OPEN POST; [ SEPHIROTH / FFVII ]

[supersoldier]

those chosen by the planet.

(( despite the ominous choice of music i default to a pre-nibelheim canon point, but can play post-nibelheim upon request! ))

Comments

[inveilsible]

[ To that, Sana's voice gets even softer as she averts her eyes, mumbling out something that sounds (if he's listening carefully) like "Witches". But she hadn't ever heard of Shinra, which should be damning enough if he's wondering about her status as any kind of native. She hadn't even looked... well. Even more dismayed than she's already feeling. ]

[supersoldier]

Witches?

[He definitely heard that, but it makes even less sense than before.

Sephiroth says nothing more, waiting to see if she grants him a reply first. When he sees there’s little more than fear there, his hopes of gaining more information dissipate.

He tries at something else, then.]

Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?

[inveilsible]

... Just... so you know, I'm-- I'm useless to you, so you don't need to make sure I'm okay.

[ She's just going to be preemptive here. ]

[supersoldier]

[All right, also not exactly the expected reply.]

What makes you think I’m asking because I want to use you?

[A beat.]

I’m only trying to understand what’s happened. You don’t need to be afraid. [Probably.]

[inveilsible]

I-I'm only good if I'm useful... that's what a lot of people thought.

[ HOW CAN SHE NOT BE AFRAID, LOOK AT HIM. ]

[supersoldier]

[He’s quiet again — it’ll soon become apparent that Sephiroth is not big on talking — while he decides what to make of that remark. He would say she’s young for that level of expectation, but his own experiences tell him it’s not unusual. For those with roles to play, or are expected to reach a benchmark set by others, invisible goals always present, that’s merely a state of normalcy.]

They’ll tell you that here, too. But only to the employees.

[Re...assuring? Well. He tries.

And he extends a hand.]

Which you’re obviously not. Come on, you can’t stay under there.

[inveilsible]

... W-what are you going to do with me?

[ Though she'll slowly reach out to take his hand. ]

[supersoldier]

[Her hand in his, Sephiroth ushers her out of her hiding place, standing to his full height soon after. His silver hair sways behind him.]

I’m going to take you to the front and see if anyone knows what to do with you.

[Because while her tale is certainly a... compelling one, it’s quite possible none of it is true, and she’s just the lost daughter of an employee, or somehow has wandered in without explanation, yet not necessarily due to witches and what-have-you.]

[inveilsible]

[ ... He's absurdly tall and Sana probably looks like a tiny child standing next to him, clutching at his hand.

But. Oh, well. This is her lot in life, and her shoulders slump in resignation. He'll see in due time that finding out who and where she belongs to won't be as simple as he's hoping. ]

[supersoldier]

[Sephiroth assumes that no response is as good as an affirmation, used to giving orders and having them followed regardless of who it is. So he turns, with a-]

Follow me.

[The glass doors of the lab slide open when he nears, and out into the hallway they go. It stretches long, long down the way, and beside them, large windows which reveal the nighttime skyline of Midgar are impossible to miss.]

[inveilsible]

... This isn't... Kamihama...

[ It's a soft, troubled voice that escapes her once again as she keeps her eyes fixed to the windows. This really... isn't home, is it? ]

[supersoldier]

No, this is Midgar.

[That steeled, writhing city. How can it be anything else?]

As I said, you're in Shinra Headquarters. Where else would you be?

[In front of them, the elevator doors hiss open.]

[inveilsible]

... Home.

[ And that elevator sure looks ominous, even though. Really. It's just an elevator. ]

[supersoldier]

[In the elevator he goes, and he turns and waits for her to follow. The door threatens to close, sensing no one else, which is odd— but Sephiroth doesn’t think anything of it, reaching out to obstruct the sensor and allow the door to remain open.]

‘Kamihama’?

[inveilsible]

In Japan. That's where I live.

[ And in she steps, pressing herself close to the wall. Don't worry, Sephiroth, it's going to get a lot weirder once you get off the elevator. ]

[supersoldier]

Japan?

[She enters and he drops his arm. The elevator closes, and its walls are, too, made of glass. The exterior of the Shinra building is therefore exposed, and as they go down, down, the cityscape is continually clear for either to view.]

...Is that the name of a town?

[inveilsible]

It's the name of a country.

[ Sana is ever so slowly wanting to die. Not only is she far from home, but apparently this is not even a place who knows where Japan is or what Japan is. ]

[supersoldier]

[A... country?

Sephiroth is a well-traveled SOLDIER. He knows the geography of the content — he sees its map displayed time and time again before he’s deployed on a mission. He is sure, completely and utterly, that there is no nation called Japan.]

No. It’s not. You must be confused. There’s no country on Gaia named Japan.

[inveilsible]

Gaia??

[ He's... he's joking, right? Maybe this is some elaborate prank or some kind of brainwashing technique done by the Wings of the Magius to bring her under their spell by making her think that she's been transported to a different world or that she's just gone crazy. It sounds like something they would do, though his isn't a face she's ever seen before in all of her fights with them. ]

O-oh... no, no, no, this can't be happening...

[supersoldier]

[Whatever he’s said, it’s sent them down the wrong conversational path. Sephiroth isn’t sure what to do when her anxiety flares, other than remain placid as if to negate it. He can’t help the way his brow cinches, though.]

Calm down. You’re not going to get anywhere by panicking.

[How confused is this girl? Is there a Japan somewhere that he’s simply unaware about? That seems unlikely.]

Walk me through your thoughts.

[inveilsible]

I-I told you, this isn't--! This isn't anywhere I've ever seen before! M-Midgar, and Shinra, and Gaia... none of that... n-none of that is familiar!

[ And what does that mean? ]

[supersoldier]

[How is that possible?]

You’re telling me you don’t recognize the name of the planet we’re on?

[The elevator hums during its descent.]

[inveilsible]

I don't! I-- you don't have to believe me, but I'm from Earth, and I've never left it!

[ And yet, here she is, trembling from the sheer force of trying not to burst into tears. ]

[supersoldier]

[The elevator reaches the bottom before they know it. The doors slide open and suddenly— Well. Sephiroth is starting to wonder if there’s much help to be found down here at all.]

Earth? I’ve never heard that used to describe the name of a planet.

[Of a planet. This sounds all too fantastical all over again. He’s not quite certain he wants to widen his existential scope that much, that suddenly.

Nigh automatically, he steps out of the elevator.]

I don’t think I understand. All this... and on top of it, you’re saying you come from a different world?

[inveilsible]

I... d-don't understand it, either... but it's true. I come from a different world... and normal people can't see me.

[ That's an entirely different thing to have to explain, though. But reluctantly, she steps out of the elevator after him, having to actually pick up the speed when the door threatens to close on her. ]