[There he goes again, putting on a smile and minimising his own pain. Frieda recognises that behaviour well, but hypocritically, she can't help but feel that while she can handle it - carrying the burden of the truth alone and caring for her people while deceiving them, back home - it's more than Kel should bear all on his own. As he veers into the uncertainty of their journey, she solemnly nods.]
None of us knows where these travels will lead us. I imagined so many different outcomes already, but in the end, we can only continue on our path, into the unknown. I want to help you protect Sunny and Mari on the way, but it's hard when Sunny shuts down so easily and Mari handles everything on her own, isn't it? Ultimately, we can't force them. They'll either open up to accepting help in time, or they won't.
[She really hopes that they will. Mari, at least, already shared her pain with her during the first Crossing, and she's grateful she could support her at least a little... Sunny, of course, has a much harder time, and after what Kel just shared with her, it makes sense. Approaching him, she comfortingly rubs his shoulder.]
That aside, I want you to know that what you all went through isn't a mundane thing. Human lives are hard everywhere, and something like what happened to you would have broken a community in my world, too.
[There's a long, long silence. Mari is brought up and Kel is just... considering things. Frieda says she wants to help, she says she cares about Sunny and, well, between all people? He believes her. It's just... so hard.]
I just... know Mari can handle things. It's Sunny I really worry about and I know he's probably not going to open up with Mari if he can avoid it. They love each other but things are never easy. As for where we're going, I'm not sure a good ending awaits us- look around yourself. This place is full of things that have been left behind, traces of our worlds and all like footprints of souls who were forced on this same journey as well.
Still, no one is here. No one can survive out of what's keeping us safe, too, I know that after staying behind the first time we crossed. [A pause. He looks at her hands on his shoulders and lifts one hand himself to place it on hers.] I stand by the fact I don't trust the Ferryman- I just don't know what to do. Should I try to gather more info by staying behind again, that's when we face the world for what it is, but the idea of forgetting those two terrifies me. I already forgot someone who was important to me, apparently? I don't know...
[A shrug, then.]
It broke ours. But I can't whine too much, I have the idea that... even if I can't remember? I... there was someone else I had to stay strong for. Who was doing so much worse than me. I'm strong enough to handle things thrown at me, Frieda. just... let me know if there's anything I can do for him. I feel like I barely know my friend anymore.
[Again she quietly nods along. It seems that even Mari was unable to get through to Sunny after the incident, which speaks volumes - if he couldn't even open up to his own sister, how could any of his friends stand a chance, let alone those among them whom he only got to know here in the afterlife?
As for Kel's assessment of their prospects, they certainly have encountered enough remnants of their predecessors to conjecture that thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, or even more, have come this way before them... but from the beginning, she felt an acceptance that Kel doesn't have (a resignation, perhaps, much like she resigned herself to her people's isolation and eventual destruction in life).]
I still trust the Ferryman. It's true that some strange things are going on here, that people are losing memories when they're not supposed to, but the Ferryman seems concerned about that too. I'm saying that not to convince you to adopt my point of view, but to offer that if there's any information you need from, I don't mind gathering it for you.
[She smiles faintly, putting a hand on her chest.]
I can stay behind this time. I'll take the shard with the lightning; it'll protect me from the wraiths.
[Or will it? She hasn't asked to get the item back from Daniil after the Crossing and has no idea if the effect is even still imbued in it. Even so--]
[She... couldn't. She just couldn't do it, because she was dead. When they first met in the afterlife? Kel had to wrestle Sunny up between his arms and bring him by weight in front of his sister, it had been... something. At least now they walked side by side and Kel was glad to see Nagito and others seemed to love sunny...]
I don't. I don't get why they can't be direct with us, explain what we're going through and why we are losing memories one way or another. I'm not- I think I'd be more comfortable if I knew their goal. We're losing the people we used to be, sure, but we're not becoming blank slates for reincarnation or something. We can't give away our memories here so... what even is the point? There is just so much that doesn't make sense... or maybe I'm too stupid to get it.
[Which, wouldn't surprise him. He was not the brightest of his family, was he? He couldn't remeber who his parents often compared him to, probably a cousin or something, but he knew he wasn't that brilliant.]
I... I don't want you to. I run fast, I know what to expect this time. I don't want to lose more memories either, but as long as you guys remind me who truly matters to me... it's okay. Sunny seems to like you, I'd rather have people around him who are as whole as possible... if that makes sense.
[If Kel divulged that it was Mari who died, everything would fall into place for Frieda - but if she were to find out later, she wouldn't blame him for having kept it a secret, assuming he felt that it wasn't his place to share but Mari's alone. As it stands, she assumes that the guilty behaviour Sunny keeps showing towards his sister is the same he displays towards everyone else when his past gets dug up during Crossings or otherwise.]
You're not stupid. I wish the Ferryman would just plainly answer our questions, too. I've asked to many times and only gotten the vaguest responses. But I think that the Ferryman, too, is bound by the rules of this place, and not divulging the purpose and destination of this journey is likely part of it - why, I couldn't tell you. To prevent us from making choices that would be detrimental to us, perhaps... if we want to look at it in good faith.
[Kel's rejection of her suggestion doesn't surprise her - of course he wouldn't want her to expose herself to danger. Her smile turns a little sadder.]
I appreciate your concern for me, but isn't it more important for Sunny that you and Mari remain yourselves as much as possible? He's only known me for a short while. That aside...
[She turns wholly serious.]
There are countless wraiths in this marsh, Kel. I've seen them in the fog. They congregate where it's thickest, and I'm sure that during the Crossing, that fog will spread all over the place... and so will they.
[Kel knows, yet he feels like that is the only thing the siblings should choose to share by themselves. Mari fell, that's all she remembers before her death, and she was fighting with Sunny who... changed a lot since then. He doubts she didn't figure things out by herself, she's always been super smart.]
I don't know... I don't trust them. And I feel like... the fact Mari and Sunny are in danger? It makes me wary of anyone not speaking plainly about things. I saw Mari dead and I was there when Sunny died, I can't fail them again. [Again with this. But for someone who lost memories of his two other most important people, his own siblings, it makes sense focusing so much on those two... right?] I know I'm ready to face anything head on if it means keeping them safe.
[He crossed his arms, then, giving her a big wink.]
I'm fast and I already dealt with them, though. I just...
[He wants to protect others?]
Sunny can remember my stuff for me, Mari too, I trust them. And I trust you guys in reminding me who truly is important to me in here. I can forget my family, I doubt I'll see them again- [And he already felt he lost the most important bits of it. THe house felt so incredibly cold...] I can forget my friends over there, I can even forget about that very important teen stuff like my crush and all... but I'll not abandon them.
[A small smile at that, yet this one feels incredibly forced.]
I keep seeing Basil in the mist. I'm not fully convinced I shouldn't search for him and while I know there's a chance it's a trap... I don't want to risk leaving him behind. He may have hurt Sunny, but I know he's a very good person.
["I saw Mari dead"... that's right, Mari died before Kel and Sunny, didn't she? Frieda wonders how long after the fateful incident that was... and the possibility that those events were one and the same is suddenly on her radar. Sensing Kel's reluctance to share more than he already has, she doesn't press him for confirmation. Sunny's burden is great no matter what - either he inadvertently had a hand in his sister's death, or he accidentally caused another grievous accident and lost her at some point in the hard years that followed.
As Kel hypes himself up, trying to boost his own confidence for the task he's assigning himself, she can't help but feel dread. What if he gets lost in the fog? It could happen so easily. What if the wraiths tear him apart?]
Kel, I don't think it's worth the risk. But if this is what you're determined to do, I can't stop you. Just know that my offer to stay behind in your place stands. Truth to be told, I hardly want to move on from this place. It's like each location we stay in is harder for me to part from.
...
As for Basil... I don't think the apparitions are sentient. They're just illusions that our minds conjure up.
[She has no proof of that being irrefutably true, but so far, none of the ghosts reacted to any of them.]
[Yes. She died. She was the fateful accident in question but Kel cannot bring himself to say to someone not part of the 'family' that yes. SHE was the reason everything fell apart. Not because of her actions, of course, but for how cruel the fate had been.
As for the potential fears, Kel feels them. Yet he still acts like he's perfectly fine, who cares about a ten who has nothing to worry about. He was wounded before, yes. He was hurt so much, too. Still, at the same time, there's this little desire to be... useful? They're just accepting oblivion if they don't do anything, after all.]
Frieda. I... I would just like to know you're with Sun, honestly. I love him but he's not- I'm not the company he needs now. And we don't know how much the crossing will affect Mari as well. I know it's asking a lot but... [A small sigh.] I don't want to let go of the person I was. If there's anything that we can discover or see, I want someone in the group to give us a small shot. Somehow. And I'm still the faster one, even if I'm not as fast as I'd like.
... they're probably not, yes. But in the small off chance he's there. Or that a fragment of him is there... I can't abandon him either. I love him too, Frieda. Even if he did something really bad, possibly twice. I know he's a kind person and... we just don't know how this place works.
[Frieda listens, her concern remaining on her face. She wants to refute and dismantle Kel's plan, but she understands how he feels. She knows what it's like to be willing to sacrifice oneself, or part of oneself, for something more important. She remembers so clearly how she gave up on most of her life expectancy in the hopes of making the titans disappear and freeing her people.
Even so, she wants to sow at least a few reasonable doubts in his mind, because not doing so would feel plain irresponsible. Her voice is gentle, but firm.]
I'll keep the promise I made in the desert. I'll look out for Mari and Sunny. However, while you may think you're not the company they need, is that how they feel as well? I know you have their best interests at heart, but you're deciding over their heads. If you're really going to do this, then do it for the right reasons. If that's a chance to meet Basil...
[She pauses, frown steepening as she imagines Kel seeing his friend in the fog and running right into an army of wraiths, but pushes herself to continue.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 03:45 pm (UTC)None of us knows where these travels will lead us. I imagined so many different outcomes already, but in the end, we can only continue on our path, into the unknown. I want to help you protect Sunny and Mari on the way, but it's hard when Sunny shuts down so easily and Mari handles everything on her own, isn't it? Ultimately, we can't force them. They'll either open up to accepting help in time, or they won't.
[She really hopes that they will. Mari, at least, already shared her pain with her during the first Crossing, and she's grateful she could support her at least a little... Sunny, of course, has a much harder time, and after what Kel just shared with her, it makes sense. Approaching him, she comfortingly rubs his shoulder.]
That aside, I want you to know that what you all went through isn't a mundane thing. Human lives are hard everywhere, and something like what happened to you would have broken a community in my world, too.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 03:55 pm (UTC)I just... know Mari can handle things. It's Sunny I really worry about and I know he's probably not going to open up with Mari if he can avoid it. They love each other but things are never easy. As for where we're going, I'm not sure a good ending awaits us- look around yourself. This place is full of things that have been left behind, traces of our worlds and all like footprints of souls who were forced on this same journey as well.
Still, no one is here. No one can survive out of what's keeping us safe, too, I know that after staying behind the first time we crossed. [A pause. He looks at her hands on his shoulders and lifts one hand himself to place it on hers.] I stand by the fact I don't trust the Ferryman- I just don't know what to do. Should I try to gather more info by staying behind again, that's when we face the world for what it is, but the idea of forgetting those two terrifies me. I already forgot someone who was important to me, apparently? I don't know...
[A shrug, then.]
It broke ours. But I can't whine too much, I have the idea that... even if I can't remember? I... there was someone else I had to stay strong for. Who was doing so much worse than me. I'm strong enough to handle things thrown at me, Frieda. just... let me know if there's anything I can do for him. I feel like I barely know my friend anymore.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 04:30 pm (UTC)As for Kel's assessment of their prospects, they certainly have encountered enough remnants of their predecessors to conjecture that thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands, or even more, have come this way before them... but from the beginning, she felt an acceptance that Kel doesn't have (a resignation, perhaps, much like she resigned herself to her people's isolation and eventual destruction in life).]
I still trust the Ferryman. It's true that some strange things are going on here, that people are losing memories when they're not supposed to, but the Ferryman seems concerned about that too. I'm saying that not to convince you to adopt my point of view, but to offer that if there's any information you need from, I don't mind gathering it for you.
[She smiles faintly, putting a hand on her chest.]
I can stay behind this time. I'll take the shard with the lightning; it'll protect me from the wraiths.
[Or will it? She hasn't asked to get the item back from Daniil after the Crossing and has no idea if the effect is even still imbued in it. Even so--]
I don't want you to lose any more memories, Kel.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 05:00 pm (UTC)I don't. I don't get why they can't be direct with us, explain what we're going through and why we are losing memories one way or another. I'm not- I think I'd be more comfortable if I knew their goal. We're losing the people we used to be, sure, but we're not becoming blank slates for reincarnation or something. We can't give away our memories here so... what even is the point? There is just so much that doesn't make sense... or maybe I'm too stupid to get it.
[Which, wouldn't surprise him. He was not the brightest of his family, was he? He couldn't remeber who his parents often compared him to, probably a cousin or something, but he knew he wasn't that brilliant.]
I... I don't want you to. I run fast, I know what to expect this time. I don't want to lose more memories either, but as long as you guys remind me who truly matters to me... it's okay. Sunny seems to like you, I'd rather have people around him who are as whole as possible... if that makes sense.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 05:25 pm (UTC)You're not stupid. I wish the Ferryman would just plainly answer our questions, too. I've asked to many times and only gotten the vaguest responses. But I think that the Ferryman, too, is bound by the rules of this place, and not divulging the purpose and destination of this journey is likely part of it - why, I couldn't tell you. To prevent us from making choices that would be detrimental to us, perhaps... if we want to look at it in good faith.
[Kel's rejection of her suggestion doesn't surprise her - of course he wouldn't want her to expose herself to danger. Her smile turns a little sadder.]
I appreciate your concern for me, but isn't it more important for Sunny that you and Mari remain yourselves as much as possible? He's only known me for a short while. That aside...
[She turns wholly serious.]
There are countless wraiths in this marsh, Kel. I've seen them in the fog. They congregate where it's thickest, and I'm sure that during the Crossing, that fog will spread all over the place... and so will they.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 06:40 pm (UTC)I don't know... I don't trust them. And I feel like... the fact Mari and Sunny are in danger? It makes me wary of anyone not speaking plainly about things. I saw Mari dead and I was there when Sunny died, I can't fail them again. [Again with this. But for someone who lost memories of his two other most important people, his own siblings, it makes sense focusing so much on those two... right?] I know I'm ready to face anything head on if it means keeping them safe.
[He crossed his arms, then, giving her a big wink.]
I'm fast and I already dealt with them, though. I just...
[He wants to protect others?]
Sunny can remember my stuff for me, Mari too, I trust them. And I trust you guys in reminding me who truly is important to me in here. I can forget my family, I doubt I'll see them again- [And he already felt he lost the most important bits of it. THe house felt so incredibly cold...] I can forget my friends over there, I can even forget about that very important teen stuff like my crush and all... but I'll not abandon them.
[A small smile at that, yet this one feels incredibly forced.]
I keep seeing Basil in the mist. I'm not fully convinced I shouldn't search for him and while I know there's a chance it's a trap... I don't want to risk leaving him behind. He may have hurt Sunny, but I know he's a very good person.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 08:10 pm (UTC)As Kel hypes himself up, trying to boost his own confidence for the task he's assigning himself, she can't help but feel dread. What if he gets lost in the fog? It could happen so easily. What if the wraiths tear him apart?]
Kel, I don't think it's worth the risk. But if this is what you're determined to do, I can't stop you. Just know that my offer to stay behind in your place stands. Truth to be told, I hardly want to move on from this place. It's like each location we stay in is harder for me to part from.
...
As for Basil... I don't think the apparitions are sentient. They're just illusions that our minds conjure up.
[She has no proof of that being irrefutably true, but so far, none of the ghosts reacted to any of them.]
no subject
Date: 2025-07-28 01:30 pm (UTC)As for the potential fears, Kel feels them. Yet he still acts like he's perfectly fine, who cares about a ten who has nothing to worry about. He was wounded before, yes. He was hurt so much, too. Still, at the same time, there's this little desire to be... useful? They're just accepting oblivion if they don't do anything, after all.]
Frieda. I... I would just like to know you're with Sun, honestly. I love him but he's not- I'm not the company he needs now. And we don't know how much the crossing will affect Mari as well. I know it's asking a lot but... [A small sigh.] I don't want to let go of the person I was. If there's anything that we can discover or see, I want someone in the group to give us a small shot. Somehow. And I'm still the faster one, even if I'm not as fast as I'd like.
... they're probably not, yes. But in the small off chance he's there. Or that a fragment of him is there... I can't abandon him either. I love him too, Frieda. Even if he did something really bad, possibly twice. I know he's a kind person and... we just don't know how this place works.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-28 07:40 pm (UTC)Even so, she wants to sow at least a few reasonable doubts in his mind, because not doing so would feel plain irresponsible. Her voice is gentle, but firm.]
I'll keep the promise I made in the desert. I'll look out for Mari and Sunny. However, while you may think you're not the company they need, is that how they feel as well? I know you have their best interests at heart, but you're deciding over their heads. If you're really going to do this, then do it for the right reasons. If that's a chance to meet Basil...
[She pauses, frown steepening as she imagines Kel seeing his friend in the fog and running right into an army of wraiths, but pushes herself to continue.]
Then so be it.