There's always a lighthouse

[thekeyofsea]

[ Blinking, bruised, but not defeated, you all stumble forward into the light. It's a quicker and easier trek downhill to the beach than it was up to the lighthouse by far - especially, perhaps, for those of you eager to see your previously fallen fellow passengers.

LeChuck comes with you, of course - not that he has much other choice, struck low by the Ultimate Insult as he is - and already on the beach or upon the ship they sailed from hell itself are the dead, ghostly but present. You can touch them, there's just a weird glow and you can kind of see their skeletons?

Jones, for his part, stands on the deck of the Dutchman, a plank lowered by his crew to the sand below for anyone who wants to speak with him. There will come a time to decide what to do next, but for now... focus on reuniting and figuring out what happens to that mean ol' LeChuck now.

Welcome to your Golden End. ]

(ooc: Congratulations, everyone! Feel free to mingle here to your hearts' content - tomorrow afternoon or evening, your ride home will be resolved, and that'll lead to an optional mingle with any Round 1 characters who wish to join and commiserate about the experience!)

Comments

[jibunwo]

[Lelouch is almost definitely a) leaning on Yeager, 2) leaning on the nearest upright object up to and including the Dutchman, or iii) just sitting on the ground, oh god why did none of us pack painkillers.]

[But he's alive, uncovered left eye glowing bright red, and absolutely exhausted.]

...It's good to see you all again.

[ahelpingpaw]

[It's over, it really is over. They survived. It's...it's finally over.

The first thing Filbo does when he arrives to the beach really is going straight to the ocean, as if that will help remove the memory of the icky sensation of holding a heart. After that, though...]

...welcome back! I...I dunno what to say, just welcome back!

[He's just so happy. Everyone who died is...well, not alive, but they're here! That's something to be happy about, and now that there's no more trial in the future? He feels so much relief]

[onlyyoucan]

[Sara's here, looking a bit worn down (though that might be the glow and visible bones) and apparently having picked up some kind of pirate utility belt. Even if all she's got on it are navigation equipment, a slightly bent sword, and, uh... a long tubelike shell? That's weird.

She climbs off the ghosts' ship -- why does the side have Queen Alice's Revenge written on it, no, wait, you can all tell who authorized that name and it wasn't her -- and takes a deep breath before smiling.]

So... what do we do now?

[dokkalfheimr]

[Oh.

She'd had faith, really, that the guidance they'd had would see them through - that things in the end would work out, simply because they had to work out. Because considering the alternative was unthinkable, and because she's had enough of being mired in the worst case scenario. Some part of her still carries Freyr with her, and his desire to have faith in the mortals, and for the first time in a long time she doesn't find the idea of such a thing to be distasteful.

And now...well, here everyone is, and this is painfully surreal and she keeps kind of looking herself over vaguely now that all of this is done, and she's muttering a little to herself ("we really do look like we've crawled right out of Hel's ranks, don't we"); for the time being, she's content to just find somewhere to...

...

Sink down onto the beach and just kind of. sit. for a while. wow.

She feels a little awkward about approaching those who survived to the end, somewhat; after what she did, she imagines some awkwardness is warranted. But the fact of the matter is that for once she seems happy, and she's smiling to herself, and she seems pretty content with how all of that seems to have gone.

...She's also totally got a fucking boat oar with her but we don't. Ask about that. That is her oar, goddammit.]

[sharddrive]

[Shard is, by the time everyone arrives, lying prone on the deck of the Dutchman. His ghostly form is slightly smoking and ashy. If anyone approaches, he will give a weak thumbs-up.]

Hey guys. We fought a bunch of fish people and skeletons. It was awesome.

[scythegun]

[It's been a very, very long two months. It doesn't exactly help that he spent about half of it getting character development, which is awful and draining and he just really wants to go to sleep for a year.

But for now, Yeager's either helping escort poor goddamn Lelouch to somewhere safe so he can chill or he's found a rock somewhere to sit on, looking out at everyone alive and dead. He's got that massive scythe of his resting against his shoulder and for the first time in a long time, his expression actually looks closer to a smile than a smirk.

Feel free to join him if you like; he's not going anywhere any time soon. If you're one of the living, he'll greet you by holding up a hand.]

Thanks for your help today; we really did cut it a little close there, ja?

[And for you deceased...]

It's good to see you again. How have you all been holding up?

[magycks]

[ Now that the adrenaline of bullying a demon pirate ghost half to death, not to mention declaring that SHE WILL HAVE HER REVENGE!!, has started wearing off, the resident duck is kind of feeling the aftereffects of getting yeeted into a money pile sans powers. This means she appears to be outwardly subdued to the casual observer, for once! Or, you know, she does until you speak to her or catch her attention in any way, at which point she immediately proves herself to be exactly as I Will Not Change I Will Not Improve That Is A Promise as ever. She does have a weird staff to lean on now, though, that's new. ]

You're welcome, by the way.

[ Or, if you're dead, while she could easily still say the first part, she might also remark, with a faux brightness: ]

Oh, did you do something with your hair?

[ Meanwhile, Tiffany is just... god she's just walking all over the place, full of knives and Decus' evil paperweight and a chaos emerald, but that's a problem for Future Magica. ]

[hypnowhip]

[Even in his ghostly form, Sylvando can be found slotting his sword into its scabbard at his side and preening his hair back into order after that mighty scuffle.

As the survivors come into view, he grins and waves excitedly.]

Darlings! Our heroes! You made it!!

[After the initial excitement dies down, he'll be checking in with his fellow dead.]

How are you doing, honey? You were amazing out there! Don't think I missed a second of it!

[He might've been busy pulling a few smooth moves of his own, but he's always here to see his friends kick some pirate butt!]

[paucipan]

[Plumeria has to admit; being back among all of the living they left behind is a very different experience than what she was expecting. She can't help but smile a little bit as they see everyone again. It's strange to think that they all managed to do this, huh?

...Naturally, Plumeria is going to attempt to go off and wallflower a bit--what can she say, she's definitely a little more than overwhelmed by large crowds--but she won't deny the company, at least. And to any of the living that come over...]

Well, it looks like you all made it out in one piece. Color me impressed.

[It's a wry statement, but no less truthful for it. To her fellow dead, she sighs a bit, but...]

How are you holding up?

[ltcommandroid]

Hello, everyone.

[Data seems way too calm for greeting dead people, of course. If he's a little affected, well, it's all in the eyebrows. Also, he's definitely got a cat backpack slung over his arm, and he will be taking Parker out of it. Parker can go and see his ghost mother now.

Spot remains imprisoned! No justice for Spot!]

[onlyyoucan]

[Sara hesitates before smiling at him.]

Same. Without you ending up where we were, that is.

[jibunwo]

Honestly, at this point...I'm not even sure how I avoided that.

[even apart from his penchant for murder, he has a singed arm and at least cracked if not busted ribs. he is so tired.]

[sharddrive]

[At some point, Magica may or may not hear from the general direction of wherever Tiffany is-]

Hey- HEY! Drop that! Drop- bad landshark! Drop it!

[There is a chase being conducted, presumably.]

[paucipan]

[Ironic; Plumeria just ended up there herself by going to get away from the crowd a bit. Plumeria does smile just a touch at Filbo, and especially at his words.]

You don't need to know, you know; I think those words are just enough to get the point across.

[This is still a little awkward, all things considered, but...well, she still considers Filbo a friend, so she's not going to just ignore him. She'll walk a little closer.]

How are you holding up, after all of that?

[silentscout]

[He's ghostly and glowing and he's trying his best not to notice his own bones showing through. But Lalli is here, looking over all of the living and dead who have gathered.]

...Did we do it?

[He seems like he almost can't believe that it's over. That the living survived and beat LeChuck. That they're all free and can see each other again.

...He's also looking for a specific someone, but he's trying not to be too obvious about it.]

[onlyyoucan]

We're here. That's all I can ever say. ...Where is here, anyway? I wonder if anyone still lives here.

[onlyyoucan]

What did he do to you? We don't have any medical supplies...

[sivard]

[By the time Zaveid goes out to greet the others, he has, fortunately, wiped his face off and isn't alarmingly bleeding anymore. He definitely has a bruise on his nose, though he doesn't seem to mind it much, greeting... pretty much everyone, really.]

...I can't believe it's over. I didn't... It was pretty bad, this whole time.

[To any of the departed he's spoken to before, even if not very much, he'll eventually approach them, too.]

I was able to see some of the action. Impressive as hell, I've gotta hand it to you!

[silentscout]

[Lalli just reaches over with a ghostly hand to pat Filbo on the head. If Filbo doesn't dodge it, he'll find that the hand is surprisingly solid.]

You did good. Thank you, for saving us.

[oceangirlfriend]

I think that works well enough. [Adeline's smiling as she walks ashore, her labcoat slung over her shoulder and her hair dripping with seawater.] It's good to see you too.

[magycks]

[ Oh, this is fantastic. Did she at least keep that one granola bar in her cloak so she can have something to eat while she watches this — oh, yep, there it is, she's just going to unwrap that and take a bite as she approaches the two of them. ]

Oh, is that yours?

[onlyyoucan]

You're right about that.

[they're a mess.]

That was impressive with the oar, though.

[sharddrive]

Sup.

[He is probably not actively smoking at this point, but he is still notably ashy.]

So I take it you guys handled the chucklehead that was bossing around Davy, huh?

[hypnowhip]

[Though slightly confused by Filbo's need to wash his hands, Sylvando waits patiently for him to return so he can pull the Grumpus into a warm hug. As warm as he can give while still very much dead, at any rate.]

Oh Filbie honey, I missed you so much!

[jibunwo]

Threw me into a ceiling...Because I shot him. Flayn says I'll live...doesn't feel like it.

[he's at least adjusting to being at a new baseline of 'worst pain ever'.]

We've got a plan. For... [A vague gesture at Sara's everything.] ...all that. Might work, might not.