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WHO: Hope and Light.
WHERE: Somewhere in Heropa.
WHEN: July 4.
WHAT: Sharing information they've gathered in the past month or so. They cant do it at the house because there are roommates.
WARNINGS: None. tba if needed.

[A lot has happened recently. A lot. And most of them are worrisome, raising flags that tell him the government is definitely similar to the Sanctum, and beginning to show its true colors.

Does he have a plan? Yes. Several, in fact, but they all revolve around waiting and seeing what else is going to be done to them, even if he doesn't like it. After all, they haven't outright stated that they want imPorts to be their mules or slaves, or something similar. They use pretty words like "training exercise" and "swearing in", with games such as paintball. It's dangerous to do something right now.

Hope waits within Lightning's gym this time around, because he also has a request for her. One that will undoubtedly end up with him sporting at least one new bruise every day.]

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[While Lightning is owed a promotion of some kind, she hasn't decided on what she would like yet, and thus hasn't requested it. The ideas are many, and she's not good at asking how to move up in the ranks, so to speak. Her last promotion came at a bit of a surprise—and mere days before her inevitable resignation because she had to protect her sister.

That was a time long ago. Things are different now, and she remains idle while she thumbs through the schedules for the next couple of weeks.

When she hears someone come in, she assumes it can only be one person at this time: Hope. She pins up those papers and exits her office, head held high. Away from their house, she assumes that this can only be a serious conversation, especially given their reluctance to openly share their opinions with everyone. Lightning felt like she could say it more openly as time passed, as long as she did it under a specific guise: she's doing it out of a fear of gods taking over, which is exactly what her file says.

She thinks that's pretty reasonable.

As she approaches, she glances toward the exit.]

Did you know that they have a holiday today? I wasn't meant to be here.

... Huh. [He's absorbing the information-- and well, it adds up.] No wonder everything is in white, blue and red today.

[And to think he's shown up for work today. What are the holidays in this world? How are holidays here handled anyway? That's something to look into later.]

If you're not supposed to be here today, then do you think you could get out of work early? [Now those are words he'd never have spoken before. how the times have changed.]

Edited 2014-07-06 07:08 (UTC)

I was wasting time, anyway. We can head out.

[Lightning can only look at schedules for so long. She had heard there were fireworks on this day, but she knows they come later. Then again, there's also another swearing in event, isn't there? She wonders if Hope intends to go, because she hadn't decided yet.

Just the same, she starts to head to the exit, figuring that there's little more to worry about here.]

[There is indeed something else to start worrying about.

Hope waits until they're a safe distance from the building to speak.]

Do you remember the paintball game I took part in? [Despite not liking guns or wargames in the least. But at the time, when he walked out the door of the house to get to the meeting place, he'd been optimistic that it was just a game.

No actual pain, no deaths, nothing. Just pure fun.]

I do. I heard more about it from other imPorts, as well.

[Lightning figures that getting Hope's perspective is valuable, however, especially given their past experience. The similarities to the Ark are too apparent, but she wants him to go on and confirm (or deny that). Either way, she's positive that he will confirm one way or the other.]

I imagine they've given watered-down versions of what happened?

[He won't be surprised if they did, to be honest. Hope would have done the same thing, if he hadn't decided to just keep his mouth shut. Keeping quiet about all this is what they'd agreed on after all. No making a move without Lightning, and they always need to share information.]

But what I've seen in there is... [Hope shakes his head.] Let's use an analogy. It's a lot like the Fifth Ark.

Not in the least, though some of them were more cavalier than others. [Lightning doesn't think that there's been any watering down, at any rate. Kotetsu seemed upset enough, and that's what mattered to her. His behavior was absolutely different from how it had been when they met in the bar.]

I had a feeling it was like the Fifth Ark. But milder. I had believed it to be harmless, like many of the other government-mandated activities. [She pauses, realizing she has to clarify.] Before hand.

I proved to be incorrect.

Yeah. It's definitely far from harmless.

[Where to start though? There are so many things wrong with it, that Hope wont mind spending hours outside talking about it. But starting out is something to ponder in itself.]

They called it a game, and even offered private training sessions as rewards for the winners, but we honestly should have been wary about it form the beginning due to the reward offered. [Because really? Who offers something like that as a prize for a game?

Hope now knows how to start describing the experience, at least.]

We got three chances before we were removed from the game. The first shot felt like getting burned, like a Fira or Firaga being cast on you. But there were no actual wounds.

[And goodness knows they've had spells put on them before.]

But for some, especially ... if they were like you at the beginning, they would have been unprepared to feel that pain. I understand that it ended with the sensation of death. Is that correct?

[That had been a heavy thing to hear about, especially since her relationship with death was perilous. To make other people have to understand the sensation of dying, or having their lives seemingly stripped from them, was extremely cruel.

Lightning sighs and waits for his response, but she looks visibly bothered: her body is somewhat rigid, and her head is lowered, uneasy with the implications of everything that took place.

Uneasiness doesn't mean that she doesn't want to hear, though. It's exactly the opposite.]

Correct. [And Hope knows a little of what it's like. He's almost died a few times in the past, with only a Raise or Phoenix Down and a barrage of cures being the only thing standing between himself and actual death.

To be forced to feel that again in what's supposed to be a game... It's wrong. Especially when most of the participants are young people. Kids who just shouldn't be experiencing that.]

Each shot increases in pain until death actually comes. But the first one is not a laughing matter either, and I'm sure almost all of the participants had experienced getting shot once.

There's no good reason to code that into the game, except to weed out those who no longer want to continue playing in such a brutal and heartless way.

And many people would seek a meeting with the Porter, but others honestly believed it to be a game. To even expect people to hurt one another, it's ... [It's worse than just the arc. Truthfully, she doesn't want to say it, and she doesn't like stopping off like that. Leaving Hope to fill in the blanks is unkind.] They call it a draft here, to force people to join up with troops against their will. I looked into it, as it seemed that it might be a component of my job eventually. [Though she's still seeking a place where she might be of more use.]

But I believe a draft is too kind. They aren't looking to draft us. They might just be hoping to see which of us would play our parts better. [She focuses on him.] As their own version of l'Cie.

I know.

They want people who aren't just soldiers, or willing to take orders. They're looking for those who are willing to do whatever it takes to get something they want. [And isn't that the scariest thought of all? If a l'Cie is given quality training, and a purpose they feel would benefit themselves personally, plus a good reward at the end, they would have a dangerous person on their hands.

Neverending life is one such reward, even if it had been so daunting to them back then, because they knew exactly what that "immortality" entailed. But these people don't.

And they have a completely different reward for killing people. A chance to hone their skills even more.]

The problem is that they know how to make people act the way they want. They give rewards much better than what we had, and call their training play. It's designed to prey on children, and people who are willing to do whatever it takes to win, even stepping on others.

[And they have no shortage of imPorts who are like that. He sees the lot of them every day as he browses through the network.]

[They would have l'Cie like the ones on Gran Pulse: the ones fostered and brought up so that they would one day have eternal life. They had read many a story when they were walking around Gran Pulse, and Lightning knew that there were numerous people who underwent that. Lightning knows that part of Fang's willingness to do what needed to be done was because of her preparation, but she also wished to protect Vanille ... and it blew back in her face.

It also pissed off the fal'Cie quite a bit.

But she doesn't vocalize that, knowing the fact that the government has decided to convert them into that kind of a resource is bad enough. The well-oiled system like the one on Gran Pulse is some way's away.]

We need to come up with a solution for it. I don't know if gods are involved in this specific action, but I would not be surprised. [There's a pause.] Unless it was gods that led them here, knowing that they would be prey to this government.

It'd hard to say.

They're very open about the information that Lachesis had bonded with the Porter-- who's to say that the other two haven't infiltrated other sections of this place?

[And Hope's already has a look through the myths of this world after a brief and uninformative introduction to those Greek myths which Lachesis and the others are supposed to have come from.

There are so many gods in this world, possibly even as much as all of the fal'Cie, faction set aside. And Hope knows better than to dismiss them all as just stories, so he can tell that if all of them were to work together for one agenda, the imPort population just wouldn't stand a chance.

Or, well, they did. A small one, but it would all just be difficult. There were a lot of things against them, one of which was the lack of a unified force. Too many different-minded people, too many clashing agendas.]

We need more people to help us. Doing something with just two people isn't... It's not a plan. We managed to do it with six before, and you mostly alone, but it's not the way around here.

Not with what we're facing.

First, we need people to believe this is the correct way to move. I've developed an alliance with the Commanders of a group called the Survey Corps. They are all trained soldiers from an ailing world. [Some of this information she inferred, some of it was apparent over the network. Just the same, Lightning knows they understand the importance of all of this.]

Otherwise, there is still Major Alenko and Tony Stark. I know a man named Gilbert Nightray who, despite being timid, will help. [Beyond that, Lightning can think of a few other people, too. Her involvement here has been slow moving, but she has developed some relationships with different people.

It's interesting to reflect on it in a way.]

... We'll have help. It's just a matter of finding more. We're not alone, even here. [Even though they're missing their family.]

I can handle Tony. [Hopefully. The man doesn't seem interested in much save for himself and his own agenda, and while not terrible traits, Tony is still an unpredictable man.

Hope may have to do some poking and prodding about to find others though. He has to be more careful now. He could speak to Ellie, but he's very reluctant to get her more involved in trouble, especially when she's just so young, the age he'd been when he had gotten into trouble.]

It's just a matter of finding like-minded people, isn't it?

[Which means speaking to more people, actually knowing them, not just their names and faces.]

But in the meantime, I have a favor to ask.

Edited 2014-07-17 07:04 (UTC)

Of which we are fortunate to have many. Not many people like being strung along, gods or no gods. [Lightning isn't surprised. People value their experiences. They value holding on to their ability to make decisions and choose things for themselves. Truthfully, she'd be more surprised if things were different.

As it is, she mentally switches gears to focus on Hope's desire to ask for a favor.]

Well ... what is it, Hope?

It's related to our plans.

[In fact, he'd thought about it a long time ago, in the last swear-in he'd witnessed, but the paintball war made him realize that he needs to do it now.]

I need to refresh myself in some things. I've already gone as far as I can in magic, and I'm more agile than most people back at home thanks to you... But if my magic is taken away from me, my boomerang is gone and I cant find an opportunity to run, I'll need to be able to do more.

I need to train in actual hand-to-hand combat. And I want you to do it. [Because really, who else would he trust with it?]

Especially since this country's enemies are able to nullify our abilities.

[It does make sense. While Lightning herself would be able to hold her own in those scenarios, she has no doubt that others would be different.

In fact, that's something she should be considering.]

I will train you. But expect it to be the way it should be. I won't take it easy on you, Hope.

I'm fully expecting it to be difficult and painful. [He'd be an idiot to expect any different. After all, it's Lightning.]

In fact, I'd have to ask you to not train me like any of your students. I'm not interested in self-defense.

[And the look he levels her should tell her what he's interested in. He knows his body is all wrong for becoming like her, Fang or even Snow, but he's not a small child anymore. He wants to be as strong as he can.]

Too bad Fang isn't here. She'd get a kick out of this.

[In fact, Fang would probably enjoy training him to be a warrior, and she assumes that's the exact extent of his request. This training isn't something that Lightning can't do, but she still does worry about Hope pushing himself. After all, his work keeps him busy.]

Still, I'll do as you request. This location won't be adequate for it, so we'll need to go elsewhere. Are you prepared for that?

You mean she'd get a kick out of me. [And kicking him all around the arena, in fact. He doesn't doubt that she'd do that if she was indeed here and he'd gone to her for help instead.

So he's secretly glad that Lightning is his only available choice.]

I'm prepared for it. We can even have our first lesson back in your usual space, if you prefer.

I thought that much was a given. [It's said with an easy smile.]

And that would be for the best, and it was what I had in mind. Though we may wish to find somewhere that you can learn to use to your advantage. Many of the fights that I've seen here have something that you can use, after all. [Though the beach had been one of the worst places to fight with civilians around. Lightning remembers worrying about the electricity running along the sand and hitting them, and the moisture had been difficult.

But there might be future fights, and they would be without magic. Lightning knows those are coming.]

First lesson in the gym, then. And later, we can find other places to go, and other things to make me do [Unless there are people around. He doesn't want to do anything out in public, where so many can see him getting kicked around and call in the authorities on them due to some misunderstanding, or because they're disturbing the peace.

But honestly, he wont complain and say he's getting in over his head.

It's not a decision he had made lightly, and he knows full well what he needs to do.]

... Just please don't enjoy it too much on Fang's behalf.

Edited 2014-07-24 05:22 (UTC)

The beach might be best for later lessons—a deserted one, preferably. [Lightning has the same thoughts about not wanting to draw attention. That would certainly inconvenience the both of them, but she has a feeling that since there wouldn't be any charges, it would be handwaved. Besides, the two of them still happen to be branded as heroes, whatever that means. Maybe it wouldn't matter in the end.]

But I don't intend to enjoy it that much. Knowing what Fang might want doesn't mean I can think like Fang. [Though the thought of thinking like Fang is amusing enough to draw out a smile.]

Yet you haven't denied that you'll be enjoying it. [He's onto her shenanigans.]

But we can try for a portion of the beach at night, somewhere surrounded by dunes.

[Of course, he doesn't know if Heropa's beaches have the proper locations for some private training, but it's never too late to find out. And if they don't... well, they can simply find another place to do so.

Besides, it's not as if they'll always be in Heropa... Hope has been thinking of moving so he doesn't need to commute to EMT training, and he can find some other place of work so he doesn't have to commute to his engineering job. But that's a topic he'll bring up to Lightning at a much later date. A much, much later date, if Hope manages to indeed break away from his current job and reduce chances of getting his knowledge stolen by the government for whatever purpose they want it for.]

... If Heropa lacks what we need, we can use the porters to travel. There are other cities. I could likely put it under the guise of instruction. [Lightning hadn't ever been given much direction on how to handle her classes. Using the porters is difficult as it is, but she imagines that it wouldn't be difficult to manage it under those purposes.] I'll ... look into it. [She's still managing how to do exactly that here, though. She's gotten better, but it takes time.]

As for enjoying it, you'll have to see. [It's an aside, but it's added with a faint smile.]

I travel every other day, remember? I can look into it easily. [If he can find some place suitable in De Chima, that is. He's not exactly sure if there are beaches there, but there are other cities that imPorts are allowed to visit that do have them. There's nothing stopping him from visiting a place with a Porter and military base, being registered.

It's a perk he'll happily take advantage of, along with the other perks he's already used.

And he's going to ignore that last comment, like it doesn't exist. Not amused? Not amused.]

[Leave it to Lightning to try to take everything on herself. Then again, Hope does that, too, so it's just a matter of sharing the duties on that particular character trait.]

That would ... certainly make more sense than me doing it. [After all, it is better than her idea of an excuse, but she will likely have to use it later. It won't be necessary for simply looking into it.

Besides, Hope is better at research—no matter what the research is.]

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