Serenity Cove: Kitty Pryde's Memorial

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

The sun is just setting over the ocean as the crowd gathers around the pile of wood that will be Kitty Pryde's memorial fire.

There's a slightly raised stage-like area set up, for the speakers to stand on.

A fair distance away from the fire itself is a table with several dozen pens and a stack of paper.

Next to that is another table with a framed picture of Kitty, and a growing pile of flowers.

People are encouraged to listen to speeches, and say goodbye to Kitty however they deem appropriate.

Comments

Watch Lockheed Light the Fire, and Phoebe Preserve It.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

The wood is set up, and ready for Lockheed to light whenever he feels it's time.


[ooc: For all intents and purposes, consider the fire lit in all the other threads, as I don't know when Lockheed is going to actually light it.]

Re: Watch Lockheed Light the Fire, and Phoebe Preserve It.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker stands nearby, wrapped up in a black coat, sunglasses on. She's not teary. Her jaw is set, though, and mostly she looks-- pissed off.

She is watching Lockheed with sadness.

Re: Watch Lockheed Light the Fire, and Phoebe Preserve It.

[threeweapons.livejournal.com]

Alanna is watching the fire, her jaw clenched. Her eyes keep running over the crowd, searching for someone. Faithful sits on her shoulder, cleaning his paw and thinking.

Re: Watch Lockheed Light the Fire, and Phoebe Preserve It.

[phases-of-kitty.livejournal.com]

::Lockheed sits on the edge of the stage as people arrive. His wings are hunched and his head hangs low. He doesn't look anyone in the eye.

When enough people have gathered, Lockheed pushes off the stage and takes to the air. He flies in a large, slow circle around the gathered crowd, taking everything in. Finally he hovers over the pile of wood and lets forth a blast of flame. The wood ignites instantly.

Lockheed returns to his spot on the stage and listens to the speakers. He doesn't look at anyone, though. He just stares into the flames.::

Re: Watch Lockheed Light the Fire, and Phoebe Preserve It.

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

Kiki sits on a piece of driftwood a little way off and stares into the flickering flames. Such a very different fire than the one she herself lit here just a few nights ago. Away from the fire, it's chilly, and she hugs herself a little, her face grave and melancholy.

Re: Watch Lockheed Light the Fire, and Phoebe Preserve It.

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

Beka sat far enough away to watch, close enough to pay her respects, but not so close as to crowd those who had been friends with Kitty. She'd met the girl only a few times, and death was hardly a stranger.

But there were those here, her friends, who might need comfort. It was the least she could do. And, she'd liked Lockheed, poor dragon.

Re: Watch Lockheed Light the Fire, and Phoebe Preserve It.

[soniabelmont.livejournal.com]

Like several others, Sonia never got the chance to know Kitty personally. All the same, the death of a student- someone so young, who should have been protected and safe- hit her hard.

She stands away from the crowds, her gaze resting on the growing fire. As usual, her face is a mask, only her eyes betraying her emotions- they are fierce, confused, and sad, and gleam bright in the light of the flames.

Listen to Speeches

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Listen to Professors Tick and MacGyver, Phoebe Halliwell, Rory Gilmore, Angelus, Dean Bristow and Lockheed (via Professor Dream) speak here.




[ooc: Speakers - please respond here with your speech, and label it with your name in the subject line. Also - Dean and Lockheed, you're both still tentative.

Those listening - feel free to respond to the speeches here - cry, comfort each other, talk to the speakers, whatever.]

The Tick's Speech

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

Kitty Pryde truly had the potential to be an amazing human being. I know a little about what she was doing before she came to school here. She fought for Justice and for the rights of her people. She was a bona fide hero while she was only a teenager. I can only imagine what she could have accomplished if she had been given the time.

It was only a few weeks ago that she joined my class. In that time, though, she managed to raise the level of discussion. In a group of people who really Know Justice, she seemed to understand it the best. I'm pretty sure she could have taught the class even better than I do.

But in the Library of Life, sometimes Books are stolen from us. Kitty was the "T" volume of the encyclopedia. You haven't spent much time reading it, but then it's gone, just when you need to look up "tendon," or "teeth," or "truncheon." It's just gone and there's no way you get it back becuse who knows who took it? Sure you can look the information up online, or use another encyclopedia, but it's not the same. The online source has spotty information, or the other encyclopedias use different phrasing that doesn't help your research at all. And then you realize how keen it would be if it were still there on the shelf, able to be read by whomever needs to know about "tectonic plates."

I know that most people here probably just knew her as The Girl With the Dragon, and that's unfortunate. She had so much potential and most people will never know what she was capable of. I think that there's something to be learned from this. We are a school community, after all, and every situation can teach us something. What we should learn is that we are all volumes of the encyclopedia. Read each other! Find out who "Cj-Cz" is and ask them about the Crimean War! Find "W" and ask about the natural habitat of the walrus! Seek out "J" and inquire about the origins of the game jacks. Find out what each volume has to say, because sometimes things happen and any one of them might never be returned to the shelf, and then you'll never know what they were all about! If nothing else, take this moment to learn from each other!

And, Kitty? I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you.

Re: Listen to Speeches

[manofthemullet.livejournal.com]

Mac, dressed in a suit for once (which he constantly tugs at) steps forward to talk.

"I'm not going to try and kid you all saying how well I knew Kitty. She was my TA for a few classes when I came back here. The most time we spent together was an afternoon in the shop putting together the equipment we had received from her old school. In the time that I knew her, I found Kitty to be a bright, intelligent girl. Always willing to assist any of her fellow students, no matter what their background may have been."

"After Kitty's death, I took it upon myself to contact her old school and talk with her former instructor there and learned a little more about her. As it turns out Kitty was also a mutant. This may mean more or less to you depending on where you are from and what that term means in your society. Where Kitty was from, mutants were something to be feared or hated."

"Instead of reacting to or participating in that hatred, Kitty joined a group of people whose goal was to eradicate bigotry based on what people are, and to spread the idea that everyone is equal and that people should be judged on the content of their character alone."

"I know right know that people are scared and saddened about what has happened. But in the end Kitty wouldn't want her death to be something that divided the school into humans and non-humans factions. Her life was about bringing people together and if her memory means anything to you, you'll work towards that goal."

Dean Bristow's Speech

[spyprincipal.livejournal.com]

"Katherine Pryde was an asset to the school. Good attendance, no real disciplinary issues. I only met her once, when she came into my office for some paperwork. Seeing those whose lives she has affected, perhaps I would have done well to know her better. Thank you, Ms. Pryde, for what you've given the students and teachers here." He frowns, clearly uncomfortable. "Thank you to the student body for coming out and honoring Ms. Pryde." He looks off for a second, before moving away.

Rory's Speech

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Kitty Pryde was…a lot of things. A good friend. A genius. A hero. She was everything a Fandom High student should aspire to be. And above all else, she was a good person. Even if you didn’t know her when she was alive, the amount of people here today is a testament to how much she was loved by those who knew her.

“I have to confess that I didn’t know Kitty as well as some of you. But I wish I had gotten the chance to. But that takes us to the dangerous area of ‘I wish.’ I wish Kitty had gotten the opportunity to go to college. To have children. To accomplish all her goals. To live.”

Rory swallows, and continues, voice shaking.

“Saying ‘I wish,’ now won’t get us anywhere. I don’t think Kitty would want her death to drive the school into a state of grieving stagnation and hostility. Rather, now the time that we need to stick together the most. Life is too short to be angry. To hold grudges. To have enemies. We need to band together.”

Rory has tears threatening to fall at any second, but manages to finish before they spill over.

“Kitty’s life had a meaning, just like everyone else’s. Let her death have a purpose, too. Make the passing of Kitty Pryde into an event that brings the students and faculty of Fandom High closer together, rather than driven apart.”

Re: Listen to Speeches

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe had tears in her eyes when she stood up.

"Kitty Pryde meant a great deal to a lot of people. She never met someone that she couldn't be nice to, and she made sure that those who loved her knew she was always ready to be there for them.

She was a bright light, and a gift that was given to us for only a short time, but it was a time that I will always treasure.

Yes, we're sad that she is gone from us, but she's always going to be looking out for us and some of us we'll always feel her within their hearts."

Phoebe looked into the fire.

"We love you, Kitty."

Angelus's speech

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

When the time came, Angelus stood out in front of the crowd. He was dressed in a black silk shirt and his black leather pants, but somehow managed to make the look seem entirely appropriate for a funeral.

He stared into the fire, as though gathering his thoughts. Finally, when he spoke, he looked out into the crowd, making eye contact with anyone who looked back at him.

"Evil is not something that any of you understand. You think you do. You want to tell yourselves that you do. But you don't. Not truly. Not until it reaches in and takes a hold of you and destroys everything about you that is good, and pure.

"I know many of you. I know you all believe, deep down, that you have nasty little secrets that you want to hide. That there are things about you that would make others shun you if only they knew.

"But you're not evil.

"As many of you are aware, I know evil," a hint of a self-deprecating smirk played across Angelus's lips. "Many of you believe I am evil. And that's fine. I won't argue with you.

"But take it from me, then, as a bird of this feather: This was evil. This act was evil. Kitty's death, if she did die, was an action without goodness, without purity, without any hope of redemption.

"Unless - " Angelus's eyes scanned the crowd again, this time clearly issuing a challenge " - you make it such. Kitty is gone. That is horrible and painful but we can not change that. What we can change is the now. What you can do is to make goodness out of this.

"Evil loves fear," Angelus spoke the words loudly and clearly. "You are now afraid. I can smell it on each and every one of you. Whoever did this? Is laughing at you. He, she, or it is winning because you gave him, her, or that the power to make you afraid.

"You want to honor Kitty?" Angelus gestured towards the fire. "She wasn't afraid. Her power was defensive. There isn't a single creature in all of the dimensions who could have hurt her if she activated her abilities and used them to run away.

"That she is not with us now means that she didn't. She didn't run. She wasn't scared. She went right up into the face of what was literally the most evil thing she'd ever faced in her life and told it quite clearly to go fuck itself."

Angelus gave them all a questioning look. "How many of you can say you're doing the same thing?"

He bowed in the direction of the fire. "Good on you, Kitty. It's not often that darkness faces a challenge. May all who knew you learn from your example."

Angelus stepped away, having said his piece.

Write Kitty a Letter

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

The table with the writing utensils and paper is here, if you feel too shy or sad to speak.

You may keep your letter to do with as you please, or toss it in the fire.

Re: Write Kitty a Letter

[sooo_cute]

Quinn walks up to the table, because she didn't really know Kitty, but she knew her, you know? After trying to figure out exactly what to say, she writes:

Dear Kitty,

You were really cool at homecoming. I meant to get to know you better and I'm sorry I didn't.

She throws it into the fire, because it's the dramatic thing to do.

Re: Write Kitty a Letter

[names-ash.livejournal.com]

Dear Kitty,

The King would like to apologize for making fun of your death on the radio. The King is sorry that he couldn't have been there to save you. But I'm happy to know that I didn't kill you while possessed by a demon, nor did I carve you up with a chainsaw.

We can both be thankful for that. Even though I guess you're kinda dead. Not that that stopped one of my-

*Ash quickly folds up the letter, flings it in the fire, before running off back to the Falcon to cry*

Visit Kitty's Picture

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Say your goodbyes here, or leave flowers, if you wish.

Re: Visit Kitty's Picture

[chasingangela]

Angela stands before the picture for a full minute. Goodbye, Kitty. I'm so sorry you're gone. And if what I think happened, happened ... I'm so sorry I didn't warn you.

She leaves a small bouquet of violets.

Re: Visit Kitty's Picture

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe lay a group of flowers in front of Kitty's picture. She had tears running down her face as she stared.

I'm sorry that I didn't save you, my friend. I miss you and wish you were here with us, still. I promise you, I'll keep an eye on Lockheed for you.

Re: Visit Kitty's Picture

[bugofjustice.livejournal.com]

The Tick walked over to Kitty's picture, Lockheed still perched on his shoulder. Lockheed appeared somewhat reluctant to look at the picture, but it was something Tick needed to do.

Tick just stared for a moment. A few tears appeared, but the look on his face had no sadness or guilt. It was acceptance. He now knew that he couldn't save everyone. It wasn't up to him to do so. He could only do what he could.

After a few more moments, Lockheed gave a small snort and nodded his head to the side. "Okay, chum." Tick walked away from the picture, feeling more at peace than he had in a week.

When he was sure Tick wasn't looking, Lockheed stared back towards the image of Kitty.

General Comforting, Reminiscing, Etc.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Talk amongst yourselves about what you remember of Kitty.

This is also the place for non-Kitty related chatting if you must.

Re: General Comforting, Reminiscing, Etc.

[charlieeppes.livejournal.com]

Charlie shows up, wrapped in a blanket still. He doesn't say much, just stands there and looks sad.

Re: General Comforting, Reminiscing, Etc.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker approaches Alanna after the speeches. "Are you okay? I haven't seen you around, the last couple days."

OOC Babbling

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Toss all your OOC stuff over here.

Re: OOC Babbling

[can_be_more]

Freakin' Tick.