What would it mean to accept the offer laid before you?

If you do, Meimona might unquestionably go along with whatever you ask of her. But she would also clearly never treat you like she did before. If she wouldn't complain about anything you do at all... would she even joke around with you at that point?

Wow, it'd be incredibly boring if Meimona behaved like that!
Screw that noise! You don't want this at all.

You never asked for to have any kind of power over her, and you most certainly will not accept it - even if she pushes herself into that sort of position.

Nino: If she's so indebted to you, then she should listen when you tell her to be more true to herself in times like these.

If feeling indebted is what makes Mei act this way, then you don't want her to accept that she owes you anything in the first place. But this whole thing seems important to her, so simply telling her to just "forget about it" might not do much.

It's not like wanting to repay a favor is a bad thing, though! She just needs to reign it in a little, you think. As for how to get her to do that, well...

You happen to have an idea.

Nino: What would you have to do to get rid of her debt to you?

To you, this feels like this is the sort of behavior Meimona would, ordinarily, cringe at and be totally embarrassed by. But she's probably so exhausted that it's making her think and talk all weird-like.

Point is, this is definitely not normal for her.
You ought to draw out the old Meimona somehow.

For that, you might have to talk like an idiot for a bit.

Nino: Okay then, if you won't do it, I'll just do it myself.
Meimona: No! Don't do that, Nino!
Nino: What, don't punch myself in the face?
Nino: Sorry, Mei, but it just has to happen for me to move on.
Meimona: Nononononononononononono, stop!
Nino: If you really want me to stop, then do it yourself.
Nino: It's one of the two. And you have to choose!
Meimona: Seriously, w-what's your problem!?
Meimona: Fine, then... if it'll make you stop being silly, I'll do it.
Nino: Good. And be sure to put ALL your strength into it!
Meimona: What!? No! I can't go that far!
Nino: Why not? You're an expert at punching things, aren't you?
Meimona: Well, your entire lower jaw might come off, for one thing...
Nino: Big deal! I'll heal it in place afterwards.
Meimona: No way!!! You think you're pure magic or something?
Meimona: That's beyond the capabilities of anyone's healing, dummy!
Nino: Oh, I know! If punching is off the table, then...
Nino: What if you kicked me instead?
Meimona: What the heck!? No, Nino!
Nino: Come on, don't you wanna test the strength of my bones?
Meimona: No, you absolute weirdo doofus!!!
Meimona: I'd punch you just to get you to shut up at this point!
Nino: Yeah! Now that's more like it!
Nino: You can get angry just fine, see?
Nino: Just let it all out like that, Mei.
Meimona: Wha... huh...?
Nino: I'm here to absorb whatever you've been holding in.
Meimona: ...

--/-->

Nino: Whether you just want to get angry,
Nino: Toss, punch, and kick a pillow around,
Nino: Yell at someone, or maybe even break stuff,
Nino: I'll be here for that instead.
Meimona: ...
Nino: Or maybe... you just want to cry again?
Nino: That'd be fine, too.
Nino: Just don't hold anything back.
Meimona: ...Oh... you...
Meimona: Y-you noticed that I was...
Meimona: ...

--/-->

Meimona: ...Augh. You tricked me, Nino!
Meimona: That's not fair...
Meimona: You just know everything, don't you?
Nino: No... I don't know anything at all. I was just guessing.
Nino: And it looks like I was right...
Nino: Crying alone isn't good for you, Mei.
Meimona: ...Ugh. Uuuugh. Why'd you... trick me?
Meimona: I-I don't wanna be upset right now!
Meimona: I don't wanna think about... bad things again.
Meimona: But you, you just won't do what I say and leave me be!
Meimona: Why won't you just stop noticing things...?
Nino: ...If anything, I noticed everything way too late.
Nino: Wouldn't have left if I'd known it was that bad earlier.
Nino: Sorry... for leaving you to deal with it all alone.
Meimona: ...Why do you keep apologizing? Just, stop...
Meimona: I'm the one who told you to leave me alone in the first place.
Meimona: It's better to listen to me and forget about this, anyway...
Nino: Why?

--/-->

Meimona: Cuz! It's so ugly. Not fun. Annoying. It bothers me!
Meimona: I don't wanna think about sad things again.
Nino: Oh, me either! I prefer getting mad to being sad.
Nino: Anger at least feels better than just keeping silent, anyway.
Meimona: ...
Nino: You should try it too, Mei.
Nino: I think you'll be better at it than I am,
Nino: 'Cause you're not going to direct it at the wrong person...
Nino: And... yeah. Sorry for earlier.
Nino: Really, really sorry.
Meimona: ...That's... that's sooooo not fair.
Meimona: I always had fun when you were around, Nino.
Meimona: But even though you're finally here again,
Meimona: It's gonna be so boring now anyway...
Meimona: Because you tricked me into thinking about this again!

--/-->

Meimona: You're terrible!
Meimona: The worst ever ever ever EVER!

--/-->

Nino: ...That's probably true.
Nino: I'm sorry.
Meimona: ...
Meimona: ...Uah...

--/-->

Meimona: N-Nino, wait...
Meimona: I didn't mean it, I-I...
Nino: I know, I know, don't worry!
Nino: But it feels better to say all that, doesn't it?
Meimona: ...
Nino: You can keep going if you want to!
Nino: Just let it all out, okay?
Meimona: ...Uuu...

--/-->

Meimona: Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Nino: ...

Or, well... she can do this instead if she prefers, yeah.
This is perfectly fine too, of course.

A little surprising, but nothing you can't handle.

You still don't know how to console a crying girl at all... all you can think of is to stay by her side until she calms down. That's probably the bare minimum right now.

Meimona: Uuuu...*sniff*..I'm sorry, I'm sorry...
Nino: It's okay, it's okay...
Nino: Just don't ever think of harming yourself again.
Meimona: I-I don't know why I did something so extreme...
Nino: ...You just weren't thinking very clearly.
Nino: Don't worry about it now. It's alright.
Meimona: I think... I think I-I...*sniffle*.
Meimona: I... just I wanted you to believe in me again, no matter what.
Nino: My belief is that important to you...?
Meimona: ...Yeah...
Meimona: I-I was scared I'd lose it forever.
Nino: ...I see.
Meimona: This is all my fault... for not believing in myself.
Meimona: I-I let go in the rift, and caused all this...
Meimona: I can't always... *sniff*... believe in myself.
Meimona: If you don't believe in me anymore,
Meimona: Then I really will have nothing left!
Nino: Don't worry. That won't happen.
Nino: Relax now, you're not going to lose anything anymore.
Meimona: Uuuu... *sniffle*.

Nino: Hug Mei.

Meimona: I've been... thinking about a lot of things.
Meimona: Like what I've been doing here in this world.
Meimona: In six years, I didn't accomplish a thing.
Meimona: I just... kept surviving, every day.
Nino: That's a fine accomplishment on its own.
Nino: You did a good job keeping yourself healthy and well-fed!
Nino: Plus... you took care of Boyfriend too, didn't you?
Nino: If not for you, he'd have no one to rely on.
Meimona: *Sniff*... I guess that's true...
Meimona: But I still feel like such a failure.
Meimona: Did you know? In the overworld...
Meimona: Winged are supposed to grant a dozen wishes per day.
Meimona: But in the time I've been here...
Meimona: I couldn't grant even a single person's wish.
Nino: ...Well, I don't really know how it goes in winged society,
Nino: But by human standards, this doesn't make you a failure at all.
Nino: In here, taking care of yourself and others is more enough, Mei.
Nino: And so long as you're here, you're playing by our rules.
Nino: So don't compare yourself to the winged just yet.
Nino: Maybe just leave that for when you go back home, okay?
Meimona: ...*Sniffle*... okay.
Nino: Say... do you regret coming with us?
Meimona: Maybe a little. But it's fully my fault that I do.
Meimona: I just... didn't think my decision through back then.
Meimona: At first, I thought it'd be better than being alone.
Meimona: But now, I know the sea patrol will be with me if I stayed back anyway.
Nino: Despite that... you still choose to follow me again.
Nino: Is it because you wanted our belief?
Nino: Or maybe, you wanted to fulfill a wish for one of us?
Meimona: Yeah, it's... *Sniffle*... something like that.
Meimona: Um, Nino... I'll try to be honest. I...
Meimona: I came to this world really wanting to grant a human's wish.
Meimona: But now, I just wanna grant a wish for you... Nino.

It seems that, from her perspective as a winged, you were one of the only lifelines she's gotten around here...

A person whose wish she could grant, and receive gratitude from.

You don't think you'd mind helping her regain her divinity, so long as your deal was mutually beneficial. You'd have to pick a good wish for her to grant - something both of you would gain from, not just her.

But that's a topic for another time.

Nino: Attempt to find equal footing with her.

Nino: ...Okay. I wouldn't mind.
Meimona: Really? You'd let me do it...?
Nino: Why not? You've got a good heart.
Nino: I don't think you're going to screw me over or something.
Nino: You'd be happy helping me recover my memories,
Nino: And I'd be happy having them back anyway, right?
Meimona: ...Uuu... *sniffle*...
Meimona: This... this should make me feel happy, shouldn't it?
Meimona: Under any other circumstance... I would be overjoyed.
Meimona: But hearing that just made me feel so... so horrible!
Meimona: Ugh... *sniffle... I'm sorry, it's just no good!
Nino: Whoa, did I say something wrong...?
Meimona: It's not you... it's me. Me and my stupid thoughts again.
Meimona: I'm so selfish, that... a wish isn't all I want.
Meimona: I... I wanna be... well, um....
Meimona: I guess I also followed you, because... I liked you.
Meimona: You're funny, and you look out for me.
Meimona: So I just thought... we could really become friends.
Meimona: But it was so painful to hear you call me a friend earlier.
Nino: Painful? Why...?
Meimona: Because I realized I had to grant a human's wish, after all.
Meimona: And there's no room for ulterior motives like that in a friendship!
Meimona: So, I... I was scared... just a bit.

She's shaking. She must seriously be afraid.
Both of losing a friend, and losing a potential source of gratitude. Basically, she wants to have her cake and eat it, too.

But it's not like those two points are irreconcilable!

Perhaps letting Mei help you recover your memories through her luck would be a better way of doing things. Yes, forget those plans of relying only on yourself, for once.
Maybe, if it's coming with such sinecerity...

It's fine to let someone else in for once, isn't it?

Nino: Man. Who knew you had all that on your mind...
Nino: Maybe we can agree on something to ease your worries, then.
Nino: Don't use me... and I won't use you, either.
Nino: Grant a wish for me only if it comes organically.
Nino: Don't try to lead me into it, for example.
Meimona: Y-yes! I'd feel bad manipulating you into doing what I want...
Nino: ...Yes, don't do that. Even if it happens to benefit me.
Nino: So now... I think we can say we're friends, right?
Nino: If it's what you want, I mean...
Meimona: Yes, I-I want that! More than anything!
Nino: Great, well, there's just one thing now...
Nino: Stop thinking you're forever indebted to me, Mei!
Nino: Friends don't do that to each other, do they?
Meimona: *Sniffle*... yeah. Thanks... Nino.

--/-->

After a short while, Meimona's cries reduce to just a couple of sniffles. Then her sniffles are replaced by shaky, irregular breaths. Then, finally... nothing.

She's all quiet now.

Seems like now's a good time to talk about what's been bothering her so much. You probably should have asked about that long ago, yeah, but... you were also worried that bringing it up would only upset her more.

Augh, dammit, what the hell was that response!?
Now YOU feel like an alien instead!

It's not going to be easy to connect with Mei on this point, is it...

Weird. Until now, you always thought Mei was the easiest person to talk to. It's surprisingly hard to know what to say when she's not her usual self.

Meimona: Don't worry. I'll get over it soon enough.
Meimona: As long as I stay positive, always...
Meimona: I just need a bit of time to get there, I think.
Nino: ...
Meimona: ...Haha, I bet Aria and Reed are so mad at us right now!
Nino: Let's not worry about them for the time being.
Nino: Mei... why were you crying alone?
Nino: You definitely look like you have a lot on your mind.
Meimona: I... was just remembering my family a little.
Nino: Well hey, I'm sure they're doing well!
Nino: The overworld doesn't have a harsh conflict like us down here, right?
Nino: Uh, not to say the winged live in perfect harmony, but...
Nino: There's no big wars breaking out at least, right?
Meimona: ...Yeah. My home itself is in a peaceful spot.
Meimona: I bet they're okay up there.
Meimona: They're well... they're safe...
Meimona: And they'll definitely look after each other.
Meimona: So I'm not worried. It's just that, I...
Meimona: I miss everyone there a lot.
Nino: Oh... I hope you can make it back some day.
Meimona: ...Mm. If only this dome would go away.
Nino: Maybe it eventually will!
Meimona: *Sniffle*... yeah?
Meimona: All I can do is hope for that to be true.

Have you actually said anything helpful so far?
You hope so, but it's hard to tell from her subdued reactions...

Still, getting her to talk about what's weighing on her mind is a good start. It's at least better than leaving her to silently stew on it for sure.

Nino: Wipe her tears away.>

Man, you didn't even know the winged could live lives like this.

In fact... Right now, Mei sounds more human than you.
Just like a child who misses being with their parent and siblings - an experience you honestly can't even imagine at the moment.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

How do you console someone about family, of all things? You hardly have any comforting words to offer. You can only hope listening will be good enough, if anything.

Meimona: Uuuu, ugh... I'm so gross and sniffly now.
Meimona: *Sniff*... uuugh, I hate this feeling so much.
Nino: Do you wanna talk about it little...?
Nino: Your family, I mean.
Nino: Not that you have to if you don't want to!
Nino: But... maybe it'd make you feel better if you do that.
Nino: If listening would help, then I'm all ears.
Meimona: ...

Nino: Listen.

Meimona: *Sniff*... you know, um.
Meimona: When I first got stuck here, I didn't panic at all.
Meimona: I think that I, as a naive kid, lost far away from home...
Meimona: I just couldn't comprehend the scary possibilities right away.
Meimona: In my mind, I was always going to go home soon somehow.
Meimona: Because I spent every day of my childhood there,
Meimona: Going back home at the end of a long day was inevitable in my mind.

--/-->

Meimona: It took some time before I finally started feeling some fear.
Meimona: Before I started realizing that, maybe...
Meimona: "Soon" isn't as soon as I was imagining it to be.
Meimona: Or, even worse... maybe there would never be a soon.
Meimona: From that point on, my thoughts quickly got scarier and scarier.
Meimona: And... I dealt with that for a while.
Meimona: Usually, I'd cry alone a lot...
Meimona: Then I'd come to my senses when Boyfriend whined for food.
Meimona: It always reminded me that he had no one to rely on besides me.
Meimona: So... I couldn't just sit and do nothing but cry.
Meimona: Of course, I'd eventually get tired and hungry myself too.
Meimona: Basic needs kicking in, like wanting a place to sleep,
Meimona: Always woke me up and got me moving despite my sadness.

--/-->

Meimona: Then... I got better at managing myself, bit by bit.
Meimona: It helped me a lot to focus only on positive thoughts.
Meimona: That word, "soon", finally returned to my mind...
Meimona: And I filled my days with many things to do while I wait for "soon" to come.
Meimona: And... I always wanted to be positive.
Meimona: I realized I could live much better when I wouldn't let myself stop in my tracks, and think about missing home all the time.
Meimona: I've gotten really, really good at that, I think.
Meimona: ...Actually, being with you guys made it a lot more bearable too.
Meimona: You're a great distraction from those bad thoughts.
Nino: ...
Meimona: But this time, it was just...
Meimona: So unexpected.

--/-->

Meimona: I mean, I...
Meimona: I heard my brother's voice.
Meimona: I saw his face.
Meimona: He acted just like the last time I saw him as a kid...
Meimona: It's hard to be prepared when I'm hit by something like that so suddenly.
Meimona: And, I... I started thinking about bad things again.
Meimona: Like, you know... obviously, I was thinking...
Meimona: That I wont get to see my family ever again.
Nino: ...
Meimona: Even though, I always tell myself...
Meimona: To believe that there still has to be some way, someday,
Meimona: For me to go back home.
Meimona: I just have to believe.

She's so different from you.

She's never even once thought of being with your group as a negative, has she? And she was so stressed out about betraying the essence of honesty in your friendship that it brought her to tears.

She'd rather be distracted by laughs than think about worrisome things.

What a pure-hearted person this girl is.

--/-->

Meimona: But this time... I couldn't keep it up anymore.
Meimona: I didn't know what to do anymore, Nino...
Meimona: No matter what I did, I kept imagining things I never wanted to think about.
Meimona: I just... never want to think of missing everyone again.
Meimona: But right now, I... I really...
Meimona: I miss my family so very much.
Meimona: I miss my sisters, my brothers...
Meimona: I miss our house, our farm...
Meimona: And, most of all...
Meimona: My mum.

--/-->

Meimona: I miss my mum so, so much.
Meimona: I just want to see her again somehow.
Nino: ...
Meimona: So, I... I was...
Meimona: ...

--/-->

Meimona: ...
Meimona: ...Nino?

--/-->

Meimona: Why are you crying?
Nino: ...Huh?

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Admin

Nights

2 days ago

There's no set schedule for the moment; updates are just going up whenever for the next 2 weeks-ish. I hope you enjoy regardless!

exoni

Nino: Relate

Maple Fan

this is so peak and kino and meino agenda maintained

VBrainer

Nino: She's the same as you, just hoping to find who she's looking for. It's just that you have no idea who you're supposed to find. You miss the warmth of hearth and home, and all the loving arms that came with it. Even if you don't yet remember it, part of you feels its absence.

Consoled: Console your consoler.

Nino and Mei: You two have each other. It's not much... but maybe it's enough for now?

Nino: You've done a good thing, lad. Truly, you did. You've come far in such a short time.

Reader

Nino: Why are you crying?

Unclevertitle

>Nino: Is it possible to deeply miss what you don't even remember?

(Yes, obviously.)

Nahitsme

This update was peak ngl

Lunk

Nino: Do you still not remember anything about your family?
Mei: You still have the business of his horn to deal with, don't you?

Nino: Lament this poor girl's suffering as loudly as humanly (or monsterly or wingedly or even celestially) possible. Just bawl so loud even Prince Ruit'll be able to hear— Like a baby on steroids.

Lurking_Chronicler

11 hours ago

Nino: Feel