Her reaction had been pure instinct, pure impulse as they approached Kalm. Aeris caught sight of the tree and ran towards it without another thought. This tree was alive, truly alive - unlike the trapped specimen clinging to existence inside the Shinra building. Aeris paused at the base. There was a branch just above her head, a convenient knot and-
Her staff dropped to the ground and her bag joined it a moment later. Hard not to think of all those children's books where the protagonists climbed and played in trees. Now she was doing the same. Her boots scrabbled against the bark as she pulled herself onto the first branch. A pause for a breath, a pat of the trunk and a mumured apology for any harm resulting from her actions. Keep moving. Aeris shifted so her handhold became a foothold and she reached for the next branch. Was that laughter from her companions behind her? No matter. She had to keep moving, get higher and higher, closer and closer to the sky; an unbelievable expanse of blue, dotted here and there with white clouds.
All too quickly the branches thinned, too narrow to take her weight. And she was not at the pinnacle like she hoped. Still high up and able to see the world around her. Aeris shuffled on her branch; there was the hulking mass of Midgar back the way she came. Even now in the bright sunlight, the huge city seemed darkened and shrouded. So much thankfully left behind back there; the slums, the Turks, Shinra. Hopefully they would remain behind her too. She would miss other little things however; if nothing else, her mom and the gardens. But Aeris was out here. Finally.
Aeris turned around. Kalm was so much smaller than Midgar, but still so full of people. Beyond the town were rolling grasslands, more trees and even mountains in the distance. The world lay before her and she could finally experience it in person. A gentle breeze washed over her and brought with it a dizzying cocktail of scents. The distinct tang of mako unsurprisingly; was there anywhere on the planet where she would not smell that? It nearly overrode, but could not quite disguise, other smells; freshly baked bread, flowers - and newer, unfamiliar scents. She settled onto her current branch, closed her eyes and drifted.
Wait. Where were the others? Nowhere in sight; not on the grassland stretching back towards Midgar. Maybe in Kalm somewhere? They had seemingly just left her to her own devices; there was no way they could have gone past Kalm and not be spotted. They would be in the town - somewhere. Probably a good idea to catch up with them.
Aeris shuffled on her branch; her last foothold was further down than expected. How had she gotten up this far? If she stretched her leg out- Her weight shifted forward and the branch creaked worryingly. She stretched further, all her weight on her arms, her dress hanging down- Fortunately no one was under the tree; anyone looking up in that moment would have gotten quite the eyeful. Okay, so if she slipped off the branch she should be able to land on the next-
And it would then snap and send her tumbling to her death. Or it might hold. Not much better; she would bounce off, plummet to the ground and die. Somehow she had gotten herself stuck. And there were no passersby to shout to for help; no sign of her companions. Even the Turks would be at least kind of helpful right now. No; that was going too far. Her friends would find her soon, right? They'd see she was still elsewhere and come looking. At the very least they would not leave her here overnight. Or longer. Maybe she would be stuck here for months and when the others finally came looking they would find a skeleton in the shredded remains of a pink dress, still clinging to the tree.
She might even become a story to tell to children by their parents. Don't climb trees or you might get stuck like the girl in pink. She climbed a tree and died all alone; no one could even get her body down and-
"Aeris!" She blinked. Cloud was at the base of the tree, his hands cupped around his mouth. "You okay?"
"I'm fine!" Dignity was not the most important thing right now. Not being a cautionary tale was. "I think I'm stuck though."
Cloud clapped a hand over his mouth. Was he laughing? She opened her mouth to rebuke him but he called up before she could speak. "Want me to get a ladder? And some pants?"
Aeris grinned at him. "That would help! Thank you!"
He turned to leave and paused. "Or you can jump? I'll catch you." Aeris said nothing. "If you trust me?" Cloud took a step back and held out his arms. Futile really. He was a million miles below her; how could he think for a moment she would just fling herself down into his arms? But then; she did trust him. He came for her when Tseng took her, he got her home safely after Reno tried to take her. Aeris bit her lip.
"I... I trust you," she called after a moment, her hand clenching the branch despite her words. "Just promise you won't drop me?"
"Promise," Cloud said and stepped closer to the tree. Right under her.
"Okay." Deep breath. "On three. Okay?" Cloud nodded. "One, two, three-" Not giving herself a moment to reconsider, Aeris slid from the branch and into thin air. Her stomach lurched as the ground rushed towards her. This was a terrible idea. She was going to die. The wind rushed past her head and- She landed on something, her fall cushioned, but she kept on moving for another moment. And stopped. Cloud grunted and straightened up again; he was looking down at her and she was looking up at him.
"See? Just as promised." The smile faded, replaced with a concerned expression. "You are okay, right?"
"Fine." Aeris smiled at him, leant up in his arms and pressed her lips against his cheek. Cloud's face flushed as she wriggled out of his arms. "Think I'm ready to flop now; we should probably catch up with the others..."