Hope Estheim

Hope?

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I...I keep having nightmares.

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O-oh...

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A-about my mother...

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Y-your mother?

[This would be much less awkward for Terra if this was in person. Sob]

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Y-yeah. I...watched her die...the day I became a l'Cie.

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Perhaps you haven't given the right command?

[ sob, this would end better if she weren't used to being a machine, I foresee this ]

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I...I can't just make nightmares go away like that.

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[Terra is momentarily speech... though he manages to find his voice soon enough.]

Oh. Oh, Hope, I...

[What does he even say to that?]

Is there anything I can do?

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I dunno. This isn't the first time I've had dreams like this, but they've never lasted so long before.

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That's unfortunate. I was hoping that I might be able to halt mine with some form of command, but it's not working for me, either.

Will you be okay?

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I'll be fine. This...this isn't the first time I've had dreams like these.

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It isn't? If they're anything like my own, they're rather disturbing. Beings shouldn't be suffering through unpleasantness during their recharging stage. Makes this whole slumber thing rather pointless.

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I'd rather think about these things at night than during the day.

I'm...used to not sleeping that well.

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I'd rather not think about them at all.

Isn't that strange, though? Shouldn't it be a time of res? I thought that was the purpose of it — unless I'm completely mistaken, which I doubt. But then again, I've never had to 'sleep' before.

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You're not human, are you?

Just because we're supposed to sleep at night, it doesn't always mean we can.

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I'm not meant to be of flesh, but for the moment I have no choice, if that's what you mean.

No, I suppose that is a point. One doesn't always have the power to control how things should be. What do you usually do when you cannot rest?

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I...

I'm usually around other people, so there's not really that much I can do. I just have to hope I stop thinking about whatever made me so upset that I couldn't sleep.

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Maybe you should think about something pleasant in place of what's haunting your rest.

[ a beat ]

Like kittens. I hear people are fond of kittens. Or puppies.

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[Hope makes an "uh-huh" sound as he shakes his head.]

That kind of stuff never helps. It's not enough.

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That's unfortunate. Perhaps, then, you should try to surround yourself with people if that's helped you before?

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It doesn't make any difference. The nightmares still come.

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But there is comfort in the presence of others, isn't there?

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