Angels in Arcadia

[Trinais]

"I hear what your saying, but I have to thoroughly disagree. The solution isn't just lower speed limits- it's also improved infrastructure for fine individuals such as yourself. I've seen these tunnels they dig under the roads in Ohio, like drain pipes, to cut down on those horrid accidents. They just need some of those here."

Parael glanced at the squirrel quizzically, watching as it clacked its acorn against its teeth and waiting for a response. It bit through the top of the nut. Then hopped off. Typical squirrel, always running away when it couldn't make a proper response in an argument. Parry much preferred debating chipmunks anyway. But there weren't many on this side of the state, and besides, he had work to do. The others would be getting here soon, if they hadn't arrived already! Glancing into his waistcoat pocket for his watch. Twelve noon. It would begin quickly, then. It'd been a chore getting the proper attire for this gathering (Parry always insisted he looked horrid in a suit and tie) but proper respect needed to be paid, especially for one so young as Mark, so he'd come dressed to the Nines in his best 1920's era suit, tie and walking stick- though he had the good sense to leave the top hat at home. A lot would happen here that would depend on first impressions. As the lines of students continued to stream into the funeral home in ones and twos, Parry glanced up at the gray skies and frowned.

This city had a past that wasn't trouble, but wasn't exactly hopeful either. During the summer people came from around the country for the beaches. Money and alcohol flowed freely, young lovebirds flocked to the parks, and there were plenty of historical sites to see. But the darker side was prevalent as well in the outskirts of town. Old cotton mills had long since been shuttered and splattered with graffiti, or burned to shells. Most of the farms had blighted in the '40s and never bounced back. An unhealthy number of people were being crammed into trailer homes.

And now, this. A sickness not of the physical realm was taking root. Oh, Parry couldn't sense the where or the what, but its presence was an ache in his bones. When the sun went down, something dark was coming over this place.

And it would take more than just little old him to bring it into the light.

"Well everyone, I'm waiting..."

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I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry.

It was meant to be a statement of fact, but Ian had to admit that it sounded more like a prayer. Most everyone heading into the open doors of the funeral home was dry-eyed and grim. Everyone had the same thoughts on their mind- poor Mark. Stuck in that coma for six months, no explanations from the doctors, and then suddenly last week, gone. Never to wake up again. How terrible for the family. But who was going to be next? The adults were in denial that anyone else would fall into a coma, that it was anything more than a coincidence (at least in public). But it was all the talk around school, and everyone was looking for a common thread to pin on their social enemies.

The victims were all watching American Idol (false; Mark loved 'The Voice'). They all had brothers (false). They all had cats (oddly true, but Ian doubted that was the cause). One of the most recent rumors: they were all gay.

And the thought of that one made Ian squirm in his seatbelt as his dad pulled the car into the parking lot. "You okay?"

Ian nodded silently, not wanting to open his mouth with that three letter word on his mind. Mom and dad shared a concerned look but said nothing else. Teenage grief. So sad.

Ian just wanted to say goodbye in peace. Hopefully that wouldn't be too much to ask, even as he stepped out of the car and headed for the parking lot. His mom and dad mentioned something about going to Mark's house and preparing dinner for the family, so he wasn't surprised they drove off right after leaving Ian at the doors to the Gothic-style funeral home.

OOC: The OOC- http://roleplayerguild.com/showthrea...els-in-Arcadia

[HiddenBeauty13]

Aoi sighed as she landed in the secluded woods a little ways from the funeral home; traveling in cars or planes was overrated, so she chose to fly herself. That didn't come without a price, though. She managed to get a few twigs in her hair and startle a few forest animals. "Sorry." She said in a soothing voice as she smoothed her plain black dress, picked especially for this event.

The angel had been tracking this particular event for a while now, hoping that she'd be one of the ones choosen to investigate the situation. She, like everyone else, had assumed that it was the evil doings of demonic beings. They had no right to be terrorizing and harming the innocent children of this town and would stop at nothing to make sure they stopped once and for all.

Sighing a bit, Aoi tranformed her wand and made it into a ring, one with a glass globe with a opaz inside. After straightening her hair a bit, Aoi strutted out of the forest in black heels as if that wasn't weird at all. Spotting a fellow angel that had also been assign to the task, she walked straight over to him.

"Hey Parael. Nice clothes." She said with a slight smile, her silver-white hair blowing slightly with a sudden breeze. Aoi looked over at the growing crowd, her smile turning to a small frown. They all looked so depressed and it only dampened her usual content mood. So did the sky...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~
Well, this is depressing. Roy thought simply as he approached Blessed Rest, the funeral home where Mark Greene's wake was being held. The dark gray sky and the grim look on everyone's face only dampened the mood of today even more. Roy did not know the boy personally, hell, he barely knew anyone in this whole town personally, but he knew that Mark was loved by many folks. The way he died was quite...uncommon, or so he would say. Greene had been in a coma for who knows how long (Roy didn't really keep up with all the medical aspects of things) and then, after another teen fell into a coma, Mark died. No one truly knows why teenagers were being targeted by sudden comas but it even had the most emotionless boy in Arcadia worried, especially since his birthday was in three days. Great.

Shaking his head, Roy adjusted his glasses on his face and pulled the strings on his dark blue hoodies before gliding through the doors, unnoticed as usual. As he walked through the crowded hallway, he stared at people while the cried into the shoulders of others or blew their snotty noses into cheap tissues paper. Sighing, he made it to the room where Mark was being held and simply moved to the side so he could stare at his lifeless body without being in the way of other people. His parents had forced him to come here to show atleast some respect to the dead boy; Roy just hoped that all of this would go smoothly and quickly so he could go back home and relax.

[AkiBlue]

Alex had been sitting on a branch, in his normal attire, ways from the funeral. He sighed and jumped down, his clothes changing into a black suit with a red tie. As he walked down, a blood red rose appeared in his hand. He might as well pay his condolences.

Alex wasn't the one to go to anything 'sad'. Even as an angel, he wasn't all happy and overly emotional like most angels. Upon arriving at the funeral home, he looked at all of the mourners and then to two of his angelic companions, Parry and Aoi. "Good evening you two." Maybe not the best words...

He cleared his throat and tossed the rose toward the casket. Of course no one saw it at first, but when they did, it appeared as a simple rosé floating in the wind. He paid his condolences, and now wanted to get going. To quote a familiar movie there was a disturbance in the force and he didn't like it one bit.

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

The funeral was today...

Liu sat in the back of the funeral home. She hadn't known Mark very well, but they had occasionally spoke. Inside, she grieved for the nice kid she had barely knew, but on the outside she kept a straight face and looked down at her feet.

Liu had heard about the mysterious deaths of teens around Arcadia. It made her regret being 16. Though if course, it's not like she could do anything about that. After she'd pay her respects, Liu planned on going to an empty house- both parents leaving to "be apart", and do a bit of cleaning. It could've been a virus going around, she had to stay healthy somehow.

Liu then noticed the rose floating on top of the casket and let out a soft sigh. It made people cry even more. She held back the tears and continued to look down, waiting for the funeral to end.

[InkedWolf]

Ivy stared at the canvas that lay before her. She loved the feeling of the oil paint as she brushed it across her artwork. Ever since she heard about the death, she felt compelled to paint. It was her way of coping with another loss. She heard her alarm begin to echo out the warning to her, it was time to go. She quickly put her paints away as she walked past her father, out cold again with a bottle of booze. Her mother was in the kitchen preparing food. "I'm heading out mum..." She didn't wait for a response as she left.

As Ivy looked out the window of the bus, she frowned as another student commented about the coma victims. How long till these buses were missing more chidren, she wished she could change this. However, all she could do was keep painting...

As she arrived at the funeral home, she saw her class mates, other kids from the school standing together. She took a seat in the corner, away from them. She began to nervously pull on the hem of her paint stained shirt. She hated having her wrists exposed, it resulted in things she didn't enjoy seeing. Pity, questions, scorn, like they even knew what was going on in her life? They didn't have the right...

At that point, an older woman dressed like a cowgirl sat down beside her. Oh great, an adult who thinks they can make this all better.

---

Joanna sat quietly at the back of the funeral home. She said nothing, just kept her cowboy hat low as she ran her tough hands over the cuffs of the duster. She was used to blending in, to most people she probably didn't even appear as a real person, just a sensation of someone who should be there. Another child passed on, a sad sad time. She rung her hands together, praying the child would at least find his way to a peaceful rest.

"Sleep well darlin', heaven heard you. We're here to help."

She slowly got to her feet as she left the parlour, many children were there mourning the loss of another. She frowned as this one would likely not be the last to pass on like this. She noticed a quiet girl sitting away from everyone else. She fumbled with the hem of her sleeves, the girl looked up at Joanna. She could sense depression and death looming around the poor girl. She wanted to go hug her, make the world less scary. Maybe she would reconsider taking her own life the next time?

"What are you looking at?"

Joanna nearly cursed aloud, the girl was able to see her? She regained her composure and gave the poor girl a warm smile, "Sorry sweetheart, it's been a long trip from where I came from. You knew the boy?"

The quiet girl shook her head, "Nah, but he's not the first to get like this either. Just the first to die." Joanna sat down next to the girl, she wanted to tell her everything would be allright. That the sickness wouldn't claim another innocent life.

Those would all be lies. "Hun, give it time. Sometimes you just gotta wait on the right help..." She lightly touched the girls forearm, "and you'll find your answers."

[Energie]

Cardon ran his hand over the front of his slim-fitted gray suit jacket, as he stepped into the funeral home. Death should have been something that he should be used to by now, as it was something that he accepted as a natural occurrence in life; yet, he always had his quells in death of minors who barely had the chance to mess up before their lives were taken. He moved through the crowd unseen, taking note of all the faces he passed. The tears, the heartache, the desire for answers – all things that Cardon wished he could alleviate from the mourning process, as he viewed death as a means of transitioning into the afterlife for which you were meant to recede in.

Cardon wore a placid look on his face as he approached the mother of the deceased. She was an emotional wreck, her mascara smeared and running, her complexion giving wind to her bout of sleepness nights. The scene would be a difficult one to witness, though few had the practice with comforting that Cardon and others like him had. He reached out a hand and placed it on the woman’s shoulder offering up silent words of relief.

The crying continued for several more seconds and then the tears slowly saw break as the woman wiped her face and looked to the others around her seeking out the presence, but Cardon allowed the act to be credited to others. He allowed his hand to slip from the woman’s shoulder, as his touch was replaced by those that had circled around her offering her comfort.

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Everett hated funerals. He’d never been able to grasp the concept of rejoicing in someone passing, as he viewed death more as an abrupt end to a journey. Especially considering the nature of Mark’s death – stuck in a coma for months, then he was pulled from this world as if he truly had no bearings here. And despite his attendance at a peer’s funeral, all Everett could think about was himself.

What would people say at his funeral? How many people would attend? Would his legacy be one that people aspire to follow or would it be a lukewarm pool of meaningless second-places. Funerals reminded Everett that he hadn’t yet achieved the level of success that he desired. They reminded him that he wasn’t yet good enough.

He stepped into Blessed Rest with his mind juggling these questions, as well as the omnipresent thought of him being the next victim to fall pray to this unexplained bout of comas. He gave several blank nods of empathy as he passed classmates, but his mind was in another place as he settled into a seat near the middle of the room.

[Trinais]

One, two, three, Cardon is four. Still more to arrive, though.

There were quite a few new faces in the crowd today, but one or two were familiar to Parael. He wove his way through the throngs of grieving individuals, careful not to disturb anyone- though the few elbows he bumped had little effect. His body breezed right through theirs, as though made of sand or smoke. It was a nice little effect of his being, but he tried not to rely on it to navigate through crowds. For one thing, it was common courtesy. For another, if and when he became bonded to a mortal, he would be as corporeal and vulnerable as the next man.

The angels seemed to be congregating off to the side of the room, within easy sight of the casket. Easier to get down to business, then. After all, there were half a dozen individuals in this very room whose souls reeked of... something foul. Something wrong. Oh, not something wrong with them. But something- demonic, spiritual, or otherworldly- had slunk through each of their homes, and very recently too. Like a lion marking its territory. Or its prey.

Parry sent a silent whistle toward Joanna, Alex and Aoi. Cardon was busy helping the mother of the deceased, and Parry wouldn't trouble him for the moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Parry said, planting both hands on the hilt of his walking stick, tucking his derriere against the wall of the funeral home. "I'd say it's a pleasure to see you all, but lying is against regulations. I shall instead say it'd be better to meet you all under more pleasant circumstances. Especially you two, Aoi and Joanna! Not that I didn't miss you too, Alex, but the Great Fire of Chicago was a bit much for me. Necessary to clear out the Tarantalus infestation, but I wish we didn't have to blame the poor cow."

Parry slipped his right hand out of the white glove it wore, slid it across his tongue and held it into the air for half a heartbeat before replacing it into his mouth.

"Yick! Sour, sulfurous and sickening. And it's here sixfold." Parry frowned, glancing at each of the affected students within the room- a few were on their way in still, but the taint would carry on the wind just as easily. "With a sixteen-year-old child falling ill every month on the sixteenth. And now it appears the sixth will die before a new soul falls. What does this tell us? And I'm asking honestly, because I have no flipping idea at this moment."

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Ian sat perfectly still, trying his best to play the part of respectful, composed and exemplary kid. But the truth was his heart wasn't in it. A few of the other students picked up on his mood and seemed to offer condolences. There were even whispered invitations to a "proper send off" on the beach tonight. He filed that into his memory for later. The beach parties were regular things even into the late winter. There'd be plenty of whiskey, cigarettes and some other fun to be had. None of it interested him in the slightest because Mark wouldn't be there.

Yeah, they weren't at all open about what they had, but even small nods and half winks in the firelight managed to get his heart racing. It even made the advances from some of the cheerleaders worth suffering through. To everyone else now, he was a line-backer who'd just lost his best friend. Not a young man who'd lost his only boyfriend.

He started to wave a sleeve over his nose, not caring about the tissues in his pocket, when something caught his eye. Well, some other people. There were two "normal" if not for their hair and otherworldly looks. The woman in the cowgirl costume just seemed downright disrespectful, even if she might be Mark's long lost aunt from Texas he never mentioned. And there was another one, a pretty-boy type dressed like he'd come from a dinner party in the twenties- gloves, walking stick and everything. The weirdest thing was, for just a second the clouds broke and the sunlight streamed through the glass windows- and he could swear, on his mother's life and even on Mark's- that he saw wings. On all of them.

[HiddenBeauty13]

Aoi watched as Parry walked inside and then turned to look up at the sky; it was too depressing and she had to do something about it. The child may be dead but atleast he didn't have to suffer anymore. The female angel then raised her hand over her head, making it look like she was stretching but she was really drawin some of the air particles from the air, eliminating some of the clouds from above. Moments later, a few rays of sun began to wash down upon the funeral home and Aoi slowly put her arms back down, a satisfied sigh leaving her lips. There, that should liven things up a bit and shake some of this depressing mood. She thought as she adjusted her ring and headed into the funeral home in front of her.

The mood in the funeral home was much more depressing than the outside and it made Aoi wish that she could bring the sunshine in here too. She continued to walk past the sad faces of the humans. Occasionally, a cry of pure sadness would ring throughout the building, making the angel frown deeper. And this is why I usually avoid funerals...they're just so saddening. She walked into the room where Mark's body was, which was thick with spritual pressure, both good and bad. "Hi guys." She said softly as she approached the small band of disgused angels. All around her, she could feel the presence of a more darker spirtual energy, one that made her look around catiously. "I know you all feel that too..."

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Since everyone was migrating towards the area where Mark's body lay, Roy assumed that it was almost time to start. Silently, he walked to the back of the room to one of the empty pews and sat down with a soft sigh. A lot of people that he'd seen before were there, like Ian, Joanna, and Lui. Everybody else was either a stranger or less than aquaintance. Looking around, he noticed a group of well dressed adults conversing in a corner. They seemed...strange...like they didn't belong in this corrupt old town. He would keep an eye on them throughout the service...to see what they were really about...

[AkiBlue]

Alex ran a head through his hair and shook his head. "It was tragic yes, but you know I had know choice." He and Parry had been on unsettling terms for the period of time, but nothing too serious. It was obvious that some of the humans- the ones that the were tainted- were beginning to notice them. It was a little unnerving, but he ignored it.

"Yes Aoi, I sense it too. It's not very pleasant..." He shuddered slightly, but looked up when she let a little light in. It lifted his mood some and he gazed around at the mourners. "To answer your question Parry, I do believe it means we need to act fast." He adjusted his suit and leaned against a chair. "This demonic energy is very unnerving...and these tainted kids- who knows how long they have." He didn't want to damper anyone's mood even more, but he had to make sure everyone had the realistic picture.

////////:////////://////////

Liu had started watching the other mourners, in an examination sort of way. She noticed some of them she had talked to before, while others were just random people she had seen. She noticed a few, like Roy, who didn't look like they really wanted to be there- well no one wanted to be there.

Her gaze focused on a few people looking at the same thing. Liu's eyes trailed to what looked like a regular group of people. Sure, some might have had interesting clothing on, but they were just...people? Liu rubbed her eyes when she saw a faint glow around one of them. I'm just seeing things... The sadness is getting to my head. When she looked again, they looked like regular people again.

People had been moving to see the casket. Liu knew if she went up there, that emotional barrier would instantly crumble. She didn't need to cry in front of all those people.

[InkedWolf]

Joanna shook her head, her dirty blond hair flickering about her. "No way any more young are dyin' not on my watch." Joanna looked towards one of the girls in the funeral. She held the same sadness as many others. She seemed to meet Joanna's gaze as she looked at the girl.

"I swear Parry I'll tear whatever's hurtin' these children before they hurt anymore." Joanna was resolute in her statement, the times she'd been called down were rare. They were damn effective. Mainly to protect the innocent from being harmed, by bullet or puttin' the wrath of god into the poor bastard.

"The one that passed, please say he's at least at peace now."

--

Ivy quietly walked up to the coffin, staring at the dead boy inside made her wonder. If she succeeded the last time, would anyone be here for her? "Hope you're at least not in pain anymore..." She quietly walked away from the body as she saw several adults, including the one who looked like a cowgirl chatting off to the side. She hoped they were handling this better then the others, but it was doubtful. Spying Ian was sitting alone, she softly stepped beside him.

"Is this taken? Sorry, I don't wanna be alone right now...You knew him right? Did he...hurt at the end?" Ivy felt the questions were a little inappropriate, but with her own past, maybe she could help share some of the load with Ian.

[Trinais]

"Feel it? My dear Aoi, I smell it. Positively as bad as a used diaper loaded with sulfur and lit on fire, then doused with vinegar." Parry screwed up his face in disgust at his own analogy, but it wasn't too far from the truth in his mind.

"But the stench isn't as bad as that nest in Chicago. Alex will back me up on that one. So fear not- we won't run into a twelve legged, ten eyed monstrosity. Or if we do, it hasn't shown its head above ground recently. Once a Tarantalus takes root it takes nothing short of scorched earth to get rid of it." Alex's abilities came in very handy that night in Chicago. It irked Parry to no end the amount of destruction caused by that incident, and it would continue to do so for a long time. Still, they were both young and eager recruits back then. Solutions beyond 'Oh God, oh God! Burn it with fire!' didn't come quickly to them. With this many heads already gathered and a few more on the way, it should be a relatively easy thing to take care of this... infestation. "Agreed- action is needed. First, reconnaissance. This town isn't as big as New York or L.A. so there are fewer places for our foe to hide. But there are far fewer resources for us to draw on. Fewer Anchors to bond to us..."

Joanna's determination would hopefully be contagious. Not that the angels were lacking in conviction, but Parry suspected more than a few bones would be broken on their side before this incident was put to rest. "Joanna, darling, I would like to share your sentiments on the inevitable fate of the demon or demons causing this. But as far as the ultimate fate of Mark Greene's soul... I was going to wait for confirmation from one of our other arrivals before saying anything, but I find I'm nearly certain that Mark Greene is simply no more. That which is in the casket is all that remains of him. Whatever calamity befell Mark, it has consumed him wholly from the inside out. Otherwise I'd have volunteered to make a pilgrimage to the Ever After and get some answers.

"But there is still time to make a difference for Angela, Christopher, Susan, Michael and Florence. Thankfully we have free reign of the town until sundown. Demons can't abide by sunlight for long- not without a bound human. Alas, the inverse of the rule is true for us to an extent. Until we can convince a human to link with us, we become nothing more than walking witnesses at night. We have a handful of hours to get ourselves properly anchored or we will be nothing more than an audience to the next student's collapse."

There would be a number of places they could start. The hospital likely had an assigned angel who'd put in the request for their presence. Most every hospital had a dedicated agent to keep watch on the weaker humans. The city had a number of old estates, mills and factories that sat abandoned now that Arcadia had transitioned into a resort town.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ah," Ian blanked for a moment, not sure what to say or think now that another of the students had thought to join him. Who is she again? Ian was terrible with names. But he did remember this girl from art class. She was always getting high marks while he skated by with fancy stick figures. "No, nobody's here."

Ian shifted over slightly, giving her- Ivy, that was it! - giving Ivy more room.

"Thanks Ivy. I'd appreciate it. And I'm... not sure how he was. I stopped in to visit him the night he- the night it happened. Mark's mom was there and she gave me a ride home when visiting hours ended. It wasn't long after when that happened.

"I wasn't there. Nobody was. I wonder if he woke up, right when it happened..."

Ian glanced down at his entwined fingers, their knuckles white. "Did you hear about the, um, gathering tonight? At the beach?"