Funeral Rites

[duke_kostan]

The crystal casket of Queen Mera makes its way down the streets. Grown men are seen collapsing to their knees and rending their clothes in grief. Women wail and children are silent. In the turbulent waters of Atlantis, there seems to be a unity only in grief

Comments

[jla_extras]

A tall man gestures wildly, trying to both get attention and to avoid any violence.

"The surface dwellers are not all to blame!"

Another man turns to face him.

"You believe that rubbish?"
"The surface dwellers do not all hate us!"
"How else could the death of Royalty occur so swiftly...?!"
"It was pure chance!"
"Pure chance...?! I'll show you pure chance!"

And with that, a brawl breaks out.

[jla_extras]

It only takes moments for the violence to catch on. Objects begin to join the melée of activity, thrown from one side of the processional line to the other, and back once more. Children begin crying for their parents. Some flee. Others are spoiling for the fight, for the chance to vent theit anger, and they do so with frightening intensity and speed.

[jla_extras]

They run, protect their families, or fight. But all are suffering from this in one way or another.

Some groups have banded together, knowing each other enough to fight at their side, ironically fighting alongside their fellow man to attack their other fellow men.

[jla_extras]

The guards quickly realize they are vastly outnumbered, and attempts to contain the riot are abandoned as their commander orders them to fall back to the steps to defend the temple and its treasures - and Mera within.

[jla_extras]

In a self-feeding cycle of frenzy, the Atlanteans begin destroying the city around them, using its shattered pieces as new weapons to inflict new damage on each other.

[jla_extras]

Humans. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever fully understand them.

Whirlwinds underwater become vortex currents, and the android hero uses them to sweep rioters off their feet harmlessly. Well, mostly harmlessly. He does not greatly approve of this behavior at Mera's funeral.

[lanternslight]

Nor does Hal. Rioters soon find themselves in individual green mesh cages of energy.