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31_days2009-10-10 12:11 pm
seta-suzume.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2009-10-10 12:11 pm
[Oct. 10] [Suikoden III] Our Only Friends, the Dead
Title: Our Only Friends, the Dead
Day/Theme: Oct. 10, 2009 "Only violets remain"
Series: Suikoden III-related (more of an on-going story, this part is very original)
Character/Pairing: Annie, Robert, Tavin
Rating: PG
Tavin and Robert had taken off their cloaks and tossed them over the fence as they put their backs into the work of digging new graves in Viela's churchyard. The locals taking part in the work regarded them with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. They were happy for the help, but surprised by the source. And who could blame them, after all they had done to the island? Wednesday had shied away from the task because of the potential for bad blood between him and them, but he had no objection to his subordinates trying to atone for actions they regretted. Still, he would admit no guilt. They had been following orders from above, and as he saw it, they had no other options. The plague had been successfully contained. Viela had been a success on their end.
Annie came and sat on the half-crumbled stone wall, watching the inquisitors at work. They were young men and their muscular arms glinted with sweat under the Autumn sun. They worked faster than the local men, still fatigued from the ordeal they had somehow managed to survive, and she was amused to see her neighbors often stop and observe them at work as well. It wasn't just her imagination. They truly were an unusual sight.
For their part, Robert and Tavin were either unaware of the fascination they produced, or they simply didn't care. Annie tapped her heels against the stone. She had never known that inquisitors would freely show their faces in public like this. Weren't they supposed to be more secretive than that? She was getting a pretty good look at them. She'd definitely be able to pick them out in a crowd if she ever ran across them again. Robert had a narrow nose and sharp features. Tavin's face was soft and round. He looked like a country boy. Scary as the idea of them still seemed, maybe she had misunderstood the inquisitors after all.
"Be careful around those flowers, Robert," Tav fussed as the older of the two men scooped up a shovel-full of dirt containing several small violet plants. The deep green leaves shone in the sun and small purple blossoms hung beneath their shade. "You probably scooped them up roots and all."
"Well, that means they can replant them somewhere else. They're in the way, and we don't have unlimited space, Tav," he shrugged.
"I'll get them," one of the few women at work in the yard replied, coming over and scooping the plants off his shovel and into a wooden pail. She carried them away over into the shade of the chapel to replant them by the solemn juniper trees.
For a while Tavin and Robert lapsed back into silence. Annie thought it was funny the way Tavin grunted while he worked. Whenever he made a noise, Robert glanced over to see if he was about to say something and when he saw no comment was forthcoming, he shook his head and returned to work. They probably didn't cooperate so closely without a commanding officer supervising them on very many occasions. From time to time, they even canceled out each others' work as Tavin poured dirt back into the grave Robert was digging.
No matter how bad things got, it seemed like one could always find humor in life. That humor just got blacker. One third of the people on the island had died from the fever. Some had already been buried in the early days of the disaster. Others had acquiesced to Sasarai's requests for cremation, or through lack of living family members or instructions of their own, had had not choice but to be dealt with as the bishop saw fit. The rest were being laid to rest now. A new priest for the chapel had arrived on Viela that morning along with the inquisitors. He had said a combined blessing over all the silent dead to allow the work to proceed more smoothly, as well as to spare his voice the strain. Annie wouldn't complain about how he did his job, but she was sure that Sasarai would've prayed separately for each and every one of these people. What was the difference between this newcomer and Sasarai? ...Perhaps this priest was less well-acquainted with death.
"We're gonna be workin' all night at this rate!" Tavin exclaimed, wiping sweat off his forehead. His dirty blond bangs stuck awkwardly to his forehead, pushed back by this casual gesture. Robert snickered, but didn't point this out to his companion.
The graveyard was going to need some expanding. Just as the violets had needed to relocate, so too were the dead overtaking the space once dedicated to the living. But it was okay. The living could be transplanted.
Day/Theme: Oct. 10, 2009 "Only violets remain"
Series: Suikoden III-related (more of an on-going story, this part is very original)
Character/Pairing: Annie, Robert, Tavin
Rating: PG
Tavin and Robert had taken off their cloaks and tossed them over the fence as they put their backs into the work of digging new graves in Viela's churchyard. The locals taking part in the work regarded them with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. They were happy for the help, but surprised by the source. And who could blame them, after all they had done to the island? Wednesday had shied away from the task because of the potential for bad blood between him and them, but he had no objection to his subordinates trying to atone for actions they regretted. Still, he would admit no guilt. They had been following orders from above, and as he saw it, they had no other options. The plague had been successfully contained. Viela had been a success on their end.
Annie came and sat on the half-crumbled stone wall, watching the inquisitors at work. They were young men and their muscular arms glinted with sweat under the Autumn sun. They worked faster than the local men, still fatigued from the ordeal they had somehow managed to survive, and she was amused to see her neighbors often stop and observe them at work as well. It wasn't just her imagination. They truly were an unusual sight.
For their part, Robert and Tavin were either unaware of the fascination they produced, or they simply didn't care. Annie tapped her heels against the stone. She had never known that inquisitors would freely show their faces in public like this. Weren't they supposed to be more secretive than that? She was getting a pretty good look at them. She'd definitely be able to pick them out in a crowd if she ever ran across them again. Robert had a narrow nose and sharp features. Tavin's face was soft and round. He looked like a country boy. Scary as the idea of them still seemed, maybe she had misunderstood the inquisitors after all.
"Be careful around those flowers, Robert," Tav fussed as the older of the two men scooped up a shovel-full of dirt containing several small violet plants. The deep green leaves shone in the sun and small purple blossoms hung beneath their shade. "You probably scooped them up roots and all."
"Well, that means they can replant them somewhere else. They're in the way, and we don't have unlimited space, Tav," he shrugged.
"I'll get them," one of the few women at work in the yard replied, coming over and scooping the plants off his shovel and into a wooden pail. She carried them away over into the shade of the chapel to replant them by the solemn juniper trees.
For a while Tavin and Robert lapsed back into silence. Annie thought it was funny the way Tavin grunted while he worked. Whenever he made a noise, Robert glanced over to see if he was about to say something and when he saw no comment was forthcoming, he shook his head and returned to work. They probably didn't cooperate so closely without a commanding officer supervising them on very many occasions. From time to time, they even canceled out each others' work as Tavin poured dirt back into the grave Robert was digging.
No matter how bad things got, it seemed like one could always find humor in life. That humor just got blacker. One third of the people on the island had died from the fever. Some had already been buried in the early days of the disaster. Others had acquiesced to Sasarai's requests for cremation, or through lack of living family members or instructions of their own, had had not choice but to be dealt with as the bishop saw fit. The rest were being laid to rest now. A new priest for the chapel had arrived on Viela that morning along with the inquisitors. He had said a combined blessing over all the silent dead to allow the work to proceed more smoothly, as well as to spare his voice the strain. Annie wouldn't complain about how he did his job, but she was sure that Sasarai would've prayed separately for each and every one of these people. What was the difference between this newcomer and Sasarai? ...Perhaps this priest was less well-acquainted with death.
"We're gonna be workin' all night at this rate!" Tavin exclaimed, wiping sweat off his forehead. His dirty blond bangs stuck awkwardly to his forehead, pushed back by this casual gesture. Robert snickered, but didn't point this out to his companion.
The graveyard was going to need some expanding. Just as the violets had needed to relocate, so too were the dead overtaking the space once dedicated to the living. But it was okay. The living could be transplanted.