NaNo2014 day 27

[shamera]

Lightning called the next day while Hope was once again out discussing ideas and issues with various scientists who had come to the settlement, not specifically to speak with him but to speak with his dad about Academy plans per say, so it was Serah who took the message.

It felt nostalgic, trailing behind his father while men and women with stern, intimidating expressions judged him over the edge of their glasses. The first time around, Hope had been nervous and uncertain, fiddling with the edges of his new dress shirt and possibly giving the impression of a shy and hesitant teen.

This time around, he nodded and smiled in greeting, memorized names and politely asked about their work and research and then tried his best to show what he understood.

And this time around, he understood quite a bit.

“The funding will take time,” A middle-aged lady with grey-streaked brown hair and lines around her mouth told Bartholomew Estheim. She was dressed primly in an uniform that Hope didn’t recognize, her hands clasped behind herself and back straight as she spoke with him, the both of the walking along the length of a hallway where the new institution was planned. The buildings here were still intact, although the walls were bland and ready to be demolished. “Too many are still recovering from the Fall to consider building anything beyond what is necessary.”

“We have what is necessary,” Bartholomew argued back, voice never raising. Hope hurried along behind them, tablet in his arms and cursing his shorter legs as he tried his hardest to not look like he was rushing. He had agreed to intern for the week seeing as his father needed the help and his usual assistant was out sick. “The settlement is one of the last areas on Gran Pulse colonized that is setting up the finishing touches on permanent buildings, and people are finally starting to adjust. It’s been seven months, and we need to start thinking about long-term plans for the future. The Academy provides a new concept and something for people to work toward. We can’t keep distracting the people with the latest sports and celebrity gossip. Sooner or later, they will start to realize that it’s all a ploy to keep them pacified.”

“You give them too much credit, Bart.” The woman sniffed. “It’s always worked before.”

“That was before they were forced to fight for their own survival.” His father disagreed. “Pulse — Gran Pulse has forced too many people to open their eyes to work around them. There are too many dangers here to stay blind in their safe little bubble. The Academy can provide a refuge. A place where they will learn how to deal with what they see and how to process the information and perhaps create something from it.”

They stopped walking, and Hope barely caught himself from walking straight into his father.

“Look, Martha.” His dad sighed, rubbing at his temples under his glasses. “If you want to placate the people, then knowledge will provide the heaviest of safety blankets. Let’s use this time to learn about the world around us. Not just how to survive, but it’s history and traditions. I’ve had several requests cross my desk in regards to excavations and mining. With the fal’Cie to provide for us, we need to start making progress on our own. We can’t rely on the the supply of goods from Cocoon forever. I’d like to approve of at least one of the requests. Let’s start learning about this world and what we can do here.”

“Our priority is to support the people in this time of need,” Martha insisted, not giving an inch. “People are still grieving—”

“Grief doesn’t stop.” And here, his father’s words were sharp before he caught himself, and shook his head. “...But it doesn’t mean we don’t move on. Seven months, Martha. We need to start focusing on the future rather than the past and present.”

“A school will not do everything you want it to do.” The woman insisted.

“No, but it will be a start. A formal system of education, a goal for children to work toward, and the roots for a better future. We’re lacking in leadership right now, and soon everyone will notice it. The dissolution of the Sanctum is wearing on everybody, and we’re lucky that so far there has been no true power grab, thanks to the Guardian Corps smoothing everything over. But you may have to soon consider a different form of government, even if it’s just a different primarch with the government under a different name. That’s out of my jurisdiction. What I do want to do is encourage the people not to flounder due to this calamity.”

“Even so. Even if all of what you say is not only true, but works out, the funds are not there. The people will not budge for this. Not this soon.”

“Martha…”

“But,” and here it was the woman who sighed, suddenly deflating just the slightest from her previously stern posture. “I may be able to scrape enough for one of your… excavations. Find something interesting, and you may be able to convince the higher ups to give this little idea of yours a more formal hearing.”

“I suppose that’s all I can ask for.” His father agreed reluctantly. He breathed out a sigh, and held out his hand. “Thank you for sparing the time to meet with me, Martha.”

The woman frowned, although it was without disappointment. She grasped onto his hand. “I’m not like the other ninnys who refuse to leave the safety of Cocoon, Bartholomew. You have good ideas, no matter how impossible they are.”

She left after that without so much as a glance toward Hope, and Bartholomew opened the door for his meagre office at the end of the hall, gesturing for Hope to enter before he closed it behind him.

“Who was that?” Hope asked, once they were in the privacy of the room.

“Martha Kalvonier.” His father responded tiredly. “Assistant to our current acting executive director. Apparently she’s been swamped with requests for meetings, so anything that crosses her desk has to go through her assistant first.”

Hope didn’t remember this. But then again, he barely started stepping into politics at nineteen, which would be four years from now when the government had already stabilized and the Academy was starting to take on a massive role of its own. “You guys seem to know each other pretty well.”

“We went to school together,” His father explained, taking a seat behind the cluttered desk. “She’s a good person, but it’s nigh impossible to change her views on anything once she gets it into her mind what can and can’t be done.”

“I didn’t know you were having this much trouble with starting the Academy.” Hope observed quietly, sitting down as well in front of his father’s desk, eying the various tablets and papers strung in every which direction. He never took his father to be messy, but then again, if his assistant had been gone for a while and the meetings lately had all gone like this, he couldn’t blame him.

“Don’t worry,” and here, Bartholomew smiled at his son. “It will happen. People like Martha just have a hard time changing their views, that’s all.”

He didn’t doubt it. Hope smiled back brightly, and then asked, “So what’s with the excavation requests you were talking about?”

His father made a noise of acknowledgement, and rummaged through the items on his desk, finding several papers. “Local interest. Despite what those on Cocoon might think, there is quite a bit of interest from people here to find out more about Gran Pulse. Mining requests, excavation requests, scientific gathering… we’ve got the people and the interest, but the funding has to come from somewhere.”

The papers were handed over to Hope, who took them gingerly, examining the first few lines of each page.

“I like to think some of this might lead to discoveries that would cover the expenses of the actual excavation.” His father explained, but then sat back on his seat. “But that’s a large risk to take, according to the people with the money. No one wants to spend more than they have to these days, especially with how much the government funding is starting to empty.”

Hope cycled through the papers, and finally picked one out after much deliberation, placing the paper flat on a clean area of his father’s desk. “This one.”

His father just raised an eyebrow, and Hope elaborated. “She said she’d fund one, right? You should think about this one.”

Bartholomew picked up the paper. “...An archaeological excavation? Hope, while I think this is important, archaeological digs should wait until we’ve already established a basis of—”

“Trust me.” Hope insisted. “I’ve been there. You’ll definitely find something interesting at Paddra.”

—

“They apprehended them!” Were the first excited words Serah told him once Hope checked on his phone messages again and decided to call her back after the urgent text she sent him. “Light and Snow — well, the Guardian Corps, too — they found the kidnappers, and they’ve got enough evidence to get not only the individuals, but the entire group behind this!”

“That’s great.” Hope told her. It really was better than he expected. He figured that they would take care of the initial small group, but be unable to find the rest, and…

“Oh, Hope,” Serah breathed over the phone. “There were — Light said there were hundreds of people connected to this. Maybe thousands. They’re going to search them all out, but at least now we’re all safe again.”

Hope didn’t think so. A few hundred, even a few thousand dissatisfied enough to stage kidnappings and publicly proclaim that the former l’Cie should die meant many more who felt the same but just didn’t want to say that aloud. The group would possibly be the first of many for the few several years, and while Hope had just waited it out the first time around, he doubted that ‘waiting it out’ would work once again when arrests might be made.

Things were changing more than he anticipated.

“That—” He paused, looking around at the small room he escaped into for privacy for this conversation. “That’s great. But… stay with Noel until all of this is over, okay? Just to be on the safe side.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.” Serah reassured him. “I can hold my own in a fight. But Noel’s here. I’m more worried about you being there without one of us.”

“I’m in a building with hundreds of people as witnesses.” Hope told her. “Nothing can go wrong.”

He paused, and then immediately regretted saying that. That was just tempting the universe.

Luckily, nothing seemed to pop out at him during that moment of silence.

“If you’re sure,” Serah said, although it didn’t sound like she believed it. “Just get back home safely, alright? You and your dad both. I think Light has a few things she’d like to talk to you about later on, too.”

“I will.” Hope assured her, and then thought of his earlier conversation. “Hey. Dad’s putting together a team for Paddra.” He didn’t think he would need to tell her why exactly, not when he remembered meeting her there in the future and explaining it to her already. “I already requested to go with them, and I’m going to ask Vanille and Fang if they want to go as well, but…”

“I’ll talk to Noel about it,” Serah promised, not needing the explanation. Her voice was warm. “I wouldn’t mind going, either. It’d be interesting to find out more about the past.”

Hope smiled. “Can’t be as interesting as getting to travel to it, though.”

“Well,” Her tone was flustered. “That might be true. We never got to go to the past, though. Probably because there were things that were already set in stone and couldn’t be changed.”

“Hope?”

And there, Hope covered the phone’s receiver and turned curiously to look at his father, who was standing at the door. At his father’s nod, Hope returned his attention to the phone call. “Sorry, Serah. Dad’s here. I need to go.”

“Okay.” She said. “Stay safe, and I’ll see you later today.”

After exchanging a quick goodbye, Hope hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket and then left the room to find his father in the hall, already speaking with several more people. Hope fixed a polite smile and stepped toward the conversation, where his father finally addressed him and turned for an introduction.

“Ah, there you are. Have I introduced you to me son yet? This is Hope. He’s interning here for the moment, and—”

—

It was after dinner, a dinner which Hope was slowly becoming accustomed to, full of questions and quips on the day as Serah and Noel were invited over once again, Serah already having made dinner before Bartholomew and Hope got home.

“I’ve had plenty of practice cooking,” Serah insisted when she first arrived to the settlement to keep Noel company. “And I might as well make a little more if I’m going to take the time to make it anyway.”

His father retired to his room for more work he had taken home, and Hope followed Serah and Noel downstairs to their temporary abode, having claimed the place almost as a second home during the past week. He would probably have to stop doing that soon, especially if they were going to leave again, and that meant he would have to clean up all the coats and items he left at their place.

This time, however, he was surprised to see Snow already waiting there for them.

“Hey,” The man brought up a hand in greeting as they met him at the door, leaning down to press a quick kiss against Serah’s lips as she smiled and hugged him after their week of separation. “Miss me?”

“Every moment.” Serah responded sweetly while Noel turned to give Hope an alarmed look.

“What’s there to miss?” Hope asked instead as he slipped into the apartment right after Noel, who was already trying to escape the loving gaze that Serah and Snow were giving each other. The blond laughed at him and reached to ruffle his hair, which prompted Hope to quickly duck out of reach and leave the two lovebirds outside where they could catch up with each other.

“Are they always like this?” Noel asked quietly as they gave the other two some room, although he sounded more exasperated than anything else.

Hope thought about his response. It would have been easy to claim that yes they were, but…

“I wouldn’t know.” He admitted. “They actually keep their relationship to themselves a lot.”

It was strange to think, but true. Despite everyone knowing about the two of them, the details were never divulged.

It was just a little later that Serah and Snow entered the apartment, and Snow grinned at them in greeting once more.

“Lightning wanted to be here herself to tell you this,” He told them, “But she’s been pulled in to help with more things in the Guardian Corps. I’d say that Rygdea is trying re-enlist her with the amount of power he’s giving her. Something about bringing in her old Lieutenant to help out with this case as well.”

“So?” Noel asked him as the group settled down in the worn couch and chairs around the living area. “What happened?”

“Not as much as you’d think.” Snow informed them. “A whole lot of paperwork was what happened the last week. Apparently just knowing who these guys were wasn’t going to cut it, since they needed evidence of ‘misdeeds’ and such. Enough evidence to prove that they purposely planning in advance and carrying out an, uh… ‘unlawful seizing or carrying away of person by force’. There was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo going on since the ones in on this plan were mostly kids, so they wanted to dig deeper and see where the kids were getting the funds or even the support for plans like this.”

The blonde shrugged, one arm slung over the couch behind where Serah was sitting next to him.

“Apparently there were a few parents in on it too, along with older siblings who used to work in Psicom… the whole shebang. The strings stretched longer than we thought, so this took longer than we wanted it to. It’s a good thing we caught the beginning of this, too. Guess that’s the one good thing about how impulsive those kids were — no offense, Hope. I figured you had the whole thing under control.”

“I did.” Hope insisted, ignoring the doubtful look Noel gave him.

“Don’t mean we didn’t cream them a little, though.” Snow grinned widely, and the cringed back at the disapproving look Serah gave him. “Okay, okay. We didn’t do much. Just, you know, questioned them a little. A lot. But only questions! Lightning may have done some intimidating, but no one was actually hurt over the little interrogation that was set up.”

“Kids, though.” Serah didn’t sound impressed. “Were they really?”

“...I guess if you mean mentally, yeah, I’d say so.” Snow’s grin toned down. “They were… maybe around our age? Starting out in college, at least. Seems weird to think of them as kids when you think of it that way, but it’s the title I’d give them with the way they were acting. Most of them called their parents up rather than call in any legal help. And, of course, their parents took care of the legal part for them. Still, we got what we needed.”

“It doesn’t matter how old they are.” Noel insisted. “There are things kids can’t get away with doing, either.”

“That was Lightning’s argument, too.” Snow agreed. “So, we got more evidence. Blaming people and kidnapping people are two separate things, after all. One is entirely illegal. So Light’s there smoothing out the wrinkles to make sure we can get the most out of our testimony. But here’s the hitch: we’re definitely going to need witnesses here.”

Snow hesitated. “They’re going to go on trial in front of all of Cocoon, and while you don’t need to actually be there since you’re still a minor, the Guardian Corps is still going to need a testimony from you and possibly from Noel as well. Anything to help this move along smoother. And while we’re at it, Rygdea suggested something that I… well, I wanted to bring up with the rest of you. The others too, later.”

“What is it?” Serah asked.

“He suggested interviews.” The blond told them. “I know it sounds weird, and we all like our privacy. No one wants to be out under the public eye when everyone’s blaming the Fall on us, but he said that it’d be better if we were to… well.”

“De-villainize ourselves.” Hope provided, and shrugged when the attention turned to him. “It’s a good idea. Remaining anonymous, as thin as the anonymity is, means that you have no shield against naysayers. They can demonize you all you want and you wouldn’t be able to say anything in retaliation. Sometimes things like this blow over if you ignore it, but if it’s going to come under public eye again…”

It wouldn’t just blow over like it had in the first timeline.

“We’d need to remind the public that we’re all human beings, just as they are.” Hope told them. “With hobbies and ambitions and people who care about us.”

“Yeah, pretty much that.” Snow agreed. “Downside, and there’s a whole lot of downsides, is that we’re probably going to be publicly recognized everywhere we go if we do interviews. People would have faces to put to their blame, which they already did with Lightning and Hope, and to a smaller extent, myself and Fang.”

“...But if we don’t do it, then people will likely sympathize with the kidnappers instead if they see a trial.” Hope concluded. He laced his fingers in front of himself and frowned down at them. “Which would shift public opinion against us.”

“Yeah.” Snow agreed.

“So what?” Noel asked, as the three of them fell silent. He was gazing at each of them in turn. “Who cares what other people think? It’s not like opinions are going to change the fact that you guys got evidence on those guys, right?”

“It won’t.” Hope agreed. “But it might mean that other people would start thinking their actions justified. And then there might be more attempts.”

And more people feeling justified and even vindicated despite getting caught. Less trust placed in the Guardian Corps for catching people who were ‘obviously doing no wrong’. It was just a speck of dust that could roll up a ball of mud down a slippery slope.

Serah moved to sit up straighter, her expression grim.

“That’s right.” She agreed. “And if that’s the case, I’ll do the interview.”