TEST DRIVE MEME

[eternitymods]

A. RETRIEVAL Dreams fade slowly, and awareness returns in increments. The hum of machinery, the smell of recycled air, the murmurs of others waking up around you. The interior of the ship has been outfitted with cots for those Biggs and Wedge retrieve from the Dream Width. Outside of the makeshift infirmary, windows set into the walls of the worn lounge area offer a view of space. It’s time to meet your fellow new arrivals who have been brought together on Biggs and Wedge’s airship. None of you know how you came to be here or where you are going, and the door to the cockpit is locked as the pilots focus on navigating the treacherous obstacles of the Dream Width. You might as well take this moment to introduce yourself to your fellow travelers. B. CURTI CENTER There’s an almost overwhelming aura of excitement in the tower as researchers rush to document this unprecedented number of interdimensional travelers. Over the commotion, the leaders of the Center struggle to explain, ‘Welcome to Vaikuntha. We don’t know why you’ve been brought here, but this is your new home.’ The staff will do their best to help the off-worlders settle in. They answer the questions they can, provide maps and pamphlets about the world and the destinations within it, and even guide the arrivals to a neighborhood where housing has been provided for you. Yes, due to the strange influx of arrivals, you’ll be expected to share, but the Curti staff are doing the best they can under the circumstances. Experiences like these bring people together. Perhaps you are the only one here from your world, but at least you are not alone in this experience. Others are right beside you, learning the same information, planning trips to visit the same new cities, checking out these Job things, and settling in to their new (temporary) homes. C. UP IN THE SKY There’s a whole new world to explore. It’s almost enough to distract from the fact that there’s one place you can’t go- home. You are on an Airship, the main mode of transportation between the major cities of Vaikuntha. While the majority are owned by airlines, perhaps you hitched a ride with a friend that has their own. You can go anywhere in a matter of hours — One can only hope you don’t have motion sickness. D. GUILDS Proud representatives of the Guild are lined up, ready to demonstrate their skills for the new initiates. Make sure to stay behind the designated line, this might get dangerous. So you want a new Job? You'll have to first travel to the Guilds, sign the papers, go through the orientation and introductory lectures, and get basic training. Afterwards, you can freely chat and practice with your fellow members, celebrating your new powers, and checking out your new wardrobe. E. LET'S BE ADVENTURERS Separated from all of your material possessions, connections, and everything you know, and really, what you’re left with is time. Better try to make the most of it. Enough expository banter. It's explorin' time. Maybe instead of spending every day in your room, you'd rather spend it living it up in the city of Lavode, or betting on Chocobo Races in Sparks Goldsaucia. Or maybe you'd rather go and explore the caves and ruins near Arito. With Airships and Chocobos at your disposal, you can go nearly anywhere! F. SIDEQUESTS Maybe you’re telling yourself, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ But wait, you did. At least it pays. It all started when you checked the Quest Board.  All you wanted was a few gil to spend, and here you are in the wild, hunting for a Malboro Vine. Or maybe you are in some ancient and decrepit ruins looking for an artifact. Or you could be asked to be janitor for a week. Consider yourself lucky though, at least you don't have to do that alone. G. GET A JOB (THE OTHER KIND) You’ve got a Job, but Claire keeps sighing and muttering about layabout space-people not earning their keep, so it might be time to seek out Employment as well. There are plenty of opportunities to earn some gil in Vaikuntha, no matter where you choose to settle down. Your iMog slate includes listing for employment opportunities. Hopefully you can find something you can live with so that you can start saving up for an airship or the security payment for your permanent housing. H. MOGNET *Ding!* You’ve got Mog-Mail! Thankfully, you can instantaneously chat with your friends around the world thanks to you iMog Slate. And unlike old-fashioned Moogle Letters, you can even send messages to everyone in a blink of an eye! However, despite the change in technology, the old tradition of Mognet Strikes have never gone away. Nobody knows any more whether the Moogles have legitimate reasons to go on strike or if they are just lazy. But today, Mognet is down, and to get information you have no choice but going to the public boards or risk message corruption and mishandling. I. RANDOM ENCOUNTER The ground trembles, and out of nowhere, something hostile appears! Is that battle music playing? You were minding your own business walking around, and suddenly monsters attacked you! Time to put to use the skills you've learned with your Jobs! Will you try to fight on your own or seek help? And remember, you die in random battle, you die FOR REAL. There’s no shame from running from enemies that are a higher level than you! J. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Comments

pls tell me you're apping this needs to be legit

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Honestly, having someone so excited about this was certainly refreshing to what Hope experienced. That is, being constantly on the run and treated as not human by everyone, the military constantly on their tails. Having Hunk react this way made Hope want to cry, but he managed to refrain because it was Hunk's turn to describe his own guardian and Hope made a face.

"A leg?" Wait, what? That... Didn't make sense. How was it a lion and a leg? The psychic link didn't phase him because it was the same between the l'cie and their Eidolons. But they were whole beings, not... A body part? Hope looked suitably confused and couldn't comprehend exactly what Hunk was saying. "... I'm not following."

i grin like a madman as the void echoes a symphony of "YES"

[chefbayardee]

Hunk's eyes lit up at Hope's confusion. Just as planned! He sports a nearly-sinister grin as his posture shifts from leaning against the rail into a superhero-esque power pose facing this poor boy.

"While Yellow is great and clearly the best," he boasts, while his grin turns to a smug smirk for a half-second, "he has four siblings: Red, Blue, Green, and Black." He counts them off on his fingers, but not his thumb, because the best digit is clearly reserved for Yellow. "When they and their Paladins, fancy word for pilots, are all attuned to each other..." With the word "attuned," his tone shifts to comedic sophistication, as if he said the word "aflutter" or "scone." But that grin is undying, just like the shift back to boisterous bass.

"They combine, five lions becoming one gallant being: Voltron! Defender of the Universe! KABOOM!" In Hunk's mind, a loud explosion and Voltron logo just appeared beneath a posing Voltron. He's hammier than all the Christmas dinners in the world and basking in it. He might've been taking some notes from when Coran had them on that stage tour, too.

"Voltron is your typical bipedal humanoid, but Yellow and me?" He shoots a knowing smirk at Hope, because Hope asked, and he should know where this is going.

"We're The Leg!" His stance shifts from the power pose, and he is now Captain Morgan-ing on the lower bar of that railing. He won't ruin the wow factor, but the Leg is the best place to be, because everyone always aims for the arms and head. Speaking of heads, Hunk's looks about as smarmy as showy as possible, as if all the Yellow associated with his character was just pure cheese.

YAAAAASSSS

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Hope was enraptured the more Hunk spoke, now in a near role-reversal at this stage and, if at all possible, there'd be stars around his face at how in awe he was. They combined? That sounded really neat! Voltron, Defender of the Universe? How had his planet never heard of that? Hammy or not, Hunk had Hope. It was obvious the big guy was very proud of his position and the former l'Cie wasn't going to ruin that.

Not that he could find a reason to ruin it because, leg or not, being part of something big like that was really very cool! And, in a way, he could understand it. It reminded him of when they'd crashed the race back on Cocoon, all their Eidolons running around the speedway and causing havoc to start their take down of the fal'Cie.

"Whoa...!" He said, trying imagine it (and failing). "And your friends being Paladins with you, I bet that makes working together a lot easier, Hunk. Did you know them beforehand? What are they like? What are the other lions like? And what about the alien princess?"

that gif made me CHOKE

[chefbayardee]

Hunk had to restrain a gleeful squeal not just as Hope was guided to the cheese like a mouse in a maze, but because he wanted to know more. The kid was excited and distracted from being so sad.

"So there have been six Paladins across the five Lions, but we're all totally friends. Oh man, where should I start?" He pondered for a second, before looking downright embarrassed.

"So Shiro is the head of Voltron, the Black Lion. He's our leader, and he's... kind of a legend. If you like me, he's so much cooler. You can meet him later if you want! Because I, uh... I actually found him in Vaikuntha!" Hunk lets out a joyous little shout, but then remembers how lonely Hope was, and how it seemed like he and his group were really close. Moving on to keep Hope from dwelling was as good a reason as any!

"I went to school at the Galaxy Garrison with Lance and Pidge, who have the Red and Green Lions. I'm really close with both of them. Pidge is brilliant, and she's about your age, and I think you'd get along with her." He grins, because Pidge is great and Hope is also great. And then he takes a deep breath because he's talking a lot.

"Lance is a great shot, and his heart's in the right place... when it's not throwing itself at the next woman he sees. He's been the most adaptable out of all of us though, so I guess he gets points for that." Hunk lets out a sarcastic laugh, because he's gotta rag on his pal every once in a while.

"Allura is the space princess, and she's piloting the Blue lion. She's been through a lot, and she can shapeshift, no big deal." He makes an uncomfortable, slightly confused look that gradually recedes as he speaks. "And apparently she's a space wizard? She kinda goes into her own little world on that stuff. Her butler Coran runs our giant flying space castle."

Then Hunk rolls his eyes. "And then there's Keith. He's really moody and can get angry, and he stopped being a Paladin to go be a rebel alien ninja, but we love him anyway."

just as planned 8D

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Hope actually didn't mind too much, aside from perhaps a small twinge of jealousy, that Hunk was able to find his friend. He can't be mad at Hunk about that, though. It's good that he found his friend! He just only hoped that the same could be said for him in the near future. That being said, this Shiro couldn't as cool as Lightning, okay? But he could be up there, judging by the paladin's description.

All these descriptions were really great to listen to, and it really did warm his heart that Hunk regarded his friends so highly like that. Although he did wonder why there were only five Lions for six people? He would probably ask that later, he just had so many questions now!

"So she's not only a alien princess but a shapeshifter and wiz-... did you just say a flying space castle?"

What.

[chefbayardee]

"Look, if you think it's insane, imagine how I felt. I lived a completely normal life as a student at a prestigious international military academy. We didn't even know aliens existed." Hunk sighs, because putting it like that makes him realize the weight of this wild ride's absurdity. He's learned and grown so much in... however long it's been.

"Well, at least not until we found the Blue Lion in weird desert ruins and it took us to Allura halfway across the universe. It was fine, we all adjusted pretty quickly." It was not fine, his gritted teeth say through their sarcastic smile.

"If you think Allura's weird, one time Coran just started sweating slime uncontrollably." The new goal: give Hope zero idea what Alteans look like so that if he ever sees one, his brain blows a gasket.

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Hope couldn't exactly think of a comeback to that. Mainly because Hope understood. He shook his head and gave Hunk an understanding smile and reached up to pat a thick arm. "I get it, Hunk. I really do."

It was not fine, but you do what you gotta do. And then, Hope made a face at the slime talk. He had a feeling Hunk was just pulling his chain now but he wasn't going to stop the big guy now. Maybe they'll show up one of these days and he can see for himself?

"I... well, I mean. I was just in Bodhum with my mom, watching the fireworks. Next thing I know, everyone is being rounded up for the Purge who were in Bodhum that night, so much happened on the way to Gran Pulse and next thing I know, I'm following people I don't know because I was so angry at one of them and..." He gestured to his brand. "Well, I'm a l'Cie now. The man I was angry at, Snow, I blamed him for my mom's death but he's honestly probably one of the best friends anyone could ask for. Even if he is kinda dumb. Lightning, she's the cool one of the group and sort of the leader, she's the one who taught me that it's not about can or can't, there's just some in things in life you just do."

As he went on, he wasn't sad or angry. He was actually happy to talk about his friends, because with or without them, he wouldn't be here today and he wouldn't have changed from the boy who clung to his mom not so long ago. It's a bit much to take in at fourteen, even he realized that, but they also revealed to the people what the fal'Cie were really about. He couldn't regret his actions now, he would live and stand by them.

"Vanille, a girl I met on the train, is the one who sort of pushed me to talk to Snow. She's very bubbly and bright, with a really pretty smile. She helped a lot in the beginning, before we split up and I was with Lightning. And then there's Sazh, he was kind of like the team dad and he understood more than anyone what the whole l'Cie business was about. He also had a baby chocobo chick in his afro, it's a present for his son, Dajh," He laughed. "And then, there's Fang. She and Vanille are actually natives to Pulse. She's the type to push you to your limits, always had a wise crack too but she was like Vanille, she has a big heart. She's the one who brought home how much of a family we were. I wouldn't be where I am today without them, you know?"

This thread started bc "Hope is normal this should be nice and normal" and it's a dang feels trip

[chefbayardee]

"They sound like something else, Hope, I might be a little jealous!" He is not, he loves his gender-neutral Paladudes, but they'd get along just fine with that l'Cie legion. There were even some similarities here and there, which made him repress a laugh. Hunk's glad he did, because there was one thing he noticed, and it was enough to make the flood of posturing and theatrics and tomfoolery slow to a trickle as that food gently slid off the railing and back to the floor.

He's much smarter than his demeanor and humor imply, and he picked up on that wording, on the storytelling, on what wasn't explicitly said about why this might have been even harder on Hope. He can't support his team if he didn't figure out how to read between the lines, after all. He swallowed a bundle of anxieties, as if all of his nerves and butterflies were waiting for this one instance of vulnerability and hesitation to terrify him. But he had to bring it back there, he had to say it.

"I... I'm sorry about your mom." In Bodhum with his mom, then a l'Cie, a prisoner, a gladiator for a godlike being and then he's chasing his friend Snow, who he blamed for his mom's death, making her a casualty of the war he was forced into. Hope sounded so hurt, so tired when that nerve was struck, and he said that the options were either a crystal sleep or becoming a monster, and neither was happening so he couldn't have been done with that Focus thing! Hope's mother died, he's been fighting, and he still can't see his sky. Like Shay and the Balmerans. He still isn't free.

One arm opens up, offering a hug. He wasn't sure how his friend would react or if he was crossing a line, but Hunk wouldn't be much of a Paladin if he wouldn't try.

Welcome to Final Fantasy... :3c

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Unless the brand disappears one day or his friends arrive who maybe are from after the crystallization (can that even happen?), Hope won't ever truly know that yes, they did complete their Focus. Just that something about Ragnorak was triggering their crystal stasis. But, Fang and Vanille woke up from theirs once. With their brands. So, it was never a sure bet.

Hope blinked and made a soft sound when Hunk suddenly offered a hug. He felt bad, again, that he seemingly brought the mood down again. But Hunk wasn't getting mad or annoyed, he wasn't running away. And he sounded very genuine. His eyes welled up and when he blinked, the tears finally overflowed and he walked over to press his face against the Paladin's chest. He did his best not to make much of a mess, keeping his face to the side as he wrapped his arms around him. Or tried too. He's pretty small. Not that it mattered, because a hug was a hug and he really, really needed this.

ugh now i wanna replay ff13, THANKS

[chefbayardee]

Hunk steadied his breath, trying not to smile or chuckle or do anything that would interrupt Hope's catharsis. They each knew that the other had similar experiences, one of them just had better ways to deal with it. And more time.

"It's okay. Take as long as you need." He said softly with a warm smile. One of Hunk's arms wrapped around Hope, because otherwise it's not a hug, and the other gently gripped the railing. He knew for a fact that if he didn't, turbulence would strike, because that's the worst that could go wrong. Or a monster attack blowing up the airship. But Hunk paused that internal panicked monologue, remembering the meditation training in his early days as a Paladin. He had no idea how long Hope needed, and he's no liar so he was going to wait, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't moved part of his brain onto more important topics.

Like is this kid actually going to be okay? On his own? Even Pidge, the other awesome younger teen he knew, needed help.

You're welcome! Also, I just watch on YouTube LOL

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Hope was wondering the same thing, to be honest, as he let out the tears. What was he going to do from here on out? It seemed like some people were helpful here, considering they were all displaced from their homes. But what's a fourteen year old going to do? He was probably considered too young for a job, should he go to whatever school he got here? What about necessities like a home, food, hell even a change of clothes? He could do all that before because he had the help of others.

Would it be the same here? He was confident in his abilities, confident in taking care of himself but he wasn't an adult, he was going to need help at some point. Hope wasn't going to try and act like he knew exactly how to be all by himself because truthfully, he never had been.

He took a deep breath, to get the last of the hiccups gone and then he pulled back, rubbing his eyes to dry them. "Thanks."

Hope was going to have to find out eventually and he couldn't wait around for it either.

I mean the game's basically a movie with some lite menu mgmt SO YOU DID THE SMART THING

[chefbayardee]

"No prob, man." Hunk laughs, shaking his head. They've all found themselves in quite a mess. Temporary housing in another dimension for what might be the rest of forever.

"So, what's your next move? Have any jobs yet? I know you said you were familiar with some of the magic, so that's an advantage." He smiles, shrugging his shoulders a bit. Hope might have an inkling that Hunk picked up Gourmand, or... maybe not, since almost anyone can be capable of cooking meals.

"Because there's like monsters here, and you should be able to defend yourself. Can you?" Hunk realizes he's staring kind of intently, and takes a deep breath as his anxieties get buried beneath the upbeat demeanor.

It pretty much is LOL Also, I don't own it, I just rented it the first time I played.

[dreamsoftomorrow]

"I'm familiar with the magic, but I can't use any," Hope replied with a small slump of his shoulders. "And the way the jobs were described, I don't think they work the same. I'm gonna be largely learning it as I go along, I guess, once I decide on a Job. I was... actually looking into Chemist though. All the magic options seemed highly specialized and I can't seem to decide."

Could he defend himself? He sighed and leaned back against the railing, he shook his head. "I have my boomerang, but it's not very strong. Never has been, really. I was better at magic with my group. I don't think I'd trust myself in the wilds with monsters, not unless I had a party with me."

TBH I just replay it for the Sazh/Vanille banter and to yell at Snow, so...

[chefbayardee]

"You're better at magic, so you're just going to ignore the magic? Embrace your strengths, man!" Hunk was half side-eyeing, half teasing scowl, but he was serious. "I'd kill to get weird magic powers," he barely manages to hold his fake-judging facade from the weight of his own Gourmand Humor, "and what's a refresher gonna hurt for you? Magic doesn't seem like something you forget, and these jobs don't define you, Hope."

And then the tone shatters, and he's grinning again. "Take me! I'm a great cook, and that's not from the Gourmand asterisk. If you wanna go for Chemist, go for it, but you'll learn potions and stuff as you go, too..." He looks sheepish and embarrassed for having gotten so overbearing about it.

"Plus you can have, like, three of them. And if it'd make you feel safer," Hunk smirks, before doing a slight bellow with a bassy, showy voice. "Then I'll bring the cake!" And he laughed. Hunk can form the head of the party! Unless the joke and party invite was too weird for Hope. Oh jeez Hunk was totally down to bake a cake but his eyes widened as he realized his humor might have finally flown too close to the sun!

Who doesn't play it to yell at Snow?

[dreamsoftomorrow]

"It's not that I want to ignore it," Hope protested with a laugh. "It's more like... I can't decide between option 1 and option 2 so... I'll make a third option."

Although, he supposed, there was more than just two options of magic here. There were several, which made it doubly harder for him to choose. So, why not go for an entirely different option and learn something new instead? He may be good at magic, but it was his world's magic. This world's magic was a whole different system even the spells had the same name. He was started at level one either way.

While the bombastic showiness of Hunk was a little weird to Hope, that wasn't what made him tilt his head quizzically at the yellow paladin. He just had no idea what the joke was or that this was a party invite. "Uh... Pardon?"

Look, video games aren't really a thing for him. Being from a video game and all

No matter what they expect going in, everyone leaves screaming at Snow.

[chefbayardee]

The jokester's gambit failed, it failed! His internal monologue shouted to abort, to deflect, to act like it never happened, but that just wouldn't fly. So against every fiber of his anxious tendencies, he continued. He decided to explain the joke.

"You said you wouldn't trust yourself near monsters unless you had a party. Parties have cake." Hunk paused a beat, staring expectantly at Hope with a grin on his face. "So you can be in an adventuring party with me if you want! You know stuff about magic, about animals, and summons. You'd be a huge help whether you went with Chemist or a magic class or whatever else." Just not Gourmand, you need to save whatever innocence is left, Hope.

Hunk laughs and rolls his eyes. "That is, unless you don't want to fight alongside a Paladin of Voltron? People across an entire universe would kill for that chance!"

Which seems par for the course!

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Hope was about to ask if bringing cake would be more monsters going after them, but he was realizing that he was letting a joke go way over his head at this point. He picked up on that much, at least! Hope laughed and shook his head.

"I don't know much about Paladins of Voltron, remember? I think I would like to party up with you regardless of what you were, anyway. You're very nice, Hunk. And I can tell you'd watch my back, even though we only just met."

I figure one day I might play FF13-3, see how it ends, scream at Snow. Maybe. 13-2 was... ew.

[chefbayardee]

Hunk's eyes rolled because while Hope seemed like a good enough kid, he seemed to have trouble rolling with things. Granted, the Paladin remembered, so did he. Sometimes he still does! So as the eyes returned to a neutral state, the smile was as present as always.

"You don't have to know much about the Paladins or Voltron. Just like I don't have to know much about the l'Cie or magic or Eidolons," Hunk shrugs, and shakes his head. "I mean, we trust each other enough to talk about our worlds and what we've been through, so we can definitely trust each other in a fight. See," he pauses, stifling a laugh, "the other Paladins and I didn't all trust or like each other at first, and we've done some great things."

Hunk shrugs, shaking his head faux-judgmentally. "I mean if the Paladins can work that well despite being rough, that means us and anyone else we work with would probably have a bit of an advantage!"

Excuse u, 13-2 gave me *adult Hope*, the greatest thing ever???

[dreamsoftomorrow]

He's trying!! Hope even huffed at the eye-rolling! He is trying, okay? But even this is a little much for him, l'Cie experiences aside. But as Hunk spoke, he did see the point in his words. Even if he still crossed his arms, a little bit indignant.

"I understand," He said. "I never met the others before we became l'Cie. So I didn't know who to trust."

He just followed Lightning because... well, he wasn't too sure anymore. She seemed the most capable and just as hell bent on revenge at the time as he was. And they'd changed over the course of their journey, changing their goal and she had become a lot more than just someone to follow. She was a friend.

"But being in the same boat as others... it does bring people together in ways that one doesn't expect. What I mean is... yes, you can bring the cake to the party."

Hope/Alyssa should've been the main characters instead of Serah/Noel, they were so much better.

[chefbayardee]

"Whoo-hoo!" Hunk literally jumps for joy, shaking their neck of the airship a little when his feet reconnect with the floor. And in a movement a bit more fluid than expected for this goofball, he slides over next to Hope and wraps an arm around him, pulling him into a side-hug as he points out the window.

"We're gonna have some great adventures, Hope!" A beat causes the glee to erode, to shift to a look and tone of concern and uncertainty. "You... you're a kid, so are you gonna go to school? That might make things trickier..."

And then he shifts his posture out of the hug, laughing with more calm than confusion. "But it's not like we'd be attached at the hip or something. So standing offer, whenever you want to put yourself in harm's way."

I actually didn't mind them! But I definitely would have preferred Hope and Alyssa :3

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Hope stepped back a little at the sudden jump for joy, but is then pulled into a side-hug. He followed the pointed finger out the window and, there was no stopping it, he was smiling. "I might be going to school, yeah. I'm... not sure yet?"

He shrugged with a helpless smile on his face. He really wasn't. It'd be a shame not to continue his studies and learn more about this world. But there was also a lot to explore! How did he balance the two?

"Depending on how long this whole... thing is, I have time," He grabbed his back to pull out his slate. He opened up his friend's list and went to search for Hunk. He only had one other friend on here, Tidus. "I'm staying with another person I met, he's a Blitzer. But I wanted to see what else was out here before I settled. May as well keep track of everyone I meet! And... there! Found you and added you."

He smiled brighter and showed Hunk.

All four of them in one party (plus some monsters) would've been AMAZING.

[chefbayardee]

Hunk takes in Hope's words, and can't help but mirror Hope's smile with a smirk. He felt the faint vibration of his slate pinging with the friend request, and didn't even see the need to check it went through. His smirk then turned more and more into a toothy grin as he started talking in response. "Y'know, Hope, I uh... I might be Team Voltron's chief mechanic. And I might be a competent engineer. And I might have picked up Magitek Knight so I can figure out Vaikunthan tech." At this point he's grinning ear-to-ear, with the most shit-eating cheeky grin possible. "So I miiiight be able to tutor you. You know, if you wanted." Not like Hunk would mind, honestly.

He shrugged, intentionally making it as played-up and comically large a gesture as he can. "All you have to do is tell me what in the world a blitzer is. That sounds incredibly unsafe." But he's morbidly curious.

Right? Weh.

[dreamsoftomorrow]

Hope laughed and shrugged. "I don't... really know? Tidus said it's actually a sport on his world too, it's called Blitzball. It's an underwater sport, I guess? I saw it once and didn't quite understand it, aside from the fact that they must have really good lungs to hold their breath for that long."

But a tutor in engineering? That pinged Hope's nerd senses to its core. He was no real mechanic himself, and he really had no idea what he wanted to study. Chemistry was its own ball game too, if that's what Chemists do anyway. It sounded like it was. Mixing compounds to create things like potions and whatnot.

"So, you're a chef and a mechanic?" He said with a soft smile. "Guess I shouldn't find that odd. I also picked up Summoner, for the chance to maybe see Alexander again."

Even if it might not be the same Alexander.

[chefbayardee]

Hunk's face lit up at "underwater sport" because that sounded interesting, but the look faded to sheer disappointment at the mention of holding their breath for long periods. Hunk was... in no way confident in that, sometimes he could barely hold his lunch! But the mention of wanting to see Alexander again brought back the warm and compassion from Hunk.

"Hey, you'll see him again. He shows up when you need him to, so you must be doing pretty okay." Another smile, though it slips into a jokesy smirk after a few moments. "And since you asked, I am a chef and a mechanic." And like a soldier, a Paladin, a leg... "Cooking is basically just engineering and chemistry, if you think about it!"