what's the worst that I can say? things are better if I stay

[facilitated]

Who: OPEN
What: The funeral of Phil Coulson and Maria Smith
When: Day 47, afternoon
Where: The Cemetery
Warnings: Discussions of character/NPC deaths? Will update as needed.

Notes: The headers are there to just help in chronologically ordering things, other than that it's party style. After the funeral there's a thing resembling a wake at the town hall. Mingle, have fun, mourn the losses.




It's been a pretty hectic twenty four hours for the people involved with arranging the funeral. Time hasn't exactly been on their side, but somehow they've all managed to throw something together. Laura for one looks absolutely exhausted - she hasn't actually slept yet, but in some ways that's almost preferable. Too much on her mind for that to be pleasant. Besides, there's been priorities like arranging a funeral in a day, and it's not the worst send off in the world, all things considered.

There's a second announcement the day after, and tired as she sounds Laura gives everyone the details for the funeral. That afternoon, at the cemetery. She's done the best she could do in a day, and it's not much, but at least it's something. That doesn't make the whole situation any less upsetting though, and it certainly doesn't make it any easier to drag herself through the day. She's there though, waiting at the cemetery for people to arrive.

Comments

BEFORE - breakfast with Jesse

[facilitated]

[facilitated]

Despite the fact that the sun is rising, Laura's still awake. She's gone from heavy pacing to slumped on the couch though, knee jittering lightly as she looks around the room. It's got to be enough, right? That's got to be everything. She's sure there's something that she must have forgotten though, a glaringly obvious detail that must have been missed. She can't quite put her finger on it, but it's got to be there. She's working herself up about it too much, has been for hours and it's stopped her from even so much as napping. Too much to do, too little time.

It's still ridiculously early, sun barely in the sky, and no one else is awake yet as far as she knows. She can't hear Jesse moving around, who knows where that Lucifer guy is. Laura hasn't seen anything of her other housemate beyond that first, very exposed meeting besides brief glimpses here and there. Slumped away on the couch, birds singing like there's nothing wrong about today, she can't help but slide down a little further on the couch. maybe if she just shuts her eyes for a few minutes. Jesse's got to wake her up when he gets up, right? She's out in the lounge, there's no way he can miss her.

It's slow going, but eventually she does manage to doze off.

[magnets]

It's ass o'clock in the morning and Jesse's still perched on the side of his bed, a notepad in his lap, a pencil in hand and absolutely nothing scrawled on the page. Laura's not the only one who didn't get any sleep, not really. It was his own fault, really, taking a little something to take the edge off the afternoon; he's wired, his knee's jarring around, and the two would have made quite the pair had they been in the same room. Jesse kept sequestered in his own space for the time being.

Something was off, and it wasn't just the dirt that he didn't think he'd ever get un-caked from under his fingernails. God, digging graves. It wasn't even a whole new low, was the biggest problem. No, it was just a middle ground, a new set of skills to add to his resume. He felt all over the place, he felt weirdly wrong. He couldn't sleep. His thoughts were about as scattered as his actions felt.

He had to fix this. The two of them had been awkward all day and if he wasn't sleeping, he wasn't just gonna sit around and wait around for the inevitable crash later. He had to keep himself busy, and that came with ideas that sounded really, awfully good when you were still a little high. He didn't even know what they had in the kitchen that would qualify as a breakfast, but he was sure as shit going to throw together something incredibly slapdash as a kind of apology that he still hadn't really mustered himself into saying.

It means tiptoeing past the couch when he gets up, making his way into the kitchen and starting to piece together some sad excuse for a meal that he can with what they have for food. Noodles and peas or some shit? That wasn't breakfast. He'd kill for some eggs.

He's awfully delicate when he's picking the frying pan out of the cupboard, but it makes an unmistakable bit of a rattle when he pulls the thing out. Oops. He's trying awfully hard not to wake her yet.

BEFORE - arrivals, commentary, preparation etc.

[facilitated]

[enchangement]

[ River arrives with a basket colander full of flowers, torn bits of cloth with the Mandarin characters for safe passage written on them, and incense sticks (the latter of which were found in some kitchen of some house that River doesn't even live in) pressed against her midsection.

She walks up to Laura and offers them with a small smile.]

[facilitated]

Hey uh, thanks for coming. [ That's what you say, right? She hasn't been to a funeral in a long time, not since she was a kid. She'll take the offered colander though, smile a little and gesture vaguely with a hand as she looks at River. ]

What a way to get yourself acquainted with the town, huh. A funeral.

[venatical]

[ He gets there's a gathering happening, so he pops his head in out of curiosity. It doesn't take long to figure out hey... Funeral. Awesome. He hangs around awkwardly, then shuffles up to someone. ]

Hey. Um... Who died?

[facilitated]

[ Laura's kind of hanging away a bit to avoid getting too caught up with all the people - she didn't exactly know either of the people who died after all, so she's just hovering and waiting for the next thing to do. And when a stranger comes and asks about the deceased? Well yeah, she's just going to go ahead and jump on the chance to explain.

...It beats waiting around for a funeral to start. ]

Hey, uh. One of us, a man called Phil. A woman too, Maria. She lived here. Are you new?

THE CEREMONY - eulogies

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[greenisnteasy]

Bruce spent some time figuring out what he ought to say, and he has some notes written down, but that doesn't make this any easier. He steps to the front and clears his throat before he pulls out his glasses and slips them on.

"I didn't know Maria very well, but I think it's safe to say that none of us did, considering." He clears his throat and glances up, eyes moving among the crowd to see if there's any recognition there. "She turned out to be more than just a science teacher, and in the end she tried to help us. That's probably why she's here today."

He glances at her casket, punctuating the end of what he has to say about her, and then turns back to his notes.

"Phil and I were closer. I can't say I'm a fan of G-men, but he was different. He was open and kind, and one hell of a nerd. What I know about Phil is that he was willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary to keep people safe, even if that meant sacrificing himself. He was a good friend with a good heart, and I'll name my next RPG character in his honor."

He offers a small smile at the crowd, then turns it on his casket. He gives a silent nod of farewell, then slides his glasses off and rejoins the group.

Re: THE CEREMONY - eulogies

[agentx13]

Sharon steps forward, dressed in a simple black dress and heels, a string of pearls around her neck making her look far more matronly than usual. It isn't lost on her that this is almost exactly what she wore to Peggy's funeral. But she's sure Coulson could overlook that if he were here, maybe even appreciate the link to Steve it gave him.

She had worked on what she wanted to say, listing and dismissing most of it hour after hour, finally dragging herself to bed far too late only to get up this morning and start again. In the end, she still isn't sure what she wants to say, even if she knows that she had memorized it before coming. She looks at Maria's casket first and clutches her hands together in front of her. Time to get this over with.

"I didn't know Maria well, but she didn't deserve to die this way. No one does. She was important to people. I don't know what sort of person she was back home. Maybe she had a family that's still waiting for her to come home. Friends who are wondering why they haven't heard from her in so long. And I hope, somehow, in some sense, she's able to be with them again." Fat chance, Sharon thinks darkly. She can mask her feelings, sure, but in Sharon's book, Maria is more than likely a traitor, and maybe Maria should be glad that she died before Sharon got her hands on her.

"Phil I knew better. He was one of the first people I met here, and we talked often. Phil... He had a skill with people, a knack with them. Even though he was always willing and capable of doing what needed to be done to protect others, he still managed to see the good in people. He was understated in the best sense - he didn't advertise himself, instead putting others before himself time and time again." She stops and swallows. She's sure that whoever did this to him... No. She couldn't think about that right now. This was supposed to be a celebration of his life, of everything he had meant to them. She didn't have the time right now to think of how much she hates whoever did this to him, how badly she wants to kill them. She has to focus. "He was an inspiration. Every time I lose faith in people, I have to remember that people like Phil Coulson, the biggest Captain America fanboy ever, existed."

And she'll never forget how someone had murdered him.

But she can't think about that right now. Later. For now, she just has to step back into line and try to control her temper. Phil should at least have a dignified send-off.

THE CEREMONY - other

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Re: THE CEREMONY - other

[thezerothlaw]

Daneel hangs back during the ceremony. He's not sure if he has any right to be here. He was only faintly acquainted with Phil, and knew Maria not at all, but humans have died, and it troubles him, and for reasons he can't explain, he wishes to be here.

He's never been to a funeral before. It's a very human thing. Maybe he should excuse himself.

Maybe not. He'll stay, and observe.

[nevermindtherunning]

The Doctor walks up just behind him. Although he hasn't spoken yet and doesn't know Daneel all that well, he can relate to him. The Doctor didn't know Phil either, and only spoke to Maria, trying to encourage her to listen to him and work together. She seemed so headstrong and confident with her own ideas, that she turned a deaf ear to him and everyone else.

"Hello there." The Doctor tucked his hands in his trouser pockets, watching the people move about. "Not going either?"

[onteamdyson]

[Despite her creepy, soothing love of cemeteries, Kenzi absolutely hates funerals. If anyone asks, she usually chalks it up to being unable to handle 'hysterical' but it's a little bit more than that.

It wasn't even that long ago that she'd been at Ciara's funeral with Bo and everyone else. Before all the shit with the Norn. Before she ended up here. Phil had meant too much to her not to show up, but she didn't want to say anything. She didn't feel like she had a right to say anything compared to people that actually knew him!

So Kenzi just hangs back with Galen. Present, but not her usual positive-and-upbeat self. Good thing she already had a lot of black in her wardrobe.]

AFTER - Town Hall

[facilitated]

AFTER - Town Hall

[enchangement]

[ There's a girl in combat boots and a dress milling around amongst everyone - she has an eye out for some people in particular but it's not as though she's ever disinterested in another soul. ]

[noblexcompanion]

[ Funerals are always so emotionally draining. Donna hates them. Yet at the same time things don't seem right without a funeral. It's closure and sometimes that's exactly what you need.

She's just glad they managed to find booze for the wake. It's definitely needed and welcomed. ]

[greenisnteasy]

[ It seems strange to mingle after something like a funeral, but Bruce isn't sure what else to do with himself, either. Go sit in solitude and reflect? Meditate? But does he really want to be alone with his thoughts right now?

He'll stand for being alone with this cookie, standing beside the food table and watching. He just might be in your way, but he's unaware of it. ]

[gleans]

[ Galen has been to his fair share of wakes. Sometimes, every glorious once in a while, there would be a wake that actually felt like a true celebration of life; one with music and laughter and singing. Most of them, though, were like this: quiet and subdued and sad. These are okay too, of course. It's not like many of them really knew Phil - or Maria - anyway.

Galen certainly didn't. He doesn't much feel like mingling, either, which is why he's sitting up near the front with his guitar and a glass of water, playing songs that are fitting but not too sad, lost in his own thoughts -- but not averse to talking if he's approached. Every now and again he stops to take a drink, even though he isn't singing. ]

[facilitated]

[ It's a little more personal obligation that keeps her at the gathering than mourning - Laura hasn't so much as spoke to either of the dead, the only tie she has to either is a dead body floating in a fountain, but she helped organise this. She can't just leave.

Besides, there are people here she knows. It's the right thing to do to stay. That doesn't mean she's doing much more than hovering in a corner awkwardly, nursing a drink as she observes the people gathered in the hall. ]

AFTER - other

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[retrograding]

[ Jet Star can be found mostly around Laura's side throughout the service. He isn't so fond of being around so many people, but he knows that's silly, and he ignores the uneasy feeling he gets at the sight of crowds. He stays quiet, his eyepatch covering his bad eye, his hair tamed into something respectful, clothes unusually dark - except for the patch of bright blue he'd sewn into his black jacket. Mourning is important, but color and vibrancy is important too, far more, especially in remembrance.

After the funeral, after the crowds have mostly gone, Jet will be standing near the graves, hands clasped behind his back. He didn't know either of them, but they were souls. He'll pay his respects. ]

Zzzzz - Laura, Jesse & Jet

[facilitated]

[ It's been a long day. People are starting to clear out of the hall, and Laura's still floating around making careful conversation and trying to comfort anyone who needs it. She's had a drink in her hand throughout the night, and even if it's only been a few all up she's still starting to feel it. It'll be alright if she just goes to sit down for a minute or two, right? There's not many people left, and she just wants a brief break. Finding a quiet corner with an empty seat, she drops down into it and tucks her legs up next to her.

Moments later, she's fast asleep. ]

[retrograding]

[ It doesn't take long to figure out where Laura went. He's talked to his boys and he's feeling a little less heavy, and now he needs to make sure another one of his baby chicks is still doing okay. Laura's looked sort of sickly - he knows she hasn't eaten much or slept much and he worries.

When he finds her, he smiles a little, and pulls up a chair to sit next to her. He'll wait here for a while, and see if Jesse comes by. If Jesse doesn't, Jet will take her home. He'll probably still do that even if Jesse does.

For right now Laura needs to sleep, and he's willing to be a guard dog for a while. ]