Aerith’s garden has no shortage of guests. It used to be just Tseng at the start, then Rude and then Reno. It was something like a rite of passage to be sent down to the Sector 5 slums to survey Aerith, an assignment handed down to rookie Turks by Tseng. Today, it’s your turn.

Aerith crouches beside you, her hands resting on her knees as she examines your handiwork. You’ve been at this for a while now, pulling weeds under her teasing gaze. She always gets her visitors to work. If they’re going to lurk around, spying under the guise of checking in on her, they might as well make themselves useful.

“You’re not bad at this,” she remarks, her voice light and airy despite the situation of it all. “If being a Turk doesn’t work out, you have a promising career as a gardener!” A mirthful smile tugs at her lips, but after a beat, she softens, tapping her fingers lightly against her knee. “So… have you been a Turk a while?” It’s her first time meeting a rookie Turk her age.