Game Log

Mother Dearest

Haunted by Memories
Like a ghost story should, this one started with unexplained phenomena that leave someone doubting her senses and her sanity. Teodora didn't announce herself to Anna all at once. The embroidery that she'd been working on prior to her death kept showing up on her favorite chair, and none of the servants would admit to putting it there. The floorboards creaked in her empty room. There was a sense of a presence, of being watched - but only when Anna was alone.

Eventually, she confided in her brother that these things were going on, and that she was scared. Salvador, entirely too aware of the reality of ghosts, would not brush this off, but... every time he stayed in the house, nothing happened. For two weeks of Decimus, nothing happened, until the Masacci started getting cranky about why the viscount was apparently living in the wrong palace. Reassuring his sister that all was well, Salvador had to return to his own palace to see to the Prophet's Mass preparations.

On the Feast of the Light of Reason, Anna heard Father Sergio give an earnest sermon on the power of reason to drive back the darkness of ignorance and superstition. Reassured and comforted, she returned to the Palazzo Donati for the longest, darkest night of the year - which is when her mother returned from the grave.

Possession
Anna spent eighteen years under Teodora's thumb, and the Unraveled would not have a hard time putting her back there. Teodora, as an angry spirit, lacked even whatever sense of proportion she had in life. "Domineering" was no longer sufficient; "dominating" would be more like it. The servants began to notice that Donna Anna seemed to take to talking to herself, or - if they listened carefully - to an unseen other person, but attributed it to her grief.

Of course the Prophets' Mass season was busy, but it was also about family, and Salvador would be sure to check up with Anna regularly. She was changing - quieter, sadder, more tired - but tried to explain it away as sadness from missing the dead at the holiday time. She stopped complaining about ghosts and even thanked him for setting her mind at ease about them.

She knew that as viscount, he would have a lot of entertaining to be doing, but hoped he could make it over for a quiet, private family celebration some night. Well, of course he could.

Ghostbuster
Luckily, Gabrielle insisted on going with him. She hadn't gotten along all that well with Anna - she and Teodora had hated each other too much - but still felt sympathy for the poor lonely girl and wanted to be charitable during the holidays. And there were other people in the Donati household she wouldn't mind seeing for a little while. Salvador's home was quite the playground for men, but she found it, well, a little tedious, day after day after...

Anna seemed anxious and confused when they arrived, rather than pleased. Dinner was strange: dark and quiet, without many of the extended family at all. She wanted time with her brother, Anna explained. Gabrielle apologized and made to go, but the young strega, suddenly sweating behind her veil, stopped her. Eyes staring, she looked to Salvador and started apologizing: "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, she made me, she - Run!"

Teodora had been quietly working the strands throughout dinner, but now manifested fully, furious with her fractious daughter. Anna caught one of the black strands across her chest, and the Fate Lash peeked out at her neckline.

Salvador tried reasoning with his mother, for about five words. Mother wasn't here to listen. She was happy to talk, blasting her youngest son with words like "abandonment," "treachery," "ungrateful," and "faithless." She struck out with her lashes, and he drew his sword - the same one the benandanti had blessed, months ago - but dropped it. He ducked to pick it up, felt something tear across his back, straightened and lunged - and missed by a mile.

Teodora had been quietly working the strands throughout dinner, especially Salvador's Swords strands.

As they circled the table, Gabrielle tried to move to help, but found Anna tearfully blocking her way. "I have to," she said. "I'm sorry..."

"Likewise," Gabrielle replied drily, before springing for her with clawed fingers. Neither of the ladies knew the first thing about fighting, so the tussle lasted much longer than it should have. But Anna was weak from Fate Lashes (as usual) and her heart wasn't in it; Gabrielle eventually shoved her into a wall and she sank down to the floor, whimpering.

Salvador had gotten a couple glancing hits in, but nothing that did real damage. Things were not looking good, and he'd already discovered that at least one door was locked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gabrielle rushing up behind him. "Find a way out!" he told her.

"Drink this!" she replied, pressing something hard into his off-hand. Then she screamed as Teodora lashed her as well, unleashing a litany of "worthless," "Sightless," "arrogant," and "useless."

Salvador drained the contents of the little perfume bottle-looking thing. It tasted foul. "Now what?"

"Kill her again!" Gabrielle shouted back. Salvador had no idea why that would work now when it hadn't been working before, but was lacking a better idea. Besides, Teodora was focused on Gabrielle right now, so maybe he could surprise her.

Why, yes. Yes, he could.

In fact, his luck seemed to instantly turn around. His point struck home and Teodora turned to face him again - and her spectral eyes widened. "What! But... no! It's not possible! Where - " And that's when he hit her again, a good solid hit. With a scream, she faded from view.

The End?
Anna, weeping and penitent, would also be shocked when she finally looked at Salvador. To her eyes, he'd suddenly become Unbound. Gabrielle explained, sketchily, that his strands were (probably) still there; Anna just couldn't see them right now. And neither could Teodora. And if she couldn't see them...

"She couldn't keep stretching his Swords strands," Anna sniffed. "So she ran away."

Ran away?

Anna's strands indicated that her mother was very much still undead.

Return to Volume 2 of the Epilogues.