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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[She frowns. His argument is sound - between him and Makoto, one has to have died first (given that they didn't die together), and if each of them knew the other to still be alive when he died, it's an undeniable paradox.]

...

Do you mind telling me what happened for each of you?

[If he doesn't want to share Makoto's story, she'll understand and seek him our separately, but hopefully, he won't mind.]

I hope you'll forgive me if I'm vague about the specifics of Naegi-sama's death. [Which is a courtesy he wouldn't grant most people, honestly.] I died of lymphoma. Naegi-sama's was more violent. More importantly, it was something he remembers me being there for, and I certainly don't remember that. It can't be as simple as me forgetting, either, because I remember a completely different situation that Naegi-sama lived through.

[Somehow, she's surprised to hear that Nagito died of a disease rather than of violence, given all the things he's been through, but she doesn't remark on it - only her eyes briefly lower in sympathy, for both him and Makoto. Regardless, everything he shared confirms that the two if them apparently lived through two different, mutually exclusive versions of events.]

That's unbelievable... so this is how we find out that parallel universes exist.

[It was the kind of theory only madmen would vocally support in her world (and probably most worlds), yet here they are, in the afterlife, finding that it was true all along. She can't help but wonder if there's a Frieda out there who managed to win the battle and survive - but there's hardly a possibility, not with her ancestor's vow limiting her access to the Founder's powers and her opponent's titan being so much physically stronger.]

...

This knowledge doesn't help us, does it? No matter what our "other selves" may be accomplishing in their timeline, we are dead, and we can't come back to life.

Probably not, unless our somehow also being connected to our other selves has an impact. All of the parts of us are supposed to come back together after they all die, or something, but... [Yeah, he doesn't really know. Another thing he's struggling to figure out.] Well, if someone else you know shows up saying weird things, knowing they could be from a parallel universe might make it less confusing!

Where do you get the idea that we're all connected? Do you believe that rather than being born in different timelines, our different "selves" only split off over time?

[They're really in it, now - in a pointless hypothetical philosophy exercise.]

Don't you think that if that were the case, and our overarching soul, or whatever you want to call it, weren't whole and reunited until all our selves died, we'd feel it diminish over the course of our life as new selves split off?

Oh, no, I think that because that's what Ferryman-san said! [A pointless philosohy exercise? Maybe, but one with some teeth!] I'd need to read more philosophy before I started making theories like that on my own. Honestly, I don't feel like I'm any more or less of myself than I've always been.

[He did mention the Ferryman, and how it all sounds quite incredible to him as well... her expression softens as she lays off him. Clearly, he's seeing just as many question marks as she does.]

...

Between this and the documents, the Ferryman seems to be telling us only half as much as we need to know.

[It aggravates and discomfits her, and she determines to ask their guardian an uncomfortable question: Is someone keeping you from telling us more? That, after all, would be a scenario she herself is painfully familiar with.]

Well, if their only goal really is for us to keep Crossing until we get to whatever the end is, then they might think we don't need to know more than we do. [They did manage to complete the first Crossing in basically one piece.] Of course, there are plenty of stories about spirits only being able to answer questions they're directly asked, or who speak in riddles, or things like that. Or they could be hiding something!

[It could be any of these options, really.]

I'll add getting clarification of that to my list.

[She may sound sarcastic - uncharacteristically so -, but she does mean it, little as she expects a satisfying outcome from it.]

...

It has to feel really strange for you and Makoto.

[They they knew parallel versions of each other.]

Honestly, hearing that any version of Naegi-sama had died was upsetting! It's wrong to say it's better this way, but at least in the universe I left behind and most of the others, he must still be alive and spreading hope.

[That Nagito is dead here and alive in other universes is completely irrelevant, naturally.]

[She smiles faintly at that. Much as Nagito's optimism sometimes seems misplaced (and much as he sees no need to so much as mention his own "other selves"), if there's one thing the two of them whole-heartedly agree on, it's Makoto's value to any community he's part of.]

That is comforting. Lucky as we are to have Makoto here with us, knowing that in a parallel universe, he's still alive... that make me happy.

Yes, I'm really glad he can continue to help improve the world! [Glad might be an understatement, with how enthusiastic Nagito sounds about it.] And that he can even spread hope here after death... Naegi-sama is really amazing!

[Honestly? This, she can't fault him for (even though there's a nagging reminder of how skewed his overall view of hope is, bothering her in the back of her mind - but that's not a topic for this meeting, but rather for a one-on-one discussion, later).]

That he is. He always sees a way forward.

[Feeling like they've exhausted the matter at hand to the extent of their current knowledge, she turns her attention back to the slowly-but-steadily expanding wall of notes - unless Nagito has anything else to speak about with her, that is.]

[Sorry, Frieda, you've gotten him started talking about Makoto.] He really does! I'm truly lucky to have gotten to share my title with him, even if it was only for a few years until everyone realized his true talent. And to get to spend time with him here...! I shook his hand once, when we were alive, and that was already so--so lucky--but here he's held my hand twice! Three times if I count when I helped pull him off the rope when I found him near the city in the caverns!

[Oh... oh. He wasn't done. At all.

Frankly, Frieda would feel mean to cut him off or walk out on him when he looks so... ~~deranged~~ happy. But at the same time, what does she say to this?! Her smile turns just a tiny bit strained.]

That's... nice, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind holding your hand more often, you know? You don't have to wait for it to happen.

[Is this good advice, or is she making it worse?! Actually, she can just about imagine what he's going to say next - that someone like him couldn't possible make such a selfish request of a marvellous person like Makoto, or something along those lines.]

[Nagito looks like he might explode just from imagining that scenario.] Oh, no, I couldn't possibly make such a selfish request of a marvelous person like Naegi-sama! He would agree, of course, and then I'd be taking up his time! And his hand!

[He really said it?! (Why is she surprised!!)]

We have a lot of time here..! I'm sure he wouldn't mind!

[She can't help but feel like she's giving him bad advice, akin to telling a drug addict to take more of it... but can one overdose on hope? (Frankly, he seems to long have overdosed on his particular idea of it - but Makoto's has always felt right to her!)]

Ah, do you think...? Since we are dead... [Dare he consider it? It feels illegal.] But--no. There are other people here who need his hope, and if he tried to go around inspiring people with me attached to his hand, I'm sure I'd taint it somehow. It's fine, I can endure this much to make sure he spreads the most hope possible!

[Why is his reaction making her feel like she suggested something really scandalous?!]

You can spend time with him when he isn't attending to others!

[Why is she talking like Makoto is the village therapist, now... between Thara for the group's spiritual needs, Daniil for the physical (which barely even still applies, does it?), and Makoto for the morale, they seem to have their trinity!]

Spending time alone with him, keeping all his attention to myself--surely a building would have to collapse for me to be that lucky! [Never mind that he's already spent time alone with Makoto, like when Makoto dragged him back out of the desert, or when Makoto dragged him through part of the Crossing.]

[There he goes again with his idea of luck coming at a price and having to be balanced out by misfortune... she's sorely tempted to challenge that very philosophy, and just barely manages to hold her tongue. She mustn't confront him about that right here and now with everyone assembled. Once again, that uncharasteristic sarcasm comes out.]

Fortunately, there are no buildings around here, and nothing else that could fall on you either.

[Unless he heads back to the cliffs they came from, or one of the oasis' few trees topples onto him - but what are the chances?]

Excuse me, now.

[If she doesn't extricate herself, she may just give in!]

Well, there are the shelters. Naegi-sama has luck, too, so he would probably be fine, but it's still really rude to drop the roof on someone's head, and-- [Oh, does Frieda have something else to do? That happens a lot when people talk to him. It's probably something he said, but he's said a lot of things, so he really has no idea what it was.] Ah, alright. I'll talk to you later, Frieda-san.

[I'll talk to you later alright. She gives him a wave, along with a lopsided smile, before she heads outside for a breath of fresh air (for a given measure of "fresh", given the environment).

She feels bad, she really does - it's not his fault that he's like this; it's just how he copes -, but hell if he doesn't bring out the worst in her!]

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Post Crossing Meeting

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I did have to go back and count the hand-holding incidents

Oh Nagito...

hehehehe

Craughing

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