I think I heard that they choose who they bond to. At least, that was the impression I got when I first arrived. I don't know of any evidence that supports that, though.

[So in short, perhaps that is only Aerith's staple optimism. Not everyone has that perception either, which she has learned fairly quickly. But there's more optimism here than she saw too much of in Midgar.

At Elza's explanation, she can't help laughing a little.]

Isn't that a good thing? It's nice to be wanted, I think. You could have a volatile relationship with your familiar, where they try to hinder everything you do. The alternatives could be worse.