[video] - un: pinkmemory / backdated to 7 february

[inemeraldfaith]

[It's a flower shop.
It's the flower shop that shows up in every single one of Aerith's video entries to the network.

She's panning her camera over a variety of flowers she has on display at the front window, freshly sprayed and watered.]

♪♫ Happy birthday to meeeeeee ♫♪

[Aerith is not a well-versed singer and thus this is a short-lived experience. She hums the rest of the song to herself and then points to the sign for Don't Stop Be-Leafing.]

If you need flowers for anything, please come on by. I'll be providing them at no cost in celebration!

[In the background, there's the voice of one slightly exasperated sky pirate.]

We've talked about this; we can’t give everything away for free.

[OOC: Feel free to address Balthier. He's what keeps the flower shop up and running normally.]

Comments

[inemeraldfaith]

I didn't ask for anything for my birthday and I'm not sure there's really anything I want except to help people, so that seems like it's enough for me.

[...Only Aerith would probably say something like this.]

[garyoutensei]

Sounds like you, but you should still get something...

[ Is she going to be the one to do it? Well, she got her christmas sake... ]

[inemeraldfaith]

But I have everything I could really want. Even if I were to ask for something, I don't know what I'd be asking for. As a result, it seems easier just to ask others what they want.

[garyoutensei]

Don't gimme that load. [ Even if Aerith was being honest... ] Be a little selfish, won't you?

[inemeraldfaith]

[A shame that's pretty must true. Anything beyond that isn't anything that anyone in Camelot can help her with, so there's no point in making mention of it.]

I'm not real good at that, honestly. I like thinking about other people. That's just how I am. Can't really change that unless I wanted to and frankly, not enough people are like that.

[garyoutensei]

Yeah but then you got people like me that wanna get you something but are left having to play detective. [ Oh what a problem to have, Baiken. ]

[inemeraldfaith]

Well, that's why I keep saying no one needs to get me anything. I don't want any of you to worry about it or anything. I'm being pretty serious when I say that it's the thought that counts.

[garyoutensei]

Shoulda seen that response coming... [ A small sigh. ]

I guess I could get you more of that plum wine... I've been experimenting with florals.

[inemeraldfaith]

Well, I mean, did you want me to lie? Because I'm not good at that either.

[But she can try if that's what Baiken really wants.]

I didn't know there were other ways to make plum wine. I'm not very familiar with it. The other one you gave me, did you make that, too?

[garyoutensei]

[ A light chuckle. ]

I brew my own sake, so yeah. Plum wine is another tradition that goes back a long-ass time among my people, too, so I picked up on that.

[inemeraldfaith]

Oh, so it's a... cultural thing then?

[Aerith's trying to picture an entire race of people dedicated to the making of plum wine. It's a little hard to envision, but there's nothing stating that can't be the way of it.]

[garyoutensei]

It's called "shuzou", the art of wine making. Though brewing plum wine is a little different than that, it's all kind of under a similar umbrella. It's something I picked up since buying one's own sake or plum wine gets expensive...

[inemeraldfaith]

I guess that makes sense. It'd be less expensive to make your own than to just continue buying it. It sounds like if you were resorting to the latter, though, that you must have been drinking a lot of it.

[garyoutensei]

[ A chuckle, brighter than usual. ]

Oh yeah, I drink like a fish. But I'm a sake sommelier, too, so that's just normal for me.

[inemeraldfaith]

Well, I suppose if you had to get better at making wine or learning about it, you'd have to drink a lot of it to get familiar. Especially if that was your job or something.

[garyoutensei]

Nah, not a job, I'm just a lush. [ Another laugh. ]

Been hittin' the stuff since I was a teenager.

[inemeraldfaith]

I'm sure someone out there in the world considers it a job, even if you don't.

[And she isn't sure being a 'lush' is something one ought to brag about. Not that Baiken is necessarily doing that, but...]

[garyoutensei]

Not that I have any ambitions for a normal life, but yeah, I guess I could make it into work, in some weird alternate world where I get to settle down.

[ Instead of, you know. Seeking revenge and dying. ]

[inemeraldfaith]

Well, 'normal' is defined differently by everyone, isn't it? Maybe there isn't such a thing as a blanket 'normal.' In my opinion, if you're doing what makes you happy, that might be all that matters.

[garyoutensei]

Optimistic as you are, I think even you would be hard pressed to call my life "normal", kid.

[inemeraldfaith]

Good thing that's not what I said. I don't know what your life is like, so of course I can't label it like that. But if it's your normal, then that's all that matters and that's the point I was trying to make.

[garyoutensei]

[ Aerith, like usual, was too good at parrying Baiken when she got like that. She'd be annoyed if she wasn't so damn charismatic about it... ]

I... guess...

S-so I'll make you something nice to drink for your birthday.

[inemeraldfaith]

[Winner, winner, chicken dinner!]

I'm really excited to try it. Maybe one of these times you'll let me watch how it's made? That sounds like it could be lots of fun. I'll even stay out of the way.