A scream threatened to escape her throat, but the little girl with the silver hair clamped her mouth shut tight and clenched her small fists until the racing pain left her and she fell with thud to the floor. She sat there, staring at the door, breathing heavily. She heard footsteps outside and someone wrenched the door open, sending it slamming into the other wall with a raw violence. She ignored the noise and her eyes followed the feet before her upwards to find the murderous face of the Professor glaring down at her.
She was too stunned from the pain to look away. She did not move, yet it was not fear that paralyzed her; it was the heavy knowledge that she would be here for her entire life. She would never see the sunlight or the night sky strung with stars. She would never feel the cool carress of a spring breeze or the warmth of a lover's arms. Never.
"What do you think you're doing? I thought I told you not to leave this room unless I let you out."
"You did, sir."
"Then why did you try to disobey me?"
"Because I thought I could."
"Don't ever try it again. You will only end up damaging yourself."
She climbed to her feet, face completely expressionless. "Why did you not tell me before?"
The Professor cursed. "Talya thought it would be better for you not to know."
She lied to me. "Tell her I hate her."
"You can tell her yourself."
Minerva gripped the doorknob tightly and pulled with all her strength, even putting magic into the force of her tugging. The resulting pain was immediate and sharp, racing all over her body, pins, needles, knives gouging her from every angle all at once. No scream came to her now; she had not screamed the first time she tried, not before then, not after then, and not now. She could feel herself weakening, the energy draining from her, and only a determination to beat the pain kept her standing, pulling with all her dwindling strength and will and power. The lock would come free. The door would come open.
She channelled the pain into her strength, used it to her advantage. She could feel her power and strength returning. She could feel the lock giving. Only a little longer... only a little longer. Her body protested, pain-racked and standing only of her will to succeed. Her knees wanted to give way. She wanted to give up and collapse to the ground. She wanted to be free of the pain, and only the thought that there was an after, a beyond to the pain kept her pushing onward.
Black danced at the edge of her sight, closing in, her body threatening to give up, to faint from the agony. She was dimly aware of Jenova screaming in the back of her mind-You fool! You fool! Let go!-dimly aware of Sephiroth's heightened attention. He was silent in her mind, yet perhaps he could sense her pain, sense what she was doing. If he could sense it, then could Jenova feel it?
Minerva smiled, although she could no longer see and the pain was everywhere and increasing, worse and worse and worse. Her head was going to explode. The lock was giving. Footsteps. Only a little longer... just a little longer...
The darkness enveloped her and she welcomed it, yet her mind struggled in protest to stay conscious. No! No! She had to get out! Had to beat it, had to defy it, had to...
Idiot.
She pushed herself up off the floor and poised on her hands and knees for a long moment, staring at the tiles, silver hair sliding forward to dangle in front of her face. Failure. I failed. Idiot. Minerva closed her eyes, sat up, absently pushed her hair out of her face.
"You don't take long to recover, do you?"
She looked up at Talya, then blinked and scanned the room. "Why did you move me?"
"You pulled the door off your room, remember?"
Minerva shook her head. "I did?"
"Yeah. Clear off its hinges."
She lowered her gaze, laughing softly in self-derision. Pulled it off only to pass out from the pain. What a fool.
Indeed. What were you thinking?
I wanted to get out so badly, so I could help them all. I want to help them. She stopped laughing, stared blankly at her hands. Maybe... if I can hold out that long when Aeris comes, maybe I won't have to fight her.
Stupid girl. You can't do it if you have nothing to vent your pain upon.
Minerva narrowed her eyes to green slits. What if I attempted to kill myself? Is that sufficient?
You cannot die.
I could try to.
Fool. You can't!
"Min, are you okay?"
The girl climbed to her feet. "Fine. I just... needed a moment to collect my senses."
Talya nodded slowly, one hand on the doorknob. "Why'd you try it anyway? That's the third time it's happened..."
"You did not understand it the first two times. Why should this one make any sense to you?"
"I guess I'm too stupid to get it."
Minerva did not reply.
"All right, all right, I'll leave you alone." She left the room and the girl stared after her.
"...how do you know that's what I wanted?" Minerva murmured. She sat down on the floor. Sephiroth? Are you listening? Are you still sane?
Silence answered her.
She closed her eyes against it, against everything. I will not cry. I will not. I have never cried and I am not about to start...
Nanaki followed closely at Aeris's heel as they walked through Junon's upper city, on their way to the lift. He glanced up at her every-so-often, but kept his one golden eye scanning the streets. Some of the passersby would do double takes and edge a little farther away. He remembered the response from his days with Avalanche, but after living in Cosmo Canyon for the past five years, he was no longer used to it. He kept wondering what was so strange, yet kept coming up with the same answer for himself.
So it startled him even further when he realized that the passersby were no longer staring at him, but at something behind him. He glanced in that direction, then nudged Aeris's foot as a familiar kittenish voice called out a hello.
Cait Sith was the last... person? they had expected to meet in Junon. Aeris whirled around, let out a startled gasp, then grinned and bent down to pick up the stuffed cat. "Hi, Cait," she said happily.
"Put me down," he said indignantly, and she laughed but complied. "I don't see how you can be so cheery... but I guess that's just the way you are."
"What do you mean?" Aeris asked, sobering.
"We were all defeated by Minerva."
"I thought that might be the case..." she said sagely, and when Cait tilted his head in confusion, she explained, "The Cosmo Candle went out. It's always a sign that something terrible has happened."
Cait laughed a little. "What do you mean 'always'? It's only happened once before, hasn't it?"
"Only within recorded time," Nanaki corrected. "There was already a superstition about it that first time."
"What happened then anyway?"
"...the Crisis from the Sky."
Aeris's eyes widened a little. "Cosmo Canyon has been in existance for that long?"
"It was one of the first settlements created by the Cetra who ceased their migrations. My kind were already living there from before then, though. That is why the canyon has such an excellent library."
"Anyway..." Cait Sith interjected. "Shouldn't we be trying to get everyone out?"
"You're right," Aeris agreed. "Sorry." Nanaki turned without a word to head for the lift and the other two followed behind him. He was certain now that it was the entire party that attracted the stares now, not just him. He wasn't sure if this was a relief or an embarrassment.
They passed through lower Junon without incident, although Nanaki noted that the water seemed less poluted and the people less depressed. Definitely an improvement. The houses had even lost their drab greyness and gained color from some place or other. He half-expected them to run into Priscilla, but she must have been either inside or playing with her dolphin. Or perhaps she had gone to the upper city. She would be thirteen or so about now, he guessed. Humans grew up so quickly.
Aeris soon took the lead and headed towards the mountains, intent on taking the quickest route to Midgar, even if it was the toughest. If they kept a fast pace, it was possible to get to the ruined city before the end of the day, if not before nightfall.
"So we were right about the reactors?" Aeris asked after a while.
"Yeah," Cait confirmed.
"What sector was the lab in?"
"Sector 7."
The Cetra glanced at him. "Seven, is it? That sector seems to have the worst luck of all."
The two fell silent and Nanaki saw no need to add anything. Any details could wait until they reached Midgar. He dropped to the back and kept his eye on their backs to make certain that no monsters attacked them from behind. Mountain-dwelling monsters were the most dangerous, even if the three were experienced fighters. There was no point in getting caught off-guard.
It was indeed dark by the time they were in sight of the rubble, after a fair amount of battles with dragons and other unidentifiable but equally deadly creatures. Aeris made an abrupt statement announcing her desire to visit the old church in Sector 5, near her old home. Neither of her companions had been there, but they consented with little fuss. A slight delay was perfectly all right. Nanaki did ask her why, however, and her reply was simply that she wanted to set her heart at peace before she did any sneaking around or fighting in the lab.
Sector 5 surprised the three of them with its neatness. True, it was a bit empty and there were a few huge, broken structures that must have been immovable, but it was not as chaotic as one would imagine. It must have been one of the first to be cleared up. A little ways into the town, Nanaki noticed a graveyard; there were markers, yet very few had names printed on them. He guessed that they were for all the bodies that had been recovered in the sector.
Not far from the graveyard there was a small church, around which a few tinier houses had been errected. He only glanced at Aeris's face to verify that it was the one she wanted to see. He wondered idly which god it had been built for.
"Oh, I almost didn't believe it would still be here!" the Cetra exclaimed. She hurried up the the door, then hesitated. She turned around to face the others. "You two stay out here. I'd rather be alone for a little while... You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all," Nanaki replied.
"'course not," Cait agreed.
Aeris nodded, turned, and slowly pushed open the church door and looked around, marvelling at the changes. Someone had straightened the pews, repaired the holes in the wall and cleaned up the fallen boards. The hole in the ceiling was now a neat little skylight, and through the doorway to the room beyond, she could see the stairs repaired and furniture placed neatly throughout. She approached the center of the church, where the brilliant yellow flowers continued to blossom in the sunlight.
A young brown-haired girl in a violet dress was crouched by the flowerbed, working at a sparce patch of soil. Aeris approached her and knelt down beside her with a smile. "Have you been taking care of my flowers for me?"
The girl turned, brown eyes widening. "You're the flower lady, aren't you?" she asked.
The Cetra blinked. "Marlene?"
"Yep."
"How old are you now?"
Marlene beamed proudly. "Nine."
Aeris laughed. "You've gotten so big! You were such a little thing, especially when you were with Barret. I'll bet he can still lift you onto his shoulder, huh?"
"Yeah. Papa's still really strong."
"How have things been going for you? Have you made many friends?"
"Sorta. There aren't many kids here, 'cause everybody says it's too dangerous here, but we're all friends."
Aeris smiled. "That's good to hear. Do you feel safe, though?"
"'Course. With Papa around, the monsters're all scared o' him." She furrowed her brow in thought. "Papa said Sephiroth killed you, but then he said the day before that you came back. I dun get it..."
"Sephiroth brought me back to life."
"Thought he was dead, too."
"I'm not sure he can die."
"Ohh... I see." Marlene climbed to her feet, brushing bits of dirt and leaves off her dress. "Do you wanna come say hi to Papa? He'd be so happy to see you."
The Cetra shook her head as she stood also. "No, that's all right. I'm in a bit of a hurry and thought I'd just stop by here. I didn't expect to see you. It was nice to meet you again, though."
"Mmkay. Where do you have to go?"
"Sector 7. I have to help out some of my friends. You remember Cloud and Tifa, right?"
"Yeah..." The girl's eyes went wide and fearful. "They're in trouble?"
"Oh, they'll be all right," Aeris ammended to mullify her. "Don't you worry about them." She hesitated. "Don't say anything to Barret about it. I don't want him getting worried, too."
"Okay. I won't."
"Promise?"
Marlene beamed, excited to be part of a secret. "Promise."
Aeris turned to go. "Bye, Marlene."
"Bye! Good luck!"
The Cetra pulled open the door and slipped out, glancing over her shoulder at Marlene with a fond smile.
"Light-hearted again, I see," Nanaki commented.
"Yes," she replied. "Marlene has been taking care of my flowers for me."
Cait Sith shifted anxiously. "Did you tell her anything?"
"She promised she wouldn't tell Barret. I believe her."
Nanaki bumped his head against her leg. "What flowers, Aeris?"
"In the church. I have a flower bed in the middle of the floor." She laughed a little. "A strange place for one, I know, but it seems to fit there..." She waited a moment, expression distant, then her smile returned and she said, "Well? Let's get going."
She led the group off towards Sector 7, glancing over her shoulder to make sure they were following. Mostly to make sure Nanaki was following, actually. She could hear Cait Sith's bouncing behind her. Gradually, she noted the increase of debris and rubble until they actually had to walk on it and finally climb up it to reach what had been the upper plate to Sector 6.
Aeris did not hesitate when she finally reached the entrance to the Number 7 Reactor. She went straight on through, but stopped upon finding the pathway ended. She squinted around into the darkness, then turned to Cait Sith. "Now what?"
"There used to be a bridge leading across, but someone took it down... I was sort of hoping you would be able to get us across."
The Cetra hesitated. "I don't know... but I'll have to try. Exactly where would I be getting us across to?"
The cat gestured diagonally. "In that direction a ways... Sorry."
She shook her head. "Quite all right." She studied the problem intently, then closed her eyes and concentrated, probing it with her mind, thinking of what magic she could weave to support them or to carry them across. Finally she called on her part of the Planet to manipulate the air so it would be firm enough to let them walk on it. She held the command with her mind and her heart and took a tentative step onto nothing. The air seemed to wobble a little or perhaps to sink, yet it held.
Aeris turned to the others triumphantly. "Let's head for the other side." The two kept close to her as she led the way across. They must have been worried about falling. She couldn't blame them. She found the other end of the bridge and stepped onto the metal floor. She had never been in a reactor before... but it was too dark for her to make any real observations about it. She glanced at Cait, eyes asking where to go next.
The little cat led her through an open door and into another room filled with darkness. The only light now was that of Nanaki's flaming tail. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
"Minerva tried to help us first. She led us through the reactor before she gave in to the pain and fought us instead. Kinda sad, but useful now." He put a paw against the wall and glanced back at her. "She opened up some sort of passage here. If you can get it open, I think I can remember the way."
"All right," Aeris agreed. "I'll give it a try." She walked to him and laid her hand against the wall a few feet above where he had put his paw. It struck her immediately that this was not a real wall at all. Certainly it felt real, but it was made of... something else. A foreign magic... like that of Sephiroth, and of course, of Minerva. She frowned. How was she supposed to break the spell then, if she could not understand this magic?
"Well?" Cait asked.
"Give me another minute," she replied. "I'm still new at this." She prodded it with her mind. What to do, what to do... She reached out to ask the Planet for help. She could not hear its voice clearly at all; only a vague murmur reached her. She played with her hair, thinking. Well, perhaps she could bend it, if not destroy it... She pushed at a lower corner of the wall spell, looking down to see the effects. To her satisfaction, she could make out a small amount of black there. She pushed harder and got the hole big enough to fit through.
"That's the best I can do," she said, voice a bit strained. "You two go ahead."
She waited while Cait abandoned the huge moogle and scampered through on all fours followed by a crouching Nanaki. Aeris crawled through after them and released the spell.
"All right," she said to Cait. "You take the lead now."
They started down the passage with the little cat in the lead, Nanaki just behind him, mostly for the light of his tail, and Aeris in the rear. It struck her as a rather amusing sight, to be following a pair of felines. What strange friends she had! But she was glad for their oddities. She wouldn't have them any other way.
Nanaki stopped suddenly, ears perking up. Aeris managed to keep from tripping over him, and Cait Sith paused and sat back on his haunches. "What is it?"
"Heard footsteps," Nanaki muttered in as close to a whisper as he could. It came out as more of a low growl.
The trio waited uncertainly, listening to the slow but deliberate footsteps. Who would be wandering around these passages? Did someone know they were there? Or maybe-
Reno came into her vision, blinking in surprise, and she could not speak for a moment either.
"Reno!" she exclaimed finally, softly though.
"Aeris?" he queried, then shook his head in wonder. "Minerva was right then. She said you were coming." He looked around at the dim passage. "Guess I must've found the way out then."
"Yes, you have," Cait said from near his feet. "How did you escape?"
"Got a room with a ventillation system above it. Someone tried to cover up the old vent, but they weren't trying very hard."
"I am surprised you noticed it, even so," Nanaki commented doubtfully.
"Minerva left me a note saying it was there," Reno admitted grudgingly.
"Well," Aeris said uncertainly. "Do you just want to head out or come with us? There aren't any forks on the way out..."
"Uh-uh," the Turk said firmly. "You are not going to put yourself in danger like that."
She put her hands on her hips. "And why not? You think I can't take care of myself?"
"I know you can't take care of yourself." He stepped carefully around Cait and Nanaki to take her shoulders. "You should go back. Let the rest of us take care of it."
Aeris shook her head stubbornly. "You need my help. You may not think you do, but you're going to need it. And I'm not safe anywhere without about an entire army to protect me, now am I?"
Reno clenched his teeth, then let her go. "Why are you always right?"
She only laughed in answer. "Let's just go. Lead on, Cait." The group continued onward with its new addition taking up the rear, keeping close behind Aeris. Eventually, after many passages, they came to a large empty room. There was a closed door with a keypad beside it on the wall. Reno brushed past her to inspect it. After a moment, he ripped off the cover panel, tossed it aside, and began fiddling with the wires and switches behind it. Cait Sith scampered over to Aeris, and she bent down to pick him up, straightening again to watch Reno work.
Nanaki wandered over to the Turk in an attempt to get him better light, and the redhead muttered something that must have been a 'thank you.' Abruptly, the door slid open to reveal a lighted hallway. The group was momentarily blinded, save for Cait. Nanaki recovered first and padded out into the corridor, looking around. There were closed metal doors on either side, with electronic locks instead of keypads.
"...do you think this is where their cells are?" Aeris asked softly.
"Dunno," Reno replied. Then he blinked. "One of the doors is open..." He strode swiftly to it, barely making a noise. The others followed. Reno peered inside. "Nothing out of the ordinary..."
"What about the lock?" Nanaki inquired.
Reno inspected this, too. "It's been deactivated... Could have been by someone on the inside. No clue how they managed it though."
Aeris glanced around. "Well... assuming they are in these cells, how do we get them out?"
"It's probably easy enough to open the locks from the outside," the Turk reasoned. "I mean, they only made them to keep the people inside from getting out, not the other way around." He moved to look at one, stood there for a moment in contemplation, then made a few deft motions. The door slid open and he grinned at Aeris over his shoulder. "Piece of cake!"
"Reno?" asked Elena's voice from inside. The blond rushed to him. "You got out!" She blinked and looked past him at Aeris, Cait, and Nanaki. "...did they help you?"
Aeris shook her head. "We met him on our way in."
Cid appeared behind Elena. "Aeris? What the hell are you doing here?"
"We're here for the rescue!" she answered, beaming.
The pilot shook his head helplessly. "You just love getting yourself into trouble, don't you?"
"I suppose I do," she replied. "Reno, can you get the other locks?"
"Sure."
Within a short time, they had all the cells open; some were empty, others contained their friends and comarades. Everyone gathered in the hall... but two were missing.
"Where is Vincent?" Aeris asked. "And Yuffie?"
The others looked around, frowning, but came up with no answers.
"Maybe they already got out," Reno suggested.
"I hope they're all right, in any case..." Aeris said worriedly.
"Where are our weapons?" Cloud asked of no one in particular.
"Dunno," Reno replied.
"Most likely it would take entirely too long to find them," Nanaki put in. "It would be best to regroup elsewhere..."
Aeris turned to him. "What about Sephiroth?"
"Leave him," Cloud said, frowning. "We can't do anything for him in this shape. We're short two people and he's obviously not in the same prison block."
"Cloud's right," Tifa agreed. "We should just get back before someone finds out we've escaped..." She trailed off.
"Great," Cid commented. "You just had to say it."
Aeris turned around to see what they were staring at; Minerva was standing at the end of the hall. The girl strode toward them, but not in any hurry. She stopped a few meters away.
The others shifted uncertainly when she did not say anything.
"Someone is going to have to fight her," Nanaki said finally, to break the silence.
"Exactly," Minerva agreed. "I will wait while you choose one among you. If the rest reach the exit before the end of the battle, I will let you go."
There was only a slight pause before Aeris handed Cait to Elena and stepped forward. "I'll fight."
"But, Aeris," Reno protested, "there's no way-"
"I'm going to fight!"
"If you fight her you're going to lose!" he cried. "I don't care how strong you are now!"
The Cetra lowered her eyes. "That doesn't matter, Reno. I'm the only one who can keep her busy long enough for the rest of you to get away. That's what matters."
Cloud walked over to her, taking her by the shoulders. "Aeris, you can't," he pleaded. "Let me fight her instead. You need to get away from here."
Aeris held his gaze firmly. "No, Cloud. This isn't your battle. It's mine. I can win it, but you can't."
"What do you mean you can win it? Don't you know how powerful she is?"
She smiled. "I don't think you understand. Maybe you'll figure it out later."
"But-"
"She is not a child, Cloud." Everyone turned to look at Nanaki. "Let her make her own choices. You cannot protect her from everything."
Reluctantly, Cloud let go and turned to leave, silent in his defeat. Most of the others followed him, glancing over their shoulders in worry. Reno stayed behind and the other Turks stood waiting for him.
"Minerva?" the redhead queried, his tone earning him a questioning glance from Aeris. "Isn't there anything you can do?"
"No."
"Is there anything I can do?"
The silver-haired girl hesitated. "...give Aeris your nightstick."
He blinked. "What?"
"Your nightstick. It is a much more effective weapon."
"I don't want it," Aeris said quickly.
"But Aeris, if-"
"I said I don't want it," she repeated forcefully. "Are you going to go or what? Hanging around isn't going to accomplish anything."
Reno nearly said more, but instead he nodded in consent, gestured to his friends, and ran to catch up with Cloud's group.
"It does not seem like you to be so commanding," Minerva commented.
Aeris turned back to her. "You hardly know me. My mother always told me I was too stuborn."
"Hmph."
"Well?" The Cetra tilted her head, staff held ready at her side. "Aren't you going to attack me?"
"I thought I would allow you to have the first move."
"I don't plan on attacking you."
"Then how do you expect to win?"
"Some battles aren't won on the actual battlefield."
Minerva studied her uncertainly. "You have no wish to hurt me, do you? Even though I hurt your friends?"
"They're not hurt," she replied. "And no, I don't want to injure you."
"Is this why Sephiroth thinks so highly of you?"
She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"He seems to think you divine. Or rather, he thought so the last time I spoke with him. I think she is breaking him."
"'She'?"
Minerva shook her head. "You will see for yourself soon enough. Are you certain you do not want the first move in this fight?"
"I'm sure."
The girl nodded, then, wasting not another moment, she darted towards Aeris, drawing a pair of knives from nowhere and slashing towards her. Aeris was prepared, however, and the knives only clashed with her shield, sparking.
Minerva smiled. "Smart. You have learned a thing or two."
"I am a Cetra," she replied.
"But it seems you only just found out. I thought you would have known yourself better." She ended this with a downward swipe of the knife in her right hand, forceful and edged with energy as well as the physical blade. The shield wavered, but Aeris reinforced it and it held.
"Stop hiding in there," Minerva said. It was not a complaint; it was spoken as an insult. A swipe of her hand sent a blast of energy that shattered Aeris's wall, and both of the knives followed, thrown shortly after. The Cetra knocked one aside with her staff, but the other flashed along the side of her head, cutting her cheek and clipping a few locks of hair.
She did not have time to put up another shield before Minerva threw her next three knives. Aeris dropped to the floor, heard them fly past over head, then rolled to one side as she got to her feet. Minerva's hand was outstretched, eyes focused on something behind her. The Cetra wirled around, only to duck again as the five blades flew back to their owner.
"Sometime you will have to do something other than defend yourself, Cetra."
Aeris straightened. "I don't want to."
The girl took her time in replacing all but one of her knives. "Oh, but I want you to. If you killed me, I would be out of your way. Talya too, most likely, considering Sephiroth can take care of himself if he has his powers. So why leave me unharmed if you have a chance at wiping me out?"
"I've never killed anyone, and certainly not anyone innocent."
Minerva raised an eyebrow. "You think me innocent?"
"Yes."
"Quite strange. I wish I did not have to fight you."
"Then don't."
"It is not that simple." She raised her hand in warning, Aeris raised her defenses, and then the hand lowered sharply. A blast of energy shattered anything the Cetra had managed to construct and slammed her against the far wall.
"Fight back. I am not playing anymore." Minerva darted forward, aiming a kick at Aeris's head. The Cetra blocked it with her staff, then swung, knocking the girl off balance. She climbed to her feet in time to leap away from Minerva's second kick. The girl followed the attack with a thrown knife. Aeris stopped it and sent it back towards its owner.
Minerva snatched it back before it hit her and smirked at Aeris. "I do hope you have more than that in you."
"I do."
"Then use it. I want this battle to be worth my time."
His head shot up. Footsteps. A click. The door slid open and Minerva stepped through, Aeris in her arms. The Cetra was unconscious, bleeding, her head tilted back, her hair tumbling down, threatening to touch the floor, eyes closed and lashes casting tiny shadows on her face, slightly pained. She looked beautiful like that.
Sephiroth barely noticed Talya a few steps behind them. He watched from his corner, nothing moving save his green-blue eyes. Minerva placed Aeris's limp form on the hard bed and turned to him. She was struggling to keep her face blank, but could hide nothing from him; he could see the pain flickering in her blue-green eyes. She glanced at Talya.
She won't let me heal her...
Do it anyway. You know I can't.
I know, I know... but...
The madness gleamed in his eyes. Of course, you could leave her and I could watch her bleed...
Minerva's face remained blank, steady now, and her tone calm in her thoughts. What has she done to you?
The same thing that she's been doing to you for years. I told you I wasn't strong enough.
Talya had been watching him with concern, but as soon as he looked at her directly, her stance turned impatient. "Min, are you finished staring at Seph already? He's not gonna say anything. I mean, just look at him."
Minerva turned to her, said quietly, "You know nothing."
The ex-Turk shrugged casually. "'Course not, compared to you two." Sephiroth smiled minutely. What a weak way of dealing with the truth. Don't take it seriously, and it won't hurt you.
"Then why," said the girl with the silver hair, "why are you free, while we must suffer and die here?"
Talya's green eyes dropped. "I'm not any more free than you are. You should know that by now."
"Hmph."
But Talya never stayed down for long, even if she had to pretend. "Well," she said, head lifting, that grin on her face. "Min, you gonna go or not? The Professor's letting you out for a bit."
The girl nodded and strode silently past her and out the door. It slid shut behind her, leaving Talya alone with Sephiroth.
"...are you gonna be all right?" she asked.
"You mean," he said with a smirk, "will I be able to leave her alone?"
"Well... yeah."
He laughed. "The same rule applies to her as applies to you. I have no sharp objects."
"Okay..." Talya said uneasily. "That's more or less comforting."
"Meaning it disturbs you."
"Yeah..."
"You should leave before I frighten you more. But then, there is nothing else for you to do now, is there? Hojo can keep Minerva in check and she can keep me from doing anything destructive. No one needs you anymore. Or did Aeris manage to free anyone?"
She hesitated. "She got all of her friends out before Minerva found her. Apparently she was looking for you."
"Hmph." He glanced at the unconscious Cetra. "She is such a fool. She has found me now, I suppose."
"You used to care so much about her... what's happened to you?"
"Surprise, surprise, this is who and what I really am." He sat up and leaned across his knees. "Frightening, isn't it?"
Talya shuddered and shook her head in denial. "This isn't you..."
"Isn't it?"
"No, it's not." She looked at Aeris. "I just hope she can bring the real you back. If anyone can, it's her."
"Why so confident in her? She's only a Cetra," he sneered. "Minerva beat her-easily, too, I'll bet. How long did she last? Half a minute?"
"Don't be so cruel. You know as well as I do that fighting isn't her specialty." Talya opened the door and said over her shoulder. "Besides, she lasted an hour at least."
"What? Was Minerva playing with her?"
"Nope. And I don't think Min knows how to block her powers either," she added, almost gleefully. "Don't scare her too much; she's probably the only one who can get us all out of this mess."
Sephiroth looked at Aeris again, uncertainly this time. Had she found her true strength? No. If she had, Minerva would not have beaten her so easily. He looked back towards the door to find Talya gone. He did not blame her. He climbed to his feet and walked slowly over to sit beside Aeris on the bed. She looked so innocent... She is innocent, he reminded himself.
No, she's not.
...whatever. She's beautiful, in any case. He reached out a hand to touch a rather bad scratch on her face. She winced slightly and he withdrew the hand. He hoped that the wound would not leave a scar. He wished he could heal it. Part of him wanted to try it anyway, but he deamed the effort useless and sat back to wait for her eyes to open. She could heal herself when she awoke.
He tilted his head. What if she couldn't?
What, you still want to try? Minerva's sealed away all your power. You can't possibly...
Shut up. I'll do what I want. Of course, he agreed with her, but now that she had picked that side, he had to go against her. He never, never, wanted to agree with Jenova.
You're a fool.
No, I'm insane. Besides, would it not please you to see me fail at helping her?
Jenova mulled this over for a moment. Fine. Go ahead and make yourself useless.
Sephiroth set his hand against Aeris's face, more firmly this time, and ignored her pained expression. He willed her wounds to heal, willed it with all his being. Just once while he was here, he wanted to prove Jenova wrong. He knew that this wouldn't work, but-
His eyes widened, tinted blue. Was it actually.... He jerked his hand away and stared at Aeris. A moment passed before he wiped the blood from her face with trembling fingers. There was no trace of the scratch that had been there before. He sat perfectly still, his hand hovering over the Cetra's face.
What... was that? Jenova asked.
I don't know... My power... is still sealed of... isn't it?
It is. I can tell.
Then how did I-
Aeris's eyes fluttered open and he gave a start, practically leaping from the bed, eyes still wide, yet green now, almost in fear.
Aeris pushed herself up on one elbow, closing her eyes again for one moment. She didn't feel hurt in any way. Her wounds... what had happened to them? She sat up completely and looked down to inspect herself, finding only drying blood where the cuts and gashes had been. Had someone healed her? She blinked, sensing that someone was watching her.
Sephiroth was to her right, staring at her. He looked oddly frightened; she had never seen him scared before.
"Sephiroth," she said, managing a wavering smile. "What's wrong? I didn't wake up that suddenly, did I?"
He shook his head slowly. "I... I shouldn't have been able to..." Taking a step back, he shook his head more vigorously.
"Able to what?" she asked, quite confused. What had happened to him?
"Heal you."
She looked back at herself momentarily. "Oh... you did this? Maybe Minerva let you...?"
"She didn't," he cut in quickly.
Aeris hesitated. "Well... however you did it, thank you."
"Don't. I only did it to spite her."
"'Her'?"
Sephiroth had calmed down by now, his eyes blue-green and his expression neutral. "Jenova."
Her eyes widened and she pushed herself to the edge of the bed. "You mean she's talking to you again?"
"Yes," he answered, almost casually.
Aeris got to her feet and took a few steps forward, stopping only when she saw him moving backwards. "Are you all right?"
He averted his eyes and did not answer.
"Are you?"
"Do you really care, or do you just want to comfort yourself?" he queried sharply.
She blinked, taken aback. "Of course I care..."
Sephiroth laughed. "Good point. She would give that answer no matter what. How am I to know it's the truth?"
Aeris eyed him with concern. "What has Jenova been telling you?"
"Many things," he replied. "I do not want to believe them, but sometimes... they make too much sense." He glanced at her. "She said I did not know you; that makes sense, doesn't it? This is, after all, the fifth time I have spoken to you. How could I possibly know your true intentions?"
"But I just want to-"
"There you go again, trying to seem honest. Everything you say could be a lie... I apologize if it isn't."
"What's happened to you?"
Sephiroth looked at her directly and said softly, "I remember now... I remember everything..." There was an underlying tremor to his voice.
"That couldn't change you this much, could it?"
"Oh, it could," he replied, laughing bitterly. "It brought me back to what I was, what I truly am."
Aeris dared to ask, "And what is that...?"
"A murderer," he said. "A killer."
"You're not..."
"I killed you!" he cut in, nearly shouting. "I killed you and I loved it! I enjoyed it! I am a murderer, a freak, I loved it! The way the blade went clean through you, the blood, the power, the blood, the blood..." He stared at her, his eyes a frightening shade of green even deeper and brighter than her own as he studied her. Aeris stepped backwards and bumped into the edge of the bed, fearful of the madness those eyes held in spite of herself. "You would look even more beautiful... covered in crimson..." He slid down the wall until he found the floor, and then stared at his hands as though he had never seen them before.
"Sephiroth...?" she asked softly, no longer certain of what to say. His memories can't be the only things driving him insane. Jenova had to have something to do with it... but what am I supposed to tell him if he doesn't trust me?
"Do not call me that," he snapped, looking up at her sharply.
"Then what am I supposed to call you?"
"Nothing," he replied, voice surprisingly level, yet still bitter. "Nothing at all. Do not speak to me. Do not attempt to console me. I know you don't care."
"But I do care," Aeris said forcefully. She could feel his bitterness in her heart, and his eyes... she nearly choked on the sobs that were building in her throat. His eyes held not a single trace of hope. There was only anger, hatred, fear.
"No you don't. Probably the only thing keeping you from enjoying the sight of me like this is your desire to keep up your pretense. Do you want to trick me? To give me hope and beat it out of me yourself? Would you enjoy that even more? Certainly you must want some kind of revenge for my killing you."
"How could you even suggest that?" she gasped.
"It is human nature, is it not? Surely that applies to the ancestors of the humans as well. I know it applies to me. Everything I did five years ago was for my own enjoyment."
"I can't believe that."
"Believe it, Cetra, for it is true," he snapped. "I won't pretend to be pure so that you feel safer around me. If I had a weapon, I would kill you now."
"Then why did you bother healing me?"
"To prove Jenova wrong. She said I couldn't."
"Why did you suggest it in the first place? Surely you had a reason for that." She was desparate for something to hold onto, some known ground. He was like a stranger to her now. An insane stranger, as he had been five years ago. But that wasn't really him. She was sure of it!
Sephiroth thought for a moment. "I don't know. It was quite random on my part." He paused then frowned. "Oh, shut up, I am sick of carrying on two conversations at once."
Aeris hesitated, then assumed he had been talking to Jenova and shook her head. "I don't think it was. You're hiding something."
He narrowed his eyes at her, but she could not read the look at all. "Why should it matter anyway?"
"I can't help you without your cooperation... You need to help yourself a little, too."
"Why would I want to?"
She nearly burst into tears right then and there. "Do you really hate yourself that much?"
"Murderers are to be hated, are they not?"
"But you're not a murderer!" she cried.
He laughed. "Oh yes, my body just picked up the Masamune and killed those people on its own. I had nothing to do with it."
"Jenova misled you... You wouldn't have had you been free of her influence."
"So you are saying I was a weakling? Perhaps I am now, but I wasn't then. I made up my mind to kill them all even before Jenova spoke to me. She simply used my anger to her own advantage."
"If you enjoyed it so much, why haven't you tried to get out of here and kill more people?"
Sephiroth closed his eyes and dropped his head. "I may have enjoyed the slaughter, but I do not condone it."
Aeris frowned in confusion. "How can you enjoy and despise something at the same time?"
"I do not think it right to kill, yet I wish to do it anyway. Haven't you ever had the feeling?"
She shook her head helplessly.
"Hmm. Of course you haven't... Maybe you truly are who you claim to be..." He glanced at her. "In any case, I wish I could cease thinking of ways to slaughter you, but I cannot. They enter my mind no matter what I do, and I must say, some of them would be quite amusing, if I only had my Masamune."
The Cetra took a few steps towards him. "You know right and wrong, and you want to be right, even if you can't. Isn't that enough to start from?"
Sephiroth lifted his head. "What do you mean?"
She strode to him and knelt down in front of him. "You didn't always think that way; I know you didn't. I could try to bring you back to that, if you'll let me."
"I doubt you could," he said softly. "You cannot make me forget it all."
"I shouldn't need to," she answered.
He raised an eyebrow. "I don't see how I could be free of it otherwise."
"You just have to accept that you don't have to be that way anymore. You can be whatever you want to be."
"No I can't," he snorted. "I am an experiment, created from an altered human embryo. Jenova is as much a part of me as either of my human parents. Perhaps more so." He stared at one of his gloved hands. "Perhaps I should call her 'Mother.'"
"No," Aeris said urgently, sensing the danger in Sephiroth believing his own words. "Just because Hojo experimented with Jenova cells doesn't mean she is your mother. You're just as human as anyone else, if that counts for anything. You have your own purpose, not just what the Professor deams fit for you. You can do whatever you want to do to make yourself happy, just like the rest of us."
Sephiroth cast her a sidelong look, then scoffed loudly. "Happy?" he echoed. "What is it like to be happy? I don't know. I've never known it, and I don't deserve to."
Aeris moved closer. "Sephiroth, listen to me," she pleaded. "It doesn't matter what you did in the past. You were lied to then, by everyone, maybe even yourself. You reacted with vengeance because in the beginning, you truly believed you were right. It's in your nature to fight for good."
"Then why didn't I?" he asked, appearing slightly amused.
"You made a mistake. A big one at that, but it was still a mistake... caused by all the lies that had accumulated as facts in your mind."
"Why did I keep killing when I found out I was wrong?"
"I can't get into your head, Sephiroth," she told him. "You have to tell me that part."
He hesitated. "Why should I?"
"I think it'll help."
"I never said I wanted your help."
"You don't have to."
Sephiroth stared at her, as if seeing her for the first time. "...why do you insist on helping everyone at your own expense?"
She laughed softly. "It's in my nature, I guess. Cloud would probably be quite angry with what I'm doing now. 'It's too dangerous,' he'd say. 'Sephiroth was the one who killed you, remember?'" She shook her head, a slight smile on her face.
"...you miss him, don't you?"
Aeris nodded. "But... he's wrong. He is so wrong about you. Cloud lets his emotions cloud his judgement..."
"And you don't?"
She looked up. "Hmm?"
"Your concern for everything makes you do stupid things. You aid others with no regard for your own life. Why?"
"Back to this again? Why do you have trouble understanding it? You've done it at least once before, remember?"
Sephiroth blinked. "I did?"
"You traded yourself for me. It's why you've suffered so much here in the first place. But why did you do such a thing? You could have saved yourself so much pain."
"Shut up..." he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment, his face half-hidden behind his knees. He said nothing else for so long she nearly risked prompting an answer. She knew doing so would weaken her argument, but...
Sephiroth raised his head to look at her. "I... I did it because I did not want them to take you away."
Aeris tilted her head. "Why not?"
He shifted uneasily, as though trying to shrink farther into his corner, and did not answer.
"And why did you stay behind when you rescued my mother and I from the lab? You could have easily come with us, but you didn't."
"I was trying to..." He stopped, tried a different approach. "I thought that if I stayed in the lab, then that would be good enough for Hojo and he would... and he would leave you alone."
"Do you see? You've made yourself suffer to save me twice when you didn't have to. You should understand what makes me do it."
He studied her carefully. "...do you love everyone, Aeris?"
Her heart skipped a beat. No, he couldn't mean that. She could easily say she loved her friends, couldn't she? "Mostly," she answered with a sheepish smile, hoping he hadn't gotten the wrong impression with her hesitation.
Sephiroth nodded slowly. "I see." He got to his feet and she followed him a few steps behind as he walked to the center of the room. He stood there a moment, then turned to face her. She could not read his expression. "You wanted to know... why I didn't stop killing people when I found out the truth, didn't you?"
"Yes," she answered quietly.
"...Jenova was pushing me to continue. She told me that what I found out was just a bunch of lies. And I, so eager to think I was still right, believed her. I couldn't stand the thought that I was killing innocent people, so I told myself I wasn't and kept fighting..."
"Oh, Sephiroth..." she murmured. Hope flickered in his eyes as he continued.
"But when I killed you... that's when I started to doubt it, and the doubt grew. By the end, I couldn't believe my own lies anymore. I gave up; Jenova had some control over me, but not enough to make me win." He looked down. "If I had chosen to fight, Cloud would never have beaten me."
"I can believe that... you have to be strong to have simply brought me back to life without feeling drained in the slightest..."
"I may be strong physically... and magically... but I am such a weakling when it comes to my mind. I could not accept that I was wrong, that I was a murderer."
"You've accepted it now."
"What good does that do? It does not change anything."
"Hush," she said softly, before he could berate himself any longer. "No, nothing can change the past... But hating yourself won't change it either."
"Then what am I supposed to do? Everyone hates me, and I still want to kill them. Hell, I would kill you even, if I had some way doing it."
"I can't believe that for a second. You could do it now, easily I'm sure. I'm not very strong."
He ignored her words. "Tell me, Cetra, why do I have such a bloodlust? You know everything, so tell me that!" Sephiroth's eyes shone with that emerald fire.
"I don't have all the answers," she replied quietly. "I can only speak from experience and I... I've never really killed anyone." She hated to sound so pure, especially to him. She almost expected him to refute everything she had said thus far.
But he only eyed her for a moment then shook his head. "No, of course you wouldn't have. Not you."
"Sephiroth... can you... tell me how it feels? Then perhaps I can figure out why you seem to like it."
"It is better for you not to know."
"But I want to help you... I can't if you don't tell me anything."
"You do not need to help me. You do not need to know."
"Don't spare me from the detail. I'm not that pure, am I?"
"Compared to me, yes, you are." He sighed. "But, Aeris, that is not why I want to spare you from it."
She blinked. "Oh?"
"...I know you are already afraid of me. If I told you what it is like, you would fear me more..."
"I'm not afraid anymore."
Sephiroth studied her carefully and she wondered what he saw. "Are you certain?" he asked finally.
"Yes. Tell me everything."
He closed his eye and turned slightly away. "It's the power... No matter what they do, I can kill them, I can make them suffer. They can try to teach me, lecture me, tell me I am wrong, but I can still destroy them. I can silence them."
"You wanted to be superior to them...? I don't understand. Why weren't you?"
"No matter what, part of me always felt inferior. Perhaps it was because of the Professor's treatment of me. But it wouldn't matter anyway. Being different is as bad as being inferior."
"It shouldn't be... but I know what you mean." She thought of all the times she had been taunted as a child, whenever she let her tongue slip. Freak, psycho, crazy... those were words she had heard quite often. They taught her that she was different, that it was bad, and that she had to hide it. Yet her mother-and Elmyra-had always been there to tell her they were wrong. Sephiroth hadn't had that.
"Do you? I am sorry for that."
"It's not your fault. ...Well? Go on. Did you hate them?"
"Yes... but then, I did not know why."
"That implies you know now," Aeris prompted.
"...they never acknowledged me as human, it seems. Perhaps it was right of them, but I wanted to be human, too. They did not think I needed help from anyone. Neither did I, but I realize now that I needed someone..."
"You were lonely."
"I hated them for that... Of course I could never be one of them." He laughed at himself. "Yet they were right to stay away from me."
"No, no they weren't. If someone had helped you, you wouldn't have turned out this way."
"Was there anyone to help you?"
"My mother, Elmyra, the Planet... They were my support and my confort. Didn't you have anyone?"
"No one," he muttered, then hesitated. "Talya... perhaps gave me a little support. But I lost all memory of that."
"So you killed out of anger and that made you feel powerful? Because you were stronger than those you killed then?"
"I suppose." He opened his eyes, looked absently at the wall. "Like having the last laugh. Proving them wrong. Of course, I only ended up proving them right. I am a freak."
"You are whatever you choose to be."
His green eyes fixed on her. "Meaning? If I choose to be a freak, then that is what I shall become? But how am I supposed to become human?"
"Well, what do you consider human? Some of them can be quite cruel."
"Not as cruel as me."
"That's not true and you know it."
He scoffed. "Of course it's true." He did not sound like he believed it.
"Then why are you bothering to listen to me? Why haven't you killed me yet? You know you can."
"Aeris, I..." His face contorted into a snarl. "Shut up..."
The Cetra blinked and took an involuntary step back.
Sephiroth blinked also and shook his head. "I am sorry... Jenova, she... she says you are evil..." He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, staring down at the floor. "None of it matters anyway... Even if I never kill anyone else, I am still incapable of caring for anyone either. Is friendship not what so much of your lives are based upon?"
"What are you talking about, Sephiroth? You can care for people."
He glanced up at her uncertainly. "...I killed you..."
She moved to sit down next to him, holding his gaze. "You didn't answer me before. Why not kill me again?"
"Don't make me answer that, please... I do not want to make you suffer..."
The emotions in his face and in his pained blue eyes... oh, she knew them so well. She could not help thinking of Cloud for a brief moment. "What makes you think the answer will hurt me?"
"You do not need me in your life..."
Aeris smiled warmly. "Why do you think I came here?"
"Your friends, they... you wanted to save them."
"Only them?"
"...Minerva, as well?" he asked. He sounded as though he knew what she meant, but could not comprehend the possibility.
"Yes, I suppose," she replied, laughing a little. "I came for you, too, silly. Why do you think I asked my friends to help me in the first place?"
"...to get rid of Hojo."
"That was never my priority. Getting you out of here always came first."
He straightened slightly. "...how is it that you always know what to say? You've always been able to comfort me... even when you were crying..."
"I don't know..." she said, still smiling. "I just... try to understand how you feel and then it seems so clear to me. Often as not, I have to question everything you've always believed. You have so many false foundations." She hesitated. "Do you believe what I say, though?"
"Of course," Sephiroth answered in a whisper. "I've always believed you. I just... couldn't disprove my own assumptions so easily."
"I hope I haven't sent your world spinning."
He looked sure of himself for the first time since... she didn't even know. And his eyes were that beautiful shade of blue. They're lighter than Cloud's though. "Quite the contrary-I feel as though I've finally found my way again."
Aeris nodded. "Are you going to get yourself out of here then?"
He smiled slightly, and a sparkle of green entered those eyes. "Not just myself, remember? You don't plan on staying, do you?"
She laughed. "Of course not."
Sephiroth glanced down at his hands, frowning. "You will probably end up doing most of the work, though. Minerva does not know how to block your powers."
The Cetra was suddenly aware of the blood staining places where there had been wounds. "...what about when you healed me? How do you explain that?"
He shrugged. "A momentary lapse in Minerva's spell? How should I know?"
"Somehow I don't think she would be that careless..." Aeris studied him, but could come up with no answers. "In any case, you'll be all right when we get her out of here and you have your full powers back again?"
"...I think I can control myself, yes, although in all truth, I might prefer having Minerva keep them locked away from me. I don't trust myself."
"Do you still think you're a... a freak?" she asked uncertainly.
He looked away. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to stop hating yourself, Aeris? To forgive yourself, if you've done so many wrongs?" He sighed and looked back at her. "Yes, I do still think I am a freak. But there are things I have to set right... Jenova and Hojo still live, and once I am finally confident of myself, I should kill them. And then..." He shook his head helplessly.
"Then what?" Aeris prompted, concerned.
"I'm not certain yet. The proper thing to do would be to kill myself, thus ending the line of Jenova, but I've died twice before and..." He trailed off, but she chose not to pursue his unspoken reasons.
"Jenova herself may be a danger to the Planet, but that doesn't mean you are."
"Have you asked it?"
"No..."
"Then do not attempt to give me hope in that respect. I can live without it. My only goal now is to keep myself sane. I just wish... that Jenova would leave me alone..."
Aeris frowned in worry. "Is she talking to you now?"
"Yes..." He somehow managed to appear as though he were hiding. "She is cursing you for helping me. Of course, she does not put it that way..."
She put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry..."
Sephiroth started a little, but did not relax. "Aeris, what are you doing?"
The Cetra pulled back slightly. "...giving you a hug?" she offered.
"It's... been so long since anyone bothered."
She couldn't resist a giggle and poked his shoulder pad. "Maybe this is your problem."
He smiled a little. "Uncomfortable?"
"Very."
"I don't suppose I need them..."
Aeris's eyes widened. "You mean you'd actually take them off just so I could comfortably lay my head on your shoulder?"
He thought this over, laughed a bit. "It is a little ridiculous... but it really does not inconvenience me."
"If you insist," she said, lifting up her hands.
Sephiroth's blue eyes sparkled, and he watched her as he unbuckled the shoulder guards and tossed them onto the bed. He seemed so much more... natural... without them. Perhaps when they returned to Cosmo Canyon she would persuade him to buy some more casual attire. "Better?" he asked, uncertainty slipping into his manner.
Aeris snuggled up against him. It wouldn't do me any harm to be held either, she thought. I've got worries and insecurities, too, don't I? I wonder if the others even notice... "Much better," she replied.
He sat there tensely, apparently not knowing what to do; either that, or he was too unused to physical contact to be able to return it. "Thank you for everything," he said finally. "I needed someone to say something that made sense."
"What about Minerva? She couldn't help you?"
"No... she is too much like me, I think. Neither of us is any good at comforting anyone."
"Poor things," she murmured into his chest. "Growing up alone in a lab is no life at all."
"She can still be saved. She would be able to manage quite well in your world with a little help, I think. Perhaps Katrina could help her..."
Aeris glanced up at him. "How old is she?"
"Seventeen."
She nodded and moved a little closer. "You make it sound like you can't be saved."
"Perhaps I could, but what difference would it make? Who would ever accept me save you?"
"Many people I'm sure. Some of them are just a little shy..."
He scoffed. "Do you even know how unique you are?"
She closed her eyes. "I try not to think about it. I'd rather not be..."
Sephiroth shifted uncomfortably. "In any case... we should be trying to escape, before the others attempt to come back for you."
Aeris sat up, smiling. "That's just like Cloud... always trying to be the hero."
"He loves you, does he not?" Sephiroth asked, sounding confused as to how any other reason could apply.
She nodded and glanced at him. "You said before that you didn't know what it was like... but I'm beginning to wonder if that's really true."
He scoffed quietly. "Me? Love? It is a ridiculous proposal."
"I don't think so."
Uncertain blue-green eyes glanced sideways at her. "...why not?"
"Your actions and expressions say you've loved before."
Sephiroth stood abruptly and walked to the door. "We shouldn't waste any more time talking," he said. "...help me with this."
Aeris followed him to the door, but looked up at him. She had one final question. "Have you ever asked anyone for help before, Sephiroth?"
He blinked and had to think before shaking his head. "I do not believe so."
"Then this will be your first time. And you're going to get that help, too." She smiled and was surprised when he returned the smile, tentatively. "You should smile more often," was all she said before she got to work inspecting the lock.