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Post by Smoke on Jan 8, 2010 19:53:35 GMT -5
It took a couple of days for them to re-ward the castle; they had cancelled classes, but no one had been able to contact the outside world in that time. Even now, the phones were down, the electricity was iffy in places, and parts of the castle had been spontaneously rearranged. Veronique's cottage had been destroyed completely.
Smoke stood at the head of the impromptu stage, hands behind his back. He wore a suit for once, and a black bandana to pull his hair back with; he seemed older than usual. Most everyone seemed to have arrived, and it was about time to start. He looked over the faces of the audience, friends, students, teachers... though that they were having only one funeral today was a blessing.
He could feel things clicking together somewhere, but now was not the time. He walked up to the podium and waited a moment before he began.
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Post by Carmen Oloran on Jan 8, 2010 20:04:31 GMT -5
Carmen sat staring forward as though he was trying very hard to focus. He felt like he was trying to wake up, his brain felt like it was fighting static, he just narrowed his eyes and stared forward.
In his hands like always he gripped his sketchbook. It was blank.
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Jan 8, 2010 20:15:33 GMT -5
Rudeth arrived early, sitting quietly in the front row. The chilly wind bit at his face and tossed his hair in front of his eyes. He jammed his hands into the pockets of his jacket for warmth.
He focused forward onto the casket, the wood dark and smooth, and not what was inside it. If they had found anything at all, it was nothing he would have been able to recognize as his brother. It was certainly nothing he wanted to see.
His throat felt tight, and a sick empty feeling settled at the pit of his stomach. If he had eaten anything today, he might have been on the verge of retching it up.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Jan 8, 2010 20:16:42 GMT -5
Aramis sat next to Carmen silently. He hadn't really known Thrall... but he'd been there when... when it happened. Besides, the way Carmen had been acting... there was no way he was going to let Carmen come alone to the funeral. He couldn't even bring himself to use his shoulder as an excuse not to come, though he probably would have been forgiven for doing so.
Even if all he did was stand there, at least he was there for his friend. Empty a gesture as it was.
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Post by Aritha Bianca Kairavi on Jan 8, 2010 20:24:29 GMT -5
Aritha forced herself to sit demurely beside Rudeth. The last funeral she'd attended had been her mother's when she was six, and it had been more of a party than like this. But she understood that even though Rudeth was at least somewhat of her people, he lived like most of the world. Or at least the Western world. And that meant nothing but sorrow. She was tempted to reach for his hand, to try to give him some comfort that way, but restrained herself. It probably wasn't appropriate.
This wasn't like in the auditorium a bit ago, where it was just the two of them. This was in front of everyone, and it wasn't like she and Rudeth were together or anything. They were just friends. Her dark eyes looked at him sadly, wishing there was something more she could do.
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Post by Joseph "Peace" Emberlain on Jan 8, 2010 20:25:48 GMT -5
Peace sat off to the side, so he wouldn't be in anybody's way. If it had just been Hitomi, he might not be here, but... after what had happened, he felt the need to respect the guy he'd known two weeks ago as his perky friend's obnoxious cousin. He'd never gotten to know Thrall. He kind of regretted that.
He looked down and fiddled his thumbs in his lap, waiting for someone to say something so he could have something else to focus on.
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Post by Rivienne Volkova on Jan 8, 2010 20:42:22 GMT -5
Rivienne rested a trembling hand on the sarcophagus. The wood was carved of purpleheart -- it was fitting for Thrall, she thought -- polished to a dark, glossy violet. The wood was cold, lifeless.
Her eyes were red and puffed. She bit her lip, and with it, bit back the tears. She felt unbelievably fragile. If she moved, she might break apart.
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jan 8, 2010 20:55:16 GMT -5
Hitomi walked slowly up the aisle, the tiny white flower cupped in her hands. Her eyes met only briefly with her aunt's. Hitomi herself had been crying, her face red and wet and splotchy. She sniffled, wiping her nose on the back of her glove.
She gently lay the flower on the coffin, pressing her lips together. If she hadn't seen the whole thing, she might not have believed it herself. And he saved her life.
"I miss you," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "And--" And maybe this wouldn't have happened if I wasn't so helpless.
Hitomi bowed her head, walking back to her seat. She gripped her hands together and let out a desperate little sob.
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Ariel Hawk
Ireth
Academy Freshman: Mortal
Come away, O human child, to the waters and the wild, with a fairy hand-in-hand...
Posts: 251
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Post by Ariel Hawk on Jan 8, 2010 21:04:11 GMT -5
Ariel leaned over and wrapped her arms gently around Hitomi for what comfort she could give. She had met Thrall once, only briefly, and hadn't really gotten to know him. Now she wished she had. And seeing the pain of those who had known him and loved him, and now lost him, made it feel worse. She rubbed Hitomi's back to try and soothe her, feeling an ache in the pit of her stomach.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice quivering.
She thought of Natalie, the cousin she had only really started to get to know this year at Dunehelden, and briefly imagined what it would be like to lose her forever. She knew that as painful as that would be, Hitomi's pain was many, many times worse, and it was all too real.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 8, 2010 21:12:02 GMT -5
Hitoshi kept his eyes straight ahead. His breathing was mechanical, and he made no movements. Every part of him felt tense.
Hitoshi had always known, inevitably, that death would come to those around him. But knowing and seeing were very different.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 8, 2010 21:23:56 GMT -5
Alex's eyes were wide and glazed; he picked nervously at his sleeve.
He died, and he didn't like Thrall, but he died, and Hitoshi was freaked out and everyone was freaked out and there was nothing he could do. Nothing. He felt like he didn't belong.
Alex realized he had picked a hole in his sleeve and sat on his hands, staring at the metal legs of the chair.
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Post by Tristan Gilespi on Jan 8, 2010 21:36:47 GMT -5
Tristan sat in the front row on the other side of Carmen, close enough to give support to Rivienne if she were to need it. He'd seen too many damn funerals in his life, each one worse than the last.
And Thrall was a kid, for god's sake. Died on his fucking birthday. On Halloween.
I should have dragged the bastard to the play that night. Should have stayed with him, brought him a birthday cake. Fuck, just--something. Could have done something. One of them. His god damn father. Somebody should have been there. Fuck.
Tristan gripped in his hands, the metal teeth digging into his palms. It might have been hard enough to draw blood.
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Liam Farrell
Ireth
University Freshman: Not a Sin-Eater, Because We Don't Have Those
Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head...
Posts: 200
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Post by Liam Farrell on Jan 8, 2010 22:18:00 GMT -5
Liam sat in silence a couple of rows from the front, hie eyes on the back of the head of the boy who sat directly in front of him, in the front row. Thrall's brother Rudeth. Liam found himself sympathizing deeply with the younger boy's grief -- he knew all too well what it was like to lose a twin. Having the one person you shared everything with suddenly ripped out of your life, leaving a ragged, gaping hole behind that felt like it would never heal.
He sighed, fidgeting with his hands folded in his lap, and made a mental note to approach Rudeth after this was over. Rudeth would probably need more than one shoulder to lean on, more than one pair of patient ears. And maybe it would help, talking to someone who had been through much the same thing, years before.
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Post by Smoke on Jan 8, 2010 22:32:20 GMT -5
Smoke found his place in his notes and raised his head to speak, clear enough to be heard halfway across the Courtyard.
"This is... the first time we've ever had to do this. I think we all hope it's the only time. We are here today to remember a student, one who had been here with us at Dunehelden off and on since the beginning, long before he came to study here. One who had been less than a year from moving on towards greater things." Smoke licked his lips and continued. "One who, if any of us can hope for such things, has found them."
"His name was Dmitry Volkova, though known better as Thrall. He was... exuberant, to say the least, a hard-working student, brave, and unfailingly loyal. And that was how he died: defending others from a threat he... should never have had to face."
Smoke paused for a moment, then looked at Rivienne. "The eulogy will be given by his mother, Professor Volkova," he finished, almost absently.
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Post by Rivienne Volkova on Jan 9, 2010 0:28:57 GMT -5
Rivienne stood slowly, stepping toward the dais in front of the coffin. She was dressed plainly, in black slacks and a dark sweater. Her long hair was tied out of her face.
She took a deep breath, looking up at the crowd. There were more people here than she expected, people that were not particularly close to Thrall and had no obligation to be here. To think that Thrall's death meant this much to everyone warmed her heart. It made it easier, knowing that so many cared.
"'Cowards die many times before their deaths, but the valiant never taste of death but once'," she began, her voice trembling. "These are the words of William Shakespeare. And there is no one..." Her voice broke, and she took a deep, sobering breath. "There is no one I know who died a more valiant death than my son."
She swallowed. "The value of a life is not determined by its length, nor by wealth or glory accumulated. But rather, by the lives we touch. If not for Thrall's courage, who knows that other casualties much have been suffered. He died a hero, and in doing so, has touched us all very deeply.
"It was his birthday, the day he died," she said, her voice softer. She wiped a tear from her eye. "We had meant to celebrate on the day after. Instead, while his family and most of the faculty was trapped in the strange events of the play, Thrall was outside, protecting the people he loved. Had we, as administrators of the school, been doing our duties properly in securing and protecting Dunehelden and its students, that responsibility would not have fallen to him. That is the burden of everyone, particularly the teachers. It should not have fallen to Thrall alone.
"Perhaps my biggest regret is that I could not be with him that day to protect him," she continued. She blinked back the tears. "But we gain nothing from dwelling on the past. Thrall set an example for all of us. Perhaps if we all protect each other..." Rivienne's eyes lifted, brimmed with tears. "If every one of us does everything we can, maybe we can prevent another such tragedy from happening at Dunehelden. As a teacher, I would like to never attend another student's funeral. And as a mother, I hope that my children give my eulogy long before I need to give another one for them."
Rivienne dabbed her eyes, shaking slightly. "I meant to say more, but... I think it might be better for me to let Smoke take over again." Despite her best efforts, Rivienne was beginning to unravel. This was all far too much for her. She moved on shaky legs toward the first row of seats, taking her spot between her son and her brother.
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Post by Smoke on Jan 9, 2010 0:51:47 GMT -5
Smoke sighed under his breath. Tonight was going to be a very long night.
"Thank you, Rivienne. Would anyone else like to come up and say something?"
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Post by natalieburns on Jan 9, 2010 11:04:17 GMT -5
Natalie sat very quietly, her hands folded in her lap, staring at the sarcophagus. Ian had refused to come. It had actually become a full fight, with the two of them shouting at each other in the middle of a deserted classroom. Ian had point blank refused to go to any funeral, no matter who's it was. Natalie had insisted that it was to pay his respects to Thrall, and Ian had retorted that he would do that in his own way later. Natalie wondered what that meant, but she wanted to come and pay her own respects to Thrall, even though she hadn't known him that well.
She sighed and stared off into the distance. Death was a funny thing. It had a way of bringing people together, and it had a way of tearing them apart. Natalie hoped that the family would be brought together over this tragedy, rather than torn apart...
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Post by Rudeth Volkova on Jan 9, 2010 23:55:00 GMT -5
Rudeth stood slowly, turning around in place and looking out at the group that had gathered. He wasn't sure what to say, but Thrall was his twin. People probably wanted to hear something from him.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suddenly...he felt very alive. And he knew what he was going to say.
"I know it's a funeral, and they're supposed to be sad," Rudeth began, smiling slightly, "but...I don't think Thrall would have wanted that. He would have wanted us to talk about how impressive he was at fighting, or how even if he died, he took the other bastard down first."
He paused. "I could tell you a bunch of different stories about Thrall -- about the first day in the dorms this year when Lhachlhass jumped through our window, or when Thrall tried to drive Mom's car when he was a kid and ran over Tristan's motorcycle, or the time Grandma took us hunting, or--Oh!" He grinned. "When we were kids, we got a video camera. We used to pull all kinds of shenanigans with it. We even put Mom's make-up Tristan once while he was sleeping.
"My favorite video was probably the one we made the summer after we turned fourteen. The whole family went camping together. My aunt Cassandra took us to fish, and we had about five minutes of footage that was just Thrall chasing Hitomi around with a worm. But after that, he still baited her hook for her, and he kept helping her out." Rudeth paused, looking up at Hitomi. He wiped his eyes. "I think that was actually the last video we had of the whole family, before..." Rudeth trailed off.
"Most of my happiest memories have been with Thrall, and...I think that if Thrall were to choose how he wanted to die, dying a big heroic death would be pretty high on his list. After a bunch of things that probably wouldn't be appropriate for me to say at a funeral, at least." Rudeth smiled. "I think he'd just really appreciate how much all of us miss him."
Rudeth sat down, feeling much better than he had felt since Halloween. He reached over and squeezed Aritha's hand, tears spilling quietly down his face.
Thrall was never coming back. And even so, Thrall would want him to be happy.
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Post by Aritha Bianca Kairavi on Jan 10, 2010 0:19:10 GMT -5
Aritha squeezed his hand back, giving him a bit of a sad smile. She reached into a sleeve and handed him a tissue. Rudeth had the right idea about this funeral. Don't linger on the sad... instead linger on the good times. And Rudeth had years of good times to remember. Aritha herself might not have known Thrall in life, but she might learn in a way, to know him as well as Rudeth did. Well, if Rudeth wanted to talk about him, and if this friendship lasted long enough for her to hear all of his stories.
"I think you're right," she whispered to him, still smiling. "About all of it. Your brother seemed to be the sort to live life to the fullest, take each day as it came."
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Post by Carmen Oloran on Jan 10, 2010 1:15:35 GMT -5
Carmen sighed inwardly, he knew it was his turn. His hands tightened into fists as he shuffled up. He didn't want to do this but did that pretentious self-righteous "I going to sacrifice my shiny self for the greater good" bastard had to go die. Didn't that idiot know he wasn't supposed to be dead! Thrall was supposed to be beating idiots up, and harassing Rudeth, and giving Rivienne a twitch, and being awkward around him, no one told him he was allowed to die! Jerk making assumptions like that.
And then he saw Rivienne's face his eyes went wide as he stared at her and the anger was just gone.
Carmen closed his eyes and bowed his head, his could feel his fingernails digging into his hands as he tried to pull words from the static.
He opened his eyes a new anger there.
"He shouldn't have been alone! I ... you.. I'm supposed to talk about how much I miss him and about how his death was sad and regrettable.. but there shouldn't have been one!"
He walked around the lectern shoving his arm into it as he passed, he walked up to the very edge of the stage. "Where were you!?" His narrow gray eyes fixed on Veronique. "Where were any of you!?" He swung himself around forcing the question on all the teachers, his eyes falling on any he could see in turn. He turned to face the headmaster again. "I wasn't fast enough but YOU weren't even there!" He yelled. Carmen fell silent for a minute, his breathing filling his world.
"Thrall wouldn't forgive you if this had happened to me, so I won't forgive you."
Before he went back to his seat he approached the coffin, his eyes softening as he rested a hand on it. "Your life is your own. Your death likewise, always and forever your own. Farewell." He turned away looking down, and walked back to his seat.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Jan 10, 2010 1:31:51 GMT -5
Aramis nearly flinched at Carmen's rage-filled tone. The guilt of not being fast enough... it tore at him almost as much as Carmen, but Carmen had known Thrall. They'd been good friends...
Real friends. Aramis wasn't sure what to call his friendship with Carmen, but it wasn't a friendship based on years of knowing the other. His magic... He should have been able to DO something! Aramis' right hand tightened into a fist, his left trying as well but causing only a momentary blinding agony that was as much emotional as physical. He had nothing to say, nothing to offer. He'd been too late, too helpless, too untrained to do shit for Thrall and he wasn't sure if he blamed himself or someone else for his own inability.
Not that it mattered. His heart rate calmed, and his vision returned. It certainly didn't matter for Thrall, or for Carmen. What could have been done, what should have been done meant nothing. All that mattered was what had been done, and what was past. And there was no comfort Aramis could offer his friend. A friend that he barely spoke to, because he always seemed as distant as he was familiar.
Aramis sighed softly as Carmen took his seat, wishing there was something he could do for Carmen and knowing there was nothing.
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Post by Hitomi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 18:50:53 GMT -5
"Carmen's right." Hitomi's small voice cut through the stillness like a razor. "I saw the things that were out there. None of us should have had to face them."
She stood slowly, hesitating as every eye fell on her. "When we saw him, he was basically fighting them alone. A whole horde of them. There were two tall ones that looked almost like men, with long black hair and skin that shined blue in the light. They rode horses, and wielded weapons. Thrall was fighting them.
"Carmen and Peace rushed one of them, and Thrall had the other... Aramis shot at them, but he got injured -- and something weird happened, and Thrall started glowing, and he took one of them down like it was nothing. And then..." Tears filled her eyes. "For that one moment, it felt like we were going to win. Like everything would be okay. But Thrall was already hurt. He was barely standing. And the other one... He was faster than Carmen or Peace."
She could still see it clearly: the flash of silver as the blade sank into flesh. The coppery scent of blood was still fresh in her mind. The dull sound of Thrall's sword as it clattered helplessly to the ground.
"We lost that day. No matter how many of the fae died, no matter how little of the school was damaged... We lost Thrall. We lost my cousin, and that never should have happened."
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Post by jonathanharris on Jan 20, 2010 4:17:41 GMT -5
He hadn't wanted to come, he really hadn't. Jonathan had tried to talk himself out of it, but he didn't really possess the willpower to do it. So he managed to dress himself in all black, sneak down through the hallways, and even get within five feet of the back row. At that point, he had decided that it would probably be better for him to hide behind a pillar and just listen to what was being said.
So what in the bloody hell made him step out the second Hitomi had finished and clear his throat loudly, Jonathan had no idea. Oh, well.
"Thrall had balls." He said, making his way down the aisle. "Now, everyone here, especially the males, will claim to have balls, but they really don't. At least, not like Thrall did. Take the story Hitomi just told. I got ambushed by two of the things, and what do I do? I ran the fuck away. You might pat yourself on the head and tell yourself 'it's okay, I know I would have taken them on for the good of the world'. Well, you weren't there. You were either running around being a hero in a big group with lots of people to stand in front of you or taking a fucking nap."
Jonathan reached the casket and gestured down at it, turning to face the assembled group. "Him? He had a serious pair. More than me, and probably more than most of you. This guy fought a horde of those things, a whole fucking horde, and from the way I hear it, he had absolutely no intention of coming out of that alive. He did it, and I didn't know him well enough to know why, but I know he fought them and he died fighting them and that makes him okay in my book, which is a very small book."
"I didn't know him very well, but my few encounters with him were mostly of a rather unfriendly nature. Some of you are probably wondering why I'm talking here. Some of you are probably wondering who the fuck I am in the first place. Well, the thing about our encounters that always made me think once the blows were done was this; this boy, this man who you're all mourning today, he didn't like me. And he didn't like me because I was an ass."
Jonathan stepped around the casket and started down the aisle. "The thing that always struck me about that is that most people I encounter seem to have a problem with me simply because I'm not like you. I'm sure there's a ton of theories about why I magically was dragged kicking and screaming into existence and frankly, I couldn't give a flying fuck if I was dropped in here as some sort of punishment from a giant purple chicken with flaming eyeballs. Thrall, I think... he didn't care about that. He saw a kid being an asshole to another kid and he stepped in to stop me."
"I'm sure that you're still trying to comfort yourselves by whispering things like 'That's why I don't like you!" into your pathetic brains but here's the fundamental truth. You're being lying fuck-heads to yourselves. Thrall was the only person I can reasonably say didn't like me completely because I was an ass. He and I had our first encounter before my five-minute life story leaked out, and he behaved exactly like he should have. He rushed to the aid of his family, without knowing who I was, because that's who he was, or at least, that's how I always thought he was. Maybe I was wrong. I frequently am."
When he reached the end of the aisle, Jonathan turned and faced the stage and the casket. "The fact remains that Thrall apparently died a hero's death, which is no less than he deserved. Everyone dies, and I think Thrall would have wanted to go out kicking something else's ass. Besides, no one wants immortality. Not really. Even Vampires have to die sometime. They just don't die of natural causes. They aren't perfect. They fuck up eventually. No one wants to live forever, to watch everyone else die around them. That would be depressing. No, we all have to die, and Thrall's death was... Thrall's death was tragic, yes, but it's what he would have wanted. To go out fighting. And he did. Those of you that wonder why he had to die... he didn't. But he did, and he did it for the right reasons, and he kicked ass doing it. And that's all that matters."
With that, Jonathan turned and retreated into the castle. The second he was out of view, he broke out into a jog and headed for the nearest escape route. If he had to sit through any more of that funeral, he was going to hit something.
Also, he was fairly sure he had pissed at least one person off. But for the first time, Jonathan didn't care one way or the other.
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Post by Carmen Oloran on Jan 20, 2010 19:56:27 GMT -5
Carmen sat in his seat after Jonathan dashed off counting to ten, any thing else would have been bullying. Then he quietly stood up depositing his sketchbook in his seat. He took a deep breath and then without a word bolted off towards the castle and Jonathan.
It wasn't hard to reach the idiot, he was fast because he was a spineless coward. Carmen was fast because he had a reason.
As he closed the distance Carmen grabbed Jonathan's arm twisting it swiftly behind his neck and then kicked hard at the back of his knees sending the other boy down. Carmen followed the motion down, slamming Jonathan into the ground stomach down he pushed his knee into his target's back and with one hand held his arm over his head, holding him trapped.
Carmen was calm, expressionless as he looked down at Jonathan with cold gray eyes.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Jan 21, 2010 11:12:47 GMT -5
Aramis looked up as Carmen ran. He'd barely heard Jonathan, which was probably a blessing, but obviously Carmen had. Glancing at the others, he stood and followed at a somewhat more sedate pace.
Running hurt his shoulder and he actually wanted to be able to do something (probably help Carmen in some way) when he got there. After all, he didn't have anything to say. He'd never really ever MET Thrall. Even if Thrall had seemed to have a vague dislike for him just because of his friendship with Carmen. As he passed Rivienne, he stopped. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a rose from the dying bush he'd 'healed' so early in the semester and set it on the casket. I might have never known you, Thrall... but of all the lives you saved that night, mine was probably one of the most direct. Whatever awaits after death... you deserve a good one. Rest well.
Bowing his head for a moment, he continued following Carmen, taking a moment to catch up and looking down at the two of them. Well, luckily Carmen hadn't done much of anything yet... Aramis wasn't sure if he thought that was lucky because that meant he could watch or that meant he might be able to prevent something.
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