Morta Funeral Parlor

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Leon Court



Suddenly, Leon's atmosphere darkened, and he growled. "Listen up, Squeaky. I didn't kill him,. Now stop saying that!" He sighed and shook his head, trying to think. "I could try, but what could I say? Sloth can't wreak havoc without a body that isn't adorable?"

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"You didn't, did you?" the butterfly scoffed. He crawled down Leon's face and looked down at him upside-down. "You knew what saying 'love' would do, but you made him say it anyway! And now look what's happened! It's very difficult for people to fear one of the Seven Deadly Sins when they happen to be a butterfly!" he yelled and fluttered out of swatting reach. "You managed to yell at them enough to get out of Heaven, right? Use whatever motivation you had back then to get Nikolai out! Or... Do you have any friends in Heaven?"

 

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Leon Court



"I suppose... I could always talk to Michael, see what he can do for me. He hated Nikolai, though," he said, sighing. Suddenly, it occurred to him what to do. "Sloth, you said that you can't do your duties well as a butterfly, yes?"

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"Oh, just for now. It'll take a while to get used to this body, at least. Why?" Sloth grunted.

 

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Leon Court



Leon pulled his phone out, already dialling. "Because, if I can prove that you did a better job as Sloth in Nikolai's body, and that you need him in order to keep the precious balance, I can contest his death and bring him back!" he explained. "Hello, Michael? Get the Council room ready. It's time for a showdown. And summon Nikolai Byko to the council room to testify for the role of Carrier for Sloth. Immediately!" He hung up and turned back to Sloth. "Come on, I need you with me."

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Had Sloth been bigger, his surprised blink would've been visible. Now there's the stubborn, persistent Leon he knew! The insect fluttered his wings as fast as possible and followed after Leon excitedly, ready to earn his body back.

 

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Leon Court



"Now then, tell me about how being stuck in a butterfly's body has made your job difficult," he said as they started off.

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Sure *-*

 

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Nikolai Byko

Nikolai stepped into the cathedral-esque room, where a line of mourning people leading to an open casket greeted him. Nikolai gulped thickly. Last time he was here it was because he had died. Had Melody gone to his funeral? How bittersweet that the tables turned. She didn't even die gracefully or magically, either. There was no death from love, no attack from a witch, no curse, and no killer. Just a drunk person that had thought they could still drive. Sometimes, Nikolai thought, people could be far worse than Hell.

"You. You're Nikolai, right? Nikolai Byko?" said a quiet voice. The Sin turned to see a man that looked far more depressed than anyone in the room. He had every right to, he was Melody's lover. Despite the obvious depression, he still had on a strong expression on his face, like a tired scowl. It didn't work well against the bags under his eyes.
"My name's Aaron Cristobal. I'm - or I... was-"
"No, I know who you are." said Nikolai quietly. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Yes. Yes, me too." the author muttered, keeping his gaze downward. There was a fire in his eyes, Nikolai could see. Hatred. Who could blame him? The man had a great life, only to have it gone by a twist of fate and a drink too many.

Aaron Cristobal

 

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Leon Court




The teacher had to pause before walking in, remembering well why he'd been here last. This was a reminder of the first time it was Nikolai who slipped through his fingers. He inhaled sharply. Now, he was grasping so tightly, he was sure that he was going to end up losing the one he loved the most. Wait. This wasn't about him. This is about Melody.
Walking beside Nikolai, Leon was silent as Aaron approached them, introducing himself. "You know, I don't think she ever loved anyone as much as she loved you," he said, his hand moving tot he small of Nikolai's back. "The first time I heard your name, she was squealing about how happy she was with you." He stopped, eyes drifting over to the open casket. The line was long, almost out the door, and the room was packed with teachers, students, everyone who'd met and loved her. In the silk-lined casket lay the beautiful blonde, her belly slightly curved upwards. It was almost unnoticeable, but Leon could see the truth even from this distance: Melody had been pregnant when she died. No wonder Aaron was so distraught. He'd lost both the love of his life and his child. Leon subconsciously pulled Aysun a bit closer, chasing away the idea of losing him.

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Nikolai Byko

"Yes, I would believe so." muttered Aaron bitterly. He caught the subtle movements Leon made to keep his family closer, responding with grit teeth and a tight grip on his sleeve. What may have been comforting for the man seemed only like antagonizing to the author, like the family was being shown off in front of him. Before he could say any more, however, he was greeted by another man. One with a sad smile on his face. He said his condolences then asked if he could speak with the author privately. Aaron nodded and uttered a goodbye to the trio before walking away. He needed some air, anyway.

~~~

Time took forever. Nikolai never was one for praying. Just being in this building made his brand burn. Still, he stayed. He passed the praying time by thinking. It hadn't fully hit Nikolai yet. He was so used to being revived or reviving Leon. Even now he half expected Melody to rise up from her coffin. Of course, he couldn't disobey death all the time, could he? Death had passed by him and Leon countless times, trying to keep them. Realizing it couldn't take them, it took his precious friend instead.
Nikolai resumed his focus when he spotted movement. People were rising from their seats as the sermon ended. He was to help carry the casket. As he moved out of the row, he caught the glance of a woman at the other end of his row. She was shooting him a sharp, spiteful look. He only gave the briefest raise of his eyebrow then turned to continue what he was doing. There was no use in drama at a time like now.

Aaron Cristobal

 

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Leon Court




As the people stood, Leon held tightly to his child's hand, having taken great care to keep Aysun still and preoccupied during the sermon. He watched Nikolai move to the casket, glancing back to follow the Sin's gaze. Great, just what they needed. And at Melody's funeral, too! He sighed, shaking his head, and followed the crowd. Once they were outside, he picked Aysun up and held the boy on his hip so that he could see, the small child weighing almost nothing. "Now, Miss Melody was one of Uncle Nikki's closest friends, so I want you to be really sweet to him, okay?" he requested very seriously.

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Nikolai Byko

It was a long walk. Despite his looks, Nikolai was as strong as any other guy, so carrying the casket didn't bother him. No physically, at least. He felt disgusting, carrying his dear friend's coffin like this. She was over his shoulder in eternal slumber. No, he didn't want to use that word. Slumber made it sound like he played a part in this.
He didn't bother looking at the other three carrying the casket, he didn't care. He could tell that Aaron wasn't one of them. The author was following close behind, looking everywhere but the box that held his family. Carrying it would only add to the burden weighing over his shoulders.

~~~

Nikolai numbly placed a Forget-Me-Not over the freshly buried grave, his lime green eyes re-reading Melody's time over and over again. So she wasn't getting up, she wasn't going to laugh it off as some joke and comment on the look on his face. This was real. Nikolai bit his lip to keep it from quivering, he could feel water rise up and blur his vision. His close friend was gone, and both Heaven and Hell were far too big for him to just pop up and say hello to her spirit.
After letting a few tears fall Nikolai sniffed and wiped his red cheeks with his sleeve. He needed to get out of here. As he turned around to walk back to Leon and Aysun, he found himself facing a disgruntled woman. Blinking away the tears, he recognized her as the one inside the church that gave him the glare.
"How dare you act like you were close to her." she spat at him.
Nikolai blinked again then furrowed his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me!" she snapped. "If you cared so much for her then you would've prayed! Bowed your head! You just stood there like you were forced to go! There are people that actually cared about her, did you know that?"
Surprise numbed the anger boiling in Nikolai's gut, but it was still there. "I do, yes. She worked with me, and we were close friends." he fired back.
But she wasn't swayed. "Coworkers." she scoffed. "That doesn't give you the right to act like you were close to her. I bet she was doing all the work and you checked her out when you could!" She took a step forward. "Tell me where you work, I'll definitely check to see if you care about your job, too!"

Aaron Cristobal

 

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Leon Court




A large hand clasped the woman's shoulder, tugging gently to make her turn and face him. "Losing Melody is a loss to us all, ma'am. How do you think she'd feel about you causing a scene at her funeral?" Leon asked, deep voice brimming with sorrow and... was that a thereat lingering? He turned to glance at Aaron, the overcast sky casting a shadow over the already pale young man. "Better yet, how's about I let Aaron know how you're acting?" Now this was certainly a threat, and he glared down at the woman openly. This was a funeral. Maybe Nikolai was a little stiff, but there was no cause for such blatant disrespect. He'd deal with her later.

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Nikolai Byko

The woman hesitated, but she was too far in her stride to be defeated so soon! "Then tell that to him!" she guffawed as she waved a hand towards Nikolai. "He didn't look like he cared at all!"

Aaron Cristobal

 

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Leon Court




"And how would you know how he feels? Are you inside his head, ma'am? Are you?" he pressed, before realizing that this was pointless. Nodding to Nikolai, he grasped the woman by her elbow and began escorting her away. "It's time you left, ma'am. You are being disrespectful and I won't allow Aaron to deal with such a callous cow as you." Much stronger and larger, he practically dragged her out, but never faltered in his step. His eyes grew colder as his anger grew. Once they were out of sight, she would pay for being so cruel to his beloved husband.

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