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

[bloodisthicker]

...

Yes, you're probably right. I know spirits tend to judge differently than humans, so I'd imagine it's probably similar for vampires.

[...]

I'm guessing. We don't exactly have vampires where I'm from.

[also he barely parsed any of the other secrets because he was too busy bluescreening]

[matchbreaker]

We do.

[ And she can explain that if he wants, but mostly she bares her fangs at the end of that. ]

I'm mostly here to see if you keep it together at all.

[bloodisthicker]

...I'm going to. I'm... definitely going to. I just need a night to recharge due to the... very complicated mess of feelings about the whole thing.

[he pauses to think about it.]

I guess on some level it's kind of liberating, and I'll probably be more level-headed going forward than I was this week going forward. It's still not particularly pleasant, though.

[matchbreaker]

No, it's not.

[ Of course it's not. Responsible for the death of his brother? She... bites her lip and shakes her head. ]

... I bear no responsibility for my tragedies. But I too lost my brother to them.

[bloodisthicker]

...

Well, I didn't... shove my brother off a cliff or anything. He ran away in a blizzard, and there are probably a number of different things I could've done to stop him from doing so.

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . Mmm. ]

I will not say that makes you blameless. [ Because she can't image he would accept that anyway ] After all, while I say I bare no responsibility to my own... I did still run. I never even confirmed if mine died. I- it's impossible not to feel some guilt.

[bloodisthicker]

...yes, we did look for him, but he probably got buried in a snowdrift or something. I'm sure I could've prevented it in the first place if I'd just been stronger then.

[matchbreaker]

Man though, if it's something like that and a crimelord dad? That's some serious drama to overcome to become successful.

[bloodisthicker]

Well, in fairness, my father altered his appearance and changed his identity before he met my mother, so there's really nothing connecting me to him that anyone could really follow. And... well, it's not like anyone knew the true circumstances behind my brother's disappearance and what my father was training us to do. Even my mother didn't know his true nature... or ours, really.

Honestly, in terms of my actual career, I had more difficulties due to the fact that I came from a relatively small village and had to move to the capital and start building connections while balancing schooling and an ailing parent.

[matchbreaker]

Wowie, a real started from the bottom story. ... That's honestly a lot more impressive than I was expecting from you. Uh, without too much offense meant.

[bloodisthicker]

...

I should be honest and say I had a nice monetary cushion, so it could have easily been a lot worse.

[matchbreaker]

... Well, that does help. Ill-gotten gains?

[bloodisthicker]

...I inherited them through legitimate means, personally. Where my father got them... well, I figured it worked as reparations if I worked to get into a position where I could make sure Republic City's problems could be fixed.

[matchbreaker]

Well, that stands to reason.

[ she's going to reach out a hand now, to poke him in the middle of his forehead. ]

So, will that secret be ruining you?

[bloodisthicker]

...

[he tries to lean out of poking range.]

I mean, it might be dismissed as a rumor unless anyone can prove it somehow, which is unlikely. I don't doubt that it will be used as political ammunition in ad hominem attacks, though.

[matchbreaker]

[ Mmm. ]

Alright, so you're going to work through it? That's good, my own will be handled alright too, I'm sure.

[ some of those other ones might ruin people, but they're okay? Good. ]

[bloodisthicker]

I'm going to do whatever I can to, anyway. I'm just annoyed it's probably going to have a not-insignificant period of time to circulate before I can actually address it back home, given how things have gone so far.

[matchbreaker]

Yes. ... I suppose it depends how we return. That one incentive - the vacation - to me it sounded as if we might return to the same... time, too? I do not think such a thing is possible, but then if these dimensions can exist, maybe their time is different too.