Nino: I'm honored you'd go that far for us!Nino: Really, though, we wouldn't want to trouble you any more than we already have.Nino: To be honest... I'm a bit exhausted from the trip.Nino: I'd rather stay a bit longer and rest well before leaving.Nino: Might as well take the opportunity to relax, I figure!Nino: We'll go home later, so...Solis: Sure.Solis: So, I'll escort you after you've rested plenty.Solis: That's perfectly fine.Nino: Huh, really? But we might be staying here a good while...Nino: Plus, I thought you had patrol work to do!Nino: Did I hear you wrong earlier?Solis: No... but it's perfectly fine to postpone things to tend to guests.Nino: I see, I see. How kind of you.Nino: That reminds me of something, though.Nino: When you said you'd lead us to…

Wow. The nerve of this guy. So all that hospitability was an act, huh? You were mistaken to assume he'd believed anything. Now that it's come to this, you'll push against it. You'll make him feel like he's disrespecting you. Like he's being inhospitable. That should go against his honorable standards and get him off your case! Nino: ...You think I was lying the whole time? Why?Nino: I'd say you sound overtly wary now!Solis: Call me whatever you like, Mino,Solis: I still think your actions here were just a bit off.Solis: And I don't think it's strange to seek an explanation for them.Nino: Right, well, that's fair.Nino: But I feel like you're being a bit rude!Nino: You're accusing me of lying about everything...Nino: Just because I acted a little awkward?…

You nearly give out a fake name, but you recall at the last second that Meimona had definitely called you by your real name in front of this guy already. You believe that she did it only once, and not very loudly, but still... There is a chance he heard it. If that's the case, could asking this question be a test? He might think the name "Nino" sounds too human. Or, he might've already gotten your name from someone else, somehow, and he's trying to check your truthfulness now. Or... are you being too paranoid? Well, no matter which it is, you can't risk anything. However small that chance is, you'd better play around his question just to be safe! Nino: Be truthful, but keep it vague. If using…

For a start, you decide to take a better look around the place. This is a nice room... clean, stylish, and its furniture seems quite comfortable. You then peer outside the window. Your room's on the third floor, so from here, you can actually see the whole town! "Buried Oasis", was it? Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of people outside. Red Tulip felt more populated than this, even though it was a smaller town... Perhaps most people are having lunch indoors around this time? Who knows, really! Nino: What's in that gift box? This gift box is not a gift box at all! It is in fact the first-aid kit you recieved from the inn's staff. You didn't actually need one, but you had to say something to get past…

After a quiet, uneventful trek through the desert, you make it... somewhere. It's strange, but there were no spirits at all this time around. In a way, it's kind of disturbing that there wasn't even a hint of a single spirit, after you'd just seen dozens upon dozens of them appear out of nowhere... In your mind, there are two possibilities. One: this guy just killed all the spirits that were there. Two: all of the remaining spirits have hidden away because of this guy. Either way... you sure are glad you're not his enemy right now. Solis: ...Here we are.Solis: Welcome to Buried Oasis, my hometown.Solis: Under different circumstance, I'd have loved to give you a tour, but...Solis: Getting your friend treated takes priority.Nino: Ah, yeah...Solis: Please, follow me.…

Meimona: Umm, mister... the thing I saw...Meimona: That wasn't really who I thought it was, right?Solis: No, not at all.Solis: Spirits disguise themselves in convincing ways, Solis: All to lure unsuspecting people in.Solis: So it's not the same person at all, Solis: Even if it looked like someone you know.Meimona: ...I see... Solis: You shouldn't let it bother you.Meimona: Well... I know that, but...Meimona: The things it said... Meimona: Did they mean anything?Solis: Not in the slightest.Solis: A hungry spirit doesn't act in good faith.Solis: It was just looking for the most hurtful things to say, in order to trick you.Solis: Believe me, you can ignore literally everything it told you.Meimona: Oh... really?Solis: Absolutely.Solis: Don't waste your energy worrying about its lies.Meimona: I-I see. That's good to know... What... so…

A monster... this big tall guy's a monster. You were saved you from that overwhelming horde of spirits by... a monster. Okay, okay, stay calm. This is fine! It's just a monster! Who is currently towering over you, with fire burning in his palm. ...No, no, really, calm down. Right now, you too appear as a monster! It should be fine if you just talk to him normally, monster to monster! Nino: Question the man, just in case. Meimona: ...Nino: U-uh... Yeah!Nino: We're fine...Nino: Wait, no! What if...Nino: This is just another ruse?Nino: A-are you real?Nino: Like, a real and safe person?Nino: Not a spirit again...?Solis: Oh. Certainly. Solis: Prove it. Suddenly, the big scary monster dude just cuts his palm. With a completely straight face. Not even slightly flinching.…

--/--> Meimona: ...Meimona: N-Nino... Nino: Open your eyes. Meimona: Nino!!! You gasp. You gasp so hard that it hurts. There's nothing. Nothing, besides Mei's warmth. You were expecting to feel some intense pain, but... There's nothing like that at all. In fact, you feel anything but danger. Nino: Look around you. It seems that you're completely unharmed... And, oddly enough, you smell smoke in the air. There's... fire? --/--> A ring of fire surrounds you. It looks like it burned all of the spirits that were here. Barely any traces remain at all. That overwhelming horde of danger... it's all gone, just like that? Avery himself is nowhere to be seen, too... And the two of you are perfectly unharmed. What in the world just happened? --/--> Solis: Jeez, this…

...What the...? Did... did Avery just call over more spirits? What the fuck!? Was that screaming some kind of fucked up last-minute distress signal or something? And does it mean that this many spirits were hiding around for back up all along? Fuck, has Avery just been LYING this whole time, since the very start? If not, then... What in the world is this murderous trap!? --/--> AAAAGH, GAH... ...H-HUH? W-w-what... is THIS... WHY... why... W...h...y... is EVERYONE... h-here!? Nino: Steel yourself. YOU... you're still listening, aren't you? WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? A-ANSWER ME, PROXY! Well, shit! Whatever they hope to accomplish here, you're ready to kill them all, and make their plans fail before they even start. Clearly, it's too late to dosh out second chances now. --/-->…

Avery: Ughhh... I-I thought... Avery: That everything was okay...Avery: But now, he's saying... I can't go YET?Avery: I don't understand, but that means...Avery: I-I have to do THIS, right!?Avery: I have no choice but to complete my MISSION... Avery: You... YOU... wretched HUMAN...Avery: Just like BACK THEN...Avery: You ROBBED what little HOPE I had left!Avery: I won't FORGIVE you!Meimona: Avery!Meimona: Does it really have to be this way?Meimona: You're still going to fight us after all that!?Avery: Y... YES!Avery: As long as this BODY can still move,Avery: I will never FORGIVE any of you!Meimona: But, why... why are you doing this?Avery: Because, I,...Avery: From the bottom of my HEART, I... I... It is all but a trick. Avery: I HATE YOU!Avery: I DETEST YOU, and this worthless, UNGRATEFUL world!Meimona: E-even…

You try, however... Nothing seems to change this time around. You don't even feel your healing energy reducing. Does that mean you can't do anything for him, anymore? He really is just going to disappear? Nino: Take his hand. Let him feel some sort of warmth, even if he chooses to fade. You hesitate to reach out. Your eyes meet Avery's again. He's still waiting for an answer. But, you find yourself at a loss for words. At a time like this... what are you meant to say? In part, you'd like to apologize for not being able to heal him again, but... perhaps that's just what you want to tell yourself, to feel better about the situation. You know it's not what Avery wants to hear right now. Mei:…

Nino: Then...Nino: Are you okay with disappearing, Avery?Nino: You agreed to what I asked, even though, going by what you said,Nino: I pretty much just asked you to die, didn't I.Nino: Is that really okay with you?Avery?: ...Nino: ...Of course not, huh.Nino: You were right.Nino: It's not easy to just ask anyone to accept something like that,Nino: Even if it's a spirit. Nino: So instead, how about... if we give you a reason to be fulfilled instead?Avery?: Huh...?Meimona: Right! You said spirits harm people because of their regrets, right?Meimona: Soooo, couldn't fixing what's making you all bummed out be the solution?Avery?: That's... true, yes.Avery?: But there has never been anyone who said they'd help us do that,Avery?: Much less, understood us enough to think of it...Nino: Well, even though I'm…

Meimona: Look, it's okay now!Meimona: I made that scary human boy go away!Meimona: So don't worry, he won't be doing anything to you now.Avery?: Uuumh...Meimona: See, I also put away my claws!Meimona: So will you talk to me?Avery?: ...Wh... why...? Why... be nice to me now...?Avery?: Even though I hurt you so much, why...Meimona: Um... well...Meimona: I think it's clear that we beat you hard enough that you're not a threat now,Meimona: And there's no need to go overboard if you're not gonna fight us anymore...Meimona: Since it looks like you understand the kind of situation you're in now.Avery?: ...Meimona: Sure doesn't smell like you wanna get yourself hurt again either, right?Meimona: Well, same here! So, wanna call a truce?Meimona: That way, neither of us has to worry about the…