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[contempsi]

[Hope's life has certainly been thrown into turmoil over the past few weeks, and there's certainly more to come. Now that Lightning's returned, and seems to have gathered her strength... he admittedly can't take his mind off his own problems at hand. He saw her brand—but what's to become of his?

His days, too, are numbered.

After a slumber fraught with nightmares, the boy awakens to find a more urgent, pressing problem at hand.]



[Somehow, by the grace of whatever deity is over this place, he finally manages to open the journal by his bed and paw his way into a video broadcast.

The screen is filled with a fluffy white puppy face.]

RUFF!

Um... w-what's going on!? Am I dreaming!?? Someone help! Lightning? Aerith?!

[Later on that day, he can be found sulking outdoors in the grass by the pathway that separates Community House #4 from the other residential homes, head on his curly fluffy paws.

He can, in fact, be understood if anyone attempts to converse with him. Translations are in italics.]

Comments

[thestormishere]

[ Yes... that. Lightning finally sits on the floor completely, eyes down and running a hand over Baldr's side, who continues somehow inching himself closer, stretched out into every inch of length his furry body possesses. ]

Hm... I doubt you'll be like this for a week. Maybe a few days. [ You know, with luck. With how this place is, saying that probably just cursed it. She sighs quietly at the question. ] ... Yes. The first time it happened, I... switched bodies with Zack.

[ ... 8| ] And thought I was eight. Aerith and Cloud thought he'd gone crazy, acting like that and trying to go by a girl's name.

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

You thought you were— [Good thing puppies can't giggle, because he would have, like a complete moron. And thus he's spared the thump on the head he'd deserve and/or a signature jaw-punch.

As for the rest of that... he can't even begin to fathom what that would be like. Hope rises to his feet rather suddenly, an anxious restlessness gripping him.]

You really switched bodies with someone? Zack of all people? [That means that Zack was in Lightning's body, too. No, he doesn't want to think about that at all... or what it might be like to be "switched" himself. How intrusive. He'd feel completely violated! To say nothing of what it might be like to be a woman—no. No, no, no... ending that train of thought immediately, thanks. This is bad enough!]

How could you even... what is wrong with this place?

[thestormishere]

[ A dark look. She's not entirely sure why she chose to share that effect over the chocobo one from the same experiment, though they were both probably equally embarrassing for different reasons. In hindsight, anyway- when she'd been in Zack's body she'd had no idea what was going on and got pretty damn close to suffering a melt-down completely. The copious tears were a little... yeah. ]

It worked out alright.

[ As in it could have been worse. Zack is... an alright guy and was pretty chill about it, at least. And that was probably the point at which she actually started being friends with Aerith, after all. Seems it's hard to stay distant after someone more or less steps into the role of your mother for a few days. Certainly Hope wouldn't understand that though, right? 8| ]

... But that doesn't mean I'll forgive them for it. [ Just like... ugh. Baldr's squirmed nearly out of her reach by now, but it's obvious her grip in his fur tightens at that. She ever meets whoever's responsible for this? She's tearing them apart. ]

[contempsi.livejournal.com]

It eventually ended. [He says it both in response to the news he's received, and as a sort of reassurance to himself.

Man, he really hopes he'll never think he's a little girl. That would be the end of his life right then and then. Even worse than dog-chewed boots.

With Baldr still happily inching closer, Hope finally hikes himself up a little, leaning over to poke at the other puppy with his... muzzle. Snout. Whatever he'd call it.] I guess I'll have to deal with it for now. What else can I do, really?

[And part of him secretly hopes that if he takes it in stride, maybe they'll be satisfied and won't put him through any more... "experiments". Whoever They are.]