The Rune Garden, Misfits farewell

We haven't seen much of Rune and that's mostly because as gorgeous as she is, she is one of the most difficult dolls to photograph for me. She really is not photogenic at all. So I tend to discard a lot of the photos I take of her. Today was no different. Admittedly, it was after 6pm when I took these so the lighting was a bit dull but I had spent most of the afternoon trying to restyle her and fixing up that wig. I am still not sure about the top she is wearing. May change that out for something else.

In a rare moment of quiet, Rune enjoys the tranquility of the garden. As far as her character is concerned, it has been put through the ringer (when have any of my characters not been through the ringer?). She's come out of it just fine though. I've kept her original concept intact but added a bit of a twist. How Rune joins the Misfits will be a bit of a tragedy. The Misfits will have to say farewell to two of their members and try as best they can to continue forward despite their losses.

It's the sound that shatters him into a million fragments, each screaming in agony and fury. A life without her, without the future they had planned together, gone in the blink of an eye. Her life flows away from her, rivulets of red that stains the ground beneath her still body. Her eyes, already clouded and distant, gazes past him, into whatever lies beyond.

He screams until there's nothing left but a dull ache and a need to inflict pain. Ignoring the bullet in his shoulder and the wet patch soaking the front of his shirt, he uses the last of his strength to rise, the weight of the gun heavy in his hands.

He turns and stares across at the black clad group, all brandishing their own weapons of destruction. He lifts his arm and fires. Each bullet that finds its way into his soft flesh is nothing to him now. His only focus is the gun in his hands and the vengeance coursing through his veins.

He doesn't back down, not until the last bullet finds its target and his own body finally gives up. He slumps to the ground, spent. His fingers reach out and rest lightly on her unmoving hand. His last thoughts before the darkness comes is that Kiyanna will be alone now.

* * * * *

Musical Score: Dragon Age: Leilanna's Song

It's past midnight when they find the bodies, close together and far too cold. Vin checks for a pulse, but they all know it's too late. They're long gone.

"We'll carry them to the Wildlands. That's what she would have wanted." Kiyanna issues the orders, her face an unreadable mask. As a group, they gently lay the bodies in the makeshift stretchers and make the long trek to the resting place.

It's dawn when they reach the old pyre. Vin and Nikolos work together silently, placing the bodies side by side. In turn, they bid their silent farewells.

"Back into the arms of the Goddess we send you. May you find peace in her embrace." It is Kiyanna who sings the prayer of sending and Vin who sets it aflame.

They watch the fire lick hungrily at the pyre and the bodies that rest there.