Tranquility

Shortly after helping out Zhalla with the major aftermath of her battle with Dion, Nero offered to bring her to a nearby segment of the Dragon Isles that happened to be close to his home, and while it took some measure of convincing, Zhalla seemingly accepted the offer. The point of bringing her to this area of the Dragon Isles was to get her away from the area where she had fought Dion to begin with and to go somewhere much calmer while still being relatively close to Nero’s home so that he could swiftly arrive and finally settle things with Pankaa’s current affliction. Perhaps also verbally reprimand Dion if he was still there too.

In any case, Nero had summoned his pearly white Nimbus; Nocti and gently motioned to Zhalla that he wished to carry her over to the Dragon Isles as safely as possible. Keeping to his word, he did precisely that, making sure that Zhalla was comfortable on Nocti while Nero guided the Nimbus himself.

Upon arrival, there were several locals going about their business, though Nero quickly noticed someone on their lonesome nearby. Nero questioned some locals and they didn’t really know what was going on, just that a stranger was trying their best to meditate.

Nero, with his enhanced hearing, very clearly heard the woman’s exasperated complaining and subsequent thwacking of the dirt beneath herself. He sighed, silently cursing his conveniently helpful nature in a hilariously positive manner. Nero instructed Nocti to attend to Zhalla’s needs and instructions as well before asking Zhalla a question. “Do you mind if I have a go at helping them? You can come along if you’d like.” He offered, before wandering over to the one making their best attempts at solid meditation.

“Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear your exclamation.” Nero began, speaking calmly to announce his presence. “If I may, I have some advice to offer— it sounds like something might be troubling you, and it would be remiss of me to not at least offer a helping hand.”

“Sort of, yeah.” Nero nodded to Zhalla’s question about the frogs, evidently seeing nothing out of the ordinary with it whatsoever. “Though it’s less talking to them and more a sharing of vibes.” The nearest frog that Zhalla pointed to blinked at her and tilted its head. “Relax, no need to have a go at them, they’re frogs.” Nero chuckled. Nocti chirped out something akin to a laugh as well.

Zuq considered Nero’s question, though she did say she was more the kind of person to think something like this through a bit more rather than go with instinct. It made sense to Nero, this sort of thinking or topic wasn’t something that brought out the instincts of everyone after all. Still, what Zuq said afterwards was interesting. “Mhm, and?” Nero said, trying to encourage her to continue with this train of thought. Either way, he had a few guesses as to where it would go, so he chose to offer one possibility. “If you’re having trouble, consider the soul as the one that uses the weapon that is spirit.” Nero suggested, curious to see how Zuq would see it.

There was Zhalla too! She was somewhat confused as well, but maybe this was a distinction that she too could vibe with and take into account. “You’re right though, it is typically easier for people to come to their own understanding with clarity and deep thought.” Nero would note that his own definition of the difference between spirit and soul could be helpful if nothing else managed to work— or if this worked out, they could collectively make comparisons between their individual conclusions.

Nero waved away Zuq’s concerns about her earlier actions. “Don’t worry too much about it, it’s not like you hurt anyone. Besides, frustration is a natural part of life— your growth as a person will be clear when you overcome it. Keyword, when. Not if.” Classic Nero, with his confident assertions in helping others grow.

“Hmm. Then maybe those stray thoughts are more of an issue than you may be thinking.” Nero paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. “If I may ask, what are these stray thoughts about? It might help to talk about whatever they are— I’ve found that vocalizing frustrations can help me deal with them.”