The Crypts - Shilo's World, Thursday Noon
Shilo
Shilo took them back to the house, and then headed over to the closet under the stairs. She opened it to reveal a tunnel. "It might smell a bit," she said as she turned on her flashlight and stepped in.
After about five minutes of moving through the cold and damp that came with traveling underground, Shilo came to what appeared to be a stone wall. She leaned up against it, and it pushed open... revealing Nathan's dead body, sprawled gracelessly on top of what appeared to be a stone casket, set in the floor.
Arthur
Walking underground wasn't something Arthur was unused to. In fact, it was downright comforting.
Of course, any sense of familiarity vanished-- and yet made itself nauseatingly apparant - when the fake wall gave way and Arthur got a good look at what was inside. He'd been halfway into barging in; then he caught side of the body, and his step halted, frozen in place much like the expression on his face.
"Father?"
Something was stuck in his throat. What was it?
Merlin
It was almost odd how much time Merlin managed to spend in crypts since working for Arthur. This one...
Was only a bit different in that nothing was back from the dead here.
He winced on seeing Shilo's father and Arthur's reaction. "It's not..."
Shilo
If there were only words for the expression on Shilo's face.
"Father?" she repeated, staring at Arthur.
Arthur
Arthur didn't answer either of them, as whatever had frozen him changed polarities and became kinetic energy, bringing him to Nathan's side. No no no no no was on a loop in his mind and even the unusual clothes weren't helping much. "Is he-- What kind of sorcery is this? Did I--"
He didn't like hesitating, but for a moment, it was a lot like the end of the world.
Merlin
Moving after him quickly, Merlin put a hand on Arthur's shoulder to keep him from... well he wasn't certain.
"It's not him, this isn't-- home."
Shilo
Shilo looked as though she was going to burst into tears any moment. "That's my father," she said, as if reminding herself of the reason why they'd come back to her time. "We have to set this right."
Arthur
Yes, Merlin, I know, he didn't say.
Instead Arthur pulled his hand back stiffly and blinked back whatever to the inside. Another cruel trick of Fandom's. That's what it had to be. Funny; it didn't soothe away any of the familiar rolling guilt in his stomach.
He thumbed the bridge of his nose. Be a man. Control yourself, and that even sounded like his father. "Where did you want to bury him?" he asked. He was lucky he didn't sound completely toneless.
Shilo
"It'll be easiest to just lay him with my mother," Shilo said, gesturing at the casket under the body. "We'll have to move the lid." She got down on her knees, and started to pull her father's body to the side.
Arthur
If only you'd caught the sorcerer--
Arthur told the rambling in his mind to shut up until a more appropriate time. It didn't quite help, but at least it made him feel better. He reached over on instinct to help Shilo take the man's body down to the ground with all the gentleness he could manage.
He didn't want the man's body damaged, even if the death rigor had settled in already.
Merlin
Merlin pulled back, nodding in understanding. And managing to feel even more out of place now. "I'll... go make certain no on disturbs us."
Shilo
"Nonononononono!" Shilo stared right at Merlin. "If you go outside, people will bother us. They'll think we're graverobbers too. You have to stay in. If we get arrested..." She swallowed hard. "Just stay here," she finished lamely.
Her father's body moved aside, she paused and closed her eyes. "Forgive me, Mother," she said, and then opened them and placed her hands on the lid... and then looked expectantly at Arthur.
Arthur
Feats of strength Arthur could do. He cast Merlin a look to make sure he was staying out of the way (and that he knew to stay out of the way, lest he get himself hurt or something) before he placed his own hands on the side of the lid.
And then he pushed with most of his strength, hoping it wouldn't be lighter than he thought it was. It wouldn't do to break it.
Merlin
Taking a breath, Merlin focused on the lid as well for just the slightest push.
"I won't go outside, but I'l stay by the entrance then."
Shilo
Shilo nodded at Merlin. "That works. If you see any guys with guns, tell us to get down." She then gave the lid the best shove she could manage.
The lid ground open, slowly, revealing another, wooden coffin inside, which had a gold plate with the words "Marni Wallace - A Bright Light in the Dark". There was enough space between that and the lid for a body. "Right," Shilo said, sounding choked for a moment. "I'll take his shoulders, if someone would grab his ankles.
Arthur
It was by the sheer fact of who this man was and her visible upset that Arthur didn't protest much, but rather moved down to his ankles. He cast another wary glance up at his face, finding some wrinkles he didn't quite recognise, but very little more than that-- so he looked away quickly, and lifted the ankles slightly, waiting for Shilo.
He wasn't talking much right now, but-- "On the count of three." Pause. "It'll be all right."
Shilo
Shilo picked up her father's shoulders, and said, very quietly, "One, two, three."
On three, she very carefully moved his body over the casket and then lowered her end down slowly, whispering, "I love you Daddy."
Arthur
One of these days, he was going to have to do this himself.
Arthur lowered the ankles down into the gap as well, slowly and carefully, and ignored the weird strangled thudding of his heart. "Almost there..." And there.
Shilo
Shilo straightened herself up and looked down at her father's body. "There," she suddenly said, her voice tight with uncried tears. "He's laid to rest. Let's get the lid on and get back home."
Arthur
He shouldn't-- but did-- peer down himself one more time before he could look up at Shilo. He'd already leaned over to find the edge of the lid again, and had started to push it back where it belonged. "Shilo."
Shilo
She looked up, and then at the lid. "Oh, yes. Right." She got down and put her hands on it as well and started to push.
Arthur
"It'll be fine," Arthur repeated, significantly. At this point, he wasn't sure which one of them he was saying it for, but at least the lid slid neatly into place with their combined efforts.
He finally pulled his hands off and took a step back.
Shilo
Shilo stayed on her knees for a moment and rummaged through her bag, finding a black Sharpie among the food, first aid kits, and coins that seemed to fill every inch of it. Uncapping it, she neatly wrote the following:
Nathan Wallace
2016 - 2056
A Devoted Father and Husband
After a moment, she added the line "He that dies pays all debts."
"Let's go," she said, capping the marker and putting it back in her bag while she stood up. She seemed very disconnected from the whole process at that point.
Arthur
"Let's go," Arthur agreed, and cast one more look toward Merlin.
Then he was walking away, as quickly as he could without seeming hurried.
Shilo
"Not my dad's house," Shilo said, looking from Merlin's direction to Arthur. "Home. Fandom. I... you guys need to get us back. I can't, I don't know how..."
Arthur
"Portal," Arthur returned, because honestly, he wasn't sure either. "There's got to still be a portal. Come on, we'll find it." He strode past the rock wall until he'd finally reached Merlin. "We're going home." As long as Merlin hadn't seen anything bad coming, anyway.
Merlin
Only if oddly dressed men counted. He didn't have the Sidhe staff, but the bolt of energy still managed to do plus five enough damage to toss them elsewhere where they stopped moving about.
"...Let's get moving then."
In the unlikely case they were still alive and able to come after them.
Shilo
Shilo let Merlin and Arthur take the lead out of the tomb, while she hung back for a moment, to just scan the tomb for a moment. It was now no longer just where her mother rested... now her father was here too.
She closed her eyes, and said her goodbyes silently, but not before making a promise. "I'll come back," she whispered, "and I'll make things better here. Somehow. I promise."
On that note, she turned and rejoined the boys. It was time to go home.
[[Preplayed with 17andinfected and bitch_prince]]