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[agardener]

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[anashthetic]

The night of a certain network message, after it goes up, there's a knock on Sym's cabin door. On the other side is Ashton, arms folded across their chest and an almost imperious look of Are You Fucking Kidding Me on their face, regal in their frustration.

They love Aerith. They are not going to go yell at Aerith less than 24 hours into her toll about not protecting herself properly, because Aerith is one of those people who treats tolling like an actual inconvenience even after the first 36 hours for some reason (??? it's just pain.), and also she's in Vincent's rooms and they... really... would prefer not to deal with his impossible-to-read stare.

So going to bitch to Sym seems perfectly reasonable: if they're actually being an idiot, he doesn't like them enough to entertain that. Probably.

Re: Spam

[agardener]

[The door opens into Sym's cavernous cabin. The rock walls are lined with bioluminescent mushrooms and there are regular Earth mushrooms in dirt piles neatly arranged along the path. Sym stands in the relative darkness, his expression pleasant but unreadable.]

Hello, Ashton. Come inside.

I assume this is about Aerith.

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[anashthetic]

Were it anything else I would've called ahead.

[They step inside, dropping one arm from its position to trail their fingers along the wall.]

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[agardener]

[He steps back, leading the way down to the cavern.]

Come. We can speak in Aerith's room.

[The cave opens, revealing a large console, a green vat with a glass opening, and the pink, tentacled vriki sitting on a chair made of mushrooms and crystals. There's a door to the side and inside leads to an apartment complete with a bedroom, a bathroom, and a little kitchen area.]

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[anashthetic]

[It's not sufficiently distracting to distract her from her upset, but she is definitely intrigued by everything in the main room. When they move to Aerith's room she hops up on a counter in the kitchen area to sit.]

--If she doesn't get better at remembering to protect herself, next time she dies it'll be because I'm going to kill her, I swear.

[Externally their shape is 100% human, but this is a cat's tail-lashing irritation through and through.]

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[agardener]

[He nods once, though he would never think to be angry with her. Not for this.]

What protection would she have?

Re: Spam

[anashthetic]

I know she has a shield watch. I've seen it. Part of what those are meant to do is protect against surprise attacks, or at least give one time to call for help.

And I also know she doesn't carry it with her at all times, for some reason.

[She's a squishy mortal! She should be taking more precautions than Ash, not less!]

If the issue is that magically she has no quick defensive options, it's not as if we don't have plenty of powerful mages on this ship who could work with her to figure something out...

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[agardener]

Perhaps I could devise a way to ensure that she doesn't forget it. [He's already thinking of the possibilities. Quietly, of course.]

But she has far too much faith in the others here, I think.

Re: Spam

[anashthetic]

She makes loving her a very stressful experience, sometimes.

And you're right. She does. But try convincing her of that.

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[agardener]

[He just nods, looking down to his hands and then over to them.]

I don't think convincing her is the issue. I don't want her to lose that light.

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[anashthetic]

[She chews on her bottom lip.]

And even if it's for her own good, going behind her back won't exactly make her happy when she finds out.

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[agardener]

No. It is not in my nature to be duplicitous.

Not usually.

[He sighs.]

But there are other ways of protecting her that allow her to be herself.

Re: Spam

[anashthetic]

Maybe not in your nature.

[But they'll leave it at that for now.]

So? What would you suggest?

Re: Spam

[agardener]

Perhaps we can frame it as a favor to us. Aerith would protect us before she would herself.

So if this is something we need, for her to wear the shield, then perhaps she would listen better.

Re: Spam

[anashthetic]

I like the way you think.

Collectively request it of her when she's more recovered, then, maybe?

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[agardener]

[He spreads out his hands with a smile.]

I am in charge of symbiosis at home.

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[anashthetic]

[She leans forward a little, intrigued.]

In charge of symbiosis? What does that entail?

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[agardener]

Well. It mostly meant that I ensured all the species of plant, animal, fungus, and rocks worked together in harmony to ensure that the planet would thrive.

[He smiles a little, looking to the side.]

I think that's the reason the Admiral picked me up.

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[anashthetic]

Fascinating. [And she means it!]

I'm much more of a natural disaster myself, really.

Re: Spam

[agardener]

[He chuckles.]

And they are useful and have their place. All natural disasters are only disasters for humans and people. To nature, they encourage regeneration, clear out any old growth, and increase biodiversity in a region.

Re: Spam

[anashthetic]

My old master used to spread plague as he went. [A crooked grin.] Though I don't know if my blood being a mutative anti-flesh toxin did the environment any favors. At least I mainly kept to "wildfires"?

Re: Spam

[agardener]

A plague is useful. A toxin is useful.

[He breathes out.]

The planet will outlast.

Re: Spam

[anashthetic]

One can only hope, I suppose. Feels quite a bit harder to actually believe, though...

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[agardener]

I have persisted through twenty thousand years, Ashton. I have seen many, many changes in the planet but she remains.

Re: Spam

[anashthetic]

That's a length of time that's -- unfathomable, to me. Something I can understand intellectually, and no other way.