The Passing of a Titan
The ceremony ended with a flaring of essence as every member of The Hallowed Order of The Grass Spiders simultaneously flared their anima to totemic levels as a final farewell to their fallen comrade. Atlas was the oldest and longest tenured member of The Grass Spiders before his death, the fact that he was killed during a mission led to whispering among the organization about the target, though he was successful in eliminating his target in his death.
The ceremony ended and the circles of The Grass Spider's started to disperse, not ones to wait around and morn a fallen comrade. The funeral service lasted nearly an entire day, but it went quickly as it was masterfully directed by Thanatos and Libintina. They'd done their job giving Atlas an appropriately grand burial, he would now be cremated before his ashes were scattered into the legendary gardens of the Grass Spider's manse.
As the group's dispersed, Ryn hung around for a moment to catch up with a familiar face; Thanatos broke free from his duties first and Ryn approached.
Ryn looked tired, like he always did, his eyes bloodshot and his body slouched and relaxed as if he were sleep walking. He had a way of carrying himself that made him seem relaxed to the point of unconsciousness, though Thanatos knew Ryn was always painful alert and the way his eyes darted around his surroundings gave it away. They exchanged a firm handshake in greeting, the old friends had seen each other only once or twice since Ryn joined the Grass Spiders, funerals here were incredibly rare.
"Good to see you again old friend." Thanatos spoke first in his rigid, business like tone.
"Aye, G'day mate." Ryn spoke in his familiar, unique accent with a low tone and surprisingly rhythmic delivery. "Been yonks."
It had taken Thanatos a while to get used to Ryn's strange speaking mannerisms, he still misinterpreted them occasionally. When he did he mostly just let them slide, his sister somehow understood him significantly better.
"Your new occupation seems to suit you well Ryn."
"Yessir. Good on ya, hell 'f ceremony today. "
Thanatos missed half of that, luckily Libitina was approaching. Ryn and Libitina greeted with a small, casual hug before returning to a normal conversational distance.
"Such beaut," Ryn spoke in polite greeting after the hug.
"Ryn, you really must come visit us at home. Sometime when things are not so busy." She spoke more like her brother than Ryn, though instead of his rigid tone hers was elegant and graceful.
"Ya, ya. Grogs 'n yabbies. Next moon."
"That would be great."
There was a brief period of silence before Thanatos turned the conversation back towards business, as per normal. "So what will you guys do now? Atlas was a big part of the organization. Rizuka and Oak are the oldest members left now."
It seemed to Thanatos that something had changed in this organization over the last decade, they seemed to be growing noticeably younger. The stories he heard of The Grass Spiders made him think Ryn would have been too young to join, though he was now not even one of the youngest. Not that they had grown any less effective.
Ryn shrugged slightly before answering with a hint of a smirk, "All high poppies here, no wowsers like yous."
The siblings both chuckled softly as Ryn continued in oddly quick, rhythmic fashion.
"We're bonzer. For real. Tiamat's the new Harvestman, that bloke takes no bull dust. New Sheila ain't no ankle biter neither." Another brief pause before he finished in an exhale and started fishing into his jacket for a smoke, "She'll be right, no whinge."
"You're right about Tiamat, he scares me a bit..." Libitina spoke softly as she glanced back towards the Harvestman who had gathered together near the entrance to the manse. Ryn offered her a puff on what he had started to smoke, she took it graciously and took a short inhale before passing it back to him. Never knew what he was smoking, best to start with small puffs of it.
Ryn offered the smoke to Thanatos, who declined with a small wave of his hand before responding. "He ain't no ratbag, ya'll on his good side. Nothing to fret."
Thanatos nodded and looked back to some of the other Grass Spiders, he really only knew the Harvestman and a few others so he couldn't figure who the new girl would have been.
"Who's the new girl?"
"Beaut Sheila. No daks. No daggy." Ryn pointed with his free hand towards a woman wearing a fashionable dress and an eye patch as he took another long drag from his smoke. "The One-Eyed Queen of Silk and Lace, dinkie die I'd avago."
Thanatos missed a part of that, including the joke, but gathered her name and who he was talking about at least, Libitina giggled slightly before looking towards the manse.
"We should be going brother, we don't want to keep the Three Fiends waiting."
Thanatos nodded and bid his farewell to Ryn, "Good to see you again, don't let it go so long next time."
"Yessir. Jolly yacks, time to get pissed Ya. Ya? Don't get too knackered 'n be lookin stunned Mullet next moon."