The funeral isn't private, or intimate, or quiet. If she stares straight ahead, she can almost pretend they're not all gawking. Almost. 

But then they start whispering, or shouting, and there's a camera flash, and the newscaster says her piece about the awful tragedy-

Allison doesn't cling to her parents, because she's not a little girl anymore. 

She sits, back straight, letting the words wash over her.

Jay is not down by the funeral itself. She's managed to find herself a good vantage point where she's well hidden, and brought a set of binoculars. It's vulgar, really, the way photographers and reporters are buzzing around like vultures. Even with everything she's read about this situation, it isn't right to hound a family when they're grieving.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket and she pulls it out to check the message.

'You are so creepy.'

She ignores Tantalus for now and turns her attention back to the funeral.

Thankfully, there's a police presence. They've made it hard for anyone insufficiently determined to reach the mourners, and that means anyone who does deserves whatever comes next.

Mourners. Chris had always expected to be at plenty of funerals, for outstanding pillars of the community, who piled up bodies at night. Wendigos, werewolves, a druid or three, a witch, a brownie...he'd never thought he would run out of things to pretend to mourn.

Pretending to mourn his sister is new. Pretending not to mourn her is new. Being asked to do both at once- he's never been a good actor. 

He stands with his wife as the minister finishes his piece. 

Jay thinks there's something off about this entire set-up. It feels like people are going through the motions. Not that she has much experience with funerals, and almost all of it is from this distance or greater. She almost texts Tantalus, just to gain some of the perspective she feels she's lacking.

The girl - Allison - looks almost blank, like she can't figure out what to feel.

Her father looks like he's trying to feel too many things at once, none of them precisely genuine.

And the Argent matriarch...

She keeps one arms around her husband's waist, and one on her daughter's shoulder.

She leads them gently towards the casket. She would have chosen an open casket, herself. Kate would rather people see her damaged body, no matter what the town would think, and Victoria is inclined to agree. The people of Beacon Hills had only the Argents to defend them, if they didn't know what they were dealing with. 

Kate had been the first to accept her into their family, even before Chris. He'd wanted to keep her to himself, to keep her away from hunting. But this was her legacy too, now. She waited for their fourth member, and walked with her family. 

Seems to be the one keeping her family going through the motions. Keeping them close, keeping in contact with them, being strong, a solid presence. And isn't she something. Jay can't help the way her eyes are focused on her as the family head for the casket.

She wonders whether she should slip away now. It doesn't look like much interesting is going to happen now, and it feels like she's intruding. (Yes, even this far away through binoculars.)

But she would be pretty terrible at her job if she gave up when she started feeling like she was intruding, so she stays put for now, just in case.

If she is scanning the crowd, she'll see two boys hiding behind a large tombstone.

They seem to be watching the youngest Argent. 

There's also a boy sneaking past the police line, with a camera in hand. 

She does notice them. And pulls her phone out to fire off a text to Tantalus, a second set of eyes right now would be useful. Also a second opinion. Because people hiding behind headstones is not normal.

She takes a moment to feel sorry for the boy sneaking past the police line. That isn't a good idea, especially not when you have a camera in your hand at an event already overwhelmed by the media.

Tantalus responds to the text, because Jay is actually asking for back-up, and this is not a thing Jay does. And she doesn't need to know that he'd been loitering near by anyway. He circles around so that he's opposite Jay's perch, not quite directly behind the two boys, and far enough back in the trees that he won't be noticed either - and if he is, he's got a map, and a very good 'I'm lost' face.

The boys behind the headstone are focused on the young Ms Argent. Which begs the question: are they here for moral support or something else? And if the former, why are they hidden behind a headstone, and not at the funeral itself? He was fairly certain there'd been nothing saying family only in the announcement.

The boys don't announce their intentions.

The aspiring journalist takes his shot. 

A man grabs his camera.

"This looks expensive."

He runs his fingers over it gently, caressingly.

"Yeah. Nine hundred bucks."

He takes out the SD card, and with a brief smile, snaps it.

"And how expensive is that?"

The boy leaves the cemetery in a hurry.

And the man goes to reunite with his family. 

Tantalus watches that little exchange in amusement, given that the two behind the tombstone aren't doing anything all that interesting. That is someone who knows how to put people in their place. The man isn't overtly threatening, but Tantalus still gets the impression of a predator as he walks away from the teenager who's hurrying out of the cemetery, flanked by two other men.

"Well damn," he says. And then remembers they don't have comms and pulls out his phone to call Jay instead. "One:," he says when she picks up. "You're still creepy, I don't care if I'm being creepy with you. Two: old guy is kinda scary. Was sure he was going to break the camera."

Jay traps her phone between her shoulder and her ear and rolls her eyes. "Guess he takes crossing lines seriously. I'd have broken the camera."

She had at her brother's wedding.

"Other two are still just watching from behind that tombstone. I think that's creepier than me."

"You're watching a funeral through binoculars. That is...probably creepier. Smarter, but creepier. So that's the Argents all here. Lot of seats for a small funeral..."

The newest Argent turns his head sharply, towards the tree line where Tantalus hides. Seeing nothing, he returns his focus to his family. 

"Do you remember me? Considering..." 

His voice is lost to the wind as the reports and camera crew buzz excitedly, shouting and demanding answers. 

"I...don't think I was made," Tantalus says, slightly unsurely, "but Argent Senior just seemed to be looking directly at me.  There would've been consequences if he'd spotted me, right?"

"Almost certainly," Jay agrees. "Jokes aside, they probably won't like the idea of people hiding in trees watching this funeral. It's got enough attention as is. You might want to see about changing position in case he saw something."

She lowers her binoculars for long enough to take in the scene as it is, and shakes her head. "How long do you think it's been since Argent Senior saw his granddaughter then?"

The media almost remind her of hyenas, fussing around a carcass.