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May 12, 2001 |
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World's End Bar...
Damen leans over and kisses her cheek. "What have you been up to as of late?"
Yosannah continues to wave at the server. "Nothing... Why can't I ever get anyone's attention around here."
Damen smirks as he watches Yosannah.
Yosannah gives up and glances once at Blake and Tina before turning back to her table. "I live a boring existance. Except when I get the occasional visit from Death."
Damen raises an eyebrow. "You've been visited again? Why didn't you tell me?"
Yosannah says "I'm telling you now, hoser."
Damen pokes her, "So continue."
Yosannah shrugs "There's nothing to tell. She thinks I'm "in", so she leaves me alone. "I set her on a task, the idiot."
Damen raises an eyebrow. "What task?"
Yosannah nods, "There you go then. it's not important that you should be involved. I had an amulet once that Merlin gave me. Very powerful healing thingy or something. I sent her to find it because Pestilence hid it from me."
Tina giggles and pulls Blake towards the door with her, "Let's try here first."
Yosannah giggles too and rolls her eyes.
Damen glances at the giggling noise and barely refrains a grimace.
Yosannah continues her conversation... "So, that's all there is to tell, really."
Damen says "If you don't know where it is....how do you expect her to find it?"
Yosannah says "When I lost it, Merlin cast some sort of spell on me and made me remember it. Or made her tell him where it was." She sighs, "It's all so fucked up. But I can picture it. I think it's the place Dalt found the four of them. I told her to start with Dalt." Yosannah says "I know I've been there. I just don't know..." She shrugs.
Damen reagrds her, "And it's supposed to heal you?"
Yosannah explains, "When you weren't around and he and I met, I knew something was wrong with me. I didn't know it was 'her'. He gave it to me because Iwas ill and nobody could figure out why. 'She' surface at some point and took it off me and hid it. I think it weakened her or something but she was definitly scared of it." Yosannah says "I know it has other powers, but I'm not sure what."
Damen nods and gestures, "And the collar? Is it similar? Has it been working?"
Yosannah says "As far as I know. But their two different things of course. That amulet has defensive properties to it. It would be a nifty little toy to have back."
Damen nods.
Yosannah says "Maybe once I have it back you can tell me what else it does."
Damen nods, "I should be able to...as long as it wasn't made with the pattern or logrus."
Yosannah makes a face. "I think that will be a problem then. I'm sure he's one of those logrus types."
Damen says "As well as pattern. If that's the case though....I can look at it with a friend."
Yosannah says "He's a pattern type to? You're sure?"
Damen nods, "Corwin is his father. Amberite...Dara is his mother....Chaosian."
"Doesn't mean he can do both. You can't do pattern and your Brand's grandboy."
Damen smiles, "I can't?"
"You can?" Damen waggles his eyebrows and takes up the glass of wine the waitress finally delivers to him. He regards her, "You're slow today."
Yosannah smiles at Damen in disbelief before her attention trials to the waitress, "I am so very jealous."
"I'm a big tipper."
"I was talking about the Pattern."
Damen shakes his head, "I haven't walked it yet, Yosannah. I was offered. I chose not to do it."
"Why?" Damen shrugs, "The person who walked it before me died....I had no desire to try."
"Who was that?" Damen smiles, "I don't remember...it was some years ago."
"Before me?"
Damen nods. "But was there a life before you? I think not."
Yosannah smiles. "Yeah, well. I don't suppose you ever intend on walking it then?"
Damen shrugs, "Maybe someday. I'm more interested in the Fount." The what?"
Damen smiles, "We've talked about this before. A fount of energy kept in the Keep of Four Worlds....controlled by Jasra and Brand."
Yosannah says "Oh, that! Yeah. "Well, with the way you've been talking to Jasra lately, that isn't going to happen any time soon."
Damen smirks, "But I'm getting to be on better terms with Brand."
"Yeah? Since when?"
"Last time I saw him....at the banquet."
"And with one decent occasion.. pow. You're on better terms. Doubtful."
Damen smirks, "Yo. We're talking...we weren't before. Don't you think that's a step in the right direction?"
"There's certainly a distinction between 'talking' and 'conversing'."
"You know what would be cool?"
"I know I'm going to regret this... No. What wouldbe cool?"
Damen flicks her nose, "Some credit."
Yosannah swipes at his hand. "I give you lots of credit. I don't know that I give that family of your much though."
Damen smiles, "Something has to be said about a family that has most shadows in fear."
"Yeah. Reminds me of Hitler."
He laughs. "Hitler was a bigot...he just wanted to erase the Jews....Brand...well, he wanted to eradicate *everybody*."
Yosannah says "An equal opportunity racist. I see the difference."
Damen smirks and sips his wine.
Elbridge...
"I meant to mention..I'll be calling the members of the Gideon Club soon. To officially vote you and Ryker in."
"Me AND Ryker?"
Damen raises an eyebrow, "Are you going deaf?"
"Does Ryker know this?"
Damen nods,"He does."
Smith walks down the road smoking a near finished cigarette.
This man, when standing up,
is barely over 6 feet. His skin is tanned, and his eyes are covered
by round black lenses that cover his eye sockets. If you're close
enough to his well shaven face you may notice a small, clean,
straight scar under his chin. His face is a bit long and he has short
black buzzed haircut at equal length. He wears a black military
jacket. It is unzipped showing a plain white T-shirt. A Mac10 is
strapped to his right hip. His black cargo pants are tucked into
combat boots of the same color. A knife is tucked into his left boot.
He wears a katana on his back.
Yosannah fumbles with her keys and steps away from the silver Dodge Intrepid, heading toward the Inn, "What's the story with Ryker. You're obviously evasive when he's the topic"
Yosannah notes Smith as she talks with Damen.
"I'm evasive...because you don't seem that fond of the man." He turns and regards the new arrival.
"Absolutely not. Unlike the usual delinquents you surround yourself with, I believe he's the only one worth trusting."
Smith says in a calm voice, "Evening. Nice weather out today."
Yosannah stops toying with her keys and offers a smile in Smith's direction. "Ah, yeah. It is."
Smith smiles back, "Beautiful scenery." A man jogs by, paying little heed as he checks his hair in a hand held mirror. As he passes, he mutters "Have to get back to tape the TwilightZone..."
Damen regards Smith, "Mundane conversation."
Yosannah chuckles. Perhaps at the man's blatant form of small talk. She is practically knocked over by the local jogging by, however.
Damen moves to her side, "You okay?"
"Fine."
Smith asks, "I wonder what was wrong with him."
"I think he had to get back to ah.. what he say, D? tape the Twilight Zone."
Damen shrugs.
Yosannah turns to Smith and asks, "Ah, can we help you with something?"
Damen turns his gaze again, studying Smith.
Smith shrugs, "Nothing that I can think of. I'm just taking a walk and having a breath of fresh british air."
Damen nods. "Fair enough."
Yosannah smiles, "You don't look familiar to me. You live in the area?"
Smith smiles, "Afraid not. I have a place over in Dover. I just thought that I would take a walk out in the country side."
Damen nods, "We own a club in Dover....the Enigma."
Yosannah nods at that.
Smith smiles, "I'm afraid that I haven't heard of it. I don't go to many clubs."
Damen shrugs nonchalantly.
Yosannah laughs.
Smith says, "I own a little fish store there."
"Oh, how quaint" A slightly bizarre looking man walks by, his nose a bit twisted as if it had been broken one to many times. He grins maniacally at you and mumbles, "I burn my soul for an automatic success." He then runs away cackling.
Smith asks, "Is this town usually this strange?"
Yosannah and Damen nod and offer in unison, "Yes."
Smith asks, "And you two live here?"
Damen nods, "We live here and there....but every once in awhile...we visit here."
Yosannah looks at Damen with a smirk and blinks, "You fit right in here, Damen. I don't know what you just said."
Smith asks, "What?"
Damen shrugs. He moves....examing Yo's car.
Yosannah offers to Smith, simply, "We live in this shadow, yes."
Smith throws his cigarette on the ground after his last drag. He crushes it silently with his left boot, blowing smoke as he does.
Smith says "So you know of shadow. Interesting. Indeed this place is strange."
Damen smirks at Smith's words. "You live in Dover. Where are you from originally?"
Smith, her eyes drifting to Smith answers Damen, "London." A well dressed, clean cut man walks by, with a steaming cup in his hand. He smiles and mentions, "Nothing like a good cup of coffee..."
Yosannah studies Smith, her eyes drifting to the fire-arm at his hip.
Smith pulls out a cigarette from a soft pack that was in his jacket. He puts it in his mouth and light it with a silver zippo which he had with his cigarettes. Smith holds out the pack, "Would you care for one?" He speaks to either of them.
Damen shakes his head. "No, those things will kill you."
Smith chuckles smoke, "Ah yes. So do many other things."
Yosannah crosses her arms and chuckles. She lowers her head as she kicks her foot into the sidewalk.
Damen says "So..how does a fish store owner know of shadow, sir?" He smiles faintly, "If I may be so bold to ask."
Yosannah looks at Damen from the corner of her eye. A knowing smile plays on her lips - as if she were prepared to ask that question herself.
Smith replies smiling as the cherry of the cigarette glow a bright red. Smoke disappears from his mouth with an intake of air, "I've done much before I opened my shop."
Damen chuckles, "Like earn a B.S. in ambiguity?"
Yosannah can not help but smirk at Damen's words. She keeps her chin lowered in effort to hide her amusement. Smith exhales a steady stream of smoke, "I've done some mercenary work, as well as some other stuff."
Damen nods, "In other shadows." And then in perfect mimickry, "Interesting."
Smith asks Damen, "how about yourself?"
Yosannah mumbles under her breath, "...this should be good..."
Damen shrugs nonchalantly. "I dabble."
Yosannah rolls her eyes at Damen. "Hypocrite"
Damen smirks, "-You're- marrying me."
Smith asks, "In what?"
Damen shrugs again, "I'm just a guy, you know? An entreprenuer. It's a long list..."
Yosannah offers to Smith, "He's so dramatic, isn't he."
Smith nods, "Ah, yes. I've noticed."
Smith says to Damen, "You can mention a bit from the list. I'm sure it won't bore me."
Damen shrugs again, "Well, as I said...we own a club." And he he gestures offhandedly to Yosannah. "Apart from that...I meander. Not too much to say, I'm afraid. Perhaps she can embellish for me."
Smith nods and shrugs, "I'm just a guy who owns a fish store who has a done a little violence in the past. But I'm just a guy you know? Nothing special."
Yosannah looks between the men, "well, you two could pass for brothers." She rolls her eyes again.
Damen smirks, "Touche'."
Smith laughs more smoke and extends his hand, "I'm Mr. Smith."
Damen nods and offers his own hand. "Damen. Damen Raynard." Damen jerks a thumb towards Yo, "The critic is Yosannah."
Smith nods shaking the hand with a firm grip, "A pleasure."
Yosannah smirks at Damen and holds out her hand,, "Thanks Damen. Hello, Mr. Smith. Don't you have a first name?"
Damen nudges Yo. "Don't you have a last name?"
Smith shakes Yo's hand firmly, "You could call me Smith if you would like."
Yosannah pointedly ignores Damen, "Kinda like a friend of mine. Never goes by his first name. I think he does that in effort to fake some sort of mystery."
Smith shrugs at Yo's comment, "I don't think I know him."
Yosannah chuckles, "I didn't say his name. I be very impressed if you guessed it . He and Damen are members of a Club up the street from here. His name is Stone."
Smith nods, "What kind of club?"
Yosannah considers, glancing at Damen as he inspects her car, "Ah, some sort of exclusive, member's only sort of thing. And seeing as I'm not a member..." She shrugs.
Smith asks, "Like the Masons?"
Yosannah runs a hand through her hair, "Ah, not quite but I think you get the idea. "
Smith nods, "I remember there being a Mason conspiracy in Scotland Yard a long time ago."
"Uh, sure. The Masons. Anyway, stop by sometime. It's the Gideon Club, just North of here past the cemetary. If you can't find it," She motions to the Inn, "Stop by Webber's and my staff can give you a lift." She regards Damen, "You ready, Damen?"
He nods, "Take care, Mr. Smith."
Smith nods, "Sure. It was nice meeting you two." He takes a big drag from his cigarette and waves as he begins walking away.
Yosannah begins to fumble with her keys again as they head toward the Inn.