Author's Note: Remember that scene in chapter 3 where Lanz and Taion had a brief discussion about personality differences and confidence and whatnot?

Let's see what the others may have been talking about.

xxxx

/Time: Chapter 3, prior to entering the Urayan Mountains/

/En Route to Urayan Tunnel Entrance, Fornis Region/

Eunie had always been an upfront and confrontational sort. (It had made her transition to a Healer role following Joran's demise somewhat...difficult. But that was another story entirely.) She wasn't that much of a clod that she couldn't realize her personality grated on other people. (But was she going to change? Snuff no.)

In that sense, she was grateful that she'd had her mates fighting by her side for so many terms.

So that's why her conversation with Taion last night had been so...odd. Smarmy jerkface though he was, her Ouroboros partner had been surprisingly...open. Insightful, even. (Not that she'd tell him and give him an excuse to become even more stuck-up.)

(And you have to admit, he brewed a very good cup of tea.)

Hence why she found herself up front with Noah, the designated 'Feelings Expert' in their unit, what with how he had always spent time worrying about sending off Agnians alongside their Kevesi brethren.

"Did you and Taion have a good conversation last night?"

Oh, so it's going be like that, is it? Narrowing her eyes, she grumbled, "Oi, so you were watchin', eh?

Ruffling at the collar of Sena's short jacket — having decided to take a proverbial swing at the tiny girl's giant hammer — Noah remarked, "Well, you had been unusually quiet during dinner. But you usually speak your mind before long about...well, anything. So I was going to wait...but it looked like whatever you and Taion talked about, it helped."

(The image of a frozen husk, forever immortalized with a terrified rictus, flashed into her mind. What would her face look like, if she tried to mimic that expression?) "Well, sorry for being a bunch of sparks on your back," she huffed, hands on her hips.

Noah shook his head with a mollifying expression. "It's not an insult. It's part of what makes you 'Eunie.'"

"And what is 'Eunie', in your mind?"

The off-seer frowned, blue eyes glittering with naked concern. "Eunie...what's this about?"

She crossed her arms, somewhat grateful for how Gray's class came with a cloak (a tiny part of her cried 'so snuffin' badass!', not that she'd ever let anyone else know); if she adjusted the fit of the collar just right, it let out more of the fabric so she could actually cover her arms with it. "Well...it's odd. If anything bothered me, I'd talk to you guys about it. But the stuff I spoke with Taion was...well, it did help." (Small steps.) "But now it'd feel...weird, to talk about it with you guys. And that's snuffin' crazy."

"Is it, though?"

Eunie huffed, her head wings briefly twitching with agitation. "It's just been us, before all of this. No matter what, I had your guys' backs, and you had mine. Being able to have someone else at my back...and an Agnian, at that."

Noah briefly gazed back over his shoulder, taking in the sight of the four Ouroboros and two Nopon at their heels on the steepening trail. (What did his eyes see, when he looked at everyone?) "They've had our backs in battle, haven't they?"

"Fighting's one thing. But talkin' about feelings and junk? Doin' that with other people is..." She trailed off, because 'strange' and 'weird' just weren't strong enough words.

"...Eunie, you don't have to worry about how Lanz or I would feel," Noah said, with that peaceful expression of his. "We're in a new situation now...and we've already expanded our horizons beyond what we ever would have imagined before. So if what you talked about with Taion is something you'd keep between the two of you...then that's fine. That's okay. You don't have to feel guilty on our behalf."

Ignoring the strange twinge in her chest (was it gratitude? Joy? Frustration? She didn't know, and that bugged her something fierce), Eunie retorted, "Not exactly the kind of person to feel guilty about others. Got enough on my plate just for my own stuff, you know?"

Noah shook his head, a strange little smile on his face. "Eunie, you're more in touch with the feelings of other people than you give yourself credit for. Just because you have a brash personality doesn't mean you lack empathy."

"I'm gonna need some evidence for that," she demanded. "Come on, clue me in...hey, don't just walk away, you jerk!"

(She couldn't help but wonder if everyone else was having such deep conversations...)

xx

"So Mio, did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, I did, Manana..."

"And? And?"

Almost hesitantly, the catgirl nonetheless smiled as she answered, "You were right. Cuddling between two Nopon was very helpful."

The peachy chefypon beamed. "Meh-meh! How could it not be, when we're so cute?"

xx

"So Riku, I have a question..."

"What on your mind, Sena?"

"...is that brown fuzzy stuff on your head your hair, or is it a hat?"

"Meh-meh?!"

"I'm sorry if it sounded rude, but I was just so curious...!"

xx

And of course, there's Lanz and Taion, whose discussion needed no introduction or further elaboration.

In the grand scheme of things, two heartfelt conversations out of four was rather good, for a group formed by the circumstances they had.

Thus did the company continue onwards towards the Urayan Mountains, unknowing that they were about to enter a continent's corpse.

xxxx

Author's Note: Given some of the discussions that Eunie has later on with Mio, Sena, Taion, and Heroes like Ashera and Monica, I think her emotional intelligence is quite high for a child soldier that's known only war.