paixaorpg | hey now. we've got to make it rain somehow. [ complete ]

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hey now. we've got to make it rain somehow. [ complete ]

Character(s): Fang & Hope
Content: Fang has Hope show her some of what the city has to offer.
Setting: Different places within Paixao~
Time: Week 33, afternoon?
Warnings: Wibbleface, probably.

Hope's words were more than concerning. Kids like him had no place getting mixed up in the likes of which they'd found themselves. He deserved to run and play, make friends and stay out past curfew. Not... have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Fang was traveling on foot. It was much less attention-grabbing than flying around on a rather large Eidolon, and really, she was still getting a feel for the place. The others seemed to show sings of settling in -- Light with her apartment full of guests, Vanille with her exploits of fun on the other floors, and Hope, making friends and enjoying his time. It did sound a little too good to be true, but even with their brands moving at crawling speed... they were still moving. They still had a Focus to complete, and being stranded in another foreign world? Wasn't exactly part of the plan.

She approached the building with her spear fastened in its holster behind her, and wore a grin on her face, setting aside her worry for the moment.

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Hope closed the door gently behind him, looking toward Fang with something of a grin--an expression that, before coming here, had been pretty rare. On Cocoon, since everything had started happening, he had barely even found time to laugh, and smiles were rare too.

He had put the thoughts of everything from that world out of his mind for now, though he knew Fang would ask him more about them while they walked. She wasn't the type to drop a subject so easily, he could tell that just from what little time he'd spent around her on Cocoon.

"Any sorts of places you had in mind first?" he asked as way of introduction.

Fang wore a half smile as the boy appeared, a hand on her hip. It was good to see him in good spirits... but at the same time, she knew that these days in Paixao would have to end -- one way or another. And she was determined not to let it follow the Cieth path. Even if she was going to be the bad guy, trying to take them all away from this new life... well, someone had to do it.

"How's about..." the corners of her lips tightened a little more to reveal a wider grin, "we start with the place you like best. Might as well start on a high note, eh?" she followed up with a wink.

"All right. Why don't we go to the fountain? There's not much there, and it's not really impressive, but it is kind of nice."

Hope didn't wait for Fang's response before he started walking, trying to preempt what he knew would be more questions about either the city they were in now, or what was going to happen when they got back.

The only response he got was a nod, as she started walking alongside of him. With every step, she made sure to search the area they covered, making mental notes of the terrain and inhabitants they passed along the way.

"Pretty fancy free lifestyle they've got here, that's for sure." she decided to ease into the conversation gradually, "Seems pretty much anything works as a trade for goods. Certainly makes things easier on guests like us. Ain't everyday you land in a place so welcomin'."

That was all it took for Hope to know where she was trying to steer the conversation. Couldn't she at least have waited a little while, or tried to hide it better?

"Yeah," was all he gave in response, his steps becoming heavier. What was so bad about wanting to stay here fora while? He'd hardly noticed his brand changing a all in the entire time he'd been here, so what were they so worried about?

"Though if you ask me," she pointed upwards indicating the domes overhead. "They could have done a little better with the decor. Seein' the sky all painted up like that -- " she scrunched up her nose a little at the thought, "ain't exactly my cup'a tea." It was more than enough to slodify the whole 'you're trapped' theme they had going on.

"...Yeah," Hope repeated. Why couldn't she just get on with it? They both knew that was what she wanted to talk about, so why wasn't she just saying it already?

Fang peered down at her young comrade, and sighed quietly. "Sorry it can't last, Hope. Being a l'Cie -- wasn't meant to be fun," she frowned, hating that she had to be the bearer of bad news, and knowing that Hope, as a rather sensitive kid -- would probably take it the worst out of all of them.

"I never asked for any of this..." Hope started, but his voice trailed off. It was too late for that stuff now. It had all happened months ago, whether he wanted it or not. There wasn't anything he could do about it now but keep going.

A sigh. "None of us did, but -- we haven't got the chance to change any of that now. Never did. The one thing we can do though, is fight back. No good's gonna come from just sittin' around, waitin' for the clock to run out. That's as good as givin' up."

Giving up? Never. Hope was never going to give up! His fists clenched at his sides. "Then what are we supposed to do?! How can we fight back against something like the Organization?! How if we make it back, how are we gonna fight the fal'Cie?! Are we just gonna try to walk right up to them?! That's crazy! All we're gonna do by fighting is get ourselves killed!"

"Crazy or not -- it's what we've gotta do." Fang locked her eyes on him, "Goin' down with a fight is sure as hell better'n just rollin' over to die at someone else's feet." She could feel herself getting fired up.

All the things that had happened up until now -- waking up from crystal stasis on Cocoon, forgetting her Focus, separating from Vanille... it really did seem like everything was against them, didn't it? And now another bunch of nogoodniks were holding them hostage, while the time slowly ticked by until eventually running out? No. She wasn't going to stand for that.

"We'll find 'em. We'll find 'em an' we'll bring 'em to their knees. An' that goes for anyone that stands in our way! I'm not just gonna sit around an' watch everything slip through our fingers."

"You don't even have any ideas! What if they're expecting us to do that? What if they want it?! We'll be walking right into their hands!"

It wasn't that Hope didn't want to fight against them, they'd ruined everything for him! But this wasn't going to get them anywhere!

"Maybe I haven't," planning wasn't the top priority here. Doing on the other hand... "It's not like any of this was worked out from the start, but one thing's for sure -- if we go in guns blazin', they'll at least know that we're not just gonna roll over an' die like the dogs they're workin' us in to be."

"That's just stupid! What do we accomplish if we just go in there only to get killed? We have to change things! That's not gonna happen if we don't make sure we can beat 'em when we go in there!"

Hope wasn't about to roll over and die, but he wasn't going to jump into something that would get him killed so easily. That would make it all worthless!

"Maybe it is stupid," she looked forward, realizing that they'd made it to the fountain. She stopped, her arms crossing over her chest. "But as it stands, that's the only plan we've got. The odds aren't in our favour here but that still doesn't mean we can't beat 'em." She didn't have some fancy plan of attack, blueprints of their hideouts, hell -- she didn't even have all of her own memories for god's sake. But what she did have... was the drive, the determination to see it through.

"Hope," Fang kept her gaze forward, "what is it that's been drivin' you on 'til now?"

Hope stopped, and found himself unable to speak. His breathing felt more shallow, and he tried hard to think of it all in a way that wouldn't hurt so much. But it was no good. Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought of his mother. It played over again in his head, his fists clenching and his eyes squeezing tight shut, trying to block the tears from flowing.

"I'm..." he choked. "I'm doing this for..." He stopped again, and wiped his eyes, steeling himself with all the nerve he could muster. "I'm doing this for my mom. So that...no one will ever have to die because of them again."

When there was no response, Fang turned her gaze towards the boy slowly, noting the rigidity that seemed to come over him at that moment. She wasn't about to pry any further, or ask exactly what he meant by that. The emotions that were stirring within him was proof enough that the wound was deep... and probably still rather fresh.

But he was trying to be strong. She could see that too. He was fighting back the tears, and still pressing onward. And it was those feelings, that passion she was sure he had to harness to get that final surge of confidence he seemed to so desparately need.

"They've meddled more than most of us can probably imagine, I'd wager. Someone needs to put an end to it."

Not a second passed before Hope was yelling again. "But that still doesn't change my mind! Rushing to them like that is just stupid!" He threw a hand to the side for emphasis, every part of his body tense as his heart raced.

"If a plan is what you need," because she certainly didn't need one, "then why not use that focus of yours to come up with one?" her words were a mix of encouragement... and challenge. "As messed up as it is... maybe comin' to Paixao was our chance. Time to figure out how we're gonna bring 'em down," she glanced over towards him. "Only thing I know for sure is... we're not gonna make it if we don't go in together."

That shut Hope up for a second, while he tried to catch his breath. What good was shouting at Fang going to do anyway? Other than make both of them angrier over all this stuff than they already were.

"Then that's what I'll do! Before we go back home, I'll have a plan together so we can beat them!"

Fang shifted her weight, looking down at him with the hints of a smile beginning to form. "Yea, now you're talkin'," she nodded in approval. "An' I hold you to that as well, so don't think you'll be gettin off easy. We're in this, all of us, together. 'Til we bring 'em to their knees. You with me?" And with that, she instinctivly raised her forearm up, in her own version of a 'high five' that was usually meant for Vanille.

"O...Okay." Finally Hope was feeling more calm, even though his heart was still racing.

She frowned as her show of good faith and encouragement went unnoticed, and slowly let her arm back down to her side. She wondered if her words were really getting through at all -- if it was possible to reach the boy and let him know that even though they weren't exactly family, weren't even from the same world -- there was someone right here that cared about his well-beling.

Fang sighed quietly, and nodded. "Good." Her hands went to her hips as she took one last, lingering look at the fountain, and turned to leave. "Now, onto the next sight," she smiled in Hope's direction, and motioned for him to take the lead.

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hey now. we've got to make it rain somehow. [ complete ]

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