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WHO: Hope Estheim, Lightning and Kaidan Alenko
WHERE: Somewhere in Heropa. Let's keep it vague for now.
WHEN: June 2
WHAT: Three adults talking about the weather, not about life in Heropa, the government, the age-old registration dispute and possibly the various gods running about. Nope. What gave you that idea?
WARNINGS: None. tba if needed.

[The best part about Hope's current situation as both an engineer and an EMT trainee is that he doesn't have to be at work every single day. Or at De Chima studying. He's officially a part-timer, and doesn't have a crowded schedule. He actually has free time to pursue other things.

Like meeting with his sister and a newcomer.

The moment he steps out of the workplace, he fires off a message to both of them to let them know he's free for the rest of the day, and if they can have that meeting they've been talking about since Major Alenko's arrival, plus a possible location to meet. ... Lightning's message may have a little more familiar wording and he may have written it with a "pensive puppy" expression on his face. He still feels a little embarrassed that he'd dragged her into that conversation without telling her about it until it was finished. Hopefully she wont be too annoyed at him.

And while waiting for them, he ducks into a cafe and gets the biggest to-go cup of coffee he can have. He both wants and needs it, not having slept last night.]

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[For Lightning's part, it never surprised her or concerned her that Hope had brought her in on a future conversation. She assumes that many of their associations will interconnect, and the ones she doesn't tell Hope about are not for any reason other than not wanting to worry him. Naturally, she assumes he has friends that she doesn't know. That would be normal, and that's what she would hope.

But for business such as this, Lightning assumes that it is better to discuss it outside of the network. There's a certain level of comfort in it, after all, and she had done the same with Commander Erwin.

As such, when she receives the text, she is not surprised. No one is training on that day, so she leaves their house and heads for the location, ensuring that she'll be prompt all the while. Upon arrival, she takes a position that ensures that she'll be able to spot anyone coming up—either Hope or the man their meeting.]

[ Sadly, for the both of them, Kaidan's schedule is a little bit less mutable than the two of them. That, coupled with the fact that it's by military standards that he has to find a way out of it, that it isn't until after he's done with the testing for the day that he can get out.

His plan, of course, is to get what he can from this, and figure out what he wants to do with the opportunity provided. Solid work doing what he was doing, was an important thing. He knew that, and the military would get good statistics and data from working with his biotics, to figure out the limits of their machinery.

The problem, of course, was that they were getting data -- on him -- essentially. And he didn't know whether he trusted them or not. Or whether he should skip their job, and go elsewhere. But at his heart he was still a marine, and no matter what -- Spectre status or no Spectre status -- that was all he knew.

Eventually, mid-afternoon, really, he finally got out of the work, and made sure he was where they were supposed to meet, jogging up later than the both of the two of them, a half smile as an apology for making them wait. He didn't like being late, but there was nothing for it. ]

[Hope's on his second (large) cup-- and yes he may have a problem, but this is one problem that he doesn't want to fix-- when Kaidan arrives, and stops sipping to greet him properly.

He holds out a hand, always with the gloves on, to shake.]

Hello, Major Alenko. Thank you for coming. [He motions towards with a tilt of his head.] This is Lightning, the sister I told you about.

[Even before Hope's introduction, Lightning can guess that he's a military man from the way he looks. Hope's information had provided the confirmation, but seeing him on sight gives her the rest of the understanding of him.]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Major Alenko. [She waits until Hope and Kaiden are done shaking before she extends her own hand.]

Hopefully, we'll be able to discuss your concerns freely.

[And hopefully, Hope will hold it together. She is concerned with that large cup of coffee, after all. Isn't that a little too much?]

[ He reached out, and shook the both of their hands -- one at a time -- readily, a bit more casually than one might expect from a military man, but he could unwind...when he wanted to.

It just never seemed like he had a moment to do so these days. Especially not since showing up here, he'd been too focused, too concerned, trying to parse his way through his concerns, and trying to come to his own conclusions, but never really finding that point. ]

Yeah, hopefully. It's nice to meet you, too. [ He paused, and rubbed at the back of his neck, standing not necessarily relaxed, but there was a slight slouch involved. If just to transcribe his frustrations. ]

So how long have you two been here?

[Hope taps his fingers against his cup of coffee while checking his comm for the calendar. He's been keeping track of time and is usually pretty decent at it, but it doesn't hurt to make sure that he gives the right answer, especially when the calendar here is so different from the one he knows.]

About three months-- since the end of February. We haven't been around as long as some, but it's enough to know a few things. [For Hope especially, because he just cant sit still when the world around him keeps moving. He'd chase something that catches his interest.]

We've also had the opportunity to speak to some who have been here longer than both of us, and they've given us a wealth of information. Of course ... we're still not certain what does and doesn't apply to this place. Some of it comes from a previous world, and with that, previous assumptions. [Lightning figures that seems to be a good explanation of what they both know. They know things, but there are limitations. Still, they can explain what they know, and hopefully help this man understand what he's walked into.]

Huh. I don't like assuming anything.

[ He crossed his arms over his chest, shifting slightly. Like he wasn't sure which leg to put his weight onto, but eventually he settled, but it was the only thing about him that could. ]

What's the general...feeling about this? The registering I don't mind so much -- it's their damn government -- but the tattooing? That just stinks to high heaven.

The general feeling is that the imPort populace is divided on it. There have been several discussions on it, many of them largely public, though I doubt any of them have formed an actual answer as to whether or not people should register. [For his part, Hope steers clear of the entire debate. He doesn't care what people do, and he's only registered for personal reasons.]

As for the tattoos, it's obvious that many don't like them, present company included. But it's fairly easy to cover them up.

[Especially when being marked brings back so many bad memories. It doesn't help that Hope's tattoo is in the exact same place as his old l'Cie brand.]

That said, many are opportunistic ... even if they don't agree with our treatment, they're like the two of us: willing to use these resources until they're no longer available. [She looks at Hope out of the corner of his eye. She knows that he doesn't have this experience that she's about to explain, and while he knows now what happened back home, she knows he doesn't like that he lacks the first hand experience of it.

Still, she presses on.]

You can use their ... apparent "kindness"—[The quotation marks are practically there in her tone, even if she doesn't do the finger quotes motion herself.]—to figure out what direction you would like to take next. I've done it before, and though it can backfire, it's better to use the resources available. It's their mistake for giving them to us in the first place.

Yeah.

[ He agreed, softly. He hated to say it, but they were offering him something -- a job, sure, and it was something he'd probably have to work at, and use his abilities -- on display for the military. He wondered, for a moment, if there was a reason they'd brought him on in that capacity. Had they thought that he would be useful, or did they want to watch him?

Had they noticed his amp port, when he'd been out? They certainly knew about his metabolism, and the implant on his brain. ] I don't like it.

[ Said bluntly. He didn't like it. Actually, it grated, but he was a spectre, wasn't he? ] But what can you do? If you don't? What happens?

If you don't register, they do nothing overt to single you out. However... [He cocks his head to the side, trying to think of examples he's seen over the months he's been here.] You don't receive any benefits from the government. Usually medical bills, school fees, transportation and the like are shouldered by the government, but that's only for registered imPorts. Personally, as someone who's not from Earth, I'm using that kind of benefit as much as I can.

There also seems to be a social stigma against unregistered imPorts. Some civilians will avoid anyone whose tattoo reflects that status.

[Is there anything else he needs to add? He's not sure-- he knows people who aren't registered, though his few friends in this world are most definitely registered for one reason or another. He'll need to venture out more and meet others whose tattoos read "unregistered".] But so far, I haven't seen any unregistered imPort get pressured by the military to sign up.

[So far.]

But it could be said that in removing medical benefits and other treatment, they're receiving pressure there. People need those things to survive, especially in an unfamiliar world. It's harder to ... live without the puppet strings of the government.

[There's a moment where she glances over to Hope to wonder what he makes of what she says there. She sees this government as truly being no different from the fal'Cie who controlled Cocoon. They provide goods, but only so long as you play along.

It makes her uneasy, and while Lightning herself is typically stoic, the discussion makes it obvious she's uncomfortable. She shifts from one foot from the other, and crosses and uncrosses her arms.]

Yeah. We kind of need those, and they don't...

[ Well, things are different in the future, as a whole. The conditions were different, health insurance was different, the types of sicknesses people got were different. He wasn't looking forward to dealing with the different germs and contagions, and he'd already felt a subtle shift, in what was his "normal" state, and what it would be here. ]

Well, being in the military got me used to that sort of thing. I don't know what I'd do, if say I got shot, out there on the streets. [ He didn't think he would, not with his barrier, but still. ]

Can you...work on your own? What do people do?

[Hope has himself locked up tightly at the moment, which is why he doesn't visibly react to Lightning's comments. He can have a breakdown later, when he's behind some walls and away from prying eyes.

And he just doesn't want to deal with all the mixed emotions the fal'Cie and the Sanctum evoke in him.]

We can work on our own. But for bills, fees and the like, we're on our own if we have not registered.

I would say things are simultaneously easier, and much more difficult. But then again, so is being registered. Both classifications have their pros and cons.

Neither of us have much experience with being unregistered, but I'm certain you can find someone for a better perspective. My understanding is that you're forced to prove yourself. [Whereas instead, a soldier like Lightning is handed a job and an opportunity to improve herself in this world, even if she hasn't worked a day of work in over a thousand years, if not longer.

But that's a complicated situation, and she's not about to spell it out.]

Prove yourself, or get cut off entirely? I'm just --

[ He shook his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose. This thing, thinking about it was a problem he'd been circling around for a while. It was starting to give him a headache. ]

They stuck me with the military. I feel like I can do some good, there, but I'm not sure. It doesn't feel right, but it's advantageous.

Which means I have to choose between doing the right thing, or the possibly wrong thing to do the right thing later.

[Hope looks over to Lightning a little. Just for a short moment, and only moving his eyes, but he put a lot of meaning into that single glance. They've just delved into the more sensitive parts of the topic and Hope finds himself at a loss. And when in doubt, run for Lightning.

Metaphorically speaking.]

That kind of thing I cant give an answer to. To be honest, only you can decide that. But... you should do what you feel needs to be done.

[Almost an echo of what his father had told him before, really. Almost.]

If you need to do the right thing, it doesn't make it a poor choice to have some resources available to you along the way. It's not the "wrong thing" to do that, and I can tell you that I've taken advantage of such things in my past. Remember the goal in the long run, and keep your eyes up ahead of you. If you think you can achieve your goal without those resources, then do that.

[But Lightning knows that she would be limited. She would have been limited on Nova Chrysalis. The chaos infusions made it too difficult to help and fight without the additional boosts from Bhunivelze. But when the time came, she was able to do what was necessary.]

Either way, I believe you'll make the choice that suits you best.

[ Something about Lightning kind of reminded him of Shepard, honestly. He paused, considering it. He thought he knew what avenue he would have taken, but Kaidan had said he would never sign on with a group like Cerberus -- even though there was an advantage to doing so, he later found out. They'd been doing the right thing.

But was signing on with these guys more like singing on with Cerberus, or staying with the Alliance Military? That was the question he didn't really have an answer to. ]

We'll see, but hopefully I won't make a bad one. I try to avoid those.

[ A pause. Who didn't, wasn't that obvious? He started, and then stopped, before starting again. ]

What is the goal, for you two? Getting home?

If there's a chance to get home, I may take it. But... [It's a train of thought he doesn't entertain too often, or even for too long, because it always puts him in a position where he cant win. Staying here with Lightning means living under the thumb of a government that works far too much like the Sanctum, and not knowing what is going on at home. But on the other hand, going home means leaving Lightning and his friends behind and returning to a world that only knows him through the history texts and official Academy documentation.

It's difficult to keep himself from reacting to that, and he swallows a little as he puts his expression back in order.]

It's more important for me-- us to live in the present. We need to be able to survive first to see something that will enable us to get home.

[He pulls his sleeve up and his bandanna down, revealing the big blue "REGISTERED" on his wrist for just a moment before he covers it up again.] We made our choice, and we're sticking with it. But if they make an unacceptable move, we'll be fighting back.

... We have different things to return to, but I'm of the mind that if this is the world I'm meant to be in, I intend to help it be the best that it can be. No one, no god, nothing like that, is gonna interfere with that.

[And the less Hope is tortured and hollowed out by Bhunivelze, the better, but she doesn't vocalize that future. She doesn't remark upon the possibility of that happening. Lightning wants to avoid that possibility as much as possible, without rendering the future she created null and void. She thinks it might be possible with the help of this place.]

As you can imagine, our situation is unique.

Yeah, I kind of got that.

[ He looked between Lightning and Hope, like he was thinking. He didn't know, honestly, what he was going to do. How had they actually accepted this? They didn't seem the type to not have something important waiting for them back home, but...

How else could they just accept this? ]

But how can you accept this? There's -- a war going on -- where I come from. It's important that I get back, you know? I can't just --

[ He shook his head. ]

I saw on the network that time stops, but... how can we be sure?

[Hope frowns, just a little. He hates to have to deal with this kind of thing, when he himself can feel that way, but...

Honestly, what else can they do right now but watch and wait?]

I was in a difficult situation myself before arriving, so yes, I understand what it's like. No, we don't have actual proof until something happens, or we're given actual proof, but it's better than nothing.

It's not ideal, but nothing about this situation is ideal. And we've learned to make what we can about something that's not ideal. [Turn it around, if they have to.]

Edited 2014-06-19 10:47 (UTC)

Every action in time affects the next, but there may be a way to pull us out and return us without disrupting the flow of time. [Her experience with time travel varies, and in some ways, it's even complicated compared to Hope's experiences. She wouldn't be surprised if there were aspects of it that she didn't understand, and how different it would be without the influence of chaos.

Chaos, the fal'Cie, and everyone else—they had always been there.

Then again ...]

That may be the wish of whatever power that there is here. I can't say for sure. It's important for Hope to return, too, and it may even be that the people here need our help. That may be important, as well.

It's hard to say.

I see.

[ He didn't see, not really. People kept saying that, but... how could he know for sure? There were some things you could take on faith -- or maybe take on faith once you trusted someone, and there were some things that seemed impossible. ]

Where I'm coming from, we're being eradicated, and I mean that literally. [ It's a step, to actually admit it, but his urgency likely looked...odd, in the face of all of these other people, with their own issues. It's maybe that neither of them understood. ] Right now, we're fighting for an entire galaxy's survival, and I'm here.

It's... nothing about it's ideal. I just don't feel like I can sit here idle while I've got people back at home who could or couldn't be dying because I'm not there.

[He shouldn't be hearing this. It's incredibly personal, and is yet another reminder of how their lives are here. Now he really cant stop the jumble of emotions that had started when they started on this topic. It's far too much like his own problems and priorities in Gran Pulse. Not a war, but the fate of his people nonetheless.

And honestly, he has nothing to say to that, which is a first, likely because he cant find any words to say.

In the end he just shakes his head at Lightning. Take charge, big sis.]

I understand. [There's something about the way that Lightning speaks that makes it clear that she does understand. More than that, she wishes she could help. If there was a way to transport the three of them back to his ... galaxy in order to help, she'd do that, and she wouldn't think twice about it.

But unfortunately, it's not possible.

Still ...]

I recently left a world that was devastated by a number of forces. [Chaos hadn't been alone, after all. The fal'Cie had sought a means to destroy humanity originally, and over time, they slowly achieved their goal ...

It's always been a hard pill to swallow.]

Humanity was being eradicated. We no longer served our purpose. But a god had granted us a new chance, but even that chance was spoiled. Humans' memories would be erased and reset, as if their ability to strive and live against these circumstances had been meaningless. That god hadn't understood the real heart and soul of human beings, and even thought that what made humans real needed to be erased. [Emotions seemed to be a weak point. Lightning pointedly doesn't look toward Hope. They had both struggled to help humanity, and yet they ended up at this point ... with one savior to save them.

Though Lightning couldn't have done it without help.]

I can't imagine being pulled away from the middle of that fight, especially the final one, the one where I took back control so I could herald the souls to a new world. [She pauses.] So I understand your anxieties. I worry, too, that this world will also face the same predicament. That ... whatever higher power lies here will play humans against one another, as they have in our world. But it's not as if you are required to fear that, when you have your own worries.

[She would never ask for that. But for him to be facing such tragic things, what does it mean for this world? She looks down at the ground momentarily. If so many worlds have people struggling against unbeatable odds to survive, when will it be this world's turn?]

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