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May 10, 2003
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The Plaza at the End of the
World...
Despil walks by and smiles as he sees
her. "Good turnings, Yo. Another day spent in the Church?"
Yosannah is just exiting the Cathedral
climbing slowly down the steps. She seems to be watching her feet as
she moves but looks up at the sound of Despil's voice. A light but
welcoming smile, "Hey." She looks back at the Archway, "Yeah. I
suppose so."
Despil says "Find any
answers?"
Yosannah shakes her head and matter of
factly states, "No." Her hands are tucked in her pocket as she nears
him, "But, um. It's comforting somehow." She pauses just before him
and changes the subject, "Dinner was nice."
Despil smiles and says, "It was. I was
pleasantly surprised to see you."
Yosannah's gaze falls to the ground, "I
was surprised myself. I'm not so sure why he brought me, actually."
Despil stage whispers, "Maybe he likes
you."
Yosannah kicks at the ground as she
raises her hand to her neck, running a finger over the scar there,
"Yeah. Maybe." She shrugs at this.
Despil says "You sound like you have
mixed feelings about this."
Yosannah bites at her lip as a smile
escapes her mouth, "Heh. I suppose I do. But maybe we could find a
better place to talk about such things then here on the walkway of
the plaza"
Despil says "What's your
pleasure?"
Yosannah slides her hand into his,
casually, "World's End. I like showing up in public places with
Chaosian Lords. It's my latest thing." She winks.
Despil offers his hand. "How do you want
to get there? Trump or Logrus?"
Yosannah's smile broadens, "Logrus. The
sensation feels different to me. New. I like it."
The fabric of your surroundings blurs
into wisps of watchet and red-gold....passing through Shadow... Your
tendrils snatch you forth.
World's End Bar...
Yosannah inhales abruptly as if catching
her breath.
Despil looks around and says, "Looks
quiet. Hello, Sarah. Lord Arashi."
Arashi looks up to Despil "Hey Lord
Despil," he replies, recipercating on the formality of the greeting "
...and its just Arashi. Tacking a 'Lord' to what I am is just bad."
he smiles.
Despil says to Arashi, letting go of Yo's
hand, "I thought I'd heard that the title is now
warranted."
Yosannah's hand slides away from Despil's
as she follows his gaze to the others' table, recognition at the
sight of Arashi. She purses her lips into a smile.
Arashi says "Yeah. But Arashi's not my
name. Its the equivelent of saying Lord 'Chaos Person', or in my
case, more along the lines of saying Lord 'person who's an asshole'.
Arashi is a descriptive."
Despil says "I see. Then what -is- your
name?"
Arashi says "Its... something I am no
longer capable of speaking. It was written out of my being, and my
nature set to its place to keep me whole and from unraveling until I
can regain my name. The more people address me as Arashi as a formal
name, the more I become a true Arashi."
Despil asks Yo, "Any table you like?" He
looks back over to Arashi and asks, "Is there anything you would
prefer to Arashi?"
Yosannahcrosses her arms over her chest
casually before nodding to Despil. Without answering she makes her
way across the room.
Arashi thinks, then shakes his head
"Thanks, but I have to stick with Arashi. If it becomes neglicted,
then it'll slip out of place. Its kind of a curse." Arashi says "If
you want something formal you could call me..." he thinks "Arashi of
Rathorne, as that is what I am, too."
Despil smiles with a bit of crinkling
around his eyes. He says, "Very well, then. Have a good turning, Lord
Arashi."
"You too."
Yosannah and Despil sit at the small
table at the far end of the room.
At your table, Despil laughs. "Ain't I a
stinker?"
At your table, Yosannah smiles lightly at
her table and rolls her eyes. "I have no idea what he was trying to
say. Does he want to be called Arashi, or doesn't he?"
At your table, Despil says "That's my
point. He's recently joined Rathorne as I heard it."
At your table, Yosannah says "And why
call him 'Lord' then?"
At your table, Despil says "Because
that's what he is, then."
At your table, Despil says "What would
you like to drink?"
At your table, Yosannah says "Mmm." She
studies him for a moment and then suggests, "Wine. I'm in the mood
for a Reisling, actually. Chilled."
Despil orders a bottle of Critique of
Pure Reisling and two glasses. The bartender hands it to a server who
takes it to table on the far wall and sets it before him.
At your table, Yosannah begins, "So, your
grandson is the head of your house. Why is that? Why not you?"
Despil pours wine for Yosannah and
himself.
Yosannah watches as the wine spills from
the bottle to the glasses, each in turn.
At your table, Yosannah says "And you
have no interest then?" She expertly moves the conversation away from
their earlier topic, "Is that it?"
At your table, Despil says "I have some
mild interest in it. If he left, I'd probably take over."
At your table, Despil says "It is a lot
of work, however, and the rewards are relatively small."
Yosannah rests her elbows on the table.
Clasping her fingers together she rests them against her
chin.
At your table, Yosannah says "I can
imagine that."
At your table, Despil raises his glass to
her. "To friendship."
At your table, Yosannah lifts her glass
as well, touching hers to his and repeats after him, "friendship."
The word is muttered lightly.
At your table, Despil winks and says, "It
can be to the abstract concept." He drinks.
At your table, Yosannah lifts the glass
to her lips, closes her eyes and drinks. Setting the glass back on
the table, she cups her hands around it, "-It- can be whatever you'd
like -it- to be, Despil."
At your table, Despil nods and looks at
the wine before looking at you again. "And what about you? What do
you want it to be?"
At your table, Yosannah taps at her glass
with fingernail and replies, honestly, "I don't know."
At your table, Despil sips his wine and
says, "I'd love to hear what you're thinking, at the least."
At your table, Yosannah pauses to reflect
on his question, "I'm thinking a multitude of things at all times.
And you mention friendships and I," she exhales. Pauses. Continues,
"I wish I had more. And then I ponder the inevitable question of what
I think is going to happen to me and I wonder what the significance
of friendships is." She smiles flatly at that, "And that's very
dramatic sounding, isn't it?"
At your table, Despil nods to you. He
says, "Having friends is better when you don't know what's going to
happen to you." He reaches over and touches your hand for a
moment.
At your table, Yosannah looks down at the
table where his hand meets hers, "I am, what is the word you used
earlier, uncertain. Or maybe it was, mixed feelings. But," she
shrugs, "I'll deal with it." She nods.
At your table, Despil says "All right.
I'm curious, but it sounds like it's none of my business. I don't
want to pry."
At your table, Yosannah slides her hand
away from his and reaches for her glass, "Oh, but you already have.
That's very coy." She winks.
At your table, Despil winks back. "Then I
won't any more. It's your move on it." He sips his drink.
At your table, Yosannah says "Fair
enough. I'm very fond of your brother." She shrugs, "But beyond
fondness..." she drinks what's left of her wine and gestures for a
refill, "There really isn't much point now, is there."
At your table, Despil refills your glass
and then his. "What do you mean?"
At your table, Yosannah says "The closest
I have ever been to someone was with Luke's son, Damen. And..." She
reaches for the newly filled glass, "I distanced from that because of
what I am now." She looks across the room to the other patrons in the
bar, "Now add to that the comlexity of caring for someone in your
brother's position. And there you have my previous statement: There
really isn't much point."
At your table, Despil says "What is my
brother's position? He's a Lord of Chaos. Admittedly an ex-king, but
about all that's good for is free drinks in Niemand's."
At your table, Yosannah says "Your
brother has certain aspirations," she takes long drink from her
glass, "Aspirations that could seriously be hindered by linking
himself to me." She chuckles, "And we're talking about a lot of what
if's here. What if I was interested. What if he was. Who really
knows? Surely not you."
At your table, Despil hmms. "He wants his
old job back?"
At your table, Yosannah hmmms and sits
quietly for a long moment, "We've had talks. I think beyond that you
should converse with him directly, Despil. But I think you're
beginning to see my point."
At your table, Despil smiles and shrugs.
"I don't think you'd be that much of a hindrance, myself."
At your table, Yosannah is intrigued,
"No?" A short laugh escapes her lips.
At your table, Despil shakes his head and
drinks some more. "No. If you were Queen of Amber, perhaps. What do
you think the issue is?"
At your table, Yosannah offers matter of
factly, "I'm a -shadow- who happens to walk around professing to be
Pestilence. Rider of the Serpent." She shakes her head, "Pshh. Come
on now. You're a smart guy." She mutters, "He'd have better luck,
politically, if I -were- the Queen of Amber..."
At your table, Despil says "I don't
understand what the issue is. That you're a shadow?"
At your table, Yosannah chuckles, "Are
you trying to talk me into a love affair? Is this what this is all
about? You're playing Lord match-maker now? You're nuts." She smiles
and finishes off her second glass of wine and pushes her empty glass
toward Despil.
At your table, Despil laughs and refills
glasses again. "Why not? If I can't have you why not him?" He winks
teasingly and adds, "But humorously, folks."
At your table, Yosannah says "Keep it in
the family, right?" She nods, feigning seriousness, "Is that the
idea?"
At your table, Despil says "If Merle
thinks that being involved with a shadow will look bad on him, then
he's still too twitchy for the job. His past is a much bigger
obstacle."
At your table, Yosannah smiles, "I don't
know what he thinks. If the truth be told. I don't know that I have
even thought that much about it. I'm really trying not to quite
frankly."
At your table, Despil drinks and nods.
"Fair enough. I think you're sweet together, and you do have
history."
At your table, Yosannah seems about to
comment but multiple thoughts get caught in her mouth and all that
comes out is an exhale of breath and then a pause.
At your table, Despil laughs a bit and
watches you, eyes sparkling. "Yes?"
At your table, Yosannah raises a hand and
scratches at her temple with her forefinger, "Sweet?"
At your table, Despil says "Maybe I'm
projecting or something."
At your table, Yosannah says "You're
something all right. I'm not sure what, however."
At your table, Despil says "Tell me what
it is when you know."
At your table, Yosannah says
"Absolutely." She nods and then thinks out loud, "This is very
strange to be talking about with you."
At your table, Despil says
"Why?"
At your table, Yosannah shrugs, "It's
weird on a couple of levels. First of all, I haven't ever really
given my -friendship- with your brother this much thought. And second
of all, you're family. These aren't the sorts of things I should be
talking about with a guy's brother." She adds, "This would either be
really funny to him or he'd be pissed."
At your table, Despil grins. "Merle and I
are neither close nor distant. I like him, but we've never spent much
time together."
At your table, Yosannah says "Ah well,
close or not. Family is family."
At your table, Despil says "That is
true."
At your table, Yosannah swirls the liquid
in her glass, "So. We didn't get to talk much at the dinner. Why was
that?"
At your table, Despil smiles. "Because I
didn't know how much I should admit that we know each other. And
because it's a family dinner and those are always tense."
At your table, Yosannah says "Ahh, that's
very interesting on both points. Which do I ask about first...
Hmmm."
At your table, Despil says "Order another
bottle of reisling?"
At your table, Yosannah nods, "I probably
shouldn't have more... Hell, screw it."
Despil orders an another bottle of
reisling. The bartender hands it to a server who takes it to table on
the far wall and sets it before him.
At your table, Yosannah says, "Tell me
about the family dynamic. Why so tense?"
At your table, Despil says "There have
always been factions in the family that have competed with each
other. It's very political."
At your table, Yosannah says "And at that
table that night?"
At your table, Despil says "It was calm.
No Mother, no Jurt, no Mandor."
At your table, Despil says "Merle and I
are both strong backers of Mirth, so there's no tension there.
Emily's there, but she's very young."
At your table, Yosannah says "How old is
she?"
At your table, Despil says "One side or
the other of twenty."
At your table, Yosannah chuckles at that
and shakes her head, "Despil, I'm not much older." She lifts her
glass to her lips and smirks behind it.
At your table, Despil looks to you and
says, "Yes, you are."
At your table, Despil says "She's a
fluttery little girl. You're a competent woman."
At your table, Yosannah shakes her head,
"Thank you for the complement." She smiles.
At your table, Despil says "When I talk
to you, I don't think you need adult supervision."
At your table, Yosannah says "That I do
not."
At your table, Yosannah says "So, next
topic. You weren't sure about admitting how much you know me. What's
behind that thought."
Riva nods to Yosannah and Sarah before
sliding into the booth.
At your table, Despil says
"Hypersensitivity, that's all. Don't want to cause you
trouble."
At your table, Despil asks, "Know
her?"
At your table, Yosannah says "Cause -me-
trouble..." She glances at Riva briefly, "Know her. Yes."
At your table, Despil says, "Yeah, you."
He glances over to Riva again. "She looks like trouble."
At your table, Yosannah shrugs, "She is.
More of an annoyance then anything." She studies him, particularly
the outline of his face, "And what sort of trouble do you imagine you
could cause me."
At your table, Despil says "The sort that
would make you not want to talk to me again."
At your table, Yosannah says "Oh no. What
could be so horrible?" She smiles coyly.
At your table, Despil laughs. "Your - old
roommate - getting jealous."
At your table, Yosannah asks, "My old
roomate? My?"
At your table, Despil shrugs. "I'll chat
you up next time."
At your table, Yosannah smiles, "We were
never roomates, Despil. And I don't think anyone would be jealous. So
chat it up, boy."
At your table, Despil says "Oh, I thought
you were. I thought you said you lived together in
Berkeley."
At your table, Yosannah smiles at that,
"Ut uhh. Spent lots of time, but never roomies." And then, "But I
like the attention, so don't be shy next time," she encourages. " Not
to mention it would save me the expense of having to deal with
another round of twenty questions."
At your table, Despil nods and smiles and
drinks. "My pleasure."
At your table, Despil says "From
him?"
At your table, Yosannah says "From your
grandson."
At your table, Despil laughs. "I'll
help."
At your table, Yosannah says "Good. So,
what do you say we talk the rest of this bottle and get out of here?"
At your table, Despil says "If you
like."
At your table, Yosannah moves to slide
away from the table, "I sure would."
Despil stands and leaves the table on the
far wall. He nods to Esme. "Good turning, Esme."
Yosannah steps around the table and moves
to stand closer to Despil, bottle in her hand.
Esme smiles and sings. "Hello, Despil."
Despil offers Yosannah his
arm...