4 ● VIDEO

[23wishes]

[The video feed opens on... something that looks suspiciously like a commercial. Aerith is standing in the middle of her "garden" - or what anyone else would call a giant field of flowers. Strangely, though many flowers and plants are dying in the fall cold, Aerith's flowers look healthy as ever.

(The video is unmistakably taken with her phone on a selfie stick.)]

It's finally October! We all know it's an important month! We think about Halloween first, of course, but did you know October has a second holiday? One even sweeter than Halloween.

Sweetest Day!

A very important day for those of us with sweethearts~ Sweetest Day is the time to remind the people you're sweet on just how much you care. In fact, why not say it in flowers? I grow just about every kind you can think of, and no one else has fresher flowers than me. That's a guarantee!

[WINK~]

So come visit me right here in Nonah 06, or catch me in Maurtia Falls on weekends, Heropa on Mondays and Thursdays, and De Chima on Wednesdays.

But, you know~ Halloween lovers shouldn't worry! Because guess what~

[The video cuts off for half a second and is spliced together with what's clearly a shot from later in the day. Aerith, still in her backyard, is standing in front of a pumpkin patch. It's not big by any means, but she's got about two dozen pumpkins ready for the picking.]

I've got pumpkins, too! Whether you want to carve them or make them into a pie, stop right here at Nonah 06 and you'll be set for fall in no time!

See you all soon~

Comments

[glowsferatu]

[ Honey, you would be surprised about Shinji Ikari. If he loses a fight it's probably because he wanted to get his ass beat. He does that, but Kanaya knows how that goes. ]

Now that I could believe is someone other than whoever assigns jobs. It's probably all determined by maths instead of whatever bad joke they come up with. Measurements of how many are in any particular spot to fill the openings.

They could even have a computer do it.

[23wishes]

How careless... Who knows who we could end up with. That empty room of ours seems kind of scary suddenly, doesn't it? We could get anyone.

[Some of the imPorts that come here are so... horrible. And no punishment lasts.]

I wish more of the bad ones were like Tetsuo. He wouldn't say it, but he's been trying a lot to be better. You'd think more of us would take the chance at a new, better life and run with it.

[glowsferatu]

To be fair, how much can we really expect them to know when someone first comes through the Porter? I know everyone likes to blow it out of proportion, but it's actually not a lot. They don't know our history or motivations beyond what we volunteer, and can't quite decide that someone is surely bound to go bad when they first assign housing.

Then again, Julian had already proven himself a criminal by the time Shinji came back this last time. But, if they made a precedent of evicting every criminal, we'd have people whining about slippery slopes.

[ And they already have enough people whining about slippery slopes, in Kanaya's opinion. ]

[23wishes]

Yeah... I don't even think I'd definitely want them all evicted. It could just cause more harm than good. They should have a chance, too... As long as they try to be better, I guess...

[She lets out a long, heavy sigh.]

Things are so complicated here. Nothing ever feels perfectly right.

[glowsferatu]

That's just life, in my experience. Nothing is ever really black and white, and the best thing won't always necessarily be the right thing. We're all trying to make the best existence we can in the circumstances, even the government.

And even attention hungry and date-obsessed thieves.

[23wishes]

[Even him, huh...]

You're really wise, Kanaya. I don't know if I ever told you, but I'm really glad you're here, and that we ended up as roommates.

[glowsferatu]

I've been around a few different blocks in my time, and I'd like to think I've picked up a thing or two. And, of course, knowledge has little value if it isn't shared.

So, I might as well do what I can for the people around me.

[ Of course, that means she can swing quickly from being legitimately helpful to an arrogant know-it-all. ]