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[setirophx]

Sephiroth's gaze became hooded. Almost appearing soft. As if he could still feel such tender emotions. As if he could understand the fear, the pain, the anger... all of it. But he wasn't so soft anymore. What Cloud felt didn't matter. It wouldn't matter when in the end... he'd feel nothing.

"You 'won't let me'... That's assuming that you can stop it from happening." He'd murmur, dipping his head down so he could brush his lips over Cloud's in a featherlight kiss. Like this, there was peace. Even for him. He didn't feel that ceaseless call of reunion, or the tug to finish what he had started. The destruction of this world.

The hand that was on Cloud's chin slipped down lower to curl around his neck in a loose hold. Thumb pressed right over the pulsepoint of his neck. It was a threatening hold. A promise of violence if he chose it.

"Don't you see? You're already falling apart. Day by day. You leave a trail of pieces of you behind for me to follow. A plea to be saved as you become closer and closer to mere fragments. I pick up and cherish every piece that you leave me, Cloud."

@hiislegacy

At this point, Cloud should have been used to the closeness in which Sephiroth always chose to be around him, but still it made every inch of him feel so wrong. He was always too stunned to do anything about it, as if anything he did would even matter, because the other would just be right there to continue. The physical touches always caught his breath, and he stared at the other when his face was turned to him, eyes almost pleading with him for the uncomfortable feelings to stop.

In a strange way, he almost enjoyed this, whenever they were at such close proximity, but he'd fight against that feeling, too. This was the monster that took everything away from him, and he couldn't stop wondering if he could have him like this forever. It sickened him to think that, to want that.

"I won't let you have that chance, Sephiroth." An incredible lie, because he was looking forward to that day. Of course that frightened him...

@setirophx

[setirophx]

Even though every nook and cranny was crammed with things, it was all neatly organized. Even the entryway had a little table for dropping mail, keys, and other things. Such as their coffee cups, until they would eventually be taken to the kitchen. Next to that was a bench for sitting on to take shoes off. He was a bit of a neat freak that had stemmed from extreme boredom as a child.

He's startled from his thoughts what Zack wraps his arms around him. Seph is just not used to that. To Zack being so openly affectionate. Hesitantly, he returns the action. Arms around Zack's waist in a loose hold. Lips resting against Zack's hairline. Seph just stood there a moment, savoring the warmth and comfort.

"As long as you don't make a mess, then you're always welcome here. You'd be one of an extreme few that have been inside here." His tone is light and teasing as he spoke against Zack's hair, but there's a truth there. Not counting nannies, doctors, or nurses--- only three people have ever been inside his home. And that included Zack.

Seph took a step back, sitting down on the bench. He peered up at Zack with a stern expression. Sharp green eyes narrow on blue. "I mean it about dirt. Not a speck, or you're going out through the window."

He'd never actually do that, but he still sometimes liked it when people couldn't tell if he was serious or not. In this case, hopefully Zack really did know him well enough to know that he was making a poor attempt at a joke.

Then he was taking his shoes off. For once, he was wearing actual civilian shoes, tennis shoes. They they were in black, but still. He rarely ever got to dress so casually.

Well, that is not what Zack is expecting.

When they enter, he blinks, looking around with wide eyes. Honestly...now that he thinks about it, it is pretty fitting. Maybe he had initially expected something more clinical, rooms with barely anything in them and stark white walls and floors. It's less that he thought that of Sephiroth and more that he thought that of ShinRa. It wouldn't be a surprise if they didn't let Sephiroth have anything that was really his, but...this is nice. Quaint. Dare he even say...cute?

He turns to face Sephiroth with a grin, bouncing up and down on his heels. "It's not swanky, no, but I like it! It's...really you, you know? Like...it's got you written all over it. It's bigger than my place, but honestly, I kinda expected that. I mean, I might be first, but they still put us in these pretty small apartments that really is just big enough for one person, which is better than the barracks, but..."

He trails off, realizing he was starting to ramble, then laughs, his arms coming up to wrap around Sephiroth's neck so he can kiss his cheek. "It means a lot to me that you'd show me your home. Now I feel like I know you a little more."

[setirophx]

ITS DONE. Abbey by Mitski with Sephiroth

Things you can watch for in this video: Sephiroths hair and bangs getting bigger over the course of the vid.

[setirophx]

Sephiroth yanked his arm free then stiffly brushed off dirt from his front. It was more for something to do than actually to be clean. And just habit from so much yelled at just like this but for the dirt on his person. He must be presentable at all times, even in the middle of combat...

His expression is hardened. Lips thinned out to a tight line. Head carefully tipped so the fringe of his hair blocked his eyes, hiding the emotions he couldn't hide. Anger, mostly. But there was... confusion and dissbelief. When he was sure he could shove them away, he looked at Glenn with a steely look.

Empty and aloof. He had to remain in control. Always.

"I was following my orders. As you should be too." His tone is low and robotic, even to his own ears. Less his words and more an echoing of words told to him. He didn't look away as he made a similar less animated gesture towards the now empty clearing.

"Those kids, as you call them. They would not have hesitated to kill us. Showing mercy would only serve to get us killed." But as he spoke, he started to crumble a little around the edges. Showing the truth. His mako-green eyes glittered with tears. Tears he forced himself to hold back.

He hadn't wanted to kill them. Not really. But... this was his job. Their job.

Again, he'd turn away slightly, unable to meet Glenn's expression. He'd mumble his reply. "It wouldn't have been gruesome, but quick and instant. They wouldn't have felt anything."

He was just that good with magic--- or he was just lying to himself. They'd feel the initial impact, probably. But wouldn't live long enough to feel all of it. He had to lie to himself... Otherwise, he wasn't so sure he'd be as strong as he needed to be.

"We are SOLDIER. This is our job. If you can't handle it, maybe its not for you." He said the words, or rather, recited them. And despite his effort, he could not stop his voice from cracking at the end.

Sephiroth was trying to stay cool. It was visible. Clenched fists. Sharp tone. Accusations.

Glenn, though, he was not as in control over his emotions there. Looking after where the trucks had vanished to, he only whipped his head back to Spehiroth when he was sure the Rhadorans were out of earshot.

And Glenn's eyes immediately narrowed into a glare.

"What the fuck?! What were YOU doing?!", he snapped back immediately, his arm flying out to getsure to where the militants had been before.

"Three veterans but two were kids. Kids your fucking age! Maybe younger! We don't just go around and kill kids! What the hell?! With fire magic?! You wanted to give them all a gruesome death? The fuck, Spehiroth?!"

Rightening himself up again, Glenn breathed heavily through his nose. Once, twice. He tried to calm himself down, before grabbing the boy's arm and helping him up.

"The hell did they teach you in your training? To kill everything that moves? Where is your moral compass, kid? There is a difference between militants and civilians. And there is a difference between adults fighting and kids who don't understand shit about what they are doing, even if you put a weapon in their hands."

[setirophx]

Seph scoffed at the mysterious comment. His words were a touch bitter when he spoke quietly. "That's all an expertly crafted image. The real me... isn't so mysterious."

He did stop for a moment at a crosswalk. Taking that moment to peer down at Zack through his dark sunglasses. A slight smirk tugging at one side of his lips. He couldn't help but tease Zack. He did have an idea of it, even though Zack had always treated him like a person from the start.

"Starstruck, were you? I never would have guessed." A little hesitantly, he'd give Zack's hand a squeeze in return.

He then lead Zack out of the shopping center, through the round plaza and through a stone arch way. Abruptly the scenery turned from shops to residential. No one seemed to really take notice of them. If the did, no one else seemed interested in stopping them.

All the houses looked more or else the same. Just quaint little boxes in different shades of gray with black shingled roofs. Each had a 'yard' that was nothing more than just a fenced in bit of concrete square around the house. There wasn't a sliver of greenery anywhere. It was all steel and cement.

Seph didn't answer until he stopped at a house towards the middle of the street. nothing about it stood out at all. It looked just like any of the other houses around it. With its cement half-wall around it and a wrought iron gate. Perhaps a little too quickly, he was opening the door and practically dragging Zack in behind him. So far, no major tabloid knew where he lived. He had made sure of it.

However, the inside was completely different. Color was in every corner.

It wasn't particularly large. The kitchen was tucked in one corner with pale yellow cabinets and white marble countertops. A small light wood dinning table in the other corner, and the rest of the room was taken up by a plush deep navy blue sectional couch over a forest green rug and seemingly endless amounts of stuffed bookshelves. Save for one wall that had a television and countless DVDs on display.

And somewhere there was a door that would lead to two bedrooms and a bathroom down a short hall.

Only then when they were inside did Seph bashfully answer welcome Zack to his home.

"It's not swanky. Its really not much to look at all. It's just my childhood home. I grew up inside these walls." Whenever he wasn't being transported to the labs. This was the only place he felt truly safe and at ease.

"Well, I guess people will talk because they think you're mysterious or whatever. I mean...I'll be honest, that first night we met, I was pretty starstruck." Zack laughs nervously, then clears his throat, a bit of a shy grin on his face. Never did he once think that their relationship would ever turn into, well, this. Not that he's complaining, obviously. It just feels like a dream that he hopes he won't ever wake up from.

He takes his drink when Sephiroth hands it to him, looking down at the hand he's still holding. Zack's heart skips a beat, and he gently squeezes Sephiroth's hand before intertwining their fingers. Bold, maybe, but Zack's always been an affectionate person. They don't really show it in public for several reasons, so once he's given the opportunity, he'll gladly take it.

So he lets Sephiroth lead him along, still holding his hand a bit tight. He's resisting the urge to swing their arms back and forth. "So, what, do you live in a swanky place?" he teases, laughing a little. He can't, for the life of him, imagine Sephiroth living in anything too opulent. "Sorry--I'm teasing ya, Seph. I'm just excited!"

[setirophx]

Sephiroth laughs again, this time low and rich. Rumbling low from his chest. Completely unperturbed by Cloud's clear prickliness towards him. He reached his gloved hand out, fingers coming out to lightly brush over the bit of hair that hung close to Cloud's chin. He touched nothing else except that single piece.

"Twice that you didn't finish the job. You really ought to check that I'm really dead before walking away." He said with deep amusement. Gaze flicking from the hair he was practically petting to meet Cloud's mako-tinged blue eyes. A smirk played across Sephiroth's lips.

"Tell me Cloud. Do you dream of me when you sleep?" He asked, intentionally ominous.

He didn't speak of it. Of his own aching head or the ringing that never seemed to stop. That distinct feeling of being tugged towards this place, this moment. Or how that ache and ringing seemed to quiet around Cloud specifically. It infuriated him. Made him want to snatch him by the throat and squeeze tight---

He let the thought drift away. He'd get that chance one day. Today was not it. Instead, he looked at Cloud. Looked at him like the cat that had caught the canary and feasted fully.

"Because I certainly dream of you."

@setirophx from x

Cloud supposes that he really shouldn't be surprised at the ease which Sephiroth pushes his blade away. Even still, he stays where he's at, not wanting to give Sephiroth the satisfaction of him trying to get away. It's uncomfortable, as always, and Cloud's ears are filled with a shrill ringing. The pain that shoots through his head feels like a knife digging into his skull, and he has to take a deep breath to keep himself steady.

"Last time I checked, it's been twice already," he snaps in return, looking up at Sephiroth with narrowed eyes. His grip on his sword tightens so much that his knuckles have turned white, his heart pounding in his chest. He feels pathetic, like some kind of scared little kid. What does he have to be afraid of?

E̶V̶E̷R̵Y̸T̸H̸I̵N̴G̸.

"So what is it now, huh?" Cloud doesn't put his sword down, ready to go at a moment's notice. "What kind of weird shit are you trying to pull this time?"

[setirophx]

"Oh, Cloud. How silly you are." Sephiroth murmured close to Cloud's ear from behind him. He wound his arms around Cloud's waist loosely, pulling the Blond against his chest. It looked so very much like a lover's embrace as he brushed his lips over the shell of Cloud's ear.

"One day, you will crumble." Sephiroth murmured the word as he nuzzled Cloud's cheek with his own. One of his hands slid up over Cloud's chest to touch his gloved fingertips to Cloud's chin, silently urgering Cloud to turn his head towards him.

"But don't fret. I'll be there to pick up all the pieces."

( @setirophx sephiroth to cloud c: ) “You save everyone, but who saves you?”

"......" Cloud considered his words, and let them run through all of his thoughts, because this was something he had never really taken the time to think about. He would make a guess that if it really came to it, the others would come get him, but... The few times where he did need help, like with Midgardsormr, and a few others, he was always left to defend himself. Ultimately, being rescued by the one before him, and that left him feeling a certain kind of way over realizing this. It almost hurt to think that not even Tifa dared to come into the water after him. Right now, even, he was facing off with their greatest threat, alone. Always alone.

"As long as I keep alert, I won't need saving..."

@setirophx

[setirophx]

He initially woke to his hair being touched. As it seemed he was a light sleeper. But he was still wrapped in that warm haziness of grogginess. Not quite real and still very dreamy. Though he didn't remember anything he dreamed of. All he could recall was this sense of sadness and loss. But even those feelings faded quickly under the comfortable warmth pressed against him.

But it was Genesis' low voice that pulled him completely awake. Making him instantly alert of where he was and what he was doing. And very much aware of the reaction it caused him. It sent a tingle over his skin. A warmth spreading from his chest, his heart feeling a little fluttery.

It felt pleasant. It felt... like home.

He ought to move away, but he didn't -- or maybe couldn't. His head tipped back so he could see Genesis' face then was mesmerized by eyes so blue...

Maybe he was still sleep-addled, because it took him a little too long to realize he was being spoken to.

"I slept... well." He had to think about it for a moment. "Compared to how I woke before, I think it's better. But then, I was alone the last time I woke."

Carefully and slowly he extracted himself from that comfortable warmth and out of the covers. But he didn't go far. He sat on the edge for a moment, one leg folded under him, while the other hung over the edge.

"I suppose we'll start the day now. Unless... you wanted to lay around a little longer." A teasing tone laced his words as a smirk played across his lips. It felt so natural that he didn't even think about it. He felt so strangely at ease and he couldn't explain why.

Perhaps Genesis had known instinctually when his companion had snuggled up to him. What had once been a fitful sleep plagued with nightmares soon turned into a dreamless one filled with warmth.

When the bard woke up in the early hours of the morning, he couldn't help the soft smile that spread across his lips upon seeing the man snuggled with him. Gentle fingers reached up to brush chestnut locks out of his eyes.

"I'm certainly not going to object if this is how you'd prefer to sleep..." His voice was still rather husky with sleep, and even if he'd never admit it, deep down he'd missed having someone to snuggle in bed with. After a moment his hand reached to trace the other's shoulder, that smile still on his face.

"Speaking of... how did you sleep...?" He wasn't sure if his companion was awake yet, so he kept his voice gentle for now.

[setirophx]

A low rumbling laugh left him. Echoing ominously around the large empty room. It was cold and empty laughter. Then he'd stop with a sigh as he tilted his head at her. Slit eyes widening then narrowing dangerously thin. A smirk played across his lips.

"You seem to think you have a choice. How amusing."

Suddenly, the very air seemed to grow heavy around him. Smelling of ozone and of something sharp and chemical. The shadows around the corners of the room seemed to grow darker and deeper. creeping across the walls towards them. Centering towards Sephiroth's feet.

He took in a deep breath, shoulders hunching with the action. His eyes closed for a moment as if he were savoring the very taste of the air. Of her fear, perhaps. Then he'd let the breath out slowly as he settled his gaze on her. The glow of them seeing to intensify as the very light seemed to be sucked away.

He continued to speak, seemingly unbothered by the strangeness around him. The strangest part of all was the faint glowing particles that appeared then just as quickly was consumed by the shadows. Turning black and melding together.

"I know all about you. Your every secret that you'd rather die than let out. What you really are. You could try and stop me from spreading those secrets. But that would only end in your death. Or, you can deliver my message, and you get to continue to live on. That seems like a fair enough trade to me."

He was threatening her, unapologetically. Death, or do as he says. What would she choose?

The distinctive clack and rumble of smooth materia fallen to the stone floor, and rolled closer to her position somewhat had drawn her focus briefly. She didn't pay them much mind. Materia were useless to someone like her. Not for any lack of effort, or potential in a fight, but rather as a side effect of her ancestors consuming the lifestream. A bitter counter to the powers that it imbued upon her bloodline. And money? Well. Who needs money when she can hunt, and steal whatever she needs to survive?

Her reaction was tame initially. A small shake of her head with eyes never daring to abandon his form. The constant threat keeping her cautious; selective in her manner towards him. That is until he started to approach her. This feeling resounding within her, was as if vulnerabilities were suddenly being exposed. Fear. Deeply embedded into her entirety by instinct alone despite the logic of her mind, and plotting towards the potential survival of this predicament, taken the forefront of her actions. It was an impossible sensation to truly escape.

What he says next however -- She doesn't take the dog tags. Doesn't want to reach her hand out at all! Jezebel found herself pressed back to the wall despite trying to maintain herself in the face of this looming threat. Her eyes wide, and jaw tense, baring the slightest hint of an incisor and canine beyond the slight curl of a lip; the distinctive if subtle points accenting their appearance enough to dawn a more feral presence to the woman.

"I respectfully decline." She managed to speak up finally. Her heart was pounding. She could hear it thrumming wildly within her ears as she stared up at him. A sense of dread scratching at the base of her throat. How the hell did he know she was an assassin? It sickened her. Made her thoughts rush the idea of his connections with her former Master. Perhaps it was that possibility that steeled a sense of courage against him. Even if she were wrong, something deep down refused to let her be scared into servitude. Not after the horrors she had faced growing up.

[setirophx]

@phantasiiae ( Zack )

"So, how does it feel being back in the jungle?" Sephiroth asked as he moved easily through lush foliage and trees. Like a sleek jungle cat in its native habitat. The leaves ruffling only a little as he slipped by. "Does it feel like coming home?"

Every since they had left Midgar and made it to the edges of the Gongaga region, Seph felt so much more... free. Lighter. Like he could just float right away now that there wasn't any smog holding him down. It felt good and it reflected in his mood. He was more teasing, more lighthearted.

He even changed his outfit a bit to fit area. His trench coat gone and replaced with a more closer fitted leather jacket that matched well with his usual Shinra attire. However... he had ditched the Shinra belt. He didn't want to cause a fuss on sight.

His hair was also tied back in a braid to keep it from snagging. He looked more like he could handle camping out in the wilderness like this.

"Does it feel like coming home?" He continued to ask as he ducked under a low hung branch of a tree.

[setirophx]

A small amused smile played across Sephiroth's lips. Unable to really help it whenever he saw Zack's face shift color with a blush. It was cute and brought a certain bit a satisfaction to him knowing that he was what caused it. A small and silly thing, but held it close to his heart.

Then he froze, caught a little off-guard when Zack had pulled him up. Suddenly acutely aware of their public surroundings. But also remembered that he was dressed down in an old sweatshirt and jeans--- not as easily recognizable. Even his long hair was carefully pulled back into a braid.

But none of that compared to being very suddenly aware of Zack's hands on his. His own still gloved in black leather. Still warm against his skin.

"It gets annoying sometimes. Most of them are utter nonsense and have no basis in reality to make any sense. Others are just plain idiotic." Sephiroth murmured as he used one hand to pick up Zack's drink to hand it to him then took his own. His other hand never let got of Zack's other hand.

He'd snort softly. "All the First's get them. but I suppose mine are... different... since I'm, well, was the first SOLDIER." There was an underlying bitterness to his tone when he said it. He didn't care to think much else of it though.

Lightly, he started down the sidewalk, tugging Zack along with him. "This way."

Go back...to Sephiroth's place?

Why does Zack feel his brain short-circuiting?

He blinks a few times in surprise, his face heating up with it. What's he got to be so nervous about? It's only Sephiroth, and he already knows him better than he knows most people. Maybe it's just the fact that he hasn't asked that of Zack yet, and it almost feels sudden, intimate in a way he isn't expecting...so why would he refuse?

Zack's confused expression suddenly turns into a wide grin, and he laughs, jumping out of his seat with a burst of energy. "Yeah! Yeah, yeah, of course we could!" Plus, Sephiroth is right, it would give them some much needed privacy. Zack's fine with the attention, but it's getting to a point where even he feels a little overwhelmed.

He hurries over to where Sephiroth is sitting, taking his hands in some attempt to pull him up out of his seat. "I wasn't gonna make a joke...I figured it was just another rumor. Doesn't it get annoying? All the rumors? Is it like that with all the firsts? Or just you?"

[setirophx]

i have been slacking on my drafts a bit. muse has been high but motivation low. but hopefully i can knock some out tonight

[setirophx]

generally speaking... i never really liked the single wing aspect. but i accept it as a part of both sephiroth's design and sort of plot relevance for other characters. its just. why couldn't they give him two wings? idk ts just mildly distracting is all.

but now, my little brainworm is fixated on the idea of seph gaining a second wing in the end. after R3 is all said and done... or whatever au i pick up where he turns out to be redeemed or made into a hero.

one black wing representing his past, and a white wing showing his growth...

[setirophx]

🎨 + red

ok but what if i just left if up to u to describe a RED emotion… 🤔 bc there’s TONS here and mayb i’m greedy and curious

Send my muse an ask with a color + emotion, and my muse will describe a memory where that color was significant based on the emotion you chose. | @fourthclone

He's twelve years old... he had been training to wield a sword since he was ten. But all of that was done through VR or practice dummies. Never with real bodies. Or with a skilled instructor that easily outpaced his inexperience. And that that he was faced with the real thing--- he hadn't expected to see so much red.

The training arena was nothing more than a warehouse with a dirt floor and lined with lights and sensors. Completely enclosed with locked doors. Meant to keep what was inside in, and for nothing to come out. The edges of the room was dark, with all those lights seemingly centered on the round arena. Right in the middle where Sephiroth sat on the floor.

He had his knees to his chest, arms wrapped tight around them. There was a buzzing in his ear, like someone was trying to talk to him over a distorted intercom. Maybe someone was, but he couldn't focus on it or pick out words. The only thing he could focus on was the deep scarlet red marks that slashed across the grayish-brown dirt floor, over the gray metal walls. Made even brighter in the white light.

There was just so... so... much of it.

He didn't know... he never would have guessed that they'd bleed like this. Spilling over then drying like melted wax. It was also on his clothes, his hair, and skin. He could feel it like a cooling brand.

A tight knot formed in his stomach as he slowly stood up and looked out over the carnage. The bodies having long since faded in their strange pale-green light particles. his head pounded and his mouth was dry. Tears prick hot at the back of his eyes.

All he can feel is a numbed confusion.

They were just monsters. If he didn't kill them, they would kill him. Then kill whoever else might come across them. They were mindless and aggressive. Only knowing how to attack. Yet, Sephiroth couldn't bring himself to feel satisfied in a job done. He felt...

Sad.

Why should be feel sad? They were just stupid monsters. Yet, he couldn't shake this need to weep. To apologize. He really didn't want to have to kill them. It didn't matter that it was drilled into him for years that he couldn't hesitate. That hesitating would get him killed.

They were a victim just as much as he was. Forced into a cage. Poked and prodded. Then only to be thrown into some place unfamiliar. Of course they'd resort to fighting to defend themselves.

So, Spehiroth knew then, he needed to harden his heart. He could not left soft emotions stop him from getting his job done. Because one day, he will have to take human lives. Just how he took the lives of those innocent beasts.

[setirophx]

🎨Paint the town red 🎨

Send my muse an ask with a color + emotion, and my muse will describe a memory where that color was significant based on the emotion you chose.

[setirophx]

The initial comment took a little wind out of his sails, turning to curiosity. Now, why would a man so whimsical call himself a monster? Sephiroth was going to have to find out. The fact that he hadn't heard of this person before, this supposed blight on Midgar. So very curious.

His attention moved to the chair. He just stared at it as he listened.

Sephiroth was known as a war hero. Celebrated for being a champion that protected Midgar's way of life and expanding that way of life to others across the planet. He never really wanted to be in that roll. It was what he was told to be. He just went with the motions, never really feeling like the labels implied.

To be something else, even just momentarily? It had an appeal to it, but as he stared down at that tattered old chair... an odd ache settled in his chest. It was fear. he was afraid to know. Afraid that he might actually like what he experiance. Ludicrous. He feared nothing.

With well practiced confidence he really didn't feel, he sat down in the chair. Like he owned it and wasn't a guest. He crossed one leg over the other, hands clasping loosely over his stomach as he reclined back in the chair. He looked up the other.

"The education is a bit minimal, but it helps line ranks of the military too." He'd say with a slight amused quirk of lips.

"Very well, I will stay a while. However, there is one stipulation that I have." He'd paused a moment as leveled the full force of his mako-glowing green eyes on the other. Both studious and searching. Like he was trying to figure the person before him out by just a glance.

"When you aren't trying to straddle this line... what are you without the makeup?" It's murmured quietly, but genuinely. He was not trying to mock, be knew that sometimes he could not control his tone. He just wanted to know more.

"Why not start with names? What do you want me to call you?"

"A monster? Then you're in good company." He observed the SOLDIER carefully. Had he truly not experienced such wonders? He must have been sheltered. Growing up, he hadn't met anyone else aside from the madmen who made him.

"There's what people call you, and there's what you are. I'm called a freak, a monster, a blight on Midgar." He indicated the seat beside him, it was a worn office chair, perhaps someone above had thrown it out, and it found its way down here.

As all lost things did.

"The measure of a man is how useful he is. The measure of a woman is how pretty. I prefer to walk the line between, an unknown but exciting experience. We are more than the sum of our parts." He picked up a palette of makeup, shifting to his feet.

"My chair is open if you want to give it a shot, but I promise you-- you'll be more alluring than you are now. Cross my heart-- wherever it is. Have I mentioned the education system down here is a joke?" He could tell the male was nervous, he seemed to have a lot going on.

Sometimes all one needed was an escape. This was his-- at least until he could get enough to get away. No longer a slave to the beast inside. Though he found it amusing that the war hero was calling himself a monster, when he was in the presence of a true beast.

[setirophx]

to add onto this, harpies are sometimes associated with sirens. or given siren-like qualities. specifically the singing/calling their victims in.

and jenova's "call" for reunion is almost like a siren song. near impossible to resist. especially for those are the closer related to her, or have more of her cells. its not a literal song, but more like a metaphysical. a tug in the very mind of those that carry her cells.

i have been thinking bout jenova a bit. and the fact that anything infected by her cells take on birdlike qualities. namely feathered wings. (even the angeal copies look very birdlike).

the motifs seem to be equated to the image of angels. both fandomwise and inverse, even if its not stated outright.

but the image that got stuck in my head is jenova actually being a harpy-like being. at least in her true form, or just a favored form. the face and torso of a beautiful woman, and the limbs and claws of a bird.