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

[brandnewday]

[Still scribbling away.]

I see! So, things they wouldn't even notice leavin' behind. That's really profound! Hehe, though if it were one of my hairs, it'd probably stand out a lot.

[... ... ...]

N-not that I'm gonna be a culprit!

[heritrix]

You mean these aren't notes for how to get away with the perfect crime?

1/2

[brandnewday]

How'd ya catch on so fast?! I was so careful, too!

[brandnewday]

[She laughs.]

C'mon, c'mon! We shouldn't joke about stuff like that!

[But it did cheer her up. She misses comedy routines!]

[heritrix]

[Pffft, Hibiki has great comedic timing. Rin laughs too, the most genuine one she's felt of the day.]

Sorry, sorry. I saw that opportunity, and I couldn't help myself.

[Rin waves her hand.] Anyways, you're on the money, but there's two halves to that coin. This is more important to keep in mind during trials, but In addition to physical evidence someone might not realize they've left behind, sometimes a person will forget the things they've said too.

Try to remember the incidental things people tell you about themselves; it's as good for socializing as it is for catching them in a lie.

[brandnewday]

Usually I'm the boke...you're really makin' me work!

[She's done some comedy on TV, so it feels like stepping into a comfortable pair of shoes to laugh like that.]

Incidental...things... [She parrots the words while she writes them down.] That's really tricky! Usually I just believe what everyone tells me right away.

[heritrix]

[Oh, Hibiki.]

I've noticed. You should work on that habit as well, but I imagine physical evidence will come to you more easily,

We'll focus on that for now, but just remember to pay attention to the things people say. You'll probably make improvements without even realizing it.

[brandnewday]

[Furious anime nodding!!! She's taking this all in as best as her hamster brain can.]

Mm...alright. That'll be kinda tough for me, but alright! I'm the kinda idol who can do anything, even self-improvement!

[She taps her pencil on the paper after writing down that last bit.]

I think one of my dreams was about that now that we're talking about it. It was kinda scary.

[heritrix]

Oh? Did you have to host a party or something?

[That would be scary to someone who's nervous about interacting with people, Rin bets.]

[brandnewday]

No. I've never done that before. I was standin' on a cliff. And...and Hamuzou ran away from me. It was raining pretty hard, and...I was there because I fell from an even higher cliff, I think. I kept lookin' up at the guardrail.

[She's trying to remember her dream, so she closes her eyes, really focusing. It was wet. She didn't remember the entire situation, but she was wearing her television clothes, and...]

Someone told me to get in the car to be taken to shoot on location, but then they left me on the side of the road so I'd be late. They sped off, and that's when I fell. But I don't remember anythin' that happened before or after that.

[heritrix]

[Okay, she thinks she understands more clearly now. Also? Whoever that person is sounds like a dick.]

I see. If I'm understanding you correctly, you think they may have been lying to you, then.

[brandnewday]

And if he did, I just believed him! I got into a stranger's car and fell off a cliff without asking for credentials! But it's all fuzzy...but no matter how you look at it, I must've done somethin' stupid.

[heritrix]

Maybe yes, maybe no. It could even be a little of both.

For example, you said he was taking you to a shoot, so where did he pick you up from?

[brandnewday]

Mm...it's hard to remember! I'm tryin' to remember the memories of that Hibiki that was in that dream.

I think...I was at where the crew gathers in front of the wildlife reserve where I host my weekly TV segments. And from there, I'm taken to somewhere further away to see a specific animal to introduce to all the viewers.

[heritrix]

That sounds like a fitting job for you. Being able to see so many animals, you must love it a lot.

[That's an incidental comment, on the way to this next question. If Hibiki regularly visits this wildlife reserve, she's probably seen a lot of it, right?]

Do they often have animals offsite?

[brandnewday]

I do! That's why the job's so important to me, and...hmm.

[She nods.]

The wildlife refuge is pretty big, and sometimes I visit aquariums and stuff, too. But we always start the shoot right at the entrance with the red panda and Hamuzou.

[heritrix]

Did you do that this time?

[brandnewday]

Mm...maybe? Like I said, I'm...rememberin' the circumstances that me in the dream was thinkin' about, so it's kinda like trying to recall a memory's cousin.