"So..." Elmyra said as she carefully set down the steaming cup of tea on the table before Vincent. She pulled her tattered cloak closer about her shoulders as she slowly walked to the other side of the table and sat. She sipped her own tea while patiently awaiting the ex-Turk's response.
Vincent searched his mind for something to say, but didn't come up with much. He cleared his throat and said, "She talked of you and her flowers often."
Elmyra laughed sadly. "She did love her flowers. She'd often go out in the middle of the night and sit talking to them. In return, they grew so beautifully for her. I'm afraid I haven't kept them up as well as she would have liked." She turned to look out her window at the flower garden and Vincent followed her gaze.
"Tell me, did she find out much about her Cetra heritage?" Elmyra inquired.
"I'm sorry to say I don't think she did. Other than what we found at the Temple of the Ancients, there weren't many resources, not even in the City," he said. "We did happen to find a bit out about Ifalna, though."
"Oh, please tell me about her," she asked eagerly.
"We found her old home in Icicle Inn. Aeris' father was the ShinRa scientist, Professor Gast. Gast originally had plans to record Ifalna's knowledge about the Cetra. We found a few of their video-recorded sessions. Some of the later videos were about Aeris' birth as well as the months afterward."
"Vincent... how did she... die?"
"We don't know. One video showed the Turks coming and killing Gast. We know nothing more about Ifalna than what was on those videos."
"I... meant Aeris..." she corrected, her voice barely audible. She was gazing down at her wooden table, swirling the remaining tea around in the cup.
Vincent was mildly surprised at this, assuming Cloud had told Elmyra. "When we were near the City of the Ancients, she ran off. We found her later on an alter in the Capital, summoning Holy."
Elmyra smiled proudly, yet an expression of pain was apparent in her features.
"Cloud, who was under Sephiroth's mind control, attempted to slay her. When he finally resisted it, Sephiroth himself came down from above and... ran her through with his Masamune."
Elmyra looked down at the table, tears threatening to spill over. Even though Aeris was her adopted daughter, the little girl who had turned into the beautiful young woman had captured her heart. The pain of her loss would never cease.
After a brief silence, Vincent said, "If I may, I was going to ask if I could take a few of her flowers to the Capital, where we laid her to rest. I would like to plant them by the lake, in her memory. You may come if you wish." Vincent stood silently and slowly moved toward the door.
"Yes, please, I would... love to visit her grave," Elmyra responded, voice catching as she wiped the tears form her eyes.
End of Chapter 4