Ashes to Ashes

[journalname]

[Very shortly after the trial, notes will be delivered to everyone's door:]

Please join me in the foyer in two hours to honor Ryoji. - King Asgore Dreemurr

[The signature is more ornate than anything he's signed since being here. Given the presence of his title as well, he seems to be taking this formally.

When the time comes, Asgore will be standing in the external foyer. He's wearing his full royal regalia, including the very seldom-seen crown, and he stands with his paws clasped behind two small tables set up in the center of the room. One holds a large flowerpot, which some of you might recall Asgore carrying around frequently when it still held a golden flower. Now, though, a new plant has been transferred into it, one with clusters of bright blue flowers. Their color is very close to that of Ryoji's eyes. The other table has a small bowl, one of the nicest ones from the kitchen. It's filled with familiar black dust. Asgore only had time to grab a handful, but given the size of his hands, it's enough.

As people gather, he begins to speak:]

Among monsters, it is tradition to take the dust of the deceased and spread it upon something they loved, so that their spirit may live on in it. There was...one thing Ryoji loved here more than any other. Let us each sprinkle some dust on this flower, so that we may give it to the Transmitter. I know that she cannot accept gifts from us at present, but one way or another, I am sure it shall come to her.

You may say a few words as you sprinkle the dust, or not. Whatever you feel is appropriate.

Comments

[preciousking]

[ Either because he was partial (in however small measure) to Ryoji or because the request was so gently phrased, Mikoto does in fact show. He listens intently to Asgore's speech, though he doesn't seem to react in any obvious way. But that's just his way, it isn't anyone should read too deeply into.

After a short while, he steps forward and takes some of the ash from the bowl before gently sprinkling it over the flower.

He offers nothing more than that before walking away and leaving the room. If someone wants to bother him later, he'll be in his room. ]

[ossifragant]

[Greed shows up, Ryoji's notes in hand, but he doesn't look like he has anything much to say.

He takes a pinch of the dust and sprinkles it on the flowers.]

...He loved her. The unicorn was going to be her birthday present.

[He doesn't have anything else to say, though he doesn't leave the room, only returns to the wall.]

[journalname]

[Asgore doesn't address him from the front; he stepped back to join the others, in fact, when he was done sprinkling his ashes. He is not one to preside over this entire thing. But he will go and join Greed by the wall.]

I do not think she will. But if she gives me a way to send her the flower, we will send the unicorn as well.

[ossifragant]

He wrote a letter to her. If at all possible, it should be given to her, too.

[journalname]

Ah. [.....] Of course. I have not spoken to her yet today, but I will check on her again later.

[ossifragant]

I... called her briefly. Normally she's pretty good at answering, but...

I didn't get anything.

[He sighs, runs a hand through his hair.]

Maybe she'd answer tomorrow.

[journalname]

.....I did not take visitors for a long time after my wife left. And at least I knew that she was doubtless still alive, somewhere.

[He reaches out to pat Greed on the shoulder.] I am sure she appreciates your attempt. Just give her time.

[ossifragant]

[He nods.]

I can't blame her.

A lot time ago, someone I cared about died. That was the reason I tried to leave the other homunculi, and was imprisoned.

[journalname]

...I am sorry to hear that.

[ossifragant]

We all have our losses. It should strengthen us, at this point. We can't allow anything else to happen.

[journalname]

...at what point do you believe a loss strengthens you?

[ossifragant]

When you start living on spite.

We should stay alive not for a greater purpose, not for anything in particular, but because we want to defeat the Risen once and for all.

[journalname]

...I do not know about that. The last time I acted on spite, I destroyed everything that remained to me. I am not saying that I do not wish to defeat them, but...but I have done too much out of anger.

[ossifragant]

That's fine.

[Greed looks thoughtful.]

There's always compassion, I guess. That might actually be more effective at annoying the Risen.

[journalname]

We have spoken of things like that before. Compassion, love...they do not understand them now. It sounds as though they did once, but they...suffered some betrayal, and now they do not.

[ossifragant]

...Makes me wonder what happened to them.

[journalname]

Those traits are considered to be tied to the soul, in my world. But I do not see how any being could be alive without one...

[His brow furrows.]

...unless, I suppose, you consider the thing Wesker became to be "alive". But it had no self - it could not, with the soul gone.

[ossifragant]

It's not possible in my world, either. Without a soul, you just have a shell.

[If Asgore wasn't capable of seeing literal souls, Greed would have said souls were something homunculi lacked, but apparently that was yet another lie he was told.]

...but souls are capable of rotting. Eventually that will start to rot the body it resides in.

[journalname]

Rotting? I have never heard of such a thing. What on earth causes that?

[ossifragant]

There are... manners of extending your life in my world, ways to do it most people don't know of and would find horrifying. With enough alchemic power, a person can transpose their soul onto the body of another.

[.....]

Given enough time, the results are.... unpleasant, to put it politely.

[journalname]

...I have never quite understood the human fascination with immortality. To live forever is no desirable thing.

[ossifragant]

Believe me, I don't get it either.

[.....]

I thought I wanted it, but I've come to realize it's not what I wanted at all.

[journalname]

...I will not age, without a biological child. The future seems far too vast, most of the time. It is easier to live knowing that time is precious.

[ossifragant]

Yeah. No arguments here.

[georgeous]

[ George is here, but he isn't going to partake in the sprinkling, just watch solemnly. ]

... so only Death gets a funeral.

[ This is bothering him more than it should but when he thinks of those who died beforehand... He feels there should have been more done, suddenly.

Even if they have this thought to bring them back, even then... ]

[journalname]

Were not all of the gatherings funerals, in a sense?

[Wesker is the one who said that, but Asgore does not think he was wrong.]

Though I do wish that we could have done something more like this for them.

[georgeous]

... they were, but we did not exactly do anything of value for the deceased. Try to forget them is more like it.

[ He sighs deeply. ]

There were the ribbons tied to their door handles, but that stopped after Kogami and Madison got executed, too. Now it's just been silence.

[journalname]

I have been painting their souls. But you are right. That was largely a...personal ritual.

[.......]

What do humans do, in the absence of a body? I know that the tradition is normally burial.

[georgeous]

They hold a service that is essentially the same as a burial. Most often, a memorial like a headstone is still placed on the cemetery as if there was a body buried beneath.

Your wall of souls may as well be our cemetery now, though the ceremonies are rather lacking. [ They can't necessarily be blamed for that with the lack of supplies and whatnot. ]

[ossifragant]

We should erect a memorial in the chapel.

[......]

I want to hope we're done with this.

I've.... had enough of the killing.

[georgeous]

.... mhm.

[ George has become tired of it as well. It's hard to muster up anger or snark or even sadness anymore. ]

The only thing that makes me hesitate is... what if we can bring them back? A memorial... [ seems so finite. ]

[journalname]

...I do not think they would mind. It may do them some good, to see that they have been remembered.

[ossifragant]

If we can bring them back...

Well. If they can see us, I guess it's a way of saying they haven't been forgotten. Any of them.

[georgeous]

[ The nonhumans have outvoted him, but he doesn't really care anymore. ]

.... you're both right. If they come back, maybe they'll have fun smashing it to demonstrate what they overcame.

[ossifragant]

Hey, that sounds like a plan to me.

I'm never going to turn down a bit of wanton destruction.

[georgeous]

I know Rin would get a kick out of it for sure.

[ Kogami, too, but we are not talking about this man :| ]

[journalname]

Oh, she certainly would.

[journalname]

Ha ha. Let us do it, then. What should it look like, do you think?

[ossifragant]

Anything. Anything from the machine that reminds us of any of them, flowers, maybe foods...

We want it to be big, big enough the Risen notice, and realize we're not going to be beaten.

[georgeous]

I think we have all received various items that belonged to the deceased, so this should not be hard...

[ He has some of Nachetanya's ears back in his room, lying in a corner where he can look at them sometimes but not all the time. ]

[ossifragant]

That sounds like a good idea.

I have plenty of things that could be of some use, I'm sure.

[arebetter]

[ Of course Pizzazz comes to the funeral, just a little late. Her eyes are a little red, but... go ahead and mention it to her, I dare you.

She takes a pinch for sure, and drops it on the flower. It's as reasonable a gesture as any, at this point, right? ]

Sorry. I don't... sorry.

[ She hangs around for a little while after that, but... she slips out, after some time, to go to the chapel. She grabs an acoustic guitar on the way, and just... her attitude is different from a lot of weeks that she's spent in here. No anger, she's just... quiet for a while. Then she starts to play, quietly singing. ]

[positivespin]

[ She finds the whole ceremony rather cruel and almost hypocritical, as if some lives mattered more than others. Maybe not even "as if" in this case. They never did have the resources for proper funerals, but it doesn't sit right with her to pick and choose like that if they're doing something this formal. Still, she has tact. Let them mourn. All anyone needs to see or hear from her is proper solemnity, and that's what they'll get.

As instructed, she'll sprinkle the dust and spend a moment in silence. Once that's done, she quietly leaves, heading straight to the art room. It doesn't take her long to grab everything she needs from there, leaving with armfuls of paper and paint. Then she'll run for the sewing room for some fabric and scissors before finally reentering her room.

Hours later, QQ can be found walking around the dorms, placing a crane on a string on each doorknob of the deceased. Anyone who looks carefully at them will notice that they all resemble the room's owner. For example, the color of Auntie Kashima's crane is surprisingly very close to the shade of her hair, while Ryoji's has a ribbon tied to resemble his long scarf. ...The construction paper glasses on Danny's crane sure are three times bigger than its head though???

They're not masterfully done, but they're all there and have something unique to set them apart from everyone else. Thank you for the idea, Sakura. She hopes it's okay to use it again like this. ]