16421/Family Visitations

Family Visitations
Date of Scene:	26 November 2023
Location:	Wayne Estate - Bristol Township
Synopsis:	Damian goes to clean up the Wayne family plot, joined by Gabby and Essix, who gets a lessons on what happens to a person when they die.
Cast of Characters:	Damian Wayne, Gabby Kinney, Essix

---

Damian Wayne has posed:
The Manor has had it's first dusting of snow. Not much of it, but enough that there is a thin sheen of white on all the surfaces. With the holiday season upon him, Damian is taking care of some of the things he promised he'd do. In this case, today, the young man is dressed in a heavy flannel shirt with sweatshirt beneath with blue jeans and good work boots and gloves.

He'd be found in the family plots - currently with a small brush as he is dusting off some of the older grave markers, cleaning them up and then setting a bundle of flowers - poinsettas of red and white in a small pot upon the grave before he pushes himself up to start on the next one.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Since she'd started dating Damian, Gabby had been putting the miles on her motorcycle. It was already a bit old but now it was starting to sound less than properly tuned when she drives up to the manor. With the chill air fallen over the grounds it was likely easy for Damian to hear her approach long before she made it out to the part of the ground where he was.

The quiet tromping of snow and frozen grass crunches beneath her boots as she approaches stuffing her hands deeper into the pockets of her jacket. It was warm but not really *warm* so she hunkers down in on herself a bit. "Mind some company?" She inquires softly given the particular work he was tending to.

Essix has posed:
Snow was not a new experience for Essix, she had managed to experience it last year in New York City. What was new however, was all the things on the Wayne Manor grounds she could imitate being. Earlier she had been a bush, letting her leaves blow in the breeze and collect a light layer of snow. Next she had been a collection of stepping stones along a path, enjoying the sensation of the snow on her smooth surface.

When she was finished with that, she had turned into a cat and wandered around until she came upon the family plots, not that she had any idea what they actually were. It was something entirely new to her, so she wandered around the headstones as a cat, reading the writing on them, and attempting to understand their purpose. With no reference, she had finally given up on that and merely turned into one at the end of the path. The writing on her marble surface read: Notaclue Wayne - 1800-1900 - Loving human

Damian Wayne has posed:
Damian probably heard the motorcycle before he saw Gabby. He already had plans, but with the bike sounding worse and worse, he may have to push them up. When she arrives, there's a smile towards Gabby and a warm hug offered to her. "Always. Was just doing some tidying while it was on my mind." he admits, pulling Gabby in for an embrace and brief kiss.

"Has anyone ever shared the history of the family with you? Or if you want to know?" he asks as he gestures. "I was just tending Solomon and Joshua. They were brothers back before the Civil War. Joshua was killed by bounty hunters that were looking for the Underground Railroad station that was believed to be on the grounds, and Father found his remains... some twenty years ago, and had him interned with the rest of the family." A brush of the snow off the young man's grave. "Solomon Wayne, he married Dorothea, who was forty years his junior. They had a son, Alan who..." and he pauses.

Because next to Alan's grave is the Notaclue one and Damian's face almost becomes a full scowl. "Essix?" he asks. "I will assume that is you. Do you know what you are doing?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney tugs her hands out of her pocket to accept the hug from Damian not just because it was a great way to steal some warmth for a moment. But because it was him. A deep breath is drawn in as she returns the kiss allowing it to linger a moment before stepping back so that he can focus on his task.

"Nope. I never really knew you guys outside of work or as a friend. Knowing the lineage wasn't something that came up." She does turn her attention to the graves with a respectful mein that one might not associate with the usually hyperactive woman. Graves were different though.

It's only when the talk of Alan cuts off that her gaze sweeps to the side looking at the other gravestone that Damian was currently speaking to. "... 'Loving Human.' Huh. Kinda sus," she remarks with an amsued tone. She'd *heard* of Essix at least.

Essix has posed:
Nothing here but a headstone, a beautiful marble headstone.

Essix remembered meeting Damian and Gabby at the art gala, party, thing... she was still confused as to the point of that event, but it had been fun. It had been really busy, with a lot of people coming, going, chatting, looking at the art, but she did remember these two. She knew that Damian was Dick's brother, much younger brother, another thing that was confusing to her but she never asked about.

Remaining silent for a short time, she studied the expression on Damian's face. He was upset, that is what a scowl usually meant, anger. She hadn't meant to make anyone angry, it was the furthest thing from her mind really.

Obviously the headstone had no mouth and yet a soft voice emitted from the area that was the marble stone to say, "Practicing, being something new." Understanding he was upset, she decided perhaps it was better to not be this stone thing.

The headstone melts into an aqua viscous liquid, then stretches up and forms the shape of a completely clothed human female. Her face was still wrong, perhaps a touch better but nothing like it should be, but the expression was most definitely readable... sheepish. The entire process had taken no more than fifteen seconds, from stone to puddle to human.

"Was this a bad thing to learn to be?" she then asked quietly, her tone sounding much like a child who had just been scolded. "I did not know what these things were, but they are very unique and lovely."

Damian Wayne has posed:
Damian's hands clench at his sides, at least until Essix transforms back. As she explains herself, the young man considers it and blows out a breath. "Okay. So you didn't know, that's fine." he turns to Gabby to explain. "Essix lives on the grounds. Dick brought her here, so she's following his guidlines."

Then his attention returns to Essix. "This is a graveyard. The stones that you see are markers. Or gravestones. Or..." a gesture to one of the angels, "...memorials. When someone in my family passes away, they are generally buried here, on my father's side at least. My grandmother and grandfather, and many of the relatives that came before them are buried here, since just after they arrived in America."

"A gravemarker is a solemn thing. It means that in the ground below are the remains of someone that was loved and cared for. Does that make sense?" he asks, his hand moving to hold onto Gabby's lightly.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney reaches out to place a hand against Damian's back lightly. It's just a small touch as she rubs up and down his back gently noticing his tension at the situation. When he turns away to explain for her she nods slightly. "I remember, breifly. I didn't know this was a power of hers though."

When Damian explains the situation she can only nod offering her a small smile. "It entirely dependds on the situation. In this one? Not really a good idea," she offers. "If you were trying to hide from people hunting you down? Pretty good disguise. Generally though you want to avoid it."

Essix has posed:
Tilting her head, Essix listens intently as Damian speaks. There are bits and pieces she doesn't quit understand until he says at the end about the remains of loved ones being in the ground. That information makes her blink a few times, realizing dawning on her.

"You put your dead people in the ground? Does that not pollute your planet?" She asks with shock in her tone as she looks between Gabby and Damian. "Why would you put their bodies here? They are gone, their bodies no longer have a purpose."

Shaking her head a little, she has to think on the information a little more, her face even screws up in serious thought. "It is love," she finally says after a short time and looks back to Damian. "You do this to show that even though they are gone, and their human shell is no longer useful, you still love them. Yes?"

Shifting eyes to Gabby she studies the woman, and only then seems to take note of how they are standing. Their closeness, the touches. "There is no way people can hunt me, because they could never find me. If I choose not to be seen, I am not seen, but being a stone like this in a place like this is just one of the things I can do to conceal my presence."

Damian Wayne has posed:
Gabby's touch is a soothing balm against Damian's back and he settles somewhat, moving to stand next to her as he nods, "I wasn't fully aware of the extent of her power, but it was rather obvious." Clayman would have at least put a real name on it, after all.

His free hand rubs his face slightly as he considers her questions. "There is the thought among those that do this, that if you know where their loved one is, they can visit and spend time with them and honor them for what they did to bring them to where they are." he explains.

And then she mentions love and his lips quirk in though, his hand sliding behind Gabby to hold her in return. "You have the most basic and useful understanding of the idea, yes." comes the response. "So you can see why that may not be something to copy here?" he asks. "As Gabby said, if you were to be in danger in a graveyard at the time - that would be a good time to use that though." he admits. "So... a good job with that."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney flashes a grin at Essix's own thoughts on the matter. "True, I was just using it as an example. I've been hunted before. Being able to hide well is a great skill." She looks again at Damian, then back to Essix when he explains visiting.

"It's... yes, about love and remembering them. It gives us a place to go so that we feel we can be near them even if their spirits have departed. I visit my sisters' graves when I can. The few that have them." The touch against Damian's back stills without pulling away. Instead it's her turn to take a deep breath as some unpleasant feelings stir deep down in the pit of her stomach. Her gaze flits again over the stones, then she glances to the side away.

"You were cleaning them up right? We should finish that."

Essix has posed:
There is a tension, and yet there isn't. Essix was getting better at reading human's facial expressions, body language, and tones. There were still so many things she didn't understand about humans, and many others that she had mastered the knowledge of.

"My people do not die," she states as if this should be common knowledge. "I do not fully understand the concept of losing someone important, but I can see that you both have lost people important to you. It seems... sad."

Looking back at Alan's headstone, she studies the words on it and now sees the words for what they are. Name, date of birth and death, and something about the person. "May I help you take care of these people's death markers?"

Damian Wayne has posed:
It is Damian's turn, as he feels Gabby tense next to him, it's his hand that traces along her spine, showing her that she's not alone - and she won't be against that thought that she had. He turns into her and a slight lean and a quick kiss on the cheek, before he returns his attention back to the task at hand.

"Yes, I'd like that!" he says with a bit of encouragement to try to break the gloom. "When we're done, we can take a break and I can ask Alfred to make some hot chooclate to bring out."

His attention returns to both and the small cart he had the plants in. "Essix is not allowed in the house - that's one of Dick's rules and I'm not breaking it." he explains. "Do you get cold out here? As a gel form, I'd worry that you would harden and freeze in the winter months."

"I... the losses I have had, I cannot comprehend yet. Gabby and I share things in common about how we were brought up that... there is a little disconnect. And I think, I speak for myself here, that I am sad that I cannot feel it as I should and would like to find it." He pulls away from Gabby, a comforting squeeze before he does so. It gives him a chance to return to the task at hand. "I did not have that many to go." he promises.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney deeeply inhales again holding the breath for a moment so that she can make herself relax. The tension is let out as she exhales... and the kiss from Damian certainly was a pleasant distraction too. They could indeed understand each other.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great plan. If she's not allowed in the house though maybe the barn? I mean, if you're wanting that. It's warmer. Though you'd have to share with the others." By others she means the cow, horses if there were any, Goliath. "Though that's not really up to me to offer I guess."

Looking back at the cart she steps over to gather up some of the flowers there to add to Alans' grave. "Sorry, always get a bit thoughtful this time of year. I'll be fine."

Essix has posed:
Once again Essix watches the two of them closely, the way they interact. She's not exactly staring, in fact her human eyes look toward the cart, but she doesn't need them to see, just as she didn't need a mouth to speak. Watching humans was how she learned about them, and it was now obvious they were a couple.

"It is a lesson in privacy," she explains further. "I do not fully understand the concept as my people so not have such a thing. The concept is as foreign to me as I am to the both of you."

"My species are silicone based, we do not get cold or hot from temperature," she then says, to answer Damian's question. "We do not breath, eat, require water, or sleep in the way that humans do."

Waiting for Gabby to go to the cart, she pauses then steps over herself. "What do the flowers mean? I know that human males give flowers to their partner's for Valentine's day, birthdays, anniversaries, and when they have done something very wrong to get back into the good graces of the female."

Damian Wayne has posed:
"Have you talked to Dick on that recently, it may be time to update it?" Damian suggests. He's not above doing it himself, but it's Essix's lesson, so he's rather inclined to allow Dick to handle it.

"The barn could work, but again." he makes waggles his hand back and forth. "I don't want to get in the middle of it." But then Essix is asking about the flowers. "Depends on who you ask."

"Poinsettas, for the Aztecs, mean purity. In Peru, they are for good cheer. Here, they are for love and good wishes. They are also a symbol of the holiday, which is why I chose them."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"They're a cold weather flower, I think?" Gabby reasons as she moves to set one down on the grave as Damian had done with others. Rising again she dusts her hands off on her sides... reminding herself how not-Winter her clothing choices had been.

"Well *I* for one do freeze, and should have pulled out my thicker coat. I think I'll head back to the house for now to warm up unless I can steal someone's coat. Not yours, Damian, you're still working," she teases lightly. Smiling she steps over to give him a quick kiss before departing. "Good to see you again Essix. See you in awhile, Damian."

Essix has posed:
Understanding now what the flowers were for, Essix collects a bouquet from the cart and walks to one of the headstones Damian hadn't cleaned or pit flowers at. Using her hand, she cleans the snow off the angel, extending her arm up to reach the top, then down to the words.

Once that is finished she puts the flower in the same location the others had been placed and says to the angel, "I did not know you, but you are missed."