In the previous episode, Hope and Noel visit Vanille's statue, which has strangely been separated from Fang's. They are forced to settle into a foreign world whose future has not yet been saved. With very little to go on, Hope turns to the Academy, while Noel enlists in the military. Both men seek answers, yet in their consumption they also subconsciously seek escape: distractions to keep themselves occupied. Reality is beginning to set in, but both men cannot come to terms with properly facing their failures….
Crystal Fortresses
Two men seeking to save the future, driven by the burdens of their past: Perhaps they had more in common than Hope once thought.
Episode 4: A Man's Castle
"Hope! Hope! You gotta wake up, Hope!"
"Vanille! What's his status?"
"He's not answering!"
"Keep trying, I'll hold this bad boy off."
Hope slowly opened his eyes. Consciousness of the world around him was returning to him. By the way Vanille had called for him, he must've passed out. He sat up and groaned – every muscle in his body was aching.
"Hold still!" Vanille said suddenly, and before Hope could figure out what was going on Vanille cast several healing spells. His pains left him, and it was only moments before Hope was back on his feet.
"I… what's going on?" asked Hope, slightly confused as Vanille bent over to pat the dust off his clothes for him.
"Look!" said Vanille, pointing to the horizon. That's right. They had run into an encounter with an enormous Cieth by the name of Geiseric. The specifics were still a bit hazy, but he remembered having found a weak spot with his boomerang by chance, and he'd managed to relay some sort of battle plan before Geiseric's fist had connected with his gut.
Hope turned his head and watched as Fang darted along the cliff opposite their direction. Hope was in awe of how fast Fang could run, but more impressive was how she was effortlessly dodging the gigantic Cieth's attacks. He wondered how long he'd been passed out, how long Fang had spent trying to keep him and Vanille alive while targeting that one spot per Hope's directions.
"We gotta help her!" Hope yelled, and Vanille was quick to agree. One well-aimed throw of his boomerang got Geiseric's attention, but before the Cieth could throw a fist in their direction Vanille cast her binding rod. Vanille pulled on the rod and Hope dropped his boomerang to help her, until at last the Cieth had been properly restrained and immobilized.
…and out of nowhere came Fang, dropping from the sky with her bladed lance at the ready. Geiseric gave one last cry as the lance pierced into his thick skin, and then he was no more.
A silence fell amidst their victory. Instead of celebrating, both women turned their attention to Hope, worried looks upon their faces. Hope was intimidated, and almost instinctively he took several steps backward.
"Careful now," said Fang, and she latched onto his arm. "Don't want you falling off the edge, now."
"We were so worried!" said Vanille, grasping his free hand.
"A-Ah, you guys…" said Hope uneasily and he chuckled nervously.
"Don't 'You Guys' me, Hope!" snapped Vanille. "That huge Cieth knocked the wind outta you. I tried everything, but you just wouldn't wake up!"
Fang nodded, loosening her grip. "Remember, we're responsible for ya, Hope. Light's not gonna be pleased if she finds you dead on our account."
"Yup!" Vanille agreed cheerfully. Hope sighed; Vanille sure changed moods quickly. He wondered how Light and the others were doing. They had split ways at the Yaschas Massif; Light, Sazh and Snow had set out to take care of a Cieth in the Paddra ruins, while he, Vanille and Fang had come here to make ends with Geiseric.
"But you know," continued Fang, and while she talked she began to pace circles about Hope. "In the end, it's only because of your brilliant battle strategy that we won."
"So thank you," added Vanille. "Thank you for everything. And not just for taking that hit."
"No problem guys," said Hope, feeling the red rise in his cheeks, but Vanille only shook her head indignantly.
"No really, Hope. Thank you. You've done so much for us and Cocoon. Light would be so proud of what you've done. When we wake up from crystal, Hope, you'll see."
"I… what?"
And only then did Hope realize it'd just been a dream.
"Director Estheim?"
Hope had fallen asleep at his desk, it seemed. He mumbled something incoherent, a sign that he was awake and listening.
"Call it a day, Director, yeah?" Hope nodded weakly, waving a hand over his head to acknowledge that he had heard. He sighed and stared at his desk. Books and papers were scattered across the surface – his pen had been left uncapped, and upon closer inspection the sentence he'd been adding to his notes had been left unfinished.
Hope had poured his soul into mythological texts for the past three days, and already he'd gained much profit. He had so much to tell Noel, though he hadn't seen the man since visiting Vanille. Hope always left the tent early, having been awoken from strange, recurring dreams that almost always included Vanille, and by the time he got home Noel was already passed out. Hope only hoped Noel managed himself well during the day, as his physical exhaustion seemed to have finally caught up with him.
"Director Estheim!" Hope's thoughts were interrupted by the librarian, a tinge of irritation in her reprimanding voice. Apologizing sincerely, he quickly gathered his notes and made his leave from the Academy's library. He wasn't so worried about the books – the librarian knew not to touch them.
He had both good news and bad news. Indeed, reading up on mythology had certainly opened several doors. For starters, he learned the Thirteenth Ark served more of a purpose than his initial fascination; his own experiences with Arks might have been the reason he had overlooked this. Hope stumbled upon texts which spoke of the Thirteenth Ark being 'the Salvation for all of Pulse's children, the stronghold during the war that must be fought.'
He also found texts detailing the purposes of Arks. He'd heard a side of the story from Vanille and Fang, that they were training grounds for l'Cie. But the texts seemed to suggest a higher purpose: 'Preparation for the battle against the menace that lurks beyond.' And while the texts from that time couldn't figure out what the menace could be, history appeared to have revealed itself. Combining the two texts, Hope was certain that the chaos from Valhalla was the true 'menace from beyond.'
And the Thirteenth Ark will be the salvation for all of Pulse's children?
It was still afloat in the sky, of course; if the levitation power of the Graviton Cores had only been temporary, Hope would not have easily suggested using this power for a new Cocoon, and he wouldn't have easily abandoned the old one. Were the texts suggesting that they relocating everyone to the Ark? Or perhaps only the menace would be fought there, away from the people both in Bhunivelze and on Pulse below?
And what of the dampened intensity of Valhalla's chaos? Hope found no texts that suggested the chaos would be restrained. Hope's best bet was that that battle was already being fought. And though Noel and Sazh would both frown upon his keeping his hopes too high, Hope highly suspected that this battle had already begun in Valhalla: with Light.
If anything, Hope had been right about Etro and Valhalla. The texts said that Etro had been tasked with protecting world balance. Etro, who resided in Valhalla, who had sent Eidolons to the suffering l'Cie. Etro, who pitied the six l'Cie, and a child, and one other, and had granted them all salvation. Hope had been right – but then, so had Noel. The goddess had departed. Vanille and Fang would not so easily….
No, Hope couldn't say it. He knew there had to be some way for them to decrystallize.
Of course, Hope had found other things in the texts, though Hope wasn't as confident in making heads or tails out of these bits of information. He learned the creation story, at least as mythology depicted it, and the most interesting detail that stuck out for him was that, though the three gods – Pulse, Lindzei and Etro – were often referred to as gods, the texts seemed to refer to the three deities as being fal'Cie created by the god Bhunivelze.
Hope had named the new Cocoon knowing this, and it wasn't at all a coincidence that the new Cocoon had been named after this god. Hope had chosen the name from a text he'd read long ago, in his earlier days of research: In all crystal. the heart that shines most brightly is called Bhunivelze. At the time he'd given the new Cocoon its name, his choice had been an inspirational one, like a new found hope aloft in the sky.
What was this Crystal? – the texts he found seemed to suggest that Crystal was the purest form of Chaos. This alone was enough to confuse Hope. Was this the same chaos as that of Valhalla? – Hope figured no, that there were several types of Chaos, and that which resided in Valhalla was of a less pure form. Still, beyond these conjectures, Hope didn't really know how to interpret this.
Hope paused to frown at the sight before him. To his surprise, he had already made it to their tent. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts that the walk back had seemed mere minutes, though he knew quite well it usually took him a good twenty minutes to get from the library, through the tunnel, and to the far end of the Academy's section of the bunker. He certainly had had a lot to think about, and he felt quite accomplished for what he'd put together in only three days' time.
Maybe I really should call it a day, Hope thought to himself. And, with that, he forced himself not to make any more speculations regarding the matter.
Hope stepped into the tent, and unsurprisingly he found Noel already asleep. There was something about the sight that intrigued Hope. Noel tended to sleep on his side in a curled position, instead of Hope's more straight-and-lying-on-his-back position. He seemed vulnerable, almost. It was a position that suggested Noel might've been experiencing a nightmare, though he otherwise wasn't making any movement or sounds.
Noel's face was what caught Hope's attention the most. He looked peaceful while sleeping, contrary to Hope's earlier statement about him possibly having a nightmare. Sure, most people probably did look more peaceful while asleep, but seeing Noel asleep had a strange effect on Hope. It was like being introduced to a different side of Noel, something different than Noel's usually tough exterior. He knew Noel was inherently a kind person, especially when he'd been in the company of Serah. But Noel had come from a dying world, where being strong and thick-skinned was a necessity to deal with life's hardships, and it was this side of him that Hope tended to see most of.
Not wanting to disrupt the man's sleep, Hope silently moved toward his own mat, but Noel stirred before he could probably settle down.
"Hope…?" Hope sighed. He had woken Noel up. Noel sure was a light sleeper.
"Go back to sleep, Noel."
"No, I was… I was waiting for you." Noel gave a yawn as he spoke, groaning slightly as he stretched. Hope frowned; Noel had been waiting for him?
"Oh? Why?"
"Because… you said you had something to tell me." Hope couldn't help but to chuckle at this. He didn't think Noel had been awake enough to remember any of their late night conversations over the past few days.
"It'll take a while," said Hope as he remembered his previous resolve to not think about his research for the rest of the night. "Go back to sleep, Noel, I'll tell you later."
"You said that yesterday!" whined Noel. "And the day before!"
Yeah, he definitely needs sleep.
"And you still haven't fully recuperated," countered Hope. "Listen to yourself, Noel, you sound exhausted."
"So do you!"
"I didn't say I wasn't." Sure, waking up at ridiculous hours and locking himself up in the Academy's library was beginning to take its toll. But at this rate Noel would not go to bed unless Hope shared the fruit of his research – which consequently meant that Hope wouldn't be getting sleep either. Hope needed to think of something, fast.
"How about this?" suggested Hope, the gears in his mind working quicker than ever. "I'll take a break from my research tomorrow. I'll tell you everything I know. Sounds good?" As an afterthought, Hope figured he could use the break anyway. He'd digested enough information for now; if anything, he could use his "break" to more properly interpret his findings.
"I'm on duty tomorrow afternoon," said Noel, his face scrunching up as he gave the compromise some thought. Hope smiled; it seemed Noel had taken his advice after all.
"I'll go with you," said Hope, and he even surprised himself. "Actually, this works out nicely. In the morning you can help me with my magic, and in the afternoon I'll help you with your duties and tell you everything you want to know."
"Not everything I want to know, everything you know," corrected Noel between yawns. "I told you before, I think. I don't really know how to teach someone magic, but I can try. But, um. Fine, you've got a deal. I'll have to ask the Lieutenant if it's okay for you to accompany me.'
"Sounds good." It was settled: Hope would be spending the entire day with Noel. Hope didn't mind at all, but he found amusement in the measures he'd taken just to get some rest. "Well, if you don't mind then, I'm going to bed."
"Alright…." Hope took this response positively, and at last he was able to settle down on his own mat. As he closed his eyes, Noel gave a shaky laugh, muttering his final words for the night:
"You're right, Hope, I really am exhausted."
"Told you."
And on that note, Hope plunged headfirst into another dream.
Hope woke up the following morning to an empty tent, and at first this confused him. Where was Noel? Why had he woken up so early? Or had Hope been the one to wake up late? But in time it came back to him: the compromise he'd reached with Noel the night before. It didn't quite explain where Noel had gone, but it'd been a start.
Hope stepped outside the tent after changing into a new uniform. Noel was nowhere in sight. He wondered if this was how Noel had felt over the past few days, or if the man had simply accepted Hope's absence and moved on. Hope knew it would've been easier if he could do the latter – Noel would return, anyway, especially if he really wanted information from Hope as he claimed– but he decided to make one last attempt in learning about Noel's whereabouts. After all, he owed the moogle a visit.
"Hey Dajh, can I come in?" If Dajh didn't answer, Hope would take the silence as the boy having still been asleep. But Hope did not have to wait very long.
"Yeah, come in!" Hope entered the tent cautiously. The Katzroys' tent showed more signs of occupation than his and Noel's tent. Hope found Dajh in the corner of the tent, but not before having taken in the other objects within the area. Most appeared to be Sazh's possessions; perhaps the man had left them behind to make the load for his airship lighter.
"Hey Hope," greeted Dajh as he stood up from where he'd been sitting. Hope smiled, and not just because Dajh's smile was rather contagious. In the boy's cradled arms was Mog, and by the way the moogle was resting it was almost as if Dajh had not once set him down.
"Has he woken up?" asked Hope. He wasn't surprised when Dajh shook his head. "I hope he's fine."
"Dr. Haussen thinks Mog's in crystal stasis," said Dajh. Hope's first reaction was to wonder when Dajh had even seen the woman, though he supposed Dajh couldn't have possibly spent the last few days in the tent by himself. But a bigger question soon arose, one far more important than Dajh's acquaintance with the true Director of the Academy.
"Crystal stasis? How?" Hope took a glance at the moogle. Mog certainly didn't look it.
Dajh hesitated, gaze turning to the floor. "I'm not sure, the way she explained it to me was really confusing. I told her to tell you her theory, coz I didn't get any of it."
"But Mog isn't even crystal." Crystal. For a brief moment Hope's thoughts flashed back to the mythological texts that had described Crystal as the purest form of Chaos. Somehow, this seemed irrelevant. They were talking about the crystallization of l'Cie, after all.
Or in this case, the crystallization of moogles?
"Oh right, she said it was like crystal stasis," amended Dajh, lighting up again. "You know, how Mog's sleeping and stuff. He's not dead, but he's not alive – well, he is, but… I don't know, ask her!"
"Alright, alright…" Though Hope laughed, he was anything but amused. It was only another wrench thrown at him, another question needing answering. Hope had simply assumed Mog had come from Valhalla, that his weakening was tied to Etro's departure, but Hope didn't quite think this was the case anymore. But where to gain information? The Academy knew little to nothing about moogles; Mog was the only one to have ever existed, to anyone's knowledge. The only person who would have any idea where to start was Noel, who probably knew at the least where the moogle had come from.
Speaking of Noel….
"Have you seen Noel this morning, by any chance?" asked Hope. Perhaps Dajh had seen Noel pass by, or maybe Noel had told the boy where he'd been off to.
"Yup! He said he was going to see his lieutenant. There was something he wanted to ask."
Hope smacked himself mentally. Noel had told him this the night before. And supposedly Noel had been the one half-asleep…?
"Did he say when he'd be coming back?"
"Yup! He left a while ago, and he said he'd be an hour, tops. So he should be back – "
"Right about now," finished Noel, and both Hope and Dajh jumped in surprise at Noel's sudden entrance. "Hey Hope, you miss me?"
"Of course," Hope replied dryly, after he had recovered from Noel's surprise. "Ever heard of knocking? – And I don't mean that literally," he added, and he rolled his eyes when Noel had gone back to attempt knocking on the flimsy material of the tent.
"Tents aren't exactly soundproof," said Noel. "I could hear you talking about me from a pretty good distance."
"Not my fault you left without telling me."
"Oh, so you did miss me?" said Noel with a laugh. When Hope said nothing, Noel added, "Relax, Hope, I was just kidding. I didn't mean anything by it."
"So what did your lieutenant say?" asked Hope, with the clear intent of changing the topic. It wasn't that he hadn't missed Noel, though Noel hadn't really been gone long enough for Hope to actually miss him. It was just that he'd been shaken by Noel's sudden appearance, not to mention that entire morning had been out of the norm – and in an era where he could count everyone he knew well with the fingers on only one of his hands, Hope only felt more obligated to make sure everyone he had left was okay.
"Oh, the Lieutenant? He was surprised, but he allowed it. You're still coming, right?"
"Of course." Hope wasn't very well known to the majority of the population anyway, except perhaps by name. Hopefully his presence wouldn't cause any problems. "You'll still help me with my magic, right?"
"I'll try," said Noel. "Serah would've been able to help you better, she's the teacher after all."
"Yeah, but…."
Hope didn't want to finish that sentence. He knew it was a terrible coping strategy, though it was nowhere near as self-destructive as when he'd been forced to accept his mother's death. But his research needed him, and he'd promised himself he'd only return to Serah after they saved the world.
And he would, Hope would save the world. He'd had enough of failure to accept anything less.
Noel seemed to realized he'd said the wrong thing, and as if in an attempt to change the conversation, he asked, "How's Mog doing?"
"Same as ever," said Hope. Then he remembered he'd wanted to ask Noel about the moogle. "Hey, Noel, where did Mog come from?"
"Hmm? Where did Mog come from?"
"Yeah. Like, how did he come around being with you guys? Did he come from Valhalla?"
Noel shook his head, Hope's interest piqued. "Well, I met him in Valhalla. Before I left Valhalla to find Serah, Lightning gave Mog to me as a good luck charm for Serah. But he didn't originate there. He got caught in a paradox, from some far off place where moogles were actually a common sight. I forgot the name… Ocean of Time? Anyway, he met Lightning, and apparently he lost a game of Rock Paper Scissors to her."
Noel said this as if he didn't quite believe it himself, and Hope had to fight the urge to laugh at the mental image of a serious Light throwing Scissors against a moogle's Paper. That Mog hadn't come from Valhalla… a new theory began to dawn upon Hope.
"The law of Valhalla is the weak serve the strong," recalled Hope, and Noel nodded in agreement. He'd read it once in texts explaining the nature of Eidolons. "So Mog met Light in Valhalla…."
The two fell into a silence; Dajh, who'd been listening to both men the entire time, looked at the two men in utter confusion, though he didn't seem to want an explanation. Hope wouldn't have given the boy one even if he'd asked, not because he wouldn't understand either way, but because Hope's mind was quickly piecing things together. His excitement boiled within him as he arrived at realizations….
But when he reached a conclusion, though it was at best an educated guess, his heart plummeted. He didn't like it, and he hoped it wasn't true, but he shared it with Noel anyway.
"Hey, Noel?"
"Yeah?"
"Originally I thought Mog had drawn power from Etro, I think I told you that. But that was when I thought Mog was a creature of Valhalla. But if Mog serves Lightning…" And Hope still didn't like it. Was this what Noel had meant, to not keep his hopes up? – But what about his theories from his research, did that mean he'd spent the last few days under false assumptions?
Noel appeared to be lost.
"Hope…" he said slowly, "…what are you trying to say?"
"I… I don't think Mog's asleep because the goddess is gone."
And then, in a more solemn voice, with his head bowed, Hope added,
"I think Mog's asleep… because Light is gone."
After leaving Dajh with Mog, Hope and Noel set out for an empty room that Dr. Haussen had gifted them; she'd been very gracious in appeasing the former Director's needs once Hope had explained what they would be using it for. They began immediately; Hope tried, he really did try, but he was having no luck. It didn't help that he was still distracted by the thought of Light. He himself had conjured the explanation for Mog's unresponsiveness, yet it still disturbed him. Even if Hope had no real proof to support the conclusion, and even though his research went against Light's defeat, he still couldn't shake away the thought.
Hope became frustrated far too quickly. He had been so proficient with magic in his days as a l'Cie, yet now he was fruitless. Even civilians had been able to produce simple fire spells without even trying. But he couldn't, not anymore.
It hurt Hope. He hated feeling useless. It was one of the reasons he took his research seriously. But research alone wasn't enough; he wanted to be able to do something, to fight for those he cared about, to protect them. He'd seen too many people sacrificed for a better world – his mother, Vanille and Fang, Serah, maybe even Light – and he was tired of it. He wanted to protect them all. And after everything his friends had done for him, he would not settle with taking another backseat.
But at that moment, he was getting nowhere. Hope was struggling.
"I… I can't do it."
"You're thinking too much about it, Hope. Try to clear your head – "
"– I did – "
"– and try not to focus too much about – "
"– I'm not – "
"– just let it happen – "
"– but nothing's happening!"
Hope was finished. With sullen spirits he sank to his knees, falling back and slumping against the wall. He wasn't giving up, though he was struggling and though it seemed a near impossible feat; ten years had certainly put him out of practice. No, he'd keep trying, as much as his lack of success was killing him, with or without Noel. But for the day, he was done.
"Hey." Speak of the devil. Hope turned to Noel, who had taken a seat beside him. Noel's face was filled with concern. "It'll be okay."
"I…" Hope had wanted to say 'I know,' though he wasn't quite sure if he would have meant it. "I… I guess. It doesn't change anything. I still can't use magic."
"Everything takes practice, doesn't it?"
"There were civilians who could make fire out of nothing without even meaning to."
"But you're not asking for that, are you? You want to master magic, right? – not accidentally set things on fire."
Hope frowned. He hadn't thought of that. He'd been too upset with his failures, too quick in finding outlets to release his frustration at anyone who'd had more results than himself.
"Besides," continued Noel, "No one ever said magic was easily accessible, right? You've told me stories about people using magic by accident, but have you ever heard many stories about people wanting to use magic and then succeeding with little effort?"
"I… no, not really."
Not including Serah.
Hope sighed and turned to Noel, and he gave the other man a smile. He appreciated Noel's optimism, but more importantly his sense of reality. Ever since fate had thrown one twist after another, Hope found himself losing his ground more often than he should've. But Noel had been there to show him the way – three times now, had it been? And Hope couldn't be more grateful.
He voiced this to Noel, though he hadn't meant to at first. The words slipped from his mouth, and before Hope could stop himself he was telling the man about his dreams, his frustrations, his fears and his desires. He told Noel how he wanted to save the world and to protect his friends from further harm. He told him how things kept going wrong, how he kept losing people for the sake of a supposedly better world.
Noel listened intently through it all, and when Hope had finished exposing his heart, Noel wrapped an arm around Hope's shoulders, pulling him close.
"Try to cheer up. I know how you feel," was all Noel had said.
Hope didn't question it. He didn't even pull away. He only sighed, rested his head on Noel's shoulder, and let go of everything.
After Hope had thoroughly apologized for soaking Noel's shoulder, and after Noel had repeatedly assured Hope that it had been nothing, neither man felt like making a second attempt at magic. With a decent hour left before duty, Noel gave the suggestion that Hope explain his research to him at that time, as opposed to later on when they would be busy. Hope agreed without hesitation, and as best he could he began to explain his findings.
He told Noel about the Thirteenth Ark, about the battle that was meant to be fought, about Valhalla and Etro's blessing to the l'Cie, and about how it would be difficult for Vanille and Fang to be freed without the goddess. He tried not to dwell on the latter too much, partly because he didn't want Noel feeling guilty for having been played by Caius and partly because he didn't want to believe that freeing Vanille and Fang was a lost cause. Instead he focused on the Thirteenth Ark and the "menace from beyond."
"Valhalla," said Noel, and Hope nodded.
"I was going to tell you that maybe that battle had already started, because there was nothing at all in the texts that said the chaos would be restrained, you know? I was going to say someone might've already begun to fight back – Light – but because of what I said about Mog…."
"You don't know that for sure," said Noel. "I'd be more likely to trust your research. What you said about Mog was just a hypothesis, wasn't it? Besides, weren't you the one who asked me if I really wanted Lightning dead that badly?"
"I… yeah, you're right." He had said that, hadn't he? Hope had to admit, it sounded harsher now that he was hearing it from Noel's mouth and not his own. "If I'm not giving up on Vanille and Fang, I can't give up on Light either, right?"
"Yeah. But you know what else?" Noel paused, sighing. "The situation we're in now… was always meant to happen. Which means… what Serah and I did hadn't doomed the world, after all. We didn't give the world something that shouldn't have happened."
"Yeah…." Noel must've been taking it to heart, Hope added to himself. Hope knew Noel wouldn't have been the only one; he was quite sure Colonel Euledin held Noel somewhat responsible for their current situation. It wasn't that Hope blamed Noel, but there was no denying that Noel had been involved, that he'd killed Caius – and unknowingly, the goddess. It almost reminded Hope of Vanille: the resolve to fix the world while bearing burdens Noel and Vanille had to carry on his and her own, respectively.
"That's… a relief." Hope wanted to reach out, but he didn't know how. He'd never been good at the sort. He still felt uncomfortable from having cried in front of Noel, though he did feel much better after having done so.
In the end, Hope had been the vulnerable one, hadn't he?
Words were the only things Hope could offer. "You're okay, Noel. You're fixing your mistakes, and that's what counts, right?"
If Vanille were with them, she would have said the same thing.
"Thanks Hope." With that Noel stood up and patted the dust off his clothes. He offered a hand, which Hope took, and soon both men were on their feet once more. "Let's go serve some lunch."
It took a bit for Hope to figure out what Noel had meant, but once it occurred to him he agreed willingly, despite having already had their conversation. It turned out to be an enjoyable experience for Hope, being free from his research and from people recognizing him and stopping him in the halls. He was particularly amused by a little boy who seemed to know little about the current situation; he kept coming by to visit, asking Noel over and over again why he couldn't eat more. Apparently, he did this on a daily basis.
As Noel predicted, they didn't really have much time to talk, especially when they had been helping out with the food bank. Later on in the day, when they shifted tasks to patrolling down civilian tents, they had enough time to talk briefly about the Thirteenth Ark and what the texts could have meant. Noel's guess was that they would have their final battle there, which had also been Hope's safest conclusion. But against whom? Pulse? Or would their situation deteriorate into something far worse?
Light, if you're really fighting out there… don't give up. I believe in you.
It wasn't long before Noel's duties were finished for the day. Hope felt exhausted, though more than anything it was that his feet were aching – he now knew why Noel was passed out each night he returned to the tent. Apparently Noel needed to take care of a few more errands, so he told Hope to go on ahead to the tent. At first Hope had insisted on waiting, but it didn't take Noel long to convince him to leave.
For once, theories and interpretations were not plaguing Hope's mind as he walked home. He was in good spirits, despite his failed attempts at magic and the possibility of not being able to save Light, Fang and Vanille looming over him. Whether it was because he'd spent the day around people instead of books or because he'd been given the chance to let go of the emotions that had been pent up inside of him, Hope knew there was one person he needed to thank: Noel.
Hope waited for Noel to come back, so he could give the man his thanks before going to bed. But Noel was taking a lot longer than Hope had expected, and Noel's delay soon began to worry him. Noel had said he wouldn't be long, yet Hope was sure almost an hour had now passed. Hope kept telling himself not to worry, that Noel could take care of himself, that perhaps he'd just been caught up with something. But the longer time drew on without Noel's return, the more his worries took hold over him.
When Hope had finally heard Noel's footsteps outside their tent, he let out a huge sigh of relief. He forced himself to wait a little longer, and he ran through his head one last time the words he wanted to tell Noel.
But Noel was not the one to peek his head into the tent.
"Dr. Haussen?" But the woman said nothing and only motioned for Hope to exit the tent. Hope began to panic. "What's going on? Where's Noel?"
"Noel?" Dr. Haussen paused for a moment. "Noel went on ahead, I believe," she said quietly, glancing at Dajh's tent, as if not wanting to wake him up.
Hope only stared at her, dumbfounded.
"Went on ahead? What? Is he okay?"
"Right now, yes." Dr. Haussen sighed. Hope did not like the tone in her voice one bit.
"Pulse has made their move."
Chapter Posted: 19 Feb 2012
Last Edited: 09 May 2012
Upcoming: Hope meets an old friend.