thecrossing

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[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

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And who is she?

You get to pick what you want to give up. I know it isn't ideal, but you can choose something you're ready to give up. That's the idea, anyway.

[ He hates himself for siding with the ferryman, but really, the idea of watching a child get hurt like he did... no. He won't have it. ]

Whoops, said too much~

[He’s avoiding that for the moment ~~even if it is really obvious who he means if you know him~~.]

Nice of them to let you choose, I guess, but that really isn’t the problem! The more pieces of yourself you give up, the less ‘you’ that remains. You are aware of that, yes?

[Once again, avoiding speaking about himself. It wasn’t like he had much to give up left anyway.]

I am, yes.

I don't like it as much as you do, but the alternative, becoming injured, having parts of you ripped away without your consent, it's not as pleasant as it sounds. I promise.

You were caught off guard; it makes sense that you didn’t know what to expect.

But I do. I’m not letting her sacrifice any part of herself. Not before, and not here.

If you come with then I have to be responsible for you. That jeopardizes my mission. I beg you to reconsider.

[A mission? Hanako could really care less about that. In fact, he had a better idea!]

You don’t need to worry about my safety! Just hers! She’ll be coming with. Ah! You’ll protect her, won’t you~?

You can't choose this for anyone else. I forbid it. Everyone must make this choice for themselves.

. . . .

[Hanako stared at his device for a moment. Was Dankovsky really…?]

Are you trying to act like a parent now? Forbidding a child from doing something?

[Well, Dankovsky wasn’t his dad, and Hanako’s decided things for others before. It’s mostly worked out!]

There’s only so much your word can enforce. It really can’t control what I can and can’t do. Don’t worry; I’ll talk to her~

[Good thing he hadn’t dropped names yet. That gave him time to actually do so before Dankovsky might try and persuade her otherwise. Still… a word of a stranger versus his own? Yashiro always seemed to trust in his plans, so Hanako wasn’t too worried.]

If I need to act as a parent then I will. I will know who you've spoken to and I will be able to have a word with her myself. Those of us who choose not to take the toll are a small group and I won't have anyone bullied into a choice that is not their own.

All of the fun yet none of the responsibility~

[Something, something, give the kid back to the parent. Dankovsky was practically graduating to grandparent role.]

And ‘bullied’? How rude. I’ve never bullied her into make a decision - she just tends to need a gentle hand of guidance.

[Seriously, if he had started to explain all of the times Yashiro had gotten into trouble, Dankovsky might be inclined to agree.]

That being said - I’m not going to stop you from speaking to her yourself. She’ll just have to decide who she wants to listen to.

[Hanako is, maybe, a bit too confident in the fact that they answer will be him]

I've said my piece. We shall see who wins this war of attrition in the end. alea iacta est.

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I’m so sorry for him T.T

naw don't be

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I should not be enjoying this as much as I am XD THANK YOU

you should enjoy things and be based amen