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Traffic was on his way to Crossroads when he thought about Ghosdeeri once more.
After ten years, her face was still ever so vivid in his mind.
He remembers the day she died. The month before Daemonshank revealed himself and took over Crossroads tower.
He’d been in Crossroads, he’d come to visit her and everything had been normal. He told her everything he’d seen this time, they’d discussed whatever topics came to mind, they reminisced and then…Ghosdeeri went silent.
Not her usual silence that he’d usually fill in with his own ramblings. No, she was mid sentence and then went completely silent.
Traffic doesn’t think he’ll ever forget that look on her face, the way her eyes widened in a way he’d never seen.
And then she’d collapsed on top of him.
He’d been sitting in a chair so he wasn’t hurt in anyway, but he sure as hell was freaking out. He’d asked her what was wrong. And she’d told him exactly what had happened.
The Watcher’s Patch, the very thing that had given her and her kind life, had been destroyed, and it was taking its creations with it.
He’d wanted to ask if she was joking, but he knew. Even if he was high (he couldn’t actually remember if he was. which probably gives points to him being high at the time) he knew that whatever Ghosdeeri was saying at that moment wasn’t a joke.
Traffic tried comforting her, but he didn’t really know what he could say. He just said whatever came to his mind at the moment, and he couldn’t even remember what it was, too busy trying to stop himself from completely breaking down as Ghosdeeri deteriorated further and further in front of him.
He remembers only one thing said between the two of them, a last whisper from Ghosdeeri as her body and mind faded to nothing.
“Take care, my friend.”
And just like that, nearly all the weight in his arms disappeared, save for the coat she wore, and he heard a thunk as Ghosdeeri’s now empty head fell to the floor.
He doesn’t really remember the rest of the month after that. Mainly because he spent most of it high, drunk, sad and confused.
And then the apocalypse began.
Fun times. Really fun times.
It was sort of ironic. There’d always been this silent knowledge between the two of them, something they’d never say but knew (or thought) was true, that one day Traffic would die and that Ghosdeeri would mourn for a little while but move on, as she had for many others.
Neither of them really prepared for the other way around because they figured it’d never happen.
Maybe that’s why thinking about it still hurt so damn much.
He had lots of time to think. He technically had a new job now since then but once he got the hang of it was…surprisingly easy. Probably because his “first day on the job” consisted of seeing the most mutilated corpses he ever would see. That and it was the day the apocalypse ended. So it became way easier to handle the sight of all sorts of deaths.
Again. Fun times. 0/10 would not recommend he nearly died, which was, again, sort of ironic considering he now guided the souls of the dead.
Just like Ghostwalker, his predecessor and Ghosdeeri’s creator had.
And when he thought of that very fact, a sudden realization came to his mind.
If Ghostwalker created Ghosdeeri…and the thing that gave her life was the Watcher’s Patch…
Could he make a new one?
He knew it wouldn’t bring her back, at least not in the same way, her soul maybe, but not her actual self. It’d be the same as when a newspawn spawned in with a previously dead inphernal’s gear, maybe there’d be some similarities, but ultimately they’d be different people.
But the thought came to his mind. And it didn’t leave.
It didn’t leave for his entire stay in Crossroads. Not when he went to visit Vine Staff. Not when he visited Dom and Valk. Not when he visited Slingshot and Medkit. Not through the meeting all the New SFoTH had that was really more of a get together than a meeting but no one really cared because they still ultimately discussed everything that needed to be discussed, and it still persisted when he left Crossroads.
Now. He told himself he wasn’t going to act on it. This wouldn’t bring Ghosdeeri back. It was a whole lot of responsibility. He didn’t even know how Ghostwalker did it, so he thought it’d just stay a thought in his mind that would never come to fruition.
…Anyway he’s currently standing in a Pumpkin Patch he grew himself with a Watcher Newspawn sitting below him after she had snapped from her stems.
Phuck. Traffic was really doing this.
Traffic kneeled down in front of the kid, unsure what to do. He’d seen Newspawns before, but he’d never really taken care of one. He’d spent most of his mortal life high as a kite and traveling the world, he wasn’t exactly thinking of ever having a Newspawn. Maybe he could ask Sling and Medkit for advice or something since they-
“Hello?” The Watcher said, looking up at him curiously.
“Uh. Hey little dude.” He greeted back, nervously waving back. Usually he wasn’t really all that nervous about anything, but this was different. Himself, why did he do this-
“Little dude?” She tilted her head, a green pumpkin with purple spike like horns at the sides, and himself that was sorta adorable. “Is that…my name?”
Oh. Ok so Watchers…didn’t come out with names. Right. Because they don’t have Gears. He remembers that, Ghosdeeri said she was named by one of her siblings so…it was up to him. Since there were no siblings (would he ever make more of them? If he did he’d probably still be the one naming them)
“Oh, no little dude, it’s just like a nickname, you’re name is…uh” well he never actually thought of it. He didn’t know how the Watchers were named, and he only actually remembered Ghosdeeri’s name and while he could pass it to her something about that just felt…wrong.
So he took a look at her for a second, eyes going to her horns and just said the first thing he thought of.
“Thorns.”
“Uthorns?”
“Yep.” Well if the kid wanted to include the uh than he guesses her name is Uthorns now.
“What…am I here for?” She asked and it’s really weird to see a Newspawn this contemplative.
“I guess in a few years you’ll be taking notes on all the shit that goes down in the Inpherno, little dude. But for now you’re…uh, just chill.” He answered. And Uthorns seemed to like that answer.
“Ok! Ok! I can do that!” She probably be smiling if she had a mouth, and Traffic smiled, extending his arms so he could pick her up.
“Yeah, Uthorns, now cmon, I gotta show ya some stuff.” She stumbled forward, looking up to him as he got up with her in his arms, and within a few moments, he began walking in the direction of Crossroads. He could teleport, but he’s pretty sure Uthorns would get sick or something and he much preferred the scenic route.
Phuck. Traffic really was doing this.