[name_m]Dashiell[/name_m] " [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] " [name_m]Fraser[/name_m] Crossland (24) is the rhythm guitarist of Frenemy and main peacemaker within the emerging conflict. For [name_u]Ellis[/name_u], nothing’s simple and everything needs to be looked at through a measured lens, something that makes him the best equipped at handling artistic temperaments by a longshot [his own included]. With Emiko’s decision to go solo, [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] understands both perspectives: he knows the fact [name_u]Riley[/name_u] prefers keeping his life private isn’t something everyone wants to follow, but also knows that his insistence about not owing people your vulnerability wasn’t an order or tenant for the band, just an attempt at communicating he didn’t want anyone to feel pressured into discussing their personal life - something that got miscommunicated in the moment. However, [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] and [name_u]Riley[/name_u] have spoken in private - the man is Ellis’s’ best friend after all, so he admits he may have some bias - and are in agreement that if Eiko decides she wants to leave to fully commit to her new solo career, no-one’s going to object to this and her creative path isn’t their’s to comment on [dictate isn’t even something they’d be willing to joke about given the circumstances].
As the second youngest of 5 brothers, Ellis’s’ abilities to compromise and empathise were honed seeing their conflicts: especially his two eldest siblings, who argued and squabbled over just about anything. It was his other older brother - the middle Crossland - who he confided in about his perspectives, and in turn, he encouraged [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] to voice these, which ended up helping reduce the tension and encourage healthy discussions. Often their mom jokes [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] would make an excellent counsellor in another life - something he’s always flattered by - but the second his grandma got him a mini keyboard for his third [name_u]Christmas[/name_u], music has been the first and foremost passion for [name_u]Ellis[/name_u], one he’s always eager to strive at. His dyslexia made this hard, specifically reading music sheets, but he persevered and refused to give up on his dream; meeting [name_u]Riley[/name_u] at university, where the two became inseparable, and their closeness stems from how the older musician never treated [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] differently thanks to his disability [while being sensitive to his frustrations and anxieties in the same mkment].
[name_u]Ellis[/name_u] has admitted to his brother that what’s hurt him with the [name_f]Emiko[/name_f] situation isn’t her wishing to creatively express herself in alternate ways, it’s the means in which she went about leaving: there was no communication between her and [name_u]Riley[/name_u], then just as Frenemy were finding their feet she told them about her new contract, something that ruffled feathers, especially given [name_f]Sereia[/name_f] had been worried the personal drama she was unwillingly sucked into had scuppered their chances. While [name_m]Eros[/name_m] has asked if [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] might mediate formally to see the friendship between Eiko and [name_u]Riley[/name_u] restored, he’s apprehensive, as forcing things could only lead to more issues, and instead he’s trying to keep an open perspective about things. Given the plans of Eiko’s management, [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] feels she won’t remain in Frenemy long-term [see the age old citation of them holding her back], and while he doesn’t want her to leave on bad terms, he knows if that’s what’s best they need to support her. Thanks to also being close with Riley’s girlfriend though, [name_u]Ellis[/name_u] knows how hurt his best friend is right now - specifically as while he can be evasive, he truly tries his hardest to make the band a positive and open environment - which is why he’s been working to distract everyone from the chaos by preparing a collaboration with 115% sasquatch; perhaps the most chill assortment of musicians imaginable.