Chapter 3: First Meetings

Don Corneo's henchmen make their first appearance on her second day of work after Jenova's shift is done and she's picked up Cloud from school. The unearned arrogance as they saunter into view and surround her and the boy is not enough to properly try her patience, but there is the brief twitch from her host to lash out and guard Cloud. She quiets it and goes still instead, a heavy and warning grip on the boy's shoulder to keep him still and quiet. There are five of them total, the 'leader' is a burly thug in... pink and purple. Not the colors shes accustomed to for such cretins, the notion to call him queer rises from the remnants of the elder Strife. She doesn't immediately, but she'll keep the thought. Pushing mortals into blind rage tends to work wonders usually.

It has, of course, backfired and pushed them into pulling out their true strength on occasion. But not from weaklings like this.

"Afternoon ma'am," says the thug, chewing on a cigarette and puffing a cloud of smoke into her face, "We can't help but notice ya moved into our neighborhood recently."

Jenova raises a single eyebrow and says nothing.

The thug chews a few times, frowning when she doesn't respond. "We're feelin pretty nice today, and thought to let you know that there's a certain protection fee that needs to be paid b'for yer late in payin."

"Protection from what," inquired Jenova.

The man sneered. "Us."

Jenova contemplates if killing them is worth it or not. She's since acquired smaller weaponry, a bootknife that she carries. She's more than capable of putting it through all three of their skulls faster than they can blink. Tedious complications could occur of course if attention is drawn, and if witnesses come across them before she vacates the area. Cloud of course would take her side, but the loose lips of a child could brag or boast about his Mother and cause problems.

Then she detects two familiar presences nearby... and is rather confused by how weak her two children feel.

Moments later, Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewely round the corner and pause, taking in the sight of mother and child surrounded by thugs. Then the first thing Jenova notices is the lack of Mako in their eyes. How heavy the Buster Sword seems on Hewely's back.

They haven't joined SOLDIER yet.

Not once had she ever paid attention to when exactly they joined. She is so much earlier then expected. They were likely on their way this very moment to apply. The intelligent thing for them to do was carry on their way and not get involved, while both have her cells, they are unenhanced. Hewely of course, would consider it a besmirch on his so called honor to not intervene.

"Is something the matter here?" calls out Hewely.

The lead thug turns and sneers at him. "Notin you idgets need to worry 'bout. Get lost."

Rhapsodos narrows his eyes, arrogance dripping from his lips, "I'll have you know, you uneducated philistine, I am likely the most cultured and intelligent person to have ever graced you with their presence."

"Y'all be dead, pretty boy, if you keep it up," spat the thug.

"Mmm, I'm flattered you approve of my looks, but no thank you, I don't do faggots," said Genesis, sneering at him.

Hewely sighed, as the thug gave a roar and charged at them. "You never hesitate with that tongue of yours, do you?"

"I don't need to," said Genesis, drawing his rapier and surging to meet the thugs.

It didn't last long. They might not be enhanced SOLDIERs yet, but they at least know their way around their family weapons at this point. Not that they will be allowed to use them until they reach 1st class instead of standard equipment if Jenova recalls SOLDIER policy correctly. She wonders idly how much of a fit Rhapsodos will throw over that, or will he hold it inside as something to fuel his fire? She supposes it doesn't matter. What does matter is this moment, and what she chooses to do with it. She did not expect to have such immediate access to either of her sons. Nor their aid. It was a trifle mater, truly, she could have handled it herself, but it solved an issue. Though it was likely others would be sent.

Were these any other pitiable mortals, her eventual food, she wouldn't bother repaying them unless she saw a use of it.

But there were unspoken rules amongst her kind for as little as they met.

She generally ate her kin whenever they crossed, but there had been a few times, where two Calamities had met to contest a world, and the other had wisely yielded the feast to her, to the Firstborn. She let them live, even sent an image and a path they might tread to find a world she had passed on her travels but been unable to land on considering her vessels were meteors moving at incredible speeds. If they could aim themselves correctly as a world blew apart, well, they'd find themselves a feast at the end of their travels. Sometimes, in the psychic web they may cautiously form temporarily between them, they'd share conquests, memories and delights, very rarely DNA and magic to alter themselves.

Honestly, most of her kind were voracious fools who only desired to feast and feast without enjoyment of the meal. Craving what had been lost before they became what they were. That was where she and others of her kind differed. Jenova had accepted what she had become. There was no going back. Those who couldn't adapt deserved to be devoured.

Which brings her back to her children.

They had done her a boon.

She decides that preserving Rhapsodos's genetic structure will cause less catastrophe in the future. Will allow for more 'peace' and stagnation if he never starts his war. So while he and Hewely are cleaning up, she withdraws her boot knife, scrapes her thigh a little through her clothes to get blood on the blade, and hides it up her sleeve. He saunters over and gives her a brief bow.

"Genesis Rhapsodos at your service, are you alright, m'lady?"

Jenova's host wishes to raise an incredulous eyebrow, a sensation of -over the top- coming from her. Jenova agrees and does so, Rhapsodos was always theatrical and egotistical. Genesis huffs and holds out a hand in greeting instead. She takes it and pulls herself closer, knife slipping into her hand that she pokes into his clothes, a slight pinch to his skin, allowing her cells to seep in with her blood while he goes very still.

"If you try to demand any sexual favors from me for your 'service', I will gut you," she says sharply.

Rhapsodos recoiled, offended. "I would never!"

"So you say, but you wouldn't be the first to try," Jenova says simply.

Rhapsodos wrinkled his nose, but wisely doesn't move with a knife pressed to his gut. He does foolishly take his eyes off her and glance back at a wary Hewely. "Honestly Angeal, what kind of hellhole have we come to?"

"One where those on the plate above don't give a shit about those below," answers Jenova flatly, a single eye watching Hewely for the expected reaction.

And doesn't he play to expectation, eyes narrowed in indignation and offense, a stain against those he would serve. A realization of Shinra's negligence far before he might have noticed it before. A seed planted for future reaping.

"Ma," says Cloud from behind her, "They seem alright."

She hums. "One can never be to careful, my son."

She withdraws her knife, brings her foot up behind her, and slides the knife back in with practiced motions. Rhapsodos watches the motion with an appraising eye, but doesn't comment. When one doesn't need to sleep, one has all the time in the world to practice the little things in life. She takes a step back, as does Genesis, putting what mortals would call a respectable distance between them.

"You have my thanks," she offered, "But its likely they'll just send more for their protection money. You should leave, quickly."

"I can take on a few thugs," sniffed Rhapsodos.

"They own the entire slum," answered Jenova pointedly.

That made Rhapsodos pause briefly, nose wrinkling. "I suppose we should be on our way then Angeal, less we risk missing the entrance exams."

Hewely nods, glancing around, actually taking in the area around him rather than rushing through eagerly to become a SOLDIER. He lingers on the state of disrepair, dissatisfaction in his gaze. He gives Jenova a curt nod. "Ma'am."

They pair leaves, and Jenova orders her cells she slipped into Rhapsodos to hibernate for now. Its best to activate them while he's being enhanced, to scour through his failed body and fixed the genetic mistakes Hollander made while the planet's lifeblood is being injected into him. She knows there is a boot camp or some kind of training program, so the enhancement will not be instant. She will have to keep a loose mental eye on her cells and through them, Rhapsodos. Hewely does not need any such aid. His body is not degrading, having been crafted at least somewhat properly in Hollander's bumbling; he will not falter unless he takes in Rhapsodos's decaying cells once again.

A more human Calamity than the honed creation Sephiroth was.

She's seen where he ends though if she ever took him as her active son, its a road best not traveled. The mortal phrase being 'be careful what you wish for' an so apt description. Once Hewely was broken and accepted what he was, he twisted. Growing so far beyond Jenova's ability to control...

Honestly, these foolish scientists playing God or Goddess and manipulating life. Its what, in a way, gave rise to the Calamities originally, and would only create things so much worse. Sephiroth, at the pinnacle of what he could be should he attain it, was something that should not walk creation. He broke all cycles, the rules of creation that bound their realm could not touch him within his full glory. At his peak potential, in the rare time he ever achieves it, he is capable of killing the Progenitor in seconds.

Its why when the time comes, Sephiroth must be the first to die, without any understanding of his Calamity legacy to bring him back.

She dismisses her thoughts and goes rifling through the thug's corpses for gil, pocketing the change, a few knives, a single gun, and a packet of cigarettes to barter with. She's not taking the clothes though, that could be linked more easily back to them if they sold them at the market or wore them.

"Waste not want not," she instructs Cloud, who nods solemnly.

He's already seen enough hardship in the Slums in the short time they've been here to be able to hide his reaction to the death. Seeing monsters ripping apart slum dwellers, or them being mugged for their money, and the like, is a way to force a child to grow up very quickly to stay safe. She thinks she will begin instructing him soon on the use of a knife, but not quite yet. She still wants him reliant on her and not at risk to wander off. She still has uses for her host's son, it would be a waste for him to die so soon...

Then she pauses.

Eyes are on her.

Familiar eyes.

Even if the presence grates.

She tilts her head to see the little ancient, crouched behind a small cluster of rubble and trash, emotionless analytical eyes watching them. She wonders idly how long it will take for Gainsborough to emerge from her laboratory experiment persona. Jenova calculates quickly. Ignore her? Greet her? Scare her off? Decisions decisions...

The girl's head swerves to look away from them, then she abruptly scurries off, saving Jenova the trouble of making a choice.

Jenova takes the hint. "Time to go Cloud, quickly now."

Before someone stumbles across them at the scene of the crime. Not that it truly would be considering even if she had killed them it would have legally been self defense. Though, good luck explaining that to Don Corneo without slaughtering the pompous fool and his entire network...

She forces her thought process to smooth out as they move away. She doesn't quite like the annoyance of train-of-thought and stream-of-consciousness that comes with forcing herself into a sole mortal body. Idle rambling thoughts can have their uses, but not all the time.

"Ma?"

"Yes Cloud?"

"I kinda wish we had stayed home back n Nibel," he said quietly, "I don't like it here."

She sighed. "I know Cloud, I know."

The second appearance of Don Corneo's men is a few days later, five to one, and at gunpoint. Apparently not being sighted near the corpses wasn't enough. Lo and behold, not a single security guard in sight either. Corruption is always the same, no matter which world or which race she deals with.

Cloud is still at school, but unfortunately, there are a lot more witnesses this time, in broad daylight in LOVELESS avenue. Since apparently they need to make a big, public deal out of this because of the death of the previous thugs.

"We got a 'ew questions for ye lady," says one of the thugs, "Ya see, we sent a few of ours to come n pay you a lil' visit a few days ago to collect some fees, and wouldn't cha know? They wind up dead. How 'bout that?"

"You'd have to take your problem above plate," said Jenova dryly, "A few SOLDIER wannabes decided to play hero without asking when I would have been content to simply pay the protection money."

The thug makes a tsking noise. "Be that as it may, m afraid that yer the one that's right here. We can handle this two ways. You cin pay several months worth of protection money right now as compensation..."

Well, they certainly didn't value the lives of their throw-away thugs if that's all, shame that... "I don't have that kind of money."

"...or, since yer not that tragic to look at, ye can work off them SOLDIER boy's heroics at the Honey Bee," he said gleefully.

Jenova doesn't particularly care if she whores off this body, the more important thing is that she knows full well once she enters into the prostitution ring, she's not getting out without a bloodbath. She is rapidly reconsidering whether she wants to fix Rhapsodos's genetic condition considering the mess he left her to deal with...

"Josh."

The thug pales and spins, approaching are a pair of Turks. The thug growls and spits out at one of them, "Ruluf."

"Where is Corneo," asked the one addressed in a mild tone, a pair of guns at his hips, "We need to have a little chat about his sticky fingers going where they shouldn't be."

"I uh... sure...," stammers the thug, "I can take you to the bossman real quick, just gotta finish this up."

The Turks give Jenova a bored look, but then the second Turk does a double take and grins. "Well waja know! If it ain't the mountain lady all the way over here in Midgar."

The other Turk frowns. "You know her, Katana?"

"Yeah Two-Guns, she's the one Veld oh so nobly saved back at Nibelheim," he answered, hand over his heart, "Our heroic, noble, director."

Jenova is going to have to remember that Turks have a very good memory and a very good attention to detail to recall a one of meeting with a random village woman on a mission awhile ago. That kind of recollection can be dangerous if she's not careful with her words and actions. She also ties the name Ruluf to Two-Guns, not sure if it will be important, but files it away for later.

Katana laughs. "Bet the boss man will be happy to know his sweetheart is in town."

Jenova raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

Katana winks and tilts his head towards the thugs.

She notes that they've all lowered their weapons and backed away, more than a little afraid of her. Ah, clever. Apparently it was a Turk with a heart, even hinting that Veld Verdot held some imaginary affection towards her is enough to scare the thugs away. Well... she's not going to say no to this problem neatly solving itself. She gives a nod back.

"So, waja doin all the way over here?" posed Katana.

Always curious, these Turks, sticking their noses where they don't belong. "The mountain weather didn't agree with me."

He grins. "That it didn't."

"Thought I'd try my life elsewhere," she said dryly, "Midgar has its... charms."

He laughed. "That it does. Settled in alright?"

He'll go nosing anyway, so she answers, "For the most part, apartment needs work, but I'll get to it. Landed a job at the Midgar Times."

"That so?" he answered, nodding to himself, "Not a bad place to start, lady."

"I have a name, its Claudia Strife."

"Pleasure to meet you again then, Missus Strife."

"Yes, I think I remember you now."

He puts a hand to his chest. "She remembers me Two-Guns!"

"I seem to recall my sweetheart saying he had a bullet with your name on it," muses Jenova.

Two-Guns starts laughing. Katana just gives her a wolfish grin. "Missus Strife, at this point he's carved my name into several magazines worth of em. Dontcha worry bout it. Anyway, we gotta hit the job or the boss man might actually shoot me one of these days."

"Would be a shame," she said, noncommittal.

"I think I like this one," said Two-Guns, elbowing Katana, "Knows to put you in your place."

"Yeah yeah yeah," said Katana, moving off and waving back at her as he went.

Jenova files that odd encounter away for the time being and goes on her way to collect Cloud...

Squeaky shoes tap taping across the floor catch her attention as Jenova types away at the front desk computer of the Midgar Times. Her eyes flicker up to see... hmm...

Curious.

Why would Tseng of the Turks be here?

He approaches her desk and tips his head. "Mrs. Strife."

He knows her name, lovely. Turk attention is not what she needs nor want less than a year into her time here in Midgar.

"Good evening sir, how can I help you?" she asks, single eyebrow raised.

"Is your boss in? I've been sent to discuss a recent article he... chose... to publish."

Ah.

Not here for her then.

"Yes sir, in a meeting at the moment however, it ends in... five minutes or so," she advised.

He nods. "I will wait here then."

He moves to stand out of the way near the wall, hands clasped behind his back, patient blankness on his face. Jenova resumes her aimless typing for a few minutes, considering the presence for a moment. Hmm...

Perhaps a rapport to build?

Her eyes briefly flicker around; only the security guards by the door are present otherwise the entrance is clear. It had been a rather slow day.

"So, has that Katana fellow got himself shot by your director yet?" she poses without directly looking at Tseng.

Her vision is such that peripheral might as well be a full on stare. She catches the slightest twitch of his lips, masking amusement. "Not quite. Though considering that Director Verdot is a happily married man, he wasn't quite impressed when he was informed that it had been voiced that he apparently had a sweetheart in a public setting. False rumors such as that are not things that should be spread."

"Of course," she agreed, not missing the hint in his tone; so he was partially here for her then, a two-reason visit to the Midgar Times then for the Turk, "I understand that myself. While I am relieved that he got those gangsters to leave me alone..."

She turns to give the Turk a cold stare. "...I was a happily married woman myself before my husband died, I am loyal to his memory."

Tseng's face was already schooled of emotion, so he merely nods. "Of course. I'll give agent Katana a word about suggestive statements that can be... misconstrued."

She hums, before smirking, allowing a light teasing to escape, "Even if your director were not married, he'd have to at least make the effort to properly court me first, I have principles."

That gets a light huff out out of the Turk.

They both go back to ignoring one another until the Turk takes her 'boss' to his office to give softly worded threats about what he can and cannot publish...

Rupert Shinra is just as much of a fat pompous fool as Jenova has always seen along the threads to the future.

It still doesn't mean that Jenova can get away with not treating him publicly with respect. "Good afternoon, President Shinra, your three o'clock with the editorial board is set to begin in fifteen minutes. All the board are present, security is in place, and refreshments have already been prepared for the duration. I have a packet ready for your viewing of the relevant subjects."

Apparently, competence is a rarity considering the way the man full on stares at her for a moment before he tilts his head to the Turk at his side, his bulk having apparently masked Veld Verdot. A sense materia briefly passes over the packet before it comes clean, she's assuming it was for a toxin check. Its been many, many worlds since she personally last bothered with such a mundane way of killing a single person. Shinra gives her crisp nod and takes the packet from her hands, thumbing through it as he moves past with Turk and SOLDIER escort. Not apparently even deigning her a thanks for her effort.

She's usually not petty since it is a pointless thing, but her host most certainly is. They for once agree they'll make the man's eventual death just a tad bit more agonizing.

Such wastefulness too. Several SOLDIERs, the Turk director, and a few more Turks, just for planning a little publicity stunt to cover the Midgar Time's earlier article blunder. Certainty Verdot alone has better things to be doing. Jenova uses her own infected much, much more efficiently when she's devouring a world. It'll be an experience to do most of the legwork personally this time around rather through her network of cells. She idly wonders if she should try her hand at ruling the world for a time just for the experience of it all.

She wrinkles her nose in distaste.

Better to just devour them all and move on.

Such pointless curiosities and desires, being confined into a singular human body. Its not like she hasn't eaten plenty a warlord or dictator before.

They return sometime later, the group moving pass without a second glance. Verdot does set the packet she gave out back on her desk as he goes. She doesn't feel Shinra's presence on more than the cover, so apparently the swine hadn't even used her efforts. Foolish of him and not worth anything more than an eyeroll, though her host feels plenty of indignation... then she sees a note on the cover, and detects another person's faint touch on the edges, ghosts of fingers flipping through pages.

-The packet was well put together and appreciated, Mrs. Strife. Its good to see someone with principles in the workforce.

She notices the slight emphasis of extra ink on 'principles', and recalling her conversation with Tseng, she huffs a quiet laugh at the jest as Verdot walks out the door.

Jenova knows Hojo's stench. Its not of sterilized chemicals like some might think, at least, not the stench she is referring to. It is of suffering and despair of all his victims. Its etched deeply into his soul, his aura, projected around him to give an unsettled experience for lesser beings. As such, when she feels him in the slums, she's rather... curious. Why would the scientist be down here, in the slums, on his own? Especially... incognito in trashy clothing? She follows at a distance, and really, the fact that he dropped his glasses from his visage does at least give him some ability in blending in.

Her eyes widen when she realizes just where he's going. This wasn't something she had expected. Had she somehow changed this?

Jenova has... touched upon many a magic, many a power, across the cosmos. She vanishes herself from sight as much as this body is capable of, and moves closer as Hojo approaches the Gainsborough home. Though he keeps his distance, and pulls out... a tape recorder?

"...Tuesday the third. Today, we see Specimen A working with her adoptive mother in the garden. It should be noted, that considering the diminished Lifestream around Midgar from the reactors, growing anything should be a colossal, almost impossible effort. Yet, Specimen A showcases her Cetran abilities with the flourishing of plants. From what can be seen, the plantlife is not struggling in the slightest, as if it were the most fertile of soil."

Hojo rubs his chin. "That Specimen A has inherited the powers of the Cetra is of no surprise, but that these abilities showcase little degradation in ability compared to her birth mother despite being a half-breed? Most curious... and she has yet to truly leave childhood. So these abilities are not reliant on physical maturity nor some specific milestone it seems. It is, perhaps, a possibility that she may have shown them from birth has she been in the correct environment, hence allowing the continuation of her leave of my laboratory. It is unfortunate that this route must be taken, but after discovering her birth mother's ability to terminate her own pregnancies at will, we must allow Specimen A to propagate the Cetran race in a more natural habitat as to run the same risks, if Midgar can be considered natural at all I suppose. It is most frustrating that the mother perished in the escape despite my most clear instructions for her to not be more than lightly wounded as to not arouse her suspicion. I would have preferred not waiting another decade or two for more specimens to be born. Once Specimen A has birthed a few half-breeds, one can be acquired to continue experimentation, especially towards genetic engineering. If I can perhaps find a way to splice Jenova and Ancient Cells, I could make the cells dominant and create a true Cetra over several generations."

Jenova blinks. Ah. Hojo had known all along where Aerith was. She watches as Hojo watches from afar, pulling out binoculars and speaking more into his recording. She considers his desire. He's not wrong that it could work with her cells, though it wouldn't be a real Cetra with her cells splicing things together and pushing genetics a certain way. But who was he to truly know the difference? Its a desire, a temptation, that she could potentially abuse later on...

For the time being, she stands a ways away, leaning on a fence as she unmasks her presence and features., watching him stalk and study his prey. He eventually finishes and turns to leave, pausing when he sights her. He sniffs out with disdain, "Do you need something?"

"I don't know nor care why you are, but," she offers, "I can watch them for you."

Hojo considers her for a long moment. "Assuming you can catalogue your observations at all in proper form, what would you want in return?"

"A bit of gil, and a recommendation into Shinra proper should I ever need one."

"And what makes you think I could offer you that?"

"I might have fallen on hard times, but I am educated and observant. The disguise is good, but you were rather published, Professor Hojo, before you entered Shinra."

Hojo hums in contemplation. "I see."

He wrinkles his nose. "Very well. Come with me, I will show you where to make a drop that one of my assistants will check bi-weekly. For every report, gil will be left at the drop as payment, the recommendation will be allowed after several years of effort. This is the one chance I will offer, if your reports do not at least somewhat approach my standards, the next time we meet will be under much different circumstances. I do not appreciate my time being wasted, especially if I miss something from an incompetent observer."

As in, an experiment in his labs.

The threat is almost adorable.

"Of course, sir," she says, "I look forward to working with you in the future."

He hums. "We'll see."

"Hey ma! I made a friend!"

Jenova looks over from the news report on the TV, and isn't really surprised to see the Ancient at Cloud's side. Somehow, someway, they almost always seem to meet. Fate and Destiny may be fickle, but they do like to rhyme. "Good afternoon miss...?"

"Speci... erm... Aerith," corrects the girl, face blank, "My... my name is A-aerith G-gainsborough."

Such an uncertain and timid thing at this age. Had she really been about to call herself a 'specimen'? Well, considering its likely all Hojo ever referred to her as, its going to take a bit to unstick. Ah the temptation to abuse that is so delectable...

"Its nice to meet you properly this time, Miss Gainsborough," said Jenova with a bemused smile.

Cloud frowns a little. "Properly?"

"I um... I saw the protection people asking for money from you like they do mom awhile ago," said Aerith quietly.

Cloud's face closes off for a moment, fists tight. "They didn't hurt you or anything, did they?"

"N-no," murmured Aerith, "Mom didn't have enough money to pay along with the house, talked about it and worked it out."

Hmm, Turk interference perhaps like herself? "How she manage that?"

"I dunno, but they came over now and then and went up to mom's room to make a lot of weird noises," said Aerith, a dubious look on her face, "That stopped when those guys with swords broke the protection people."

Ah, sex to pay off a thug. Common theme of poverty across almost all worlds, one she's used to spread her cells multiple times to great effect. She's honestly a little surprised the Turk's hadn't stepped in, or did they not actually know where the Ancient was yet? She had a hard time believing that. Jenova is on mildly curious how long that would have went on for in the original way of things, perhaps the Turks eventually stopped it to try to gain the Ancient's favor? Regardless... even if Jenova is a mother only truly by her own designation and mental manipulation of those she infects, she can respect a mother's desire to protect her child by any means. Even if that child is a filthy little ancient brat that needs to be exterminated.

Patience, patience, even if it would be so easy to reach out and snap her neck.

Jenova hums and asks, "Does your mother know you're here?"

Aerith hesitates then shakes her head.

"Well, that won't do. How about we take you home and you introduce us to her?" offered Jenova.

There is danger in doing this, in potentially drawing so much Turk attention by being near Aerith. But, there is also a boon, to make it a normal thing. It also lets her observe more for Hojo's reports.

Cloud whispers to her as Aerith leads them out of the house and through the slums. "She was all alone digging through trash for stuff. There were monsters rattling about, So I just grabbed her and ran, we got to the playground and..."

"It's fine Cloud," she offers, "Noble of you to help, and I'm glad you made a friend."

Cloud puffs up a bit, smiling, then runs ahead to walk alongside Aerith, chatting with her. Jenova does not quite like the pair of them together. But... it can have its uses. So far, it doesn't appear the Ancient has noticed anything. She most certainly does not feel a reaction from the Planet either, and she's quite sure she would if it detected her near its precious Ancient. So its a good test at least to see if her proximity draws attention over time. Even if it doesn't, she has little desire to remain close to the ancient for an extended period of time anyway.

Jenova never truly paid attention to Elmyra Gainsborough outside of seeing her as a target to destabilized the Ancient via her death or to kill to eliminate an influence when corrupting her. But the immediate way the woman's eyes size up Aerith's condition and then both her and Cloud for threats is... insightful. A nobody widow most of the time, but truly, in knowing that she'd sell her own body to protect the Ancient, Jenova wonders if Elmyra would murder for the child?

Safer to assume yes.

"Good evening miss Gainsborough," said Jenova, tipping her head, "My son wished to escort your daughter back after a near miss with a few monsters."

The Elder Gainsborough sighed. "Aerith, what have I said about going out alone?"

"Not too," muttered the girl, kicking at the floor, "I just... I just wanted to find stuff to trade to help."

Elmyra sighed and stepped forward, kneeling down to draw Aerith into a hug, whispering into her ear as she ran a hand through the girl's hair. Jenova watches each motion critically, noting how relaxed the girl becomes each second in her mother's presence. She considers if Elmyra needs to have an unfortunate accident, perhaps not in the immediate future, but eventually. One day, she will need to destroy the Ancient before Holy can be used, having her as unbalanced as possible at that point is perhaps key.

Both Sephiroth and Aerith Gainsborough need to die in very quick succession once the time comes.

For now though, when Elmyra invites them in for dinner, Jenova, ever the grateful mother, agrees...