[ ORP ] Heroes

[Zoobey]

The half-mast flag was almost unsurprising compared to everything else. In front of it lay the wrecked building, the impassive tower of the main headquarters. Even the labs behind looked oddly barren, the entire front wall missing, entire hospital rooms peeled open, revealing only wreckage.

There was a fire burning next to where the grave markers were: even then perhaps it was unsurprising. Approaching them closer revealed not a single fire but a series of them. Something was cracking inside, some things.

It was quiet. The only thing different, the only thing new were the series of grave markers that now lined the area. Everything else felt the same.

This is the fate of all heroes.

OOC

- All Hunters are invited to pay their respects to the ones fallen in battle from the last assault on Deus. Some Hunters might even find a familiar name...

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Another memorial. These happened too often in Deryk's opinion but... there wasn't much that could be done about that now. Coming up to the graveyard, he paused before the marker that was set out for Killzone. The man he had simply watched die. The trainee stared at the marker for a few moments, letting out a sigh.

"I'm sorry.." he whispered before stepping back and away. Would it have made of much of a difference if he hadn't been locked in place due to his own conflicts?

Maybe. There wasn't any way for him to know now.  

[Bilious]

Jerry stared long and hard at the half lowered flag, studying it's slow whipping in the wind as he approached.

He drifted towards the lines of headstones, his breathing quickening as he read the names. He eyed the crackling fires as he ebbed his way towards where a figure already stood, but paid him no mind.

There.

The man who had been a thorn in his side. Had promoted him to Intermediate. Had saved him from himself. Had reached down into the black pit he had been falling through to haul him back up and give him a firm smack.

Jerry swayed on his feet, his eyes glassy as he sank into a seated position before the fresh grave by Deryk's feet, pulling around the guitar that had been strapped to his back before gently beginning to strum.

When the words came from his lips, he felt as though it was someone else singing, but they resonated within him all the same.

"If just one person believes in you,
Deep enough, and strong enough, believes in you...
Hard enough, and long enough,
It stands to reason, that someone else will think
"If he can do it, I can do it.""  

[poke mattix]

Walking slowly to the grave markers, Jason allowed himself time to gaze at the half mast flag, the remains of their headquarters and the wreckage strewn about. The siege had taken a heavy toll on them, and it had left him guilt ridden.

Not only had he not done a thing for Killzone, but he had arrived just in time to see the man fall. The same man who had helped him feel better about himself. And now he was gone. There were so many things he could have discussed with him, so many missions he could have assisted. Now there would be no chance to know the Life hunter better.

Solemnly he stood next to Deryk, saying not a word as Jerry sung a song for their fallen comrade.  

[Rown]

Ofelia came in slowly, quietly. It was unlike her to be somber, unlike her to actually have something on her mind. It was in her nature not to think too hard, it ruined the adventure and left her wanting, but seeing as everything had happened, people were gone, she felt that this was an appropriate time for silence and reflection.

The man she had been terrified of, the man who had saved her from Rep, was now dead. She didn't know how it happened, she must have missed it in all the confusion going on, but the way everyone was looking, as well as the mark on the fresh grave, let her know exactly who was being remembered there.

Deryk was there, speaking and stepping away. She moved behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, slightly halting his movement. If he wanted to escape she wasn't going to force him to stay; there was just a hope in her touch that maybe her being behind him would stop him from running away and staying a bit longer. She didn't want to be here alone and even though she and Deryk weren't amazing friends she felt he was one of the best to be with her at the moment. Others would have been better, if she dared to think it, but. . . none of them would come to her side.

She shook her head, draining those thoughts. Jerry was singing some strange song she didn't recognize. Her cheeks felt flush as she listened and for a moment or two she thought her vision was swimming before her eye. Was she going to cry over this, or was she just. . .? She hadn't cried over Barney and Sandy, why would she cry over Killzone? The man had scared her shitless yet he. . .

"Ah...how should Ah say good-bye?" She wasn't speaking to anyone in general but considering she was standing next to Deryk she swung her face over to him, gray eye watering faintly.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Deryk could hear some singing from nearby, and it turned out to be Jerry. He didn't join in. His singing abilities were horrendous. It would only wreck things. Then, on either side, he found Jason and Ofelia standing by. The trainee was thinking about leaving, but paused as he heard Ofelia asking how she should say goodbye.

"However you feel would be best.. Yes," he answered quietly before turning around and walking off. He didn't want to linger here too long. No. He needed to go busy himself with other things.

Rown

 

[Rown]

"Ah...dunno how. Ah've never had ta say good-bye ta someone before an' never think ta meet 'em again." Deryk was walking off and Ofelia turned her gaze to follow, her hand removing itself to allow him to pass. She didn't want to cry, not like this, but the singing and the death and being down a person to fear was getting to her little by little.

What happened now? What did she actually say? A hand raised itself up and she found that she was rubbing at her eye to prevent the tears that gathered from falling. "Tell me how, Ah dunno. . . "

But he was gone, or out of sight, and Ofelia just shook her head and looked to the others.

Blade Kuroda

Bilious

poke mattix

 

[poke mattix]

Jason looked up as Ofelia asked them how she should farewell Killzone, the question odd, yet not odd at all.

"Everyone...has a different way of saying farewell." He spoke quietly, trying not to interrupt Jerry. "Some people just say goodbye, others talk about their experiences. Some even write songs."

He then looked away awkwardly. "Theres...nothing wrong with being...u-upset either." He said, seeing as she appeared rather upset, which was quite understandable given the situation.

Rown

 

[Pixie Nyxie]

Dakota tilted his head at the memorial built for the fallen hunters and tucked his hands into his hunter coat. It was sad, downright pitiful the way the moon hunter glanced over the names and sighed in relief as it wasn't anyone so close to him.

It was selfish of him as he went to each grave, making small prayers from his native tribe. He offered each one so that mother earth would accept the bodies of the hunters, and father sky would accept their souls and lead them from the cloudless path to the path of rebirth.

And after each prayer, he stood back and waited. There was other hunters who did know some of who had passed and they would need a friend. He would wait after all...He knew a few life hunters...

That being said...he pulled out his phone and texted the person he wanted to talk to the most. To resolve themselves before they died. After all, in the blink of the eye they could.

Syusaki

Text to Wilson: If your not busy brother, Will you come to the remains of the Main HQ?

 

[Syusaki]

He didn’t want to go to the memorial. Not again. Wilson didn’t want to feel the empty feeling in his stomach as he made his way down the rows and rows of grave markers, his eyes scanning the names that never evoked a face. Even as he walked around the island aimlessly—he would have been at Gale’s house, except it was sort of gone—he could see the swirling trails of smoke rising into the sky. It had baffled him at first, but after a while the answer came to him silently. It wasn’t an answer he had wanted, so he kept walking backwards in meandering circles as he tried to avoid the reality that certain trainees he knew had been taken, maybe for forever.

The familiar ring of his cellphone. He let it ring once, twice. When the phone had gone silent, Wilson finally took it out of his jacket pocket. Half-lidded eyes stared at the sender’s name and for a moment it didn’t register to him. His gaze had glazed over at the name ‘Dakota.’ Was this real? Was this another Dakota? He swallowed the lump in his throat before he continued onto the message. Brother. It sounded nostalgic.

Words swam in his mind as he put away the phone and looked toward the main headquarters, or what was left of it anyways. Hands slid into his pockets and his head hung low as he trudged toward the building remains. Wilson could still recognize Dakota’s silhouette, but he didn’t go over immediately. He trailed over the markers slowly, trying to remember their names even though he never would. The height difference between him and Dakota wasn’t enormous. So why did he feel so incredibly small as he wordlessly stood next to Dakota?

He glanced at the moon trainee before he diverted his gaze to his shoes because suddenly they had become very interesting.  

[Pixie Nyxie]

Dakota's hands stayed tucked into his pockets as the death hunter took post next to him, orange eyes only flicking over to the hunter for a moment before going back to the grave markers. They both stared at anywhere but each other as the moon hunter thought of just how about to go through this and then sighed. He didn't turn though.

A silent moment...and another, reaching a point where it was a make it or break it. If he stayed anymore quiet, then Wilson would leave...and yet the words that stuck to the roof of his mouth were so hard to come out.

"I'm sorry Brother." He sounded stiff but in reality, he was scared. He waited for Wilson's reply instead of saying anything more. His hands shifted in his pocket but he didn't move himself.  

[Syusaki]

Wilson wasn’t going anywhere. He buried his hands deeper into his pockets and hung his lower until could feel his chin grazing his collarbone. He was standing on the sides of his feet now, and then he wasn’t, the dirt crunching as his shoes moved and shifted. The trainee kept his lips sealed as he looked to the side, down, up, anywhere but Dakota. The silence was awkward and for a moment he considered speaking up first, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Three words shut his mind down, if only for a few seconds. It hadn’t been the apology Wilson expected. He hadn’t been expecting one at all, for that matter. Wilson angled his head slightly to watch Dakota from the corner of his eyes. Then he looked down again, his lips pressed together. As he read the name on the marker in front of him over and over, he asked tentatively, “So you’re not mad anymore?” Pause. Another look at his shoes. “You forgive me?”  

[Pixie Nyxie]

Dakota shifted uncomfortably. You know, it was awkward between two guys but like...why was he even really that mad? Because they had been messing around. And Wilson obviously just couldn't handle a woman's body like that.

Dakota had come to the conclusion WEEKS ago but....he was drawing out the feelings because it fueled him on. Having someone to be upset about, to be bothered over something stupid. That was how brother's were. He shrugged.

"Yeah I forgive you. No I ain't mad anymore." He said tiredly, "It was stupid thing to get upset about." He turned over and looked at the short ********. Alright. "I don't think I want to lose you over something as stupid as a game that higher ups thought was funny. I don't want to look at your grave marker and think our last moment was a argument. So yeah. I'm not mad bro. I really am not." He wrapped his arms around Wilson and smiled. "Besides I missed having my older shorter brother.  

[Syusaki]

A sobbing female Wilson had holed herself up in Gale’s house eating chocolate for a reason.

It was difficult to stop himself from smiling despite the faceless markers and the smoke, so he bit down on his bottom lip and stared at his shoes again, but it wouldn’t be so hard for Dakota to see the relieved smile on Wilson’s face. “You’re not mad,” he repeated quietly, more-so to himself than to Dakota. If Dakota imagined hard enough, it was easy to picture Wilson as a happy puppy.

But the smile was already gone and suddenly the smell of smoke was stronger. Wilson tried not to look at the things burning in the fires, but it was hard not to.

The arm around him was comforting and bringing out another grin out of him. He stared past the markers as he wrapped an arm around Dakota’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I’m not sure whether or not I should smack you for that comment.”  

[Pixie Nyxie]

"I'm not mad." He said again and then smiled. "Well, If you grow taller then me, then maybe you can actually smack me for it. Until then, you really are my older shorter brother."

He looked at the remains and pulled Dakota away with him. "Let's get out of here. We paid our dues and I said what needed to be said." Dakota narrowed his eyes. "So you have a place to stay or something? I don't feel like being alone and need the company of a good friend."

After all they went through, it was all he asked for. Good company of his good friend. Past behind them. They could only go up from here.