thecrossinglogs | closed | an eye for an eye

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closed | an eye for an eye

WHO: The Wraith, Shepard, and Soo Won
WHAT: A conversation
WHERE: In and around the Dunes
WHEN: Sometime after The Wraith's sighting in the Desert
WARNINGS Nothing for now, will edit as needed.

[The journey out here takes some time; it turns out the map was not as straightforward as it appeared (and it didn't appear that straightforward to begin with). But, ultimately, it leads out to a cave that will be familiar to Lyn: it's the same one she came out of when she found herself lost, with the iconography of an eye drawn on its inside wall.

Within the cave is a wraith. It is large, with unnaturally long proportions, as if something took it by the head and by the feet and stretched. Its right eye is much, much larger than the other, making it appear almost cyclopean at some angles.

This wraith, like all of the others sighted before it, does not speak. It merely watches, though its gaze has a very different quality than the others like it: curious, dissembling, and intelligent.

There is a book propped up on a stone inside the cave, away from the winds and the heat of the Desert. It is opened to a middle page, where words appear as if by an invisible typewriter:]

Hello.
I see you found your way.
You're persistent.
I thought you might be.

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[For Shepard and Soo Won's Fun Desert Adventure following the map(s).]

[Soo Won was contemplating how he might find the curious wraith Shepard encountered when he saw the mysterious message. The eye iconography immediately caught his attention. He never expected them to make the first move. That they even could reach out like this was both concerning and gave him a glimmer of hope. It could easily be a trap but Soo Won couldn't afford to waste this opportunity, both in order to understand the wraiths plight, and to prevent this dangerous wraith from becoming their enemy during the next crossing.

It would be safer if he didn't go alone this time so he sought out Shepard who had encountered the wraith before. They might have a connection to them that he did not.]

[Allybee had appreciated Soo Won; both his curiosity and the fact that he sought her out. This whole situation was concerning, to say the least, and the more information they could get, the better.

She approached Soo Won with a light smile.]

Ready to head out?

[Likewise Soo Won appreciated Allynbee's understanding of the situation. He didn't want to cause unnecessary panic so he had been careful with who he shared his concerns about the intelligent wraith with. Hopeful they could neutralize the threat and gain more information with the younger members of their group none the wiser.

Of course, if their trip was a failure then they would have no choice but to warn everyone of the potential threat, but he hoped that wouldn't be the case. He pushed aside his worries for now and greeted Allynbee with his own smile.]

As well as I can be with how unpredictable this place is. Thanks for agreeing to accompany me.

[Allynbee wasn't so close-lipped, but only because they were all in the same amount of danger - hell, at least one of the kids had already been attacked by the wraiths. Better for them to know the truth and trust that the older group members were working in their best interest.]

Happy to help. This sort of thing is more in my wheelhouse anyway.

[As long as that knowledge didn't create a panic then there wasn't a problem with letting the others know. As much as Soo Won wanted to keep the younger members of their group sheltered, dying young was cruel enough, it was better for them to be informed so they had a better chance of survival. He had no intention of hiding vital information from them in the long term but they had all been through a lot with the first crossing so he wanted to give them some time to recover before adding more for them to worry about.]

That's a relief. I'll admit my last attempt to explore the desert didn't go as planned.

[He had intended to only travel a short distance from the oasis but he got hopelessly lost due to a sudden sandstorm.]

We should hurry. There's no telling how long the days are here and it will be more difficult to find anything in the dark.

[Death was the great equalizer after all, but it was always heartbreaking to know that children were not excluded from that. For a moment, her mind goes to the child on Earth - when the Reapers came.

But life goes on. And apparently, so does the afterlife.

She looks to Soo Won, giving a slight nod in the way the map indicates before setting out with a brisk pace.]

So what did you do before ...all of this?

[It was heartbreaking. War claimed too many innocent lives and the children haunted Soo Won the most. Even if he did the best he could under the circumstances, seeing Sunny and the others here in the afterlife only reminded him of those ones he failed.

The burden of his throne was easier to bear when he was alive and unable to talk to the dead like this. He couldn't help thinking about what had become of his fallen countrymen. Did they move on peacefully, or had they been reduced to wraiths? He hid the heavy weight he carried, and the ache he felt when Allynbeee vague mentioned their deaths, behind a friendly smile.]

Ah, I was a merchant. What about you?

I was a soldier.

[ It was perhaps a grand understatement. Allynbee knew she was a damn good soldier, a damn good commander both by rank and action. She had not, however, acknowledged that she was good enough to have been resurrected to keep the galaxy safe. In the back of her mind, she wondered about a lot of things. Sometimes, it was about those she left behind, but mostly about the people she expected to see, considering this was supposed to be the afterlife.]

You know, I don't know what I was expecting, but I don't think it was...this.

[ She gestures to the sands all around them, gaze hesitating on a bit of movement on the horizon. Hmm.]

[Soo Won wasn't surprised to learn Allynbee was a soldier in life. Aside from the innocent casualties in war, soldiers were who he had expected to see the most in the afterlife. That was familiar at least and he agreed with a small smile as he followed Allynbee's gaze.]

Yeah, me neither.

[To be honest he hadn't thought about the afterlife much. Even with his death looming over him he didn't have time to worry about it. There was too much to do before he could feel assured that Kouka kingdom would be safe in his absence. He didn't care what happened to him afterward. Yet now that he was here his death tormented him more than he thought it would. He clung to the stubbornness that served him well in life and focused in this place's mysteries instead of how he truly felt about everything. The crossing had created some annoying cracks in his defense though.

Soo Won's eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed the slight hesitation in Allynbee's gaze.]

Do you see something?

[Brows furrowed, her gaze scanned the horizon again. There was a little wind, but all things considered, this outing was met with a mild environment to explore. Allynbee quietly hoped that it would stay that way.]

I can't decide if it's nothing or if the desert's playing tricks.

[She hated how unpredictable this place was. After making a career out of doing things that all the data and planning in the galaxy said was impossible, she felt at loss dealing with an environment that was - at best - fucking mercurial.]

We should be careful.

It's hard to say in this place.

[Soo Won shared her frustration at the unpredictable nature of this place. There had to be some trick to it, otherwise leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow would be impossible, but Soo Won hadn't figured it out yet.]

Should we check it out?

[Allynbee gave him a quick nod, before looking back toward the horizon. It would be better to be careful, get eyes on whatever was causing the anomaly she’d spotted. Hopefully, things would at least stay stable enough to solve that mystery.]

Have you ever been to a desert before?

[Soo Won's carefree attitude shifted into something more serious as they approached the anomaly Allynbee noticed.]

Not really no, there were drier areas in Kai, the kingdom neighboring ours, but not a vast desert like this.

We're lucky. I've been in deserts that span most of a planet.

[The wind kicks up a bit, and instinctively, Allynbee hesitates. It's stronger than she was expecting, given how calm things were moments ago as a few miniature dust devils passed them.]

We should pick up the pace.

[For interaction with The Wraith.]

[Allynbee freezes at the sight of the Smart Wraith, eyes flicking to Soo Won before they return to the entity before her. There's a beat - she's aware of her breathing, Soo Won's breathing, and that the Wraith doesn't. When there is no movement and, more importantly, no violence, she approaches the book. Unwilling to move too far from her companion, she only gets close enough to decipher the text on the page.

She reads quickly, barely splitting her attention from the ominous presence before her. Her voice is strong and entirely professional when she calls to the Wraith.]

I've seen you here before, haven't I?

[The Wraith observes her, its head occasionally tilting in a vaguely avian manner.

Words again appear in the book:]

You have.
And I've seen you.

[Its head turns, to observe Soo Won with its more prominent eye.]

I don't know you.
But █████████ has you both.

[The missing word, whatever it is, appears garbled: legible as a word, but, for some reason, impossible to parse or understand.]

[Soo Won was quiet as he let Allynbee speak with the wraith first. They had a connection that could be useful in communicating with the wraith. However the words in the book piqued his curiosity. When the Wraith turned to him, he joined the conversation.]

My name is Soo Won. Do you mean the Ferryman? What do you mean by they have us?

[While Soo Won asks his question, Allybee looks at the word in the book. 'But _________ has you both' - it looks like a redaction on a classified document, and she blinks, forcing her focus back to The Wraith.

She waits, expectant and silent, for the being to explain.]

[The wraith's head turns again, this time away from them both, as if in thought.]

Ferryman.
Yes, that's one of their names.
You're following them.
Are you not?

[Soo Won wasn't surprised that the Ferryman had other names, they mentioned something similar when he first met them. It was the wraith's wording that he found curious.]

We are, although we had little choice in the matter. They seem to be our only option for crossing safely. Am I mistaken?

[Was there another way they didn't know about?]

[Allynbee watches the Wraith, still wary. Soo Won's question is good, but the idea of an alternative to the Ferryman's methods leaves a bad taste in her mouth.]

We've seen others like you. They don't talk, but they watch us like you do.

[Decidedly, not a question.]

[The Wraith watches them both, slowly shifting back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. If they had more expressiveness in their face, this might be... ironic? A joke, maybe?]

That depends on what you think safety means.
Your Ferryman has their safety.
That doesn't mean it's the only one.

They call us wraiths.
The others don't talk because they can't.
I can. So I do.

[Well, as much as this is talking, anyway.]

[It wasn't that Soo Won didn't trust the Ferryman necessarily, he just wanted more choice in the matter. He was a strategist. Being kept in the dark and forced into one path unsettled him.]

Are there other means to cross then? If so, why haven't you or the other wraiths done so?

((OOC: Regrettably I will be dropping Soo Won so he will be quietly listening rather than asking more questions from this point on.))

Edited 2025-04-29 10:22 (UTC)

[Allynbee keeps a wary eye on the Wraith before them and scowls at it's statement.]

Why do the other wraiths keep attacking us?

They want what you have.
What some of you are too willing to throw away.
It hurts.

They don't Cross because they can't Cross.
I Cross for them.

[That gets Allynbee's attention, drawing a narrow-eyed look of assessment. The Ferryman wasn't transparent, but something this big...]

Why are you hurt by what we choose to do? We're the ones choosing to pay the price.

[The Wraith sways in place, as if agitated.]

It hurts.
It hhh h hhurts s.

They are angry.

[Shepard tenses, bracing in case The Wraith escalates to violence. However, when it doesn't move further, she returns her attention to see what it's said.

Okay. So there's only so much pushing she can do.]

How can we keep from hurting them?

You can't.
They'll always hurt.
They'll always want.

But you can help me help them.

[The Smart Wraith’s claim draws another wary look. All this was setting alarm bells off in Shepard’s head. It was nowhere near the first time she had been caught between two factions with differing methodologies, but this felt far bigger than anything she’d ever had to negotiate.]

If you want help, you at least need to be more transparent than the Ferryman. I can’t deal with two cryptic individuals.

[The Wraith's head tilts, but it at least seems to have calmed.]

What do you want to know?

[Allynbee thinks for a moment, considering her options. Curiosity blossomed, but at the moment, there was more to consider. Why couldn’t they follow the Ferryman like the group? Were they opposed the the Ferryman? Or just different.

That wasn’t the question that came out.]

Will we have to pay a toll with you?

No.
You pay no toll, and receive no protection.
But if I can help you, I will. We all have the same goal.

[She nearly recoils at the 'no', gaze flicking to the Wraith before she reads further. This is insane. There's no way that this Wraith isn't trying to lead them into a trap.

Allynbee folds her arms again, though there is less tension in her body language. She's listening. Wary, but listening.]

And what's the goal? Some of us are on the back foot and I want to make sure when I talk to everyone, that I'm giving them correct info..

[Only a single word appears as a reply:]

Remembering.

What?

[Allynbee looks over the responses of The Wraith, mind spinning.]

Are we going to become like you if we keep giving up our memories? No, wait-

[For a moment, she looks away from the creature before out of the cavern, and out into the sands. Allynbee can feel her mouth dry and her heart pounding.

How fast can she get back to the group?]

Did the Ferryman do this to you?

No.
The Crossing did this to me.
To all of us.

[The Wraith seems to study her, turning a bit in place to focus its apparent "good" eye on her.]

Your Ferryman doesn't lie.
But they only exist for a single purpose. They have always existed that way.
They don't know anything else. They'll never know anything else.

[Lips set in a line, Allynbee considered all of this new information. What to tell, who to tell. Finally, after a quiet moment, she returns her attention to the Wraith.]

What do I call you? Do you have a name?

I don't remember.

[The Wraith's form sways a little again, though this time more subdued.]

You can call me whatever you want.

[For wrap-up, final conclusions, whatever you like.]

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closed | an eye for an eye

THE JOURNEY

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THE CONVERSATION

Re: THE CONVERSATION

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THE AFTERMATH