Wind In the Desert Just Sounds Like Music

[solitarynote]

WHO: Sunny and You! (This happens right after the therapy meet, but it’s OTA. If you weren’t attending the meeting, you can still see Sunny running off ^^)
WHAT: Sunny got upset and ran off. Now he’s lost in the Desert. Help?
WHERE: The Desert (and Dunes. Really he might end up at one of the inserted locations too, TBD)
WHEN: Post-Therapy Meet, Pre-Second Crossing
WARNINGS Most likely signs of PTSD and anxiety. Will update in Subject as needed :)

Sunny didn’t know where he was. He remembered getting upset, running off… but he didn’t recognize any of the surroundings nearby. He wasn’t in the Oasis… and, because he had spent all of his time in said safe haven before now, that fact filled him with dread…

He needed to find his way back. But… that meant finding everyone else, which would probably lead to more questions. Questions that he didn’t want to answer. Questions that caused his stomach to cramp and his breath to come short all over again.

Maybe it was better to stay here…

[OOC: OK! Here’s the search log for Sunny! I’ll be making several prompts below, and whoever ends up finding Sunny will be left to random draw to keep it fair ^^ But feel free to mingle, join the search with someone else, etc. Any of the locations added by us are fair game to explore too!]

Comments

OTA, just searching

[blindluck]

[Nagito is not particularly familiar with telling people his plans before he does them. He sees Sunny run out of the therapy session--and really, it's kind of a surprise it took this long before someone did that--but he also sees people go after him. It's better if other people deal with it; they'd be better at it, surely.

But then it turns out Sunny didn't just run off to go hide in one of the shelters or something, he left the oasis entirely. And Nagito can walk around the desert, if nothing else.

He tracks the footprints as far as he can, which isn't very far--the sand shifts pretty quickly. It gives him a general direction, but that's all. Then he uses his usual method for these sorts of things: he just picks a direction and starts walking. By himself. Into the desert.

It'll work out in the end, probably.]

[knockingatthedoor]

[Kel has been running. On the sand. He hates the sand, as he already told Nagito- a wise man once said "I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.". They were right. It's in Kel's shoes, annoying the crap out of him. It's in his underwear since he fell on one of the dunes and rolled down on it, it's between his hair making the teen look dirty and messy-

To quote another wise person?

Fuck Sand - Probably Kel.

Still, Sunny was out there and by all gods that may or may not exist Kel was going to look for him as long as it was needed. When he spotted Nagito? He took a deep breath and sprinted in his direction, perhaps they could share info and maybe not look in spots where the other had already been. Assuming Sunny wasn't just... wandering around, of course.]

Hey. Any news?

[blindluck]

[Oh, turns out he won't be alone the whole time after all. Nagito smiles, calm as he usually is.]

Not yet. I lost track of the footprints a little while ago. [It didn't occur to him to suggest to anyone they look for footprints. It seemed obvious to him, so everyone else must have known as well.] But assuming he's traveling more or less in one direction, it's just a matter of keeping track of the colors of the sand.

[knockingatthedoor]

[Of course Nagito looks 'casual' about this entire ordeal. Kel doesn't know if he should be glad about that or not. One of them looking like a mess is probably enough.]

Yeah they kind disappeared? But I'm not exactly good at following tracks... [As if Kel isn't going 100% there, he would do the same for Mari too and for once he's... fully focused on a task.]

Sadly, we don't know that for sure. He could be running around trying to find his way back too...

[blindluck]

That's true--so it's good so many people are looking for him. [They can use attrition, if nothing else.] You know him much better than I do, how long do you think he's likely to keep running before he realizes he has to come back?

[knockingatthedoor]

[The snort that leaves the other's nose? It's a mix of both a laugh and a pained grunt. How long will Sunny keep running?]

He... [Last time it took Sunny four years just to open a fucking door, hell if Kel knows when Sunny will 'come back'.] He may not find the way home. He isn't an outside kind of guy, he may not know how to come back, that's why we shouldn't stop looking.

[Totally not dodging the question there]

[blindluck]

[That doesn't sound very encouraging. But that's fine.] Well, it's a good thing we shouldn't have to stop for breaks, then. [No need for food or water or rest. Of course, that applies to Sunny too, but Nagito remembers his own state after the Crossing--he'd been exhausted. So maybe emotional exertion still works.]

And, of course, we could always ask Ferryman-san if we have to. [Though Nagito thinks it's probably better if they do it themselves if they can.]

[knockingatthedoor]

Well, I'm not stopping for sure. Both siblings will be accounted for before the crossing or I'm not going myself, just watch me.

[Hopefully Mari won't get any weird idea and run off on her own as well, having one of the two being MIA is enough at the moment.

...

Shit, he should have checked on her before rushing after Sunny.]

I am not entirely sure Ferryman dude can move from their position or something? But I guess so? Any option is valid by this point.

[blindluck]

Ferryman-san was able to assist Shepard-san when she got lost. [He has some evidence!] But Ferryman-san aided her in Crossing, so I'm not certain they'll be able to assist before then. And anyway, it's much more hopeful if we find Sunny-kun ourselves!

[knockingatthedoor]

THAT- that is good to know! [He looks a bit relieved, at least? Good job, Nagito, you actually were the one bringing him some Hope this time.] Still, we don't know- aa- do you want to go ask Ferryman? I can keep running, since I'm fast.

If there's anything to pay for the help, you can just... let me know.

[blindluck]

[Very briefly, Nagito looks just a little uncertain. Because, calm as he is, he's worried about Sunny, and he doesn't like the idea of turning around. But there are plenty of others looking, and Nagito is useless in most things. It would be better if someone else found him, someone like Kel or Makoto, and someone really should inform the Ferryman.

So he smiles.]

If you think that's best! Don't worry about payment, Kel-kun.

[knockingatthedoor]

[It's not like Kel is suggesting 'go away'... he's suggesting more of a-]

Ah, don't be silly. I think my head is already a bit messed up so if there's anything to give I can at least... help there. And once we know what the Ferryman can do, we can team up on the sand again! We will find him, right?

As your stickers probably said? As Makoto would say: We got this, we just have to believe in ourselves!

[His stomach is filled with negative emotions and he can barely hide his anxiety but hey- can't be negative now!]

[blindluck]

He would say something like that, yes. [He can imagine it in Makoto's voice, actually, if he thinks about it.] Once I've let Ferryman-san know, I'll go back to searching with everyone else. I'll let you know what they said afterward.

[And if there's any payment, he'll pay it himself.]

[knockingatthedoor]

Heh. I still have to actually interact with this dude, but I already like his spirit. [Kel's... words are a bit forced when he attempts to stay positive, but no one needs to see his distress.] Okay. Keep in contact? You know how to reach me and for anything I'm fast enough to rush back to the Oasis or wherever you need me.

[Don't you dare, Nagito... don't you dare.]

sand despair

[marblenest]

Sometime later on, Dankovsky is out in the Dunes, trying to retrace Sunny's steps too. It's not working, of course, but he has managed to run into Nagito.

Because of course he has.

He doesn't bother hiding a scoff. It's petty of him, but he can't help but wonder if the two of them hadn't argued if Sunny wouldn't have run off the way he had. He supposes that makes part of that his fault, but then again, the whole responsibility is his to begin with anyway.

Ah well.

"Any luck so far?" Dankovsky asks, adjusting one of his leather gloves absentmindedly as he looks about.

Sand. Sand all around him.

Same as it is everyday.

[blindluck]

Nagito regards him impressively primly for someone who's been walking around in a desert. It's just his luck he'd run into Dankovsky of all people, and he doesn't even have his luck anymore. (If he had it, this would be easy. He'd have been able to walk into the desert without thinking about it. All the relief of shaking loose from his talent turns into guilt and drags him down like shackles now.)

"Not yet," he says--prim, yes, but also civil. "Kel-kun asked me to double back and inform Ferryman-san of what happened, so I'm a little behind."

[marblenest]

"I suppose that's smart." Dankovsky says this impassively, as if he finds it neither smart nor stupid, regarding it as a neutral action, though it is one that he's curious about, "What did they say?"

[blindluck]

"They seem very confident we'll be able to find him," Nagito says. His tone is one of rote memorization; he's used to having to remember and report back on evidence. "And even if we can't, they can. No payment necessary."

[marblenest]

"That's rather kind of them." A hint of curiosity to his voice. The Ferryman has some vested interest in keeping them all together then. That was interesting enough to write down later in his notebook.

But that didn't help them right now with the task at hand. Finding Sunny. Though Dankovsky is wondering why Nagito just didn't demand the Ferryman find Sunny right now, truth be told, Dankovsky would also rather find him themselves as well. Try to right his own wrong and all.

"I do hope it will be as easy as the Ferryman says." The Bachelor remarks, frowning as they do.

[blindluck]

"Everyone is already inclined toward group activities," Nagito says, "and everyone seems quite fond of Sunny-kun. Everyone will push through despair and hope will prevail as it always does."

And reminding himself of that is satisfying in its own way. It quiets his mind just enough. Luck or no luck, they'll find Sunny, because that's how this has to end.

[marblenest]

"If you say so." Dankovsky says, sounding doubtful.

He's noticed Nagito's fascination, leaning towards obsession, with things like hope and despair. It's a bit disturbing, to be quite honest, and is not something that he's apt to push him on. Little does the Bachelor realize that he himself is just as stubborn about certain things as Nagito is.

[blindluck]

"I know so," Nagito says, though he's not inclined to start an argument when he'd rather keep searching. "But if you don't want to believe me, trust the others, at least."

[marblenest]

Dankovsky finds himself too exhausted, too worried about Sunny to start an argument as well.

"It's not a lack of belief in yourself or the others, I'm just worried about Sunny is all." He sighs, regretting being vulnerable around Nagito as soon as it slips out.

Too late to take it back.

"Well, nevertheless, worry won't help the situation. Only action will." He says before Nagito can try to reassure him or something. Because the last thing he wants is reassuring words from him.

[blindluck]

Nagito is relieved when Dankovsky seems to come to the correct answer on his own; Nagito hadn't been sure if he should say something or not.

"That's true." It looks like you can be correct about something after all, Nagito doesn't say, because they have things to do. Also, he can't be entirely certain Makoto won't pop out from behind a sand dune to be disappointed in him again if he runs his mouth. Nagito watches a group of wraiths wandering, aimless, not too far off. He's gotten used to the way their bodies twist.

"I suppose we should keep watch for any specific areas the wraiths are crowding as well." Sunny could have a collection of them, after all, if he was running through the desert aimlessly.

[marblenest]

Dankovsky also finds himself not wanting to say that Nagito is right. Keeping an eye out for Wraiths is smart. He doesn't want to think about it, those terrible creatures circling around poor Sunny, tormenting him.

He hates thinking about it, in fact.

"We need to find him." Dankovsky settles on saying this instead of showing affection for Sunny, or expressing worry again, "The sooner the better."