Hope was used to a set schedule; awake by a certain hour, activities within so many minutes, work, eat, work, rest. Rinse and repeat. Sometimes he lost track of that time when he was working and researching and generally a little too involved in his books or paperwork or experimentation. Then, it would usually be Alyssa who reminded him that he hadn't eaten, slept, or even left his office for so many hours (or sometimes when he got really carried away, so many days).

It was just normal to him. Normal to, in fact, just about everyone employed under the Academy. Work hard, because time was slowly running out, and they needed solutions, inventions, and plans to survive as soon as possible. Everyone knew what would happen in the future; the real question was always what could be done to minimalize the damage and ensure that the human race survived.

Here, though, it was like time had stopped. It was a reprieve from the ticking clock that Hope had gotten used to all his life. A reprieve he couldn't get used to, because now it was all about... other things.

Like picking up groceries after work.

And, it seemed, noticing someone who didn't quite belong in a crowd. Enough to catch her hand before she was quite gone, making sure not to draw the attention of the crowd as he said lightly, "That's a dangerous line of work."