Chapter Text
On a small hill right next to Reckless Railways four rift beacons were stationed, all pointing in the same direction, that of an enormous chimney in the distance. A countdown marked the moment they were expected to fire.
Nisha approached the hill, having been informed that the person she's looking for would be there, and as she approached she saw that Hope was in fact there, doing something with one of the rift beacons.
"Hello."
"Hey Nisha, you looking for something?"
Nisha had scaled the hill at this point and was standing in front of Hope next to the beacon. It seemed to be the exact same as it has been for the past week, at least externally.
"Yes I am. I was looking for you, your friend in a bowl of water said you would be here, examining the rift beacons for the twentieth time today."
Hope gave her an annoyed look, in response to which Nisha quickly added:
"Her words not mine."
Hope's expression changed, Nisha couldn't quite tell what it was but it seemed like whatever negative emotions were present were not aimed at her anymore.
"Well, remind me to tell her that *maybe* I'm checking the rift beacons so much because I'm worried, and I want to make sure my battle against the giant sorcerer imbued with the power of Pandora's Box goes well."
"Yes, of course."
Nisha had a feeling that Hope would not need any reminders to tell The Oracle that.
"Anyway, you said you were looking for me. What's up?"
Nisha took a moment to collect her thoughts. This was important to her, and she wanted to get it right.
"I want to apologize for how coldly I've acted towards you in the past. Both before and after you left the society."
Hope looked surprised, and didn't respond for a few seconds, so Nisha decided to keep talking, she had more prepared.
"You have always had a lot of faith in me, even before the Society fell. And I feel that the way I've repaid you has been... inappropriate to say the least. I'm sorry."
Hope looked at Nisha, surprised but kindly.
"Wow. I'm glad you apologized Nisha. It means a lot to me, really."
She puts her hand on Nisha's arm as she says it, and Nisha smiles when she does. Hope then says, in a slightly suspicious voice:
"You're not just apologizing because we might all die tomorrow right?"
"Admittedly, kind of. I've wanted to tell you this since I visited you two weeks ago, but the possibility of dying was certainly a motivator in telling you now."
Hope laughed softly. She sat down on the base of one of the rift beacons, leaving enough space to her left for Nisha to sit down next to her.
"Yeah I don't blame you, I'd probably want to get something like that off my chest too. Not the type of thing you wanna take to the grave."
Nisha brushed some dirt off the red surface and sat down next to Hope. She was glad Hope didn't seem to mind that her apology was partially brought on by fear.
"It's funny isn't it," Hope said, looking down at the big house and main station at the foot of the hill, "my sister's neighborhood is one of the only places on the island that hasn't changed cause of what *she* did, and she doesn't even get to enjoy it."
Nisha nodded and looked westward to the abandoned Nitrodrome.
"I would have preferred if my vineyard had remained unchanged, but unfortunately a hyena-masked woman and her crew of soldiers seemed to disagree with me."
Hope laughed at Nisha's remark in way that Nisha thought somehow conveyed sympathy.
"Scarr's gone like the rest of Megalo Don's crew, nothing's really preventing you from rebuilding Fencing Fields. Well except me, I think that would be a waste of time."
Nisha thought about her suggestion, somehow not as sure as she once would have been.
"We'll see, I will think about what to do with it after we overcome the more *pressing* issues."
Hope gave a hum of agreement, after which for a while, neither one of them said anything. They sat there on that hill, overlooking their lifelong home and the ways it had changed in just a year. There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them that despite all of the strange landscapes that had arrived it was still beautiful, if not moreso. At least that's what Nisha thought, and she felt like Hope agreed.
"Hope?"
They turned to look at each other.
"Yeah?"
"I know I've said before that we weren't friends, but if we survive I'd like to change that."
Hope chuckled
"You're saying you wanna be friends?"
Nisha responds almost immediately:
"Yes, I do. "
Before saying anything else Hope pulled Nisha into a hug. She didn't mind, although she wouldn't have initiated herself she enjoyed it, and by the way how quickly and tightly Hope had done it, it seemed to Nisha that she had wanted to do it for a very long time.
"Me too."