The soil was still fresh. Most of the mourners had left, and the sky was no longer filled with the low, grey clouds that had persisted that morning. Despite the threats of rain, nothing had happened.
Dimitri stared at the brown, rocky soil, and at the dozens of grey headstones around him. The church bells began ringing. On Sundays, the only sound you'd hear in the old Mission Quarter were bells.
Felix paced behind him, hastily undoing his black tie. It was his first funeral for a friend. Ingrid just sat behind Dimitri, leaning on a cross-shaped headstone, not saying anything, but continuing to study Sylvain's grave, and how little the difference between the years were. Dedue, uncharacteristically, had already gone, waiting inside Dimitri's sedan.
"Are we doing anything?" Felix finally blurted out, clearly frustrated with Dimitri's silence.
"You two are free to head home." Dimitri said, avoiding Felix's question. "I'll be fine for the rest of the day."
"Dimi-Don Blaiddyd - " Ingrid started.
"Even Edelgard wouldn't strike at a funeral." Dimitri relaxed his posture.
"She didn't have any reservations at a damn race," Felix stepped behind Dimitri, his fists balled up. "Are we going to take this lying down? Are we actually going to let that bastard walk free?"
Dimitri felt his face tighten, but he tried to ignore it. Felix kept pacing, throwing his tie to the ground.
"This is a sign of weakness! We'll just let Edelgard or those gangbanger bastards on Federal Street murder our people without fighting back, and we'll be destroyed! Is that really what you want?"
Ingrid looked away. She knew Dimitri for long enough to know how he'd respond.
"Answer me!"
The Don turned around, his face oddly calm, and, with one hand, slapped Felix across the face. He was sent to the ground, falling over his legs, his arms crumpling up as they tried to break his fall.
"Do you know how many of my friends are buried here?" Dimitri scowled. "My family? My mother and father, and all of my brothers, died the same way that Slyvain did. Do you think we haven't tried avenging them? Do you think the Azurro Leonne doesn't believe in justice?"
Felix stayed silent, too scared to talk up again.
"If blood and bullets were enough to bring others back, we wouldn't be here today, but it's not."
Dimitri nodded towards Ingrid, and she started to make her way back to her car. Felix just looked away, down at Slyvain's grave.
"This is the life we choose to live, but it doesn't have to be our fate." Dimitri said, quiet, before walking down the stone path towards the church.