RP [Tsenlan] A Moment to Grieve

Reception

Aelya

"You more than anyone should have known Arina.....you and I would have been going home together for goodness sake!!!" she quipped angrily. Sure a group occurrence would have been a rather enticing event, but to interrupt her during though?! "I would NEVER have done this to you...." she said increasingly upset. Aelya went over to grab her outfit and changed into it quickly. This kind of interruption was probably one of the greatest offenses she had ever been dealt. If Arina wanted to do so, that's fine. Aelya had her own room at the house anyways. It was about time she found her way back there.

"Captain, enjoy your time with the others. I am afraid I must make my way back to work now." she said to Alastair with a sigh. Her exterior expression became one of barely contained rage, she made her way past the others. Walking down the stairs she rolled her eyes exasperated. "I should never have come in the first place." she thought as she slammed the door to the lodge shut.

Footsteps back to the shuttle that brought her were filled with a mix of emotions. She knew Sinith would not have been upset if she had not showed up, but she felt it was probably the one thing she could do to honor the Empress. Stepping into the shuttled she sat with a sigh, "Take me as close as you can to Lo'ken Institute please." she requested as calmly as she could. Her head fell onto the back of the seat, closing her eyes as she felt the shuttle leave.

Reception

Arina

"How was I supposed to?! You just left and you told me you wanted help changing!" Arina felt anxiety start to stab at her again, but it was much worse when it was this personal. "-well that's because I would have taken you with me!" They both ran hot, that much was obvious to anyone witnessing them going back and forth to one another. Another thing became obvious as the red-haired one of the pair started to storm out: Arina felt bad about it very quickly. This was true even if she felt she was right about whatever the situation was. This situation was very clear, but it still felt dreadful to hurt Aelya's feelings, she thought it was part of all of it.

"Aelya-ji, wwwait! I'm sorry!" She called after, and she meant it. The images she had of it ending in one big pile of relief dashed as soon as she winced when the door slammed. "Do..." The younger Norian felt her shoulders creep up awkwardly like some animal. "...you want a ride over there? My transport is outside. That or you can uhm, stay with us." She asked of Alistair while leaning against the frame. She gestured to Rakel and Endri. Spying Saga again, she added, "...and I hope her. That's what I thought it was."

She really didn't want to feel so bad anymore. It was all that dominated her for so long, and she had just made it worse herself. Again.

Saga eyed the Norians suspiciously. Sure diplomacy and war were two sides of the same coin but not usually like this.
She slowly popped a piece of fruit into her mouth. "Cultural exchange huh," the Nepleslesian exchange solider said dryly

171st CRS delegation​

In Bungie's opinion, the funeral had been as lovely, as far as a funeral could be. Somber in all the right paces. The flyover even had been a nice touch. Tugging his coat around himself he turned to High Note and said, "It's nice to learn about the customs of these Norians. I'm glad we can just sit here in the moment and that nobody currently needs help."

Reception

Alastair watched as Aelya made her way out of the room. He reached up and rubbed his hand over his face. "It has been a long time I had this level of disappointment." He said to everyone in the room. "Enjoy your fun, cause mine has ended." Alastair reached down and picked up his hat and slipped it back on his head. "Thanks but no thanks, I feel I should at least give her a proper good bye. I can make it on my own but thanks for the transport offer.

He started to jog after Aelya. He was unsure if he should try and stop her, let her go or what. Either way things ended up in a misunderstanding and seemed to continue down this route. He hoped this wasn't some family curse. His jog turned into a run, then into a sprint. Finally he was flying at full force. He caught Aelya walking into the ship. The ramp started to close and the ship engaged engines. He pushed with all his might and launched himself clean into ship with a crash. Upside down and in a very awkward position, he looked over towards Aelya. "Damn, almost missed my flight." He said with a smile as big as he could muster.

Funeral

Steiner waited out of respect for Airwin as he made his speech, the Empress from what he recalled had been a stalwart defender of her people; refusing to back down even in the face of overwhelming odds. Had she been born Vahallan no doubt she would've been a fearsome warlord, and likely would've enjoyed a long and prosperous reign provided she survived long enough.

As his speech ended, Steiner looked down at Jun, and sighed; he knew that Sinith had been a stabilizing presence for the royal family. Likely Airwin was simply trying to push forward; to keep himself centered and remain strong for both his family and his people. "Your father is one of strongest men I know; any other individual in his circumstances would likely have given into despair-have faith young Jun; Airwin will pull through-you all will." His words felt hollow even as he spoke; they'd been tied up trying to keep a corridor open for evacuations and had been nearly overrun in the process and had lost contact with the main MERN force. It hadn't been till much later that they'd learned of Sinith's death-if they'd just been able to hold a little longer.

The Norian's inquiry gave him the avenue to escape this line of thinking to which he lept at. "The same as always; still enduring whilst stamping out whatever horrors that are lurking about." It was business as usual; monsters were slain, equipment shortfalls were addressed through battlefield salvage-fresh recruits brought up and readied to face whatever danger they'd happened to bumble into. "If anything I would be worried if things were quiet." That much was true-if there hadn't been at least one or two skirmishes over the course of a few weeks he'd be worried.

He noted that some of the guests had set off, likely heading for the reception. He set the orders for kegs and food to be sent down. ("Go meet the shuttle-the sundries will need transporting.") He said in Valhallan. As the cohorts set off, he looked back at the platform where Airwin was standing-he didn't need to zero in on him to know that he was hurting as fire consumed the casket. Deciding on a course of action, he trundled forward as he signaled his honor guard, giving a brief nod to Jun. As they closed the distance, Steiner could make out the cracks forming in the casket from the flames-he refrained from zooming in.

He'd seen enough burned bodies in his lifetime.

Stopping short of the platform, he stood by silently as the fires burned, reaching out and ever so gently placing a single, massive hand on the Emperor's left shoulder-his thumb and forefinger really the only things finding purchase and gave a surprisingly gentle squeeze. While it wasn't his place to do so, he'd try to provide his old friend some comfort-paltry though it was.

But at least it was something.

Funeral

Arina

She was starting to become used to clamping down on her emotions very quickly. Losing a war had seen to that. The princess had taken the brief respite from the eyes of what felt like the entire sector watching her doing something stupid. Again. Alone with her thoughts, she was consumed by thoughts of her mother again, and how the others in the Ysi must feel. The self-chastising continued when she appeared back at the pyre wearing mourning garb rather than her uniform. It was a long dress, with a (for Norians) modest, flowing, asymmetrical neckline that was also covered in a gauzy black material so no bare skin was shown fully until nearer to her collarbone.

Arina wove her way past those leaving, and touched a few shoulders of those remaining at the vigil as her father and Steiner were. She came to his side and stared into the flames, then over while fiddling with something in her left hand. A snuffle announced her presence before she could say anything, and she touched Airwin's free arm plaintively. Now that her head was more clear from one trouble the rest had rushed in to fill their place, and it had the company of self-loathing this time. The girl gave Steiner a somber smile and then looked back, watching her mother burn away.

"I still have trouble imagining that her journey is different from ours, now." There was never enough time with her, that's what it felt like to Arina, and it was one of the reasons she was so frustrated. Had she squandered the time she did have? That would be all on her and no one else. The most she could do is struggle on, and hope that it would feel better somehow, someday.

Akina

The honor guard, including members of the First Expeditionary Fleet, stood and observed the last portion of the funerary right. It felt more respectful than simply sitting down while their fallen monarch lifted into the sky. She was glad to see that the flyby had gone according to plans. She received word that there were no glaring problems with the execution, either. The pilots began their ascent to the waiting group in orbit, making long climbing loops until they were almost out of sight. The squadrons then flew straight up and past the envelope of the atmosphere to begin docking. The moment of silence aboard all the ships had passed, and normal operations returned, with some in crew areas watching the end of the funeral by remote feed.