[ a stunned, uncomfortable silence befalls the gaggle of onlookers that have congregated to watch gideon be thoroughly rejected from the ball. it settles in as tightly as a bolt screwed into a dresser, but aerith can't help but think to herself: she always did have a little bit of a weak spot for morons with swords. she could picture cloud doing this, and the joke that she tells could easily have come from zack. so even if she's been flitting around the party with as much unrestrained familiarity as one might expect from a deer frolicking in the forest, she peels herself away from the festivities to intercept. short heels clicking on the floor announce her arrival as she appears at the side of the attendant, just as robed in white as the sword-wielding stranger is. aerith touches the attendant's arm with soft familiarity, hesitant but somehow sure. it accomplishes her goal, making him slip his stare from the person he's trying to kick out to aerith. she smiles then, eyes crinkling beneath the white domino mask tied to her face. ]
I'm sure it's no big deal, right? [ aerith tilts her head, doe-toned hair spilling over her thin shoulder in a wavy cascade. ] It really does complete her outfit, you know. I'm sure she wouldn't even hurt a fly with it. [ ...if she didn't want to, goes unsaid. instead, a short back and forth ensues—
"but what if...?" and "it sets a bad precedent." then, "next thing you know, everyone's gonna be whipping out their swords!" are whispered back to aerith, and she just looks at the swordswoman with a thoughtful glance before saying, ]
How 'bout... we make a deal? Anything you do tonight reflects on me. You wouldn't want to make me look bad, would you?
[ something tells her someone stupid enough to make a pun like that doesn't really have any intention of doing anything dangerous for the evening. nope— this is someone who is going to head to the buffet table and hunker down for the evening. and that is far more amusing to aerith than any bad joke she could tell.
and maybe she wants to tease a little bit. it's fun. ]
iii omg gideon my beloved
I'm sure it's no big deal, right? [ aerith tilts her head, doe-toned hair spilling over her thin shoulder in a wavy cascade. ] It really does complete her outfit, you know. I'm sure she wouldn't even hurt a fly with it. [ ...if she didn't want to, goes unsaid. instead, a short back and forth ensues—
"but what if...?" and "it sets a bad precedent." then, "next thing you know, everyone's gonna be whipping out their swords!" are whispered back to aerith, and she just looks at the swordswoman with a thoughtful glance before saying, ]
How 'bout... we make a deal? Anything you do tonight reflects on me. You wouldn't want to make me look bad, would you?
[ something tells her someone stupid enough to make a pun like that doesn't really have any intention of doing anything dangerous for the evening. nope— this is someone who is going to head to the buffet table and hunker down for the evening. and that is far more amusing to aerith than any bad joke she could tell.
and maybe she wants to tease a little bit. it's fun. ]