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[It makes sense to Kor, in a way, that Emerek might feel that way. He tried to show her a new way to life, and ended up paying the price for it eventually. In that regard, he couldn't blame Merisia for not wanting to trust the Echo anymore, with its existence having cost the life of someone dear to her.

He remembers feeling similar to that. Back when he find out he was Creed's vessel, that he had been harboring the monster whose actions led to his mother's and grandfather's death, who doomed an entire planet, and was the reason behind everything happening on Organica. And then... He was just expected to help fix everything? It had almost been too much to handle.

He takes the canteen in hand, looking it over carefully. He recognized it from his last trip, but why was he receiving this now...?]

Thanks, Emerek. I don't have any intentions of repeating your mistakes. What I want to do for Merisia is more than just helping her understand or accept the Echo. I want to help her carve her own path out, find her own way to do things.

[ Emerek smiles warmly at Kor's response, and nods. That's just what he was hoping to hear. A soft, golden glow surrounds him, growing slowly brighter. ]

Then we'll leave this in your hands. Merisia is very lucky to have made such a good friend. I can't do much anymore, so...look after her for me, will you?

[ The light brightens, blocking out everything around Kor, replacing it with the familiar scene of a tent in the desert.

A young Merisia appears sitting next to a rolled-up sleeping bag of sorts, hugging her knees and staring at the ground, a canteen in one hand. She looks incredibly distraught, perhaps even shocked, and reluctant to move. A blanket has been draped over her shoulders, her hair is disheveled, and her shoes have been kicked off and sit in a pile nearby. Emerek sits next to her, looking equally messy, but it seems he's far more concerned with Merisia's well-being.

"A fire?"

Merisia nods, continuing to stare at the ground. "It was just... Suddenly everything was going up in flames. Everyone was running, and screaming... The next thing I knew it was all gone again, and I was back with you and the survivors at the crash site. I-I was so scared, it all happened out of nowhere, a-and it was all over before I even knew what happened..."

Emerek pauses, looking worried suddenly. "I see... So you have it too, then."

"Have what?" Merisia asks, finally looking up. "Emerek, what's going on? W-What's happening to me?"

The vision shifts, suddenly, as though disrupted. There are snippets of Emerek scooting up next to Merisia, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, explaining something to her. But the more he says, the more anxious Merisia appears to get. Finally, the vision settles, and it's clear that not much time has passed at all. But as it resumes...

"...need to promise me to be careful, alright?" Emerek states. "If anyone discovers you have this gift, it could be dangerous."

Merisia freezes. "Dangerous?"

Taking a deep breath, Emerek averts his gaze. "I was told once," he begins, "That the Empire sees those that have the Echo as enemies. For them, to be able to communicate with the beastmen makes you one of them."

The look on Merisia's face is nothing short of horrified. She nearly drops the canteen in her hands, and her shoulders tremble. "WHY?!" She protests. "I-I didn't ask for this stupid gift! I never wanted to see these visions or...or watch the sky fall apart! I-"

Her words are cut short as Emerek lays a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're going to be fine," he says, though Merisia hardly looks convinced. "Listen, I'll explain everything else I know once we get back to a proper inn. I just wanted to warn you before anything else happened." He smiles, patting her gently. "As long as no one finds out, we'll be just fine. So don't tell anyone, okay?"

Merisia hesitates, then nods. "R-Right. I promise..."

And then, quite abruptly, Merisia's normal voice cuts in, reverberating about the void.

"I promise, Emerek. I won't tell anyone."

"No one will find out about the Echo. As long as I keep it a secret, I'll be safe..."

When the vision fades, Emerek is gone, and the canteen disappears as well, shrouded in light before dissolving into small particles. Kor is left in the enormous Crystal's abyss, with only the exhausted blue Carbuncle curled up in his arms. It's awake now, its eyes cracked open, but it seems reluctant to move just yet.

There's no more guide to show him the way, no one else to offer him hints or answers. Everything is silent, waiting. ]

[Everything made sense about why Merisia viewed the Echo the way she does--no, why she lives the way she does. It was never about not trusting people, or being standoffish, or anything like that. It was always about keeping herself safe. The less people knew about her, the less opportunities they had to hurt her with. Merisia had made that painfully clear in Kor's early interactions with her, but it's only now that he understood just how deep that ran with her.

But it's those barriers he had fought to break down on her. He understood why she was that way. He even respected it to a certain degree. But he had refused to accept her being that way. His stubbornness had been paying off, of course. Here he was now, after all, helping Merisia with the very issue that shaped who she was, is and will be. And help her, he was going to.

Kneeling down, he sets Carbuncle on the ground. He doesn't get up, staying right there next to the familiar.]

This is your decision to make, not mine. Your path to choose. But whatever you decide to do, I'll support and back you up here. [He looks down at Carbuncle and smiles.] ...Merisia.

[ Carbuncle squeaks softly, yawning and blinking a few times when she's set down. Tired is certainly the word of the day, but Kor's words serve to wake her a bit, and she looks up with curious and attentive eyes. Only when Kor speaks Her name does the little creature sit up, its exhaustion momentarily ignored.

The air in the abyss stirs. A comforting warmth seeks in, yet there is a touch of longing. As fiercely independent as Merisia is, she's always had someone gently reigning her in if she ever got off track, or someone to guide her if she ever was truly lost. Perhaps that was the reason those few years after the Calamity were so unbearable; the one whom had done so much of that for her was gone. Empatheias had, in some roundabout way, given that back to her in the form of several good-hearted friends whom were all too stubborn to give up on her. For that, she's thankful, but she never realized quite how much.

To have it so openly stated, so sincerely offered... To know that even though this is her path, she doesn't have to walk it alone...

Could this be her second chance...?

There are a few moments of silence, broken only by the radiance of the Crystal, before Carbuncle bows its head politely in an approving nod. For just a moment, Carbuncle's form flickers into a familiar young thaumaturge, her voice calm yet full of fire and confidence, a thankful but playful smirk on her face: ]

Heheh... Thanks, Kor. I know I can count on ya!

[ With one last farewell wave, Merisia vanishes as well, yet the warmth of her presence only seems to strengthen.

Outside, in the real world, things brighten. The ice fades from the walls, color slowly seeps back in, and a gentle warmth pushes away the cold and stale air that was there just before. ]

[When Kor sees Carbuncle flicker into the form of a young Merisia, he offers a fond smile, and gives her a farewell wave right back. He could sense immediately there was a difference in Merisia's Spiria, the atmosphere changing noticeably right then and there.

But the real proof was in what was happening outside. He felt things were taken care of here, so he terminates the Spiria Link, returning to the real world. He pops up in Merisia's room, in the same spot he'd left from, yet the room itself couldn't be more different.

It actually looked like a room now, and not just a sad prison of its owner's making.]

I'm back.

[ Merisia immediately glances up at the first sign of Kor's return. Although she's much less drained-looking than before, her concern certainly hasn't gone anywhere.

She hadn't budged the entire time, unsure of how she could help keep Kor safe. After all, he'd mentioned how dangerous a Spiria Link could be, and she didn't want to inevitably trap him within one of her own nightmares or anything. The only thing in her apartment that had really moved was her cat, whom had migrated from sleeping on the pile of books to sleeping on her pillow. ]

You okay, Kor?

[ After everything she's gone through, the last thing Merisia wants is for Kor to be hurt because of her. He seems fine - he's the one who was helping her - but she can't help asking anyway.

And yet, at the same time, something deep down feels...different. Then again, perhaps "different" is a strong word. Something has shifted, clicked into place and settled. Something that, perhaps, had been uprooted before. Merisia doesn't really know what's happened, but whatever this change is, it's not unwelcome. Part of her had feared that whatever Kor did during a Spiria Link would be painful or otherwise something to fear. Instead, it's not unlike the feeling she'd get whenever Emerek nudged her back on track with a simple comment or even just a laugh and a hair-ruffle. He really is something.

Perhaps that's why there are a few gently sparkling lights beginning to settle in the air, alongside the usual pulse of static that tends to come with her worry. ]

[Kor just responds to Merisia's concern with a big, carefree smile.]

I'm supposed to be asking you that, you know. How do you feel?

[He could definitely tell there was a difference, based on Merisia's outward appearance and aura, as well as the atmosphere of the room, but he needed confirmation from the horse's mouth.]

[ Geez. Some things never change. That's a "yes" if she's ever heard one, though.

Merisia hesitates, unconsciously bringing up one hand over her heart, as she stares at the floor for a moment in thought. How does she feel? She's never been all that good at finding words for this sort of thing. ]

...a lot better, I guess. Like there was a weight there that's just...gone now. [ If not gone, then much less heavy. She's a little uncertain of her own explanation, but that's as close as she can get. She even glances up at Kor, her expression calm but still a little unsure. Having someone hop into her soul to nudge things around isn't really something she's used to, after all.

She's not sure how to put it into words, but one thing is for sure: Kor said he was going to help, and that's exactly what he did. Merisia doesn't understand it, but she does feel it, and that's enough for her. ]

[A weight that's just gone is a good way to put it. Relieving burdens and putting things into perspective is the nature of a Spiria Link, after all.]

Looks like the Spiria Link was successful, then. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

[He speaks, brimming with confidence over the matter, as if what had transpired inside there wasn't really anything too bad. Definitely underplaying the whole thing.]

[ Perky? Cheerful? Completely downplaying the seriousness of the situation, potential or realized? Yep, Kor's just fine.

Merisia huffs, part-amused and part-annoyed. It's times like these she wondered how this kid ended up growing on her in the first place, although she certainly already knows the reason why he's still around. All that said, she manages a lopsided grin. ]

Heh. I knew I could count on you, Sparkles.

[ But....there's still the matter of the Echo. Emotionally she feels a lot better concerning it, but otherwise she doesn't feel all that different. Kor did say that he would give her the help that he thought she needed, not necessarily what she might want. She has to trust him. Luckily, at this point, that's not too hard.

Her grin becomes a bit teasing. ]

Maybe one of these days, I can actually repay you for all the damn help you keep giving me.

[ Merisia hates owing people, and she's surrounded by people who are all too willing to lend a hand. Her pride won't allow her to outwardly express her genuine appreciation, but nor will it allow her to accept all this help without properly returning the favor somehow. Too bad she can't just make Kor a scarf to repay him for this; that's hardly adequate. ]

Edited 2018-07-15 05:35 (UTC)

[Merisia's teasing gets him, his confidence cheerfulness faltering before it.]

Huh? N-no, that's not necessary! I don't accept payments for my services as a Somatic!

[He dismissively waves his hands in front of himself, completely not catching on that Merisia's implied payment may not necessarily be with money or goods.]

Just having helped you out's good enough for me!

[ ...did he just.

Merisia suddenly starts snickering; she's had way too much pent-up amusement around this kid and she can't contain it for too much longer. She's not sure what she's laughing at more: the fact that Kor took her seriously, or the fact that he's just so good-hearted that he would do this sort of thing without expecting anything in return. If Emerek were still around, he'd be proud as all hells.

But if he's taking her seriously, then she's just going to roll with it. Sorry Kor, but a true sign of affection from Merisia happens to be relentless teasing. ]

Alright, alright. Your loss.

I guess you don't want any ice cream either, do you?

[ That's right. She was gonna share, Kor. She was gonna share ice cream. But hey, if you want to insist on not being paid back for helping her out, that's more for her, right?

All jests aside, she still plans on properly paying him back at some point. But hey, he came all this way, she might as well give him a snack for the road, right? ]

[...Ice cream...

He gives a hard swallow, trying to hide the fact that he might be salivating a little right now at the thought of some ice cream. He wants some ice cream...]

Well, I mean, if you're offering it, it'd be rude of me to refuse it, right? So I'll take some ice cream off your hands!

Oh, so you didn't accept payments for your services, but you'll happily eat all my food. Is that how this is going to be?

[ Merisia rolls her eyes, but she still has has the biggest, most amused grin on her face, and she's heading for the ice box anyway. Sorry, Kor. Relentless teasing is just how she shows she cares.

Good to know that Kor has the same weakness for cold sweets that Sora does, though. This is very useful information. ]

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