[ Every single worry Merisia had about how Kor would react to this seems to have gone in the complete opposite direction. Of course, now that she's heard his view on this, it makes perfect sense. She almost feels foolish for letting her own biases blind her to the possibility now that it's so plainly in front of her.
Not only is Kor's view on the Echo true to how she knows him, but the way he expresses those views is just as open and unafraid and heartfelt as she should have expected. Even after everything she's said about it, after all the hardship it's caused her, he still thinks it's beautiful simply because it helps her understand people so well. Faced with Kor's viewpoint clashing with her own, Merisia suddenly finds herself forced to dig up and face her issues with the Echo rather than shoving the whole thing away in favor of condemning it altogether. Really, at this point, fear of the unknown and of the lack of control is the only thing she can come up with. ]
If you were forced into someone's Spiria completely out of nowhere and without your say so, wouldn't you be scared?
[ Only now does it sink in that, even though Kor disagrees with her overall view on the Echo, he's still willing to help her. Merisia feels a dull ache in her heart and she pauses, taking a few shaky, uncertain breaths. Damn it all, this kid is too nice for his own good. How the hells did she end up stuck with him?
When she speaks again, her voice wavers. She's still scared, but the waves of fear coming from her are more subdued and exhausted, making way for confusion and some unsteady combination of trust and hope. ]
...I was...worried that you would hate me, too. That some way or another, you'd see the Echo as some kind of problem or a threat. Yet here you are, talking about it like it's the best thing that could have ever happened. You're taking this whole thing a lot better than I was ready for. [ She lets out a weak huff... Is it laughter? A sob? An angry huff? Even she isn't sure, but it still helps. ] Even after all of that, you're still willing to help me...?
[ There's an unspoken "Why?" after that, but Merisia doesn't bother tacking it on. Somehow, she has a feeling she knows what kind of answer Kor will give her. ]
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Not only is Kor's view on the Echo true to how she knows him, but the way he expresses those views is just as open and unafraid and heartfelt as she should have expected. Even after everything she's said about it, after all the hardship it's caused her, he still thinks it's beautiful simply because it helps her understand people so well. Faced with Kor's viewpoint clashing with her own, Merisia suddenly finds herself forced to dig up and face her issues with the Echo rather than shoving the whole thing away in favor of condemning it altogether. Really, at this point, fear of the unknown and of the lack of control is the only thing she can come up with. ]
If you were forced into someone's Spiria completely out of nowhere and without your say so, wouldn't you be scared?
[ Only now does it sink in that, even though Kor disagrees with her overall view on the Echo, he's still willing to help her. Merisia feels a dull ache in her heart and she pauses, taking a few shaky, uncertain breaths. Damn it all, this kid is too nice for his own good. How the hells did she end up stuck with him?
When she speaks again, her voice wavers. She's still scared, but the waves of fear coming from her are more subdued and exhausted, making way for confusion and some unsteady combination of trust and hope. ]
...I was...worried that you would hate me, too. That some way or another, you'd see the Echo as some kind of problem or a threat. Yet here you are, talking about it like it's the best thing that could have ever happened. You're taking this whole thing a lot better than I was ready for. [ She lets out a weak huff... Is it laughter? A sob? An angry huff? Even she isn't sure, but it still helps. ] Even after all of that, you're still willing to help me...?
[ There's an unspoken "Why?" after that, but Merisia doesn't bother tacking it on. Somehow, she has a feeling she knows what kind of answer Kor will give her. ]