don't wait for a knight in shinin' armor, your savior's reflected in the mirror

[perpend]

[That sure was a fucking thing. That execution was a fucking thing. Those secrets are a fucking thing.

Cabanela retreats to his room, but not for all that long. Everyone will get a note eventually, written in very neat handwriting

I do not plan on bowing down to threats and intimidation. If you did not act, it means you were, like me, aware of the risk, but decided against it. Your reasons are entirely your own.

Join me in the dining room if you agree enough is enough, and that you won't acquiesce to threats. I don't plan to let this stop me, and neither should you.

-C

In the dining room itself, Cabanela has set up coffee and tea for those who want it-- there's no food, because to be honest, he doesn't know how to cook. Two more candles have been lit-- he wasn't really sure what to do about the whole... parasite thing... so Fern's candle will have to make due.]

Comments

[notaccurate]

I don't know, you're ruggedly handsome enough for it.

[Maybe a bit of humor will help? Luca hopes so, he's trying to help.]

Who is Yomiel?

[perpend]

[That earns a laugh. It's surprisingly warm, actually.]

Thaaank you, for that! A bit of an ego stroke now and then never hurts.

Yomiel was a computer programmer. [oh, what, luca's one of those past-types, isn't he?] ...Ah, that can mean a lot of things, but in his case, it means he had access to national secrets as part of his job. Those secrets were leaked, and he was brought in for questioning. I was young back then, and I... went too hard on him. Pushed him too hard.

When I left questioning, I'd left my gun behind. I was young, brash. Stupid. He used the gun to break out, and take a young girl hostage. He was killed in a freak accident, moments before he could be shot by police.

[notaccurate]

[Well, that's quite a story there. Even if he doesn't understand what a 'computer programmer' is, Cabanela explained it well enough for him to understand it for this story.]

If it was a freak accident, how is that your fault?

[perpend]

...Because it was my gun, my mistake that allowed him to do such a thing.

[notaccurate]

And his choice to use the gun to escape means nothing here, even though he could have just as easily chosen to stay put?

[perpend]

....Something like that, yes.

[notaccurate]

...mmm.

[Something tells him that Cabanela won't be able to be persuaded from this point, so he won't argue it anymore.]

It must weigh heavily on your mind, if it is so important that it is your secret here. Most men in your position would say 'there's nothing that could be done' and just move on.

[For the record, Luca sees that as a good thing, a sign that Cabanela is a good cop.]

[perpend]

I want to believe there was something that could have been done.

[He sighs quietly.]

...This is going to sound insane, but there's reason to believe his spirit never found peace, that he has been seeking revenge for a decade. I suppose I can't blame him entirely, there's reason to be angry, but it doesn't excuse what he's done.

[notaccurate]

[This took an abrupt turn.]

Like a haunting?

[Luca's first instinct is to say 'ghosts aren't real', but. Well. They might be real in other worlds.]

[perpend]

...More or less, yes.

But as far as I can tell, he isn't trapped in one location like a classic haunting; he's free to move from place to place.

[notaccurate]

Perhaps instead of haunting a place, he is haunting a person? So as that person moves, he moves too.

[perpend]

No, that's not it either.

But it hardly matters; he's been doing terrible things in the name of "revenge".

[notaccurate]

I'm guessing the 'terrible things' are not along the lines of 'rattling chains' and 'spooking people'.

[perpend]

....Unfortunately, no.

He's killed at least one person already. And has tried to kill others.

[notaccurate]

The first question on my mind here is 'how.' Ghosts cannot normally touch people, correct?

[perpend]

No, but spirits can manipulate their surroundings in a physical way.