Tues, Nov 18, ritual Brazil
Who: Forbes, Isabella, & her tribe
When: Tuesday, November 18, a few hours before sunrise in the Amazon (5am GMT)
Where: A village deep in the Amazon
What: Isabella asks Forbes to come for Fernando's funeral. The funeral rites.
*Isabella*
She paced in front of the fireplace. Well, it was almost morning. Flooing Forbes' flat, she bit her lip, not sure how he'd react to the tattoo and the face paint and her tribal garb.
"Forbes? Forbes? Are you there?"
*Forbes*
He stepped out of the study eagerly.
"Yes of course where else would I... Oh my god... Where the Hell have you been?":
*Isabella*
"Hogwarts. Brazil. Fernando's dead. The funeral rites start in a few hours," she said quietly, fidgeting with her headdress.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"So you couldn't save him then... Well, at least you're safe... You are safe, right?"
*Isabella*
"Yes, I'm safe," she said.
"I need to lead the rites in a few hours... can you come. Not for the rites. I just... I'd feel better with you here," she said worriedly.
*Forbes*
He scratched his head a moment.
"Of course, I'd be glad to go... Ummm... Do I need anything?"
*Isabella*
She shook her head.
"No.. anything of yours would be worthless here."
*Forbes*
He shrugged.
"Right then, guess I'm ready to go then."
*Isabella*
"Do you want to just floo through?" she asked.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"That's fine, if it'll speed things up."
*Isabella*
She nodded, leaving the connection open as she stepped away from the fire.
*Forbes*
He shrugged again and said in a clear loud voice.
"Where Isabella is, in Brazil."
And tossed a handful of powder into the fireplace and stepped in.
*Isabella*
She threw her arms around him, clinging to him tightly.
"Forbes. Meu Deus. You're here. You're safe..."
*Forbes*
He hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry to hear about your brother."
*Isabella*
She clung to him, gripping his shirt as she sobbed into it.
"Someone bashed his head in. He's dead..."
*Forbes*
He held her, caressing her back.
"That's terrible... I'm so sorry..."
*Isabella*
She pulled away slightly and led him over to a bench.
"You're alright, right? Nothing happened in London?"
*Forbes*
He smiled.
"No, no, of course not... Just trying to decipher your dream... Trying to keep busy, making arrangements in Greece."
*Isabella*
She nodded vigorously, fidgeting with the leather fabric that tried to pass itself off as a skirt.
"They’ll need to prepare you.. if you want to be part of the rites. Do you?"
*Forbes*
He paused a moment.
"What does being prepared entail?"
*Isabella*
"Purification steam bath. Then you'll be dressed in skins and painted..." she said, biting her lip.
*Forbes*
He smiled.
"If you want me to be there for you, I will."
*Isabella*
She bit her lip.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but I'd feel better if you were there. I.. I have a big role. I have to channel his spirit and lead his soul into the afterlife. I'll need you afterwards," she said, crossing her legs and adjusting the feathers on her legs.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"Well then, a purification steam bath sounds lovely."
Observing these rites up close would be worth the embarrassment of getting painted up like a native but he wasn't about to say that to her face.
*Isabella*
She nodded, leaning in and kissing him desperately as though she wasn't sure she'd see him again, wrapping her arms around his neck, her leather bra slipping a bit.
*Forbes*
He kissed her back in mild surprise, wrapping his arms around her again.
*Isabella*
She deepened the kiss, moving to straddle him as her hands tore at his shirt, desperate for contact with the living, someone not from Brazil.
*Forbes*
He pulled back.
"Hold up there... What are you playing at?"
He was a little disoriented from the flooing and a little put off by her clumsy attempt at seduction.
*Isabella*
"Please, Forbes," she whimpered.
"I need you. I need to get the image of his dead body and all that blood out of my head.." she said, running her hands over his chest.
*Forbes*
He made a face.
"Oh, that's real sexy, thanks for mentioning it.... Look, I need a minute to take this all in... I'm not just some... sex aid you can use as a distraction..."
*Isabella*
She got off him.
"I'll see you after the rites are over then. Go out the door, someone will lead you to the steam room and through the preparations," she said as she went back to pacing.
*Forbes*
He stood.
"Well if that's all you need from me, I'll go back to London and have a dildo sent in my place..."
*Isabella*
"No.. I need you here, Forbes. I... just... I .. he's dead, Forbes! He's 18 and dead! He just made the football team in Britain. He's not supposed to be dead."
*Forbes*
He paused and was silent a moment.
"No.... I know... and if anything happened to my sister, I'd feel the same way. I'm sorry."
*Isabella*
"My world is upside down. I don't want to be here. I want to be in Greece, far away from everything, but I'm stuck here, officiating at the funeral rites for my brother!" she said, slumping against the wall as tears streamed down her face.
*Forbes*
He paused and was silent a moment.
"No.... I know... and if anything happened to my sister, I'd feel the same way. I'm sorry."
*Isabella*
"My world is upside down. I don't want to be here. I want to be in Greece, far away from everything, but I'm stuck here, officiating at the funeral rites for my brother!" she said, slumping against the wall as tears streamed down her face.
*Forbes*
He kept nodding understandingly.
"You could leave. But I know you won't disrespect your brother like that."
*Isabella*
"I can't," she said simply. "And no one here will touch me until the ritual's over. I'm not allowed contact with anyone from the tribe except for the rites - I'm tainted with death since I was his twin."
*Forbes*
He pondered that.
"Interesting. The customs of your tribe are very interesting. I've heard of other similar things but..."
He stopped.
"Well, me over-intellectualizing things isn't going to help."
*Isabella*
She looked up at Forbes with a confused look.
"Forbes, please, just stop thinking..." she said, shaking her head.
*Forbes*
He looked over at her blandly.
"It's what I do."
*Isabella*
She sighed, rubbing her face with the back of her hand.
"I know.. I just.. I need you, Forbes."
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"I know you do... and I'm here for you if you need me"
He sighed.
"Just when I get too deeply into things, it's easier to start looking at all through that lens... Taking it apart with my mind until it all makes sense..."
*Isabella*
"Do you think you're in too deeply here?" she asked him curiously.
*Forbes*
He smiled and shook his head.
"I think I'm in over my head... in a completely foreign situation.. In a foreign country even... I am very much a city boy, 'Bella..."
*Isabella*
"If it's too much," she said. "You don't have to be here..."
*Forbes*
He shook his head.
"Give me an hour or two to come to terms with the enormity of the situation and I'll get easier..."
*Isabella*
"The rites start in a few hours. Will you be alright by then?" she asked, running her fingers over the tattoo that now covered her entire left arm.
*Forbes*
He smiled and shook his head.
"I think I'm in over my head... in a completely foreign situation.. In a foreign country even... I am very much a city boy, 'Bella..."
*Isabella*
"If it's too much," she said. "You don't have to be here..."
*Forbes*
He shook his head.
"Give me an hour or two to come to terms with the enormity of the situation and I'll get easier..."
*Isabella*
"The rites start in a few hours. Will you be alright by then?" she asked, running her fingers over the tattoo that now covered her entire left arm.
*Forbes*
He smiled.
"That steam bath you mentioned will probably do wonders..."
*Isabella*
She nodded.
"Can you stay here a bit longer. and just hold me?" she asked quietly.
*Forbes*
He sat back down beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Of course."
*Isabella*
She rested in Forbes arm for awhile before she sensed a new flavor added to smoke burning in the village.
"It's time," she said softly.
*Forbes*
He nodded caressing her softly.
"So I should go get purified?"
*Isabella*
She nodded.
"I... Forbes.. during the ritual, no one’s allowed to touch me. No matter what happens, just stay behind the others until it's over. You'll know when it's over," she said, not moving from his arms.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"I can do that... But know that whatever happens, I'm there for you..."
*Isabella*
She turned and kissed him tenderly.
"You should go. I'll see you afterwards."
*Forbes*
He kissed her back.
"Right... You will..."
He stood.
"Where do I go exactly?"
*Isabella*
She pointed towards the door of the longhouse.
"Out through there. One of the men will lead you to the baths and prepare you," she said.
"If you have anything valuable, like your wand, you might want to leave it here."
*Forbes*
He slipped his wand out of a pocket and placed in on a nearby table followed by his change purse.
"I think that'll cover the valuables. I'll see you soon..."
*Isabella*
She watched as Forbes left the room, tucking his valuables away with her own want in a wooden box that sat under her bed. Leaving through the other end of the longhouse, she entered her own series of final purifications, carefully painting on brightly colored designs with pigments and blood. Taking off her leather clothes, she tossed them aside. She wouldn't need them for the ritual. It would be paint and feathers. Adjusting the elaborate feather headdress, she grabbed a set of large colorful wings and attached them to her back and arms before emerging from the longhouse.
The drums were beating rhythmically as she stepped into the circle, causing the woodflutes to begin playing. Dancing in a circle, she allowed the elder to bless her with lit bundles of herbs, she kept herself from looking at the body until it was time. Crying out loudly in the Tupi dialect of her people, Isabella spun into a fury, channeling the ancient spirits and crying out to them for assistant. Grabbing ash from each of the four fires, she streaked her face before passing her hands through the flames to purify them.
[[ To the North I cry. To the South I cry. To the East I cry. To the West I cry. Come spirit. Come for his soul!]]
Taking a lit branch from each fire, she held them in her hand, sprinkling the flames with powdered roots that caused the flames to leap higher before she carried the torch to the pyre, lighting the base. Climbing onto the pyre, she took a deep breath before beginning the next set of chanting, knowing she had to remain on the pyre as long as possible. Her voice went up in tone as the heat started to affect her, sweat pouring off her body. Seeing the flames reach Fernando's legs, she crouched near his head, morphing into the panther before jumping over the flames and off the pyre.
Unmorphing, she grabbed a bowl of black powder, tossing some on pyre as she danced around the fire, calling for the flames to leap higher. Stripping off her feathers, she tossed them onto the flames. She continued dancing and chanting for hours until the body was entirely consumed. Grabbing a bowl of distilled fruit liquor, she drank it before spitting some over the bones. Taking a bowl of water, she climbed onto the still hot pyre, pouring the water over the bones to purify them. Taking handfuls of dirt, she started covering Fernando's bones.
Relaxing slightly as she felt bodies around her, she watched as the rest of the tribe helped bury Fernando's bones while she knelt at his head, resting her hands in the dirt. Once the body was completely covered, the tribe dispersed, leaving Isabella kneeling at the head of the burial mound.
Waiting until the sound of the drums had died off and the tribe had left the ritual ground, she got to her feet, heading straight for the river. Usually she didn't go in without Fernando, but that was no longer an option. She had to wash off the ritual markings in running water. Walking into the Amazon tributary, she silently prayed to Fernando to protect her as she closed her eyes and kept walking until the water was over her head, scrubbing off the paint and markings with the clay-like sand. Scrubbing as hard as she could before it felt like her lungs were going to burst, she came up to surface and made her way to the riverbank, lying down and breathing heavily now that it was all over and wondering how Forbes had managed.
When: Tuesday, November 18, a few hours before sunrise in the Amazon (5am GMT)
Where: A village deep in the Amazon
What: Isabella asks Forbes to come for Fernando's funeral. The funeral rites.
*Isabella*
She paced in front of the fireplace. Well, it was almost morning. Flooing Forbes' flat, she bit her lip, not sure how he'd react to the tattoo and the face paint and her tribal garb.
"Forbes? Forbes? Are you there?"
*Forbes*
He stepped out of the study eagerly.
"Yes of course where else would I... Oh my god... Where the Hell have you been?":
*Isabella*
"Hogwarts. Brazil. Fernando's dead. The funeral rites start in a few hours," she said quietly, fidgeting with her headdress.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"So you couldn't save him then... Well, at least you're safe... You are safe, right?"
*Isabella*
"Yes, I'm safe," she said.
"I need to lead the rites in a few hours... can you come. Not for the rites. I just... I'd feel better with you here," she said worriedly.
*Forbes*
He scratched his head a moment.
"Of course, I'd be glad to go... Ummm... Do I need anything?"
*Isabella*
She shook her head.
"No.. anything of yours would be worthless here."
*Forbes*
He shrugged.
"Right then, guess I'm ready to go then."
*Isabella*
"Do you want to just floo through?" she asked.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"That's fine, if it'll speed things up."
*Isabella*
She nodded, leaving the connection open as she stepped away from the fire.
*Forbes*
He shrugged again and said in a clear loud voice.
"Where Isabella is, in Brazil."
And tossed a handful of powder into the fireplace and stepped in.
*Isabella*
She threw her arms around him, clinging to him tightly.
"Forbes. Meu Deus. You're here. You're safe..."
*Forbes*
He hugged her tightly.
"I'm sorry to hear about your brother."
*Isabella*
She clung to him, gripping his shirt as she sobbed into it.
"Someone bashed his head in. He's dead..."
*Forbes*
He held her, caressing her back.
"That's terrible... I'm so sorry..."
*Isabella*
She pulled away slightly and led him over to a bench.
"You're alright, right? Nothing happened in London?"
*Forbes*
He smiled.
"No, no, of course not... Just trying to decipher your dream... Trying to keep busy, making arrangements in Greece."
*Isabella*
She nodded vigorously, fidgeting with the leather fabric that tried to pass itself off as a skirt.
"They’ll need to prepare you.. if you want to be part of the rites. Do you?"
*Forbes*
He paused a moment.
"What does being prepared entail?"
*Isabella*
"Purification steam bath. Then you'll be dressed in skins and painted..." she said, biting her lip.
*Forbes*
He smiled.
"If you want me to be there for you, I will."
*Isabella*
She bit her lip.
"I know it's a lot to ask, but I'd feel better if you were there. I.. I have a big role. I have to channel his spirit and lead his soul into the afterlife. I'll need you afterwards," she said, crossing her legs and adjusting the feathers on her legs.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"Well then, a purification steam bath sounds lovely."
Observing these rites up close would be worth the embarrassment of getting painted up like a native but he wasn't about to say that to her face.
*Isabella*
She nodded, leaning in and kissing him desperately as though she wasn't sure she'd see him again, wrapping her arms around his neck, her leather bra slipping a bit.
*Forbes*
He kissed her back in mild surprise, wrapping his arms around her again.
*Isabella*
She deepened the kiss, moving to straddle him as her hands tore at his shirt, desperate for contact with the living, someone not from Brazil.
*Forbes*
He pulled back.
"Hold up there... What are you playing at?"
He was a little disoriented from the flooing and a little put off by her clumsy attempt at seduction.
*Isabella*
"Please, Forbes," she whimpered.
"I need you. I need to get the image of his dead body and all that blood out of my head.." she said, running her hands over his chest.
*Forbes*
He made a face.
"Oh, that's real sexy, thanks for mentioning it.... Look, I need a minute to take this all in... I'm not just some... sex aid you can use as a distraction..."
*Isabella*
She got off him.
"I'll see you after the rites are over then. Go out the door, someone will lead you to the steam room and through the preparations," she said as she went back to pacing.
*Forbes*
He stood.
"Well if that's all you need from me, I'll go back to London and have a dildo sent in my place..."
*Isabella*
"No.. I need you here, Forbes. I... just... I .. he's dead, Forbes! He's 18 and dead! He just made the football team in Britain. He's not supposed to be dead."
*Forbes*
He paused and was silent a moment.
"No.... I know... and if anything happened to my sister, I'd feel the same way. I'm sorry."
*Isabella*
"My world is upside down. I don't want to be here. I want to be in Greece, far away from everything, but I'm stuck here, officiating at the funeral rites for my brother!" she said, slumping against the wall as tears streamed down her face.
*Forbes*
He paused and was silent a moment.
"No.... I know... and if anything happened to my sister, I'd feel the same way. I'm sorry."
*Isabella*
"My world is upside down. I don't want to be here. I want to be in Greece, far away from everything, but I'm stuck here, officiating at the funeral rites for my brother!" she said, slumping against the wall as tears streamed down her face.
*Forbes*
He kept nodding understandingly.
"You could leave. But I know you won't disrespect your brother like that."
*Isabella*
"I can't," she said simply. "And no one here will touch me until the ritual's over. I'm not allowed contact with anyone from the tribe except for the rites - I'm tainted with death since I was his twin."
*Forbes*
He pondered that.
"Interesting. The customs of your tribe are very interesting. I've heard of other similar things but..."
He stopped.
"Well, me over-intellectualizing things isn't going to help."
*Isabella*
She looked up at Forbes with a confused look.
"Forbes, please, just stop thinking..." she said, shaking her head.
*Forbes*
He looked over at her blandly.
"It's what I do."
*Isabella*
She sighed, rubbing her face with the back of her hand.
"I know.. I just.. I need you, Forbes."
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"I know you do... and I'm here for you if you need me"
He sighed.
"Just when I get too deeply into things, it's easier to start looking at all through that lens... Taking it apart with my mind until it all makes sense..."
*Isabella*
"Do you think you're in too deeply here?" she asked him curiously.
*Forbes*
He smiled and shook his head.
"I think I'm in over my head... in a completely foreign situation.. In a foreign country even... I am very much a city boy, 'Bella..."
*Isabella*
"If it's too much," she said. "You don't have to be here..."
*Forbes*
He shook his head.
"Give me an hour or two to come to terms with the enormity of the situation and I'll get easier..."
*Isabella*
"The rites start in a few hours. Will you be alright by then?" she asked, running her fingers over the tattoo that now covered her entire left arm.
*Forbes*
He smiled and shook his head.
"I think I'm in over my head... in a completely foreign situation.. In a foreign country even... I am very much a city boy, 'Bella..."
*Isabella*
"If it's too much," she said. "You don't have to be here..."
*Forbes*
He shook his head.
"Give me an hour or two to come to terms with the enormity of the situation and I'll get easier..."
*Isabella*
"The rites start in a few hours. Will you be alright by then?" she asked, running her fingers over the tattoo that now covered her entire left arm.
*Forbes*
He smiled.
"That steam bath you mentioned will probably do wonders..."
*Isabella*
She nodded.
"Can you stay here a bit longer. and just hold me?" she asked quietly.
*Forbes*
He sat back down beside her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Of course."
*Isabella*
She rested in Forbes arm for awhile before she sensed a new flavor added to smoke burning in the village.
"It's time," she said softly.
*Forbes*
He nodded caressing her softly.
"So I should go get purified?"
*Isabella*
She nodded.
"I... Forbes.. during the ritual, no one’s allowed to touch me. No matter what happens, just stay behind the others until it's over. You'll know when it's over," she said, not moving from his arms.
*Forbes*
He nodded.
"I can do that... But know that whatever happens, I'm there for you..."
*Isabella*
She turned and kissed him tenderly.
"You should go. I'll see you afterwards."
*Forbes*
He kissed her back.
"Right... You will..."
He stood.
"Where do I go exactly?"
*Isabella*
She pointed towards the door of the longhouse.
"Out through there. One of the men will lead you to the baths and prepare you," she said.
"If you have anything valuable, like your wand, you might want to leave it here."
*Forbes*
He slipped his wand out of a pocket and placed in on a nearby table followed by his change purse.
"I think that'll cover the valuables. I'll see you soon..."
*Isabella*
She watched as Forbes left the room, tucking his valuables away with her own want in a wooden box that sat under her bed. Leaving through the other end of the longhouse, she entered her own series of final purifications, carefully painting on brightly colored designs with pigments and blood. Taking off her leather clothes, she tossed them aside. She wouldn't need them for the ritual. It would be paint and feathers. Adjusting the elaborate feather headdress, she grabbed a set of large colorful wings and attached them to her back and arms before emerging from the longhouse.
The drums were beating rhythmically as she stepped into the circle, causing the woodflutes to begin playing. Dancing in a circle, she allowed the elder to bless her with lit bundles of herbs, she kept herself from looking at the body until it was time. Crying out loudly in the Tupi dialect of her people, Isabella spun into a fury, channeling the ancient spirits and crying out to them for assistant. Grabbing ash from each of the four fires, she streaked her face before passing her hands through the flames to purify them.
[[ To the North I cry. To the South I cry. To the East I cry. To the West I cry. Come spirit. Come for his soul!]]
Taking a lit branch from each fire, she held them in her hand, sprinkling the flames with powdered roots that caused the flames to leap higher before she carried the torch to the pyre, lighting the base. Climbing onto the pyre, she took a deep breath before beginning the next set of chanting, knowing she had to remain on the pyre as long as possible. Her voice went up in tone as the heat started to affect her, sweat pouring off her body. Seeing the flames reach Fernando's legs, she crouched near his head, morphing into the panther before jumping over the flames and off the pyre.
Unmorphing, she grabbed a bowl of black powder, tossing some on pyre as she danced around the fire, calling for the flames to leap higher. Stripping off her feathers, she tossed them onto the flames. She continued dancing and chanting for hours until the body was entirely consumed. Grabbing a bowl of distilled fruit liquor, she drank it before spitting some over the bones. Taking a bowl of water, she climbed onto the still hot pyre, pouring the water over the bones to purify them. Taking handfuls of dirt, she started covering Fernando's bones.
Relaxing slightly as she felt bodies around her, she watched as the rest of the tribe helped bury Fernando's bones while she knelt at his head, resting her hands in the dirt. Once the body was completely covered, the tribe dispersed, leaving Isabella kneeling at the head of the burial mound.
Waiting until the sound of the drums had died off and the tribe had left the ritual ground, she got to her feet, heading straight for the river. Usually she didn't go in without Fernando, but that was no longer an option. She had to wash off the ritual markings in running water. Walking into the Amazon tributary, she silently prayed to Fernando to protect her as she closed her eyes and kept walking until the water was over her head, scrubbing off the paint and markings with the clay-like sand. Scrubbing as hard as she could before it felt like her lungs were going to burst, she came up to surface and made her way to the riverbank, lying down and breathing heavily now that it was all over and wondering how Forbes had managed.