OOM: The Wake
Aug. 24th, 2006 03:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_chappyThere were some things he never wanted to do and some things he never imagined himself doing.
Like preparing the body of a friend for a wake.
Elaine had decided that Tony's corpse needed to be prepared, his wounds dressed and that tarp removed. It might be more difficult to explain the shroud he was wrapped in now, the gauzy white cloth that covered his body, with just one thin layer over his face like a veil. This shroud raise more questions than just leaving him in the tarp, a fact that bothered Ryan, but that option didn't seem ... decent. It was distasteful on a visceral level, offending something that went beyond logic.
Visit the sick. Harbor the harborless. Ransom the captive. Bury the dead.
That didn't make this much easier though. It was out of respect, duty and even pride that he was here. He couldn't leave Elaine to do this alone, that was never an option. Still, it was hard to look at the ashen skin and the wounds and not be horrified, not wonder about what his own body had looked like. One bullet wound but the entry point was different and Ryan was grateful for that. The neat, small entry wound in Tony's forehead was easy to cover with bandages, still leaving his face visible. Intact. Lying over the body, on his chest, was a small bouquet of white lilies.
The only problem after the wake would be the burial. Something would have to be done soon. He knew the others were waiting to see if Michelle would arrive here or what the chatter on the mission...
But it couldn't wait any longer. They'd have to take care of the body and he had to be done soon. It didn't matter what condition the body was in, it just wasn't right to wait. It seemed disrespectful somehow. Not to mention the unspoken hope that he knew was shared by the others that if Tony was buried maybe he could come back to Milliways. It was insane and sounded almost like Milliways' own version of superstition but it also made a strange sort of sense. Tony would come back here if he could so what else could be keeping him but this?
The still sparsely decorated room has more furniture in it now. Along with the bed that the body lay on - a single, covered with a white sheet and pushed horizontal against the wall opposite the door - there were also a few folding chairs in case anyone needed to sit during the blessing.
Across the hall, in Room 515, there was none of the usual bedroom furniture, just chairs, tables and two couches. On one table there was food, plates and napkins. On the other table (and in the two coolers underneath) there are soft drinks, coffee, tea and a wide variety of liquors.
Ryan walks over to the doorway where Elaine is standing and waits for people to come by.
Like preparing the body of a friend for a wake.
Elaine had decided that Tony's corpse needed to be prepared, his wounds dressed and that tarp removed. It might be more difficult to explain the shroud he was wrapped in now, the gauzy white cloth that covered his body, with just one thin layer over his face like a veil. This shroud raise more questions than just leaving him in the tarp, a fact that bothered Ryan, but that option didn't seem ... decent. It was distasteful on a visceral level, offending something that went beyond logic.
Visit the sick. Harbor the harborless. Ransom the captive. Bury the dead.
That didn't make this much easier though. It was out of respect, duty and even pride that he was here. He couldn't leave Elaine to do this alone, that was never an option. Still, it was hard to look at the ashen skin and the wounds and not be horrified, not wonder about what his own body had looked like. One bullet wound but the entry point was different and Ryan was grateful for that. The neat, small entry wound in Tony's forehead was easy to cover with bandages, still leaving his face visible. Intact. Lying over the body, on his chest, was a small bouquet of white lilies.
The only problem after the wake would be the burial. Something would have to be done soon. He knew the others were waiting to see if Michelle would arrive here or what the chatter on the mission...
But it couldn't wait any longer. They'd have to take care of the body and he had to be done soon. It didn't matter what condition the body was in, it just wasn't right to wait. It seemed disrespectful somehow. Not to mention the unspoken hope that he knew was shared by the others that if Tony was buried maybe he could come back to Milliways. It was insane and sounded almost like Milliways' own version of superstition but it also made a strange sort of sense. Tony would come back here if he could so what else could be keeping him but this?
The still sparsely decorated room has more furniture in it now. Along with the bed that the body lay on - a single, covered with a white sheet and pushed horizontal against the wall opposite the door - there were also a few folding chairs in case anyone needed to sit during the blessing.
Across the hall, in Room 515, there was none of the usual bedroom furniture, just chairs, tables and two couches. On one table there was food, plates and napkins. On the other table (and in the two coolers underneath) there are soft drinks, coffee, tea and a wide variety of liquors.
Ryan walks over to the doorway where Elaine is standing and waits for people to come by.
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-25 12:08 am (UTC)( -- Make sure my eyes is closed, will ya?)
"Wèi, Jack," Mal offers, stepping next to him and causing a metallic faint clink in his right pocket.
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-25 12:14 am (UTC)Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-25 12:17 am (UTC)Mal digs out the source of the clinking - his battered flask. He holds it out to Jack.
"Before you ask, yes - it is the swill that I normally get into."
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-25 12:32 am (UTC)Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-26 01:41 pm (UTC)Mal doesn't say much, because there's not much to say.
"Tony owed me a poker game."
Except that, no matter how stupid it sounded coming out of his mouth.
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-26 07:02 pm (UTC)There hadn't even been enough time to stop them from doing it. Only enough to see that Tony knew what was about to happen; that split-second of realization that Jack keeps seeing in his nightmares.
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-26 11:29 pm (UTC)Mal opens his mouth as to say something, but stops. He starts again, slowly.
"Don't let Tony eat you."
Please. I'd like to keep you around as you are.
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-27 05:09 am (UTC)Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-27 07:11 pm (UTC)"...We could still have that poker game. I'll bring the Ng Ka Pe."
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-27 07:52 pm (UTC)Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-28 03:20 am (UTC)He digs around in his pocket, pulling out a crumpled wad of paper, straightening out a few edges, and eventually rearranging the wings of the origami white swan; giving it to Jack.
"You know where I'm at."
Re: Room 515
Date: 2006-08-28 03:51 am (UTC)