distressedude | 033 ~ [Action/Written]

[ Late Night - House One ]
[It's late at night when the usually peaceful House One will find itself rudely awoken by a scream.]

[Although it wasn't uncommon for Ion to have nightmares, usually he woke up with little more than a gasp. Sometimes he cried out, but never loud enough to disturb the rest of the house. But with the departure of a number of friends from Luceti, it seemed as though whatever control Ion had been holding onto since the draft had disappeared, and the added stress caused the nightmares to return tenfold.]

[Tonight was worse than usual. The scream was followed by a loud crash, like the sound of something being thrown against the wall.]

[The door is unlocked.]

--

[ Action - Written ]
[Following a very unrestful night, Ion will be trying his best to have a normal day, knowing that taking a nap would only make it more difficult to fall asleep that night. So he starts off his day as he would any other, beginning with a morning jog around the village with Colonel. Of course, given how tired he already is, it probably looks more like Colonel is just dragging him around. And at some point, Colonel is going to notice Ion's fatigue and force him to take a break in the most mature fashion possible.]

[After finally getting Colonel back home, he spends a little time in the library reading, but inevitably that proves to be too relaxing an activity and he winds up falling asleep, book still open. He won't be sleeping too deeply though, and just the sound of someone walking past him will probably startle him back into being awake. Though unless you want to see him fall out of his chair, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to walk up behind him.]

[Once he's back at House One, he spends the rest of the evening relaxing. But even though he's yawning and clearly tired, the light in his room stays on, and Ion won't be going to sleep just yet. And even after it seems like he finally has, sometime around midnight, a written message pops up over the network.]

I realize it's rather late, but does anyone have any experience in dealing with nightmares? Or perhaps, a method of how to prevent them from happening?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He can only sniffle in response. Nephry may have forgiven him, but it'll probably still be a while before he forgives himself. He glances up at her when she asks, before just as quickly looking back down.]

...I don't know. This has never happened before. I-I've had nightmares, but... this one felt so real. I honestly thought I was back on the battlefield again.

[Really, it shouldn't come as any surprise as to what the nightmares were about.]

Something that strong and pervasive may no longer qualify as a nightmare. But you should at least try not to blame yourself, you can't help the terrible things you've been through.

...do you think any of the others have been having dreams like this?

[He's not asking as means of assigning blame at himself -- but rather, to think that anyone else who was out on that draft could be being tormented like this on a nightly basis was a rather distressing thought.]

[But at the same time, it could mean that someone out there might know what to do about it. If he knew a way of stopping the nightmares, he would have done it ages ago.]

I think it's possible. [Different experiences still came with the same heightened trauma on a draft.] If not here in this house, then someone elsewhere in the village.

[She wants a solution for him almost as much as he must want one for himself.]

It would feel cruel to ask you to go back to sleep.

Even if I wanted to, I'm not so sure I could... not tonight, at least. [But he'll have to try again tomorrow. He's not about to try and forgo sleep. No matter how stressful the nightmares were, he knew it wasn't good for him to avoid getting his rest.]

[...though it's hard to say how much of it could ever be considered restful. He takes another deep breath, still shaky, but also more calm.]

I... think I'd like to try standing now. And you should get something to cover your wound... [He's not gonna even start to start trying to forgive himself for that while she's still huddled on the ground with him, bleeding.]

[Nephry crumples the tissue in her hand, sure that her head is no longer bleeding by now, and offers to help Ion get to his feet.]

It's not even close to morning yet.

[He takes her help when she offers it and manages to stand, even if it does make him feel a bit woozy once he's actually upright. He feels tired, but knows better than to even try and lay back down right now.]

I know. I... I'll try taking a nap later if I need it. For now, I think I'd like to try and wind down a little. [Maybe some fresh out out in the porch would help...]

All right. You can call for me again if you need anything, Ion.

[She won't let him go until he's standing under his own power; then it's off to the bathroom to deal with her forehead.]

[Though weak, he's able to stand well enough, and will go on out into the living room while Nephry goes to take care of her cut. Should she go looking for him, he won't be hard to follow -- the front door is left open a crack behind him as he's sitting out on the front porch, his arms loosely wrapped around his knees while he stares up at the sky.]

[It was a familiar scene, really. This wasn't the first time he was sitting outside at night like this because of a draft. In a way, it was like nothing had changed. Except this time, even weeks after the fact, it still bothered him enough to haunt his dreams. It was almost as if the trauma was only building onto itself, becoming more and more difficult for him to contain.]

[At the very least, he's managed to calm down.]

[Nephry sees the door open and gives him time. She puts on a robe, first of all, and some shoes, and picks up a blanket for Ion before joining him on the porch.

She remembers doing something like this before.]

I didn't expect you'd come outside.

[He's calmed down enough that he doesn't jump when he hears the door open behind him, but he does turn his head to look back at her. But his gaze doesn't linger, and soon he's looking back up at the sky -- a hand quietly reaching up and wiping at his face before she can get close enough to see why.]

I thought the cool night air would help calm me down. [...] I'm... sorry for waking you up like that. As terrible as it was to be the one experiencing it, I can't imagine it was any easier being a spectator.

Apology accepted.

[Nephry is sharper than that, even at who-knows-when in the morning. She sees Ion rubbing his face. Sitting down, she passes him the blanket.]

I never noticed before, how the moonlight looks against the last green of summer. We don't have weather like this in Keterburg, and it's often cloudy at this time of year.

[It isn't a perfect echo, but it's close enough.]

[It takes a moment for his mind to pick through where that line sounds so familiar -- that's right, he had said something similar to Nephry all those years ago on a cold winter night, just after Anise went home for the first time.]

...I can't say I've ever noticed it either. But I'm glad it isn't cloudy tonight. It's relaxing to look up at the night sky and see all the stars... even if they're not really there.

[He still remembers the black, starless skies of the "real" world outside the barrier. There was no comfort to be found in that sky at night.]

I can't make you go back to bed, but will you at least promise not to stay out here for too long? [Ion needs some stretches of weeks not filled with sickness.]

I won't, I promise. I wouldn't want to make myself sick on top of everything else.

[Though he can't help but feel a bit disheartened making that promise, knowing how much of a possibility there was in getting sick just from him staying out in the cold too long. He likes to think he's gotten stronger over the years, but in a lot of ways, he's probably just become weaker. And not just physically either. Though right now, he's not even sure which category tonight even falls under.]

...I don't want to keep you up. There's no reason for both of us to go without sleep tonight.

[It's not a dismissal, and from the tone in his voice it sounds like something he'd say just to be polite in case she wanted to leave. But regardless, right now he's not sure whether he wants company, or if he simply needs it. Even though it's not cold enough for him to be shivering, his hands are still shaking.]

When I feel like trying to sleep will get me somewhere, I'll see about doing so.

[For now, sitting beside him, close enough to lean if he should like to but far enough to give him his space, is her preferred wee-hours activity.]

033 ~ [Action/Written]

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