2019-01-19: Into the Arms of Granas

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==============================<* Saint Centour *>===============================

Saint Centour was once one of the most prosperous cities in Adlehyde. Situated in the rich farmlands of eastern Centalo Island, it served as a breadbasket for much of the kingdom, and its citizenry profited greatly from trade. Goldsmiths and other craftspeople produced handicrafts that would ultimately be shipped all across Filgaia, while the Granas The rich farmlands surrounding it produced fruits and grains in great abundance, and its markets played host to a constant stream of merchant traffic from all across Ignas. while skilled craftspeople produced art and high-quality handicrafts. Now, it stands as an empty husk, completely devoid of life.

Perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the city is how intact it is, even devoid of its populace. The walls are still intact, and the cobblestone streets are largely in one piece--signs of struggle are largely limited to bits of broken stonework, shattered windows, and doors knocked off their hinges. Ships still rest in the city harbor, untouched. What could cause a city's populace to disappear like this, while leaving the city itself intact? One clue lies near the city's Grand Cathedral, one of the largest bastions of the Granas Church in Ignas. The statue of the city's eponymous saint has been thoroughly smashed. Did its desecration lead to the city's downfall?

BGM: Silence.

<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Today, the town of Saint Centour is the busiest it has been in months.

    If only it had been for a happier reason.

    An effort has been made to clean up the worst of the town. The blood stains that once littered the streets have been scrubbed away. The market has been cleared of the rotten produce, leaving empty stalls that serve no customers. The houses lay undisturbed, except where relatives have been found to claim personal effects. The rubble that was once the statue of Ione Paua has disappeared.

For a small mercy, the weather has not chosen to contribute to the dour mood of the day. Any other situation, the it could be considered to be a fine day.

    The few people in town are gathered at the church, where a service is taking place. A funeral for an entire town, lost to a fate crueler than death.

    As one of the few survivors of Saint Centour, Ines Colina sits near the front of the small congregation, wearing a black mourning dress. The beastwoman has not been particularly talkative so far. It's kind of hard to be, given the situation. Still, she follows along with the proceedings and prayers, if a little rustily. She herself may be a rather lapsed Granasian, but she can still try to do things properly. Her mother would have insisted. 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

This is Rosaline's first time officiating a ceremony on this scale. Why couldn't it have been a wedding? But then, that's how these things tend to work out, isn't it? For every wedding, two funerals. Still, as an Etone who already have some history with this place, as small as it was, it made sense to approach her. And it would have been horribly selfish of her to refuse.

She's done an admirable job keeping it together throughout the ceremony, for those who know her, only tearing up two or three times without losing her stride in a significant way. Her Etone uniform is cleaner than it has been since she first put it on, and she chose to wear her hair tucked into her headpiece for once, despite the habit she picked up of letting it fly loose in casual or adventurous settings. This is neither.

A stone slab has been carried into the cathedral, with the names of the victims engraved. As far as monuments go, it isn't much, but it's better than nothing. The plan, as Rosaline understood it, was to set it where the statue of Ione Paua once stood. There have been hymns and prayers, and the memorial service seems to be winding down. But before it ends, she still has to read the homily.

"These have been trying times for all of Filgaia." Her voice is soft, but carries well in these acoustics. It trembled before, but this one she practiced enough.

"I don't need to list all the sorrows we've seen just over the last few years alone. But this place has been the theater of an unspeakable tragedy. One too many. I won't lie." She pauses, briefly staring down at the sheet she's reading from. "This is hard for me to talk about, or even think about." She looks at the crowd once more.

"As an Etone, I came to investigate what happened with some friends." She nods to the few of them she can spot from where she stands. "We saw what happened, and we were livid. What happened here weighed on our hearts as God guided us towards Elru to end Mother's threat once and for all all. But was it our rage alone that took let us win the day? No. It wouldn't have been enough without the bonds we share with one another."

"Rage and grief can consume you, in times like these. Tragedy never completely goes away once you've experienced it. But you can find salvation, one day at a time. When you see a hand reaching out to offer help, and have the courage to reach back. When you find yourself lost in darkness, and you find the courage to ask for help leaving it."

"We are reunited here not only to remember the dead, but also see those who still live. We all find ourselves in dark times, but we can find each other. The next time you pray, be it to Granas, or the Guardians, or anyone else, pray for the immense courage it takes to reach out for help."

She clears her throat and closes her holy book. A few songstresses line up besides her. She wonders, dimly, as she glances to them, whatever happened to Elena. But she returns her attention to those seated. "As they sing one last hymn, you may come pray to the monument. Then, we will be carrying it outside where it will rest in rememberance." They don't have much in the way of bodies to leave in the ground, after all.

The hymn begins (an old Granas Church classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYIDqzTt0w4) and Rosaline steps up to the stone in order to pray. People interested in joining her line up behind her, while some begin to filter out, and others mingle in hushed tones. Rosaline's prayer is over quickly enough, and a moment later she's stepping away silently to let others have their turn, looking on for familiar faces with some visibly anxiety.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

The weather does absolutely nothing to lift anyone's spirits. There is no good day for a memorial.

There's no need for armour here. While Talise couldn't just ditch Rastaban, she's peacebonded it and left it with Benedict, and she's traded her more martial outfits for the more sombre one in her arsenal: Black slack and boots, grey blouse with a stiff collar, black vest, black coat that looks more like a topcoat than otherwise. It's a surprisingly grim look for someone who tends to dress either for battle or music and relaxation most of the time.

The sight of Rosaline tearing up during the ceremony has been almost as hard as the sheer gravity of the loss. The grimness of Ines has been even worse, even though Talise barely knows her.

Also notable is that she's not in the pews. She's with the songstresses. She's providing both the strings and vocal accompaniment. Her fingers move over the instrument - it's a harp today, and apparently Talise knows how to play it.

Talise isn't as trained as the angelic Songstresses of Granas - not formally. Her voice is lower and richer, and she's deepened it just a bit more. But she committed the lyrics to memory and found the right spiritual space for it all. Her eyes are half-closed as she lets the unfamiliar hymn spill from her.

An unfamiliar hymn to an unfamiliar god. But in this way, at least, she can do something for the people of Saint Centour. And she's offended Althena enough recently that a little apostasy at a funeral shouldn't significantly add to her rap sheet. 

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree mingles with those not praying to the monument; her demeanor is serious, as fits the occasion. She recognizes many of those present -- of course, some of them are praying, and she wouldn't disturb them. The cat-lady reading the eulogy. Two hulking Beastwomen. The woman with the military bearing and natural leadership. The cyborg(?) shaman. The drunken wastrel -- boy, is she surprised to see HIM here. And the green-haired man who'd outed himself as a Hyadean warrior the last time she'd seen him.

All quiet, all mourning now. She's dressed for it, in a plain green long gown. She feel out of place without her guns, but who'd take those to a funeral? 

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

What is a God?

Is it the Mother, who deceived her so-called children into murdering the only home they'd ever known?

Is it the Guardians, who seemingly struggle in vain against the slow decay of the world?

Is it Granas or Valmar, twins of light and darkness whose influence now seems all too real and tangible in the physical world?

He doesn't know.

All he knows, is that someone he once respected did something utterly reprehensible. Something that is so anathema to the moral code his people claimed to espouse that he can scarcely even consider how it was allowed to happen.

Can he show his face here? Is that alright? Can he appear here, survivor of the race responsible for this devastation?

He...

Doesn't know. He doesn't care. People need to grieve, they need to lighten the sorrow weighing so heavily upon their hearts.

And he... He has to, too.

There was no crew of strongmen carrying the enormous stone slab into place. There certainly aren't enough left of the people of St. Centour to have done so. No, there was...

Only one.

At the beginning of all this, at the start of the ceremony, there was a single figure carrying the enormous stone into the cathedral, an orange scarf trailing out from underneath it as its owner leveraged the fullness of his Filgaia-cursed strength to bring it to its temporary place of rememberance.

And then, without a word, Zed set the slab down... And went to sit in a pew to listen to a sermon from a god he does not know.

It's the least he can do. 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

The crew of the Ruby Empress was here. On Layna's orders they helped with the cleaning efforts, ensuring alongside the rest of the cleanup crew that the town would be in the proper condition for the funeral.

None of them were particularly familiar with the rites of Granas, but they did their best to stay in line. Layna herself was present as well, of course, sitting in the church with the rest of them. It was rare to see her without her hat, but out of respect she had left it behind, and instead of her usual blue captain's coat she wore a more formal black one.

She sits back, her arms folded in front of her with a pensive look on her face as she listens to Rosaline's reading, and the sung hymns. They're not the ones she's familiar with, but the emotion gets through all the same.

She's quiet. This isn't the time for words, at least not from her. 

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia Seren isn't a member of the Granas Church and she isn't particularly interested in participating in their ceremonies. There's appreciating Rosaline as a person and there's acting like a convert, in her mind, and the latter is a step too far for her.

Still, the people who were stolen away, suffering a terrible fate, it is their kind of suffering that is something that Lydia can sympathize and even empathize strongly with.

So she's not sitting in a pew but she is sitting in the rafters, lying down on her back as she stares up at the ceiling. She listens to Rosaline's words, smiling ever so faintly when she talks about rage and grief being able to consume you, but it's brief. She finds herself twisting on her side so she can look down at her. She is kinder than she had expected, yes, but more to the point she is angrier than she ever knew.

And anger is a good thing, Lydia reminds herself. Just like anything it can be taken to excess, but anger is also the tool we use to show outrage over atrocities like this.

Her lips turn up faintly as she smiles broadly with many, many sharp teeth. It's the kind of smile Lydia used to give while trying to intimidate others, but these days it carries a much different meaning. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    It only feels right to put the Grand Cathedral to use, but this small group of mourners can't hope to fill it. It only serves to illustrate how empty this place still is.

    Ida sits in the first pew, hands folded in her lap, the very picture of somber remembrance. Instead of her usual traveling clothes, she's wearing a long black dress with full sleeves, and a white shawl--the latter in accordance with Galadian mourning customs. She inclines her head ever-so-slightly as Rosaline begins the homily, and takes a breath. Tears well up in the corner of her eyes, and she blinks them away.

    This is closure. This gives her something to remember that isn't a horrific encounter in the depths of the crashing Photosphere.

    As the hymn begins, Ida rises from her pew. She isn't alone.

    Trailing just behind her is one of the survivors, a young woman named Aura. Tears flow freely down her face, but she walks towards the stone nevertheless, using a rosewood cane to support and guide her. Much like Ida, she's dressed in somber hues, and a golden pendant glimmers at her neck. It was one of the last things her father made before the city died.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Months upon months ago, Lanval was actually excited at the prospect of getting to meet the closest thing he might have had to a peer, in so much as the idea of being someone who would park themselves within a settlement to look over it for very, very many years. This ambition was tone-deaf to the ambient worries about why St. Centour went so quiet, but in a way, he was already mourning some of the difficult circumstances of his own existence.
     Months after the fact, as horrible truths lay bare, he's returned to the fallen city - which carries its own awkward elements, for his very existence as regards the teachings and tenets of the Granasian faith. He is unaware that, were the seal still in place, Ione Paua would've ejected him from setting a manifested foot in here. (A manifested anything, really.)
     This is not the first time he's been around for a funeral procession. His first introduction to the concept of mortality still rings deep in him from over five hundred years ago, to someone he wishes could've been around a lot longer than they were. Before the procession, he considered sitting where Ione Paua's statue once stood as something of a promise to make sure nothing untoward would happen... but decided against, and followed into the cathedral with the rest. He manages to sit reasonably upright... on the rafters, near Lydia, watching over the processions with a careful eye open half-lidded.
     He did inwardly promise he'd make sure Rosaline would be okay for when Granas could come by again. The theological difficulties between faiths and beliefs about how mortal deaths go, he makes due with the rare blessed silence rather than the ambient giggling he is known for. 

<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    The prayers are rusty, but not forgotten. Ines bows her head as the songstresses begins to sing, before preparing to stand up herself. She takes a second to look around, seeing who is in attendance. Everyone who had been there on the Photosphere. There are others, too, who had discovered the town, as she understands it, hanging out in the rafters.

    And then there's the young woman with Ida. The other survivor of the town. The person who was actually here when it happened.

    Ines had not spoken with the woman yet. Indeed, to some degree, she had put off returning to Saint Centour as long as possible. But she had to do so eventually. It made sense to do so today.

    The beastwoman makes space for Ida and her companion to pass, letting them have first access to the memorial. It didn't feel right to be the first one there.

    Instead, she looks over to Rosaline, as she waits for the line to pass a little. "Thank you for doing this, sister." She says quietly, to not disturb those praying. "I'm glad that someone would come to take care of their souls." She certainly couldn't.

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline spares a nervous smile of appreciation for Talise as the hymn begins. It's a bit unorthodox, to have a follower of a moon goddess participate in such a ceremony, but at least this priestess had no objections. If people wanted to pay tribute in their own way, she thought, let them.

She remains by the sidelines as people move to the front to pray. As they pass her by, she remains silent, quietly wondering if she should offer them words of support or... thanks for being here? No, no, of course not... But she should really say something, shouldn't she?

She spots Ida and, a moment later, Aura. Ida gets a somber nod of acknowledgement, and Aura... Well, the girl is blind. Rosaline can't just stay silent. "May Granas light your path," she finally says. She briefly tenses up at her own choice of idiom, however. But for now, she lets them pray when their turn comes.

Ines comes next, and Rosaline nods to her as well, hands joined as if to pray again. "I only did what I could. I tried to keep it inclusive since I know this town has--" Had. "--a tradition of Guardian worship too." As evidenced by the statue that onces stood near the Grand Cathedral. The way those two faiths mingled here was, frankly, alien to her. Then, after a moment's silence: "May Granas light your path too."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

In a way, it feels right to Talise to honour the fallen in this way. Singing to the glory of a god touches something. She would do the same if these were followers of Althena, but for her goddess's shunning of Lunar's tradition of song and dance. But for the moment, this feels... like it's appropriate. Like she should be here.

Like it's something she's meant to do.

    Something in the deepest part of her heart beats.

When she does open her eyes, Talise manages to catch the look from Rosaline, and that anxious look is met with a small, tight little smile. The strings Rosaline had to pull with that priestess were probably not all that numerous, and Talise herself might've had to fudge things a little. But even if her adherence to doctrine isn't much, maybe someone figured this'd be a way to win over another convert.

The hymn continues to play out. When finally it ends, Talise bows her head shallowly. There's a lull of a few seconds between this leg of the hymn and the next, and she politely passes the instrument on to another songstress. It is, after all, her turn to pay her respects.

With Ines busy talking to Rosaline, Talise keeps back a little, but ends up falling in near Ida and her companion.

Clearing her throat faintly as if to let Aura know she's near, she rests a hand on her shoulder and squeezes gently. Finding the words for this is challenging. Everything seems so small, and Aura's wounds are deeper than anyone's here with the exception of perhaps Ines.

Talise nods to Ida quietly. But she can't find words there, either. What's she supposed to say? Nice ceremony? Hey, how's your robot arm? I sure am proud of Rosaline that she didn't sob on the altar?

"Maybe everything I wanted to say went into that song," she murmurs, more to herself than anyone else. "The way music is a conduit for your feelings...." 

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia Seren says, "Lanval," to him, since he's seated up there and all. "Why do people do these things to us?"

She listens to Rosaline's words. She pays service to Guardian worship and Lydia closes her eyes. She exhales faintly before twisting around and sitting so her legs dangle over proceedings.

"Why do people turn us into weapons, into monsters, into...conduits of evil gods or whatever? It doesn't even sound like something that's cruelly efficient or anything, it just seems plain meanness for the sake of meanness." She looks over to the Seraph. "Well, I guess I'm not really expecting an answer."

She exhales out a faint sigh. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida stops at the head of the line, turns, and watches Aura as she makes her way towards the stone. The young survivor leads with her cane, but she doesn't seem to need it much in here--it's as if she knows this place by heart after a lifetime's worth of worship here. "Thank you, Sister Calice," Aura says, turning to Rosaline. She's trying to put on a brave face, but there's only so much she can do. Even if this is closure, it's painful. Aura stops next to Ida, who gently places a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. The Galadian heiress steps back, and allows Aura to do what she needs to.

    Aura kneels, and sets her cane down on the ground beside her, clasping her hands in prayer. Her mouth forms words, but no speech emerges from her lips. Partway through, she sags forwards, sobs wracking her body. Ida stays put, even though every instinct in her orders her to step forwards and help her.

    This is Aura's moment, not hers.

    It takes a few moments for Aura to finish her prayer, after that. She rises, picks up her cane, and turns to Ida. "...You said that Zed was here?"

    "He is," Ida says.

    "I want to thank him," Aura says. "Could you take me to him?" Aura's voice is small. Ida holds out an arm, and the young survivor takes it, letting Ida lead her as she walks to where Zed is sitting. It's good to have the support.

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna looks up. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Lanval hanging out in the rafters. It was good to see him here. He had a tendency to brighten things up, just a little bit.

People start to rise, so she does the same, moving to join Ines, Rosaline and the others.

"You did good, lass." Layna says with a nod toward Rosaline. Talise gets a nod, as well.

"And so did you." She listens, considering Talise's words. She nods, then. "...Aye. Even someone like me could feel it."

She's out a little of her usual verve, but that's to be expected in a situation like this. 

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree sidles through the (small) crowd, aiming for the knot that is Layna, Ines, Talise, and Rosaline. She nods in greeting. "May you find comfort," she says in greeting. "How are you holding up?" This last is directed at Ines. There was no mistaking the aquatic Beastwoman. Ree had been there when Ines had been forced to kill her own parents. Ree didn't know what having parents was like, having grown up in an orphanage, but she imagined killing them must be horrendous. There had been no words then, and there were none now. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Lanval watches the proceedings as they go, watching the way the dead are going to be remembered... for lack of there being any remains. He's had to listen to what happened by proxy, and it's the sort of thing that can never be brought up in 'polite' company. What happened was too abhorrent. It comes right back to the forefront again as Lydia addresses him. The idea of being turned into a weapon, a monster, a conduit of evil gods... his own kind all risk becoming Dragons with a capital 'D' if they take in too much Malevolence, a torturous descent further and further until nothing remains but rage and destruction.
     He watches as Talise reassures the blind survivor of the city's fall, the scared and weak young woman whom he offered a glass of water in which to calm her down. It's tough to say she's doing 'better' - physically, yes. Everywhere else...
     ...
     Oh, one supposes Lydia was right to not expect an answer - at least too soon - as Lanval rubs a hand across his chin.
     "Mmmm... wish I could tell ya," he says, not quite looking Lydia head-on, since he's put it on himself to keep eyes on everything going on below. He's not sure who would disrupt people in mourning, or why.
     "...Shay..." Lanval speaks up, well, a little. He's not too loud. "Ya shure ya don't wanna join 'em down there?" 

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

There's little that Zed could say now that might help to... Soothe the guilt. To ease the pain. He hears the sermon, sure, but those are just words and melodies. This isn't his god- does he even really have one? It's a hard question to answer.

Perhaps he really is... Alone in the World.

...

Nah. Zed has friends, he has family. This sadness, this guilt, it's something temporary. Something that will last like a dagger to the back might last. A sharp pain that he will need to work towards making right. But is there even anything that he can do to make things right? It's... Hard to make up for the slaughter of an entire town, especially by such heinous means. Adlehyde was bad enough, and now...

A shadow falls over Zed's contemplative expression. He looks up, and then suddenly jumps in his seat. "A-ah, Miss Aura! I was ah, just having a bit of a think! Uh. Are you... Are you doing okay?" Zed frowns. "...Your eyes seem as though... They have been leaking." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "Oh, I'm sorry," Aura says. "I--I didn't mean to frighten you. I wanted to see how you were faring, Zed." Ida takes a step back, turns, and walks towards Rosaline and Ines. Her footsteps echo after her. "And..." Aura's face tightens. She never truly stopped crying, but the raw emotion brings fresh tears to her eyes. "Thank you, Zed. I owe you and Lily both. I--I don't know if I would've--" She trails off into soft little sobs. It a moment for the wave to pass, whereupon she pulls a handkerchief from a handbag and dabs at her eyes. "...Do--do your people... not cry?"

    "That was the right choice, Rosaline," Ida says. She offers her friend a small, sincere smile. "And that was a beautiful homily, too. I knew it came from the heart." It wasn't so long ago, after all, that both of them were lost, and needed that helping hand. "Ines, if--if there's anything else you need here, tell me."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

When Layna comes up and praises her, Talise closes her eyes a moment and lets out a soft rush of breath through her nose. She folds her arms loosely around herself. She doesn't go after Aura and it doesn't occur to her to feel like shit at being brushed off. She has no right to. And Aura's got enough on her mind right now.

"I hope it helped," is all she can think of to answer Layna.

She curls her lips slightly, then shakes her head, letting her expression settles again. The look behind her eyes is deep and haunted. "If nothing else, we can at least help them find peace wherever it is that Granas people go."

Talise may have moonlighted as a Granasian Songstress today, but it turns out she doesn't know much about actual doctrine.

When Ree leans into the conversation, Talise greets her with a little nod. 

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia doesn't seem to know the truth of THE DRAGONS. At least, she's never brought it up. She is watching the situation quietly for a while from above while Lanval doesn't answer.

But then Lanval does speak up and his answer is simple, but honest. Lydia smiles at him. "Heh, wish you could too, but I guess the answer is probably unpleasant."

She considers for a moment at Lanval's own question.

"I feel a little weird in here." She admits to him. "But I guess uhh." She trails off. "Well I guess she's my friend so..."

She hops off silently from the rafters and drops down right behind Rosaline.

"Hey Rosey! Nice Sermon!" Despite the exclamation points she is not shouting but there is certainly exuberant energy behind the words all the same. 

<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    Ines nods at Rosaline's explanation, and manages a weak smile. "I think it worked." It might be a small comfort, but in situations like this, it seems good to cling to those small comforts. "Thank you." Still, she looks over to Talise and Layna as they approach. She nods to the two as they come up to her. It's hard to respond to being unable to find the words. Not that Ines exactly has a lot of words to spare herself. "It helped," she gets out, eventually.

    Then she's outright asked how she's holding up, and Ines shakes her head. "Honestly? Not well." It's easy to see the tears forming in her eyes, as she stops to take stock of her own situation. Again, words seem to fail her.

    As Ida comes over, she is given another small nod of greeting. "Thanks." There's another pause, and Ines sighs. "...After this, I'm going to have to go home." She says, finally. "See to their things." She sags a bit, at the mention of it. "I'm not sure how I'm gonna handle doing that."

    Ines takes a look over to the monument, and where now no-one is praying. "Give me a minute." She walks over to the memorial, and places her hand on it, next to three names.

    TOMAS COLINA
    MARIA COLINA
    LARA COLINA

    One can see her silently mouth 'I'm sorry', as tears again begin to flow. She isn't wracked with sobs, but the moment sits heavy on her, as she silently prays.

    When she finishes, she steps back, and looks upon the memorial one more time, before turning away from it and back to the group. 

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree patiently while Ines prays and pays tribute to her family. She mentioned tending to their things. "Do you...want company?" Ree inquires. She's willing to help but understands Ines may want some privacy. She shoots a Look at the group that silently asks if they'd be willing to assist, too. Poor Ines is devastated. It might be best if she's not left alone...unless she wants to be... 

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

"O-oh, no it's fine! I was just... Thinking! And wasn't really expecting a visitor, uhm--" Zed scratches awkwardly at the back of his head, through his mossy green hair. But then!! Then, Aura starts to cry! "Oh! Uh! It's..." Shit. Shit. What do you do when humans start doing that? Oh gosh this is giving him flashbacks. Right. It's--

Zed... gives Aura a great big hug...?

"It's fine! Really. It's the least I could have done, after... Everything. Everything that happened to your home was just... Wrong all around. Even if I didn't know at the time... I wish I could have done something before things went so wrong, that I could have... stopped him."

Alhazred... There are limits to everything, even war.

He releases after a moment, his expression sheepish and regretful all at once. Even that wild sprig of hair atop his head seems subdued. "...We do. I think. Just... We didn't really get taught what that meant. Or that we could. It was all about war, all the time. But fighting was always about honor, not... Whatever this was. N-Not that any of this was good for anyone, I mean--"

Zed... Is not very good at words sometimes.

"...But. I think... I'm glad we found you too. I don't know how much worse this would all hurt if we didn't." 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna returns Ines's nod with one of her own. It's no surprise that Ines isn't holding up well, but honestly - who would be? She says she'll need to go home, and Layna nods.

"...Aye. If you need anyone to go with you, I'm sure you can ask any one of us, lass. But I'd understand if you wanted to go it alone." She offers. Ree offers the same thing, too.

Layna nods, though, as Ines takes a moment to head over to the monument now that there was no one else around. She respectfully gives her her space, looking over to the others, and to where Zed and Aura are talking.

It looks like those two are getting along well. Layna smirks slightly, though it isn't long before Lydia appears, dropping down right behind Rosaline. Layna offers her a nod of greeting. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise's gut twists itself about 150 degrees at the sight of big, powerful Ines ready to break down. And why wouldn't she? What she's been through would be enough to drive the strongest men to drink.

Without a word, she watches Ines move up to the altar. Quiet eyes track after the huge beastwoman. She can see her lips moving and make out the words.

The twisting of Talise's stomach finds another 20 or 25 degrees. She wants to sob into someone's sleeve in smpathy. She resists the urge, just biting down firmly to her lower lip. Only when Ines returns does Talise move a little to stand near her.

"I think they're gonna be proud of the person you are. Who you go on to be." 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"I only did what I could," Rosaline repeats to Aura, softly. She wishes she could do more to appease the young woman's sorrows, but a reassuring hand or two on her shoulder is about all they can really do right now, she figures.

Layna compliments her, and Rosaline returns a twitch of a smile. "Thank you. It's my first time doing something so..." She searches for a word for a moment, then simply settles on: "Important." Ree then approaches, getting a nod from Rosaline though not much more-- This is her first time meeting her, that she recalls at least.

Ida has more kind words for her, but before Rosaline can answer, she hears someone landing behind her. This causes her to jump nearly a foot into the air, letting out a very high-pitched yelp. A few heads turn as she lands, her tail a straight line. "I-It's fine, I was just startled," she explains. She turns back to see Lydia. Oh, that explains it. "Oh, hello, Lydia."

And her fellow beastwoman liked the sermon too. "Thank you..." She nods to her, then to Ida. "Yes, it did come from a personal place. I, um, I was thinking it might be selfish to make it about me like this, but if my experience can help people heal even a little bit..." She turns to see Ines returning from her own prayer, saying nothing but offering silent support.

She glances to the side, noticing that Aura and Zed are having a moment. "The bonds we share," she says, nearly under her breath.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "If you need help," Ida says, "I'm here." Then she leaves Ines to her task. Ida takes her lip between her teeth at the sight--and she turns away, back to Rosaline. She doesn't seem as broken up as Ines, or most of the others, but this is still clearly weighing on her. Even if the trappings of the funeral are familiar, the grief is palpable to Ida, and it weighs on her. She turns back just in time to see Lydia fall out of the rafters, and she presses a hand to her chest, riding out the sudden shock. "Lydia," she says, with a polite nod. To Rosaline, she says: "I know. I think that those of us who were taught to put others before ourselves forget, sometimes, that we can help them best just by being ourselves."

    Aura was not expecting that hug. She stiffens as Zed sweeps her into his arms, surprise on her face--she lets out a soft, shocked little noise, almost a squeak. Slowly, she begins to relax, and after a moment or so, she returns Zed's embrace. "I don't blame you for this," Aura says. "I'm--it will take time for the anger to fade, but it's not--you've been so kind to me--" Aura swallows. "And now... now you've lost your home, too. Ida told me."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    At which point, one wonders if one truly wishes to be able to tell what the true, unpleasant answer must be to this weird fixation some of the greatest minds of Filgaia (...and outside Filgaia originally but now inside of it) have about turning individual people themselves into weapons and tools. Weapons and tools, where little to no person-hood remains.
     Lanval smiles a little more when Lydia goes to speak with Rosaline, as he slightly shifts his position. He looks kind of sleepy, the way his posture is... but when one considers his nature, and how he has yet to collapse onto the ground and lay there like a puddle might...
     ...the whole proceeding must mean very much for him to stay as upright as he's managing to be.
     He's kind of wondering, now, how Ione Paua themselves must be holding up after all's said and done, hands resting about his gourd but having yet to take a sip. 

<Pose Tracker> Ines Colina has posed.

    The offers of help come freely, which causes Ines to tear up again. "I'll let you know." She manages to get out, without sobbing. It's a bit easy to be overwhelmed in the situation.

    And then Lydia manages to startle Rosaline and something happens. Ines smirks, then chuckles, then actually laughs. Maybe it's just the absurdity of the moment. Or perhaps just the release of tension, but it's something to smile about. It takes Ines a few moments to collect herself.

    "Sorry..." It is, perhaps, wholly inappropriate to laugh at such a sombre occasion. But then again, who would deny the grieving a moment of reprieve?

    She also takes a moment to look over at Zed and Aura's conversation, a small smile still on her lips. "You have to hope something good happened in spite of all this, don't you?" 

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

Does anyone ever really expect a Zed Hug?

...Yes. But in this case, Zed just kind of... forgot about the whole 'blindness' thing for a second there. His heart, as it usually did, moved faster than his brain could check. But it... all worked out. Or at least, it worked out in such a way that the entire room briefly got to see them have a ~moment~ to various degrees of heartwarming.

"It... Means a lot for you to say that," Zed answers, eyes downcast in such a way that it even reaches his voice. "It's... Going to be a long time. I hope someday, we can all look back on the past one thousand years and think about how tragic and awful it was. That the people tomorrow will wonder why their ancestors ever fought all those years ago. But..."

How long will that take...?

"...I'd given up my home when I decided to go my own way," he says, then. "It's hard, living without somewhere to go back to. I had hoped that after we were all done, I could go back there and... I don't know, do something. That things would kind of go back to normal. But..."

"Aheh, though I guess-- I guess you don't need me telling you all that. This' all to remember your home. Mine's... Half a world and an ocean away, now. Have you had any thoughts about, you know... what you're going to do now?" 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"It's true," Rosaline tells Ida, regarding being themselves. "I might use that line the next time I have to officiate again." Hopefully the next time won't be a funeral. Weddings may be a sore spot for her, but they're still nominally happier occasions.

She doesn't seem to be upset at Ines for laughing, even offering a small, slightly embarrassed smile in return. Ines notes the conversation between Zed and Aura. "Hm-hmm," Rosaline says, her voice lower. "It can be easy to miss them, but there can be points of light amidst the darkness."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida glances back towards Zed and Aura, as the others do. A small smile dawns on her face, despite the tears.

    "I hope so too," Aura says. "And I hope that someday, this will be a place of life again." Zed tells her he's given up his home, asks her what she's going to do. Aura shakes her head. "I... I don't know. I can't stay here, in the emptiness. Maybe Adlehyde...?"

    "What are you going to do now?"

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Don't be sorry, lass." Layna replies, as Ines apologizes for laughing. There's a slight smile on her face. It was good that she could still laugh, even after all this.

Rosaline gets a smile, too.

"Well said." She replies with a nod, then looks around at everyone gathered, thinking things over.

 "I dunno if it falls in line with Granas tradition...but everyone's welcome to drop by the Empress afterward. We can share a few drinks around, aye?" She offers. That was always her tradition, at least. 

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

"I appreciate it." Lydia says. "I couldn't have done better."

She holds her arm with her other hand for a moment, thinking back to a recent conversation she had with SOMEONE'S mother but she tries to put it out of her mind. She really doesn't want to think about it anymore.

But the world wants to make them into monsters enough, she reflects, no reason to do it to ourselves, right?

Right, she settles. That's the best she can get out of it.

She considers Ines Colina for a moment and waves a hand at her.

"Hey," She says. "Sorry about your fam. I know we don't know each other but... if you ever need an engie like me, my tools are yours, arright?" 

<Pose Tracker> Zed has posed.

"...Adlehyde, yeah. I think that might be a good idea," Zed agrees. It's definitely the best idea for... survival. Living out here in an empty city is no good, but... "...It's a bit sad, for you to leave this place. I'm sure Ione Paua will be glad to know you're safe. But maybe we can figure out some way to... repair the barrier or something..."

No, that's a long term plan. She needs to be somewhere safe now.

As for Zed... "I think the first thing I need to do is... figure out what the Guardians think about us now. And then after that, I need to make a trip to Guild-Galad. And then... I don't know. Maybe I'll end up having to corral some of my people. Maybe things'll have settled enough by then. But... One of the things I'd like to do is figure out what we were, before we came to Filgaia. If anything of that is even left..." 

<Pose Tracker> Ree has posed.

Ree overhears Layna offering drinks on board the Ruby Empress and decides to take her up on it later. She's caught a glimpse of Zed and Aura's conversation out the corner of her eye and briefly wonders what's going on there. First things first, though, and that was to look after Ines. Geohounds had to stick together; too often the world was collectively against them.

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