He had finally found a pre-School! A day-care, nursery, a scream-centre for monsters in training – call it what you will.
He'd discovered it through Angeal who had two dates with the one of the workers before they'd mutually decided they weren't well-suited. Genesis had joked that it was because she was a cat-lover; but she and Angeal had remained friends, and when he discovered that she had taken over the day-care as manage, he called in a favour.
"We'd be happy to have her!" The young woman chirped, sat with Angeal in Sephiroth's apartment. She was surprised Sephiroth had wanted to interview her first, but was intrigued when he explained that Alice was something of a special case. "Children adapt so well, I'm sure the playgroup will help her feel safe, especially once she gets used to coming to us every day."
Sephiroth nodded, sat in his chair while she and Angeal sat on the couch. "I'm not sure how she'll take to the other children considering her… solitary upbringing."
She smiled. "Children aren't animals Mr Gainsborough, spending time with other children is a need, not a probability."
"You're sure you and Angeal are unsuited?" Sephiroth raised a brow, easing his own awkwardness by raising theirs.
She giggled, embarrassed. "We… um… Definitely not!"
Angeal nodded, having rolled his eyes at Sephiroth's words. "Kate and I would kill each other if we took the next step."
"We're too alike."
"…So what is Sunny Care like?" He took a sip of his coffee. "Do you teach a curriculum of any sort?"
Kate smiled and Angeal offered her another one of the cookies he'd brought from his cupboard before Zack could discover and devour them all, hoping treats would help her feel at ease whilst Sephiroth drilled her.
"Thank you." She took the last chocolate covered one. "We only have the children until age five when they join the local kindergarten. So Alice would be in the Green Room, which is for the two-to-three year olds. We teach basic skills mostly through play, also reading, art and counting, social skills too."
Sephiroth nodded, he considered the place Sephiroth Approved! It had his gold star. "I'd like to come and look at it – tomorrow, if I may?"
"Of course, but we do close at seven."
"I'll make a note of it." His brow furrowed as he thought. "Did Angeal mention Alice is receiving physiotherapy? She can barely walk."
Kate sadly nodded. "The surgery on her feet? Angeal was very forthcoming about everything, he didn't give me any details about the abuse but I really think we can help her, motor-skills are part of our curriculum."
Sephiroth usually had lunch in a quiet corner of the Shinra cafeteria but had left to visit Sunny Care instead, taking Alice with him although he wasn't sure whether that was customary or not.
Sunny Care had once been a large house that had since been converted into a day-care. Judging by what he'd heard it was more a pre-School, but because it was in the Slums was described as a day-care, he supposed that title helped it avoid particular taxes, not that it bothered him, the Slums were safer than the Sectors where Hojo and his goons prowled.
The concreted garden was littered with toys and surrounded by a large gate with an intercom, which surprised him considering the buildings location.
"Yes?" A voice answered when he pushed the button.
"It's Sephiroth; I have an appointment." He explained as Alice stared, shocked at the talking box.
"Ah! I'll let you in!" The voice buzzed and Kate soon unlocked the front doors to hurry to the gate.
"Thank you for coming, is this Alice?"
Alice whimpered and shyly turned away when Kate reached out to her. "Yes," Sephiroth replied, "I'd nowhere else to leave her."
Kate nodded, her smile never fading. "It's alright; I'll show you both around."
"Your security is excellent." Sephiroth noted; his voice full of praise as Kate punched codes into the lock on the door to open it again.
She nodded. "Yes, Midgar has a multitude of… personalities," she struggled to find the kindest word, "we pride ourselves on safety."
The hallway was lined with low orange benches housing tiny shoes in the little cubicles underneath and miniature coats hung on colourful hooks above. "The young children leave their shoes and coats here when they arrive, so we like them to arrive with slippers or socks. They only wear their shoes if they leave the Green Room."
Sephiroth eyed Pancake, steadily held to Alice's mouth. "Do you allow them to bring personal items?"
Kate noticed the rabbit Alice held. "It's not something we encourage; it's a big responsibility to make sure nothing breaks or goes missing." The green door on their right was open; the room was filled with light from the large windows.
"This is the Green Room," toys were stacked in baskets and small tables were surrounded by little wooden stools, "we teach the alphabet, pre-math skills, basic shapes, colours, motor-skills, artwork, imaginative play and social skills." There was a large blackboard on the wall with large alphabet letters written in bright yellow chalk.
"We also teach the children how to spell their own name and animal recognition… I'll give you our brochure." She led him through a door at the end of the room. "This is the lunchroom; the children are in there right now."
Sephiroth clutched Alice tighter.
Tiny little people of every size and colour loudly sat at short tables digging into food and gabbling at each other as grown assistants looked on. Alice, stunned into stillness, was silent.
"Lunch time lasts an hour, we have two assistants to watch over them."
"What do they eat?" Sephiroth asked, he had nothing against a healthy appetite so long as it was sustained by healthy food.
"We strive for them to eat two pieces of fruit, a vegetable and a sandwich." She smiled and reached up to stroke Alice's hair. "Does Alice have any food requirements?"
"She's been on a liquid diet; I've just begun re-introducing her to solid food."
"But no allergies?"
Sephiroth furrowed his brow, Hojo hadn't said anything about allergies. "Not that I know of." He looked around. "This all seems very acceptable."
Kate smiled. "I have an office upstairs, we can talk there."
"Daddy down!" Alice insisted, wriggling as they closed the door and re-entered the Green Room. "Down daddy!"
"She can play here while we talk, there's no harm in it, Aerith can you watch her?" Sephiroth noticed the young girl, about fourteen years old and dressed in blue, clearing the toys into the appropriate containers and laying papers on the little tables.
"She's young." Sephiroth noted.
Sephiroth reluctantly set Alice down and watched her struggle to a table where play dough, cutters and stamps had been neatly placed.
"She'll be alright." Kate reassured him and led him to her office. "Aerith is very responsible, I know her mother; this is her work experience for the year but I'd happily take her on permanently."
Aerith stayed in Sephiroth's head for the rest of the day, her heart-shaped face, button nose, heart-shaped lips and large emerald eyes… Her entire face…
…Was just like Posie's.
"So, what did you think?" Angeal asked him when he returned to work; Alice sat at the table on the SOLDIER floor and Sephiroth sat opposite her, examining the entrance form. "Any good?"
"It's excellent."
Angeal grinned. "I said it was."
"There is one problem though."
"I knew you'd find something wrong with it."
"Aerith works there."
Angeal said nothing for a moment, trying to fathom the words. "Aerith?" He finally repeated. "Posie's Aerith?"
Sephiroth nodded.
"Is that really so terrible?"
"Yes." He snapped. "For work experience." He unhappily added.
Angeal sat opposite him and tapped the entrance form. "You can't afford to keep bringing Alice here or afford to leave her anywhere else. And work experience isn't permanent."
"Kate says she'd happily make it permanent."
Angeal grunted in acknowledgement. "You know, Alice is going to have questions as she grows up, Aerith too. They're going to find out the truth eventually."
Sephiroth reluctantly lifted his pen and signed the form. "…I know."
