Thin clouds pass by slowly in the dark sky above.  The moon shines brightly on the city of Los Angeles and penetrates the fog that lingers overhead.  The night is young and people fill the streets with excitement.  Off to the distance, away from the activities, Aeolus sits alone on the cold ground.  He has his back resting against the rough bark of a thick, brown tree. A gentle breeze rolls by blowing through the bright green grass that surrounds the mobster. His short, blonde hair blows towards the same direction as the wind.  Aeolus inhales slowly, attempting to savor the moment. He finds the wind comforting, a feeling he has not experienced in almost a week now.

The war is over. Everything is returning back to normal for most of the city.  However, there is one thing, specifically one person, missing.

As the breeze passes, Aeolus exhales heavily and looks ahead. His eyes meet with a gray stone sticking up from the ground. The edges of it are rounded and words are engraved into the side of it facing Aeolus. It reads,

Johnny_Kraven
A great captain for Los Angeles and a better friend.
June 12, 2009-October 02, 2009

Aeolus smiles. He takes a moment to recollect the memories he has of his old friend and then speaks.

You're a crazy bastard Johnny.

Aeolus chuckles.

You went after a Godfather and his high ranking mobsters without hesitating for a second.  That takes guts, my friend.  We were at a state of war and you followed orders by immediately stepping up to the plate.  You took the initiative to protect not only your crew but our Godfather and the wonderful city of Los Angeles.  You're a brave man.

I remember how thrilled I was when you approached me in the Indigo Lounge asking for me to be your Right Hand Man.  You told me that you needed somebody you could trust. I took the position with honor and have remained loyal ever since.  How could I not?  You are one of the best crew leaders a man could work for.  You're not strict but you still have the authority and status that someone cannot help but to respect.  It is nice having someone to look up to.

Aeolus stops talking and looks up, past the brittle tree branches and green leaves, towards the night sky.  The shining stars fill and illuminate the sky. Aeolus, still staring above says,

It's a great night, isn't it Johnny? The moon seems extra bright.  You know, it reminds me of our life as mafioso in a way.  The moon rises and sets just as a mobster can rise and fall in a single night.  That fall may be unfortunate but it represents a new beginning, one with a bright future just as the moon comes through shining again every day.

Aeolus looks down again and then back at the gravestone.

Well I think I'm going to head in for the night. I hope that my future shines as bright as yours once did. Take care Johnny.

Aeolus rises and walks off towards the road leading to the busy night in Los Angeles.

Prestige walks along beside Aeolus and places his hand on his shoulder.

"I heard what you said, I'm sure Johnny would be glad to know he had such a loyal friend and right hand man. If only others could have been as dependable as you were, his death might have been avoided. But this is the way the world works sadly."

Prestige lights a cigarette and offers one to Aeolus as they continue down the street.

BrustyNutz walks past the two and drops one off at the near by grave of jmbrust87 and sets a rose next to it.

He says a Hail Mary and finishes the prayer with

May the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace. Amen.

He drops another off at the grave of AngelicDemon, as his father would have wanted, and then heads back to Philadelphia.

B_C walks and sees the two men aitting lighting a ciggarette B_C stares at the grave for a moment then wishpers

may you rest in peace Johnny_Kraven........ you were a good don you didn't know me but i knew you....

B_C places a rose and walks back to his house

MelisII watches the men walk away and heads up to Johnny_Kraven's grave. Whispering more to herself then fear of being overheard by people passing by she begins to speak to his grave.

"My mother would have wanted you to know that she would have followed you anywhere you had asked and unfortunately she did so. I'm sure she had no regrets. I just wanted to say thank you for making her feel like she belonged. She respected you very much. May you rest in peace."

With a small smile she places a rose at his grave and one on her mothers before leaving the graves. 

Ell stands off behind another tree, the lone oak amongst the endless crest of headstones, and watches the not yet settled dirt of her friend's internment.  The early October air is crisp, hinting of apples just as Johnny favored, and it lifts up her skirt and the tendrils of hair that have escaped her funerial bun.  Tears fall like silent assassins to stain her face, dark lines of mascara funneling down, creating the war paint Johnny never would have wanted her to wear.  She takes a deep breath and walks around her sanctuary.  After a few moments Aeolus raises his head, perhaps catching the scent of her perfume on the night air, and she stays there watching him watch her.

Finally she speaks, her small voice traveling out into the silent pastureland, and she laments,

"I miss you, old friend.  So many have fallen and yet this cut, the loss of my constant protector, bleeds me deeper than almost any have before.  My love for you, my frienship, stays here under a sprinkling of stars and the sharp smell of fruit.  You shall never be alone."

The tears have stopped, a short reprieve when all of her energy is lost, and she stands silent.  The wind shaking her and the man with tawny hair watching her as he stands guard over their fallen friend.