Free (Legion, open)

[Li]

OOC: Reference to this.

I'd like for acquaintances and invites to post first before opening this to the public.
Sorry to those I forgot to invite.

IC:
Zerreth flipped his new pre-paid phone between his fingers. The wind blew softly in his hair. The feeling was quite refreshing. Donned in his black jean jacket, button down shirt and black cargo pants he took a deep breath as he stared at the San Francisco sky scape. He waved a hand over his left eye to make sure he truly had lost his sight. Sure enough, he could only see the tips of his fingers moving back and forth through the leftmost side of his vision.

He took a step on the ledge and turned to the emergency exit he had to break open. No doubt an alarm went off, but security hadn't reached the roof yet. The building was surprisingly high up, and Zerreth was surprised that the doormen would let him just waltz on up to the "penthouse." At least the building was somewhat far from The Preston. It would be bad if Li saw him like this. Placing his hands behind his head he leaned back as if he was resting on his bed.

As he fell story after story the rush of wind against his back was almost comforting. It gave that feeling that one would imagine if laying on a cloud. Perhaps it didn't. But Zerreth felt that way. He felt calm and at ease. A familiar voice popped into his head once again. Zerreth was almost expecting it. She was always there.
"Everyone can fly if they jump from tall buildings!" Zerreth smiled at Mia's foolish comment. He knew she wasn't serious but it was her tone, not what she said, that always made him involuntarily smile.
"Hey, Zerr."
"What's up, Mia?" He knew he was speaking to a figment of his memory of Mia, but he didn't care.
"Why'd you do it?" He tried to shrug only to remember that he was falling.
"I got tired of waiting. I guess I just wanted to be closer to you." He could imagine her frowning for a bit then smiling as if there was an afterthought.
"I'd like to say that's sweet, but aren't you worried?"
"Nah. I'm sure he'll be fine. Besides. I wanna see what he can do."



Li opened the door. As he pulled out the key he stuck his finger into the key chain ring and spun the set around his index. Turning right into the kitchen he tossed the keys onto the counter and flipped through the mail. 'Twas the daily routine nowadays since they moved in. It was odd however. Zerreth had been doing something since that day they learned he went blind in his left eye. It's not that Li was bothered by it. He learned his lesson that day and he was sure Zerreth knew as well. As he set down the mail, he felt a sharp prick on the back of his neck. Slapping it he was wondering why there would be mosquitoes in the winter. Staring at his hand, he could see nothing.

Shrugging he went over to the living room to watch some TV when he noticed a letter on the coffee table. Normally Li wouldn't touch it, Zerreth usually had a monopoly on the coffee table, but there was a letter addressed to him. The paper was folded long way first then in half. It was folded "Zerreth" style as if to confirm that it was actually his writing. He wondered as to why it would be folded as such since Zerreth typically used that method for important documents. Even more unusual was that it was written in Korean.

Kyong-su,

I've been thinking about what you've said and I'd like to apologize. I guess you were right. I've been taking a very lenient course this past year. Besides that ordeal with "The Hand" I've realized I've been sitting in the sidelines waiting for something to happen. Maybe I'm tired of all of it, or perhaps I've come to realize just how powerless I am compared to the others...
"That's not true"
Regardless, I've decided to move on. That fight made me realize how lazy I've been. Thanks. I know that Hircine is in better hands than other schools and I'm thinking about transferring again. No, I'm not taking you with me this time. I'm gonna give you the chance to prove to me that you're better than I am. I'm gonna give you your freedom, so take that chance and do something about it. I see ambition and I promise not to hold you back. Prove to her that you too are capable. When I come back, I hope to see you stronger.

"He forgot his signature, and who is he talking about?" There were so many people he could've mentioned with 'her.' He was thinking about calling Zerreth about the letter when the phone rang. He shrugged at the coincidence and walked to the kitchen to pick up the receiver.



That's all he could remember. As he stood on the grass he tried to recollect what happened after, but had problems. Perhaps he didn't want to remember, or maybe he honestly couldn't. He frowned as he couldn't really remember what he said in front of the people. Did they clap? Did he even say anything? One little fragment did seem to haunt him though. He remembered trying to hold back something as he typed up a letter and began mailing it to various people. He wasn't even sure who he mailed it to. Perhaps the other members?

As he stared at the tombstone, he could hear, and probably see, people shuffling about him. He was sure they were there before. Maybe they were the people he invited before. He knew people were there though. He wasn't sure of how large the group was as he never payed any attention. Li was pretty sure it was a medium group though. He turned around and attempted to interact with some people. Maybe that would get his mind off of Zerreth's death.
"Zerreth, you liar."

[Valencia Donahue]

In all honesty, Valencia never really grew close to the Legion she joined. There was an acquaintance or two she befriended prior to that one meeting, like Keisuke and Odin for instance, but all those other faces didn’t really stand out or did much to reinforce her memory. If she tries to remember hard enough, she’d be able to force out an image… Though more (unconscious) effort is necessary if she wants more distinct details. It took Valencia a while to figure out whose funeral she was attending. She had to sit on the floor of her apartment and look at her Legion ring long and hard until she got a vague memory. Then, since that didn’t help as much as she expected, she sat on her couch to trigger some more details.

At the “Harvest Soiree”, Li and Zerreth helped her get some space and gave her his jacket. She never got the chance to return it, much less learn that the jacket belonged to Zerreth and not Li, but she returned things whenever she could. Valencia headed over to the coat rack where she kept the jacket and thought how all these connections will add up to something some day. A bunch of things added up to how she is now and she’s trying to reverse some of it; who knows what’ll come of this? She sighed silently and put on her own jacket before taking Zerreth’s jacket with her.

Call me crazy, but I think my life goes beyond “broken reincarnation” and “immortality”… As much as I’d like to say what I think it is, that’d be giving me too much credit.

Once Valencia made it to the funeral, seeing Li made remembering a bit easier. It also made it harder. You can’t remember what never happened and if you do, it hurts. The Asian’s argent eyes drifted away from the young man, who seemed out of it. There’ve been lots and lots of people she never got to know properly and in the course of her lifetime, she attended lots of funerals. Being at Zerreth’s funeral made her think about the parents she didn’t get to know and the coworkers, gang members, and friends who became a statistic. Valencia didn’t know enough about Li and Zerreth, yet… Deep down, she knew what a person must face whenever someone close, no matter how near or far away, dies.

This isn’t my challenge… And I don’t know what you have to face, Li, but you know, I know, and probably Zerreth knows… That you have to confront it.

Valencia ran her fingers through her hair and began to feel bothered at how many people out there have problems they have to deal with… On their own. She wasn’t an exception and although she managed to survive a lot, everyone lives troubled lives that only they can live. She looked at Li again, figuring that he wouldn’t notice her looking at him directly in the eyes while he’s concentrating on the others. As a stranger, or an acquaintance, she doesn’t have what it takes to give what Li’s friends can… But as someone who believed in everything being connected, great or small, Valencia hoped that something would come of her presence. She silently approached the tombstone and placed Zerreth’s folded up jacket beside it to form a cushion—a hunch told her that it was the least she could do. She looked at Li one last time before heading back to the confines of the crowd or perhaps just to vanish and move on.

[Odin Reeves]

How could something so messy be so clean by it’s population? A funeral is a time a sorrow; the death of a fellow human being is perhaps the most disturbing and disgusting thing to occur, especially in one so young. An, in definition, isn’t that what messy means? And yet, you try to look for best for whomever has departed, you believe you owe them that much. Truthfully, you might owe them much more, but it’s the subtle suggestions and characteristics that are remembered, even more so than the final act.

Odin did well to partake in this ritual of the masses. He shaved for the first time in weeks, combed his hair rather then letting it fall where it might or pushing it off to the side. His suit was clean and pressed, and actually a suit worth showing rather then a second rate hand-me-down that he tried to show off. During the ceremony he did his best to keep his ears perked, head hung, and hands clasped in front. Once more all-subtle signs of respect that the masses follow out of tradition. Respect for those around, for the family members involved, and for the dearly departed.

Yet, after the burial came a tradition that Odin didn’t truly understand. Some people left memento’s left behind by that person, other’s dropped flowers for whatever reason they held. Odin didn’t know Zerreth well enough to be called a friend, and only through Legion were they considered an acquaintance. Truthfully, the only memory he had of Zerreth was when the Asian was yelling at him to be more helpful in an area he didn’t understand. All he could do was look back at that memory and laugh, laugh at his actions, Zerreth’s, just the situation in entirety, which was rather serious… but alas.

When he saw Valencia step out from the crowd, returning Zerreth’s jacket questions, inappropriate questions began to rise to the top of his mind. Had they been dating? What exactly did Zerreth mean to her? Were they close? All the questions that came up swarmed his brain at the most inappropriate of times. This was the time to reflect on Zerreth’s life, and after that attention was to be given to his family members. In this case, Li. Everything else was just noise, inappropriate and unappreciated noise.

Passing through the crowd he stepped up to the tombstone, kneeling down he reached inside his jacket pocket and latched on to a silver chain. Pulling the chain from his pocket he held its contents firmly in his fist, away from the eyes of the prying public. Handing his head low he said his goodbye’s and slipped his rarely worn Legion ring onto the corner base of the tombstone. Sure, it was beaten and battered, but it’s the one thing they both shared, the one thing that let them come together to try and get to know each other. For that, he gave thanks, a short and final thanks for getting to meet Zerreth.

Standing up he slipped back into the crowd, walking backwards slowly as to never turn his back on Zerreth’s grave. He didn’t have any parting words of wisdom or thoughts on life that he could share. That required a philosophers mind. But what he could do was offer what little comfort he could. After re-merging with the crowd he made his way toward Li, and after placing his hand gently upon the young man’s shoulder said his word.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

[Kei]

Another Varron student's funeral taking place. Another Varron student's funeral that Keisuke was to attend... and another Varron student's death that made it's way to Keisuke's heart. Who was the first? Zero's best friend Oshitaka? Then after that, Kazuki? And now... of all people, Zerreth? Kei looked up to him, even if he was older. In Varron, Zerreth was the original go-to-guy for heroism. Zerreth and his brother were just some punk kids trying to make a difference in a misconstrued school. Did everyone know it? Of course not. But, for those that did, the lot of them appreciated it, because it was Zerreth who was the first to act true to himself- like a man. This extraordinary influence made the ideal relationship between him and his brother, Li. And even though Zerreth was thrown in a juvenile detention center almost two years ago-for something Kei thinks Zerreth didn't do- Li was still there. And, upon other things worth mentioning, it seems that Li did grew through his own emotional development when Zerreth wasn't present.

Perhaps... this was the final stage.

Keisuke's hair grew back to what it used to be throughout Varron and even his first few months here in San Francisco. His brown hair shined a radiant, serene color, though he preferred to keep it slightly darken with some hairspray. But, even then, the only reason as to why he found this significant was because he was to wear the same suit as he did to Kazuki's funeral, with the same hairstyle. Wearing the same sunglasses as last time, he stepped outside into his three year old Vanquish, and drove slowly to the cemetery. Upon reaching there, he caught view of some familiar faces. Some of them from Varron, others from Hircine's halls, and some that he knew personally, if only Valencia and Li.

Approaching the tombstone of one of Varron's beloved heroes, he caught Odin's subtle escape, and even saw Valencia starting to get herself into the gathering of people. He wondered where Li was, but, it wasn't any of his business. What would he say to him that Li didn't know himself? In the end, he kept this thought to himself as he finally found Zerreth's tombstone. Removing his sunglasses and placing them in his jacket's inside breast pocket, he looked down on what was in front of him, and contemplated.

~You were just here. You do know that, right Zerr'? I mean... its hard to believe that you're gone. Its you. I thought you were too smart to get yourself in any life threatening problem. But, maybe this time it was out of your control. We barely knew each other, but, your absence will be on my mind for a very long time Zerreth. And, for assurance, I'll help your brother in any way I can. But, he's strong, so you don't have to worry too much. Is...~

Keisuke just stood there. He looked on to the grave for minutes, unending his conversation. Though... it was much too real for him. It was on a serious level. Was this the fate of those who experienced Varron at its earliest? Even Tim, who was a really good guy, suffered to no end. When it comes down to it, all those who Kei remembered from back then, are all suffering now. So... does that mean... is his time coming? All he could do was wait.

And he waited. In front of Zerreth's tombstone, as he has been doing all this time.

[Kyukaku]

Kyukaku slouched forward in his seat for a good duration of the funeral. He clasped his hands together as his eyes rarely left the ground. It wasn't the first time he'd been to a funeral, nor one of his classmate, but it was the first he went to where the deceased was a suicide victim.

Victim...

He slowly sat back, his gaze searching for Li. He had a class with the younger brother back in Varron, and while they weren't best friends they did know eachother. Besides that class, however, Kyukaku had never seen one brother without the other. He had seen Zerreth and Li in action once, fighting with such syncronization that only brothers like they could have had. It was a sight to see--Zerreth and Li.

Kyu's eyes found the figure of Li, and what a sight that was.

Without Zerreth at his side, things were just off. The aura, the tao, whatever one wanted to call it, it was just...off. Li was staying strong, but his body language obviously gave off distress. In Zerreth's suicide, who had really been the victim here? To Kyukaku, it couldn't be anyone before Li.

His heart sank for the younger brother as his gut wrenched. His eyes fell back down, and for a moment the junior grew angry with Zerreth. He didn't know the reasons why, but suicide was always a cowards way out. Whatever problems he had couldn't be solved now. Instead, his pain would be passed down to others like Li. Was he so torn on the inside that he couldn't even tell that? The thought only depressed the mood, and the anger faded to dissatisfaction.

Kyukaku found himself at the tombstone after a few other classmates, noticing the face of Odin. He reached into his dress pants pocket, retrieving his headband. Zerreth wasn't his best friend, but he was a human being, and the end of his life would also take a toll upon Kyu. He tied the cloth around a wreath, giving Zerreth the only thing Kyukaku felt personal enough to give to a fellow warrior. He wouldn't get one to replace it, either. From now on, Kyukaku wouldn't wear his associated headband. It was in Zerreth's honor now.

It wasn't much, but it was something.

[Kazuki Akimoto]

Despite all notions of hypocrisy, Taiku held a particular disdain for suicide. It was a cowards escape, something that removed all true honour from your soul and condemned you, but he had faked his own in the past and knew he was in no position to pass judgement on anyone.

Least of all a member of Legion, now quickly falling apart at the seams. Between his other affairs, he had made it less and less of a priority in recent months despite still keeping tabs on people, watching over the others in his own way, and in some small part was angry with himself that he hadn't been able to see Zerreths actions coming. There was no undoing this, nothing money or power could change about it, and he found himself standing a short way from the main procession, flanked by a couple of other headstones as he watched the others of his alliance give their own silent words. Not so much unwilling to approach as he was waiting for his time to do so, he'd hardly hidden his presence at the funeral but, as would be expected, had remained a little out of the way.

'Zerreth, may you find peace.'

Closing his eyes and breathing slowly, the leading man of Legion walked towards the graveside, paying no remark to the others at the moment, -though his eyes caught a brief glimpse of Valencia Donahue, the Hircine student he had extended invitation to once before-, before standing slightly adjacent to the younger male, his eyes not rising as he spoke quietly towards him.

"I have no place to offer words to you, Li, but if you need to talk, you know where to find me. Legion will be closed to the public tonight in his memory, and if you choose to, I will hold a wake for him."

Turning slightly and approaching the headstone, he stood a moment facing it in silent complacence before slipping the Legion ring from his left middle finger off, setting it down on the marble before slowly stepping back a few paces, once again standing alone, this time within the crowd but just to the side.

'You will not be forgotten.'