It's time for an after party!

[perpend]

[About an hour after the trial and subsequent execution, Cabanela makes a decision.

They need to do something, keep the morale up, however little it may be.

Under each occupied room door people will find the following note written:


In difficult times such as this, it is important to carry on.
Don't give into despair; we must preservere.
If you don't want to be alone this evening, meet me in the dining hall.
-Cabanela

[Upon entering the dinning hall, you will find Cabanela sitting at one of the tables; he has lit two candles that are placed at the center of the table, but there's nothing else to note.

You'll have to supply your own food, since he doesn't have much of an appetite.]

Comments

[perpend]

[Cabanela himself will be spending most of his time sitting at the candles.

While he doesn't feel too sorry for Reaver-- he was a murderer, he had still been a pleasant man. Had he killed out of fear that his country is imminent to collapse? Had he done it just because he could? Who knows, and there's no way for them to ask now, even if he would have answered honestly.

It's Kaneki who Cabanela feels worse for-- a non-violent monster who was killed, possibly because he was an easy target. Cabanela had only had the one conversation with him, but he'd seemed like a nice boy.

Brooding isn't a good look on him but that's what he'll be doing, though every once in a while, he seems to be trying to address a letter to someone named "Jowd", though every time he picks up his pen, he shakes his head and sets it back down again.]

[shuttermouse]

Hey. You don't mind if it's here, right?

[ She gestures to the weird-looking mask she just put down near the candles. ]

I think it's Kaneki-kun's.

[perpend]

[He gives a weak smile.]

Not at all. I'm sure the dead want to be remembered.

[...]

Well, Kaneki would appreciate it, anyway.

[shuttermouse]

It's going to be weird without Kaneki-kun around. I liked talking to him.

[ god these feelings are weird and make her feel weird. ]

[perpend]

Did you know him? Before we arrived here, I mean.

You knew that he was a ghoul.

[shuttermouse]

Nope. We found out that we're from the same part of Tokyo when we talked about school a few days ago.

I just put two and two together when his letter came up during the trial.

[perpend]

Did you?

That's some quick thinking you did. I'm glad you were able to figure that out, because it sure helped us today.

[shuttermouse]

I guess I didn't get my title for no reason.

...Maybe that was why I was kidnapped? So I could provide info in case something like this were to happen; it didn't seem like anyone else had heard of ghouls before.

[icysemblance]

Thank you for this.

[Weiss manages a smile, though it's strained.]

I really appreciate it.

[perpend]

[He returns the smile, however weak it is.]

You're welcome. It's the least I could do right now.

[icysemblance]

I think we all needed a reason to be up and about, after what happened.

[perpend]

I fiiigured as much; it's why I decided to organize this in the first place.

People shouldn't be alone right now, even if they might want to be.

[ninehundredlives]

[Susan's not here for the gathering at large; she's here for specific people. Cabanela is one of them. He's not at the top of her list, seeing as she thinks he's more capable of handling this than the others, but she finds her way over eventually.]

Inspector. You did a good job in there.

[perpend]

[He gives a tight smile.

Now isn't the time to brush the praise off, even though he wants to.]

I didn't get everything right. I guess the Conductor was going easy on me. I got him, but...

[It sure doesn't feel much like a victory to him.]

[ninehundredlives]

You did what you had to. He was going to let him kill the rest of us, too.

[She's not exactly triumphant about it; it's not quite a victory. Really, she's still angry that any of it happened at all. It didn't even take a week.

She will not waste her time feeling sorry for someone like that.]

[perpend]

He was.

[His expression his grave.]

Buuut killing him will never bring Kaneki back.

[ninehundredlives]

No. It won't.

[But it saved twenty-seven other lives, and it made him pay. Susan's not cold enough to push the point, given that they've all just watched the man get executed, but that's how she feels.]

I thought we'd have a little longer than this before it all started.

[perpend]

[Cabanela isn't the vengeful sort; he can't consider it a victory.]

And now that Reaver got this liiittle ball rolling, I'm afraid we're not going to see an end of this.

[He hopes he's wrong. He really, really wants to be wrong.]

[ninehundredlives]

I think you're right.

[SORRY BRO]

Maybe we'll have a little longer, now that everyone knows the stakes. But they'll be more careful next time.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[She rubs at her wrists and clears her throat.]

Inspector Cabanela?

[perpend]

[He gives a brief smile when he turns around and sees Ashley there.]

Yes?

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Can't exactly return that, but she tries, for a moment.]

I just...wanted to say thank you. For, you know, kind of...leading the charge with Katsuki. [She's still trying to get his name right; it sounds awkward.]

[perpend]

You're welcome.

[His smile is forced and awkward, but he's trying.]

That kid's sharp; I didn't even suspect Reaver until he started to put the pieces together himself.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

He was a gross, invasive man who I didn't really like, but I didn't think he did it either.

[...Ashley wow. She has the decency to look at least a little guilty.]

I should probably thank Katsuki too. ...And some of the others...

[perpend]

It's hard to believe anyone would resort to murder.

[But Reaver had made it clear he'd done this before, many times.]

Yeah. We all... we did good work today.