onepassingnight | ❀ diamond in the rough, a flower blossoming in the slums

Perhaps getting thrown down here was part of the plan. The great quest. The attempt to woo sweet Agrabah princess, or just fetch what that weird rug merchant asked you to get.

More likely this particular stop wasn't on the itinerary. Boy is that Saucer of Wonders picky! The moment you--or a faithful but not always reliable animal companion--got distracted by something shiny, it was down the hatch to a natural desert prison, surrounded on all sides by quicksand. There's evidence that people have been here...and evidence they died here. You're not about to find anyone alive and kicking in the rundown shacks anytime soon.

Look long enough, though, and you'll find a dusty watering can lying on its side. The weathered metal has certainly seen better days, but maybe it could be cleaned up with a little polish?

Or maybe you're more interested in the "water" part of "watering can". This is a desert, after all.

Pick it up?

[ No? But thou must! Not much is going to happen until that can's picked up, and Aerith might get a bit impatient if your character ignores her. Oh yes, indeed, she's in there as the Genie.

In a little spin on the theme, I'm using the Disney take rather than the classic version itself. Also, if you want to find the watering can in a completely different place to better fit your own character's quest, that's fine! (And I do mean completely different, never underestimate the power of cosmic ...powers.) The Gold Saucer/Corel Prison just happened to suit the Cave of Wonders sequence nicely. ]

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[ This time when the mist emerges, it coils about Sephiroth's head, seeming a bit thick. It might seem menacing at first.

That impression gets ruined at the first gasp from behind. ]

It's so smooth and shiny! What kind of shampoo do you use? Or is it the conditioner? I mean I think my hair is pretty nice already, but this is just something else. Is the color natural?

[ ...Actually, maybe the chattiness is menacing. ]

[He studies the mist with more curiosity than trepidation, wondering what is happening here, then turns at the sound of the gasp.

This topic is something of a sore point, however slight, and it brings him back to himself somewhat. He didn't care for the write up about his hair in the Silver Elite newsletter. (He still wonders how they get that personal information, and it's unsettling--although not as much as it would be if he knew the answer to that question.)

However, he remains entirely polite in the face of all this chattiness.]

Ah, it's manufactured by ShinRa. [Not exactly avoiding the question there.] Thank you.

Yes, this is my natural hair color.

Oh...Shinra. I guess they do make high-quality products. Working for them, huh? [ If she were haughty there'd be a sniff there. As it is that sniff goes unsniffed but high-quality products aren't always good ones. And she is admittedly leery of having a Shinra master. Again. ]

Well, it is nice hair. [ Maybe she can just...not tell him she's a genie. Even if the unique nature of her appearance makes it obvious she's not normal. Hmm. ]

I suppose they do. [He has the top-of-the-line shampoo, but it's what he's given, and he doesn't think a great deal about it, though he believes strongly in cleanliness and hygiene, and of course, long hair should be as well-kept as possible. He won't tell her how he uses a full bottle of shampoo and one of conditioner every time he washes his hair. Too many people know about that already.]

I am currently working for them, yes.

[His hair, too, serves its purpose, making him appear striking, walking piece of propaganda that he is. The great hero. He won't deny that he likes it, however. Maybe it is vanity, in part. The long-haired swordsman: it speaks of his skill.

He looks from the watering can to the young woman, thoughtfully. She must have come from there somehow, but he hasn't seen or heard of anything like this before. Is she a summon creature of some kind?]

If I may ask, how exactly did you come from this? [And he holds up the can.]

Nope! [ She waggles her finger. ] Can't give away the tricks of the trade.

I see. [There's a pause that would ordinarily be represented by an ellipsis as he considers this.] And that trade is?

[ The trade that knocks on the fourth wall for a moment and gives Sephiroth his blue-black-gradient-by-default dialogue box with abundant elllipses as he makes his considerations.

Aerith pretends total innocence.

At his question though, she's stuck. She really is supposed to tell people what she is, so it all too easily bursts out: ] The genie of the watering can, at your service--but only for a little bit!

[Wait, where did that dialogue box with the ellipsis in it come from? He looks at it, pausing, which causes yet another ellipsis box to come up--and this could have caused a horrible spiraling infinity of them, but Sephiroth decides to ignore them and respond.]

A genie. I see.

[Sephiroth doesn't believe in this kind of fanciful magic, but, he supposes he'll go with it. For now.]

And why is your time in my service limited?

[He's not sure why this genie seems so impatient with him.]

[ Aw, phooey. ]

Because you only get three wishes. One-two-three! [ She sticks three fingers up, then pushes them down with her other hand as she lists off the exceptions. ] And I don't kill anyone or bring them back to life or make them fall in love.

...I also don't do that "more wishes" cheat. It's already been tried, trust me. [ But she doesn't have more fingers to push down. CONUNDRUM--wait she'll just magic up a fourth upright finger and push that back down to merge with her ~~glitchy graphics~~ hand again. ]

Three. I see.

[He listens to her list the conditions.]

I don't think there's anything you can do for me. [Though he doesn't mention if he would have made one of the forbidden wishes, if they were permitted.]

I don't believe in wishes. [He believes in solving his own problems.]

You-- [ For a moment, she's stunned into baffled silence. And then, more than just a little indignant (fulfilling wishes has only been her job for the past few eons!) she asks: ]

How in all the cosmos can you not believe in wishes? Everyone has them! That's like not believing in freckles.

Why should I? The idea of wishes being granted--it's entirely fanciful. I'd prefer to accomplish things for myself.

[He looks away. What would he wish for, at this point? What do people usually want? He doesn't want money, or fame, or glory.]

Well, I'm sure that is a nice feeling. [ Someone will have to tell her what that feels like, as with phenomenal cosmic powers that make everything else a breeze comes the complete inability to fulfill her greatest wish. Hard work's got nothing to do with it. Still, she does know one thing. ] But everyone needs some help. Even if it's just once in a while. There's nothing to be ashamed of.

I wouldn't say it's "nice", it simply is.

[He's sort of a grump, at times, admittedly. He can't fulfill his greatest wishes either, in spite of his own power--not that he's willing to admit to that fact readily.]

I don't always operate alone. [Though he does feel alone, now, more than he has in the past.] I'm not sure how "wishes" could help me at this point.

I meant doing things for yourself! But you don't even want a wish...wow, that's a change. You're different from other Shinra.

❀ diamond in the rough, a flower blossoming in the slums

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