RP:A Dearly Departed Dragon

Event: A funeral in memory of Scandal, and a tree planting ceremony to honor the life of the dragon.

Location: Mystical Stream in Enchantment

Hosts: Lanara and Talyara

Part of the Magic, Madness, and Mayhem Arc

It’s late in the morning, the air is brisk, and the autumnal hues of red, orange, and yellow, provide a beautiful backdrop for this rather somber affair. The trickling sound of the stream, the gentle caress of the breeze, and the scent of the forest are all constant reminders that although everyone here is joined by death, they are eternally surrounded by life through the essence of nature. About fifty feet from the stream rests a newly planted sapling, standing tall and evoking a brawniness that most young oak trees don’t possess. The tree seems to withstand even the fiercest gust of wind, and a few companion shrubs have been planted nearby, to loan it nutrients as it grows to be a menacing giant. This particular species was chosen because oak’s are said to represent knowledge, strength, and honor, all of which are a reflection on the dragon that it was planted to memorialize. In the fall, the oak will sprout acorns, which are symbolic of immortality and fertility, and although Scandal is gone from this realm, he will surely live on in the element of earth. A small podium has been erected to the right of the area, with an enchanted microphone, so the voice of the speaker will be heard above the bubbling brook. Before the podium is a large basket containing two dozen long-stemmed roses, a vivid array of crimson and onyx, in memory of the scales of the late dragon. Further to the right, a large table has been set up; with a large assortment of refreshments should one wish to partake after the blessing of the sapling and eulogy.

(Post 1 of 2) Lanara stands beside Talyara, wearing a simple black dress that reaches her knees, a black pair of pumps, and has a black sheer veil draped over her head. The witch is mourning the death of her brother, and partially hiding her identity, until the precise moment when she would give the eulogy. Chocolate hues take in each person that arrives to pay their respects; Chef Whamsey, The Backstreet Bards, Venin, Trinity, Blue, guild mates, close friends of the witch sisters, and of course, a few of the locals that wanted to show their support. A reindeer meanders through the forest, a bunch of weeds in his mouth, as he bumps into several of those that are gathered without a care. “Out of my way! The dragon jerk had to go and die on us, and I don’t want to be late to the funeral! They don’t even have a bloody body to bury!” Lana whispers, “Rude Off! Get over here!” Thankfully, the reindeer obeys his mistress and weaves his way over, nearly blowing her cover and shouting her name, but thankfully a thorn jabs him in the tongue and he spits out the weeds instead. After a moment, he recovers and takes in her scent, “I thought you were still in the loony bin! Did you get a day pass!?” The witch shakes her head and bites the inside of her cheek, grateful to see her beloved pet, but wishing he didn’t choose this exact moment to make his appearance. Scandal hated the reindeer and vice versa, but she couldn’t ask him to leave, so she shoves a black rose in his mouth and points towards Nick, “Go stand over by him, and when I nod and look at you, that’s when you can come and drop the rose on the ground, okay?” Rude Off glances at the bard, “He can’t sing for shi-“ another rose is placed in his mouth before he finishes with an expletive and wanders off. The sister’s wait a few more minutes, in case anyone arrives late, before Lana walks over to the podium and pulls the veil away from her face. There are murmurs in the crowd, as some guests assumed she was insane and at an asylum, whereas others had pegged her as a criminal for all the murders that led to her being sent away. She stands tall and faces the crowd, her gaze unflinching, her voice steady, “Please, quiet down, everyone. I know that it comes as a surprise to some of you to see my face… It’s a surprise to me, too, as I wasn’t ready to tell the public that I’ve returned to the lands. There will be a trial held here, in Enchantment, and depending on the outcome I may be joining my brother on the Otherside, or I will be deemed fit to rejoin society. However, this moment is –not- about me, it’s about the loss of my adopted brother, Scandal. So please, put your prejudices aside for a little while, so that I can say a few words and so my sister can perform a blessing on the sapling.”

(Post 2 of 2) Lanara is relieved when the gossiping comes to a cease, and she leans forward so that her words will be magnified to reach everyone’s ears. “Scandal Scrathulclaw had a rough upbringing and a far from glamorous life, before he moved to Lithrydel. He didn’t have any friends or any family to speak of, and his horde was minimal, at best. He had hopes of one day settling down somewhere, starting up a business, and finding others of his kind to call comrades. Scandal eventually found a home in Venturil, as he was drawn to the freedom of the west, the unpredictable climate, and the quietness of the forest. It wasn’t long before he met a pair of sisters, Talyara and Lanara, and we had such grand adventures! We’ve traveled all over the realm, have gotten into more bar fights than I can count, spent holidays together, and were there for each other in every aspect. Seeing that our bond was unbreakable, the three of us decided to make it official, and we legally adopted each other as siblings. To you, this may not seem like a big deal, but to Scandal it was everything, as he now had a family. And to Taly and I? We cherished the fact that a dragon wished to call two witches his sisters, as those that practice the craft are often ostracized from communities. He loved every fiber of us, the good, the bad, and the ugly parts, and he never once judged us in any way. Scandal said that we were more precious than his entire horde, which was massive in later years, as he was quite the entrepreneur! He founded the Lithrydel Dragon Trust, invented an alcoholic beverage, and opened a seafood restaurant in Cenril. Unlike most dragons, he was incredibly generous, often donating to various charities and helping those in a financial crisis, without expecting anything in return. He treasured his close friends and guild mates, proud to be the comedic relief, protector, or aerial transportation. Scandal’s death came as a shock to us all, because he never showed us that he was depressed…” Tears begin to spill onto Lana’s cheeks, so she hurriedly concludes the eulogy, “He may be gone, but he will –never- be forgotten, and he will always remain in our hearts. I will miss you, Brother, and I love you…” Stepping from the podium, she plucks a red rose from the basket, places a kiss upon the petals, and lays it on the ground before the sapling. Lana moves to the side of the tree, softly crying, and focuses on Taly as she performs the blessing.

(Post 1 of 3) Talyara :: It was striking how similarly Lanara and Talyara actually looked alike when their differences weren't so obvious. The younger witch had opted to magically straighten her hair for the somber occasion, leaving only the ends of her tresses slightly curled. Even sadness had stolen the vividness from her emerald eyes so that they appeared dark and muted. Without her unruly, curly locks and brightly hued eyes to steal the focus, the resemblance between the sisters was obvious; little did those gathered know that the veiled woman besides Talyara was indeed Lanara. It was the perfect autumnal weather with the strong breeze caressing exposed skin, loose hair, and leaves alike. It was cool but not unbearably so. It was just like being back home in Kelvar. Talyara’s attire is similar to Lanara's as well, a simple black dress made of soft cotton that is cinched at the waist and flares out to her knees. Still self conscious of the scar on her forearm, Taly had the seamstress attach a black lace overlay on the bodice in order to fashion long sleeves that end in points on the back of her hands. She had forgone heels in favor of black flats in order to better navigate the soft terrain near the stream. Grief is a funny thing with Talyara, it transforms her into someone completely else. While she was known for feeling her emotions very strongly and not being afraid to show them, this type of sadness seems to rob her of that ability. Those closest to her would see the subtle shifts, like the color of eyes, the small indent of her right cheek which meant she was gnawing on the inside flesh anxiously, or the whiteness of her knuckles as she wrung her fingers tightly. Taly had grieved the loss of her covenmates and her mother by herself. No service was held--the drow had simply disposed of the bodies of those they killed. Likewise, she had grieved the loss of Lanara, twice, on her own. The truth was, Taly didn’t know how to do this with people, especially those she considered friends. Some may argue that her time spent with the silver haired warrior was rubbing off on her, thus her more stoic nature at her brother’s funeral. But the truth was, she just didn’t know how to do this surrounded by loved ones.

(Post 2 of 3) Talyara’s stoicism is shaken only when, seemingly out of nowhere Rude Off appears--it had been quite awhile since the witch had laid eyes upon the foul mouthed deer. Thankfully, despite his separation from Lana since her commitment to the institution, he still respects her enough to follow her orders (even if he has to complain about it the whole time) but that doesn’t stop the younger sister from side eyeing Lanara before turning her attention to the other guests that have gathered. Briefly, her gaze passes the panther Zahrani, a friend to the witch sisters and Scandal alike, Taly was unsurprised to see her present, and she gives the paladin the slightest of nods in recognition should their eyes meet. A few others who notice Talyara looking their way offer a comforting smile or sympathetic look, but still she only nods in return. Eventually, her eyes settle on the oak sapling the sisters had planted together earlier in the day and there they remain until her sister steps up to the podium and withdraws the black veil to reveal her face and the murmuring starts. She snaps her head towards the audience and narrows her eyes slightly as if daring anyone to cause a scene on this day to honor their deceased brother. Thankfully, after a few more smatterings of mutters, quiet befalls the mourning crowd once more, and Lanara in all her elegance, delivers a beautiful eulogy befitting their dragon brother. Taly doesn’t break down in wracking sobs, her shoulders do not sag, but silent tears drip down her cheeks which the witch reaches up to wipe them away. She was thankful that Lanara gave the speech as opposed to her, she was poised and was able to capture the true essence of who Scandal was; it was so much more eloquent than the clunky words she had tried to write. Once Lanara takes up the red rose and moves off to the side now its Taly’s turn.

(Post 3 of 3) Talyara forgoes the podium all-together and instead makes her way towards the sapling. She crouches down to retrieve a glass jar of water. To those not familiar with the craft, they might assume it is regular drinking water; however, it had been collected from this very stream and set out under the full moon to absorb the Goddess’s energy. It was a witch’s holy water and would be used in the blessing of this tree. Unfastening the lid, Taly begins to walk deosil, clockwise, and sprinkle the water at the base of the trunk while she recites, “Leaf and seed, bough and shoot, twig and bark, please take root. With God’s great strength, and Goddess’ love, we bid you grow, to the heavens above. In memory of Scandal, we bless this tree, may his memory be everlasting, so mote it be.” Talyara speaks loudly and clearly, her voice only breaking on the last syllable as she upturns the remaining water on the soil. Closing the lid, the witch moves to the side and grasps a black rose before following her sister’s lead--pressing the dark petals to her lips before tossing it with Lanara’s red one. She only pauses at the podium long enough to invite anyone else who wishes to speak to come forward and offer their own words of comfort or a memory to share. A basket of red and black roses are provided for the congregation to mimic the sisters and place their own flowers at the base of the sapling in a final send off to Scandal. Taking her place at Lanara’s side once more, Taly entwines her fingers with the elder witch’s and gives her hand a comforting squeeze.

Meri :: It should come as no surprise that Khitti and Meri arrive to the funeral at the same time. Given the proximity of the location to the funeral to Meri's current home and to Khitti's current home, it made perfect sence for sister's to end up traveling together. It was a short walk from Meri's home to the mystical steam. Meri was dressed appropriately for the somber mood of the event, it was not a black dress that she was wearing though. Instead the woman had found a nice pair of black slacks and stole one of Cal's fancy black jackets for the purposes of this event. There were perks to being almost as tall as her Catalian-counterpart. Clutched within the grasp of one hand are two pristine roses, one red in color and one black. Why? Well Meri had thought the instructions had said to bring flowers, but it seems those were provided. Oh well. She tried. Meri is here, with flowers, and remaining pretty much non-talkative through the entire affair. She'll follow everyone else's lead and do the rose tossing when appropriate.

Khitti || Telling the witch sisters about Scandal’s demise had proven to be easier than Khitti first thought. Actually -going- to the dragon’s funeral, well… that was a little different. Of course, none of this was the fault of the sisters or their dearly departed brother. After yet another ordeal in the Shadow Plane, Khitti was a little, uh, stabby when it came to trees. Okay, really stabby. And it was treants specifically, but you know, they’re pretty much the same. Dressed all in black as per usual with funerals--and moody individuals--the redhead met with her sister and the two walked on to the stream. Much like the psion, Khitti had also a pair of roses for the event, but her own had stems clipped short and were held within a large claw clip that also pulled her hair back from her face, albeit but two long strands to act as bangs. It was clear Khitti was in a mood, but she hoped that others would just chalk it up to the funeral. It’s not like Khitti was without guilt when it came to Scandal anyway--she’d been his guild leader, and friend, and failed him.

Lanara returns the squeeze to Taly’s hand, and leans in to whisper, “Your blessing was beautiful, Sister. I’m sure our brother heard every word and that the sapling will grow as to be as strong and wise as the dragon was, in life.” She falls silent as others begin to place their roses atop the freshly dug earth, and were the atmosphere not so gloomy she would have smiled at Meri. The psion had remembered to bring a rose, like the sister’s had requested, and the basket of flowers was there in case some had forgotten. Leave it to Meri to follow instructions exactly as they were given, though Lana is grateful, as the woman –always- came through for her friends. That close attention to detail is what had the skull back in her possession, after all! Khitti follows behind Meri, and something seems a tad off about her demeanor, but Lana is almost certain that it’s in regard to the funeral. Death had a way of reminding people that their lives were only temporary, and that was an awful way to look at things. The witch catches the redhead’s eye, and she’s about to give a nod, when Rude-Off comes barreling around the corner and literally hurls the rose onto the ground. His animalistic eulogy comes with a few heated stomps of his hooves, and it’s only when he lifts his leg to mark the tree that Lana leaves her sister’s side to calm the reindeer. Scandal had been his companion for six months, so he likely was hurting. Who knew he even had feelings?! As Lana has him eating his emotions with an oatmeal cookie, the rest of the procession say their goodbyes, and everyone begins to mingle. Accepting condolences is harder than one would imagine, but Lana trudges through it, with hugs, handshakes, and sympathetic smiles. A few give her dirty looks or only bother talking to Taly, and she tries not to look offended. “Meri and Khitti… Thank you both for coming.” Each of her close friends is pulled in for a tight hug, though she glares at Zahrani over their shoulders as they lock eyes. The feline hadn’t been there for –either- of the witches after the abduction, nor was she there for Scandal when he had taken his own life. The guilt train was taking many turns on this dreary occasion.

Talyara cants her head to the side when Lanara whispers her praise of her blessing. Taly shrugs off the compliment shyly and mutters her own praises back to her sister. "Your eulogy was beautiful. You said everything I was thinking and feeling yet couldn't put into words myself." Talyara feels the ghost of a smile twitch at the corners of her lips when she spies Meri and Khitti, touched (albeit not surprised) that the women had come to pay their respects. Taly was unsure of how deeply their respective friendships ran with Scandal, but she knew they had all been guildmates, and that, at the very least, there was trust and companionship there. Nick the Backstreet Bard had begun to sing some type of hymn that was unfamiliar to the witch but was most likely something that was common place in Lithrydel funerals. Talyara's eyes widen in surprise at Rude Off's antics and she nudges Lana to go and handle the situation as she always seemed to be the only one to be able to placate the verbally aggressive deer. Once he's pacified with an oatmeal cookie, Taly stands soberly at her sister's side, that stoic mask slipping back into place when the guests come to offer their condolences. She's quiet and polite; however, those who are unkind or refuse to speak to her sister are given an uncomfortable squeeze of their hands and dismissed quickly. When Khitti and Meri approach Lanara, the younger witch follows suit, hugging both in turn and expressing appreciation for them coming to pay their respects. "And thank you for thinking to send food!" Talyara says to Khitti. "Honestly, it was hard enough to remember the coffee and pastries for the guests. Thank the goddess that Lana remembered."

Meri :: Oh. We're going to hug. Well. Sometimes hugs were like water and Meri was like a cat, they just don't mix. She can do the one armed hugs? But a full hug? Somehow she almost always managed to make it awkward. Meri tries very hard to not make this hug awkward, but given that she concludes it with a bit of a pat-pat to Lanara's shoulder...It might be just a little weird. Meri has to spend a moment thinking about a good response to Lanara's 'thank you for coming'. There were some knee-jerk-reaction sayings that would just not be appropriate for this situation like...'glad to be here!' Yeah. Meri was not exactly glad to be here. No one was. There were many here who felt guilty, like they failed Scandal...and to an extent Meri did as well? And yet at the same time, she was angry at Scandal for being so selfish, and not even communicating to anyone that he was hurting? "I'm sorry for your loss," Meri finally says in response to Lanara and Talyara. "And I hope the next time we see each other are under more pleasant circumstances." You know, no funerals, no robberies.

Khitti’s eye twitched somewhat at Rude-Off, not having been formally acquainted with the reindeer before. Would Lanara be upset if Khitti had him made into a sandwich? Probably. Oi. Alright, Khitti will not make a gourmet sandwich out of the not-so-nice reindeer. “Yeah, no problem,” Khitti said with a faint smile. She’d get hugged as well, of course, and she returned it--she wasn’t -quite- as put off by it like Meri was--but there’d be no back-patting. Because her hands hurt. But, shh. “I’m sure Scandal would be happy with what both of you have done. Not too many people showed him kindness when he needed it, but you two did.” Khitti couldn’t quite add herself into that pile, unfortunately. Too many times had she gotten into an argument about Scandal and his mentioning vague loyalties to Larket. But, that was not a thing to say now, if ever. Probably never ever. Definitely. Do not spoil the memory of their brother, Khitti. You do enough damage as it is.

Lanara is relieved that only a few drops of urine marred the dirt around the tree, but it wasn’t that noticeable. Leave it to Rude-Off to make a lasting impression, even at a funeral! The guests are mildly irritated, and now the reindeer and the witch are each getting dirty looks! “Yes, I hope the next time we all meet it’s for a celebration of some sort, and not… Well… A… Death.” Tears spring to Lana’s eyes as she’s overcome with emotion, and she would have pulled Meri in for another hug if the psion wasn’t so awkward with affection. Khitti’s reassurances that they gave Scandal a proper sendoff is noted, but it’s hard to feel proud at a time like this, so Lana gives a faint smile as the tears make their way down her cheeks. She’s covered in mascara and eyeliner and the backs of her hands are stained as she keeps trying to dry her tears, and for the first time in all her many years, Lanara fails at pulling off the hot mess look. “I… I need to go. This is just a really bad time.” The witch looks at Taly, helplessly, “You handle the guests, I need to be alone right now…” Meri and Khitti are each given a parting wave, before she tearfully heads back to her apartment above the flower shop.

Talyara would apologize to Meri if she knew she wasn't a hugging-type person, but Taly is so even if it's awkward she appreciates the affection all the same. Something about Khitti's energy seems off but Taly chalks it up to the funeral; after all, she's not acting as she normally would either. She's in no position to judge anyone on how they grieve. To Khitti's praise of the funeral, Taly nods somberly but tries to smile all the same. "Thank you, I think he is looking down at us and is happy about the ceremony. Even Rude-Off's antics!" It's her attempt to insert a bit of humor into the situation even though she doesn't even feel like smiling. Talyara can sense that Lana is losing her composure and even after she expresses her need to go, Taly catches her hand quickly and gives it a squeeze. "I'll come see you soon," she says under her breath so only her sister and the other two women would hear. She watches her sister depart before heaving a heavy sigh and turning back to Meri and Khitti. "I should go see to the other guests. But thank you again for coming, it means a lot." Khitti is pulled in for another quick hug and, as if intuitively knowing Meri would not like that, she opts to give the blonde an affectionate squeeze on her arm before slipping through the crowd to mingle with the other guests and see them off before heading to the flower shop to check on Lanara.