[She takes the flowers and sniffs them deeply, eyes closing. Scent is not something that had featured much in her life, certainly not in regards to romance. It smells absolutely divine, and this is just what she had on hand?]
[She's more than a little certain Aerith is just...all magic. From head to toe. One of her hands moves to cover Aerith's, the look on her face very, very touched.]
The best kind. I...honestly never got flowers...before, at all. These are...beautiful.
[She looked up, a bit red in the face but more confident then she had been.]
I should have brought you flowers a long time ago, I didn't know you'd like them so much.
[ Mal always seems so tough and pragmatic. It's hard to imagine Jedi being anything but. Aerith's glad that's not the case, she's enjoying the way Mal's reacting much too much.
Blushing furiously at the praise Mal heaps on her while admiring her flowers Aerith shakes her head and laughs, trying not to appear as nervous as she is. ]
Thanks for inviting me over.
[ Not bothering to hide her curiosity as she steps inside, Aerith looks around Mal's flat, purposefully ignoring all the connotations that come with going back to someone's place with them, especially someone who she likes like she likes Mal. ]
[The Jedi side of her is absolutely what it is - she knows her strengths, and is confident in her use of her abilities. In fact, it's how she got the apartment at all - you can take a universe away from a Jedi but not the Jedi out of a universe - she'd immediately taken to defending the local streets, which had led to the elderly shop owners who worked below her lending her the use of this place. Protecting the innocent and the vulnerable were always her mandate, and whatever life she was building here, that was the rock that was its foundation.]
[But the same could not be said of her romantic life, which was all experimentation at this stage. Aerith was...Aerith. She knew what she felt, and that it was...scarily deep water in front of her, unknown territory she'd never really explored. Here was where her self-doubts lay, products of a hard life.]
Oh...you're welcome. It...definitely needed flowers, to brighten the place up.
[The only suitable 'vase' she has at the moment is a cleaned out, tall can - but a quick trip to the sink has that as a good temporary home, which she then puts on the small, battered old coffee table before sitting on the couch next to it, fidgeting a bit.]
[ She's doing her best not to stare at every last detail of the flat and reveal how eager she is to learn more about her in the process. Thankfully, focusing on Mal as she darts around and fetches a vase is the perfect distraction and Aerith lets her gaze follow the other woman with a smile.
Leaving her basket on a table by the door she grins when Mal returns and sets the flowers down, shaking her head at Mal's comment about brightening the place up. ]
Oh, I think the place is brightened up enough already– [ Her bright eyes flit to Mal's face pointedly. ] But they are pretty.
[ When she takes a seat beside Mal, Aerith lets herself sit close enough to take the other woman's arm, shifting sideways with an enthusiastic nod. ]
I'm so happy you invited me! I know it was last minute.
[ At that, Aerith has to smile. Mal never makes how much she likes being around Aerith a secret, and that's something she appreciates deeply. It's nice to feel cared for after so many years spent morning that lost first love, and it's wonderful to have someone to care about. ]
So!
[ On impulse Aerith leans in and plants a kiss to Mal's cheek. ]
What are we going to do now?
[ Whether or not Aerith is aware of how loaded a question that is, remains to be seen - but her past history as a button-pusher isn't likely to be doing her any favors at the moment. ]
[Oh, so many buttons. On old, dusty control panels Mal had been beginning to think were all burnt-out and dormant as museum exhibits. But, like an old ship gaining up steam again, they're getting stronger by the day.]
Uh, well...I'd really, really like you to do that again, except.
[She shifts a bit, turning enough so she can face Aerith properly, her free hand seeking one of hers. She doesn't say any more, hoping Aerith will just...say yes, really.]
[ Color rises on Aerith's cheeks when Mal adjusts the way she sits so that they face each other. Unsure if she's supposed to be, but hopelessly charmed by it, letting her fingers lace with Mal's before she leans in to press her lips against hers, all too pleased to grant that request. ]
[It's the lightest, briefest thing, but it's like stars going off behind her eyes. She goes beet red, sure that she must be red from scalp to chin. In fact, her entire body shivers, just a bit, goosebumps rising on her forearms. Great job, Jedi, you're supposed to be subtle.]
[ Aerith agrees, her voice winsome as she watches Mal blush, her face going hot as well. She's almost forgotten what it feels like, to kiss someone for the first time, and she finds it completely elating. ]
[ Mal's choice of words makes her laugh bashfully as she shakes he head, her gaze darting to the side. ]
You're tough and really, really pretty.
[ Still smiling when Mal leans in to kiss her again, Aerith shifts forward to meet her halfway, an arm wrapping around her shoulders to hug her a little closer. ]
[Oh, stars, find another button why don't you. She shivers a bit more at the contact, blushing fiercely at the compliment. It's been a long, long time since she's been called that.]
Keep...keep treating me like this, I might never let you leave, y'know.
[ Leaning into Mal's touch as the other woman works her fingers through her hair, Aerith smiles, doing her best to mask how strangely the question sits with her.
Her time in captivity as a lab specimen hasn't come up with Mal yet, and while she isn't exactly hiding it from her, Aerith isn't going to bring it up if she doesn't have to. This is already shaping up to be a perfect afternoon, there's no reason to ruin that. ]
The first time I got to go to the house I lived in now, I was so happy. Seeing all those flowers was like walking into a room full of good friends.
[ As she speaks she lets her fingers trail along Mal's arm, touching for the sake of touching her. ]
[She can sense that, the momentarily different note to the song - but it's for later, for sure. It's not like she's shared much of her own past, either. Who she had been made to be.]
I...really like them. Where I grew up, it was...well, it was a city that covered a whole moon. There was no bare ground, let alone gardens. Just...streets and buildings all the way up, all the way down.
I was a teenager before I knew what it felt like to walk on mud or dirt, even.
[She's more than happy at the touch, though, allowing that much in the way of detail out.]
[Which, really, is a bit of a shock to her - she hadn't imagined that Aerith had grown up like her in many ways. She's so...composed, so beautiful but...hadn't there always been stories, about beautiful flowers thriving with just a tiny bit of sunlight, down through the city spires?]
[She's more impressive and...miraculous than Mal had thought, really, and her smile reflects that, a little bit.]
I will, gleefully, get down in the dirt with you. I am looking forward to it. I have absolutely no idea what to do, but...yeah.
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[She's more than a little certain Aerith is just...all magic. From head to toe. One of her hands moves to cover Aerith's, the look on her face very, very touched.]
The best kind. I...honestly never got flowers...before, at all. These are...beautiful.
[She looked up, a bit red in the face but more confident then she had been.]
You're beautiful. Inside and out.
[Though that still causes some flustering.]
Come in, please, I'll..I'll get these in water.
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[ Mal always seems so tough and pragmatic. It's hard to imagine Jedi being anything but. Aerith's glad that's not the case, she's enjoying the way Mal's reacting much too much.
Blushing furiously at the praise Mal heaps on her while admiring her flowers Aerith shakes her head and laughs, trying not to appear as nervous as she is. ]
Thanks for inviting me over.
[ Not bothering to hide her curiosity as she steps inside, Aerith looks around Mal's flat, purposefully ignoring all the connotations that come with going back to someone's place with them, especially someone who she likes like she likes Mal. ]
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[But the same could not be said of her romantic life, which was all experimentation at this stage. Aerith was...Aerith. She knew what she felt, and that it was...scarily deep water in front of her, unknown territory she'd never really explored. Here was where her self-doubts lay, products of a hard life.]
Oh...you're welcome. It...definitely needed flowers, to brighten the place up.
[The only suitable 'vase' she has at the moment is a cleaned out, tall can - but a quick trip to the sink has that as a good temporary home, which she then puts on the small, battered old coffee table before sitting on the couch next to it, fidgeting a bit.]
It's...really nice to have you in here, too.
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Leaving her basket on a table by the door she grins when Mal returns and sets the flowers down, shaking her head at Mal's comment about brightening the place up. ]
Oh, I think the place is brightened up enough already– [ Her bright eyes flit to Mal's face pointedly. ] But they are pretty.
[ When she takes a seat beside Mal, Aerith lets herself sit close enough to take the other woman's arm, shifting sideways with an enthusiastic nod. ]
I'm so happy you invited me! I know it was last minute.
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[Thankfully, she doesn't have to say anything right away, and gets to concentrate on the nice, warm feeling of Aerith there, against her.]
I don't think I'd ever turn down having you over. Short notice or not.
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So!
[ On impulse Aerith leans in and plants a kiss to Mal's cheek. ]
What are we going to do now?
[ Whether or not Aerith is aware of how loaded a question that is, remains to be seen - but her past history as a button-pusher isn't likely to be doing her any favors at the moment. ]
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Uh, well...I'd really, really like you to do that again, except.
[She shifts a bit, turning enough so she can face Aerith properly, her free hand seeking one of hers. She doesn't say any more, hoping Aerith will just...say yes, really.]
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Better?
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Ye...yeah, that's...that's better.
[Her hands gently squeezed Aerith's.]
Sorry, it's been a while.
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[ Aerith agrees, her voice winsome as she watches Mal blush, her face going hot as well. She's almost forgotten what it feels like, to kiss someone for the first time, and she finds it completely elating. ]
We should do that a lot more often.
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I mean, yes please. You're...warm. Soft.
[And without hesitation, she leans in to kiss Aerith again.]
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You're tough and really, really pretty.
[ Still smiling when Mal leans in to kiss her again, Aerith shifts forward to meet her halfway, an arm wrapping around her shoulders to hug her a little closer. ]
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As an old boot, yeah. Pretty, though...
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Very pretty. The prettiest.
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Keep...keep treating me like this, I might never let you leave, y'know.
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[ She teases before her hand moves to toy with the ends of Mal's hair, her gaze lingering on the other girl's lips. ]
Can I take you with me when I garden?
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Fine, you can still garden, I grant with reluctance.
[But then, more seriously.]
What was it like? Growing up with grass and dirt and plants under your feet?
[Her own hand just idly moves through the mass of Aerith's hair. There's so much, and it's so smooth...]
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Her time in captivity as a lab specimen hasn't come up with Mal yet, and while she isn't exactly hiding it from her, Aerith isn't going to bring it up if she doesn't have to. This is already shaping up to be a perfect afternoon, there's no reason to ruin that. ]
The first time I got to go to the house I lived in now, I was so happy. Seeing all those flowers was like walking into a room full of good friends.
[ As she speaks she lets her fingers trail along Mal's arm, touching for the sake of touching her. ]
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I...really like them. Where I grew up, it was...well, it was a city that covered a whole moon. There was no bare ground, let alone gardens. Just...streets and buildings all the way up, all the way down.
I was a teenager before I knew what it felt like to walk on mud or dirt, even.
[She's more than happy at the touch, though, allowing that much in the way of detail out.]
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The garden at my house is the first and only one like it I've seen. Otherwise, we grew up pretty much the same - surrounded by city.
[ Or in Aerith's case, the labyrinthine slums forever in the shadow of Midgar's overhanging plates. ]
If you like mud and dirt, you're definitely going to have to come over and help me sometime.
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[She's more impressive and...miraculous than Mal had thought, really, and her smile reflects that, a little bit.]
I will, gleefully, get down in the dirt with you. I am looking forward to it. I have absolutely no idea what to do, but...yeah.