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[thecrossingmods]

[The Crossing is coming again.

There is no advance warning from The Ferryman this time. There is nothing to draw your attention towards the message that appears on your device, whatever it may be, except perhaps the expectation that it should be appearing soon.

Whether you think to check for it or you simply stumble upon it, the words are there just as before:]

A toll to be levied for safe passage
from the desert to ǝɹǝɥʍǝsʅǝ

envision a place of comfort and safety
a haven from the wants and ills of life
be it for a moment or for a lifetime

offer it to The Ferryman
and let go

Comments

[blindluck]

I guess it's possible. [There are a lot of strange worlds out there, apparently.] But hope is universal, and those who create hope will always be the most important, regardless of how you refer to them.

[toilet_bound]

[One fact was correct - there wasn’t much logic when applied to this sort of question. This wasn’t astronomy and starts: it wasn’t like anyone had run tests to determine such an answer…]

Think the Ferryman would actually answer that question? They seem to sidestep quite a bit, but this is apparent to someone’s safety, right?

[toilet_bound]

[That… could be irksome.]

So the Ferryman does ward off dangers then. But it’s in exchange for something you hold dear.

[At least, this time it was. Hanako can’t help but feel something sour in his stomach at his own conditions being thrown in his face. Sure, that’s what he had done in the land of the living - grant one wish in exchange for something ‘precious’ but it was never…]

[solitarynote]

[Sunny understood - his own thoughts would take him far, far from most places. But where Celehar had seemed like a stalwart presence every other time Sunny had seen him, now the elf seemed… flighty. Like a breeze might blow him over and away if given the proper chance.

Maybe he was reading the other’s body language wrong, but the corners of Sunny’s mouth tilted downwards just a tad. Worry.]

Are you… thinking too…?

[The question seemed rhetorical: Celehar had been lost in thought, so he hadn’t seen Sunny. And yet, it was more about the depth of such thoughts that the teen wanted to know.]

[solitarynote]

[Outwardly, Sunny was stuck somewhere between a pout and a shiver.]

I hope not. That would be really deep water.

[Another of his fears. Was there really no end to them here? Whatever part of his mind that had thought death would be a release had been sorely mistaken.]

[blindluck]

Even if they don't answer directly, whatever they do say is still information! I think it's worth asking.

[blindluck]

Right. Of course, if you go without them, and the wraiths succeed in harming you, you'll lose memories anyway. That's the current theory, anyway.

[blindluck]

That shouldn't actually be a problem, though! We don't have to breathe, so theoretically, you could just let yourself sink to the bottom and explore that way.

[Nagito is making that sound a lot easier than it would probably be to mentally prepare for that in practice.]

[cloversandcranes]

[So the Ferryman was on it before. But this time, no? That's concerning.]

I wasn't here when they sent that message so what did they say last time?

[blindluck]

[Nagito types out, almost word for word, everything the Ferryman said in this post. Because of course he does, if it's for Makoto.]

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto reads the message silently before typing a response. That is a lot.]

So they told people what would happen. Or at least warned them. Why aren't they here this time?

[blindluck]

That's a good question. Maybe they're busy with something? I'm not sure what Ferryman-san's duties entail beyond leading us through Crossings and making sure we get out of the River, but there's probably some reason they stay where they are. Or maybe speaking telepathically takes a lot of energy.

[That's the best way he can describe how the Ferryman communicated with them, anyway.]

Re: [Closed to Yashiro] UN: Daikon Assistant

[daikonheroine]

[Yashiro glanced down when her phone buzzed, a smile spreading across her ace despite the forboding message beforehand.]

Hanako-kun! Of course! Would you like to meet up?

[He knew which of the buildings she was staying in but they had opted for separate arrangements-more for her sanity than anything.]

[toilet_bound]

You’re sharp! Most don’t catch on to that~

[At least, most of the students back home didn’t. Hanako hadn’t interacted with enough people here to know if his assessment was true or not.]

Guess there’s no shame in asking~ [Not that he clarifies whether he would be the one to ask or if he would wait for Nagito to do so!]

[toilet_bound]

[That wasn’t good news. Even if it was something Hanako didn’t want to hear…]

If it’s a theory, I assume there’s some amount of evidence behind it?

[toilet_bound]

[Really, his asking was more to make sure she hadn’t wandered off. Plus, with the message that had appeared on their devices earlier, Hanako wasn’t wanting to give Yashiro too much time alone. Someone might try to influence her one way or the other… and that wouldn’t be good.

He cracked a smile at her offer.] Actually, I’ll just stop by your place! Hope you’re decent~!

[She has about two minutes before he invades anyway, but he’s giving her a warning in case she isn’t.]

[solitarynote]

[See, it wasn’t just the mental preparedness that would be needed for a regular person to put off breathing underwater - even if it wasn’t necessary anymore. Sunny himself had too many bad experiences.

And even if he had been able to convince himself to jump in the deep pond back home, to put a friend before himself, the way the light slowly left the water and was replaced by dark strands that could drag him down…]

I can’t. You can.

[Wait, he should probably erase that, right? He didn’t want Nagito to think Sunny was using him or something! Except for the fact that he couldn’t take the words back.]

Water is scary. [As if that explained the whole story.]

[blindluck]

You'll have to let me know what they say! [Nagito would always rather encourage others to participate, of course.]

[blindluck]

Everyone who tried that route was injured and lost a memory. In fact, the only reason it's not confirmed is nobody didn't get injured!

[blindluck]

[Huh, so Sunny is afraid of water? That's worth making note of.] I suppose if nobody else is going to try it I can. There's less for me to worry about now that I'm dead.

[knockingatthedoor]

Not really.

I still believe someone should stay to see what shifts in the place once the Ferryman leaves and reports but

I have seen what it's like when one does that. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I will probably go with the Ferryman this round, though.

[knockingatthedoor]

I don't know. I may sacrifice the memory of a certain treehouse since it seems to be a place of 'comfort and safety'. Or it was when I was little.

Other people can remind this place in my place.

That being said, we have to see what everyone will be doing.

[knockingatthedoor]

You're going on foot again? I'm not entirely sure if I can take that path again...

the risk is losing much much more...

[knockingatthedoor]

[Kel's current attachment to both siblings is far from healthy- he wants to keep both of them safe, even if he's barely able to take care of himself lately. As soon as the crossing tool is out in the wild? He gets up from his own shelter, letting out a groan, and starts moving toward Sunny and Mari's one.

If he's lucky, they're both there, otherwise he'll start looking around.

What else can he even do? The desert only offers so much and he has read every single comic he managed to find in that spot.

The Ferryman wants the memory of a place he considers safe, he... may be thinking of a few but he'd rather see what the others have to say before making any final decision. Ah, there it is, Sunny- Kel has to remind himself to smile this time and it does come out a bit strained, but he's still trying his best.]

Hey hey, buddy...

[blindluck]

That's a very clever idea! I think I'll have to choose a memory from my childhood as well, though I'm still thinking about it. I guess it's just easier to come up with safe memories from when you're too young to understand how the world works.