[Action: Lindblum] Forward-dated a bit

[crossofsaints.livejournal.com]

[Granted, he knew that entrepreneurship was hardly a cakewalk, but this was bordering on the ridiculous.

Seifer eyed the goldfish in the clear bag he'd just obtained with a look of wary disgust, as if he was expecting them to turn into monsters and try to snap his face off at any moment.

It was probably a rather amusing sight; a young man with a floppy hat (picked up from a cart of old rags) tending to fish seasoned and grilling on a bed of coals in the beat up, makeshift, movable fire pit, sitting on an empty crate with his hand on a basket of freshly caught fish and the other holding a bag of harmless, carnival-prize fish he was in the process of glaring down.

The floppy hat was meant to help cover his face, and it did, casting a shadow to at least cover the top of his scar. His trademark coat was turned inside out, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, leaving his hands free and clean to tend to the fish he was attempting to sell.

Sell the fish, not trade them for bags of useless fish. From now on, he was going to ask to see the color of their gil before he accepted any offers.

That still left the matter of the goldfish...]

Hey you! kid! Yeah, you, I've got a deal for ya.

Hey! cool fish!

Yeah, they're neat, right? So, I'll let ya have the buggers for 300 gil.

But that's a lot of gil-

I know, but these are special goldfish. If they're really happy, they glow! [Seifer pushed a little but of his qi to surround the fish and with an exhale lit the edges up with jut the faintest hint of a spark] See? They just did it again.

Wow mister! That's really cool.

So whaddaya say, squirt?

[The kid dug around in his pocket, then called his friends over, and they dug around in their pockets, eventually coming up with 269 gil. He gave Seifer a very sad looking face.]

All right, kid, I'll take it. But don't tell anyone I cut you a deal, okay?

Yes, mister! Thanks!

Now go scamper off, I got business to do.

[As the children dispersed, Seifer tucked the money in his pocket and smirked. Maybe he should go into the con-man business instead.]