Each nation's crystal has a unique blessing. For example-- in Concordia, their Crystal gives them the ability to control beasts and dragons. For us, our Crystal gives us magic. [ She knows from a previous conversation with him that when he was in his world, he had been working on ways to not rely on magic. She understands that. Yet-- ] Without it--... without it, we wouldn't be able to defend ourselves, both from the fiends roaming Orience, as well as the aggression of other nations. They'd overwhelm us, utterly. [ Her gaze lowers, troubled. She'd witnessed and has been subjected to enough of the horrors of war to feel that relying on magic is absolutely necessary at this point. ] And when we can't handle a threat ourselves, sometimes the Crystal sends a l'cie to fight with us. Or combat another Crystal's chosen.

Without our Crystal, we would all be as good as fodder.

[ Big irony in that statement, when the Crystal uses them as fodder, too. Even if she realizes the dissonance, she wouldn't know what to say. She's seen what happens when one nation lost its Crystal to another.

She looks up at him. ] ...You don't seem to like my answer.