Grieving The Death of an Immortal Person

Chapter 4

// TW: Discussions of death, Grieving, Existential Crisis, Unhealthy coping //

   The drive to the Afterdeath household was nice, familiar. Geno had sounded very happy that someone checked in, Rurik does his best not to be a little mad at that. Geno was a nice man, and even though his idea of what a father should be is a little hard to decipher, he was also an excellent dad. Rurik couldn't understand why Goth hadn't at least checked in on his parents, but he tries to. It's hard for everyone, he knows this, but didn't Geno basically take guardianship of Lotus? Goth always talked about how Lotus just fit right in (he'll ignore the nights where it was spoken with venom. Goth wasn't a jealous person, but that didn't mean he didn't have his own anxieties. But most of those were fixed relatively fast.) So wouldn't Goth want to check in on his parents? He should probably stop thinking about it, actually. With a sigh, he leans back in the driver seat, the house was just down the street, and while he's been here many times, it's never stopped the small pit of dread.

  The first time he went there, he wasn't exactly on everyone's good side. And dinner had ended with a lot more drama than either him or Lotus wanted. Really, he'd never thought he'd see Goth yell, and by the reaction of the other four, it wasn't something they thought they'd see either. But Goth had been really upset with how easy Lotus was just letting Rurik back into his life, and honestly Rurik saw where Goth was coming from. But he thinks it was the way Goth said it, "You can barely make the decision to get help, and now you think you're mentally capable to have him back in your life?! Are you stupid Lotus!?" It was also the first and last time Rurik's seen Geno be pissed with any of them. It came after the comment, and Lotus' toss of water, did Geno stand up with a slam of hands against the table. The whole room basically shook in fear, "Both of you, knock it off! Goth, I cannot believe I just heard that from you. You know better! And Lotus, there are better ways of handling things that don't involve escalating the issue! Both of you sit down, and settle!" The demand was met immediately, and then dinner was silent. 

  He pulls into the driveway, the chain link fence has a few flower bouquets shoved in, and there are candles lit at the doorstep. The sinking feeling increases. It's sadly a similar sight at Lotus' house, they still need to move everything out of there and decide what to do with it, but he gets out anyway. Walking to the doorstep he can see a few notes, wishes for the family. He knocks on the door, and looks amongst the yard, there's still the tree at the corner, a garden just below it, with a tile path leading to it. Geno always took good care of this yard, Rurik's kinda glad that at least something is the same. All this change is seriously going to give him grey hairs, and while he thinks that'll look cool, it's probably a lot cooler to come with age and wisdom, and not just stress. The door opens, pulling him back to reality, and Geno is standing there with that same welcoming smile. Gods, does this man ever change? 

    Though, Rurik notes the more solemn gaze in his eye, he looks a little more aged than normal. "I was just about to make lunch! Come on in" Geno says, opening the door and stepping aside, Rurik walks in. And then there's the change. The house is definitely sadder. There's a little altar, a few framed pictures of Lotus and the others… Rurik doesn't look at it for too long. Lotus looked happy in those pictures, he wondered how fake that all was… "Sorry for the mess, it's been a little hectic since everything happened. I wasn't really prepared for how many of Lotus' friends would actually drop things off." He says with a little laugh. Rurik laughs too, albeit a little forced. "Uh, yeah, it's um, it's kinda odd how many people knew them. I only knew of a few of their friends." He says, following Geno towards the kitchen. The older hums, putting something in the oven, before turning towards Rurik, and leaning against the counter. "Yup. Anyways kid, how've you been holding up? I think you mentioned you had wanted to talk about everything, are you doing alright?" Ah, Rurik had not been quite ready for Geno's straight-to-the-point attitude. It's been a while since his last visit, so he's forgotten about it. "Oh, uh yeah. I've been, um," he doesn't think lying would get him far. He's learned that about Geno, the man was really good at reading the room. Almost as good as Palette, which admittedly is a little horrifying. "I've honestly been a mess." He says, it's a simpler answer. But he knows that they'll rip into it, again, Geno was really good at what he does. Speaking of the elder, he watches as Geno hums, with a nod. "Yeah, I figured as much. I was honestly a little surprised that you talked to me so early. I was expecting a little more time. But I'm glad nonetheless. You boys always have me worried, honestly yer' gonna give this old man a heart attack." Geno jokes, Rurik smiles, rubbing the back of his neck, "Uh, yeah. I was kinda shocked that Goth and Palette hadn't, like, talked to you first." He says he watches as Geno's mood shifts.