[Eight] Video

[buymedumplings]

[It's a dark room when the feed starts. There's a little whine from behind the camera and if you know your Dream Eaters it sounds like it might be a Meow Wow. The creature shuffles closer and the dim light from the doorway can now be seen bathing the face of a familiar young man: Bolin. He's broken out in a sweat and is tossing and turning like he's restless but he's also not waking up.

He whimpers and curls up on himself.

Ping whines again and then there's a bleating of as a Tama Sheep, Chi, appears. Chi has had enough of this apparently and she bleats again and then rams herself into Bolin's stomach. He yelps and falls out of bed from the impact, disappearing for a moment on the other side of the bed. Ping drops the communication device and jumps over the bed with Chi.

Bolin groans and finally appears on the other side of the bed, rubbing at his face.]

Bwuh? What are you guys doing?

[Ping nuzzles Bolin and he notices the fallen communication device.]

...Seriously, what are you doing? I was sleeping.

[He rubs at his face and then stops. He shudders, recalling the dream or nightmare he'd been having. Chi nudges him with her horns again, this time a bit more gently though it still causes Bolin to tilt sideways a bit.]

Oh...uh...better get the communicator before we wake anyone.

[Kyoshi, the Kooma Panda, picks it up in her claws and hands it back to Bolin. He avoids looking at it because he knows if he does they'll see the troubled and sad expression on his face. He shuts if off.]

Comments

[buymedumplings]

Yeah, it is. I mean...I just had a dream about one...so.

[He sighs.]

But, some of the stuff, I've had nightmares about it before. It's scary.

[colorbymemory]

[Namine offers a sympathetic look. Even if some aspects of the nightmares are shared, the overall effect is unique to each of them, especially when parts of personal nightmares are added.]

I'm sorry. Is there anything that usually helps?

[buymedumplings]

Usually I'd talk to Mako or Pabu about it...I sort of shared it with Korra once, but I was also trying to impress her at the time so I kinda played it off as just a passing fear.

[But, none of them are here. It's moments like these that Bolin really, REALLY misses his brother. The brother that was always there for him for ANYTHING. He'd never been without him before, especially not for so long. Bolin sighs. He's not sure he wants to spill it all out for Namine either, she's probably having nightmares too.]

[colorbymemory]

I see.

[Well, the part about thinking passing something serious of as less than it really is being used to try to impress someone is a little confusing. However. it's clear that he'd upset, and the people he'd usually talk to aren't here.]

Well, I'm sure most of us here would listen, if you wanted to talk.

[buymedumplings]

[Bolin still seems unsure but his Tama Sheep headbutts him again in the arm and he grunts before rubbing at the spot. She doesn't want to see Bolin like this apparently and is encouraging him to speak up.]

Awhile ago, before I came here, this nasty dude who went by the name of Amon was going around and kidnapping benders and taking their bending. He did other stuff too, like blow up the place I was living and everything...but I keep having nightmares about the being kidnapped. It was...really terrifying and there wasn't anything I could do. In the nightmare it's even worse because my brother isn't there to rescue me in time.

[Private to Bolin]

[colorbymemory]

[Since they've gotten to the serious part of the discussion, Namine sets the connection to a private one before answering. The time it gives her to consider a response is an added benefit. Some of the elements of Bolin's nightmares are similar to those of her own--it appears they've both had experiences being held captive.]

These nightmares seem to like making us relive the worst parts of our pasts, or adding to them. You're brother was there to help when it really happened?

[Private to Bolin]

[buymedumplings]

It's definitely based on what happened. But, yeah, when it actually happened Mako and Korra came to save me.

[Private to Bolin]

[colorbymemory]

That's good. Did you stop whoever was trying to hurt the others, too?

[Private to Bolin]

[buymedumplings]

Not in the dream...and not that night. But...yeah, Mako and Korra exposed him for what he was.

[Private to Bolin]

[colorbymemory]

So, eventually they did.

[Revelations of that sort do tend to have an effect.]