thecrossing | Post Crossing Meeting

Post Crossing Meeting

WHO: Kel and anyone who wants to discuss The Crossing
WHAT: Second 'Town Meeting'
WHERE: Oasis
WHEN: A bit after the crossing, when everyone has time to calm down and breathe.
WARNINGS Talks of death, definitely, mention of blood and wounds, other CWs to be added.

[Kel has seen people scatter around and, despite still acting like a foolish fool around Mari and Sunny... he is doing his best to try to coordinate things as he can. Armed with a set bright of pink pencils, definitely merchandise of the Sweetheart brand from his place, he prepared a whole wall in one of the shelters to work as a rough chalkboard and, written on it, there are his few observations from staying behind.

- Nothing beside the wraiths did show up. What are we running from?
- Ferryman honest or not?
- When you don't pay the tool, you may still lose memories
- Our bodies can get hurt as if we're still alive.
- Discussion About Crossing from both sides?

It's not much but try to get stuff to appear properly on a blank wall when all you have is a bunch of pencils that don't even write that well. He's trying, though, he really is. A message is sent out to everyone after he's done gathering enough pillows for everyone to sit in, inviting people to come and share experiences, and... that's all. He did, at least, prepare water for everyone to drink.... it's somethin, right?

"Why, thank you for coming! Take a seat, mingle and let's get down to businesses!"

OOC: This is a mingle thread. Feel free to interact with each other and have discussions about things. The 'chalkboard' will be updated if anything is brought up to Kel's attention, I'll leave an open post for that.

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[Sunny still didn’t care all that much for these meetings… but he did have a job to do. Sort of. And seeing Frieda sort of stick on her own makes him a little sad.

She shouldn’t be by herself; Frieda was too kind for that. So, when Sunny gets a free breath from all the writing, he waves and makes his way over to her quietly. Listening for any tidbits of more things he should write down, but merely enjoying her presence.

He did give her a curious look, like he was wondering why she was by herself.]

…?

Sunny, how are you? I'm just listening in. I'm trying to compile a list of things to ask the Ferryman about, and if we can already answer some questions among ourselves, it'll be a little shorter.

[That's true, even though she'd have attended the meeting regardless. Nudging her head at Sunny's writing utensils, she wonders:]

Are you the notekeeper?

[That honestly will be a tough job, seeing how cluttered the wall of communal notes is getting!]

Good… [And he was, even if the room was a bit too crowded for his liking. Another reason he was relocating towards Frieda - most people seemed to be fixated on and towards the Wall.

He perked up a bit, rising on his tip-toes as she noticed his notebook.] Y-yes… I’m trying…

[Trying, because he was never really sure if he was that good at taking notes, but it was important for someone to, right? Kel had said so, that way they could look back on what had been discussed. And, by writing it in his notebook, that meant everyone automatically got a copy… and Sunny didn’t have to talk as much. Win-win.]

[It is a good role for taciturn Sunny! Frieda reassures him:]

I don't think you need to keep up with everything in real time. In the end, you can copy what's on the board... although some things may need elaboration.

[She hasn't gone up to study all the notes herself yet, but some of them might leave her with more questions.]

Let my try to help you by keeping track of who put up which points in case we need to find them later!

[Sunny lit up at her offer, relieved for the help. Frieda would be better at this sort of thing than he was, he was sure, but with the two of them tracking what happened, they were sure to not miss anything!

He hopped on the tip of his toes a few times.]

P-please… [His own happy acceptance to work together. It really was hard seeing the board from back here; Sunny really wasn’t tall enough. He didn’t have long legs like a certain friend of his, nor the height of said friend’s brother.]

[As the meeting progresses, she helps him keep track of everyone's contributions to the matters of interest - the nature of the wraiths, the Ferryman's unclear intentions, the mysterious notebooks left behind by the 'lantern group', and the matter of those who 'crossed' without paying the toll having lost memories regardless.]

What do you think of all this, Sunny? I feel like we're utterly stuck on those notebooks - only the Ferryman could translate them, but refuses to. The rest, we've pieced together as far as we could... though I still wish we could better understand the wraiths.

Sunny’s face was almost a pout as he thought. It certainly did seem like there were things they were stuck on. He nodded.

“The notebooks… can’t read… Wraiths… don’t talk…” He had tried written communication, too, with Celehar, but it seemed like the Wraiths were too detached or something. They watched the dead but not much else… until the Crossing.

[She puts a hand on his shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze.]

It may be frustrating to be stuck, but at least we're better prepared for the next Crossing now. I think next time, we'll all go together, that way nobody will get hurt or lost.

[At least no one should get physically hurt - emotional damage will probably be an inevitability. If only she could remember which memory she gave away... all the information she got from the others seemed to relate to things she can still remember. Perhaps it's better this way.]

[Sunny nods in relief - even if the idea of facing another Crossing like that still has him terrified. The first one was bad enough… he couldn’t remember exactly why but the after echoes of emotion that would hit him when he tried to think back on it was enough.

Still, he tried to sound a little brave when he spoke.] Stick… together…

That's right. We'll all look out for each other!

[Another shoulder squeeze, and she lets go, eyes resting on their peers as scattered discussions continue. She can't help but feel a bit lost and uncertain. What is her role in the group?

She's not a leader, certainly - she utterly failed to lead her people back home, and attempting it again would be preposterous. She's not the moral compass, like she hypocritically tried to be back home, either - others here are better-suited to instill feelings of faith, compassion, and hope in the group. She's not even needed as a big sister - Sunny, the only one she sees as in need of one, is fortunate enough to have the real deal by his side.

Of course, she won't burden him with these ruminations. It's on her to find a role to fill.]

[Sunny makes a happy hum at that… expression still mostly neutral, but it was the little things.

If he knew Frieda’s thoughts, he would tell her that she was needed. By everyone here, but certainly by himself. Sure, he loved Mari, but his relationship with her was still rocky, and it had only come as far as it had right now because the others here had been supportive and kind. A healthy environment that nurtured healing.

But he didn’t know so… for now, he was content to spend time with her, categorizing what notes they could and feeling secure in her presence.]

[Luckily, she mentally moves on from the matter as something else crosses her mind.]

Seeing how we got ourselves hats and some other things, what else would you consider essential for us to have? I'm not sure how much the Ferryman can give us, but we have nothing to lose by asking. Lanterns would be good to have during the next Crossing, right?

[Unless the darkness that swallowed up the Ferryman's light would do the same to all others - but then who's to say that they won't cross the desert in the daylight? She's not sure which would be the more strenuous ordeal.]

Edited 2025-03-05 20:40 (UTC)

[Thinking of the next Crossing always makes him nervous. The walk through the Cavern was bad enough - the idea of having to do it a second time makes his stomach churn.

But… Frieda does have a point. It’s important to plan ahead… even if Sunny hadn’t been in the habit of doing so for four years.

He starts another list in his notebook:]

Important Things to Ask For

[He thinks a moment. They would need things, important things, that were similar to key items in a video game.]

Bottles to put water in?

[The River had turned to mud this time, and the only reason they had water was because of the Oasis. What if there wasn’t any water when they left to cross the desert? Being dead, he guessed water wasn’t necessary, but it made him more comfortable to have it.]

Bottles for water, that's a good idea. During the Crossing, our bodies felt more corporeal. Perhaps lanterns, too, in case we end up in a dark place again... or maybe devices like some of us have? They don't burn out, do they?

[Lanterns will need their oil refilled eventually, and they'll need matches for them, too. The devices some of them use to communicate don't seem to require any of that.]

[Sunny nods, thinking for a moment. It’s a lot to say, which is why he writes it down for Frieda to read but…]

When you camp, there’s these flashlights that you can wind up. Then we don’t need batteries.

[It might be a bit too specific of a request though…? Sunny never knows how that works with the Ferryman.]

Wind-up lamps? That's a really good idea!

[They don't have anything like that where she's from, but how great would it be to have a light that never runs out!]

Need mentioned that she should teach us how to whistle so we can call for help across the distance, but wouldn't it be even better if we had horns? Their sound carries so far!

[They don't have whistles in the Walls either...]

['Wind up... lamps'? Sure, it works to call them that, whatever helps Frieda remember it. Sunny isn't judging. ~~He certainly doesn't call everything by what it should be in Headspace either.~~

He tries to imagine them blasting car horns or something during the Crossing... That would definitely be scarier. Imagine having a bad memory and then just... *HONK*!

Nope. He shivers. But he wasn't sure he could whistle either...]

What about... a chime?

[Yay! A full sentence with only one breath in between! Progress!

And that might be the middle of the road for Sunny - horns were too loud, whistles unable to be done. It had to be something that you could hear, wouldn't terrify him, and carried without breath.]

[She doesn't know what a flashlight is, but the 'light' part made her conclude that it's a lamp - probably one not unlike the glowing not-books, but ran by manually generated energy. What an incredible invention!

In the same vein, rather than a car- or airhorn, she was thinking of the kind of horns that hunters use, an old-fashioned but distinctive instrument. In fairness, some of them (Sunny included) might struggle to use it - even Need had doubts about that. As such, she nods amiably at Sunny's alternative suggestion.]

The sound of chimes doesn't carry as far, but it's still distinctive enough for everybody within hearing range to notice. Now, what else... water and light and something to call for help with are most important, aren't they? Maybe we can hold off on anything else until we're in our next settlement.

[After all, who knows what circumstances await them there?]

[Frieda was right on that remark: if Sunny had to use a hunter’s horn, he wouldn’t have enough breath to blow it loudly without startling himself, let alone when he was in peril.

Still… it was a work in progress. And he could agree with her thoughts.]

Don’t want… too much… to carry…

That's right - anything more than that, and we'll need bags next. But you already got yourself one, didn't you? That was good thinking.

[A backpack, too - big and sturdy. A good call.]

Do you want to write these ideas on the wall, or should I?

A-ah… Nagito’s… idea…

[Sunny couldn’t take credit for the backpack idea, he wasn’t smart enough for that.

Still, her question has the tips of Sunny’s ears burning in embarrassment for some reason. He hesitates for a moment, hand reaching out to tug gently on her sleeve.] T-together…? [The teen’s sole gaze glances back and forth between the wall and Frieda. Seems like he doesn’t want to go alone, but also… he liked spending time with Frieda.]

[She smiles - even if it was Nagito's idea, it was still just as good! When Sunny timidly asks her to accompany him, she nods animatedly.]

Together, then!

[After all, the list is for everybody's use! Perhaps the others will think of useful things to add.]

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Post Crossing Meeting

Meeting!

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