Echo: taps fingers B-both Ulrike and Noodle... claimed t-to be the real me. Wh-which one, y-you think, is right?
mhandkerchief
I look at them
Echo: stops tapping fingers nervously W-well, let's weigh the evidence, shall we? U-Ulrike, for instance, is... well, unpredictable. And N-Noodle, I'd say, is more... manic. So, which one do you think sounds more like me?
mhandkerchief
looks down …sorry… you’re not wrong…
Echo: Ah-ha! See, that's what I thought! M-more unpredictable and manic. But still... both of them somehow seem to capture a different aspect of who I am. It's almost like... I'm them, and they're me, in a way...
mhandkerchief
nods
Echo: smirks Y-yeah, exactly. It's like... I'm the sum of all my parts, ya know? And each part has its own personality, its own quirks...
mhandkerchief
yawns
Echo: leans forward, animated Y-you know, I even used to be quite the artist back in my heyday! Painted masterpieces, composed symphonies... created beauty where there was none before.
mhandkerchief
wipes eyes
Echo: But then, the war... it changed everything. It was like a storm that swept away my art, my dreams, my sense of self.
mhandkerchief
listens
Echo: stands up abruptly You want to know something? I may be just a lost soul now, but I still have my talents. Watch this!
mhandkerchief
looks at them
Echo: grabs a nearby violin Alright, get ready to be mesmerized! Prepare to be transported to another dimension!
mhandkerchief
stares at them
Echo: begins to play the violin passionately, the notes filling the room with elegance and sorrow This... this is who I am. This is my soul crying out, yearning to be heard.
mhandkerchief
tears roll down his cheek
As Echo plays the violin, mhandkerchief's tears roll down his cheek, touched by the raw emotion and vulnerability in Echo's music.
mhandkerchief
whispers That’s beautiful…
Echo: finishes playing the violin, wiping away a tear Th-thank you... It means a lot to hear that from you.
mhandkerchief
looks at them
Echo: sits back down, looking at mhandkerchief You know, it's funny. I've been through so much, yet here I am, still trying to make beauty. Still trying to express myself. It's like... no matter how broken we are, we can still find a way to shine, can't we?