Title: Viking burial
Character/Pairing: Senel, Stella, Shirley
A/N: I doubt the ferines would actually bury their dead on land—they are people of the water after all. So Stella's getting her water burial here.
Summary: They had already said goodbye three years ago.
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"I thought it would hurt more," Shirley said, watching as they returned Stella to the water. Her body would become one with Nerifes now.
"Me too." Senel's voice was still hoarse from crying. Hers hadn't fared any better and even now she was sure her eyes were red. "That first time…"
"It had hurt more then." Shirley bit her lip, remembering the first time they had grieved for Stella. They had to run, always run, hiding in shadows and alleyways as they tried to find safety.
All the while trying not to remember, not to mourn, not to feel anything about what had happened. It was only when Senel had joined the Marines that they had been able to sit down and just cry.
"Maybe that's why it hurts less now. We already mourned her back then," Senel muttered. Shirley watched him from the corner of her eyes—he still blamed himself, she was sure, for not saving Stella all this time.
She blamed herself for being the reason Stella was caught.
"Maybe." And that could be the case, that they had grieved for three years, that this was just the funeral they should have attended all those years ago. Maybe their lives had been on pause those three years and only now had started to play again. "At least we got to say goodbye this time."
Senel looked at her, as if he hadn't considered that. "Huh." He gave a weak smile. "I should have planned it better."
"Stella always liked surprises more."
"She liked surprising others," Senel corrected. Mariutus called them over, to say the final goodbyes, and they slowly approached her body.
And really, this was happening three years too late. They hadn't even had time to consider her alive before she died again.
"You always make it so hard to chase you," Senel muttered, giving Stella's hand a last squeeze. "But we finally caught you."
"This time I will protect everyone," Shirely promised, kissing her sister's brow.
They took a step back and watched as Stella's body disappeared into the water.
There was a finality to it all, the period at the end of a sentence.
"It's ok if I cry this time too?" Shirley asked, her sight going blurry.
"Yeah," Senel's voice was thick and he gripped her hand.
Shirley gripped his hand just as tight.
Despite it the three years, despite being prepared, it still hurt.