thecrossing | 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Mari truly was grateful that Freida was willing to listen to her. She had worried that during the Crossing that their friendship might have been a little tense afterwards, but the fact that they could still talk openly like this was a relief.]

Umm... it's just... this is a little hard to bring up... but, did Nagito... act any differently around you during the Crossing?

[She wasn't quite sure how to bring up the fact that the teen had choked her... at least not without maybe adding some context. Maybe it was just her who had thought his behavior was strange.]

[Oh, that question immediately made Frieda's smile vanish again. Had Mari, too, seen Nagito break down? In that case, her concern would be for both of them.]

...

He did. I think he had an emotional breakdown due to the stress. He started talking about hope and how it's always born out of despair, and we got into an argument, but it was like he didn't heed my concerns at all.

[Of course he hadn't - acknowledging her points would have meant that all his suffering held no meaning.]

[Mari let out a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.]

Right! That's what I thought. It's a relief to know it hadn't just been something my mind came up with...

[Although it begged the question of who else had encountered him in that state... hopefully not her brother? Her expression turned hesitant.]

Did he ever... engage with you outside of verbal talk?

[She understood that the way she put it was rather vague... after all Mari herself had initially started the physical contact with Nagito in the first place to stop him from going off by himself...]

[That question raised some alarms, but Frieda didn't lose her composure. Much as Nagito had gotten under her skin before, she didn't think of him as a bad person. If anything, he seemed to be more of a danger to himself than to others. Still, what Mari said implied that he laid hands on her.]

No, we just spoke, until I excused myself. Did he hurt you?

[She purposely left any intensity beyond mild concern out of her voice. Mari was the kind of person who'd shield even someone who hurt her from adverse consequences, and Nagito... well, frankly she found it hard to imagine that he did worse that grasp Mari's arm too tightly in his excitement to preach to her about hope and despair, but that still would have been a less-than-pleasant experience for her - and who knew what else might have happened during the Crossing?]

Ah... well... not exactly...

[Mari was true to her word. Nagito hadn't actually physically harmed her... more like threatened to. Without realizing it, she subconsciously rubbed her neck as she recalled their 'conversation'.]

He was just rather... strange... is all...

[She didn't want to 'throw Nagito under the bus' so to speak. Maybe Mari really had just annoyed him to the point of snapping?]

[She noticed the way Mari's hand went to her neck... but seeing how similar in personality she was to her (to the point where, after her brief talk with Nagito earlier in the meeting, she now had to idly wonder if they mightn't be each other's reincarnations from different universes), she offered her another reassuring smile.]

What happened? Don't worry, I won't yell at him or condemn him. But after my talk with him, I think he needs help, and the more I understand what he's going through, the better.

Ah! It's... hmm... hard to explain exactly...

[She offered Freida a wry smile, before her hand moved to playing with her hair as she thought.]

I don't believe he meant me any harm... not in the true sense of the word...

[She believed that had Nagito actually wanted to hurt her, there wouldn't have been any hesitation, and she wouldn't have had time to react or talk him down.]

It's just...

[Maybe showing was the best way to describe? Mari gently took her hand and wrapped it around her own neck, trying best not to flinch.]

Something like this maybe?

[Well. That's dismaying. Even so, she keeps her expression carefully neutral, showing no anger or outrage.]

Did he explain why he did that? Was he trying to scare you, or illustrating a story he was telling?

[For all she knows, she wouldn't be surprised if Nagito had been choked by someone before, and she can imagine him getting a little too enthralled in explaining "And he grabbed me like this!". There are no marks on Mari's neck... but then, don't they all heal supernaturally fast here, if they can get hurt outside the Crossing at all?]

Well... I think I made him rather upset... I said that we were safe within the Ferryman's light... and he said that he could hurt me... but clearly since he didn't he didn't actually mean any harm... more maybe to prove a point? That while we might be relatively safe while with the Ferryman but that doesn't mean we aren't in danger?

[Did that sound right? It made sense to Mari after all. With all the talk about despair that Nagito had been doing, its possible that he was just trying to warn her after all. Complacency could be a dangerous mindset given where they were...]

[Given that the incident happened during the Crossing, it's no surprise that Nagito's behaviour became irrational - but still, for him to insinuate that he was a danger to Mari, that puzzles Frieda.]

...

I think so. Chances are he didn't want you to let your guard down. But the way he went about it was...

[She exhales and shakes her head.]

The Crossing was hard on all of us, but I think Nagito was affected by not only his own memory, but Makoto's as well - and that memory, he still remembers. I'll speak with him and see what we can do to support him.

[It won't be easy, given how unworthy of help Nagito seems to deem himself, but even if that endeavour fails, she'll at least tell him off for trying to make Mari scared of him. Much as he may hate himself, he shouldn't try to instill the same feeling in his fellow souls.]

[Mari's expression brightened and she excitedly took Frieda's hands in her own.]

Right! See I knew you'd understand! I just didn't want anyone to worry. He seems so lonely by himself sometimes and the way he talks about himself... Makoto might be able to help with it but I want him to know that there are others he can lean on.

[Mari smiled.]

Thanks... I feel better about this all after talking with you.

[That reaction positively surprised Frieda. For her to really have helped take a weight off Mari by simply listening and offering what, to her, seemed like the most sensible course of action...

"I knew you'd understand" - hearing that heartened her more than anything else. In a way, it seemed like the metaphorical frayed thread between them, damaged by her harsh treatment of the other girl during the Crossing (much as she knew that it was only her who held it against herself), was now mended, and she whole-heartedly gave Mari's hands a squeeze in return.]

I'm really glad. Thank you, too, for confiding in me. It's important that we're all there for each other.

[Whether she'd indeed be able to get through to Nagito, that'd be another story... but it wouldn't be for a lack of trying!]

Post Crossing Meeting

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Sorry for the wait!

No worries! ♡

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