Lamentshipping (Isis x Mana x Mahad)
. . .
There was no body to have a funeral for.
"Isis, hide me, hide me!"
The little girl darted behind the taller woman, gripping her legs and peeking out around her. She squeaked at the sight of the flushed man running towards them and ducked perfectly still behind Isis. Isis tried to smother her grin as Mahad arrived, breathless.
"Mana, stop using Priestess Isis as a shield. Get back over there and apologize."
"What did she do this time?" Isis said, laughing in spite of herself and putting a gentle hand on Mana's head.
There was no ceremony. No tomb. There was no point. It didn't matter. They didn't want one. It would be too final. Too horrible. Neither of them wanted to listen to the hired mourners and their cries of lament again. It had been hard enough at Atem's funeral.
"She – I – "
Mahad kept trying to angle himself so that he was looking around Isis to where Mana was hiding, but she was quick, moving back and forth and pushing Isis in front of her no matter which direction Mahad went. Isis really had to work on hiding her laughter. As it was, she let Mana move her about, although it was strictly speaking very unprofessional of her.
"Ra take it all, Mana, stop using Isis as a shield!"
"No! Isis is the best shield because you wouldn't ever yell at her!"
"Of course I'm not going to yell at Isis; she actually does her job! Now get over here and apologize the governor for turning his wig into palm leaves!"
"Noooo, he'll yell at me! Isis, save meeeee!"
The only mourning that was done for him was hidden in locked rooms without candles burning. Soft, broken sobs that shook the shoulders.
"Mana...?"
"Go away, Isis."
She didn't. She came in anyway. Mana didn't care. She kind of wanted her there. Isis sat on the bed beside her, where she had sprawled face down across it, covering her face in her arms.
"I miss him," she said.
Isis put a gentle hand on Mana's back. There were tears sparkling in her eyes too, but she knew it wasn't her turn to cry yet. She had to be there for Mana first. Then she could cry later.
Mahad finally caught Mana by the scruff of her tunic.
"Nooooo, save me!"
"Mana, we have to apologize for our mistakes," Isis said.
"He was a meanie face anyway! I heard him saying mean things about master!"
"You still have to apologize," Mahad said heatedly, keeping a firm grip on her as she tried to squirm away.
"But you're gonna make me do extra chores as punishment too and it wasn't my fault it was an accident!"
"You should be practicing more, and then you wouldn't have those accidents!"
"Mahad, why don't you cut her a little slack. It really must have been a mistake. As long as she apologizes, it should be all right, right?"
Mahad frowned. But he shook his head and sighed.
"Fine, you don't have to do chores," he said. "Thank Isis for being so good to you, Mana."
"Thank you, Isis!" Mana squeaked.
Mana's sobs came heavier now.
"Why is he gone? Why is he gone? Why is he gone?" she sobbed.
She sat up in bed and threw herself against Isis, clinging to the older woman.
"Why, why, why, why?"
Isis wrapped her arms around Mana, stroking her hair. She couldn't hold in her tears anymore. They rolled silently down her cheeks. She longed to let go of it all and just scream and cry at the sky with Mana's abandon.
But she couldn't. She couldn't even if she had wanted to. She was too dead inside.
"I don't know," she whispered. "I don't know."
. . .
A/N: Nooooo the feeeeels T-T Next is...Lackeyshipping (Croquet x Isono). What?
