"A hex crystal? Is that the same as a hexgem?"

I reach into my pocket and remove the glowing gem from Jinx. "One of these?"

There's no guarantee that the hexgem power of this world would interact the same as the power source that this Ekko is used to. But the prospect gives me a new burst of hope.

The excuse should work. I nod in agreement and appreciation.

"And you'll be okay there? Sleeping outside?" I wonder if that's where she normally stays. This is a big room.

"You sure that's okay?"

I guess since he's missing, this room is technically unoccupied.

"I'm not going to have to pretend to be him, right? For his gang?"

|| Although technically, Alt!Ekko stranded in this universe trying to get back to his home is the beginning of his own odyssey...

Surely it's not poetry because it repeats...

|| This exactly!

( evelyn. )

cough cough-

After a moment, I release her and step back. My hand lingers on her arm.

"It's okay. You can't change the past. But it's alright. Everything that's happened has led you to who you are today. And..."

I gesture to my current circumstances. "And I, for one, at least am glad you're here for this."

She isn't Powder. She knows this. I know this.

But instinctively, I wrap my arms around her. I can hear in Jinx's voice Powder talking about Vi. The sadness, the guilt, the weight is there.

"I'm sorry," I repeat. My hug is tight, but I'm half-expecting to be pushed away in a split second.

- shoulder. My thumb rests on a baby blue cloud.

"I'm sorry. I...I don't know if you two were close, but where I'm from..."

I trail off. Maybe it's different here. I keep forgetting.

I swallow the lump in my throat and take a deep breath. It feels like I'm on autopilot. As I take a few steps, I don't know what I'm going to do in that moment. Yell? Demand for answers? Run away from her? Just fall and mourn?

It turns out I don't do either. I reach out and I put my hand on her -