Valefor nuzzles Ifrit, letting off a small fire spell. 

Ifrit purrs. 

“I’m okay,” says Yuna, wonder in her eyes. 

Aten flickers uncertainly, flinching away from Kimahri and Lulu.

"Good thing to practice. Not many summoners can summon more than one aeon at once."

“And it’s so beautiful,” Yuna says on a breath. 

Lulu can feel the tremours in Yuna’s arms now. “Maybe that’s enough for tonight.”

“I’m okay.”

Kimahri growls, like he’s disagreeing. 

"You should- listen- I-" More uncertain flickering.

"Baby steps," Anri says. "Build your stamina."

“You-you’re right.” Yuna takes in a deep breath, and her aeons whirl away into nothingness. 

She wants to drop to her knees, she’s so tired. 

Anri steps forward to hug her, subtly providing support. "Food?" ey asks. As good an excuse to sit as any.

Yuna gratefully accepts the hug, leaning into Anri as if they’ve been doing it her whole life. 

Well. At least ey can give Yuna this. (Ey knows the exhaustion of keeping one aeon out. Ey doesn't know this. But ey can imagine.)

“Food sounds good,” Yuna mumbles into Anri’s shoulder. 

Kimahri has concocted some sort of stew, and serves it with bread. 

Anri gives him a grateful smile and nod as ey guides emself and Yuna to sitting to eat, staying with eir shoulder pressed against Yuna's.

Yuna makes her way through her meal, though somewhat sleepily. She feels drained, and like all of her limbs have locked up. There's something clogging up inside of her, and parts of today have let it out in little bits, but she's hurting.

But she can't say that. Her journey will not be sad.

Anri watches Yuna carefully. Leans in closer when they're both done eating. "You can let it out with me," ey whispers. "Don't bottle it up. Your journey can still be happy, even if you need a moment to not be."

Yuna leans in closer to Anri. "What you said, before? About how you'd feel once I was gone? I haven't heard that since Lulu and Wakka first tried to stop me becoming a summoner. I hadn't thought about it. And then I thought about my father. My mother died, and then he died. I never even got a proper goodbye. I was seven, I wouldn't understand."

She hugs her knees. "And yet, I still want to finish this. Have...have I become so heartless?"

Anri shakes eir head. "No. Your problem is your heart is too big. You care about everyone in Spira, to the point you want to give your life for them."

"You know that about me already?" Yuna asks, voice filled with wonder.

"It's really not that hard to see, Yunie," ey says seriously, but with a soft smile. "Heck. You immediately wanted to get to know Hasira. You immediately decided we were family. And you don't want us to hurt. You want us happy, even when we all know how this is supposed to end."

The nickname makes Yuna's eyes widen, but it's what Anri says afterwards that really opens up something in Yuna's heart. She stares dumbfounded at her cousin, and then tears start to fall again. She throws her arms around em, holding em tight.