Join me. Our paths converge for the moment. [She gestures to her side with her parasol, which remains politely folded indoors as it always does.]
I don't need to ask you where you've spent the night. [So she won't waste time on it, though she does look at his priest outfit once they are in step together.] More importantly, did you all wake there at the same time we did?
[There's red smeared on the sleeves, but he was up messing with the altar and matches the actions he was performing with the severed head.]
If you mean to the girl announcing from the windows around 6 this morning? Yes.
We found ourselves trapped in the church around 11pm, with the doors refusing to open. None of our phones would connect to the forum, either. I don't remember what time I fell asleep, but it wasn't intentional.
It must have been near midnight. "The appointed time," as someone else referred to it. [Father's rules, as they'd both discussed and assumed, seem intent on enforcing themselves, with or without intervention.]
You'll hear this question more than once, so I'll ask it now before we share our discoveries. What brought you all there in the first place?
[The first of many times, probably, they'll get the third degree on sleeping in a place where the prying gaze seems most virulent.]
I can't speak firmly for the others, but I can tell you what I saw.
[Just moving down the list and checking off each point on his fingers as he goes.]
Annette was in prayer. She's a pious girl, and has great comfort put into her faith. This is not the first time I've seen her in the pews, so it didn't strike me as strange - only that she was there so late. I believe I heard her say something about feeling uncomfortable saying her bedtime prayers in the dorm.
Lovecraft was found sleeping when I arrived. He was disoriented, and didn't seem to know what time it was. He prefers to be alone and is frightened of the Extras, so perhaps the chapel was an easy place to escape.
Meanwhile, I was merely following Fandaniel. Why he entered the church, I don't know, but when he attempted to leave, we all found ourselves trapped. He was... irrationally irritated when we realized it might have been in regards to the Edict, but he was behaving himself up until I fell asleep.
[Poor Annette, who seems to have guilt seep out of her very pores the way toxin sweats from Cantarella's. She's like a little mouse... What starts as a thoughtful frown gets a little deeper as Solomon goes down the list.]
I should tell you, at least, that I saw naught related to the killing when I looked at the stained glass. It would have been a bit too easy if they revealed a guilty conscience, but this sin wasn't there.
[Or they might not have thought it was sinful! That's a card she won't flip out loud, though.]
What did Fandaniel do to catch your attention to begin with last night?
I'll have to do my best to neither irritate nor avoid you in the future.
[It's a very unclear answer compared to his more thorough, detailed description from before. It's not the time to palpate that just yet! Surely she'll see it in action soon.]
No. I'm returning to the dorm to change to something more suitable before checking the rest of the school. There are some of our number I want to check on before tensions become too high.
For now, I meant to share our findings as you requested, though I can understand why you might be in a hurry.
[She's not overly eager to jump into the fray, as it were. This part of their necessary participation isn't one she can so easily abide by, which he should know from their previous conversation.]
Before we convene to judge the guilty, I'd also like to make a few stops. The kitchen, for starters.
Ah, yes, yes, that. [Nik forgetting their own dialogue from six tags ago whoops] Do tell me what has the kitchen in your sights, you've got me curious.
As for my own findings? Whatever was done to remove the boy's head from his body was very clean. There were no signs of obvious wounds on his face or skull, outside blood against the back of his neck and caked into the lower parts of his hair. My guess is he was attacked from behind.
They also didn't leave much of a trail. I found no footprints, and what blood trail was outside the altar was minimal, leading off towards the front doors.
The front of the chapel was clear up through the baptism and confessional, though I didn't do any thorough checking of the pews.
Completely clean, with no flesh visibly torn from it? [Her eyebrows give that little perceptive twitch of thought he's seen once or twice.]
Because I found some in the font of holy water. It was darkly clouded with both darkness and blood, and, as you may know, it burns to the touch. I'd like to examine that effect more closely. [Hence the trip to the kitchen...for science.]
[There was a fair amount of blood in the basin and around it, but the floor was so clear...barely even a smear.]
It may react differently to living and dead tissue, as well as organic and manmade materials. [Beyond that, she just wants to know if it's truly "blessed," of course.] I may taste it for my own records.
Same with the head... There was plenty of blood on the altar, but almost none leading to it. Perhaps a container was involved and brought somewhere else?
The water in the baptism reacts similarly, and that pool was clear of blood and debris. Perhaps that would be a good spot for a placebo test.
Though... we can save the tasting until after we've confirmed it won't react with your living tissues, I hope?
Of course, I'll imbibe responsibly. It's always better to measure toxicity beforehand, and I don't know what this substance is.
[They're presumably still doing a West Wing-style walk-and-talk through the campus in the midst of this discussion, and while Cantarella doesn't hesitate or stop, she does glance down at the movement of their footsteps as they go.]
They moved rather quickly, as far as I can tell. I noticed very little hint of hesitation.
[Given their last conversation, she has to make note of that with him—and question it a little bit.]
[Yeah u got it, they're on the move. Dorms are downstairs, after all, so Solomon's got a long way to walk.]
Mm. Speed or confidence or both. They weren't sloppy.
I don't want to jump to conclusions until I hear more of what else might have been found. Hopefully, it will give a clearer picture, even if it doesn't make the end result easier.
[Because, following the edict, they will have to have a trial. And regardles of whether their trial is successful, they will have to send someone to take the consequences. Unless a miracle happens, they do not make it out of the week with any fewer than two of their number missing.]
[Father (or his words, at least, and his disembodied punishments) has made such a great deal over judgment that it almost feels inappropriate to place it in their hands now.
There's something bothering her about the twisted nature of his divinity, but the far more pressing matter is getting to the bottom of this action and mitigating it the best they possibly can.]
My network is not what it would be in Rinascita. We simply cannot be everywhere at once. There may be more we're missing. Have you else to add?
...There was flesh in the water, as well, though its origin is now in question. If the cut is as clean as you observed...
[Well, the flesh did have to come from elsewhere.
Her eyebrows flicker at the mention of clipped wings. Though it's a difficult expression to read, Solomon might be able to determine that Cantarella suspects this may actually be exactly what Father wants.]
I have set power aside before. He will soon find that I have everything I need so long as I remain myself. [That seems to be one of her final thoughts on the matter.]
Confidence? [She smiles with some certainty.] If that's what you'd like to call it. But I chose to take over at matriarch of the Fisalia family and succeeded for a reason.
Everything we spoke of in our first conversation stands.
[They're probably about to the kitchen now, so it's possible they'll soon be ready to part ways.]
One's role doesn't necessarily count for one's belief in themselves. They may intertwine, but I would think your confidence in who you are now is a far greater image and impact than what might have led you to that point.
Perhaps you're right. I hope you believe the same about yourself. [And perhaps that's why, whether it's as a Fisalia or as a participant in this "game," she will continue to play along in her own way.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I don't need to ask you where you've spent the night. [So she won't waste time on it, though she does look at his priest outfit once they are in step together.] More importantly, did you all wake there at the same time we did?
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If you mean to the girl announcing from the windows around 6 this morning? Yes.
We found ourselves trapped in the church around 11pm, with the doors refusing to open. None of our phones would connect to the forum, either. I don't remember what time I fell asleep, but it wasn't intentional.
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It must have been near midnight. "The appointed time," as someone else referred to it. [Father's rules, as they'd both discussed and assumed, seem intent on enforcing themselves, with or without intervention.]
You'll hear this question more than once, so I'll ask it now before we share our discoveries. What brought you all there in the first place?
[The first of many times, probably, they'll get the third degree on sleeping in a place where the prying gaze seems most virulent.]
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[Just moving down the list and checking off each point on his fingers as he goes.]
Annette was in prayer. She's a pious girl, and has great comfort put into her faith. This is not the first time I've seen her in the pews, so it didn't strike me as strange - only that she was there so late. I believe I heard her say something about feeling uncomfortable saying her bedtime prayers in the dorm.
Lovecraft was found sleeping when I arrived. He was disoriented, and didn't seem to know what time it was. He prefers to be alone and is frightened of the Extras, so perhaps the chapel was an easy place to escape.
Meanwhile, I was merely following Fandaniel. Why he entered the church, I don't know, but when he attempted to leave, we all found ourselves trapped. He was... irrationally irritated when we realized it might have been in regards to the Edict, but he was behaving himself up until I fell asleep.
no subject
I should tell you, at least, that I saw naught related to the killing when I looked at the stained glass. It would have been a bit too easy if they revealed a guilty conscience, but this sin wasn't there.
[Or they might not have thought it was sinful! That's a card she won't flip out loud, though.]
What did Fandaniel do to catch your attention to begin with last night?
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[But he failed! Haha. :) A win for Solomon.]
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[It's a very unclear answer compared to his more thorough, detailed description from before. It's not the time to palpate that just yet! Surely she'll see it in action soon.]
Are you ready to begin?
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Mm. You mean the next phase of Father's edict?
No. I'm returning to the dorm to change to something more suitable before checking the rest of the school. There are some of our number I want to check on before tensions become too high.
And what about you?
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[She's not overly eager to jump into the fray, as it were. This part of their necessary participation isn't one she can so easily abide by, which he should know from their previous conversation.]
Before we convene to judge the guilty, I'd also like to make a few stops. The kitchen, for starters.
no subject
As for my own findings? Whatever was done to remove the boy's head from his body was very clean. There were no signs of obvious wounds on his face or skull, outside blood against the back of his neck and caked into the lower parts of his hair. My guess is he was attacked from behind.
They also didn't leave much of a trail. I found no footprints, and what blood trail was outside the altar was minimal, leading off towards the front doors.
The front of the chapel was clear up through the baptism and confessional, though I didn't do any thorough checking of the pews.
no subject
Because I found some in the font of holy water. It was darkly clouded with both darkness and blood, and, as you may know, it burns to the touch. I'd like to examine that effect more closely. [Hence the trip to the kitchen...for science.]
no subject
What exactly do you plan on testing it against?
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[There was a fair amount of blood in the basin and around it, but the floor was so clear...barely even a smear.]
It may react differently to living and dead tissue, as well as organic and manmade materials. [Beyond that, she just wants to know if it's truly "blessed," of course.] I may taste it for my own records.
no subject
The water in the baptism reacts similarly, and that pool was clear of blood and debris. Perhaps that would be a good spot for a placebo test.
Though... we can save the tasting until after we've confirmed it won't react with your living tissues, I hope?
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[They're presumably still doing a West Wing-style walk-and-talk through the campus in the midst of this discussion, and while Cantarella doesn't hesitate or stop, she does glance down at the movement of their footsteps as they go.]
They moved rather quickly, as far as I can tell. I noticed very little hint of hesitation.
[Given their last conversation, she has to make note of that with him—and question it a little bit.]
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Mm. Speed or confidence or both. They weren't sloppy.
I don't want to jump to conclusions until I hear more of what else might have been found. Hopefully, it will give a clearer picture, even if it doesn't make the end result easier.
[Because, following the edict, they will have to have a trial. And regardles of whether their trial is successful, they will have to send someone to take the consequences. Unless a miracle happens, they do not make it out of the week with any fewer than two of their number missing.]
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There's something bothering her about the twisted nature of his divinity, but the far more pressing matter is getting to the bottom of this action and mitigating it the best they possibly can.]
My network is not what it would be in Rinascita. We simply cannot be everywhere at once. There may be more we're missing. Have you else to add?
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Mm. But no. Nothing in regards to my end of the chapel, no.
What about your own?
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[Well, the flesh did have to come from elsewhere.
Her eyebrows flicker at the mention of clipped wings. Though it's a difficult expression to read, Solomon might be able to determine that Cantarella suspects this may actually be exactly what Father wants.]
I have set power aside before. He will soon find that I have everything I need so long as I remain myself. [That seems to be one of her final thoughts on the matter.]
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May we hope we never get on your bad side, hm? [Teasing.]
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Everything we spoke of in our first conversation stands.
[They're probably about to the kitchen now, so it's possible they'll soon be ready to part ways.]
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Perhaps you're right. I hope you believe the same about yourself. [And perhaps that's why, whether it's as a Fisalia or as a participant in this "game," she will continue to play along in her own way.
🎀?]
We can wrap this one here!