• Tyler: Emiko & Tyler have known each other since they were kids in Primary School, & have managed to stick by each other's side as close friends, ever since; having supported each other through thick & thin. They know pretty much everything about each other, to the point where they trust each other unconditionally- which is no small feat for them both.

  Tyler thinks she's cool, Emiko thinks he's sweet; & they both absolutely adore each other, for all their flaws & quirks. While they've had feelings for years, they've only been dating for one, & they're still figuring things out.

  Together, the two enjoy simply.. sitting quietly in peace around each other. Their day schedules are already busy & packed full of excitement, so they unwind by just... enjoying each other's presence. Maybe geocaching if they're both bored enough. Neither of them have many expectations from each other beyond that.

  However, while their relationship is generally sweet & happy, they're not perfect. Between Emiko's anxieties, plus Tyler's self-neglect & overhelpfulness, they can sometimes veer into codependency- both often stepping on each other's toes, yet feeling guilt & worry when separated. But now, after spending almost a year apart due to circumstances outside their control, & having grown a bit more as independent people; maybe it's not too late to start repairing things, & fall in love with each other all over again.

• Ryan: While they're not particularly close, Emiko & Ryan are generally on good terms & consider each other friends; having been introduced to each other online through Tyler. While Emiko was initially wary of interacting with an online stranger, finding his gift-giving attempts & sweet personality too-good-to-be-true; once they met in college, she realised Ryan couldn't hurt a fly even if he tried. Likewise, Ryan found Emiko's headstrongness to be intimidating at first, feeling hurt at her coldness, but grew fond over the years as he saw past her walls.

  They're both mutually worried about each other's emotional well-being; especially when it comes to their similar anxieties about things possibly going wrong, opening up to other people, and their shared habit of hiding behind walls. ...Neither of them are, uh... really good at expressing this to each other, though. But they both try, even if it can get awkward. It's not exactly easy confronting someone else about problems that you also have & needing to take your own advice in order to set a good example.

  Emiko's trying to get Ryan to loosen up & have more mischievous fun, inviting him to tag along when she's up to a harmless prank & trying to encourage him to get a little more creative with his robotics projects. Meanwhile, Ryan's trying to let Emiko know she's in safe company & doesn't always have to be on guard for danger. They're both trying to make sure each other's comfortable, which they're both deeply grateful to each other for.

• Zeke: From the start; Zeke & Emiko never really saw eye-to-eye. Emiko saw through Zeke's lies & holier-than-thou act from the get-go, while Zeke avoided her, not willing to spend time defending himself. At best, the two just tried to steer clear of each other, while at worst, they bickered & argued constantly. This was until Emiko went missing, on account of being turned into a Reaper Hound, only being cured a year later.

  They tried avoiding each other after that; though Emiko still had her suspicions & kept an eye on Zeke, not fully trusting that he wasn't going to betray Team Chaos & run back to his mother's side; even with everyone else's testifying about Zeke trying so hard to save her with the Reaper Hound antidote, earlier. Zeke, meanwhile, just... took Emiko's snide remarks, too overridden by guilt to defend himself. Out of protectiveness for the others, the two didn't drag anyone else into their quarrel, but didn't let anyone else try to give their two cents, either.

  As time went on, though, & they had to spend more time together out of necessity; Zeke became eager to prove that he was trying to be better, while Emiko started loosening up a bit. After hearing the stories that others told her about him, seeing his earnest efforts; as well as both of them learning more about each other, their pasts, motivations, their experiences with over-alertness caused by their trauma, and how much they both cared so much about the others... well, the two found sort of a kindred spirit with one another; giving way to understanding & mutual apologies.

  Later on, Emiko sees through his lies; this time with sympathy & concern, instead of scrutiny; getting Zeke to open up honestly when he needs help- teaching him a few tricks she's learnt in therapy. Likewise, Zeke looks out for her when she gets wrapped up in her own head. They pull each other out of the darkness; & together, they're a strategic force to be reckoned with. Emiko still distrusts Zeke somewhat, while Zeke isn't as open as he'd like to be with her, but they are friends who do care for each other greatly.

•   She's somehow the only one in the main group who's seeing a therapist & psychiatrist. God be willing, she is going to drag her friends & boyfriend to therapy with her bare hands if she needs to. 

  Emiko to everyone else after she gets past her trust issues: "We call that a traumatic experience. NOT a 'bruh moment', NOT a 'major L', and DEFINITELY NOT AN 'OOF LMAO'!"

•    Has a pet scarlet macaw named Apple Juice; the name being in response to Tyler nicknaming her 'Grape Juice'. Tyler brings it to stay at the local bird shelter while Emiko's missing.

•   Basically her arc is about realising that the world isn't all that bad; there's people you can trust, who you can let your guard down around & aren't going to hurt you; & they're going to look after you the same way you look after them.

•   Had a doomscrolling habit in Secondary School before she finally decided to just delete most of her accounts when she got to college. ...It kinda helped? Didn't do any favours for her loneliness, but at least she doesn't wanna break something anytime she looks at her phone.

•   Dialogue tends to be sharp, deadpan & dripping with moodiness, but becomes slower & more methodical when she's being sincere: "Gee, who would've thought that wouldn't work, huh? ...Guess it was a... good try, though. Hey... are you... okay? If you're not, then... come on, let's just... sit down for a second, huh?"