He knows, when he's awake, that it's impossible. He'll never have children. For a variety of reasons. He's devoted to his work. He has no time. Physiologically, due to his altered genes and the radiation treatments, he is unable to father children. Even if he could, with medical assistance, would he want to? Wouldn't any children he fathered belong to ShinRa as well?

What would become of such children? Would they grow wings and fly away? The idea isn't as far-fetched as it should be, considering what had happened to his friends. Why would he want children in a world like this?

But he's dreaming now. In dreams, he can have another life. He's dressed in plain clothes, black pants and a white dress shirt, standing in a a room, in a house. An ordinary house. It's not in Midgar, but somewhere else, far away. He can look through the window and see trees. The curtains are wide open, and sunlight pours in through them, and he knows, somehow, that this is "home". His home. With the certainty of a dreamer, who can believe impossible things, he knows that his family lives here. His children. There are pictures of them on the wall. Their possessions can be seen here and there, and some of the books on the shelves are theirs--not his own dry volumes about science and military history. He stands there for a while, not doing anything in particular, quiet and distantly content as he takes in this place, this existence, becomes accustomed to it.

He doesn't stir until hears a sound behind him. There someone here with him. He turns and smiles at them, a casual, fond smile for someone he sees almost every day of his life. "Hello." He asks a simple question. "How was your day?"


[[OOC: Anyone is welcome to be one of Sephiroth's "kids". (Relatives or spouses of any gender to talk about family are also welcome, if you prefer.) Feel free to age characters down, if you like, but grown up kids are also fine. Prose or action spam both welcome; I'll match you.]]

[There's nothing here.

Nothing. No sound, no shapes, no movement. A void. Were it not for how frighteningly aware you are of a lack of substance is in this place, it would be easy to believe that you weren't dreaming at all.

Until enough time passes, and the darkness begins to close in.

It's not the sort of darkness associated with emptiness - it's a real thing, where before there had been nothing at all. The kind of darkness that grows and expands, covering, choking all that stands in it's way. Except nothing is there. Nothing but you, of course. No matter how much you run, or try to push it aside, there is no end to it. No light.

But the darkness does recede, eventually. There is no more feeling of being covered, or surrounded, though there is still nothing to illuminate the world around you. Instead the darkness is a force that lingers, surrounds this place, but those who are wise will realize that it's far from benign. It holds back power that can only spell destruction.

It, or him.

Because there is a boy there, among other things. A boy with glowing yellow eyes, who seems to belong in this darkness. Who may even be part of it, or at least know what it hides.

The are sounds, now, too, to fill the void, somewhere off in the distance. The sound of blades, clashing during a fight. The sound of the wind blowing over a vast wasteland.

The even fainter sound of waves.

And the sound of a voice as the boy finally speaks, because he knows that he isn't alone.]

You should leave.

[It's a threat, one that he sounds all too happy to back up.]

[ The sound of bells ringing, the smell of cookies baking in the oven, and the over abundance of red and green decorating the halls and the like- all of these things point to one thing: it's that time special time of year called Christmas.

Kids with rosy cheeks from going outside in the cold and parents making lists to figure out what to get for their kids and their friends' kids and so on. Laughter and excited chatter is always in the air, warm wishes and the general "what are you doing for the holidays" is always the most frequent topic among the people. And then at the end of the day, maybe people would nestle in front of their fireplaces, drinking hot chocolate with a mountain of marshmallows on top of it or reading Christmas stories to their children before retiring for the night.

But that's only one side to this joyous holiday. The other side is so much more hectic. Wanna know what that is?

Christmas shopping.

Gotta get those presents for those loved ones before they're out of stock and then you'll be up a tree. A trip to the mall is in order of course, but going there just for presents is only half the battle. The other half is making sure your kid gets that chance to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for that special day, squeezing in a picture or two with the man in the red suit and maybe with one of the Santa's helpers too.

And there's one elf in particular who looks absolutely happy to be there as he rings the bells in his hand while directing the next kid to go sit with Santa.

Or rather she.

Roxas is having a great time really, dressed in his costume. Why he's there, well. Let's just say he got volunteered by an "unknown" person and couldn't back out at the last second because the other elf volunteer had managed to bail before him. So he's stuck until he can clock out of there. ]

No cutting in line, please. You'll all get your chance to tell Santa want you want for Christmas.

[ Meet Roxas, aka Peppermint. ]


[ ooc; FAMILY PORTRAIT EVENT!! Feel free to have your character be whoever you want them to be to him. He's not going to be in the best of moods and wondering just why in the world he's dreaming this in the first place. Obviously he needs a spot of sunshine in his dreary life. 8) ]

[ today, you've gotten a call from a nurse at Abbott-Alabaster Hospital. there's a family member currently occupying one of their rooms and as their kin, you're notified.

for some reason (to lecture, to scold, to make fun of, to be a good sibling, etc) you've found it in you to take time out of your very busy schedule (or maybe it's an empty one) to come down and see him.

and there, in room 301, he sits.

Riku covers his mouth as he coughs and looks over as you enter. his face is red and his eyes are dim, hair a mess. he looks somewhat damp--not surprising given what the nurse told you about his situation. apparently, he saved someone from drowning on one of the frozen lakes--the ice cracked and he fell in and then had to be fished out.

he slowly turns his back to the figure. ]

I told them not to call anyone.

[ he's a big boy. B( go away. ]

[ooc: if it's not too much trouble, i'm thinking of threads happening chronologically--first thread first and so forth. so far I have a stepsister for Riku and a dad (stepdad? idk Eleven does what he wants) so besides those, go ahead and throw any family member you want!]