Requiem æternam dona eis

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[There is a large funeral pyre on the Plane. It is large enough to hold over a hundred bodies. The pyre is edged in a thick wall of stone to contain the fire. There are a handful of devices embeded into the stonework to contain the fire and the heat. There is also a transmat in the pyre.]

[In a moment, all the bodies from the onsen still there are transmatted onto the pyre. They're under the canvas, so no one has to see the gruesome sight.]

I should say something then, shouldn't I? [Benny is awkwardly quiet for a moment, not really sure how to proceed. If only they were enemies, they could send them off in some grand Martian manner. Oh well. She looks to Brax, and then back to the pyre again, clearing her throat and starting again] Right, well we're gathered here today-- [she stops short, making a face] Oh, that's weddings, isn't it? Bullocks. [she fidgets, looking to Brax again, before taking another deep breath and trying again] I can't say I knew anyone I saw in that room. A few looked familiar, but in the face of it all, I really can't say I could distinguish one from the other. I don't know what kind of people they were, but regardless, they deserved better than that display. [another pause, and she turns to Brax] Oh, I'm rubbish at this. Can't you say anything?

[Braxiatel, in funeral greys, shakes his head. His voice is quiet.] Not unless you want the funeral rites for a fallen Martian warrior. Or, Heavens forfend, one of my own kind. [He places a hand of support on Benny's shoulder.] This isn't for grieving friends and family, Benny. This is for them and for you.

For me? [she pauses at that, and almost protests, but stops short] Right, well maybe just a moment of silence then. I know if it were me, I'd want to tell myself to shut up about now, too. [she looks to the pyre, and then back to Brax] Do we light it now?

[Braxiatel hands Benny a lit torch.] Just put it to the pyre. The stone is programmed to guide the flame.

[Benny stares at the torch before taking it. She approaches the pyre, hesitating once more as she stares it, before finally putting it to the pyre and watching it all burst into flames. She doesn't back away right away, but finally she backs away, returning the torch to Brax]

[Braxiatel accepts the torch, then blows it out. Silent, he reaches out to hold Benny's hand and watch the pyre burn.]

[and Benny in turn takes Brax's hand, her eyes never leaving the pyre]


{ooc; after this post.}

Comments

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

I've seen enough supposed prophecies fizzle into nothing that I'm quite convinced the entire business of prophecies is half rubbish anyway. Besides that, even at their best, they're only possibilities, aren't they?

[and she's thinking of a fairly charming demon king as a phrase rolls around in her mind.]

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

Certainly so. But their effect on people once they are known is often more powerful than the prophecy itself.

[collector]

If you tell a man he will kill someone he loves, he will begin to wonder who, and why. And then he'll find himself a loved one he might kill, and he'll discover the reasons he might kill them, even if those reasons are just inventions of his own mind. And then he'll follow through.

It's a cruel trick.

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[she looks to both of them, a sense that Brax's word mean something, something that will probably dawn on her later, but right now she is not up for thinking that hard. She bites her lip and then takes a deep breath before trying on nonchalance and a smile]

We're an absolutely cheerful lot, aren't we? Isn't this the bit of the wake where we're meant to crawl off to the nearest pub and get completely smashed? I don't know about you two, but I could really do with a drink right about now.

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

{so I was thinking "well Robespierre doesn't drink" until I saw this icon. Thought you should know.}

If you would like, Madame.

edited to make a full-fledged reference to a 1980s political comedy

[collector]

[oh well done]

[Brax gives Benny the smile of a civil servant watching his prime minister fall once again into idiosyncratic foibles.]

Yes, Professor.

ILU <3

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[well, having fallen into her idiosyncratic foible, she is barely aware of the way Brax is smiling or saying that]

Fantastic. Off we go then boys.

[and off she goes in the direction of the bar. She assumes they're following. If they aren't, she's perfectly capable of getting pissed all on her own as well]

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

{he hasn't gone drinking with, uh, anyone since Lia died. This is weird, but he follows behind silently}

[collector]

[Braxiatel slips his hand into his pocket, and in doing so he puts up an unseen forcefield around the pyre, just to be sure that no one tries to steal advanced technology while he's gone. Then he follows after Benny, keeping pace with Robespierre rather than Bernice. After all, Benny definitely gets to take the lead.]

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[Damn straight Benny takes the lead. As it should be. And now they get to the bar. Benny turns to Robespierre] 18th century France, you should be a wealth of knowledge on the topic. What wine would you suggest, [and she affects a haughty accent, something close to her Brax accent but with a bit more French flair] Monsieur?

[if she's going to socialize with a man responsible for countless atrocities, she'll at least get a good wine out of the bargain]

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

{He's clearly surprised, but answers easily} A new wine from the Champagne region is quite popular.

[collector]

[pinching the bridge of his nose] Please don't do accents.

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[she does a snotty and whiny version of her Brax accent] Please don't do accents.

[and back to her normal voice] I'm bloody fantastic at accents and you know it.

[a deep breath and then she smiles pleasantly at Robespierre.] Champagne. Lovely. Any particular year?

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

The drink has only just been invented, as it were. 1743 is the only vintage there is.

[collector]

[Brax ignores Benny] Now the interesting question is, should we pull that vintage from the shelves, how old will the bottle be?

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[surprised] That actually is an interesting question. Is there any way to tell?

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

I do not know, in all honesty. I rarely drink.

[collector]

Aside from using dating equipment from back home? Not really.

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

There's your problem right there. Maybe if you drank a bit more and...oh never mind. I'm going to search what they have behind the bar before I insert my foot any further into my mouth.

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

{His expression says 'that would be advisable,' but he says nothing}

[collector]

4193 was a good year for Champagne. They finally cleared the region of all its metal. Brought it back to nature, recovered the soil, stopped that terrible thousand year run of disgusting synthetic grapes. Not that all synethetic products make bad wines, of course. I've had some charming ones from Diplos in Tau Ceti. But Earth is wretched at it.

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[she holds up a bottle victoriously] Found it! [she looks around another moment, finding a corkscrew and three glasses. She returns to the boys] Don't do that. You're letting your snobbery show. [it's unclear if the comment is directed at Robespierre's look, Brax's speech, or both. Either way she smiles at Brax after, offering up the champagne bottle and corkscrew] Would you care to do the honours?

[le-traitre.livejournal.com]

{If it was directed towards him, he shows no sign of really caring, looking silently to Braxiatel}

[collector]

Don't be rude to our company, Benny. [Brax refuses to accept that he is a snob. He is simply a man of wealth and taste. He takes the bottle from Benny, opening it with minimum pop. Being a show-off may be fun, but it destroys the delicious bubbliness.] Glasses, Bernice?

[Brax, unlike Benny, generally never drinks directly from the bottle. On the other hand, when he invites Benny over to drink, he usually gives her several bottles of her own.]

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

As if I even know how to be rude.

[she has three glasses and slides them in front of Brax, a smug smile on her face]

If...Monsieur Robespierre here isn't having any, I think I can be gracious enough to take his glass off his hands as well.