Sarah waved goodbye to the group of convention goers with a look of satisfaction.

She was dressed in her Tifa Lockhart cosplay outfit and it was having the desired effect. She loved the attention she received at these conventions. She had never had to pay for anything and she usually ended up with more money than she came with as there was no shortage of guys willing to pay to get a picture with her.

This convention was no different. She had already had her meals and room paid for and several groups of guys handed over cash for a picture without a second thought. She was beginning to think she could turn this into a job if she good find enough conventions. It would allow here to pay her bills while traveling and all she had to do was dress like
an anime or game character for a few hours.

She was just about to head to the hotel bar to see if she could get some free drinks when a young man met her at the corner of the hall and complimented her costume. He set down his dufflebag and the large book he was carrying to adjust his camera.

"Would you mind if I got a picture," he asked. Sarah, seeing another opportunity, responded, "I was just about to grab dinner, but I'm a little scrapped for cash. Could I get $20 for a picture?"

"Sure, I'm not exactly hurting," the guy with the camera replied. He opened his wallet and handed her a $20 bill. She placed her purse next to the guy's bag and moved to the other side of the hall to pose for the picture.

"Does this look alright?" She asked?

"That's perfect, just hold there for a second," he replied.

He clicked the shutter of the camera and it produced an extremely bright flash of blue light. As soon as the flash occurred, Sarah's body ceased all motion. She found herself unable to move or speak. At the same time she began to shrink. Once she was only a few inches tall, a small circular base materialized beneath her. Within a matter of seconds, a small plastic figure of Tifa Lockhart was standing where Sarah had been.

The guy walked over and picked up the figure to examine it for a moment. He the walked over and picked up his book and bag. He then also picked up Sarah' purse. He removed the $20 he had just parted with and set the purse back down.

He tossed the Tifa figure and the bill into his bag and continued back to his room.⁸