[ Ori coming in for a hug shouldn't be unexpected, but it is. Maybe this sort of situation warrants one, he supposes. As he lifts his arms to return the favor, he realizes he's still holding the jar of treats. After carefully placing it on the counter behind him, he gently places his arms around her shoulders, making sure her head doesn't rest on the wound that yet heals. ]

I...have not. [ She has a fair point. Selfishly, he's always been content to let the dreams run their course, instead of trying to take control and talk to him. Even if he is just a manifestation of his mind.

His gaze drops, and a truth he may have been too scared to accept claws at his throat, stings the back of his eyes. ] I know logically I will never see him again, but perhaps in my heart, I've been holding out hope.

[ He was the first to give him hope against Zhaitan, wasn't he? It seems a fragment of that same hope has etched for itself a place in him that he will never be rid of. ]

Maybe a goodbye is what I need.