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A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:18 PM

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It was a quiet night, only disturbed by the rustling of the changing leaves in the cold autumn air and the soft crunching of those that had fallen underneath the feet of animals that occasionally wandered through the graveyard. At the moment, there wasn’t a soul in the humble confines of the graveyard.

At least not a living one.

One tall dark figure wandered through the graves, searching for something. They carried a small pack on their back, the contents unknowable at the moment. At last, they seemed to have found what they were looking for and their steps quickened.




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:19 PM

Vensemont stopped before the grave he had been looking for, a small smile gracing his dark features from underneath the grey scarf he currently had wrapped about his face. He knelt, removing the pack off of his back and setting it to the side. His hands reached up and pulled back the scarf and hood that had otherwise been obscuring his face. If anyone had been around, they would have seen what should have been a young man, but his cheeks were too sunken, his complexion too grey.

The cover was for the sake of the village that wasn’t too far from here. Whether a few of the older folk recognized him or not, he wasn’t sure (he hoped not), but he didn’t want to take the chance of scaring the village either. He tried to take care in being discreet, slipping in and out in order to do what he needed, without disturbing the villagers as much as possible.

Apparently, he’d become something of a ghost story though.




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:21 PM

Quietly, he began pulling things out of the pack: a blanket, some candles, matches. He gently set everything aside, where the items waited until he was ready for them. Vensemont grabbed the blanket and unfurled it, laying it in front of the gravestone he had stopped in front of. He took time to ensure each corner was smoothed out, each bump and fold was fixed so that the blanket was as flat against the grass as possible.

Carefully, Vensemont set up a couple of candles on each side of the gravestone, making sure they were stable before he lit them. A few strikes and the flames flared up, finally revealing the name on the gravestone.

Sorscha Greyvalle
“Strong Fighter, Loving Brother”




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:26 PM

“Hello, Sorscha.”

A sad smile danced across the dead man’s features, though it could be said that there was a general air of sadness about Vensemont. It seemed to be ingrained into his very being.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around in a while,” he continued as he fished a couple of tea sets out of the pack and placed one in front of Sorscha’s grave and one in front of himself. “Things have gotten a bit hectic lately, so I haven’t had the chance to make it back home until now. I do hope you’ll forgive me.”




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:27 PM

Next came the cakes. They weren’t anything too fancy, just some sweet, fluffy bread with powdered sugar sprinkled on top and wrapped in wax paper. Vensemont carefully unwrapped each of the cakes and placed two of them in front of the gravestone, and one in front of himself. It didn’t seem to matter that neither Sorscha nor he could actually eat or drink any of this, it was the spirit of it that counted.

He hoped Sorscha would have liked that.




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:28 PM

One emptied waterskin later, the teacups had been filled and were currently in the process of being magically heated by Vensemont. It was a simple heating spell he had picked up along the years and very convenient for making tea when you didn’t have a full tea set.

“Now, I know tea was never your favorite drink, but I thought you’d still appreciate it,” he commented, a soft chuckle following afterwards. There was a quick pause afterwards, as if Vensemont was waiting for someone to respond. “I couldn’t get any coffee this time, but perhaps next time.”




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:31 PM

“But to make up for it, I did manage to get my hands on that liqour you always liked,” Vensemont said as he pulled a paper bag from the pack and slipped the bottle out before setting it next to the teacup across from him. He only needed to slip a teabag into each cup and--There.

Everything was as it should be.

This whole process had become something of a ritual for him. At least once a year, he came home and visited his brother’s grave. There weren’t many people left to do so. And given home was a little village near the Holy City, he had to take care not to be seen or to disguise himself: the walking dead would not be treated lightly in Aldrect.




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:33 PM

“I hope you have been doing well. The groundskeeper seems to be doing a good job of keeping things neat and clean. I’m glad, you deserve as much,” Vensemont went on, tucking his legs underneath himself and carefully grasping the warm cup of tea between his leathered hands, enjoying what little warmth he could feel from it.

“Nothing much has changed lately for me. I’m still working with the group I told you about, the one that helps people when others won’t or can’t. They’re good people. We….We do good work. It gives me purpose again.”

Vensemont went quiet for a few moments after that, apparently thinking about something. “The alchemy shop is doing well too. I still get strange looks much of the time, which is understandable. But I’m a little less likely to get smited there than I am here. But….things are going well. I’m helping people. You’ve no need to worry about me, big brother.”




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:35 PM

The undead man sat there for the next few hours like this, quietly conversing with his brother’s headstone as if the man was truly there and listening. Soft laughter broke out every once in awhile as Vensemont told his brother some silly story that had happened this year. Possibly about the Smilokuhna he had met within the last few years. “I know I’ve told you this before,” Ven said, the strange yellow glow from his eyes temporarily obscured as they crinkled from his smile. “But I really do think you would have liked him. You’re a lot alike, the fact you share a name is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.”

Something rustled nearby and Vensemont’s head shot up, eyes wide and aglow as he looked around, attempting to spot what the noise had been. One hoof and then another revealed the source to be a deer. It had stopped and looked up to stare at him for one silent moment before bolting back into the woods.




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


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Lilith Michaelis
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Re: A Graveside Chat {Self}

Postby Lilith Michaelis » 10/30/2017 7:36 PM

Vensemont sighed softly, shoulders slowly relaxing as all returned to the gentle blowing of the breeze and silence. He may be safe for now, but he chose to take that as his cue to leave. Even now, he thought he could see the bobbing lantern of the groundskeeper slowly making its way towards the graveyard.

He placed his cake with the others in front of the stone with the others and emptied his teacup on the ground before placing it back in the pack. He scooted the other teacup, cakes, and the bottle of liquor closer to the gravestone, ensuring they were off the blanket. He carefully folded it up before placing it in the pack as well.

Just one last thing now. It took a bit of wrangling but Vensemont eventually got the bouquet free. The flowers were a little damaged from being in the pack but he smoothed them out as best as he could and left them with the food. Sorscha wouldn’t mind. He bent forward and gently kissed the top of the gravestone before standing and slipping his scarf and hood back up and the pack back on. “...I miss you, Sorscha.”

Just as quietly as he had come, the undead man slipped back out of the graveyard and into the woods, his presence unnoticed other than the strange gifts left by Sorscha’s grave.




There's a reckoning a-coming
It burns beyond the grave
There's lead inside my belly
Cause my soul has lost its way


User avatar
Lilith Michaelis
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