Participants:
| Scene Title | Reading to the Dead |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Paying Respects to the deceased can take many forms… |
| Date | October 31, 2010 |
A massive, sprawling collection of gravestones, all as unique from each other as the names and dates printed upon their faces. There is a chaotic feel to this place, overcrowded with those that have passed away; a jungle of crosses, statues, tombs, domes and headstones as simple as jutting teeth. Winding pathways lead several different tours through the plain, and there is a kind of anxious peace to this place, and its visitors are few and scattered. There is an awe-inspiring view of the wrecked skyline of Manhattan, reminding those that don't need to be reminded of how fast life can be snatched away.
One young lady is dressed in warm clothes, though what is likely most notable is the fact that a jacket has been left behind in place of something seemingly totally out of place any other time of year in the city. A long cloak, embroidered with runic shapes, makes up Alia's outer-most layer of clothing this night, and not without reason, as she walks calmly among the stones, looking for the name of a specific one.
It doesn't take long to find it. Alia kneels down to put a single flower on the grave. Thoughts whirr in her head. She should really be putting such on her parent's grave… but they don't exactly have one. Never found the bodies in the blast of Midtown and all. Instead, Alia looks at the supposed resting spot of one who had given her needed advice, even when nobody wanted to hear it. Someone that the cards told her had not finished playing her part. And smiled as she whispered. "A shuttle." She giggles. "Impressed? Hope… no. I know. It was right thing." Alia's broken way of talking masks some of the intelligence as she speaks as if her friend is there. Who knows, maybe she is, maybe she isn't. Faith is a confusing thing for many. "So much to do. Nightmares for many. Hope for best. Prepare for worst." She pauses as if listening to the wind.
Then Alia whispers softly. "Dealt cards before I came. The past offers Four Blades, cutting new paths. Three Pentacles, a completed task of physical nature now. The city within, an Elder of Blades, sharp wits to teach others. Without… ten chalices, success or failure, emotional energy to a climax. The future offers… two blades, yin and yang. A new pattern to grow from." She frowns even as she struggles with words and the resulting, for her, headache. "Many swords pointed. Many blades. Dark times, hard steps. But… have to walk them." She smiles thinly. She knows her friend would have understood.
Alia bows a little, then leaves a small stone chalice, filled with a little touch of wine, and a piece of flatbread, a cerimonial offering it would seem as she whispers under her breath, before bowing towards the marker… and quietly retreating, leaving the stone marked "Hokotu Ichihara" behind her.