Funeral Service for Adaman and Hodaka Morishima

[giddyundertaker]

[ An hour or two after the first trial's end, Hild and the Undertaker set out to invite as many people as possible to the Restaurant for the funerals of our dearly departed friends.

Why the restaurant of all places? Because there aren't enough chairs and tables elsewhere.

Indeed, some of the tables have been moved against the wall to make room for the seats. The chairs have been set up in four rows of six, like an improvised theater or a church. To the side, a small buffet has been set up courtesy of Obi, Mafuyu, and Hild. As for the main event? Two tables have been set up and decorated in black fabric and white flowers. In lieu of a live viewing, two drawings referenced from the profiles have been set up in the center of funeral wreaths... They're not the best, due to the artist's handicaps, but it does look like Adaman and Hodaka at least.]

Comments

[pairtner]

I don't. I know exactly where I came from, who created me, what my purpose in existence is, and everything about myself. It's hard to believe in something higher when you know the exact answers to all that.

[AIs are a simple existence, when you think about it. As human as Aiba's behavior and thoughts can be, it doesn't change she's an artificial creation]

At times like these I wish I knew more about faith, though. It's what the deceased deserve.

[Something insincere won't do. Aiba is more than capable of praying alongside someone, but until now it's not like she had felt particularly faithful. When it's about the two who died today, an insincere prayer feels like an insult]

[howveryglib]

…

[uh.]

Is it fatal amounts of blood on a regular basis? Given that it has not been a problem yet I would presume it is manageable enough, but I would prefer to work out some sort of arrangement to keep things from getting out of hand.

[fuckingguy]

... It is not necessarily fatal.

Hmm. Gaius, you are a pragmatic man, are you not? I have been getting that impression.

[visiblepattern]

[He considers all of that for a moment. He can imagine this must be difficult for Aiba; he can't really relate well to what she's going to, but he does know he wants to try to help her feel better. So maybe...]

...Adaman told me a little bit about his god. His god wants us to live our lives to the fullest, because the time we have in this world is limited. We should spend what time we do have in the best way we know how, and we should do what we can for others and to make the world a better place. Be mindful, but not so much that it consumes everything you do. Learn from your mistakes, and make the best of your life moving forward.

I think that's something you can do, whether you believe in Almighty Sinnoh or not.

[howveryglib]

I have a hard time imagining any god as benevolent, but we are all from different realms. Perhaps it is possible that Sinnoh is, in fact, what their people want them to be… I suppose if they do exist, I hope they are benevolent, for the sake of the people of Adaman’s homeland.

[visiblepattern]

[See! See, Nandor gets it. That is a cursed string of words, but Nandor gets it.]

It is. Hopefully she was able to return home more or less all right...

[howveryglib]

I will not deny that I am. Ultimately, I want to do what is best for all of us.

cw: mention of lobotomies, or adjacent

[dullshooter]

No, because that's stupid and anyone who says that is trying - and failing - to sound cool. That, and you didn't get the one of us that's a neurosurgeon to make it possible. You should -

[He tries to think of something. He can't. He lowers the nerf gun, useless in the first place, to his side.]

- I don't know.

[And he doesn't. He thinks about Krok, his only frame of reference, someone who couldn't cope with loss to the point he stopped believing it happened - and they all just played along with that. It was easier, just go along with it. There's a metaphor about sleepwalking.

But he didn't wake up. And it kept going. And going. And it's frustrating, seeing someone you've spent the last how-many-years-with keep denying the situation, pretending otherwise, and you're all in on it but you have to pretend otherwise, even though it's not helping, and maybe if you called it quits the first few months in it would be easier to rip the bandaid. But it's been years, and instead of gently waking, you're going to have to use a slap.]

...Don't get caught up in it?

[dullshooter]

[Misfire tilts his head at Aiba's approach.]

Clearly, you haven't been to enough places.

[He pulls the trigger of his nerf gun but - out of ammo. He'll have to go collect the rest of those foam pellets, but...not right now. He doesn't feel like he can get up.]

...I'm not gonna force you if you just want to, but you don't have to worry about keeping up the human looks around me, at least. We're all mechanical here.

[fuckingguy]

... You are not?

[ Then what is the point?? ]

[fuckingguy]

[ Waving a hand in mild, conversational, exasperation! ]

Look, I do not usually trouble myself with these things. You know it counts if you start smoking, and then you either kill the person, or you retreat. But here, you know... lots of time to think about it.

[fuckingguy]

[ He pauses, putting a brief stop to what was definitely going to be more nagging! Then he says, simply: ]

I don't know. [ Looking at it logically, Joy was the one who actually brought his name into it. When it was showing his fangs or potentially being seen as the culprit, he was more than willing to see reason... but now they are all out of harm's way, and he is left to deal with the fallout. (Also, Nandor doesn't look at things logically when they impact him, he just gets steadily more pedantic and annoying.) ] We shall see how this affects the group dynamic. Also, whether or not anyone attempts killing me.

Must admit, I did not expect you to be the one to approach.

[dullshooter]

Really? Mate...that's grim.

[He feels bad for Nandor's inevitable fate. At least, maybe, he might find some freedom in abandoning clothes for good.]

I don't know what to tell you, we're just built to last this long.

[But that's a bit of a shit answer by itself, and he knows Nandor will point it out as such. He tries to think a little more on it.]

I mean, we had the war going on for so long that it kind of distracted us from the horrors of ageing because we all just really didn't want to die. Though, of course, the war seriously messed up some people's brains so I wouldn't exactly reccomend it as a good coping strategy.

[Ugh. He leans back. There's something along the lines of a laugh. A grin.]

Guess I could say the only reason I look 'normal' to you is because I keep up a whole jokey persona that rebuffs any assumptions otherwise...but who wants to hear that?

[fuckingguy]

Yes, as I thought. Excellent. That is why I will admit this to you.

[ There is something distinctly military in the way he holds himself for the next few sentences. ]

I am not a "friendly vampire", or a "decent bloke", or any of the other nice things they said of me back there. I have lived many years and slaughtered many thousands. But as long as we are all here, we must function as a team, and I have no desire to compromise that. I may not be accustomed to curbing my appetites... but I can. And I will. All of you are off limits.

[ Just like the documentary crew! ]

... You understand why I cannot be honest about this with Jonathan and the rest, of course.

[dullshooter]

After what you did for the little loser today, anyone who thinks you're just looking cold needs their head checked out. Preferably with my fist.

[The way Brett helped Hodaka calm himself in the trial came from nothing but compassion, and even an idiot like Misfire can recognise that.]

But I'm willing to be flexible.

[dullshooter]

There's a lot of ways to make someone want to kill. And I'm pretty sure he said something about 'sparing no expense'. This is only gonna be the start of it.

[Better invest in some mourning clothes.]

[honeyedtea]

... so he did.

[ It's not the time or place for it, but Mielle suddenly thinks back to the tea party yesterday (how on earth could it have been just yesterday) and the Undertaker's less than appropriate choice in crafting project. Thinks of just how eager he's been this whole time to have someone drop dead so he had an opportunity for something like this and she can't stop her mouth from curling in distaste. ]

I suppose he's been ready to jump at the opportunity for something like this all along.

[fuckingguy]

[ Ever an absolute hater of having to hear about anyone's feelings, including his own, Nandor tries to cut this off at the pass once he sees Jonathan pulling up a chair! But he doesn't try all that hard, and it's immediately too late. ]

Oh. No, that's really not... Okay, you're going for it.

[ And from that point on, he's just kind of along for the ride! As Jonathan continues, he's starting to feel extremely stupid for not having caught on to the fact that he didn't know his dark secret the whole time... but, more than that, he's getting increasingly angry with himself.

Several equally self-loathing narratives have been duking it out inside Nandor's head for the last three days, but they have one very important commonality: his undeniable cowardice. He does not want this soft little man to tell him that he is nice. He knows for a fact that he is not. But Nandor, if for no reason other than the fact that he is constantly No Thoughts Head Empty, can be a bit hard to read sometimes! His expression throughout is uncomfortable, more than anything else. ]

Wow. [ ... ] Well, firstly, apology accepted.

[inaclearing]

[Brett lets out a shuddery breath and shakes his head.]

I'm the one who -

[He's the one who pushed them all to find the solution. He's the one who went on digging. Maybe he didn't exactly drag that awful confession out of Hodaka, but it feels that way.]

cw: dissociation

[inaclearing]

[Brett folds his arms, close against his body. He can't quite reach anger or even disgust right now; his head's buzzing too much.]

I guess so. He said - it was what he could prepare for.

[fuckingguy]

I am certain she was. If they had just rudely dropped them off wherever... well, that is not important. But I would know.

[pairtner]

...they may not truly be gone. They might be somewhere else in the city.

[Apparently Aiba is no optimist at all, hah]

Are you insane?! Of course he isn't! We're partners and nothing else, and I know way too much about his tastes.

[Hah, do you ever, Aiba]

[giddyundertaker]

No, why would I?

[ The point is a secret. Though you are a funny guy. ]

[dullshooter]

Unless you're about to follow that up with 'brought us all here' - which, no offense Brett, I'm not sure you're capable of - then whatever you're saying, whatever you're thinking is all self blame and complete bull.

[And going in that direction sure as hell won't change a single thing.]

You helped him. You calmed him down so he didn't go to his death in some asbent-minded haze. Showed him someone cared enough to bother.

[pairtner]

[Hah, after everything that happened Aiba truly has said 'fuck it' to everything. The combination of both the hostages having been present and in person, and the events of the trial, pretty much stamped away her subtlety]

That's true -- but at the same time it felt like you were... [How to put it...

Maybe putting it in any way don't do. She may be presuming too much about how someone reacts, she figures.

Still...instead she asks:]

Had you formed a friendship with Adaman or Hodaka?