API tools faq
paste
Advertisement
Antioch_Orontes

Arc 15 Prelude: Funeral

Antioch_Orontes
May 26th, 2016
66
0
Never
Add comment
Not a member of Pastebin yet? Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!
text 21.22 KB | None | 0 0
raw download clone embed print report
  1.  
  2. [2016-04-09 15:15:54] <Antioch|GM> -------------------------
  3. [2016-04-09 15:16:12] → Wildbow joined (chatzilla@net-bs3s82.user.start.ca)
  4. [2016-04-09 15:16:13] → Lurks|Ethan joined (JustLurking@net-d2vdf5.mn.comcast.net)
  5. [2016-04-09 15:16:17] <Antioch|GM> There were discussions, on how the memorial for the deceased squadmembers were to be handled.
  6. [2016-04-09 15:16:19] ← Wildbow left (chatzilla@net-bs3s82.user.start.ca)
  7. [2016-04-09 15:16:52] → Newkid joined (Newkid@net-0njhuo.fios.verizon.net)
  8. [2016-04-09 15:18:14] <Antioch|GM> Something raised in their honor felt improper, any significant or weighty memoriams insincere, with their killer still very much at large.
  9. [2016-04-09 15:19:02] <Antioch|GM> It's a quiet, subdued affair. Friends, family, colleagues, gathered for the memorial service. Closed-casket funerals.
  10. [2016-04-09 15:21:27] <Antioch|GM> "... line of duty," Buchanan, the captain and PRT team overseer concludes. "They'll be remembered, and they'll be missed."
  11. [2016-04-09 15:22:13] <Antioch|GM> There's a moment of silence as he attends to each of the graves, a spadeful of earth deposited into each.
  12. [2016-04-09 15:23:27] <Antioch|GM> The weather isn't dismal, but winter crosswinds from the Erie bite at exposed skin, the gathered crowd covering their faces with woolen hats, scarves, anything else on hand.
  13. [2016-04-09 15:24:38] <Antioch|GM> The captain takes his seat next to the PRT's director, glancing at her as she warms her hands and face with a thermos of steaming coffee.
  14. [2016-04-09 15:25:02] <Antioch|GM> "I fucking hate speeches," he says, abruptly, interrupting ten seconds of silence.
  15. [2016-04-09 15:25:08] <Antioch|GM> "You're up." ||
  16. [2016-04-09 15:25:12] <Antioch|GM> >> Mega|Mendez
  17. [2016-04-09 15:25:33] <Mega|Mendez> ...
  18. [2016-04-09 15:27:29] <Mega|Mendez> Well, he's not the only one. I stand up and step up to speak.
  19. [2016-04-09 15:28:34] ⇐ Lurks|Ethan quit (JustLurking@net-d2vdf5.mn.comcast.net): Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client
  20. [2016-04-09 15:28:56] → Lurks|Ethan joined (LurksEthan@net-d2vdf5.mn.comcast.net)
  21. [2016-04-09 15:30:10] <Mega|Mendez> "This is not an easy speech for me to have," I begin. "The loss of five good men never is, and the circumstances of their deaths make it no easier."
  22. [2016-04-09 15:38:55] <Mega|Mendez> "They responded to what seemed to be a routine assignment with all the diligence that could be expected of them, and when the situation turned sour, they responded with nothing less than absolute courage."
  23. [2016-04-09 15:43:40] <Mega|Mendez> "Theirs was a dangerous line of work, and they performed admirably in the face of great danger, and though they may no longer be with us, their memories will live on within their families and their colleagues."
  24. [2016-04-09 15:44:18] <Mega|Mendez> "These were good and brave men and women, and the world is lessened by their loss."||
  25. [2016-04-09 15:45:18] <Antioch|GM> ((Social roll, if you will, Mendez))
  26. [2016-04-09 15:45:56] <Mega|Mendez> ((You bastard.))
  27. [2016-04-09 15:46:02] <Mega|Mendez> $roll 1d6
  28. [2016-04-09 15:46:02] <[ATM]> Mega|Mendez [4] = 4
  29. [2016-04-09 15:47:31] * Belaris is now known as Bel|Dags
  30. [2016-04-09 15:49:57] <Antioch|GM> The speech is evidently unrehearsed, though it doesn't suffer from it. Those gathered, familiar with the Director and how she operates, find her most genuine self reflected in pursuit, in decisive action.
  31. [2016-04-09 15:49:57] <Antioch|GM> Some are surprised to see the same authenticity reflected in the brief speech, every word chosen and considered.
  32. [2016-04-09 15:49:57] <Antioch|GM> Her voice carries over the winds, for the most part, and she performs the same ritual that Buchanan did, adding her measure of soil to the graves, one by one.
  33. [2016-04-09 15:51:33] <Antioch|GM> Braun, sole surviving member of the squad, has nothing to say. He declined the speech weeks ago, and nobody pressed the issue.
  34. [2016-04-09 15:51:33] <Antioch|GM> Psychological examination in mind, the Director recognizes he's much a casualty just as any of the other five, if not worse.
  35. [2016-04-09 15:53:14] <Antioch|GM> Multiple men of faith come and speak - a minister, rabbi, priest - a testament to the diversity of faiths amongst the deceased squad.
  36. [2016-04-09 15:53:14] <Antioch|GM> Nothing they say particularly sticks or helps.
  37. [2016-04-09 15:54:07] <Antioch|GM> Family queue up, a slowly shuffling line, for their opportunity to bury their loved ones.
  38. [2016-04-09 15:54:07] <Antioch|GM> Annemarie Fidler follows her mother out of her seat. She hasn't said a word all day. ||
  39. [2016-04-09 15:54:09] <Antioch|GM> >> Thal|Fidler
  40. [2016-04-09 15:59:09] * Dolyn is now known as Dol|Nona
  41. [2016-04-09 16:02:20] <Thal|Fidler> Annemarie had hoped the service would help. Hoped, but... there she was still quiet. Director Mendez's short speech had sort of helped a bit, just because it was far less flowery than she expected here. For her, it seemed like she truly meant the words. The young girl quietly shuffles behind her mother into line and waits for her turn. This was her last chance to say goodbye to her father, and since her mother did not seem to be doing
  42. [2016-04-09 16:02:21] <Thal|Fidler> well... she was going to have to try to keep it together. Despite how hard it would be. Annemarie thinks it is what her father would have expected and wanted of her. She won't let her mother worry about her any more than she needs to already.||
  43. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> The previous several dayshave been miserable. Already socially isolated with the schools closed for the semester, the loss of her father feels like the loss of two parents. Her mother has been gradually losing functionality, despite the PRT liason checking on the household daily.
  44. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> There doesn't seem like there's anything for her to do, to move forward, but she brings to mind some of the credos or phrases her father used to recite.
  45. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> "Stay strong."
  46. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> "You got this."
  47. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> The last, which feels like an outright lie - "This too shall pass."
  48. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> She stands in front of the grave, barely filled, lacquered wood of the casket peeking through what little dirt has been scattered within.
  49. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> "This too shall pass."
  50. [2016-04-09 16:07:54] <Antioch|GM> She finds it impossible to believe. That coffin is staying down there, forever. ||
  51. [2016-04-09 16:07:59] <Antioch|GM> ** days have
  52. [2016-04-09 16:14:53] <Thal|Fidler> She would never see him again. It's hits harder this time... seeing that coffin laying in the grave. This is as close as she'll ever be to him again. She tries to stay focused, repeating the credo: 'This too shall pass.' It would have to hurt less eventually, right? Annemarie tries to distract herself, thinking of what to do if her mother gets worse and worse. The potential ending if her mother keeps going down this road... well, she
  53. [2016-04-09 16:14:56] <Thal|Fidler> didn't want to think of it.||
  54. [2016-04-09 16:19:46] <Antioch|GM> Thinking of her mother, Annemarie watches her stare blankly into the grave. The spade is too large for a thirteen-year-old girl to maneuver properly, so she scoops some of the earth up in both hands, tossing it down.
  55. [2016-04-09 16:19:46] <Antioch|GM> The sound of it impacting the lid seems to remind her mother why she's there, and she unearths what she can, adding her own contribution to Oliver Fidler's grave.
  56. [2016-04-09 16:19:46] <Antioch|GM> There's a pause as she processes her next step, then she walks back to her seat.
  57. [2016-04-09 16:22:45] <Antioch|GM> The attendees are mingling now, many of them discussing or sharing anecdotes of the deceased. Annemarie notices other lost-looking children in tow, some familiar faces. She's not the only one who's lost a parent.
  58. [2016-04-09 16:22:45] <Antioch|GM> Mendez is speaking to someone who she doesn't recognize, discussing what seems to be the PRT's next step towards bringing Lilith - her father's killer - to justice.
  59. [2016-04-09 16:25:46] <Antioch|GM> "I'd heard you brought in a new squad," the man says, "to help put things to rest?"
  60. [2016-04-09 16:25:46] <Antioch|GM> The Director frowns at the new chief of police. It's not particularly the right occasion for this type of discussion - she had expected him to show more respect, considering the police took their losses (well, loss) as well. ||
  61. [2016-04-09 16:25:49] <Antioch|GM> >> Mega|Mendez
  62. [2016-04-09 16:27:52] <Mega|Mendez> I fix him with a glare. He could just drop me an email if he wanted to know what was going on at my office. It's not as if I spend a lot of time not at my office.
  63. [2016-04-09 16:28:28] <Mega|Mendez> "That's right," I say, not elaborating further.||
  64. [2016-04-09 16:29:05] * Lurks|Ethan is now known as JustLurking
  65. [2016-04-09 16:29:31] * Zai|Coulton is now known as Zaits
  66. [2016-04-09 16:32:08] <Antioch|GM> The Director catches sight of one of the bereaved families, silent and uninteractive amidst the small crowd of attendees.
  67. [2016-04-09 16:32:08] <Antioch|GM> Oliver Fidler's wife and child. She remembers the latter with some clarity, enthusiastic to the point of irritation when some genius felt a 'bring your kid to work day' was a tolerable breach in security clearances.
  68. [2016-04-09 16:32:08] <Antioch|GM> Distinctly different in attitude and bearing from the child she sees in front of her, now. ||
  69. [2016-04-09 16:33:22] * CG|Gomez is now known as ColdGold
  70. [2016-04-09 16:36:13] <Mega|Mendez> Honestly, dealing with the family of the deceased in person might even be harder than the speech, short as it was. And I'm not exactly the best with kids.
  71. [2016-04-09 16:36:55] <Mega|Mendez> Nevertheless, a duty is a duty. I approach the two of them.
  72. [2016-04-09 16:37:17] <Mega|Mendez> "Miss Fidler?" I address the woman first. "I'm sorry for your loss."||
  73. [2016-04-09 16:38:22] <Antioch|GM> She nods, almost imperceptibly, staring at some point fifty yards behind you. ||
  74. [2016-04-09 16:38:33] <Antioch|GM> (( Thal|Fidler, feel free to interject. ))
  75. [2016-04-09 16:38:36] <Thal|Fidler> ...
  76. [2016-04-09 16:41:10] <Thal|Fidler> Annemarie takes the time to respond for her mother. "Thank you, Ma'am." Her voice sounds weird after having not said a word all day, but she looks up to make eye contact with the Director. ||
  77. [2016-04-09 16:42:09] <Mega|Mendez> ...
  78. [2016-04-09 16:42:35] ⇐ Newkid quit (Newkid@net-0njhuo.fios.verizon.net): Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client
  79. [2016-04-09 16:43:33] <Mega|Mendez> The woman seems to have taken it really hard. I should keep an eye on her liaison's reports, but then, that probably goes for most of the other families, as well.
  80. [2016-04-09 16:44:50] <Mega|Mendez> The kid seems to be holding up better. I decide to address her next. "How're you holding up?"||
  81. [2016-04-09 16:49:53] <Thal|Fidler> Annemarie had to decide how honest to be. "It hurts now, but I'll be okay, Ma'am." She was trying to convince herself as much as answer the Director. She also had to hope that she couldn't hear the strain in her voice from not speaking all day. ||
  82. [2016-04-09 16:52:39] <Mega|Mendez> I nod at her. Clearly she's trying to project a tough image, but that might help her, all the same. I glance back at the woman. "And your mother?"||
  83. [2016-04-09 16:54:32] <Thal|Fidler> Annemarie looks away from the Director, staring at the ground with this response. "I hope she'll be okay... I'm worried." ||
  84. [2016-04-09 16:58:24] → Ilidirim joined (Ilidirim@net-0njhuo.fios.verizon.net)
  85. [2016-04-09 16:59:16] <Mega|Mendez> I manage to shoot her a small smile. "It's good that you're worried. Do you have the number of our liaison? If you ever need help supporting her, you can call us."||
  86. [2016-04-09 16:59:52] <Antioch|GM> (( Thal|Fidler - you do not. Your mother does, however. Somewhere. Maybe it's in her purse, or in her phone. Very likely the latter, in the 'missed calls' section. ))
  87. [2016-04-09 17:04:39] <Thal|Fidler> "I don't. I think my mother does, and they've been visiting daily, but..." She looks at her mother again. "I don't think she's in the talking mood. Hell, this as much as I've spoken since..." She still hasn't watched the video, and she won't admit to what happened, really. Why did there have to be a fucking video that EVERYONE else has seen? "Could I get it? Doesn't hurt to be extra prepared."||
  88. [2016-04-09 17:05:50] <Mega|Mendez> ((I suppose I don't have it at the ready?))
  89. [2016-04-09 17:06:39] <Antioch|GM> ((The number would be in your business smartphone. Some time needs to be spent looking for the liasons, then the one assigned to the Fidlers, but it's not a demanding task. You can continue to talk while you search.))
  90. [2016-04-09 17:10:17] <Mega|Mendez> I look through my phone for the appropriate number. "Absolutely," I tell the girl. "That's their job, after all."
  91. [2016-04-09 17:11:33] <Mega|Mendez> While searching, I realise I don't actually know the name of the girl in front of me. I could probably look it up, but...
  92. [2016-04-09 17:12:34] <Mega|Mendez> "I'm sorry, I don't think we've actually been introduced." I hold out my hand for her. "Director Sarah Mendez."||
  93. [2016-04-09 17:19:03] <Thal|Fidler> Annemarie shakes the hand offered to her. "Annemarie Fidler." She looks over to her mother again; the young girl would continue to be distracted until she was better. "And my mother is also named Sarah." Weird that they would have the same name. Talking to someone, even if they were in no way a peer, was sort of helpful.||
  94. [2016-04-09 17:20:57] <Mega|Mendez> I nod. "Nice to meet you, Annemarie," I tell her. I give her the number the moment I find it, and look around at the rest of the crowd for a moment, before turning back to her.
  95. [2016-04-09 17:22:02] <Mega|Mendez> "I don't have a lot of useful advice to give you," I say, eventually, "but keep your head up. Time will help you both, I'm sure."||
  96. [2016-04-09 17:25:25] <Thal|Fidler> Not the first time she heard that advice, and her dad's similar advice from before makes it ring just a little louder. "Thank you, Ma'am." ||
  97. [2016-04-09 17:29:09] <Mega|Mendez> I nod, taking another glance at her mother. I sincerely hope she does get better, because the distant look in her eyes is rather depressing. "Take good care of your mother, Annemarie, and if you need anything, you know who to call."||
  98. [2016-04-09 17:32:11] <Thal|Fidler> Annemarie follows the Director's eyes back to her mother, and she couldn't shake a feeling things were going to get worse for them both... she had no idea how to help her mother out of this. "I will keep that in mind, thank you."||
  99. [2016-04-09 17:33:54] <Mega|Mendez> "Oh, and before anything else?" I say, as another thought strikes me. "Take care of yourself. That's the most important part."||
  100. [2016-04-09 17:37:54] <Thal|Fidler> That was going to be hard as well. "I'll do my best, Ma'am." Of course, if something happens to her mother... what would happen to her?||
  101. [2016-04-09 17:41:43] <Antioch|GM> ...
  102. [2016-04-09 17:42:04] <Antioch|GM> The Director, having said her piece, turns to address more of the bereaved.
  103. [2016-04-09 17:43:11] <Antioch|GM> Speaking to someone other than her mother has helped Annemarie's mental state to some degree - the silence is contagious. The liason's number is reassuring, as well, knowing that she has someone to lean on in the event that things /do/ get worse.
  104. [2016-04-09 17:45:58] <Antioch|GM> She scans the crowd of people around her, hoping to recognize someone else, maybe even talk to them. No heroes in attendance today. It hurts, somewhat, upon first realization, but surely they have much to deal with as well. ||
  105. [2016-04-09 17:46:02] <Antioch|GM> >> Thal|Fidler
  106. [2016-04-09 17:46:26] → Stoic joined (Stoic@net-n3k0uk.nj.comcast.net)
  107. [2016-04-09 17:46:32] <Antioch|GM> -||
  108. [2016-04-09 17:46:59] <Antioch|GM> Actually, on second glance...
  109. [2016-04-09 17:48:33] <Antioch|GM> She missed him, at first, without his heroic outfit and spectral armor, but Valiant's there, unmasked, wearing a somber expression and equally somber attire.
  110. [2016-04-09 17:48:33] <Antioch|GM> Sure, his civilian identity is public knowledge, but it's still jarring to see him like that. It sends a message of some kind, him showing up to the funeral as a regular guy and not a hero. ||
  111. [2016-04-09 17:50:07] * Mega|Mendez is now known as Megafire
  112. [2016-04-09 17:53:54] <Thal|Fidler> Well, that was interesting... Annemarie was tempted to go off and say hello, even if it meant dragging her mother over with her. Maybe she could get her mother to speak soon... that would have to help, right? The young girl leads her mother over to Valiant, but she had no idea what she was going to say to him.||
  113. [2016-04-09 17:55:25] <Antioch|GM> His attention is drawn by the two approaching him. It doesn't take him long to recognize them.
  114. [2016-04-09 17:55:25] <Antioch|GM> "Sorry for the loss," he says, largely addressed to Annemarie's mother. ||
  115. [2016-04-09 17:55:32] <Antioch|GM> ** - the + your
  116. [2016-04-09 17:59:49] ⇐ JustLurking quit (LurksEthan@net-d2vdf5.mn.comcast.net): Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client
  117. [2016-04-09 18:03:24] <Thal|Fidler> "Thanks. She... isn't talking much." She quickly glances at her mother again before focusing on Valiant. "Okay, I'm not talking much. She isn't speaking at all." Annemarie sighs. Her mother seemed impossibly distant, and though it hadn't been very long... she had a feeling making her mother feel better would take a long, long time. "I'm uhhh... Annemarie Fidler."||
  118. [2016-04-09 18:04:18] ⇐ Stoic quit (Stoic@net-n3k0uk.nj.comcast.net): Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client
  119. [2016-04-09 18:04:36] → Stoic joined (Stoic@net-n3k0uk.nj.comcast.net)
  120. [2016-04-09 18:06:48] <Antioch|GM> He nods, understandingly. "I knew your father," he says.
  121. [2016-04-09 18:06:48] <Antioch|GM> Makes sense, yeah, but the fact that your dad worked side-by-side with superheroes... you knew it was a thing, but what he says really reinforces the /gravity/ of it. ||
  122. [2016-04-09 18:17:31] <Thal|Fidler> Annemarie could only nod slightly. She wondered why no heroes went to the Lillith call, but... well, that might be answered if she would ever watch the video. She stays quiet and just sort of wonders if Valiant would have any advice; she looks up to him without another word.||
  123. [2016-04-09 18:22:22] <Antioch|GM> "I've been where you are, once," he says quietly. "It took a long time for things to get better."
  124. [2016-04-09 18:22:59] ⇐ Megafire quit (Peter@net-psjdbd.direct-adsl.nl): Connection closed
  125. [2016-04-09 18:23:46] <Antioch|GM> He looks downward, for a moment, thinking for some kind of advice to offer. Drawing on his own experiences, judging by the pause.
  126. [2016-04-09 18:23:46] <Antioch|GM> "Don't lose sight of who you are, or who you wanted to be, okay? Find what you can hold onto, hold onto it."
  127. [2016-04-09 18:23:46] <Antioch|GM> A little hard to understand, but maybe you get part of what he's trying to say. ||
  128. [2016-04-09 18:24:24] * Dol|Nona is now known as Dol|AFK
  129. [2016-04-09 18:30:16] ⇐ Stoic quit (Stoic@net-n3k0uk.nj.comcast.net): Quit: http://www.kiwiirc.com/ - A hand crafted IRC client
  130. [2016-04-09 18:31:13] <Thal|Fidler> "Th-thanks for the advice." She had to wonder what he meant by being here, but she had to assume that he lost a parent as well. Annemarie turns to look at her mother, has she had any reaction today beyond that nod earlier? If something happened to her mother... what would she have left to hold onto? She was isolated from the lack of school and club meetings, her father was murdered, and her mother was... going or gone?||
  131. [2016-04-09 18:34:48] → Stoic joined (Stoic@net-n3k0uk.nj.comcast.net)
  132. [2016-04-09 18:40:06] <Antioch|GM> He nods, walking away, albeit slowly. Headed nowhere in particular.
  133. [2016-04-09 18:40:06] <Antioch|GM> It's a bad day, for Annemarie's mother - on particularly rough ones, she shuts off everything that isn't needed, acting like a functional automaton, and on the worst ones, well... she shuts off.
  134. [2016-04-09 18:40:06] <Antioch|GM> The funeral's clearly made her shrink in on herself, bringing up more unpleasantness she's trying to evade.
  135. [2016-04-09 18:40:06] <Antioch|GM> Annemarie gets the feeling she might have to make dinner herself tonight. ||
  136. [2016-04-09 18:43:38] → Words^3 joined (words_3@net-n2lbad.ma.comcast.net)
  137. [2016-04-09 18:46:23] <Thal|Fidler> Going home early would likely be for the best, but the young girl had one more thing she could try. It may not cheer her mother up, but maybe she could see how one of the other families are dealing. with everything... no, her mother wasn't going to get any better here. Not today. She makes a note to maybe talk to the PRT about getting the contact info for the others at some other time. "Come on mom, let's go home."||
  138. [2016-04-09 18:48:06] <Antioch|GM> The drive back is too quiet, though at least her mother is functional enough not to strand them at the funeral. Turning on the radio feels like it would be too awkward.
  139. [2016-04-09 18:48:19] <Antioch|GM> ((Dex roll, no 'young' penalty))
  140. [2016-04-09 18:48:43] <Thal|Fidler> $roll 1d6
  141. [2016-04-09 18:48:43] <[ATM]> Thal|Fidler [6] = 6
  142. [2016-04-09 18:49:25] <Antioch|GM> When Annemarie gets home, she makes enough macaroni and cheese for the both of them. Just the box stuff, nothing fancy.
  143. [2016-04-09 18:49:25] <Antioch|GM> Her mother doesn't touch but a few spoonfuls of it. ||
  144. [2016-04-09 18:49:48] <Antioch|GM> ||||
Advertisement
Add Comment
Please, Sign In to add comment
Advertisement
Public Pastes
Advertisement
We use cookies for various purposes including analytics. By continuing to use Pastebin, you agree to our use of cookies as described in the Cookies Policy.  OK, I Understand
Not a member of Pastebin yet?
Sign Up, it unlocks many cool features!