Oh How The Creeks, They Cried

Lucette had been doing her best to hold it together, to keep grief from consuming her the way that it had consumed her mother. To know their poor son, the biggest of their litter, had succumbed to an illness that she had failed to identify weighed heavily on her mind. In the end the best she had been able to do was treat his symptoms… but it hadn’t been enough. She watched him fall into sleep after sleep, eating less and less, barely wanting to take the herbs to keep his strength up. Had she merely prolonged his suffering with that act? Or because most of the illness was fought in his sleep had he known peace?

Lucette didn’t know, but according to Gavroche and Ikuchi their brother hadn’t made any noise when he went. There was no outright suffering… she could take some solace in that. Though she grieved, she was trying to be strong for her remaining children and for Bae-Syl. For a man who loved his family as fiercely as he did, she knew this was a heavy blow to his heart… and her poor boys, Gavroche now blaming himself for not doing better… the weight of everything was crashing onto him, and Lucy longed to take some of that weight away. Her poor, poor babies.

She had prepared and preserved Baecette’s body the best that she could, silently wishing that her father had been there to aid them. If he had been, would Baecette have lived? Would they have had better luck in the raids? Tears stung her eyes as she came back to where the funeral was to take place. She moved to Bae-Syl’s side, tears stinging her eyes as she lowered her rump to the earth. She leaned against him, quiet as she tried to hold back any noise of sobbing. Soon their son would be laid to rest…

"Speech," 'Thought.'