if the cultists attacked soon, that she was trying to get intel. But more so, she was intent on helping Chieko and hoping there was a solution to this. 

Unless the bandits were witch cultists, which for all she knew was a big possibility, then perhhaps...this city could be saved. Maybe. Just maybe. [s]Even if it took a few resets.[/s]

[@Rune_Alchemist][@BrokenPromise][@FamishedPants]