lost in time [open]

[Noel Kreiss]

What met his deep blue eyes was not something that he expected. As he fell to the floor in a crouch, Flame Fossil in hands, Noel looked around, searching for his target, but his tense posture relaxed out of confusion as he stood up straight, looking around the backstreets for any sign of a tall, purple headed man. There was none. And this didn't look like Valhalla in the slightest.

He frowned, holding the two swords loosely by his sides before sheathing them and returning the weapon to his back. Searching for an answer, the young hunter turned around to question his friend. "Hey, Serah, do you know where--" He stopped. "Serah?" Then, the brunet hissed, tensing immediately once again as he looked around. Him and Serah had been separated. He had no idea where he was, he didn't know where she was, and he had made a resolve to protect her. But how could he do that when he didn't know where she was?!

Okay, Noel, calm down. First things first, figure out where you are.

After taking a few moments to still his anger, the brunet looked around, taking in the appearance of the backstreet he had landed himself in. It was dark, but even then he could tell that the buildings around him where made of stone, or brick, toned sandy tan. Quickly, he ran through a list of places where this could be, and immediately he thought of the Bresha Ruins, Oerba and Paddra. The places all had building materials in common, but Noel soon felt a sinking feeling when he tuned in to the sounds of people bustling about on the streets proper. Oerba and Paddra were ruins, they were abandoned. Paddra not as much, as, like the Bresha Ruins, it was inhabited by Academy officials. Perhaps it was one of those two places then? He'd have to find out.

Turning on the heel of his foot, Noel jogged out of the alleyway, slowing to a stop when light hit his skin. No, this wasn't either of those places... Unlike the ruins of Bresha on Cocoon, the buildings stood tall and proud, and unlike Paddra, the people walking around were not in Academy uniform.

He was lost.

And he had lost something very important to him. Someone very important. Noel, as he stood there, suddenly groaned under his breath as he felt a small ache in his head. What had he lost? He cringed a little, wondering if his memories were acting up because they had changed the future again. But they can't be, could they? Confusion flooded the eighteen year old as he stepped to the side to avoid getting in the way of passerbys (who he was pretty sure he was getting odd looks from as he stood there and stared at the sky).

The steady flyby of a... Was that an airship? It didn't look like anything he had ever seen before. It didn't look like the ruins of an old airship buried in the grounds of his world at 700AF, nor did it look like an Academy airship. Noel wasn't big on technology, but he could definitely tell that they weren't similar in the slightest.

Where am I?

[Hope Estheim]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,bottom][atrb=cellspacing,0,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,bTable][atrb=style,background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/mBgMc.png); background-position: bottom right;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-color: #040404;][atrb=width,421px,true] [STYLE=margin: 10px 20px 0px 20px; width: 381px; background-color: #040404; opacity: .7;filter:alpha(opacity=70);color: #eeeeee;font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]The first detail that he ought to declare was that Hope Estheim was, in fact, on a rooftop. There were a few reasons as to why the young scientist was currently on a rooftop, but - as he eyed the gap between the top of the building upon which he currently stood, and the roof just adjacent - right now, they seemed rather superfluous. It was nighttime. This fact was part of one of the reasons as to why the young man was not currently at street level (wearing the clothes he currently was, he would be a little more conspicuous than he would like at the moment were he to be attempting to blend with the endemic populace, which could only spell trouble, as the... types of individuals who frequented the streets at night were much less than savory. He did not wish to be apprehended by local law enforcement tonight, and thus he utilized a bit of a trick he had learned while making his way through Palumpolum as a l'Cie). The second reason? It was just easier to attempt to navigate these streets from the roofs (of this level, even - the city extended many tens of stories above him, buildings staggered at every level, much like Academia) rather than the back alleys. Not that Hope would be able to explain what exactly he was looking for, were someone to ask him - a clue? A sign? He didn't know, but all that he knew to do was to keep going. Keep looking, searching, understanding. With a running start, he cleared the three-foot gap between the two roofs with ease, though it took the young man a moment to right himself on the slanted tiles. His gaze slipped over the edge, and he caught a glimpse of the forty foot drop to the cobblestones to his left. However, having been raised on Cocoon - especially in Palumpolum, - Hope didn't have much of a fear of heights to begin with (however, falling out of a flightless airship was a different matter entirely, a point he would be quick to argue). Granted, he understood it probably was not common for an Academy scientist to be able to hop from rooftop to rooftop. This he blamed on the extra-human feats that he and his family had been capable of as l'Cie; being restored to his human self had not taken away some of the things he had learned under Lightning's tutelage, of course. Rising to a crouch, balancing on the balls of his feet, the silver-haired young man broke into a running start - waited until the edge of his boot almost plunged into the gutter until he leaped to the next roof, grasping tight onto a protruding rail and maintaining the stance he had fallen into, knees bent and exhaling softly. The next gap... was definitely wider than three feet. Hope swallowed, and took a once-over of the roof upon which he currently stood. No way down, no protruding gutter or bars of metal or worn bricks for footholds. However, a metal ladder was bolted into the wall just down from the next roof, leading down into the alleyway separating the two. The silver-haired young man took a deep breath, steadying himself. Think of it like a strategy, he told himself, in words not his own. Shut out everything else. Backing up on the rooftop, backtracking on the almost-flat surface to where he had last landed, Hope started to run, picking up momentum to clear the next gap. He would realize, later, that he had heard someone speaking, as his footfalls shook the overlapping metal plates on the roof, creating a cacophony signaling his passage. It's not a question of can or can't. Some things in life, you just - Hope jumped. The force of his leap almost saw him through, and he would have sworn he felt stone under his foot, but - he caught the edge just by his fingers, chest slamming into the outer wall of the building, driving a "hah" out of his lungs as he scrabbled for purchase. To no avail. Oh, he thought, as he felt himself slip. Sorry, Light. And he fell. [/style] [STYLE=margin: 25px 0px 10px 20px;width: 335px;color: #e2e2e2;background-color: #040404;opacity: .9; filter: alpha(opacity=90);padding: 5px;font-size: 10px;][style=float: left;height: 100px;width: 100px;-webkit-border-radius: 100px;-moz-border-radius: 100px;border-radius: 100px;background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/9ysmA.png);margin: -20px 5px 20px 5px;][/style] Music: noel's theme - ffxiii-2 ost Notes: it's raining men Words: 721 Tagged: noel[/style]

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[Noel Kreiss]

Despite his soft blue gaze being focused on the deep navy-black sky above the city, it took the hunter a few moments to realise that there was a figure falling through the air. In the back of his head he wondered when it had got dark, but he forced those thoughts to the back of his mind as he stared up at the falling person, trying to focus on the situation at hand, but he was so confused as to what was happening. Who was falling out of the blue? (Or black, if you wanted to get pedantic.) Why were they falling? Where had they fallen from? The roof, or off one of those airships?

Noel decided against thinking any more about the details, deciding that right now, it was important to save this person's life. There wasn't anyone around that could catch the randomer other than him, so pretty much the guy's (or girl's) life was dependent on him. The brunet tensed his body, crouching slightly against the ground on the balls of his feet as his blue eyes flickered from side to side, judging where he would have to stand in order to catch the person. He was trying to think as quickly as he could without there being a flaw in his plans, something that he was good at doing, because if something went wrong back in the time he had been born in, you had to think quickly in order to minimalize the damage that would happen.

He breathed in deeply as he crept forward a few steps in an attempt to get underneath the other peson. Noel could feel himself tensing up, could feel himself becoming desperate to not let the person die when they hit the floor. He doubted that would do positive wonders to his mental health, seeing someone ... He shook his head quickly, trying not to think about it. "Noel, focus," he hissed to himself, slowing his breathing to calm himself. It was at that moment that he realised that he needed to move himself fast, because the other was falling really quickly.

Silently, he cursed himself for letting his confusion affect his reaction time, at the same time running forwards to under his target. He wasn't directly underneath them for long, however. As soon as Noel got to the right place, he let out a loud oof as he caught the person in his arms, stumbling a little at the force of impact. The brunet managed to stay upright, however, aside from that little stumble that threatened to make him fall on the ground. A nervous laugh escaped Noel as he looked up at the buildings above them.

"I take it you fell from a roof?" He said, mostly to himself. His blue eyes widened when he realised how far the person had fallen. The hunter breathed a sigh of relief, happy that he had managed to prevent a death from happening. "That's a long way down..." Noel remarked as he steadily tilted the person, crouching down slightly to let their feet touch the ground. As he did so, a light frown appeared on his face, taking in the details of the clothes the other person wore. The yellow and white jacket, the blue tie, the dark strap over his shoulder... Noel's eyes suddenly flew up to the person's face as he realised that the person he saved was a member of the Academy.

Surprise made him stutter a few times before he managed to speak. He knew who this person was, and the relief on his face was probably a hundred times more than it was before.

"Hope?" He questioned, staring at him for a moment, before he confirmed that it was in fact the person he needed to protect! "Hope!" The happiness and relief that flooded Noel was accompanied by confusion, but he ignored it as he, without understanding why, pulled the shorter into his arms, hugging him tightly around the shoulders. "I thought I lost you," just like Serah... His eyebrows became a light v-shape.

Wait a sec, why did I just say that? There's no reason for me to fear losing Hope. I barely know him. He paused a moment in his thoughts. But it's as though I need to protect him like I need to protect Serah. Why?

[ ooc. sorry for the late post! ;; wow, kinda feel like i'm butchering noel again. xD ]

[Hope Estheim]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,bottom][atrb=cellspacing,0,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,bTable][atrb=style,background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/mBgMc.png); background-position: bottom right;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-color: #040404;][atrb=width,421px,true] [STYLE=margin: 10px 20px 0px 20px; width: 381px; background-color: #040404; opacity: .7;filter:alpha(opacity=70);color: #eeeeee;font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]As he felt the wind streak past his face and through his hair, Hope could swear that he saw his life flash before his eyes. Except... he didn't feel threatened. In fact, watching the sky recede past buildings above him, he felt almost...peaceful. As if in a dream. When I hit the ground, Hope thought, I won't feel it. I'll jolt awake, and sit up, and see I've fallen asleep on my research notes again. Alyssa will shake her head at me and offer me a mug of coffee, and the day will go on. Comforted by this thought, Hope closed his eyes. Look at me, sleeping soundly before Bhunivelze is finished. The silver-haired man waited to wake up, completely oblivious to the fate rushing towards him at negative nine point eight meters per second squared -- until the combined sensations of a loud "OOF!" and the feeling of being suddenly supported, counteracting his acceleration, caused the young director's eyes to fly open. The sky was no longer moving. Dazed, having fully expected to be in the waking world by now, it didn't occur to Hope to check as to what had broken his fall; instead he continued staring off into the distant stars. ...This is an oddly realistic dream. A laugh pierced the relative silence, then. "I take it you fell from a roof?" Hope started, coming back to himself. Arms? Someone caught me? But how - by all laws of physics, I should be -dead? No, awake. This is a dream. But then, what was happening? The scientist was still a little "out of it" as he was helped upright, immediately grasping onto the arm - yes, arm - of the other person for support as his legs threatened to give out on him. Why? This is a dream. I ought to be fine. He still turned, though, to greet and thank the random passerby who had broken his fall, catching sight of loose blue pants above brown sandals, before his eyes jumped up to the other's face - staring blatantly at the other man who was, in fact, currently staring at him. "Noel?" he said at the same time. Before he could inquire into what exactly was going on here, he was pulled into a sudden embrace; feeling the hunter's shaped arms close around him, the director almost fought back out of sheer instinct (he was not a fan of people being in his space), but decided to let his dream version of Noel have his moment. Because it was a dream. (And in dreams, it didn't really matter if he didn't entirely hate the unusually affectionate action, especially when instigated by this certain person.) "I thought I lost you," he heard Noel say, muffled into what seemed to be the side of Hope's own head. This statement caused the young Estheim to stir, blinking as he tried to look the hunter straight in the eye, a nigh impossible feat in this current position. "Why?" Hope asked, slightly sharper than he intended. He cleared his throat and continued to clarify. "That is, I understand why you would have thought that. The average human lifespan is nowhere near four hundred years. However, I promised you and Serah to do what I could to protect our future... and you should know by now that I keep my promises." He still had not moved out of the quickly-becoming-lengthy hug, and if someone were to comment on it, he would swear to Valhalla and back that he hadn't noticed it. Though perhaps one might be struck by the realization of just how unlike the young researcher "not noticing" something was. So then, why didn't he resist?[/style] [STYLE=margin: 25px 0px 10px 20px;width: 335px;color: #e2e2e2;background-color: #040404;opacity: .9; filter: alpha(opacity=90);padding: 5px;font-size: 10px;][style=float: left;height: 100px;width: 100px;-webkit-border-radius: 100px;-moz-border-radius: 100px;border-radius: 100px;background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/9ysmA.png);margin: -20px 5px 20px 5px;][/style] Music: loz 25th ann. cd Notes: b'awwwww Words: 648 Tagged: noel[/style]

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[Noel Kreiss]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=style,width: 425px; background-color: #C7C7C7;][atrb=class,nkjrny][classy=nkjrnyhead][classy=nkjrnylyr]EVER CHASING, BELIEVING VISIONS UNSEEN[/classy][classy=nkjrnyooc]THIS POST HAS A TOTAL OF 521 WORDS ALL TO BE READ BY HOPE ESTHEIM. <3[/classy][/classy][classy=nkjrnypost] Wow, the guy was really out of it. Then again, it was to be expected. Falling from such a high height and expecting to die... Yeah, that would be enough to daze anyone. He remembered when he first ended up in Valhalla. Falling through the sky after opening his eyes to a strange new world, one that wasn't in ruins like his home time, and then suddenly ending up on the back of a dragon, with a pink-haired woman flying it. It took a moment for the hunter to remember her, but then he remembered her name. Lightning. Serah's older sister. He felt himself cringe. From what he had heard from Serah, Lightning was pretty protective over her... If she found out that he had lost Serah as they were travelling to Valhalla to change the future... Well, he didn't want to even think about what Lightning would do to him. Great! Hope remembered him. That was a plus. He didn't have to explain the time shenanigans he had been up to with Serah. It confused him and he couldn't explain it very well, he just... went with it. Plus, he doubted he'd be able to tell Hope, if the silver haired man didn't remember him, who he was and how he knew him, not when he had other things to worry about. Like the upcoming assassination and the army of Atlases, and saving Serah and Yeul from their mutual fates, and saving the Goddess, and... "What?" Perhaps he said that a little too sharply. Noel blinked his eyes open, drawing his head away from Hope's (he didn't really notice that he had nuzzled into his hair and was taking in the scent, then again it was a sign of affection, something that Noel couldn't really give before he was able to time travel) just as Hope finished speaking. Noel blinked blankly, staring at the scientist's face with his mouth slightly open, showing obvious confusion. He stared for a few moments, then slowly realised that Hope had asked why he had thought he had lost him. "Oh, right, sorry." Noel shook his head a little, pulling the shorter closer to him again, this time embracing him a little tighter. "Like... Serah. I can't find her. She was with me before we- I came here, but she's gone," the hunter pressed his face closer into the side of the other's head. "...Four hundred years?" the brunet said after a few moments, repeating what Hope had said a bit earlier. "I... Right, okay." This time stuff was really getting too much for his head. Noel hoped that he wouldn't have to think about it too much. "We came here from Academia, but... 500 AF. Our rather, tried to go to Valhalla from here, after... Caius." The hunter turned his head, looking up the street and down it, obviously searching for his predecessor. No... His teacher figure. The man who was training him... to kill him. Noel once again shook his head, trying to clear his head of the strange thoughts and ideas that flitted into his head every so often. It was distracting, and starting to get annoying. [ ooc: i don't even know what i'm writing any more, but i wanted a reason for noel to... still be hugging hope. aww. what's a better excuse than loving to be affectionate and getting distracted by things that shouldn't even be things yet? ;P ] [/classy]

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[Hope Estheim]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=valign,bottom][atrb=cellspacing,0,bTable][atrb=cellpadding,0,bTable][atrb=style,background-image: url(http://i.imgur.com/mBgMc.png); background-position: bottom right;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-color: #040404;][atrb=width,421px,true] [STYLE=margin: 10px 20px 0px 20px; width: 381px; background-color: #040404; opacity: .7;filter:alpha(opacity=70);color: #eeeeee;font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; padding: 5px;]It took Hope a few moments to be able to process what Noel was saying, something he blamed on the near-death fall earlier... except it wasn't near-death, he reminded himself. How easy it was to forget the fact that he was aware he was inside a dream. His conscious and subconscious waging war on each other diminished his mental capacities, and he frowned lightly as he realized several seconds had passed unaccounted-for. The scientist shook his head sharply, quite possibly pushing his hair into Noel's eyes, attempting to clear his mind. Only then did Noel's statements click. "Why didn't I dream her as well?" he said aloud to himself, uncaring as to whether or not his impromptu companion heard him. It didn't matter if the mental conjuration of Noel thought he was insane, he was just a projection of his own subconscious... which led Hope into some very interesting questions on whether or not it was possible for the conscious and the subconscious to question the sanity of its counterpart... though that was a question to ponder on later. That aside, it really was strange that Serah had been omitted. He had known her for longer, the idea of her rooted deeper in his mind than Noel's... though, as the hunter cuddled him even tighter (there really was no other word for it), he thought he might begin to have an inkling of an idea as to why that was. Even the mental self-suggestion caused him to flush, a dust of pink across his pale cheekbones and down his neck. Pushing the thought away, he frowned. 500 AF... He knew that was when Bhunivelze was scheduled for completion... that he and Alyssa had been prepared to travel another hundred years forward to meet Serah and Noel there. But. There were a few minor details that he hadn't known or considered, and those irked him. He knew he could be making up information to fill in the gaps, but... Noel's comments felt like the truth, somehow. Something nagged at him, a small detail that could tear his dream theory to shreds. And what if it wasn't a dream? What if something had happened - a paradox, maybe - and this was reality? That would mean - Sharply, almost violently, the scientist jerked away from Noel. "I-" he tried to say, but his words wouldn't cooperate; staring blankly at the hunter for a moment, he started to back away. What am I doing? What was I doing? What - He couldn't process. The only reason he hadn't fled was because being alone and lost in a mysterious city was less attractive of an option than being near to someone he at least recognized, even if that person caused Hope to seemingly abandon all reason. The young man turned on his heel, standing with his back to Noel as he buried his face in one glove and sighed deeply. He breathed in. Then out. This is ridiculous. [/style] [STYLE=margin: 25px 0px 10px 20px;width: 335px;color: #e2e2e2;background-color: #040404;opacity: .9; filter: alpha(opacity=90);padding: 5px;font-size: 10px;][style=float: left;height: 100px;width: 100px;-webkit-border-radius: 100px;-moz-border-radius: 100px;border-radius: 100px;background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/9ysmA.png);margin: -20px 5px 20px 5px;][/style] Music: blinded by light - palamecia assault ver. Notes: because hope can't process feels Words: 509 Tagged: noel[/style]

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