This was an unexpected surprise. Noel didn’t know what had just happened, if he were to be truthful about it how he even got to this place. Last he recalled, he was at the Warren then all of sudden he was in this pure light room he never seen before. What could of happened? To mention, he finds a familar face there. Or at least it looked like Hope, so he thought. With a shake of Noel head, he decided on that, but in the end how did Hope turn into a child? This was way beyond him, he had never seen this form before.
“—Hope?”
He says softly, eyebrows raising at this childish form he was seeing. Trying to gather least some intell if this was the same Hope he knew, or just a fragment of his own imagination. “No.” He replied, taking a step forward to child form he had encounter. “Will you’ll be doing me a favor by filling me in what’s going on here? And if you’re really the Hope I know.” He knew something was wrong with this picture, besides it didn’t take a genuis to figure out something was wrong here.
Hope thought blinking enough times would suddenly erase the picture of that someone familiar: but the toned down blue was still there, tainting the pristine room with it’s tattered and unkept age.
Unlike this room.
Unlike him.
Everything was ageless here, even time couldn’t penetrate.
He makes a move, just one step forward to not disturb the hunter form as much as he has gathered from his intelle. The eyes never fall from their mark.❝ Noel. I’d never suspected you’d find your way here…❞
One of his limbs clamber over the other, toying with the yellow material- creeping in a fraction of disturbance, because, he knows the other is dubious.
And who wouldn’t be?
❝ Okay, Noel. I don’t want to make it look like I’m trying to hide anything from you, which I’m not. I’ve been sent here under God’s will to aid the savior and save the souls from the dying world below.
I’m sure you would recognize this place well, as it was originally supposed to serve as a homeland to humanity- one that was built almost five hundred years prior to the destruction of the crystallized Cocoon. ❞
Riku listened patiently as the boy spoke, brows furrowing in obvious confusion. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of them, no.” He shook his head for emphasis, shrugging. “I’m sure if you went to the mainland, which is just about two miles from here, you could find some answers.”
He wasn’t sure how the other teen seemed to happen upon their little island— It was only accessible by one of the boats, although Riku had noticed an extra tied to the pier some minutes before Hope showed up.
There didn’t seem to be any connection, whatever crossed the other boy’s features warned signs that he didn’t know of those places. ❝Oh…❞
That started to make him concerned.
Besides sleepovers, Hope had never parted from his mother for as long, and definitely as far. Ever. A persistent thought arose that chilled his childish frame. ───────── What if, she was looking for him now, worried to death of where he had gotten to?
He needed to get back, somehow.
Sheen of silver shines in the tropic summers rays missing the distinct lingering of fretfulness capturing the youthful lines. ❝ Okay, I’ll do that. So, where’s this boat you’ve been mentioning? ❞
Abruptly, his shoulders jump. Forgetting some amenities, along with his hasty behavior. ❝ Uh, My name’s Hope, by the way. ❞
After all, she didn’t really find things as shocking as some others might have. Living life in Gran Pulse, there was no surprise in being chased by monsters or seeing strange creatures. She had learned to accept such; though admittedly, the statement was a bit… unfortunate. Nonetheless, those were her circumstances, and she had chosen to embrace them rather than shy herself away from the world.
“Mmmm, okay! Look; isn’t it pretty?”
Hands dug into her side pouch, gently taking out a flower in decent shape - considering the arrangement in her bag wasn’t the best for floral living. Even so, the petals remained intact and beautifully grown. A shade of light pink mixed with reds suited the redhead Pulsian, something akin to a soft fragrance flitting in the air.
Gentle moss green follows the hands of the Pulsian, an eager glint within those pools; one of a fascinated child, which he was.
He practically hovers over her, though despite his height it’s an impossible feat. The more his fascination brews, the more palpable it was to recognize
────────────── The way his eyes widen as seconds pass, or the cavernous of his gaping mouth, possessed with anticipation.
It made him feel bashfully epicene acting like this over a flower arrangement. Smiling as the flowers gathered upon Vanille’s hand, slightly crushed in his opinion. Already the smell was quite pungent in friendly terms.
He gloved a palm over his nose to diffuse the aromas trail, pinching the alae.
❝ It’s really…something. I’ve never seen, or smelled flowers like these on Cocoon. ❞
⠀⠀⠀ Being someone like himself, Neku didn’t have an umbrella to offer to this teenage boy, not even a hat. There was absolutely nothing he could help the other with besides perhaps a shaky smile, which wasn’t much of anything to want or be proud of in the first place. Still— Did he dare be wicked?
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ No, now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t dare.
⠀⠀⠀ Rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly and then mentally kicking himself for wasting this stranger’s time out in the rain, he sighs. “No, it’s fine. I wasn’t paying attention either.” Was that social response accurate enough? It didn’t seem like it was, but for now, that is what he would be sticking with.
⠀⠀⠀ Finding the proper responses to situations with other people (especially those that were his age) had always been something difficult for Neku. It took him a long time to think about what to say or do, and he didn’t always conclude to something appropriate in the setting. It was very annoying and he hated it, but there was nothing he could do about it besides watch other people and try to terribly self-teach himself.
⠀⠀⠀ Not to mention that it was embarrassing.
Another few paces back, he could completely see and take in the others persona, in which it’s someone Hope isn’t familiarized with. The situation itself felt overall awkward, not that he’d blame for. Now, he was just over thinking it.
❝ Well, I suppose we had our fair share of the fault. ❞
That long pause divides between them afterwards, making again a rather short conversation; was he even trying to strive for one. ❝ H-Hey. If it doesn’t bother you I can owe to you a soda, or something? ❞
