[IC] Harvest Moon: Celestial Paradise (Raddum & HylianRose)

[Todd Howard]

The lightning crackled; A bright bolt splitting through the dark clouds on that horrid night. Tonight, at the church, a funeral would take place. The town had lost a valued member of the community; sixty-two year old Marcus Rustler; Father to Gareth Rustler, and grandfather to local youth David Rustler. It had been so sudden; Thankfully, nothing bad had truly happened to the man. In fact, he passed along in his sleep, with a smile on his face. But when the news quickly spread among the townsfolk as David found his grandfather in this state, a depressing cloud loomed over practically the entire town. Literally, even. The town itself seemed to mourn the passing of Marcus Rustler; As it had not stopped raining since his passing.

As far as Artemis explained, the death was entirely natural. He'd just put so much of his energy into taking care of the Rustler Farm along with his grandson, that his time just... Eventually came. While this wasn't exactly comforting, it was a bit of closure. Closure David for sure needed; As it was clear that the usually energetic farmboy was in a slump, seemingly lost. He knew it'd happen one day, but he just barely had become an adult. What was he going to do about the farm? Run it himself? He'd try, but without gramps, it sounded like a terribly difficult task.

He was always told he would have to fend for himself, eventually. But he never expected it to be this soon. Thankfully, Marcus had thought ahead: The old man had left a letter with Christopher years ago; Making it clear that when he passed, the letter was to be given to David. A promise to never open the letter was made between the two, so it had hopefully remained sealed since it left Marcus' hands. While during the funeral wasn't exactly a good time to give him the letter, afterwards would be a good choice. For the moment, he needed nothing more than time to bid his farewells. It was simply a respect thing to give him the right to do so before pressuring him with anything else.

Currently, the church was empty. Aside from Pastor Rowrick and David himself; Both standing next to the coffin that held Marcus' body. Both were currently silent, though, occasionally Pastor Rowrick did quietly speak a prayer for the man that had fallen. David simply stood there, a hand on the coffin, as he feared what would come of this. He worried about the farm, about himself, about how everyone would feel... This was a terrible time. And he didn't see a light at the end; Instead, just bad memories of this moment haunting him whenever he returned home to his farm.

... His farm, huh? He always thought the sound of that would be better. Not as painful as it was right now.

David had been raised in this town; His parents not exactly being the most responsible couple. His father was a failure of a farmboy, who went and married a citygirl. Neither wanted to stop their lifestyles for a child, so they left him with Marcus to raise; Or to just 'babysit' for long periods of time. And long periods of time meant pretty much the tyke's whole life. He never thought much of it, still doesn't, he just decided to love the family he did have around instead; Figuring if his parents wanted a relationship, they'd be around by now.

But they never were.

"Gonna be rough." Pastor Rowrick said, a hand firmly gripping David's shoulder. The man was fond of Marcus, himself; The old fart never missed a single day of church. Neither did the boy, though, the boy still had plenty of prayers to make. Matthew had to simply hope that Marcus made his final prayers before leaving this world.

"Ah know." David replied, voice somewhat lone, quiet. He wasn't exactly wanting to talk, but wasn't going to be rude to Pastor Rowrick. "Ah didn't expect 'em t' go like that. Ya know? Seemed like the one that'd live forever, he did..." The bumpkin accent on David was clear as ever, as he spoke of his grandfather. He just wanted to pay respects and go home. Sleep. He wasn't sure when he'd wake up, but hopefully once the rain stopped. He had adapted a strong dislike of the rain since his gramps' passing. Used to be so beautiful, and good for the crops. But now it was just painful to hear the rain fall.

"None of us live forever here, David. We live forever with the spirits above; Once our spirit takes it's journey from it's mortal body." Pastor Rowrick explained, though David already knew it all. The boy went silent, and didn't respond in the slightest. Matthew frowned, turning away.

After a few minutes, he perked up; Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps. Everyone was here.

As the doors opened, Matthew tapped David's shoulder, gesturing as almost the entire town squeezed in, all shuffling to their seats, respectfully. Even the occasional individual that didn't believe was respectful enough to attend. This warmed David's heart, especially as some of them began to approach and speak to him. The first two were a dirt covered usual looking Ramona and a dress-shirt wearing Ramone. Appearances didn't matter to David as much; But he appreciated the effort people made regardless.

"Dude." Ramone spoke, tone serious. "I know we don't hang much, man. But I just want to say I'm here for ya, bro." He smiled softly at David, before attempting to go in for a hug; Only for Ramona to snatch David up instead, squeezing him tight enough to nearly knock the air out of him. "Ramona...!" Ramone low-key growled in annoyance.

"Davy! i-I'm so sorry for your loss! Are you okay?!" She whined, overly emotional as usual. The small but tough woman was stronger than David, surprisingly enough, and was currently crushing him due to her sadness. The red-head was usually cute, but right now? Kind of stressful.

"R-Ramona..." David croaked, unable to inhale.

Ramona, blinking, soon dropped him. "O-Oh... Sorry about that." She muttered, face flushing red with embarrassment. She was know for commonly making a mistake or two, but as far as everyone else was concerned, she was a hard worker and generally a lovable gal. "I get really touchy-feely when I'm emotional! I'll, um, just let some of the others talk with you, alright?"

"S-Sure..." David replied, still in a bit of pain. He winced as Ramone patted him on the shoulder, following his sister to return to their seats in the back. "Later, dude. Just try an' relax, okay?" He requested, being met with an apparent nod, which was enough for him. He'd leave David in peace, for now. He clearly had a few other visitors anyways. It wouldn't be right to hog him to himself, as much as Ramone wouldn't mind doing so, heh heh heh.

"See ya'll.." David responded, blinking before looking forward at who else was approaching. He appreciated the townsfolk coming; And while he wasn't extremely talkitive at the moment, he appreciated them speaking to him as well. He wasn't feeling great, but he was feeling better with every person; ever so slightly.

[HylianRose]

Eliza, with a somber expression on her face, pulled at the black ribbon tied around her hair, securing it in place. She wasn't one for wearing make-up, but if she were, she probably wouldn't wear much of it today. Everyone on the island loved Marcus, and she was no exception. She only had good memories of playing in his fields, picking flowers, laying with the animals, watching the sky. Picnics with her parents... That farm was as much a part of her home as any home she stayed in and Marcus had always been a part of that. It just felt... weird with him gone. And she knew it was affecting her father as well. He looked even more tired than usual today and she could smell the scent of alcohol on him. He was taking this harder than she was, much harder. For him, it was just a reminder of all he'd lost already.

A stronger man would have had his resolve strengthened, determination setting in to keep what he had left safe, but Christopher could not claim to be such a man. He was tired and it was evident on his face as he walked down the stairs of their home. As they left, Eliza made a quick u-turn and grabbed a sucker from the candy jar down stairs and was back outside to walk to the church with her father.

A few minutes later, they were nearing the church. Eliza had the sucker tucked away in a pocket fold of her black dress which hung loosely off of her hips to her ankles, hitting lightly against her brown boots, muddied from the rain and dirt. The two followed along behind the crowd, Eliza slipping in behind the twins. As she passed by David, she passed him the sucker without a word and walked on to find herself a seat, which she took next to Sophie, who smiled sheepishly at her.

Realizing she'd lost her father, Eliza turned her body to look around the church to find him, noticing that even Maggie stood at the back of the church, her head hung low, her body tucked in as if to say "Please, stay away from me." After a few moments of looking, Eliza spotted her father talking to Allen, probably just small talk. Satisfied, she turned back to Sophie.

"Mornin'." She greeted her, her voice low, sad.

"Good morning, Eliza." Sophie responded in kind. Both Sophie and Eliza could sympathize with David, and pretty much anyone on the island. There were very few people that hadn't lost someone recently and the weather wasn't doing anything to lighten the villagers' moods.

"Is he sleeping, Daddy?" Ryuu could be heard asking as the two passed by the coffin, causing a panicking Gook to hush him and push him along. Eliza smiled at the sight. How lovely it would be to have a child's innocence once again...

[Todd Howard]

As the siblings passed by, David blinked as he almost hadn't seen Eliza; She simply passed him, leaving nothing but a sucker for him to ponder on. His head turned to watch her momentarily, though quickly he turned back around, as he didn't want to miss greeting anybody. The Hendi family came in, not really talking to him, either. He got a nod from Jeni, and a saddened look from her little sister, but that was it. Taki was straight-faced, and Sindi was already in tears.

Staying strong, soon enough Maoh and Jess came through; The former walking straight to the coffin, while Jess momentarily stopped to speak with David. "Sorry about your loss. Marcus was a great man." He spoke with simplicity, tone somewhat dull but only because he was trying to stay firm despite his memories of the recently deceased.

"Ah appreciate it, Jess. You n' Maoh doin' alright?" David replied, a question coming with it. David's frown only sunk deeper as Jess shook his head, seeming to not be pleased with the question.

"... I'm going to go see Marcus."

David deflated entirely as Jess left him, the greeting line thin. Mostly everyone was in their seats now, so that was good. David wasn't feeling great, but that couldn't truly be helped. He fiddled with the candy in his hand, momentarily looking back towards Eliza again, but soon getting distracted as Pastor Rowrick gestured for him to approach. Which David did, walking over with his expression remaining conflicted. He wanted to smile for everyone else, but it was just difficult.

"It's time," Pastor Rowrick spoke, A firm look in the man's eyes. Despite his unkempt appearance he wasn't actually that far off from any other holy man; Well, aside from when he picked up the bottle, that is. But even then he just seemed to go on and on about the Lord. The personal harm from his drinking was noteworthy, though. "Go ahead and take your seat." The man said, a pat on the shoulder and a small push being all that steered David towards the front row; The boy sitting near the end, seeming to want to space himself a little bit. Not that he really spaced himself out much; It wasn't a big church, and fitting everyone in here was hard. If the people standing weren't proof of that.

After speaking with David, Matthew gave Maoh and Jess their moment, before steering them towards their seats as well. Once everyone was seated, or at least organized, the Pastor took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself. He had addressed these people too many times in the past; Death was too common for a peaceful island like theirs. Lives were being taken before their time, in his opinion. He could only feel worse and worse for Christopher as the number of people his age slowly continued to shrink. Hopefully nothing happened to him soon; Through natural means or otherwise.

Aside from small chatter among a few of the people in the church, everyone was quiet now. Pastor Rowrick has secured his emotions for the time-being, and offered a sad smile. "We gather here, on this day, to honor the passing of another one of our own..."

David winced at his words. Another. Yeah... He noted he wasn't the only one in pain. There had been a fair amount of losses to their community lately; And his grandfather was now added to it. People practically being stolen away at this point; How long was it going to go on before something got better? Was it ever going to get better? Hope was all he had in this situation.

"... Marcus Rustler. Grandfather to one of our own, who is joining us today."

David shifted his view away from potential stares; This wasn't about him. It was about his grandfather.

"And a man that had ran a farm most beautiful and full of prosperity. A place important to many of us as children, as well as to our own children as of now. There wasn't a single soul that disliked Old Marcus; I believe we can all speak in agreement that he was truly a friend of us all, yes?"

A crowd of quiet, but clear agreements sounded throughout the church. David's own included. "Yes."

"I mean, truly, how couldn't you? He was a respectable man; Hard working, supportive of those who needed it, always there. Despite how busy he remained, he was a man who made time for anyone who needed it; Something many of us have been on the receiving end of at least one or twice in our lives. Yes?"

"Yes," A few of the older individuals in the room agreed. Surprisingly enough, Jess had spoken up, as well. That man's advice had been invaluable on a few occasions, and despite Jess' current problems, he'd be in a lot worse shape if it wasn't for Marcus. Sadly since the news hit, he and Maoh had been arguing more than ever; Their tempers flaring to the point Jess has considered leaving. Though, that's something for another day. He wouldn't cause drama here.

"We all have fond memories. I personally recall the first day I met the man--" Pastor Rowrick spoke fondly, smiling a little. Recalling memories was one of the healthier parts of their funerals. "I was but a boy, not much older than you over there, Ryuu." He pointed at the boy, before continuing. "I was a rascal back then; I'd get into trouble quite often. I decided to sneak into his barn one night, to tease the animals; And he snatched me up and scared me silly! It was the middle of the night, but that man was so alert, he managed to catch me!"

A moment of silence passed, before he admitted, "Well, that's not entirely the truth. It turns out what I considered to be late, Marcus considered to be an hour after breakfast! He was just doing his usual routine and happened to find me!"

David smiled a little at the story, not being old enough to have even seen this as a baby. He couldn't imagine Matthew a child; Though comparing it to him from years ago seemed to make an accurate picture. As least as accurate as it'd get.

"Would anyone else like to step forward and talk about our beloved Marcus? If so, could you please raise your hand?"

David hesitated, but slowly raised his hand. Though, as he noticed other hands being raised, he lowered his. He'd have time to talk later. He'd give the adults, and other townsfolk, some time.

[HylianRose]

Christopher honestly wanted very badly to speak on his friend's account, but couldn't for the life of him trust himself enough not to make an utter fool of himself. Eliza didn't dare speak because she felt, even though she knew him very well, she didn't know him deeply enough to say anything more than, I had picnics on his farm?.

As the others pondered what they might say, Allen Turner raised his hand, his expression somber as he stood and walked up to the front.

"I'm not sure about the rest of you, but Mr. Rustler, I still can't bring myself to call him Marcus though he told me several times to do so, was as much a father to me as my father was." He began, garnering a few chuckles here and there. "Mr. Rustler was everything I aspired to be, though if you told him that he might smack you for it. He always was a very modest man. I remember once having a talk with him, after I sort of... uhh.. let all of his cows out of their pen as a joke." Allen paused for chuckling, "If you want to talk about a come to God moment, that was it. Mr. Rustler didn't yell. He didn't swing his fist. The look of disappointment in his eyes was all I needed to whip my rear end into shape. He was someone I looked up to and I think that I could have handled it had he gotten angry. He didn't. He just..." Allen paused, getting his emotions together as tears threatened his resolve to keep speaking, "smiled and gave me the bell to ring them all together, grabbing another to help."

Sighing, Allen continued, "Just a few days ago, he came into the Inn and asked me something. I should have known in that moment that he knew he didn't have too much longer left. I'm sure others have similar stories to this one. He was a father and grandfather to us all. He asked me, 'Allen... Are you the man you want to be right now?' I... I didn't have an answer then and I still really don't know. But I'm thankful for this man who was willing to ask questions like this, to really make us evaluate our lives in a way that mattered." He scratched at the back of his head, feeling nervous now. "I'll stop there. I'm sure others wish to speak..." He finished, going to sit with Christopher again.

A few others spoke for Marcus, telling funny stories, moments they shared with him days before, and the value he had in their lives.

[Todd Howard]

Allen had, admittedly, left David a bit emotional. It had reminded David a bit of him growing up on the farm; The way he was treated, at least. It was a lot of Trial and Error as a kid, but David had a good amount of knowledge on how to do just about everything on the farm. The part about his grandfather going to the Inn wasn't something he really knew about; And listening to it was a bit painful. ' I should have known in that moment that he knew he didn't have too much longer left.', is what Allen said that bothered David.

If he knew something like this was coming, why didn't he say anything to him? David couldn't recall any conversations that seemed abnormal; Any trips out of the ordinary... He had nothing to truly prepare him for this, no real final talk with his grandfather. The old man had been asleep that night David came in from tending the animals. He knew that because the man was still obnoxiously snoring at that point.

"Thank you, Allen." Pastor Rowrick spoke, before the others slowly began to come up and speak. Time passed, and it was good for everyone's spirits to speak about the man. After awhile, everyone had taken their course, and David was taken by surprise as he was addressed. The young man had been trying to stall, but eventually, they ran out of people. He ended up being next.

Standing, the boy pulled at the bandana around his neck as he approached the front, slowly turning, and looking at everyone. These people, for the most part, had been a big part of his life; Whether just friends, or people who taught him a thing or two that his grandfather didn't, David had a warm appreciation for them all. He coughed, awkwardly. He obviously wasn't good at this; The silence making it worse on him.

"Grandpa Rustler, as Ah called 'em once he told me t' stop callin' 'im dad, pretty much raised me mah whole life. When mah parents didn't want to raise a kid, they left me with him. An' he took care of me without a second thought; Never showed any regrets or anything like that. When Ah made a mistake, he made me do it again until Ah got it right, instead of gettin' mad and yellin'. Though he did do plenty of that when Ah got myself into trouble..."

Ramone laughed, disturbing the moment, but he couldn't help it. "It was usually my fault!" He admitted, having pulled David into a bit of trouble when they were little. Much to the dismay of the more mature kids; Though just by hearing that laugh they knew that it meant he was thinking about something that people wouldn't approve of. Pulling innocent David into it just made it a bit more irritating to the people that actually liked him as a friend; David didn't really know much better until after he and Ramone started hanging out back then.

"Yep," David replied, waiting for a moment so Ramone could stop laughing. "Ah don't really wanna tell a life story, 'cause most of you already know it for the most part... But Ah don't think Ah could've been happier anywhere else than livin' with him."

Sniffling, he realized he wasn't going to be living with that old man anymore. He was alone now. The uncertainty in his eyes was obvious; He seemed to be struggling to figure out what he wanted to do. Or if he could even do anything. It all felt so meaningless with his grandfather gone.

"This isn't really 'bout grandpa or nothin', but... Ah really do appreciate ya'll bein' here. That's just from me, y'know...?"

A moment of silence passed, and David simply nodded. "That's it..." He muttered, not really wanting to go on. It hurt, physically. He was glad to have spoken, but it was near time. Time to actually take the coffin, and bury the body behind the church. It was raining, but they would bury their fallen regardless; The men of the town didn't mind it when it came to putting their dead loved ones in their final resting place.

"Before we continue, it would be wise to bid our final farewells." Matthew spoke, calmly, as people began to rise.

David approached the coffin, staring down at his grandfather's body. Tears formed in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall; His grandfather always told him to not be a crybaby. He wasn't going to cry-- He just wouldn't.

Didn't stop it from looking like he was going to start pouring a waterfall's worth of water out of his eyes, though.