Aerith's house

Aerith's house is a location in the Final Fantasy VII series. It is a house on Petal Lane in the Sector 5 slums of Midgar that is home to the Gainsborough family, beginning with the patriarch Gabriel Gainsborough, before being passed down to Clay Gainsborough, his wife Elmyra Gainsborough, and her adopted daughter, Aerith Gainsborough. As well as its importance in the Gainsborough family business, the house is notable due to its proximity to a waterfall, as well as a garden where a number of flowers are able to grow, a rarity for Midgar.
== History ==
=== Before Final Fantasy VII ===
The house was built by Gabriel Gainsborough. The house was built in one of the few corners of Midgar still in its natural state from before the city was built. Elmyra, when she moved in, tried to trim the plants around the garden to keep bugs from coming, but ultimately gave up.
In Gabriel's final days, he was bedridden in his room due to health issues. Aerith moved into his old room two months later, in 1992, after being found and adopted by Elmyra. Elmyra had found Aerith with her biological mother, Ifalna, after they had escaped the Shinra Building. Ifalna collapsed at the Sector 5 Undercity Station, and asked Elmyra to take Aerith somewhere safe. Because of Elmyra's loneliness, with her husband gone in the war and having no child, she adopted Aerith and took her in.
During their stay, the Turks, particularly Tseng, visited Aerith's house on a number of occasions, inquiring about Aerith's Cetra heritage.
=== Original continuity ===
In Final Fantasy VII, during "The Woman at the Church", after Aerith met Cloud Strife, she took him to her house where he met Elmyra. Elmyra urged him to leave, forcing him to sneak out, only to find Aerith again later. When the Sector 7 plate fell in "Prevent the Fall of the Plate", Aerith took Marlene Wallace back to the house to stay with Elmyra as a deal with the Turks to go back with them. In "Aeris's Secret", Cloud, along with Tifa Lockhart and Barret Wallace, thanked Elmyra for it, and the group agreed to find Aerith.
=== Remake continuty ===
In Final Fantasy VII Remake, during "Budding Bodyguard", as with Final Fantasy VII, Aerith took Cloud Strife back to her house and Elmyra again asked him to leave. Later, in "Fight for Survival", Aerith took Marlene back to the house in a deal with Tseng.
In "A Broken World", Cloud, Barret, and Tifa returned to the house, and Elmyra explained Aerith's history, before pleading with Cloud not to chase after Aerith, fearing that Aerith could be killed. Barret and Tifa agreed at the time, but after the group saw an underground facility Sector 7, the three all resolved to free Aerith, convincing Elmyra. That night, depending on the player's score with Aerith or Tifa, Cloud spent the night having a conversation with Barret, Tifa, or a projection sent by Aerith.
== Geography ==
Aerith's house and the surrounding garden are connected to a road in the Center District of the slums named Petal Lane. The garden remains in its natural state from before Midgar was built, and during the right seasons, is teeming with flowers. This also means the area attracts a number of bugs.
The garden that the house is situated in comprises three different islands between a river beneath a waterfall connected by wooden bridges. The house is located on the west island, while flowers cover the other two. The garden is a very sharp contrast to the rest of the slums due to its bright colors and abundance of vegetation, with light shining in from above. This is possible due to the clean water that contains a lot of lifestream ingredients from underground, and Aerith's heritage as a Cetra.Square Enix 2023Romano 2020
In contrast to most houses in Midgar's slums, the house is made of stone, and has a charming appearance. It has a hexagonal theme with some irregularities. Flowers grow on some of the roof sections and pinkish-red roof tiles, granting it an almost fairy tale appearance. The red roof of the house resembles a floppy hat. Unlike the garden, the house exterior remains relatively consistent between appearances.
The depiction varies significantly between appearances, with some ignoring the river between the two lower platforms and even omitting the upper platform entirely.
== Behind the scenes ==
In both the original and the remake, the player must sneak out of Aerith's house without her hearing. In the original game, the floor is creaky. In Remake, there are various noisy items strewn about the floor the player may bump into. If the player fails at sneaking out Aerith comes out of her room and tells Cloud to get back to bed.
In Remake, the number of obstacles on the floor diminishes if the player fails at averting them. It has been explained that despite being mad at Cloud, Aerith cleans up the mess bit by bit, making it easier for the player to sneak out. The aim was to spook the player a bit when Aerith scolds Cloud. However, later on it is shown that Aerith knew Cloud was going to leave and waited for him.
==Citations==
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Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII Remake
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy VII Remake Trace of Two Pasts