Phone Calls

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

[Ring ring, Aerith! Flower friend on the line!]

[You too, Rydia!]

[And you, Ellone. Mom knows you skipped town.]

Comments

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

It's what's bringing everyone back to life once they've died on this planet. It's also near a source of the Lifestream, which is something from my own world that brings life to all things on the planet and everyone returns to once they've passed. I have a special connection to it, so I thought I might be able to find some answers to help us get home this way.

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

Back to life... I wonder if that's.... never mind.

Are you looking for a way home then?

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

If that's...?

[There's a pause before she answers the next question.]

I'm trying to see if Gaia will let me help it, and help everyone else who wants to go home. I won't be able to see the future of my own world, so I guess I'm a bit selfish... there's a part of me that wouldn't mind staying here.

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

Then I'm selfish too. I want to stay myself.

[There's a pause. Raine's a sharp cookie and she's got a sneaking suspicion she knows what Aerith is talking about... from personal experience.]

Is there a reason you won't be able to see your future?

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

At least I'm not the only one.

[Aerith stops for a moment, wondering just how much she should explain to Raine. She's never had a reason not to trust her.]

My friends said I died during our journey. Shortly after the point I came from when I appeared on Gaia, actually-- but it was for the best. Everyone else survived because of it. I don't have any regrets.

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry.

I have too many regrets. There's so much I wish I'd done differently.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

You too?

[For some reason, Aerith finds the idea that Raine may have died in her own world disheartening. Then again, death was never easy to take no matter how you heard about it.]

I'm sorry you feel that way. But if we cling to regrets, I don't think we can ever pass completely on.

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

Mmm. That's why there's such an age difference between Laguna and I now.

[Sigh.]

Every time I talk to my son, or my daughter, I wonder how their lives would have been different if I'd told Laguna about the baby. If they'd have been spared unhappiness if I'd simply asked him to come home.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

I like to think that if things happened one way, that was the only way they were meant to happen, no matter how unfair. We don't know what would have changed if we had lived longer.

[She offers an off handed smile.]

Maybe it would be something like what we're dealing with now?

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

Maybe so. I like to think this is my chance to do things differently.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

It is-- a chance to be the ones you love again. I know that's the way I take it.

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I hope there's a way we can stay. I don't want to leave them behind again.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

You think you could all be happy here, on Gaia?

[There's a bit of a pause.]

Oh! I never asked why you called, Raine~ I've been too busy talking about other things, I'm sorry.

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

We really did get distracted, didn't we? I called about the bulbs. I'm starting to pull them up for the winter. Would you like some? I'm not sure I'll have as much time to tend them once the baby comes.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

Baby? I didn't know you were pregnant, Raine! Congratulations~ How much longer?

[And her own excitement at the idea is very apparent-- Aerith's never had any friends who were pregnant with their own children before. ]

I'd love some. Cloud and I should be passing by Dali on our way back to Luca. I could stop by then and help you pull them if you want~

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

I'd love the help and the company.

I'm due towards the end of December. We've not told too many people I'm expecting since... there are concerns.

[Like she might die again.]

But we're being careful. It's driving me crazy not to be able to do as much as I would like.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

I'll come by for sure. Don't start without me~

[She frowns a bit-- she doesn't like the sound of that.]

What kinds of concerns? Maybe there's something I can do to help...

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

I still don't know everything. But it seems I... [Wow this is hard to say.] ...died from giving birth to my son.

I remember holding him and falling asleep, and then I was here.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

[Her frown increases.]

I wonder if there's anything I could do to help this time. I know some healing magic..

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

[Magic frightens the hell out of Raine, but this world is so different and everyone treats its existence so casually...]

Would that help? I don't know the first thing about magic.

[Except that small smidge she discovered when Ellone was tortured and even then, she's still horribly afraid of it.]

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

It may. I used it back in my own world to aid my friends in battles; I was able to heal most major and minor injuries, and sometimes even the whole party instead of just one person.

[She offers a smile.]

It can't hurt, at least. I guess it would be a sort of widwifing~ I wouldn't mind at all if you're willing to try.

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

I'm willing to try anything. I don't want to leave them behind again.

[lilyoftheslums.livejournal.com]

Then I'll be there and I'll do all I can. Let me know when you think you're getting close to time and I'll come stay with you so there's no risk of me being too late~

[waitedinwinhill.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Aerith. I will.