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“Father, can I ask you something?” Sephiroth asked, looking over at the man as he came back from the town.
“Of course. What is it?”
“Why is the town so decorated? I saw many… odd looking pumpkins.” Sephiroth said, not having a better word for it. “They had faces.”
“Ah, it’s preparation for the pumpkin festival.” Vincent answered.
“What’s that?”
“It’s… a festival, people dress up in costumes for it.” Vincent answered, upon seeing Sephiroth’s still curious face, he continued, “They have… various pumpkin flavored and pumpkin spice flavored foods there.”
“Oh… have you been?” he asked.
“No, I have not.” Vincent said, shaking his head. “… Do you wish to go?”
“Can we? Please?” Sephiroth asked before he could stop himself. It sounded interesting, he wanted to experience it himself.
“If you’d like. It’s in about a week.”
“What about the costumes? What… what are those like?” He asked. Vincent stared down at him, eyes narrowed a bit. “Um, s-”
“… Do you want to dress up for it?” He asked. Sephiroth nodded, the best way to learn was by experience, wasn’t it? “We could head to the tailor tomorrow, then.” There was a bit of reluctance in Vincent’s voice.
“Yes, that sounds fine.” Sephiroth said. Going into the town just this once wouldn’t be too bad, would it?
*
The following morning they headed into town, going to the tailor’s shop. Sephiroth had stayed glued to Vincent’s side the entire walk, holding onto his elbow, looking down at the ground. The townspeople were still wary around him, looking at him, whispering about them.
Sephiroth didn’t like that, neither did Vincent. Though the tailor wasn’t too far from the manor, so thankfully they weren’t out for too long.
The bell ringing above them as Vincent opened the door made Sephiroth flinch from surprise, grasping onto Vincent’s arm harder. He lifted his hand up and patted his head.
“It’s alright, we’re here now.” Vincent said quietly. It… was definitely a concern about how scared Sephiroth would get around other people, though he couldn’t blame him for that. He’s spent most of his life inside of the labs, the only people he was able to interact with were scientists and Hojo.
And it wasn’t as if Vincent was the best example of a social person. He went out when he needed to, and that was it. Sephiroth needed a better example, maybe a friend his age could help. Though that would require Sephiroth leaving the manor and going into town… maybe the festival would be a good opportunity for him.
“Hey there- oh, y’all are the folks who moved into the old Shinra manor, ain’t you?” The lady working behind a sewing machine exclaimed.
Sephiroth had grown even more anxious, somehow. Vincent just nodded. “We are. Came in for a costume for the pumpkin festival… it isn’t too late for that, is it?”
The lady shook her head. “I should have it out just in time, dependin’ on what it is! What did y’all have in mind?”
Vincent… had no idea. This was out of his realm of capabilities. He looked down at Sephiroth, hoping that the boy had thought of this yesterday. Sephiroth shook his head, though.
“… We are not sure.” Vincent said. The woman frowned at the both of them, pausing in thought.
“Hm… ah, I think I’ll be able to come up with somethin’ for the two of y’all in time. C’mere, and let me check y’all’s measurements.” she said, standing up from her desk and grabbing a tape measure. Sephiroth’s hold on Vincent’s arm had lessened, no longer crushing it in his grip. “If you’d prefer it, I’m sure your father will be able to do it instead of me.”
Sephiroth looked up at Vincent, as if waiting for approval.
“Do you want me to do it for you?” Vincent asked. Sephiroth nodded shyly. The measuring process didn’t take too long, and soon enough they were out, told to come back on the 29th.
Sephiroth was noticeably less anxious, even when they went back into town. If anything, he seemed excited. He was looking around at the town, at the various decorations lying around, eyeing the carved pumpkins with curiosity.
“If you’d like, we could buy one and try to carve it.”
Sephiroth looked up at him. “I’m not sure how to carve them.”
“Neither am I. I’m sure they have tools for them, too.” Vincent said. Sephiroth then nodded.
“Then… Yes, I would um, like to get one. Please.”
Vincent lifted his hand up to pat his head, which was a good enough confirmation for Sephiroth. They headed to the general store and had found what they needed. Sephiroth wasn’t nearly as shy this time, though he still never strayed from Vincent’s side.
They had gotten two pumpkins,one set of carving tools, and a pack of decorations. Sephiroth had a small smile on his face, clearly excited.
Once they got back to the manor, they headed into the kitchen, setting the tools and pumpkins down onto the table.
“Can I start now?” Sephiroth asked eagerly.
Vincent broke open one of the tool packets. “We’ll have to gut the pumpkin first.” he said, smiling a bit at the boy’s excitement. Vincent handed Sephiroth one of the carving knives. “Carve out a circle at the top, around the stem. Then take out what’s inside of it.” Vincent instructed. Sephiroth nodded, doing as Vincent said.
Vincent could see Sephiroth’s pupils dilate as the strong smell of pumpkin hit the air once they were gutted.
He took Sephiroth’s pumpkin and looked inside, checking over it, before handing it back. “Should be good to carve now.”
Sephiroth nodded, a quiet purr starting as he took his pack of tools, already focused on carving the pumpkin. Must have already had something in mind, then. Vincent on the other hand, didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t exactly the most creative person…
Ah, a simple Dorky Face would do. That would be easy to carve, and the pack of decorations had ribbons similar to those of a Dorky Face.
Vincent was done with his quickly, since it was something simple. Sephiroth was still hard at work with his, carving into it carefully.
“What are you making?” Vincent asked.
“Mm, it’s… nothing.”
“Seems like a lot of work for nothing.” Vincent teased. Sephiroth wrinkled his nose. “Want to tell me once it’s done?”
Sephiroth nodded, still focused on the carving. He finished just about ten minutes later, setting down the tools neatly. He then hesitantly turned it around, showing it off to Vincent. “It’s, um, supposed to be…”
It was a bit hard to tell what it was, though judging by the hair and horns… “Galian?” Vincent- or, rather Galian started to purr at the carving.
“It is.” Sephiroth confirmed, happy that Vincent had guessed correctly.
“Galian likes it, as do I.” Vincent said. “You did well, took far more effort than mine did.” he then showed Sephiroth his own pumpkin.
“Ah… is it meant to be a Dorky Face?”
Vincent nodded. “Good guess.” he said, pulling out the ribbons from the packet. “Do you want to help me with these?” Sephiroth nodded and moved to Vincent’s side, putting on the white ribbons on the pumpkin’s bottom.
Once that was done with, they set the carved pumpkins outside with a small, fake candle inside the both of them. They were on top of the walls that connected to the gate of the manor.
Sephiroth had a small smile on his face the whole time, his silent purrs filling the quiet air.
… Vincent could not feel happier.
*
On the 29th, they went back to the Tailor’s shop. Sephiroth had done his best to ignore the stares of the townspeople, the quiet whispers under their breaths.
The… lady who worked there was kind. She hadn’t been judgemental towards them, despite Sephiroth’s looks. Gods, how he wishes he looked more like his father. If he had the same hair color that he did, and the same eye color as his mother.
Then people wouldn’t look at him so much, then Sephiroth could be more… normal.
The woman who worked at the store looked up from her sewing machine once the two of them entered. “There y’all are! Managed to get your costumes in on time, go on and try ‘em out over in the dressing rooms over there.”
Vincent nodded and took both of the costumes, handing one of them over to Sephiroth. “Let me know if you need any help putting yours on.” he said. Sephiroth mumbled a quick ‘thank you’, and hurried into the dressing room.
He was practically buzzing with excitement to finally try on his costume. It was a bit hard to put on the costume, though he managed it just fine on his own. He looked into the mirror in the room, reaching a hand up to poke the dark red horns on his head. It looked awfully like Galian’s…
He didn’t put the muzzle on, no. It… was too familiar to a punishment that Hojo would give him if he talked back, or if he had bitten one of the scientists. He picked it up in his hand, and hesitantly left the dressing room.
Vincent was already out, looking over at Sephiroth once he left the room. He had a long mask over his mouth and nose, similar to a bird’s beak in a way.
“So, how does it fit?” The lady asked. “Ah- did I forget to give you your mask?” she said, once she noticed that Sephiroth wasn’t wearing his.
Sephiroth shook his head, holding it up in his hand. “Um, apologies, but I didn’t wish to wear it.” That sounded disrespectful didn’t it? And just before Sephiroth could apologize once more for his disrespect, Vincent set a hand on top of his head, between the fake horns.
“Aw, really? That’s fine, no need to worry dear! Is the rest of the costume to your likin’?”
Sephiroth nodded. “Yes, it is… comfortable, and looks good. Thank you.”
“Then that’s all that matters. Now, I hope the two of y’all have a great time at your first Pumpkin Festival!”
*
The night of the festival had arrived quickly. Sephiroth had never felt more excited to go into the town, though the second they got there…
He stayed glued to Vincent’s side once more, holding onto his elbow with his hand. Some of the people were staring at them, at him.
Sephiroth figured that he’d be able to stand-out less because of the costumes, though clearly that wasn’t the case. Sephiroth still looked inhuman, of course he did. Being dressed up like everyone else wouldn’t hide that fact. He clung onto Vincent’s arm harder, walking closely to him.
“They’ve set up more decorations.” his father started to speak. “Some stands, too. If you want to get anything, just tell me, alright?” Sephiroth nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He started to look around, trying to ignore the eyes on him.
Eventually he spotted a small stand selling weird, small, triangular shaped, colorful… things. They must have been candy, though what kind… Sephiroth did not know.
“Um, father? What are those?” Sephiroth asked, hesitantly pointing over at the stand.
Vincent narrowed his eyes. “Candy corn,” he answered. Sephiroth wrinkled his nose, candy made out of corn…? That sounded odd. Vincent must have noticed his reaction, because he further clarified. “It’s not actual corn, just… sugar and honey, mostly. Do you want to try some?”
“Yes, please. They sound… interesting.” Sephiroth said, leading Vincent over to the stand. He had purchased a small bag of it, Sephiroth holding it in his hands, and popping one of the tiny candies into his mouth. His pupils dilated at the taste.
It was very sugary, very sweet, but Sephiroth loved it. “Do you want to try some?” he asked his father. Vincent shook his head, though.
“I don’t like candy corn, much.” he said. “But thank you, for offering.”
Sephiroth nodded, continuing to eat more of the little candies as they walked around. It helped settle his mood, he no longer felt nearly as anxious as when they had first arrived. The people weren’t looking at them as much anymore, either.
“Make sure not to eat too much in one sitting. We haven’t had dinner yet, and you’ll get sick if you eat too many.”
Sephiroth paused, get sick? Were these made of some weird sort of toxins? If they were, then why would they be selling them at a festival?
“... Not sick-sick, just nauseous.” Vincent then clarified, and Sephiroth made an “oh” of understanding.
He decided to pause in his eating, since Vincent had made a fair point about not eating dinner yet. They passed by another stand with a small line. Said stand seemed to be selling bowls of what looked like a kind of soup.
“Father? Can I try some of the soup they’re selling there?” Sephiroth asked. Vincent looked over at the stand.
“The pumpkin soup?” Vincent questioned, though then nodded. “Should be a good enough meal for tonight, too.” he said, going over to the line with Sephiroth.
Once they had gotten the bowls of soup, they found somewhere to sit down and eat.
The taste was unique, but Sephiroth adored it. He loved it more than anything else he’s ever had the chance to eat since leaving the labs. It was creamy, sweet, and savory. He purred quietly as he ate it, a small smile on his face.
The bowl was empty all too soon, leaving Sephiroth disappointed.
“Did you like it?” Vincent asked, his bowl half-full.
“I did, it’s very good.” Sephiroth said, trying not to eye Vincent’s bowl too much. Clearly he failed, though.
“You could have the rest of mine if you’d like, I am… not too hungry, and I’m sure you appreciate the taste far more than I do.” Vincent said. Sephiroth tried to deny it, he did not want to be too selfish, though Vincent insistently, set the bowl on Sephiroth’s lap, and took the empty one away.
“T-Thank you.” he said sheepishly, starting to eat up the rest of the soup, savoring each bite of it.
Once that was sadly done with, they started to walk around the festival again. Vincent had bought Sephiroth various candies that caught his interest. Sephiroth knows that Hojo would be livid with rage if he saw what Sephiroth was eating, these certainly weren’t healthy…
Though… Hojo was gone now, and so were his punishments.
*
Sephiroth never left Vincent’s side throughout the festivities. Which was… fine, he just wanted the boy to interact with people other than him. He needed friends his age, Vincent was hardly the most conversational person to hang out with.
Though Vincent was going to force him to interact with people, no. That would just be cruel. The townspeople were still wary, which in turn made Sephiroth anxious.
He couldn’t change the townspeople’s views on them, though he could help Sephiroth. He could take him into town more, bring him to the general store whenever they needed to go shopping. Just small steps. He couldn’t enroll him into the town’s school yet, that would be too overwhelming for the boy, even if he’d never admit it.
Once it was later in the night, they settled on going back to the manor, though a commotion just outside of the manor had stopped them in their tracks. There was a small, blond boy fallen on the ground, hands and knees scraped.
There were also two Dorky Faces floating in front of the boy, ready to attack. Vincent hadn’t brought his gun with him into town- though Sephiroth headed into action with no hesitation. He summoned Masamune and leapt forwards, killing both of them in one, swift strike.
Vincent went to check on the blond boy, kneeling down behind him, setting his gauntlet on his shoulder. “Are you hurt?” he asked, trying to keep his voice as soft as he was when Sephiroth was afraid.
The boy shook his head, staring wide-eyed at Sephiroth. Sephiroth let Masamune vanish, looking awfully shy now. The boy only had a few scrapes, likely from the fall. Vincent stood up and then walked over to Sephiroth, setting his hands on his shoulders and checking him over for any injuries.
Sephiroth was completely unscathed, of course, but it didn’t hurt to check. He was still hesitant to show Vincent any injuries he may get from hunting monsters with him, after all.
The boy on the ground stood up quickly, momentarily stumbling. “How did you summon your sword? It’s so long!”
Sephiroth had grown even more shy, which… Vincent had found it a bit amusing, considering the context. The boy was clearly amazed by Sephiroth, not weirded out by him.
“And how are you so strong? You don’t look too much older than me- aren’t the two of you the new folks that moved into the manor?” the boy asked. Sephiroth took a step back, holding onto Vincent’s elbow.
“Talk to him if you’d like, Sephiroth. He doesn’t mean you any ill-will, he’s only excited.” Vincent whispered, quiet enough so that only Sephiroth could hear. Sephiroth hesitantly nodded in response, lessening his hold on Vincent.
“... My name is Sephiroth.” he said, not answering any of the boy’s questions.
“‘M Cloud.” he introduced himself. “... Thank you for helping me.” Cloud said shyly.
“What were you doing out here so late?” Vincent questioned. It was obvious that Nibel was a dangerous place to be in at night, especially deeper into the mountains.
Cloud shrugged though, hiding the answer. “It’s nothing. I should probably go back to town, now…” he obviously didn’t want to do that, he wanted to hang around Sephiroth more.
Sephiroth looked a bit reluctant to leave, too. He was one of the few people to not treat Sephiroth with any judgement or animosity.
“We’ll be heading back to town, too.” Vincent said, making Sephiroth look up at him with surprise.
Cloud had brightened up a bit, and as they headed back into town, he would talk with Sephiroth. Not many words, and not nearly as excited as earlier, it was obvious he was trying to be ‘cool’.
There was a woman who looked like Cloud standing in front of what must have been her house, clearly worried. Once her eyes landed on Cloud though, her expression melted into one of relief.
“Cloud! Now where have you been- you’re hurt!” The woman said, making her way over to them. Cloud looked down at the ground, embarrassed. She then noticed Vincent and Sephiroth. “And now who are you?”
“Cloud had run into a few Dorky Faces just outside of the town, though they didn’t hurt him.” Vincent started, he then set his hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. “This is my son, Sephiroth. He took care of the monsters. I am Vincent Valentine.”
“Claudia Strife, and you’ve already met my son here.” Claudia said.
“It’s, um, nice to meet you ma’am.” Sephiroth greeted shyly.
“Now aren’t you just a dear, thank you for helpin’ my Cloudy out back there.” she smiled. Sephiroth just nodded, finally letting his hand drop from Vincent’s elbow.
*
They stayed in the town for just a bit longer. Sephiroth was allowed to be around Cloud, who was only a few years younger than him. He was ten years old. He wasn’t energetic like he had first come off as, he was quiet, reserved. He still asked questions about Sephiroth, though not anything too intrusive about why he looked the way he did.
Sephiroth had… fun. He had fun, carving the pumpkins a week ago, spending time at the festival in costume, talking to Cloud…
As they walked back to the manor, Vincent asked, “How did you enjoy the festival?”
“It… It was fun. Thank you for letting me go- I would not mind coming back again next year.” Sephiroth said quietly, a small smile appearing on Vincent’s face.
Once they got back to the manor, Sephiroth had changed into more comfortable clothing and lied down in his bed, curling up in his sheets. The warm bed made for quite the contrast compared to the cold and dry air of fall.
He lifted his head up from the pillow when he heard Vincent come in, his gauntlet gently patting his head.
“Good night, Sephiroth. I am… glad that you enjoyed the festival.” Vincent said, pulling the blanket over Sephiroth’s shoulders.
“Yes… Thank you, for taking me. Good night, father.” Sephiroth mumbled, the hand in his hair leaving, and the door that led to his room quietly shutting.
As… as scary as being in town may have been at first, Sephiroth was starting to warm up to it a bit.
He had made a friend- or something close to that, Sephiroth wasn’t really sure what counted as making a ‘friend’.
And… and he had his father with him.