She sucks in a whimpered breath and shivers, folding against him, her face buried against his chest. Balthier is grounding at this moment, pulling her back to herself as her mind reels and works to shake off those pangs of despair clinging to her heart in the wake of having Piaget materialize in her dreams.

"It felt so real," Aerith murmurs when she lifts her head to look at him, smiling weakly. "I'm sorry, I know it was just a dream." She leans back far enough to push her hair back from her face, trying to clear her head as she rests against his shoulder.

"I don't like thinking that Piaget's face and that horrible cell are going to keep sneaking up on me like this."