Funeral Proceedings [Finished]

[The Jenn]

OOC: This thread is set roughly a week and a half after Lysaras's death. The body had been kept on ice. Anyone is welcome to attend, be they a Spade or another Card who has reason to pay respects. Anyone nobles from another Court would have probably received an invitation, either directly or indirectly through the grapevine, so feel free to throw them in there. Don't feel obligated to post more than once in an attendance/reaction fashion if you don't want to, but you don't get meeting points if you only post once. A cameo would be just fine if you don't have enough time. Posts can take place at any point throughout the day, from arrival at the Court to the ceremony itself to the dinner aftermath. It's all up to you, and individual posts do not have to be chronological.

---

The day of Lysaras's funeral dawned with an overcast sky and a light drizzle. Some of the people more experienced with the weather guessed that the clouds would peter out around midday and the sun would be shining by the afternoon, which Donnie would certainly appreciate. She didn't fancy a palace full of wet fur, which would certainly be the result if the light rain didn't stop before all of the guests came in for dinner after the ceremony.

Some people had expressed concern with her attending the funeral of the woman she had murdered, and it had been a long struggle inside her head before she decided to even allow a funeral for the woman who had effectively destroyed the reputation of Spades, but in the end she'd decided that it would be a good idea symbolically. The overarching theme would be the end of an era, which was polite and appropriate enough that no one objected. The undertone throughout it all, however, and the message sent by her attendance, was that a new one would begin.

Also, this occasion would provide her with the perfect excuse to meet some of the other Courts' nobility, the people she would have to associate with on a semi-regular basis in order to get things done. Letters had been sent out to the Queens of Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs, politely inviting them and any from their Courts who wished to pay respects. She wasn't going to bring up any sort of business, but she needed to meet them. She hoped they would all attend personally. Males, all, which was unfortunate, but she would work with who she had to in order to get the job done.

She cut an imposing figure in her human form, shorter than many bipeds but still tall enough for a human woman. People told her that it was more intimidating than any of her other forms, for all that it lacked bulk and sharp bits. Human expressions had that wonderful advantage. She was still working on comfort issues with it, and her ability to read the expressions of other humans was limited, but she would learn. She had to.

[Kari Muffin]

Theofilus didn't want to go. He honestly wanted to stay in his own palace and deal with various matters of paperwork. He hated funerals. He hadn't even gone to his father's funeral, and yet he was attending a strangers. It was mostly because he had been directly invited.

And if he refused that would show he was a complete and utter jackass. He didn't want that as much as he hated events like this. Funerals were indeed for the living, but some of the living preferred to refrain from such events. He still found it painfully odd that the new Queen was holding this when she had.... murdered the previous Queen without mercy. He had heard that there was begging involved. Generally he figured when someone begged for their life it was a good idea to let them go.

And then have an assassin hunt them down later, but that was just his way of thinking.

Zane had been kind enough to join him. His son had always been interested in joining the courts, but had his reasons to avoid them. Theofilus didn't know what they were, but Zane convinced him they were good reasons. Now his soon stood next with him, a rather nervous expression on his face.

They both hoped this would go smoothly.

---

Parsley had ambitions indeed. He had come the funeral to see the past and current Queen. He wanted to join the courts, but he generally wanted to know what he had to face. The people he had to face and know. He needed to make plans before he made any moves. He didn't want to cut his own nose off to spite his face after all.

He tried to look somber, but it was difficult being what he was. Brightly colored fairy squirrels were hard to come by and hard to hide. He was sure he would get some comments while he walked around.

Should a funeral be a social event? He wondered. Poor woman had been killed so horribly and now people would be using her death as an excuse to make way for their future.

He honestly didn't feel bad.

---

Obligation brought her here, perhaps? Or maybe it was because she felt bad for someone who got murdered of a title. It was always a worry for her. Deep down inside she was terrified that someone would stab her in the back when she wasn't looking. Even if she only was in the second seat, it was still scary.

And now she was here at someone's funeral. Someone she didn't know, but someone who was to be remembered. As what exactly? Xiven bit her lower lip. This was an odd situation to be in. Her mother had disappeared, per usual, and had left her alone. What Joy.

[seraaches]

It was, the Queen of Hearts thought rather cynically, the end of an era. While he personally had never met Lysaras, there were distinctly ties between their Courts. It was a shame that she'd had to die like a. . . well, like a dog, for all the irony there, but he also could understand well the new Queen's 'concerns' about the previous Queen's rule.

Killing someone who has not only abstained but also certainly would not have rallied for a second shot smacked of something less than honourable. Of course, Donnie was part Yarrow. Mnem had already broken him of any concerns for the 'fairer sex'.

"Mommy dearest," his son's voice broke into his thoughts, and the King pointed towards the seats reserved for them.

Funerals had never bothered Ira, just as Ira rarely bothered with funerals. He'd certainly never set one up, and he really didn't have any plans to begin anytime soon. Of course, his family had already proven a dereliction in bothering with such things, and a glance back at the woman solemnly following him held the truth of that in a bright light.

Unaware or uncaring of her father's thoughts, Dre simply called her Ace closer to her and pressed on near the 'procession' that they seemed to inadvertently have caused. She wasn't really disturbed by any of the circumstances surrounding the funeral, but more so by the fact that there was showing quite a turn out. She simply hoped that it was for the new Queen and not the dead one. That was just. . . odd.

Drostan followed because he had to and because he really didn't care for the idea of some sort of masked avenger deciding that the Ace didn't belong here. He stuck closely to his mistress' side.

---

Kel trailed just a bit behind Theofilus and Zane, not wanting to intrude upon either man's thoughts, even as she wondered in almost sick desperation why she was here. She hadn't know Queen Lysaras and, while her death was a shame, it was the way the Courts worked.

The skunk would not give into the niggling fear that told her the real reason she was upset was her fear that someday they'd be inviting these same people to Theo's funeral.

---

It wasn't just shock that shook her; it was despair. She'd never repaid the gentle and kind Queen for the glorious blessing. Haret's head hung down, allowing her hair to coil against her arms with plenty of slack. She was. . . despondent. At a loss. She wasn't here for the new Queen; she was here to mourn a very wonderful lady.

[Vyn]

Vana felt awful.

For nearly a week and a half she'd been locked in her room, trapped in her despondence and trying her hardest to ignore the fact that the world was going on without her, without Lysaras. She didn't want to believe it, even though she knew it was true. Even a week later, her appetite hadn't come back. Occasionally she would eat to appease Toli's worry, but even then it was just a couple of nibbles; enough to keep her alive but not nearly enough to keep her weight on.

The looks she got as she made her way to the funeral was proof enough that she looked as terrible as she felt.

The J on her chest didn't make her feel special, didn't give her any sense of power, it just made her regret everything even more. Lysaras... Lysaras would have been proud. It would've meant she was a step closer to being her King. Except Lysaras was gone.

Standing out under the overcast sky, shivering in the drizzle, Parvana had to wonder if that was why she'd come at all. To prove that Lysaras was really gone.

---

Anatolius had been visiting the Court of Spades every night for the last week, trying to make certain that his fragile cousin didn't kill herself from her sudden collapse into depression.

He would never have envisioned that one day he would see her like this, overly thin and nearly collapsing from the weight of her misery. Even her little Mome seemed incapable of giving her any joy, though she clung to it like a child to her teddy bear, and Anatolius was equally incapable.

When Vana moped off to investigate the coffin, Anatolius lingered back to give her some time alone. She needed to have her closure. The canine sighed heavily. He would have to get her out of this funk somehow...

---

(Keeping in mind that Wulfram would have probably brought Lenore into the Courts a good deal earlier)


Wulfram was in delightfully high spirits.

He'd been looking forward to the day when Lysaras would be put in her place and their glorious Suit would be brought back to it's former glory. He had always assumed it would be him doing the butchery, but this worked just as well.

And it helped that he approved of the new Queen's methods.

Leaving Lenore in their suite (with Kirill keeping watch over her, of course), Wulfram made his way down to where the funeral was being held and wandered along the sidelines to watch the proceedings. It was interesting to see who all arrived -- especially when he caught sight of the Queen of Diamonds -- and even more so to see who actually seemed upset compared to those just wearing somber masks to suit the occasion.

---

Malachior could barely believe his ears when he'd heard that Lysaras had been killed, and in absolute disgrace no less. It wasn't that he was particularly fond of the woman, but he had known her long before he'd left the Courts and hadn't seen any signs of such an event brewing even while he was keeping tabs on their Court.

The power switch had surely been sudden. Nevertheless, Malachior was curious.

So he invited himself to the funeral, intending to pay some respects and maybe check out the grounds before making an appearance with the new Queen.

As always, Acerbic lay casually over his shoulders and kept an eye out for things that Malachior himself might miss. Such as the possible appearance of Wulfram at this get together... It had been ages since he'd spoken with the assassin but he had heard through the grapevine that he worked here now. Just another rumor that he needed to verify.

[Ry]

Angelica 'Souris' Rosier had not had occasion to meet the late Queen of Spades, and she felt strange attending her funeral. Nevertheless, she felt obliged to pay her respects to the deceased, and observe her successor first hand. Donalda, in human form, was rather disconcerting. Her skirt read 'Challenge' in blue, hinting at Villa en Mirr, while the lilac, yellow and pink suggested that the new Queen was at least part Gardens. She put aside her impressions for the moment, to turn her attention to the beautiful, dignified Torquehelm she remembered.

She could approach the coffin, of course, which would probably aid her remembrance, but the body would be lifeless, and almost completely unlike the canine she had in mind. Souris chose to remember Lysaras as she had been, while she lived. No proper closure for her. Instead, she would take the opportunity to assess key visitors, from other Courts.

[Kari Muffin]

Parsley was confused, utterly and completely. He stood there and watched the man walk by him with a bright green creature on his shoulders. That bright green creature was the same bright green one that he summoned. Why was his tove with that man?

Disregarding what little manners the fairy squirrel had he trotted after the man named Malachior. A determined look was painted on the squirrels face as he quickly closed the gap between him and the human.

"Excuse me, you. Why do you have my Slithey Tove?" He asked rather bluntly. On closer inspection... the creature still looked exactly the same. But it couldn't be his little Larisa, could it? No, he could still summon her if he wanted to.

But why was a Tove identical to his running around with some man dressed in all white? He couldn't see the man's rank, but he was obviously a Spade. That was the most logical conclusion.

(( OOC: >_> I thought it was a bad idea for Parsley to walk into a funeral. Guess I was right. ))

[Nako]

Mikael was one of those people who hung back in the crowds, either not wanting to or unwilling to see the body. There was a part of him though, that wondered how good of a job they did at patching her back up. An involuntary shiver made his fur stand on end. Instead, he stood within beckoning distance of his new Queen, but not so much as to be intrusive, or even in a way that would directly associate himself with her. After all, he doubted that she'd want to have to answer questions of 'Oh.. who is that?' to his merely acting as if he were.. some important associate or something. No, he'd merely be close if needed.

The rain... it seriously needed to stop. If he got soaked, he was quite sure that awful bog smell would show up through the citrus spray, and light dusting of baking soda into his coat. That normally made him smell tolerable during normal wear... but it was no match for the weather. Because of this, he spent much of his time edging under any umbrellas present, hiding from the light drops falling down on the crowd.

There was also a healthy number of familiars floating or crawling about. Well, that was expected; it was a Spades funeral, after all. He's probably have summoned his own little guy, but all the little Rath would accomplish would be a long, muddy stripe down his back. There were some drawbacks to having to roll everywhere...

[Satra]

A social event.

A miserable leader was replaced by one who was potentially better, and this was a... celebration? Were the guests, many of whom didn't know the woman, supposed to be somber and lament? Heilyn wasn't quite sure what the point was, but she did know that she wanted to see this new Queen and get a feel for her. Xiven might one day have to deal with her personally.

She'd taken a moment to shake off under the overhang of the portico then shift out of her Biped into her Human before she came through the door. Her Human forn was dry, thanks to the oils in her coat and proceeded to the event, hoping it would be over soon so she could eat and leave. The little Tove on her shoulder chirped as she walked briskly down the hall, catching up with Xiven.

~~

Hadrian was excited. They'd heard over at the Court of Clubs about the poor state of the Gardens of the Spade Court. The situation of the gardeners themselves was unclear, but since very little came the way from the Court of Spades, they just assumed the late Queen Lysara's lack of leadership translated to her encouraging her own staff to work. He was terribly nervous and excited to be the spokesman for their gift to the new Queen. He would approach her after the ceremony if there was no legitimate way of doing it before.

The rain didn't bother him at all, and he barely noticed the cold. His tail wagged when he'd caught the familiar sight of his younger brother. He assumed the tall Human figure in his general vicinity was the Queen herself. Not recognizing Donnie in her Human form, he circled wide and approached Mikael from the opposite end of where the Queen was standing.

"Hey, you," he greeted him quietly so as not to disturb the Queen from her thoughts. He let his tail wag freely, but lightly, "How are you?"

[Greenie]

Vessatha had no problem with funerals; she was of the morbid variety that found them entertaining. All these people here, just to stare at a dead body and cry over it?

Really?

She'd never understood the custom, but being the Kahmden she was, played along and pretended to mourn. She respected and liked Lysaras immensely, but understood the necessity for change far too much to lament her loss for more than a few hours. Since she'd used up those few hours immediately after the Queen's death, the ferret was left trying not to snicker at all the people around her. Some of them looked just as bored as she. If she wasn't required by propriety to be here, she'd certainly be off doing something productive. It wasn't as if she didn't have a million things to do, oh no.



Dysthymia stared at the body. What a morbid practice, gathering around a casket to stare at the dead corpse of a woman. It fascinated him, though he really had no inclination to stare for too long--the still-open wounds were making him sick.

As the only remaining King, he felt more than obligated to be there, even if he didn't want to. The ferret had no wish to accept sincere (and some less-than sincere) apologies from people, though he found it amusing that most of them were too scared to say anything to Donnie. They seemed to think that because he began in the previous administration, it meant he had no loyalties to the new Queen. He rather wanted to punch them in the face, but didn't feel it would set a good precedent, so just smiled thinly and went to see if anyone had put any food out.

[Kitty]

Casanova had ever intention of following in his father's footsteps and wanted to know the workings of the courts .. .both good and bad, and had accompanied the wolf partially for that. The larger part of him though was here because he was worried about auntie Vana. He'd never seen anyone look so sad before, especially not around his papa. He wasn't entirely sure why she seemed so very sad, but he wasn't going to ask about it .... even he was smart enough to know that that would be insensitive. He'd tried very hard to get her to smile ... but nothing had worked, he was at as big of a loss as Anatolius was, or perhaps greater. Toli seemed to understand things better then he did.

And it was lightly raining how .... appropriate. Normally in the rain he would have sucked his wings up into his body, or left just the bone out, but there was to be a lot of important people around today and he wanted to overshadow his lowland heritage as best he could ... even if it meant his flame wings would give a short hiss anytime a raindrop actually made it close enough to touch the flames.

When Vana went forward he stayed back with his pap and glanced up at him briefly as he shifted the color of his flames from their normal bright hues to blues, the brightness of their coats seemed almost ... inappropriate for the day ... but there was nothing he could do about that.