Dumb & Poetic || The Umbrella Academy

003: I'll see you at your funeral

【☆】

Reginald Hargreeves' memorial took place in the rain.

They each stood in the courtyard, under umbrellas, aside from Diego, who stood in the rain, and Luther, who held their father's urn. 

Rory stood under an umbrella with her Mother, who had her hand on her shoulder, and an umbrella in her hand over the pair. She'd helped Rory actually wear something black and not navy, though that meant that she had to give Rory one of her own black coats. though due to their height difference, it hid her red skirt. 

"Did something happen?" Grace, Rory's mother, asked, looking at them all in the rain and mud of the courtyard. 

"Dad died. Remember?" Allison looked at her, a look of concern upon her face that Rory had dreaded. 

"Oh. Yes. Of course."

"Is Mom okay?"

"She's fine." Rory said, which took Allison by surprise. She hadn't been expecting Rory to speak. "She just needs to recharge and stuff. I'll get her sorted after this."

Pogo walked forward, his walking stick sinking into the mud a little, umbrella held above his head. "Whenever you're ready, dear boy."

Luther, standing in front of their semi-circle, nodded. It was strange, standing in the courtyard, and watching Luther pour their father's ashes onto the ground, as it fell to the ground in a, now, wet heap. It was so dull. The rain so cold. Even their clothes, made them all just blend into the scenery. 

It all felt so insignificant. Everything had ever since Luther left, aside from helping out Klaus. Everything was - what, just rolling on until the next big event? Shouldn't this be a big event or something? Why didn't it feel as big as it should?

She wondered what part of their father the ashes were. If they were his foot. Or his pancreas. Or all of him. It didn't look like all of him.

"It would've been better with some wind." Luther said.

Pogo glanced at them all. "Does anyone wish to speak?"

She felt a prang of anxiety in her stomach, though she knew Pogo wouldn't ask her to speak. Though he did glance at her, there was no expectation for her to actually speak. 

Nobody else spoke, either. The sound of the rain hitting their umbrellas was the only sounds. Rory sometimes wondered if everyone felt the same as she did about their father, but she doubted it. There were many more layers to her and her father's life and relationship than there were to the others. They probably hated him, too, though.

"Very well." Pogo sounded upset, which made Rory fell bad. "In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master . . . and my friend, and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy-"

"He was a monster."

Klaus laughed at the sound of Diego's voice. He was still standing in the rain, looking at the ashes on the ground.

"He was a bad person and a worse Father. The world's better off without him."

"Diego-" Allison started, but was interrupted.

"My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our Father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it."

"Would anyone like something to eat?" Grace looked at them at the sound of her name. 

Viktor shook his head. "No, it's okay, Mom."

". . . Oh, okay." Grace looked down at Rory again.

"Look, you wanna pay your respects? Go ahead," Diego stepped forward, standing in front of the ashes to look at them all. "But at least be honest about the kind of man he was."

Luther didn't move. "You should stop talking, now."

Diego turned to him. "You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One."

"I'm warning you."

"After everything he did to you? He had to ship you a million miles away."

"Diego, stop talking!"

"That's how much he couldn't stand the sight of you!"

Luther was the first to take a swing, and then the pair began fighting. 

Rory thought it was stupid, and stupider still to yell at them to stop, as the others did. Pogo seemed to agree with her, vanishing inside along with Five. Allison didn't leave until Luther punched and knocked over the stature of Ben over his grave, Number Six, who died when Rory was a baby. 

Diego threw a knife, cutting through Luther's coat and into his arm, blood seeping from the wound. And that seemed to finish it. Luther clutched his arm, and ran inside. Viktor said a few things to Diego before making his way inside, and Diego brought their mother in.

Rory wasn't with her mother anymore. She picked up the snapped off head of Ben's statue, and carried the heavy, bronze head over to the gazebo in the centre of the courtyard, before grabbing the body and dragging that over, too, so it was out of the rain.

"Sorry, Ben." She said, as she wiped her now wet hands on her just as wet clothes. "I'll get liquid nails or something and fix it."

Klaus, Diego, Five and Viktor were gone by nightfall, leaving Rory in the house with Luther and Allison. She made sure that their mother was on charge, and went to her room. She had lavender tea to help her sleep and read her book. It went rather normal, that night.

Until she heard the phone ringing.

She knew who it was, and ran out of her room, into the hall, and picked it up as quickly as she could. Luther or Allison couldn't pick up, she'd just end up in trouble.

"Really?" She spoke into the phone as soon as she held it to her ear. "Can't you just walk here."

"No." Klaus's voice came from the other side. "Well, maybe. Do you know where . . . Devilish Dance is?"

"Devi- I think you're reading that wrong."

"I'm not, it says it right there! Look, I just - I just need someone to hold my hand. The streets are dark."

"You're, like, double my age. I should be the one scared of the dark."

"Rory!" He whined. "Just this once, I promise. I just don't have anywhere to crash, and I- Shut up, Ben, no one asked you! This is a conversation between me and Rory!"

Though she denied at first, she, of course, went out and found Klaus. It was hard, since he left and went somewhere else, and they didn't have a phone to actually talk to each other once she left the house, but she found him, and walked him home, though he stumbled and tried to leave, she got him back and he crashed on the couch. 

At least that was normal. She just hoped things would slowly but surely go back to normal. her in the house, Klaus coming and going, Grace and Pogo. It should be  a nice life, with her Dad not walking around the house with that thick air around him. 

It should be a nice life. It will be a nice life.