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June 11, 2001 |
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Gideon Club Study...
Yosannah sits on the couch in front of the fireplace. Her feet up on the table.
Damen enters, speaking quietly with Bartholemew.
Yosannah smiles at the two, lightly. The dwarf tugs on Damen's pant leg since he spies Yosannah sitting on the couch first.
Damen pauses his comment and looks to where his assistant is gesturing to. He regards Yosannah briefly. He doesn't appear to be in good spirits, and doesn't even offer a smile.
Yosannah shrugs and turns her attention back toward the fireplace, and the book in her lap. She waits for the two to get done conversing.
Damen moves to fix himself a drink. "So..why have you put a contract on Jane's life, Yosannah. Bartholomew beats a hasty retreat.
She scoffs, "I did no such thing."
Damen shrugs, "You...Pestilence....whoever. I won't beat around the bush with you Yosannah nor am I pleased. She was visited by Death who made it all to clear that you wanted her dead."
Yosannah is matter of fact, "If I recall correctly, I told Death that she needed to be put in her place and I wanted her mouth shut."
Damen nods, "Jane has taken it as an attack....and will retaliate. I mentioned that I would speak to you....to stave you off of this ridiculous bitch-fest. If I wasn't successful, she will do so....and I won't get in the middle of it."
Yosannah regards you cooly. "Go to hell. Is that what you think this is?"
Damen finishes mixing his gin and tonic. "Why don't you tell me, Yo."
Yosannah offers flatly, "Tell you what? That every time I see her I get the run-of-the-mill personal attack for no apparent reason? Or maybe I should tell you that you're a hypocrite. That your the only one allowed to take offense to the ignorance that is our life and I'm supposed to sit quietly aside?"
Damen says "Has she -ever- offered bodily harm to you?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. And I don't need to defend my actions to you. Don't treat my like some play-thing, Damen. I don't answer to you."
Damen raises an eyebrow up. "What's up your ass?"
"Let me tell you something, this is no different then the threat you gave to Riva after she told you to go fuck yourself." She stands and wanders toward the fireplace, "How soon they forget. Goddamn hypocrite."
Damen nods, thoughtful. Damen rubs his jaw before looking up. "Yosannah..."
Yosannah turns abruptly, "What?"
Damen drains his drink and drops the glass to the floor. "You're on your own."
"Whatever. I expected as much."
Damen nods, "Then I am predictable *and* hypocritical." He turns, moving to the door. "Don't get killed."
"Good, walk out. You're good at that."
Damen rolls his eyes, but of course she wouldn't see that. "You're not looking for a conversation right now. You're looking for a fight."
"No I'm not. I'm looking for nothing less than I would give you. You know, unconditional support. Hey, Yo. I'm going to kill some chaosian Lord. No problem. Hey, Yo. I'm going to take over the Club. Whatever. Hey, Yo, I'm going to alienate my entire family. Got your back, D. See the pattern?"
Damen says "Ok." Damen says "Hey Yo..." Yosannah just sighs. Damen says "I'm going to kill Kitsune." With that he exits the study.
Yosannah thumbs through a deck of cards and stares at the image of Kitsune.
The image of Kitsune says "Yes ... oh, it's you."
To the image of Kitsune, Yosannah says "Pull me through, Kit...."
The rooftops of Hell's Kitchen...
Yosannah looks around. "The Kitchen. Perfect." She looks you up and down.
Kitsune's hand is cold as liquid nitrogen.
Yosannah crosses her arms, "I figured you be a bit more subtle, Kit. Seriously. Did you just attack her in broad daylight? Or maybe the bar." She exhales, "At least you're okay."
Kitsune turns from you and returns to gazing out over the dead metropolis,"Why did you want her dead, anyways?"
"I didn't imagine that you would kill her as much as she needed her ass kicked. Either way." She regards you, "I won't let someone disrespect us the way she thought she could. Not anymore. Not ever again."
Selene steps out of the alleyway, and what little light there is seems to pour color back into her.
Yosannah regards the woman down below.
Kitsune shakes her head and laughs. "She's not dead, though I let her think that I think that."
Selene starts to climb up looking around muttering to herself, "This cannot be real."
Yosannah keeps an eye on the woman climbing up to the rooftops and asks Kitsune, "Why?"
Kitsune says "If she knew I was aware of her continued existence, she might be tempted to try and harm me out of her own self-preservation. If she thinks she is safe from me, I doubt she will. I am more concerned that her friends and allies will take it upon themselves to avenge her. I hate to kill people needlessly."
Yosannah crosses her arms and nods, "I agree."
Selene gets out her sniper rifle and takes aim at one of the demons and flips a coin.
Kitsune says, "Not a good idea," loud enough to be heard.
Yosannah smirks at Kitsune's words as she regards with woman.
Selene lowers her rifle and lights up a cancer stick, "Fine..I'll back down for now."
Yosannah yells, "Friend, why don't you join us?"
Selene takes a running jump for the other roof top grumbling, "If I drop the clove, someone gets hurt."
Kitsune nods politely to Selene as does Yosannah.
"Okay why is Stone's mouth piece here with you?" Kitsune chuckles, "This is my sister, Pestilence."
Yosannah studies Selene after the introduction. "I think you have that backwards. Stone works for me." Is she serious?
Selene glares at Yo, "All I know Stone is just as much as a jerk as Calis is. So you're now one of the horsemen..you cannot be worse than the host of famine..damn chaosian."
Yosannah regards Selene cooly, "I'm not chaosian but yes. I am one of the horsemen. And if the truth be told, Famine won't stay with is current host for long. Famine has a tendancy to wander."
Kitsune says "How apropo."
Yosannah regards Kitsune with a grin, "You know it's true."
Kitsune nods then considers Sel softly. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Why should I feel okay..everything is going insane."
"What do you mean?"
Selene says "Let's see, where shall I start..for one..look at this shadow, what the hell has happened to it."
Kitsune says "It's been this way for years."
Yosannah regards Kitsune, shaking her head, "Not quite like this, Kit."
Selene says "It hasn't been this bad since the Tanadrai, even the little war that Japan did here was funny but this is serious."
Kitsune says simply, "The locals lack the power to end this, and the greater powers were drawn off by the War of Chaosian Succession."
Yosannah says "You speak as if you'd change it if you could. Like you care." She considers, "Do you?
Kitsune looks over at Yo, "I have always cared, Pestilence. I am the cure to your disease. This world is in pain. It tears at me, begging for release."
Yosannah regards Kitsune cooly and then she turns to Selene, "And you, Friend, might want to consider letting Famine well enough alone."
Selene spits at the ground, "Famine started this war, and I will finish it..no one attacks my friends."
Yosannah smirks, "You'd just be exhausting time and energy. Famine will seek out another. Are you prepared to make yourself the next host? So that you can exist as Kitsune and I do?"
Kitsune says "You might consider, too, that just as your friends are under your protection, so is each horseman under the protection of the others. If you intend to move against Famine, you will find us in your way."
Yosannah regards Kitsune and nods at that.
Selene says "There must be a way to bind the spirit.."
Kitsune says "Only until we release it."
Selene says "Death knows, that I fear only two people and and if I have to bind that spirit into a beer can I will."
Yosannah laughs generously, "Then good luck to you, lady. You'll certainly need it." To Kitsune, "Trump me if you need me and thank you again for what you've done ."
Kitsune waves to Yo, "Be well, sister."
Later at the Gideon Club...
Yosannah shakes her head as she chats with a Mr. Smith, "There arent' many people in this town that are here without his consent. Not that it matters." She changes the topic, "So, were you working when that accident happened in Dover?"
Mr. Smith says "I was on a break. Why?"
Damen appears from the Billiard room.
"I saw it on the news. Seemed pretty horrible..."
Yosannah's voice trails off as Damen enters. She and Smith are sitting on the couch.
Damen enters rubbing his jaw thoughtfully. "Excuse me." He moves to a file cabinet.
"What are you doing, Damen?"
Damen says without turning around, "Business."
"Mr. Smith came by to see you." Damen turns to regard the man, "What can I do for you, Mr. Smith?"
Smith shakes his head, "Nothing of great importants I'm afraid. I just wanted to say hi. That's all."
Damen nods, turning back to the file cabinet.
"You could come join the conversation, Damen."
Damen nods, "I could."
Yosannah runs a hand through her hair and exhales.
Smith sits quietly.
Damen finishes whatever he was doing in the file cabinet and closes it. He moves to the bar and mixes himself a gin and tonic. "How is your shop, Mr. Smith?"
Smith says "I'm selling a lot of fish. Business is good. How's the club?"
Damen says "Running smoothly."
Smith says "Good."
Yosannah climbs off the couch and moves to stand before the fireplace. She crosses her arms over her chest.
Damen pauses momentarily in his drink making, setting the glass down. He twists the ring on his finger. "Be on your guard, Mr. Smith."
Smith asks, "What do you mean by that?"
The collar around Yosannah's neck shimmers softly.
Yosannah seems somewhat startled. She raises a hand to the collar and tugs at it once as if trying to loosen the item.
Smith turns to Yosannah.
Damen continues to twist the ring on his finger, "Just that I have no idea what is about to happen."
"But you know something is going to happen?"
Yosannah is obviously panic stricken, "What are you doing, Damen?" The collar dissolves into dust.
Damen removes his hand from his ring. "Nope. Don't know a damn thing, Mr. Smith."
Smith says "Then why did you say that?"
Yosannah falls to the floor and gasps.
Damen shrugs, "All good things to those that wait, Mr. Smith." He sips his drink, regarding Yosannah.
Smith says "You are being quite unclear."
Damen nods, "That's my nature." He take sone more look at Yosannah before turning to Mr. Smith. "Can I offer you a drink?"
Smith says "Sure."
Damen nods. "Name your poison."
Smith says "Whiskey"
Yosannah claws at the floor and gasps again, "..Damen, please..."
Damen nods and pours some in a glass. "Neat, I presume?"
"Yes."
Damen nods and hands the glass to the man and then turns to look down at Yosannah. "You're a big girl, Yosannah. You don't need me."
Smith sips the glass, "What is this all about?"
Her breath suddenly comes even. Pestilence says, "It's about the ignorance of an Amberite."
Damen shrugs, "Mayhaps. Or I could just be tired of you."
Smith puts down the drink, "I'm quite confused."
Pestilence leaps ot her feet and charges in Damen's direction, hands outstretched for his neck.
Damen wings the gin and tonic glass sharpely at Yosannah's forehead.
Smith watches the spectacle, "You're right, Elbridge really is filled with the odd."
Damen smirks faintly, hand reaching to his ring. "And you ain't seen the half of it."
Smith smiles.
Pestilence easily dodges the glass as she dives for Damen's neck.
Damen sidesteps and reaches for one of the arms, hoping to swing her around into the bar.
Pestilence screams as Damen takes hold of her left arm. With the other hand she reaches for him and attempts to drag her nails down the side of his face.
Damen swings Pestilence around, careening her into the bar. The force of her momentum is going to make it quite the spectacular meeting of forces. His head snaps back, avoiding the claws as much as he can, knowing full well that's what her intent is. One nail grazes his cheek. A thin line of red appears.
Pestilence cries out as she is thrust into the bar. Her eyes flash and a smirk plays across her lips as the blood begins to tear down Damen's face. She begins to laugh.
Smith asks, "What is this all about?" Damen steps away, reaches up to feel his cheek. "It's a long story, Mr. Smith....but if you have heard tales of the Four Horsemen....well, she's one of them."
"I'm afraid I haven't."
Damen nods, "Well...now you have." He regards the cackling woman.
Pestilence grabs her left shoulder with her right hand. She flashes a quick gaze at Smith, "Come any closer and it'll be the last breath you take. Tell him, Damen."
Damen smiles, his eyes never leaving Yosannah. "I wouldn't say no. But on the same token....if she touches you...chances are you'll die. She's Pestilence."
"Alright then."
Pestilence's breath comes quickly, "Check, stupid Amberite. Now what do you do?"
Damen shrugs, "I'll figure it out as we go along."
Pestilence leans into the bar, a smile playing on her lips, "You won't live long enough to figure it out."
Smith asks, "Why haven't you died?"
Damen shrugs, "I presume it takes awhile. Last time she touched me I got sick....real sick."
Damen nods to Pestilence. "Maybe...but at the very least I won't have to hear your babble anymore. Frankly, you were boring the crap out of me." She casts a glance at Smith in obvious disgust, "It's time for you to leave."
Smith nods and puts down the whiskey, "I was thinking the same thing. Thank you for your company. Good night."
Damen glances at Mr. Smith as he leaves. He coughs. "I'll be by for some haddock later."
Pestilence regards Damen, "Why?"
Damen shrugs, "Because I'm leaving. And if you are going to have to deal with Jane...then you might as well have everything at your disposal."
Pestilence laughs, "And you don't think she could have done what I just did to you? You do underestimate her, Damen. Not that I am ungrateful."
"I'm tired of it. I'm tired of placating her...and stroking her ego. She desperately wants to get into a game that I don't want to play. I want to be left alone and she wants to mix it up with the big boys." He gestures, "So now you and she can....just leave me out of it. This has never been about me underestimating her....neither you nor her has been able to see that. It's just about Yosannah and me never walking down the same path. We want different things."
Pestilence winces and she is forced to clutch at her shoulder. "Your loss has always been my gain, Damen. I don't need to see things from anyone's view except my own. Nor do I care about what either of you want." She smirks, "I do hope it comoforting to know that she pleaded with you in the end."
Damen shrugs. ".....spout your gibberish to someone who cares."
Pestilence is still cornered behind the bar, "Then get out of my way."
Damen walks to the window. "After you."
Pestilence moves out from behind the bar, she stumbles once and is forced to lean against a stool to maintain her balance.
Damen sits on the windowsill, regarding her. If he feels ill, he doesn't show it.
Pestilence moves toward the hallway door. Her footsteps can be heard as they head up the stairwell...