[The amount of food he can put away is nothing short of astonishing for anyone who isn't already well familiar how much teenagers can eat!
But if this is normalcy, it's new. He doesn't mind learning. Wasn't it a goal, to try to have a normal life? Scott's unfortunately now part of that, even if only in passing.]
I'm pretty sure banking is in everyone's future, you might as well get used to it. Learn how to balance a checkbook. [He wiggles fingers briefly, as if this is supposed to be a spooky fate.] There's worse things than no-one expecting anything out of you. It means you have more options.
[Right? That's how it works, he's pretty sure.]
I'd suggest, if nothing else comes up. Spend as much time as you can learning things, so you can make a lot of gil when you get back, so you can become wealthy enough to just do whatever catches your interest. Travel. Fish. Buy the newest gadget. Spoil friends outrageously. Try alchemy. Turning dirt into gold might help.
[An exaggerated groan escapes Scott at that thought. Please, don't tell him more about the mundane boring shit of being an adult. He's going to die. Truly, the worst fate ever.
Though he soon leans his cheek against a closed fist as he actually listens to what Sephiroth is saying to him. Funny, he brought him here just to do normal shit and eat food, maybe talk some stuff about being an evil dragon, but guess talking about the future is actually kind of normal, huh? He just usually avoids it, before it was because of his uncertainty about what he wanted to do, but now it's because of a bunch of other stupid shit.
But guess this is kind of cool in its own dumb way.]
Man, seriously? 'Become a rich asshole?' [Guess he shouldn't expect too much from a dragon that wanted to hoard treasure, but...]
If you don't want to be an asshole, and just be rich, that's up to you.
[Philanthropists exist!]
As long as we're stuck living by the rules of everyone else's societies, it's better to have money than not have it. The poor rarely influence much, and tend to not be able to act freely either. If you're not generational wealth it's probably fine.
[Unless he rebels against society hard enough to overturn everything!! Nah, he's not about that, really. Yeah sure, he thinks a lot of parts about it sucks, but it still sounds way better than the shit that the other mutants are going through in the alternative reality. No thanks about any of that.]
Is that what you want to do back home? Become super rich and do whatever you want?
[Uprising of the wealthy that aren't assholes! it'll be a rebellion of .. one. Scott would be in a class by himself, probably hated by his fellow rich people for daring to buck the status quo.
Might end badly.]
.. What I want to do back home isn't relevant. There aren't choices to be made.
[Sephiroth shakes his head slightly, unwilling to linger on the idea long.]
So I'm content with hoping I never actually return. I'm working on that right now, actually. There's a whole universe out there, why limit yourself to one planet?
[Okay, that gets him to frown. Some of that earlier lightheartedness starts to disappear from Scott, replaced by genuine... worry? A flicker of it definitely appears and stays on the young teen's face as he looks at the other, just wondering what he means by that. Even if Sephiroth wants to move on from that topic, he can't help but latch onto it.]
What do you mean? What's happening back in your world?
[Do horrible things just happen in his world? Like in that other mutant reality? And Sephiroth has to fight against those things? Guess he wouldn't be too surprised, but he wants to hear it from him.]
[He focuses on the arrival of french fries. There will be regrets later, greasy food never agreed with him, but it wasn't his fault the things were addictive. There was no eating just one fry.]
The usual, I imagine. Ongoing wars. I have it on good authority by the time I reach thirty it'll be significantly better.
[One small blessing about the future: it has the outcome he wants! Friends! Family! A purpose beyond fighting!
.. He just has to get there.]
But in truth ... of late I find this more enjoyable. Seeing all these different worlds, doing things I'd never be allowed to. Not all of the missions are great, but they're interesting no matter what.
[Oh. Wars. So he's from a world that's sort of war torn and shit...? Stuff that he's seen in media, read in books, but never really experienced, at least definitely not to the point where things are completely fucked up. Well, maybe that might happen with the US and the Soviets at some point, but hopefully not. That would suck shit.
At least it gets better for Sephiroth...? He's not even confused about the idea of Sephiroth knowing something like that. Although... he's speaking like he personally has to fight in these wars despite being around his age. What the hell is that about? It seems to feel that way, especially since the regular missions they have here doesn't bother him at all.]
So... you were in a war before you came here? Were you always in a war?
[It's better to not experience it. There's no honor or glory, no matter what the posters said.]
Not exactly. I've been fighting since I was small, but the actual war is newer. You know how it is. One nation decides they want to build things on another nation's territory, and they have a discussion with lots of guns over who's right.
[That's not how he might have phrased that a year ago. But what would Shinra do? What could it do here?]
We're fighting here often too, but it's for a better purpose. And there's a lot more interesting things going on than the next battlefield or town to erase or monster to kill. This right here, wouldn't be allowed.
[Uhhhhhh so none of this sounds okay?? Even if he wasn't in an actual war until recently, he's still like his age in a full on battlefield now. And before than he still had to fight in who knows what...
Scott frowns directly at him-- at the french fries, though none of his actual anger is directed at Sephiroth.]
Okay, going to state this now, your world sounds fucked up. [Even coming from a place where nuclear war might happen--] At least whoever is using you to fight for them. Like what the hell?? Not to mention preventing you from eating french fries? Sounds like a dictatorship.
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no subject
But if this is normalcy, it's new. He doesn't mind learning. Wasn't it a goal, to try to have a normal life? Scott's unfortunately now part of that, even if only in passing.]
I'm pretty sure banking is in everyone's future, you might as well get used to it. Learn how to balance a checkbook. [He wiggles fingers briefly, as if this is supposed to be a spooky fate.] There's worse things than no-one expecting anything out of you. It means you have more options.
[Right? That's how it works, he's pretty sure.]
I'd suggest, if nothing else comes up. Spend as much time as you can learning things, so you can make a lot of gil when you get back, so you can become wealthy enough to just do whatever catches your interest. Travel. Fish. Buy the newest gadget. Spoil friends outrageously. Try alchemy. Turning dirt into gold might help.
no subject
Though he soon leans his cheek against a closed fist as he actually listens to what Sephiroth is saying to him. Funny, he brought him here just to do normal shit and eat food, maybe talk some stuff about being an evil dragon, but guess talking about the future is actually kind of normal, huh? He just usually avoids it, before it was because of his uncertainty about what he wanted to do, but now it's because of a bunch of other stupid shit.
But guess this is kind of cool in its own dumb way.]
Man, seriously? 'Become a rich asshole?' [Guess he shouldn't expect too much from a dragon that wanted to hoard treasure, but...]
Still feels like, dumb society shit, you know?
no subject
[Philanthropists exist!]
As long as we're stuck living by the rules of everyone else's societies, it's better to have money than not have it. The poor rarely influence much, and tend to not be able to act freely either. If you're not generational wealth it's probably fine.
no subject
[Unless he rebels against society hard enough to overturn everything!! Nah, he's not about that, really. Yeah sure, he thinks a lot of parts about it sucks, but it still sounds way better than the shit that the other mutants are going through in the alternative reality. No thanks about any of that.]
Is that what you want to do back home? Become super rich and do whatever you want?
friggin holidays!!
Might end badly.]
.. What I want to do back home isn't relevant. There aren't choices to be made.
[Sephiroth shakes his head slightly, unwilling to linger on the idea long.]
So I'm content with hoping I never actually return. I'm working on that right now, actually. There's a whole universe out there, why limit yourself to one planet?
holidays!!
What do you mean? What's happening back in your world?
[Do horrible things just happen in his world? Like in that other mutant reality? And Sephiroth has to fight against those things? Guess he wouldn't be too surprised, but he wants to hear it from him.]
no subject
The usual, I imagine. Ongoing wars. I have it on good authority by the time I reach thirty it'll be significantly better.
[One small blessing about the future: it has the outcome he wants! Friends! Family! A purpose beyond fighting!
.. He just has to get there.]
But in truth ... of late I find this more enjoyable. Seeing all these different worlds, doing things I'd never be allowed to. Not all of the missions are great, but they're interesting no matter what.
no subject
At least it gets better for Sephiroth...? He's not even confused about the idea of Sephiroth knowing something like that. Although... he's speaking like he personally has to fight in these wars despite being around his age. What the hell is that about? It seems to feel that way, especially since the regular missions they have here doesn't bother him at all.]
So... you were in a war before you came here? Were you always in a war?
[Since he 'wasn't allowed to do things.' Damn.]
no subject
Not exactly. I've been fighting since I was small, but the actual war is newer. You know how it is. One nation decides they want to build things on another nation's territory, and they have a discussion with lots of guns over who's right.
[That's not how he might have phrased that a year ago. But what would Shinra do? What could it do here?]
We're fighting here often too, but it's for a better purpose. And there's a lot more interesting things going on than the next battlefield or town to erase or monster to kill. This right here, wouldn't be allowed.
[French fries are indicated.]
no subject
Scott frowns directly at him-- at the french fries, though none of his actual anger is directed at Sephiroth.]
Okay, going to state this now, your world sounds fucked up. [Even coming from a place where nuclear war might happen--] At least whoever is using you to fight for them. Like what the hell?? Not to mention preventing you from eating french fries? Sounds like a dictatorship.