TRP: Gavi, Goro, and Hansel (Pyre)

**LINA**

[Setting: Day 260, the woods outside Ezra's encampment.]

Goro wandered around in search of Hansel, blanket still
pulled tight around his shoulders. He realized there wasn't any fucking point
to pretending he wasn't still hurt, what with the vitality bracelet. He'd taken
it off and stuck it in his pocket, but figured Hansel would see exactly what
game he was playing with that, anyway. At least Hansel couldn't see how hurt he
was.

Goro found him at a small creek, helping Gavi clean Ezra's
body off. Goro could've fucking offered to help with that--he'd prepared bodies
for burial before--but eh. Fuck that guy.

Though, he supposed it'd be a favor for Gavi, and he didn't
hate Gavi. Maybe it was just his guilt over Raef making him think he should do
a good deed, though.

He came to a stop a few feet away, watching them wordlessly.

**IZZY**

Hansel hadn't used any of his magic in the fight. Thought
about it a few times, when Gavi kept getting knocked down beside him, but it
always seemed more important to focus on fighting back, and let Goro and Luci
get her back on her feet.

It'd fucking been touch-and-go there for a beat, though.
Fucking worrying when Goro went down behind him, too, and he had a brief
fucking flashback to that alley outside the Basha warehouse, when he'd been
holding off the hoard with Mormiir and Goro got fucking hosted, and there
wasn't a goddamn thing he could do about it. Larkin and Luci had been there,
this time. Goro was fine; everyone was fine.

Gavi was not fucking fine.

The woman had fuckin' died, and her nephew had been killed
in front of her, and much as Hansel didn't regret Ezra's death, he felt real
fuckin' bad for Gavi having to have a front row seat to it happening. Not being
able to do anything about it.

He didn't know shit about orcish burials, but since he
hadn't used any magic, he tapped into it now to pull water from to creek and
dampen cloths for Gavi to clean her boy up. That was a good first step --
getting the blood off him. He didn't figure she had any particular desire for
him to be around, but he didn't figure she wanted to do this all alone, either.

When Goro came up, wrapped in a blanket and looking
miserable, Hansel reached out with the hand he wasn't shaping water with to
pull him into a hug and kiss the top of his head. He kept his voice low to keep
from disturbing Gavi, murmuring into Goro's hair. "Put your bracelet back
on, jackass."

**ABBY**

Gavi barely acknowledged Hansel's presence. Curt nod as he
helped with the cloths, but that was about it. Her movements were mechanical,
she felt empty, hollowed out. She'd cried and cried over Ezra. Five-- hell, one
minute before she could have saved him. Brought him back. But not now.

Now she had another dead relative. Yeah, Ezra scared her.
But he was her nephew. She'd watched him grow up. And Gavi was so sick of
watching her family die.

But yet here she was again. Not enough fucking wood around
for a pyre. Have to fucking cut some down to get a proper Gruuman send-off--

Gavi froze, and slowly settled back on her heels. Dropped
the wet cloth and buried her face in her hands, letting out a harsh sound that
could have been a laugh, could have been a sob.

**LINA**

Well, at least now Goro had an excuse not to respond to the
bracelet thing.

He wondered if Gavi knew he was there. He tucked himself
close against Hansel's side and cleared his throat, hoping it was loud enough
for her to notice in her... state.

**IZZY**

Hansel grimaced a little. Ah, fuck. Fuck, he wanted to do
something, here, but he didn't want to just fuckin' bother her, either. His gut
reaction would've been to offer her a shoulder to cry on, or something, offer
an arm around her, but he'd played his part in killing Ezra. He wasn't the best
fuckin' choice for that.

Goddamn shame Griffin wasn't here. Though -- fuck, Hansel
had no clue how close he'd been with his brothers. This was all a fucking mess.

He waved the water he'd been toying with back to the creek,
and incredibly fucking awkwardly, patted Gavi on the shoulder. Yep. Good one,
commander. That'd fix things for sure.

**ABBY**

Gavi looked up, a brittle smile edging on her face.
"You know I saw where he went," she said abruptly. "When I...
when I died. I was headed that way. Luci pulled me back but... I couldn't for
him." She cupped Ezra's cheek, tracing her thumb over the scar. "And
now I gotta burn him and I'm supposed to commit his soul to Gruumsh? I can't. I
can't send him there. Not that it matters. He gave his soul over to Gruumsh and
it's too late to pull it back."

Oh damn it, Gavi was crying again. She scrubbed at her face,
shaking her head. Always fucking cried too much at these. Tears never brought
anybody back.

**IZZY**

Hansel glanced at Goro, confused, but it wasn't like Goro
knew what she was talking about any more than Hansel did (or, shit, maybe he
did, cleric and all).

There was a pragmatic argument to be made, here, about how
Ezra belonged to Gruumsh no matter what Gavi did, so she shouldn't feel guilty
about cremating him, or whatever else Gruumans did, but that ... wasn't comforting.
Hansel wasn't sure what to say that would be comforting. Fuck, he was baffled
by why she'd changed her mind in the first place.

He'd gotten close to death a lot of times in his life, but
never as close as she had -- not close enough to see anything.

"Maybe ..." Hm. This might not be helpful, either.
"Maybe we could, uh. Ask some other god to get him back from -- whatever
it is you saw. Someone like Eldath, or -- I dunno. Ilneval."

Elitash used to talk about joining Ilneval's great war,
being young again and full of life and bloodlust. Sounded fucking awful to him,
but for her, sure. Maybe for Ezra.

**ABBY**

"Ilneval." Gavi let out a short, bitter laugh.
"You hear about Ilnevel's great war too? Hearing those stories growin' up
it always sounded so grand. And then I went and seen it." She jerked up
abruptly and started pacing back and forth. "You know I fight a lot. I'm a
warrior." She thumped her chest, her armor clanging. "But I fight for
a cause. Okay yeah sometimes it's cause I'm bored and I want to start shit. But
not always."

She stopped and turned, looking at Ezra's body. His face was
twisted in anger, even now. Dying as he'd lived. "I fought for my
family," she said softly. "I fought to make a better place for them.
But now I come to find out that might not even be worth it. That our gods will
send us to hell and for what?" Gavi spat bitterly. "For fucking
what?"

**LINA**

"Told ya," Goro muttered.

**IZZY**

Hansel shifted Goro slightly behind him, putting himself
between the two of the automatically.

**ABBY**

Gavi whirled to face the mouthy runt. "Fuck off!"
she snapped.

**LINA**

Goro closed his eyes and gave an exaggerated shrug.

**IZZY**

"All right." Hansel held up the hand that wasn't
holding onto Goro. "Settle." He frowned at Gavi, concerned. "The
fuck're you ... What d'you mean, hell? What'd you see?"

**ABBY**

Gavi grit her teeth. "Fighting," she said shortly.
"Just... endless, endless fighting. No rest. No victory. Just locked in an
endless war."

**LINA**

"Aw, come on, what'd you fucking expect?" Goro
would've marched up and gotten in her face if Hansel hadn't been holding onto
him like he was anticipating exactly that. "He's a war god, Gavi! Of
course it's fuckin' endless. Victory would mean a fucking end, and then what
would poor little Gruumshy have left to do except twiddle his fucking thumbs?
What did you expect?"

**ABBY**

"I expected to have something to look forwards to! I
like fighting, sure, but I like being able to sit around and shoot the shit
with my family too! I like green grass, and clear water, and hell maybe a
snowfall now and then." Gavi's shoulders slackened and the anger leaked
into something empty. "I expected to be happy," she said quietly.

**LINA**

Goro drew close to Hansel again, no longer trying to tug
himself free.

Ah. Ah, that was fuckin' sad.

Simple shit. That was all anybody really wanted, at the end
of the day. They were all more alike than they were different, when it came
down to it. And fuckin' Gruumsh just wanted to turn people against each other.
Couldn't sweeten the deal even for his own fucking paladins. Sure, Mask
expected Goro to to be faithful, to do his work in the shadows, but he never
fucking begrudged him a warm bed to rest in, or a quiet walk in the woods with
his boyfriend, or anything like that.

Had to fucking suck, realizing you'd lived your life in service
to that piece of shit.

Goro was all out of retorts, so he didn't say anything at
all.

**IZZY**

Hansel stayed tense at Goro pulling away from him, keeping a
grip and ready to just pick him up and carry him off if either of them got too
pissed. He didn't want to fucking fight Gavi right now. She got to be angry,
and she got to be fucking angry at them, in particular. It wasn't like Ezra had
just died, and no one had been there to revive him. They were fuckin'
responsible on both fronts.

He was relieved that Goro fell back. Because ... fuck.

Just endless fighting. No victory. Was that Ilneval's great
war, too, he wondered? Elitash liked to fight, but she liked to fucking win,
and she liked dragging Hansel into bars, and playing cards with him, and belting
out sea shanties with Mishka, and pranking the swabbies. Young and strong
again, she'd said. The fuck was the point if all you ever did with it was fight
and suffer?

He didn't want to fucking think about it. "All
right," he said awkwardly. "All right, well, fuckin' ... fuck
Gruumsh, then, and Ilneval too, maybe." He wondered if he was allowed to
say that to her now, and plowed on regardless. "Look, I'm no cleric, but I
know some, uh -- some Eldathyn shit, and some Selunite shit, and Silvan -- or
Luci can fuckin' talk to her goddess for you, or something. There's fuckin'
options, right?"

**ABBY**

Gavi nodded slightly. Even though she wondered, who'd even
want Ezra? She knew her family and what they were like. Hell, Ezra would likely
fuckin' turn down his second chance, knowing him.

But that didn't mean she couldn't try. "Yeah. Think I'd
like that," she said quietly. "Y'mind if we get your girl over here?
Bet she's real good at those types of spells." She stared Goro down, cold
and hard. Hadn't occured to her at first, but she'd remembered. Hansel and
Luci, both trying to convince her that Goro would have saved Timur too. And
then him going 'I don't know that spell'. Something was off there-- and Gavi
would bet on the half-elf being a liar.

**LINA**

Goro jerked his head at Hansel, not having any arms free to
point a thumb. "He may not be a cleric, but I am. Just what do you think
Luci's gonna be able to do?"

**ABBY**

"More than you."

**IZZY**

"Hey," Hansel interjected, keeping his voice
level.

**LINA**

Goro snorted. "Alright. Sure. Let's call her over. Let
you be real fucking impressed when she looks at you and says, 'What do you
think I'm gonna be able to do?'"

**ABBY**

Gavi flipped him off and stomped toward where Luci was
sitting. Didn't want to spook the girl though so she took a second to pause and
even her temper before approaching.

"Hey, Luci," she called, giving a little wave.
"Listen uh. Would you mind helping with-- Ezra? Do some... rites or
something for him, maybe see if your god'll give him a hand? I don't..."
she shifted, gripping her arm. "I don't want to just leave his soul to
Gruumsh."

**IZZY**

Luci blinked up at her tiredly. "I could ... try? I
think that Gruumsh has dominion over all orc souls, and ..."

She trailed off. Eilistraee wasn't a very powerful goddess,
and she didn't think that Eldath would accept someone like Ezra. Luci had
watched him kill his own aunt, after knocking her unconscious two or three
times -- the aunt who'd entreated him to not fight, who'd begged for his
resurrection. She didn't think that Ezra deserved Eldath's interference any
more than he had deserved Gavi's, or hers, or Goro's. But that seemed unkind to
say.

"I can try." She stood stiffly and glanced to the
riverbank, where Hansel had been helping Gavi, and saw Goro had joined them.
"Goro might have a better chance," she admitted. "His god is
more powerful than mine."

Not more powerful than Selune, but she didn't think Selune
would watch over Ezra, anyway. Besides, Luci wasn't a Selunite.

**ABBY**

Gavi's expression flattened. "I trust you more than
him." But, either way. Luci'd agreed. Gavi walked with her back to where
the others were, brushing by Hansel and Goro and kneeling by Ezra's body again.
"There uh, there some way I can help?" she asked.

**IZZY**

Luci blinked at her again. Puzzling. She followed along,
though, catching Hansel's eye, and Goro's, as she passed by them. She bit her
lips together, considering Ezra's body. "Do you know Celestial?"

**ABBY**

"Nope. Just this one and Orcish for me." Hadn't
ever needed anything else.

**IZZY**

"All right." She pushed her hair behind one ear.
Goro knew it, she realized, but it seemed like Gavi might not ... want his
help. She didn't think she should ask him, anyway. Praying for a fallen enemy
didn't seem like an especially Maskarran activity.

She figured quickly, though, and slipped herself between
Gavi and Goro. They should join hands, and she would prefer to do that with
Hansel and Goro, but thought it might be touchy if she inadvertently positioned
them in such a way that the two of them would have to do it.

"We should ... sit."

She gestured where each of them should go, putting Gavi at
her nephew's right hand, and herself at his head. It put her directly across
from Hansel, who looked uncomfortable about the entire situation, but went
along with it. Then she pulled small candles out of her bag, white and blue
ones -- ones she had bought in Glimmerton, while Gavi had been with her,
actually -- and set them on either side of Ezra's head, striking a match to
light them.

"And link hands."

She held hers out to hold Gavi's and Goro's, loosely, then
took a breath, thinking. She ran the words over in her head, and hummed a
couple bars, then began reciting a supplication to Eldath, not on behalf of the
deceased, but on behalf of his aunt, who was a well-meaning woman who only
wanted what was good and right for her family. She took another breath, and
entreated Eilistraee, too, to look favorably upon a downtrodden, ill woman
attempting to find peace. Gavi and Hansel wouldn't understand a shred of it;
Goro would understand it all.

Then she hummed a little more, because Eilistraee enjoyed
song, and bent to blow the candles out before pulling her hands away from the
other two. Hansel kept hold of Goro's, unsurprisingly.

"That's all I can do," she said. "I hope it
helps."

**LINA**

Goro was genuinely surprised at what a nice little ceremony
Luci was able to squeeze out of this situation. He wouldn't've fucking
bothered, since he couldn't imagine what kinds of prayers he'd have for a
couple of Gruumans--Mask would just look at him funny, so to speak. He guessed
it made sense that Eldath and Eilistraee would have more compassion, though.

And Gavi wouldn't even know--she wouldn't be able to
understand what a beautiful prayer Luci had said for her. That was kind of a
fucking shame. He squeezed Hansel's hand and pulled his knees up to his chest,
hugging them with his free arm. Still so damn cold.

**ABBY**

"It helps you tried," Gavi said. As much as she
wanted to believe it made a difference, Gavi doubted it. But she had three
people here, willing to stand with her as she mourned. And even if Luci wasn't
an orc, Hansel rejected her (their) culture outright, and Goro-- Goro let Ezra
stay dead, Gavi wasn't alone. "Thank you," she said, glancing between
Luci and Hansel.

Still had a body to dispose of though. Gavi pushed herself
to her feet. "I'd appreciate a hand with building a pyre." It was a
Gruuman tradition, but the idea of leaving Ezra in the ground for the wild
animals to dig up and get at-- naw. Gavi'd gotten Luci to do some other rites.
She wouldn't be leading a chant for Ezra, crying out his worth to Gruumsh.
They'd burn him and then it'd be done. Just another loved one to move on
without.

**LINA**

Goro waved a hand at Luci. "She can't. She's hurt. Go
fuckin' rest," he added, directing that part at her. He didn't think this
was going to go over well with her or Hansel, considering his own state, but it
was worth a shot.

**IZZY**

Luci scowled, and started to open her mouth to argue about
it -- Hansel just fuckin' knew she was, he knew what she was like, so he cut
her off. "You both need to fuckin' rest."

She closed her mouth back, wrapping her arms around her
staff and sulking, but too tired to argue the point that much.

He pushed up after Gavi. kissing the top of Goro's head on
the way. "You two fuckin' sit here. I'll help." He pulled one of his
axes off his belt, flipping it and holding the handle out to Gavi. "No
need to dull your battleaxe."

**ABBY**

She accepted with an attempt at a smile. Didn't work that
well. "Thanks," she said. Then to Luci, "Yeah, squirt. You're
worn out, I can see that. S'all right, you've helped already." Wanted to
ruffle her hair but well, Luci didn't like that. So she stuck to giving a
half-hearted grin.

Building a pyre was hard work, especially with two people.
At the end of it, it was a shitty pyre. But it'd do. Gavi got out her flints
and sparked it off, then went back far enough to be safe to watch it burn.
Watch Ezra burn.

"You know what's real shitty?" she said to know one
in particular.

**LINA**

"Fuckin' everything?" Goro guessed. He wanted to
lean against Hansel, but he also wanted to get close enough to the fire to warm
up, which Hansel didn't seem to be doing. Dilemmas.

**IZZY**

Hansel sighed and dusted his hands off, looking over the
kind of fucking meager blaze. Funeral pyres weren't really a Silvan thing, and
dead bodies usually just got dumped offboard at sea. He'd seen and been to a
few more ceremonial ordeals -- setting a raft out, hitting it with burning
arrows, that kind of shit. Always went up real nice, and the fire reflecting on
the water was a sight.

This one was just fucking sad.

He glanced over to the others. Luci had retreated to a quiet
place to meditate, or some magic shit -- ah, fuck, was he supposed to do that,
now? -- but Goro had hung around, wrapped in his blanket, still. Hansel pulled
Goro against his side. He'd gotten warmed up, chopping up trees and branches
and building the pyre. Maybe it'd help. He didn't know why Goro was so cold.

**ABBY**

"I said especially shitty," Gavi said flatly,
still staring at the pyre.

**IZZY**

Part of Hansel wanted to make a crack along the lines of
almost everything? but he figured this probably wasn't the best time. He didn't
know Gavi well enough for that kind of gallows shit to go over well.

"Dunno. Which part you got in mind?"

**ABBY**

Gavi fell quiet, mulling over exactly how to say this.
"The part where I wasn't supposed to stand by and let my nephew die,"
she said quietly. "The part where I was sent to do I don't fuckin' know
what but it's sure not what I did do. And hell, yeah maybe it's a good thing I
failed. But if it sure don't still sting, y'know?"

**LINA**

Goro leaned into Hansel. He was pretty damn warm, after all,
and he had the bonus of not smelling like burning flesh. Not so much a dilemma
after all.

"You're saying you got a good outcome, but it still
fucking hurts," he said. Trying to see if he had the right read on her.

**ABBY**

"I got a good outcome, yeah." The pyre crackled
and sputtered, something catching briefly and burning brighter for a second.
Ezra... not so much. "It's also... look I fuckin' lied to you all right?
When we first met." She swung around to face Goro, and Hansel too. "I
didn't just fuck off cause I was dying-- I got sent. By Gruumsh. I don't know
what for but I saw y'all in the alley and I knew. These were the folks I was
supposed to stick around. And now look where it got me." Gavi laughed
bitterly. "Lost my nephew, my family prolly hates me now, my god sure
does. Where the fuck am I supposed to go from here? I sure don't fucking
know."

**IZZY**

Hansel stared at her. "You fuckin' ... you what."

There was a creeping feeling like fucking spiders under his
skin, the same one he'd gotten when Ombre translated those dwarven notes and
he'd realized fucking Diva had spied on him -- spied on all of them, found out
about his kids -- because of the finger he'd sold her for that fuckin' useless
chime. Gavi had been sent to them. By fucking Gruumsh.

Probably didn't have fuck-all to do with him. Probably just
because Griffin was with them, right? The real, actual fucking Scion. Except
that Griffin was Gavi's nephew, and she probably wouldn't've needed to be told
to come keep an eye on him -- probably would've just done it. And what, like
Gruumsh was so fuckin' magnanimous that he'd just point her in the direction of
her beloved kid so she could hang out with him a bit in her final days? Fucking
sure.

"You fuckin' what," he repeated. His grip around
Goro tightened, partially to ground himself and partially in case Goro had a
similar reaction. "You been fuckin' spying on us or some shit?"

**ABBY**

Gavi stared blankly for a second. "Do you not know how
gods fucking work at all? I didn't need to spy. Fuckin' Gruumsh can already
watch our every move! Might be watching us right now for all I know!" Used
to be Gavi'd get a sense sometimes. A heavy feel of a presence. She thought
that was when Gruumsh was paying special attention.

Now she got jack-shit.

**LINA**

Goro hissed through his teeth. Fuckin'... insulting
Hansel's... god knowledge and shit, and then saying freaky shit like Gruumsh
might be watching us right now. "Maybe he was fucking sick of you, huh?
Sent you to us so you could see what a piece of shit he really is, and now he
doesn't gotta be bothered with you. Handy, how that worked out."

**ABBY**

"You fucking watch your mouth," Gavi hissed.
"I was faithful. You think some of the things I've had to do didn't tear
me up inside? You think I wanted to run off and ditch my son, likely die off
somewhere never seeing him again? Gruumsh wanted me. Just fucking miscalculated
on how much I loved Griffin."

**IZZY**

Hansel continued staring blankly, thinking about the great
red eye in the sky, in the ocean, watching him, commanding him from the storm
clouds, always fucking watching him ever since he was a fucking kid -- and
Gavi, this entire fuckin' time he'd been trying to stay calm and reasonable and
make nice, feeling bad about her almost losing Timur, and losing Ezra, now,
fuckin' having bone rot and shit, fuckin' having to struggle through this shit
with Gruumsh sending people to kill her kid --

The entire fucking time he'd been putting in the effort with
someone whose very first fuckin' step had been to break Goro's fingers, she'd
been a fucking red eye staring him down.

When she moved towards them, he automatically pushed Goro
behind him and stepped to meet her, staring her down in turn. "You fuckin'
touch him again," he said quietly, "and I don't care how many kids
you lose, I'll fucking rip you apart real goddamn slow and let you watch me
feed all the little bits to sharks. We clear?"

**ABBY**

Gavi sneered. "Yeah, yeah. Assuming your fucking boytoy
there doesn't rip my guts out first. I get the message. I'm only alive on your
fucking good graces." She took another step forwards, jabbing her finger
in Hansel's chest. "But lemme tell you, I'm getting sick and tired of all
your threats. So maybe one of these days you better live up to 'em or cut. It.
Out."

**LINA**

When Hansel shifted forward, Goro stepped up right behind
him and put his arms around his waist--like he had any fucking hope of holding
Hansel back if he was determined to fight her, but maybe the reminder of Goro's
presence would be enough.

Goro couldn't say he'd fucking mind letting Gavi have what
was coming to her, but... well, maybe it was her saying Gruumsh could be
watching them right now. Making it fresh in his mind. He just wanted to make
sure Hansel didn't get too pissed off.

**IZZY**

Hansel stopped, growling through grit teeth. He was fine. He
was calm. He was a fuckin' lake, or whatever. Fine.

Yeah. Yeah, he was a lake, and Goro was the sun. He settled,
and hissed a slow breath out through his teeth. "Yeah, it ain't my good
fuckin' graces, Gavi, trust me. I'm fresh out. You're fucking alive 'cause of
his." He jerked his head at Goro. "Oughta show a little fucking
gratitude."

**ABBY**

"Yeah well I'm fucking fresh outta gratitude at the
moment." Gavi didn't even look at Goro. Kept her eyes fixed on Hansel's,
staring him down. She was angry. These people killed her nephew, and turned
around like Gavi should be grateful they hadn't killed her too? Fuckin' not
happening.

**LINA**

God, this fucking dumbass lady. Did she not have the
brainpower required to remember that Hansel could wipe her out with a couple
hits, or did she just not care?

Goro wasn't losing sight of his biggest concern, which was
to keep Hansel from losing his temper. He tightened his arms. "Ahuv.
Forget it. Just forget her."

**IZZY**

Hansel gave another low growl, lip curling into a snarl. She
wouldn't even fuckin' acknowledge the presence of the person who kept saving
her ass. Fucking infuriating. (He was calm. He was fucking fine.) "I'd
fuckin' love to, ahuv, but she keeps fuckin' coming back for more."

He reminded himself that Gavi'd just lost a kid, much of a
piece of shit as that kid was. She was having a bad fuckin' day. She'd been
scared for Griffin when she'd attacked Goro before, and that was understandable
too. But also -- fucking Gavi.

Restraining himself from stepping forward to jab her in the
chest like she had him -- probably a lot fucking harder -- he snapped,
"Y'know, I'm pretty fucking sure Goro's right. I think your little god
just likes to fuck people around, and maybe that's what he did to you, 'cause
it's sure the fuck what he did to me. Got in my head when I was a goddamn kid,
fucking screaming at me in the thunder all goddamn night -- nightmares for
twenty fucking years, Gavi, twenty fucking years thinking I was goddamn insane
and I just heard and saw shit, and who the fuck knew when it might happen again."

He snorted. "And then I guess he got bored with
screwing with me that way, 'cause he decided it'd be fun to fuckin' make me
kill and eat all of my goddamn friends, just about my entire goddamn family,
Gavi. That feels real fucking bad, right?" He threw an arm out towards the
pyre, still crackling beside them. "How 'bout some more fucking
nightmares, right? 'least he didn't make you fucking slaughter your sisters and
a fucking child with your own fucking teeth and hands. Shit, it's almost like
he's been fucked up this entire time, huh?"

.

Then he took a step back, working his jaw when it clenched
reflexively, grabbing Goro's hand. He was fucking calm. "Then you fuckin'
show up. You fuckin' show up with your fuckin' --" he waved at her angrily
-- "fuckin' Gruuman regalia shit, same fuckin' red goddamn eye that's been
following me my whole life, and I tried real fucking hard to be your friend
anyway, and you've just been fucking --." He struggled for the words.
"Fucking sent here, the whole goddamn time my daughter was saving your
kid's life, and saving your life, and Goro was saving your ass, and I fuckin'
watched your back in battle -- and you're just another fucking way for fucking
Gruumsh to fuck with me. Fuck Gruumsh and fuck you."

**ABBY**

"Yeah well fuck Gruumsh and fuck you too!" Gavi
yelled back. "I tried to kill myself when I lost my daughter and it was
fucking Gruumsh that saved me. Fucking Gruumsh that gave me a reason to keep
going. And it's never crossed my mind since! I fight. I kill. Sometimes it's
warriors, sometimes we find a helpless village and raze that, and I'm the
reason some other mother has to live without her baby." And something
about that thought started circling in Gavi's brain. Burrowing deep.

"And for all that. For all that. What does Gruumsh to
me? He sends me off to die where I can't spend my final days with my boy. Hell,
when I fucking think I'll get to spend time with him again-- Gruumsh kills him.
It's your fucking daughter who brings him back! And fucking Griffin-- fucking
Griffin gets to live with Gruumsh weighing over him and you know I can finally
say fuck him for that too!" Gavi took a step back and shook her fist at
the sky. "You hear that you motherfucking assfuck? Fuck you for what
you're doing to Griffin!"

"And that's not even the best part! The best part is
after all this-- after all this-- doing my part, busting my fucking ass, I
don't get to rest. No when I die I get to go to hell. So yeah! Fuck Gruumsh and
fuck you!"

**IZZY**

"Well, what the fuck, then?" Hansel threw a hand
up, still holding Goro's with the other, but less clenching it for stability
now. "I'm fuckin' agreeing with you! Fuck Gruumsh for fuckin' the both of
us over, and fuckin' Griffin over, and taking you away from your kid, and
killing our fucking families. We're gonna fucking kill him and if you ain't
fuckin' dead by then you can fuckin' help. Fuck."

**ABBY**

"Yeah well... fuck you. Still," Gavi said, more
surly than angry now. She had to replay some of the conversation over but...
shit. Yeah. They had just been agreeing with each other. "Were we just...
fucking agreeing with each other except just really fuckin' angry about
it?"

**IZZY**

Hansel scowled. "I mean, I fucking guess so."

**ABBY**

"Fuck."

**LINA**

Goro felt a little dazed, watching them go at it. When he recovered
enough to respond, he let out a low whistle.

**ABBY**

Gavi snorted and ran her hand through her hair. "Yeah,
I know right?" she said wryly. "Fucking Gruumsh. Fucking us."
Shit. Lot to process there. Her expression sobered and she studied Hansel. Gruumsh
really had screwed him over, hadn't he?

**IZZY**

Hansel scoffed. Huh. Well ... fuck, he wasn't really sure
what to do now, if they were on the same fuckin' page about the Gruumsh thing.
Stop yelling, he guessed. So he just grumbled wordlessly instead for a moment,
then muttered, "Yeah, fuckin' Gruumsh."

**LINA**

"'S'what I been saying all along." Goro bared his
teeth at the sky and gave it his middle finger.

**ABBY**

Gavi's lips twitched in an almost-smile for a second. She'd
forgot how amusing Goro was. Wasn't much in the mood to be amused though.

"Yeah well, took me dying and seeing it first hand to
listen," she said wryly.

**IZZY**

Hansel grabbed Goro's hand and pulled it down, scowling.
"Some people are just fuckin' stubborn."

**ABBY**

"Yep," Gavi agreed. "Got at least two good
examples right here." She gestured to herself and Hansel. Goro, she wasn't
as sure about. "Hey, sounded like you had a plan though. For
Gruumsh." There'd been a lot of screaming but she remembered that much.
(And Hansel mentioning he'd killed and eaten his family. Fucking shit there.
Gavi didn't even know what to say to that.)

**LINA**

"Yeah," Goro said. "I'm gonna walk up to him
and stab my knife into his eye. Just gotta find him first."

**ABBY**

Gavi just stared for a second. And then she pinched the
bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh. "Y'know that's a shit plan
right?"

**LINA**

"How come?"

**ABBY**

"Cause he's a god and you're a fuckin' puny little
shithead."

**IZZY**

"Hey," Hansel said. "Hey. That's my puny
little shithead you're talking about there. He can stab whoever he wants."
He squeezed Goro. Ah, it was a shit plan, though. Wasn't really a plan at all.
"Look, we're gonna figure out the details later. Shit keeps getting in the
way, y'know, spies and hydras and armies and shit." He waved it off.
Fucking inconsequential.

**ABBY**

"Yeah well you're both shitheads then," Gavi said.
Still though, they were fun shitheads, and Gavi was grinning as she snarked at
'em. "See I like your boyfriends plan better," she said to Goro.
"Least he knows his is shit."

**LINA**

Goro didn't react for a moment. Then he smirked, just
barely. "See how shit you think mine is when Gruumsh is flailing around
with a blade in his eye."

Morgan Wyn hadn't thought he could beat a hydra. He had
experience showing people up with this shit.

**IZZY**

Hansel grinned at Goro a bit. "We can both be shitheads
and still fuckin' stab Gruumsh in the eye." Then he looked back to Gavi.
"And you can talk shit or you can help." He paused. "Guess you
can do both, actually."

**ABBY**

"Hell yeah don't you tell me to stop shit-talking. I'm
full of shit and I'm gonna share it," Gavi said in mock-offense. "And
guess I can help with stabbing Gruumsh in the eye too. Y'know. Once you find
him, anyway."

**LINA**

"You know how to track him down, by chance?"
Sounded like probably not, but hey, they could hope.

**ABBY**

"Shithead if he's not here," Gavi tapped her
chest, over her heart, "then I don't know where the fuck he is."

**LINA**

Goro scowled. "I got a name, you know. Getting clobbered
on the head fuck with your memory?"

**ABBY**

Gavi rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. "All
right. Goro. Does that answer your question?"

**LINA**

Goro rolled his eyes back, and nodded.

**ABBY**

"Well good then." Fucking fussy little shit. Gavi
turned back to the pyre, still burning brightly. "What do you think will
happen?" she asked abruptly. "To their souls, once Gruumsh is
gone."

**IZZY**

Hansel mulled it over. Luci had done all that reading about
gods dying, and he'd been more focused on the killing part than any aftermath.
"Think when a god dies, another one just takes their place," he said.
"So someone else'd just ... get them, I guess. Ilneval, or Luthic, maybe?
Or maybe Eldath, if they've been fucking suffering," he added more
quietly. "She'd help them."

He was ambivalent at best on most fuckin' deities, but
Eldath -- she took care of people who'd been hurt in combat, body and mind too.
With Gruumsh out of the way, maybe she could do some good.

**ABBY**

Ilneval, Luthic, who knew if they were any better? Eldath...
Eldath was a goddess that had especially made Gavi sneer. Pacifism was for
fools. But after a long, long time fighting, maybe some of 'em would appreciate
a time of rest.

She'd ask Luci about it later. For now, she watched her
nephew burn.

[END]

Title: Pyre

Summary: Gavi, Hansel, Goro and Luci take care of Ezra's
body. They argue, then angrily agree about Gruumsh. Gavi signs on for the
god-killing and reveals she originally joined up because Gruumsh sent her.