If there was one person in the entire world who could truly understand what Rin was going through, it was Nemhain. A creature born from Rin's personality and emotions, Nemhain knew everything that Rin knew, and they had a bond that would impress and confuse most others outside of it. Hell, Nem knew well that it still confused Rin, but it wasn't as if there was just a nice and simple handbook that the fenghuang could've offered upon her arrival. Put simply, Nemhain just... was. There were others out there, like Rin, who could summon personas like Nemhain, but Nem had never seen any of them during her long time spent lingering, just waiting until Rin made that one tantalizing breakthrough that would give her true freedom. No, instead, Nemhain had seen a great many interesting things. She had seen most of Rin's life pass before her eyes, and felt every emotion that the feline had, including every bad one. Nem was lucky enough to not have the unpleasant things happening directly to her, but they were still strong, and stark, and the emotions seeped through to her, leading to a great many nights where she sat in the shadows, her large wings wrapped around herself for comfort. In these times, she had wanted to reach out to Rin, and let her know that she had someone on her side, but every time she had tried, it had been like an invisible barrier had reached out, grabbing her by the throat and yanking her back forcefully. It was enough to make her want to scream, and even if Rin might've thought she was being selfish in seeking the comfort of another, Nem would actually be grateful to see the magna come around, and finally be able to offer her own words to try and help.

Perched atop Rin's home as usual, Nemhain had been unbothered by the rain falling from above, her eyes closed as she let the fat droplets fall down over her. An ice persona, Nemhain felt at home in the cold and the rain, and it actually made her feel warm inside to feel her feathers weighed down by wetness. However, this warmth was shortlived. One moment, she had a soft smile upon her beak, the world around her peaceful, and then the next, she suddenly felt claustrophobic, fearful, and cornered. Darkness was enveloping her, and it felt like she couldn't breathe, her breath coming out in rapid pants. The fenghuang's eyes snapped open at this, the feeling fading as quickly as it had come. She knew that the feeling wasn't her own, and her eyes began desperately seeking out Rin, not knowing if one of the gods had gotten to her. In her searching, Nem nearly missed Rin stumbling past below her, slamming the door of her home behind her. Able to feel the negative emotions coming off in waves, Nem found herself leaping down from the roof even before Rin had begun speaking. Pulling her large wings in close, Nemhain pushed her way inside of Rin's house, having to be particularly careful to make sure she didn't knock anything over. Her massive size made it difficult to get comfortable, but thankfully the managed it, settling back on her legs and watching Rin for a long moment. After a pregnant pause, Nemhain spoke softly, "...Of course we can speak, lady Rin. I could... feel that something was upsetting you. Has something happened?" Normally that would mean a fight, but considering Rin wasn't freaking out and heading straight for some kind of threat, Nem imagined something was more psychologically wrong. Either way, it was Nemhain's job to solve it. Well... solve being a rather strong word. For all of Nem's understanding of Rin, that didn't mean that they had the exact same personality or motivations, and while Nemhain could provide the best advice and comfort she could, it was entirely possible that she wouldn't be able to communicate what Rin needed. Still, the fenghuang probably had the largest chance of anyone of actually being able to help somehow, and even if she couldn't do it perfectly, it wasn't as if she wouldn't try. It simply wasn't right for a persona to just ignore a call for help from their user, whether it be combat based or not.

Talons had never really done well for holding together the broken pieces of anything, and deep down, Nemhain knew that she couldn't be the one to hold Rin together permanently. Ultimately, Rin would need to let herself heal, and have those pieces naturally fall into place, before the glue of time served to hold them all together. Still, something being impossible had never served to stop Nemhain before, and the fenghuang would assist in any way that she knew how, even if her talons were faintly shaking as she held the pieces, desperate not to shatter them further. When Rin asked if she had woken the massive bird up, Nem found herself replying with a simple and careful shrug of her shoulders, hyperaware of the enclosed area around her as she spoke, "Somewhat. But it is not as if I need much sleep. I could exist on as little as three hours if I really needed to. Truthfully, I woke up out of choice. It doesn't... it doesn't feel comforting when we know that our users are in pain, or in trouble." That was somewhat due to the natural instinct of self preservation, since if Rin died or otherwise faded, then Nemhain would end up doing so as well. However, it was also as a result of the genuine emotional connection between the two of them. Nem had no desire to see Rin in pain, just as one friend would never want to see their friend suffering for long.

As Rin began to explain what she had seen, Nem found herself nodding along, making the connection between the described events and the sudden, overwhelming wave of unpleasantness she had felt recently. It seemed natural, considering the claustrophobic hostility she had felt when she had been woken from her rest. Shifting a little on her claws, Nem mumbled after a long moment, "I could sense something was wrong. Like something was... encroaching. I was not sure what, but it felt hostile. I worried that you were under attack by another one of the gods... I was somewhat close." Her words lacked humor, although her last statement sort of seemed like a poor attempt at a joke. When she heard Rin's last statement, she found herself blinking in faint surprise. Rin had picked up on it this quickly, had she? Nemhain certainly hadn't been expecting that. Still, it wasn't as if she was going to lie to Rin, so she found herself nodding again, "I'm afraid so. We persona... we are a manifestation of emotions. We exist as a sort of "mask" to help our users get through difficult parts of their lives. Because of this, we thrive best when fighting against the negativity in our user's lives. That is why it has taken me so long to awaken. Even when you were facing hardships, you shoved your emotions down and attempted to solve your problems yourself... I was unable to help. As was everyone else." It was a simple explanation, and one Nem was sure Rin already understood, but it could bear repeating, especially since it seemed as though Rin was still grappling with that part of her that just wanted to deal with everything on her own.

Truly, Nemhain had always thought little of her own existence. She had tried especially hard not to think of the emotions that came freely to her, without Rin ever experiencing them beforehand. She tried not to think of the strong thoughts that she occasionally had, opinionated and pointed in a way that Rin's weren't. Her reasoning was that... well, it was unbecoming of a persona. She was meant to be an extension of Rin. A watchful eye, a guardian, nothing more than a mask. She wasn't meant to hage her own motivations, or her own feelings, or her own opinions. The most she could be granted was having her own personality, and even that was originally an extension of Rin, just meant to bring out the best traits that the female had hidden. To say it was a miracle that Nemhain wasn't broken, from the constant watching and waiting, and the constant doubting of the purpose of even her own existence... well, perhaps she wasn't broken, but she was far from pristine either. She had cracks, at the edge of her mind, seams pulling apart thanks to the months and months of waiting, of thinking her own thoughts. She was becoming too real, too aware, too... everything. Just thinking of herself as her own person made her sick, because if she was her own person, then she had broken the cardinal rules she had been created by. If she was her own person... what was her purpose in life? She shoved the thoughts deep, deep down, below waves upon waves of repression, just so that those pulling seams wouldn't finally burst.

However, not for the first time, Rin was pulling at that thread, yanking and twisting her claws against the seams and tearing until the fenghuang's chest felt tight and it was difficult for her to get words out. Just the simple utterance of the phrase "I'm sorry" from the Magna made Nemhain tense, confusion appearing in her beady eyes. Rin was apologizing? To her? Why? Nemhain opened her beak, words unsaid curling upon her tongue, but the feline wasn't done, continuing with her words that made Nemhain's feathers faintly stand up, and that familiar feeling of panic begin to shift beneath the waves. She tried to shove it away, not wanting Rin to feel it as well. After all, Nem was supposed to be helping Rin, not shoving her existential woes upon the female. When Rin finally fell silent, Nemhain croaked out, taking a moment to regain her voice, and her ability to speak confidently, "I... I am flattered to hear that you think of me that way, lady Rin. I have never thought of myself in such a kind way, truly..." Nemhain's eyes focused downwards for a moment, seeming thoughtful before she continued, "I think... I think that, while what you have gone through has been hard... even agonizing at some points... if I had been given the choice, I still would've been your persona. Even though things can hurt me just as they do you... that doesn't mean that you deserve to go through everything alone either. After all, the whole reason I was awakened was to help you ask for help more." She offered a bit of a weak smile, her insides seeming to churn with uncertainty, even at her own words. It was an unpleasant feeling, and one that Nemhain had not experienced often, or perhaps ever.

Noticing the faint gleam that Rin's eyes took on, the large bird wanted to step forward, and reassure Rin that it was alright if she needed the release, but already Rin was steeling herself, as stubborn as Nem had come to know her as. The fenghuang tried not to sigh, before nodding a little at the feline's next comment. She said softly, her voice a soft caring chirp in the quiet of Rin's home, "It's... this is good. You know. You should be opening up. Learning to open up to anyone, even if it's only someone who already knows what you feel. That's a step in the right direction, you know?" She knew that perhaps Rin was still clinging onto the notion that she didn't need help, but she wanted to make it clear to the Magna that help was good, and that this was a good change.

It isn't... it isn't exactly easy, dealing with the weird flood of emotions that rush through Nemhain in a wave when Rin finally begins to open up. It's curiosity, andnfear, and pain, and worry, and so many other things in between, and it kind of makes Nem want to puke, just because it's so much so fast. She had wanted to help so desperately up to this point, so she should've been overjoyed. Hell, the fenghuang should've been standing up, flapping her wings and cheering as her head skimmed the ceiling because Rin was actually allowing herself to feel things. Still, the massive bird wanted to recoil away from it all, as hypocritical as she knew that to be. After all, she had asked for this. Practically begged for it. But now that it was actually here? It was scary, and emotional, and Nem finds herself grasping at straws for a moment as she just looks at Rin, letting the magna's words just really sink in. Rin was bad at first, fighting against herself and berating herself at the slightest signs of the words emotions and sharing coming anywhere close to each other, but somehow it's heartbreaking to hear Rin talking about how she's glad that it at least won't result in anybody else dying anymore. Just a quick scan over old memories was enough to bring up was she was talking about, and Nem had to hold back from wincing as she chirped softly, "That is... true. I know you care very deeply for the people of Elysium. I know you don't want any harm to come to them..." The persona considers, for the briefest of moments, continuing. And telling Rin about how, no matter how hard she tries and clings to every little thing, there is always the possibility that someone will get hurt, by no fault of Rin's. However, the fenghuang bites her tongue, shakes her head a little bit. There would be a better time to bring that up, sometime in the future.

Nemhain listened intently as Rin listed off the multitude of people she could've turned to in the past, but had either hurt or not taken advantage of when they were actually available to help. Curling her talons inward before releasing them, the massive bird found herself wondering what it would be like to have an actual therapist in the group to help with things like this. With a nice little office in the mountains, with tea and reassuring smiles and everything else that came with being a good therapist, like a great pair of listening ears. Nem thought that perhaps she could've made a good therapist to Rin, if they were both inside of the room just chattering idly, with a chance to make tea and not have the situation so tense and desperate. However, that isn't an option anymore, and even if it had been at one time, Nem doubted it would've ever happened. She was around to offer support, but she wasn't around to push where she shouldn't be pushing. She wasn't supposed to be launching Rin so deep outside of her comfort zone that it was sink or fucking swim, and if Rin didn't start swimming, she would definitely drown. No, instead she needed Rin to come to her, to need her, like she did now. So perhaps these were far from the most perfect conditions for this, and Nem wasn't the greatest therapist in the world by far, but she could at least try to help.

Clearing her throat, Nemhain yanked her attention from the hypothetical scenarios in her head, instead choosing to focus on the very real scenario unfolding in front of her. Once Rin was done speaking, the persona spoke deeply, "People... people naturally have a way of gravitating towards each other, especially when they're hurting. I know you think that those you've hurt, and those who are far away now could never offer you support, but that doesn't mean that it's true. I know it's probably not what you wanted to hear, but... sometimes you just need to reach out to people, and hope they reach back." It was sentimental. Overly sentimental, really, especially for a persona like Nemhain, but... it was all she could think of to say. All that would be comforting.

It was not often that Nemhain found herself overwhelmed. Sure, she was a flawed persona, and she knew that fact well, even if she kept it hidden. She was too different, too strange, too opinionated and motivated to be a proper persona, but that didn't mean she was weak. In fact, she liked to think that she was pretty fucking strong, considering how she had handled the months upon months of watching and waiting and suffering silently. She had never once complained, even if her mind had rebelled and her heart had screamed at her to do so. She was strong. Strong enough to deal with so, very many things, but that didn't mean she was strong enough to deal with Rin's internal panicking constantly. It wore a person down, and Nemhain could already feel the beginning of Rin's rambling in her head, even if the words were jumbled together and faintly muffled, like the magna was underwater while she was on shore. Thankfully for her, Rin managed to calm herself down rather quickly, focusing on the conversation at hand and closing her eyes for a moment. It seemed as though the other finally had some sort of plan, and the massive bird felt a burst of happiness and affection spread through her limbs, fitting snugly between her ribs and stretching out to her very feathers. She had actually done something right. Rin was actually making progress. Tangible, positive progress. She couldn't help the way that a smile curled on her beak, and even as Rin began to lose herself in her head again, Nem found herself speaking, "Good. Good, I'm glad to hear that you'll consider it. I'm sure Play will be a good help to you, Lady Rin." Nem certainly didn't want to burden Play with all of the responsibility of helping Rin, but that wasn't what she was doing. She just wanted to make sure that Rin knew that she could reach out. That she could still make positive, deeper, helpful relationships.

The fenghuang began to feel herself relax, her mind settling and her emotions being wrangled back under control, when Rin chose to speak again. Nemhain immediately found herself frowning at the feline's comment, a soft scolding remark on the tio of her tongue. She knew Rin couldn't have been feeling too great, but she also knew that not getting any rest would only exacerbate that further. Her excuse was that she needed to watch the ocean, but Nem knew an excuse well when she heard one. Rin had to know that her persona would gladly watch the tide, watching and waiting to see if anything came over the horizon with the intent to hurt Elysium. A soft tut left the persona's beak as she shook her head from side to side, spreading out broad multicolored wings, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Lady Rin. I know you're hesitant, but what's best for you right now is sleep. I can watch the ocean, so don't you worry about that." To make sure that Rin was fully aware of how serious she was, Nem moved forward a little bit, ushering the magna towards the warm inside of her home again. She didn't intend to drench Rin and have her staying up all night, and there was a bed so tantalizingly close that Nem could picture it well. She knew Rin would probably put up a bit of a fuss, but she opted to ignore that, knowing this was best for her user's health. Nemhain would rarely ever liken Rin to a child, but in this case? Nemhain needed to be firm, like a parent.