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

[sleepytimegal]

[ Yeah, she knows quite a bit of this...sort of. At least she's intuited it. The thing about wraiths, that's new, but well- yeah, ghosts, interference.

She sits and she listens, though, and she tenses up and prepares herself, here we go... ]

Well, yeah. They aren't in the radio.

[ She fights to keep herself from looking away. ]

They're...more in me.

[heritrix]

[Rin glances sharply at Alex, but she doesn't actually look shocked. That was the other possibility she thought of (she caught on to how that thing could be controlling Fern's body faster than anyone), but she didn't want to consider it.]

How many of them?

[She speaks calmly; get the facts, keep Alex comfortable.]

[sleepytimegal]

All of them.

[ She's speaking evenly. ]

Ninety-seven.

1/4

[heritrix]

[Rin stares at Alex. There's no way she heard that right.]

2/4

[heritrix]

[Any second now, Alex will realize she made a mistake and give her the right number.]

3/4

[heritrix]

[...Come on, seriously?]

[heritrix]

[It's only after several seconds that she jerks her head back, eyes rounding with shock.]

Ninety-seven? H-Hold on a second, that can't be right. I was preparing myself for something as unusual as three ghosts, but even that was a stretch!

[She sounds more bewildered than panicky, gesticulating with her hands and trying to make sense of this.] Putting aside how impossible that is, a normal human body wouldn't be able to handle it!

[sleepytimegal]

[ Should she be so calm-looking? A ghost (ha) of a smile rests on her face as Rin's surprise comes to a head. She just... ]

What do you want me to tell you? I can... I started feeling them in there this week. Since the radio, it's been more... [ She wets her lips. ] I guess it's 'cause most of them don't seem to have...a lot left of themselves.

[heritrix]

[Rin presses a fist to her mouth, considering this. If the wraiths don't have much left of themselves, as Alex says, does that mean they're lacking much of their identity?]

If they're weak, that could explain how you can still function as yourself. It's the only thing I can think of, but even then it's amazing nothing worse has happened.

[Rin's frown deepens, so severe it tugs at her eyebrows. While she addresses Alex, it sounds more like she's thinking out loud to herself with the following words.]

I should take you to Kirei so we can consult him on the matter, but I don't know what to make of him right now.

[sleepytimegal]

They were strong on the island. At least...as the night went on, they were strong, each time. Here they- they're like this...whisper, even though they usually weren't in my head there.

[ She sighs and rubs her temples. Are they talking to her right now? Are they... ]

...Kirei. That guy. You know him, right? You're...from the same place?

[heritrix]

[Maybe they're losing energy, being cut off from the land they were drawn to. Or the power dampening effect is interfering with their interference.]

Yeah. For better or worse. [She still looks like she's thinking heavily about this, weighing her pros and cons.] We have a long history together.

[sleepytimegal]

Is he a...mage too?

[ It's a topic to walk with a tightrope, since that was mentioned in her secret. It is her secret, so it must have a deep significance to her. ]

[heritrix]

[It has absolutely significance to her. At the same time, many people figured out what she was from the very beginning. And that would be one reason why things went differently in R6 over what happened with the same motive in R5, because oh boy.

Still, she tried to keep it a secret with a few. She probably took more risks than she should have, but around anyone who seemed to have normal lives, she tried not to say anything outright.

It doesn't matter anymore.]

He is, yes, albeit an unorthodox one.

[Rin speaks easily, but mechanically. Like she's suppressing all emotion.]

If I asked him to see you, it wouldn't be as a mage, but for what insights he could provide as a member of the Holy Church.

[sleepytimegal]

...You think he could exorcise 'em?

[ That's...huh, Alex isn't going to press on the Kirei subject because what a hot button topic, but this. ]

[heritrix]

It's literally in his job description.

[She sounds a little wry. Because of course they could use his help, hours after learning something so twisted and suspicious about him.]

Even among the church, there are few who handle spirits as well as he does.

[As bothered as she seemed moments ago, there's no hesitation as Rin openly praises Kirei's skill. Yeah, it's a hot button topic. It's also complicated.]

[sleepytimegal]

[ There's a pause, where she reaches up to her forehead and rubs at it, gently. Her lips thin. ]

I'll...keep it in mind. At least I can ask him about it. I just wouldn't want them to be floating all around here to get at anyone else.

[ And a few other things, but- she's still sorting that stuff out. ]

[heritrix]

[...]

You should let me come with you, if you decide that's what you want. Barring that, I'd like to hear how it goes, at a minimum.

[Keeping her posture straight, Rin folds her arms in her lap and watches Alex. Are these Sunken giving her trouble right now?]

You should decide sooner rather than later, as well. [Her voice is gentle.] That's why you came to me, isn't it? And why you said I'm wrapped up in it too. They're weak for now, but you're worried something like today will happen again.

[sleepytimegal]

...Kind of. [ She taps on her arm. ] They... They were louder today than they've ever been. Throughout the whole trial, they kept... It's like they were whispering, all at once, and I couldn't make out any of the words. But I knew it was urgent, and it was almost...

[ "We're truly sorry, we are, but-"

Her face is creased in concentration. In worry. ]

...I don't know. I guess... Yeah. I wanted someone to know about it. In case.

[heritrix]

[Ah.]

So that's why you wanted the painkillers. [Rin switches the cold compress from one hand to the other. Lightly, she taps her newly freed finger to the side of Alex's temple.] Too much interference up here.

[Poor Alex, honestly. Rin drops her finger away, frustrated there's not more she can do. Really, she's surprised Alex is still sane.]

[sleepytimegal]

[ Oh! An almost-smile. ]

Yeah. You...could say that. ...Who knows, maybe they just...don't want to die either.

[ She shrugs and breathes out. ]

Thanks for...listening, Rin. Even with...all this going on.

[heritrix]

[...]

It's fine.

[Short as she is, sitting on the bed like this her feet don't quite touch the ground, so she's able to swing them a little.]

I should have pressed you more about it on Wednesday, but I didn't think it would still be an issue come today.

[sleepytimegal]

Honestly? I don't know if I would've been accepting of any of it- today's events kind of made it all click together, that all the headaches, the...waking up in the night, the radio is...them.

[heritrix]

[Actually, that's a good point, isn't it?]

If they're not in it, why did the radio effect you so badly?

[sleepytimegal]

It was 'cause it was effecting them. Back home, that was...you know, how I got them to leave us alone for a little. Tune into the right frequency, keep tuning until they get out of my friends. But I don't know if that's how it'll work here. Especially since it- it felt more like it was pulling at me. I was conscious, and...that is really not how it worked back there.

[heritrix]

[She frowns.]

How much time did you spend on that island?