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01-16-2015, 04:44 PM
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Perhaps thankfully, much of what occurred next completely bypassed Gaucho's senses of perception. Mara was his eyes for now, but even with her inquisitive gaze falling over the slight changes in posture, tone, and expression, it was still up to Gaucho's primitive brain to reconcile and make deductions from these inputs. Which he failed to do.
So much of the nonverbal communication excluded him completely - as a subject, and as a participant. He was unaware of whatever subtle changes took place within Mauja's icy gaze, or the words whispered to Torleik. Ophelia, as always, remained a veiled mystery to him. She spoke of Deimos, although Gaucho believed he only knew the name in passing. Had he ever spoken to the Reaper? He couldn't quite remember, although as of late that meant very little. He was finding that many of his memories were still veiled by whatever drug he had previously given. Either it wasn't in the Sun God's capacity to restore his mind to its original state, or perhaps he had simply decided not to.
The flare of anger - ignited by Mauja's appearance - of being accused of this murder had been almost completely quelled. The dun was confident in his knowledge that he had not done this. Whatever ambiguity Ophelia saw in his mind surely was indicative of something else. He hadn't done this. Let them cast their accusations. He was clean of this.
Gaucho not do this..
As Ophelia listed the evidence mounting against him, the Wildfire set his lips in a thin line. Circumstantial was the word he was looking for, although his lips didn't know it. He nodded as spots and braids provided some amount of defence - pointing out that not all of the clues could be linked to him.
Oh but they would say, There are those in your herd with white feathers... or You could have come in contact with crystal... But if it was that easy ... then why did it have to point to him? He was sure half of Helovia had black hair somewhere, on either their bodies or a companion. More still had feathers, or at least access to them. If all it took was coming into contact with it, then surely he was no more culpable than anyone else?
Raising a hoof, Gaucho shook it, before slamming it back into the ground.
Nothing happened.
"No sand." He commented. A flaming wing rose from his side, moving back and forth, but again nothing happened. "No feather. You going to say it could have come from Gaucho. You going to say white feather and crystal could have come from someone Gaucho has seen. Right?" He stumbled through what was meant to be a fairly deductive argument, only it sounded more like some drunken detective trying to bullshit his way through an interrogation. "If white feather and crystal can come from someone else, why not everything else. " He didn't pause for a response. "You think because Gaucho have lots of other things that it ... it more likely, more probable (mentally he thanked Mara for this word) but think of this." His gaze turned to Ophelia almost pleadingly, for she was the only one there who knew him in any capacity. The two had spoken in the past, but the pale princess had peered into his mind. She knew him better than perhaps even Sohalia or Ampere ever could, for she had seen a side of him that his fumbled words could never express. "Gaucho able to kill. Easily. But ... Gaucho not do this without a reason. Gaucho not hide." He had come to the Basin, before all to declare what he was doing and why. He had been open and honest with Ophelia about his reasoning for attacking her, and had offered a genuine apology for his behaviour. Even if he had a reason to commit these murders, he would not do so secretly. It just wasn't who he was.
So which was more probable? That their circumstantial evidence suggested that Gaucho would simply break the very core of who he was and what he stood for, by murdering his own and doing so in the shadows? As Sno accused, did they really think him clever enough (at least with this language game) to 'take a page out of the liars playbook' and try to use his words to throw suspicion off of himself? Or was it more likely that they were simply wrong?
"It look like Gaucho do this..." He admitted. Even he couldn't deny the evidence. "But if Gaucho not do this then ... why it look that way?"
For the first time it occurred to him - was someone pinning these murders on him? He had certainly sparred enough that bits of bone, his feathers and hair, as well as Mara's skin were plentiful if one knew where to look.
Ophelia's suggestion to see the Gods did not surprise him. It was what she had thought to do the last time they met under bizarre circumstances such as these. For as hardened as she had been during their past meetings, what did surprise him was her ever willingness to help him. Although perhaps her interest was not in him so much as it was in the truth.
Nevertheless, the truth would set him free.
