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Aerith smiled brightly at the idea, clasping her hands together with a soft laugh. “That sounds perfect,” she said warmly. “Half the fun is picking the recipe and gathering everything.” She tilted her head playfully. “And if we make a whole day of it… we’ll have plenty of time to taste-test too.”

“I’ll be here,” she added with a light smile. “And when our paths cross again… you can tell me about all the adventures you had getting back. Just like now.” She patted next to her.

Her gaze softened as she looked at him again, as if she could see the determination behind his words. Her hand reached out to take his own. Leading him towards the flowers she so loved.

Aerith lowered herself into the patch gently. Then she gave a small, playful tilt of her head.

“And it really is beautiful,” she continued. “Even with all the hard parts. The flowers still grow, people still laugh, and somehow… paths keep crossing when you least expect it.”

She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked slightly on her heels, looking up at him with a brightness that carried both hope and quiet understanding.

A warm smile slowly formed on her lips.

“I think so too,” Aerith said softly. “The world’s a really big place… but somehow people who are meant to meet always find their way back.”

For a moment she simply watched him, the soft light around them catching in her braid as it swayed gently behind her.

Aerith listened quietly as he spoke, her green eyes reflecting the calm certainty in his voice. There was something steady in the way he said it, like a promise carried on the wind rather than spoken out loud.

Aerith let out a soft giggle as she leaned back against her pillow. Green eyes studying the screen.

📲 I think pink would look cute on you, Yuf ~ 💕

“So don’t worry,” Aerith finished lightly. “I doubt it’s going to charge you any rent today.”

Her gaze lingered on him for just a moment longer, calm, knowing, and quietly affectionate, before she smiled again, as though she had merely shared a harmless thought.

Then her voice softened, something older and more tender slipping into her tone.

“Besides… the Planet tends to recognize its own, you know.”

“But if it did start charging,” Aerith added playfully, “I think you’d still find a way to pay it. You seem like the responsible type.”

She took a step past him, skirts swaying gently, before glancing back over her shoulder.

“Well, that wouldn’t be very fair,” she replied. “The Planet letting us walk around for free all this time, then suddenly sending a bill?”

At the small jingle of his pouches and his comment about the Planet charging rent, Aerith laughed lightly, the sound soft as wind through flowers.

She folded her hands behind her back, leaning forward just slightly as she looked up at him, studying his expression. There was no accusation in her gaze, only warmth, and something quietly familiar.

“Decades, huh?” she said softly. “That sounds like something someone says when they’ve already been practicing for a while.”

When he made the remark about spiritual awareness taking decades, Aerith’s smile widened just a little, amused in that gentle, teasing way she sometimes had when someone was pretending not to know something they very clearly did.

“Hmm…” she hummed thoughtfully, as if weighing his words.

Her green eyes followed Taran with quiet curiosity, the same verdant glow as his reflecting a knowing calm. When he moved closer, belt pouches clinking softly with each step, Aerith tilted her head slightly, the faintest smile tugging at her lips.

The slums were rarely quiet enough to hear the Planet clearly, but sometimes, just sometimes, the feeling slipped through the cracks like sunlight through broken steel. And when it did, she noticed. Especially when it came from someone who tried very hard to hide it.

Aerith had been watching him longer than he probably realized.

“She looked really happy,” Aerith added quietly. “You’re doing a good job, you know.”

Then she tilted her head just a little, curiosity and concern mingling in her voice. “Is everything okay?”

She shifted the basket slightly in her arms, a few bright petals peeking over the edge. Aerith’s smile softened when she noticed the faint change in his expression, her gaze thoughtful but kind.

“Oh, hi Leslie,” she greeted warmly, her voice light with friendliness. Her eyes briefly followed the direction Addy had gone before returning to him. “Dropping her off again today?”

As she continued past, she noticed the wave meant for her and turned her head, her braid swaying lightly behind her. Aerith lifted her hand in return, her expression gentle as she stepped closer.

The sight brought a soft smile to her face, moments like that always warmed her heart

Aerith had been walking along the familiar path near the Leaf House, a small basket of freshly picked flowers resting against her arm. The sound of laughter drifting from the yard made her glance over just in time to see Addy running inside after her father’s goodbye.