Tiki had just had her dinner and was about to turn in for the night. She was always prone to dozing and meals only made her problem worse. People close to the Summoner had adopted the term "food coma" to describe the sensation and she had to admit it fit her situation perfectly. She stifled a yawn and turned the corner when -

"Oh!"

"Myrrh!"

The little dragon girl almost collided with her stomach and stumbled back. Tiki caught her arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yes..."

"Why are you coming back? Did you forget something in the mess hall?"

"No..." she looked away, so Tiki bent to her level.

"Is everything alright?"

Myrrh wrung her hands, still avoiding Tiki's eyes. "...is it okay if we talk again?"

"Of course. What do you want to ask me?"

"Um...can we do it somewhere else? Also...you surprised me. I...I'm not prepared anymore." She finished with a pout.

"Is that so?" Tiki got to her feet with a smile and took her hand. "Well, why don't we go back to your room and talk there? You can prepare yourself while we walk."

"I'm not a child..." mumbled Myrrh, though she tightened her grip all the same.

Myrrh's room was a three-minute walk away, which made Tiki wonder to herself how far she'd gone before turning back. She ushered the owner inside, sat her on the side of her bed, then sat beside her. "Are you ready?"

Myrrh thought for a moment before nodding.

"I'm all ears."

Myrrh nodded again. "Um..."

"Yes?"

"I know this is rude..."

"That's alright."

"Okay..." she took a deep breath. "So, I was talking to the younger Tiki and...and she talked a lot about someone called Mar-Mar. Actually, she talked about a lot of her friends, but him specifically." Tiki motioned for her to continue. "I'm sorry, but I was just wondering...you said you two were the same person, didn't you?"

"Yes," Tiki nodded.

"Right. What I was wondering was...those friends aren't around in your time anymore, are they?"

Ah.

The older dragon thought for a moment, but settled on a simple shake of the head. "No, they're not."

"Hmm..." Myrrh looked at the floor for a few seconds. "Um..." she swallowed. "Do you... How do you... What do you do when..."

"You want to know how I got over their passing?"

"..." Still avoiding eye contact, Myrrh nodded.

Tiki chewed her lip. "I...I don't know," she said at last. "Back in my homeworld, even two thousand years later I kept imagining Mar-Mar's face and the sound of his voice wherever I turned. I'm grateful to the Order for letting me see him again, but...I don't know what to tell you. The day he passed is still fresh in my mind and I remember crying on and on until I fell asleep. I..." she drummed her fingers on the edge of the mattress. I don't think I ever truly got over him, she realised but daren't put into words.

"I see." Myrrh was quiet for some time, but then she shoulders started trembling.

"Myrrh?"

"I'm sorry for making you remember all those things..." her voice was quiet. "I really am. I just...I have so many friends back home. Prince Ephraim, Saleh, Dara...and that's not even counting the people I've met on my travels! They're all so important to me, but I'm a dragon so, "she swallowed "so I'll...I'll..."

Tiki put her hand on the younger girl's head. "It's alright..."

"I don't want to see them all die!" she yelled. The sound set her tears free, letting them pour down her cheeks. "I don't want to be a Great Dragon if it means seeing them all pass on without me!" Tiki pulled her into an embrace. "I - I - I just...I just...I just want to be a normal person like everyone else!"

"I know..." Tiki kept an arm over Myrrh's shoulders and ran her other hand through her hair. "I know exactly how you feel, little one."

Myrrh kept bawling, tears soaking into Tiki's top as her shoulder muffled the younger dragon's cries. Tiki rocked her gently as Myrrh returned the hug with gusto, wrapping her wings around her as well. Tiki kept swallowing to hold back her own tears and kept whispering into her ear.

"You're very kind, Myrrh. It's okay...it's okay..."

The embrace continued until the child's grip loosened and her voice quietened. Tiki kept stroking her hair as her small body relaxed. It was only after hearing Myrrh's continuous deep breaths that she realised the little girl had fallen asleep.

"What a thought to have at the end of the day," she muttered.

She lifted the child, pulled the quilt back and placed Myrrh on her front, tucking her wings close to her sides. She covered her and ran her hand through the little girl's hair again. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

She tiptoed out of the room and shut the door behind her, leaning her back against it with her head down and eyes closed. The day of King Marth's death played again behind her eyelids, then the death of Queen Mother Caeda, Bantu, Linde and countless others... To think the same would happen to another child in the future? She placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob of her own.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you, little one." She looked up at the ceiling, tears trailing down her face despite her best efforts.