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May 27, 2003
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Gideon Club - Lounge...
Yosannah makes her way up the stairwell,
small folded paper in her hand. She seems to be reading it over, a
puzzled expression on her face.
Mora holds an elegant champagne flute.
She is gazing toward the conservatory when Yosannah
enters.
Yosannah looks up from her note, gaze
falling on the woman, "Mora. Hello."
Mora gives Yosannah a small smile,
"Hello." Her gaze flickers over to Yosannah's wrist.
Yosannah lifts the note eye-level, "I
don't suppose you know what this is all about?" It reads:
Your
presence is requested at Gideon on the twenty-seventh day of May at
nine o'clock in the afternoon of that day.
S.
Mora seems slightly amused, "No, I almost
thought it a joke."
Yosannah looks about the room, "Maybe
you're right." She smiles, "Jokes on you and me it seems."
Mora shrugs, lifting her small shoulders,
"It would not surprise me."
Yosannah moves to sit on the arm of the
easy chair. She glances down at the chess board on the table, "Why do
you say that?" She crosses her arms over her chest.
Mora says "It is not as if I am well
liked here."
A servant wanders in from the stairwell,
tray in hand and two champagne flutes thereon. He approaches the
women hestitantly and mutters, "Ladies..."
Yosannah smiles at the servant and
reaches for a glass, "Thank you." To Mora, "Another?"
Mora nods and replaces her glass with a
fresh one. She murmurs, "Thank you."
Yosannah nods lightly to the Club servant
as he takes his leave of them. She turns her gaze back to Mora, "I'm
not sure I follow you. Is this based upon an impression ... or..."
she shrugs.
Mora says "A combination of impressions
and reactions. Ryker in particular."
Damen comes up the stairs.
Yosannah lets out a short laugh, "Ryker
doesn't like anybody..." She lowers her voice as Damen enters the
room.
Damen pauses at the door. "I see everyone
is their usual punctual self."
Mora sips her champagne and nods to
Damen.
Yosannah smiles at Damen, obviously happy
to see him, "You included." She stands from her seat on the arm of
the chair.
Damen moves to the bar, reaching down and
behind to grab a bottle of water.
Mora looks surprised, "Just
water?"
Damen shrugs nonchalantly. "Couldn't be
helped. Bartholemew told the people who needed to know." Damen sips
his water.
Yosannah furrows her brow, arms still
crossed over her chest, flute in hand, "What do you mean?"
Damen smiles faintly, "Exactly what I
said." He takes a moment to acknowledge Mora's presence with a
nod.
Yosannah bites at her lower lip and
exhales lightly. The smile fades from her lips and she turns back
toward Mora and resumes their conversation, "I wouldn't worry so much
about him, Mora. There's no winning that one over."
Damen adds, "That can be said about a lot
of people." Damen moves from the bar to study a painting near the
chessboard.
Mora nods and takes another sip of her
champagne.
Yosannah gives a sidelong glance in
Damen's direction, "You said it."
Damen nods to himself and glances at his
watch.
Yosannah asks of Damen, "I don't suppose
Stone spoke with you about Despil."
Damen shakes his head. "No. He hasn't.
What of him?"
Yosannah offers for both of their sakes,
"I think he was going to talk to you about making him a member or
some such thing."
Damen raises an eyebrow. "The reclusive
Despil? I am somewhat surprised he's been swayed by
Stone."
Yosannah looks into her flute as she
shrugs her shoulders, "He wasn't."
Mora smiles, "I quite enjoy Despil's
company."
Damen says "Oh?" he offers, "Then was it
you?"
Yosannah nods as if in agreement with
Mora and then, to Damen, she states, "You're not the only one with
the power of pursuasion, Damen."
Damen chuckles softly, "Mora...you would
think a cactus was charming company if it gave you the time of
day."
Yosannah furrows a brow at Damen's words,
"You're an asshole."
Damen nods, "That has been confirmed more
than once, my love."
Mora smiles, "Thank you for confirming
something for me."
Yosannah turns her attention to Mora as
she speaks.
Damen rubs the bridge of his
nose.
Yosannah sets her glass on the table at
the center of the room, "What's going on with you Damen. Mora didn't
deserve that."
Damen regards Yosannah. "Since when have
you been the champion of the little people, Yo? Turning over a new
leaf ? Or has your new regard enveloped more than just our
relationship?"
Yosannah blinks at him, "Champion of the
-what-?"
Mora places her glass down, "Well, it has
been..." Mora moves forward and vanishes, leaving behind a rapidly
fading afterimage.
Yosannah crosses her arms over her chest
and looks to Mora's lingering image.
Damen sips his water.
Yosannah lowers her gaze to the floor as
if unable to make eye contact with him. "What's on your mind. Just
say it."
Damen says "Nothing is on my mind, Yo.
Absolutely nothing."
"You came here angry. Why?"
Damen raises an eyebrow. "Actually the
correct term is impassive. And I think you know why....so don't play
the uninformed innocent."
Yosannah shrugs, gaze looking somewhere
past him, "There's no excuse for you acting this way. Certainly not
to her. Especially if I'm the target." She sighs, "Is that it? Am I
the target?"
Damen says "Do you feel like a target,
Yo? I don't see how you can be....you made it clear to me that you
wanted your space. Yet, it was that same space that seemed to put the
seed of doubt in your mind, was it not? Me not being around?" His jaw
twitches. "We shouldn't even have to be discussing it. You know all
of this....you can't even meet me in the eyes."
Yosannah nods, "Okay." Still nodding,
"Then there's no reason for the tension if we 'know all
this'."
Damen shrugs and sips his water. "Well,
it doesn't seem like anyone else is coming. No need for us to waste
each other's time."
"You're not a waste of time, Damen." She
begins to move toward the stairwell but pauses, "Things will work
out. One way or the other."
Damen says "Yes. There are always two
options that pretty much cover all the bases, aren't there? One way
or the other."
Yosannah considers that for a moment and
then chuckles lightly, "Yeah." She smiles, biting at her lip, "Yeah."
She heads toward the door.
Damen nods and moves to the
armchair.
Yosannah makes her way out of the Club
and wanders through the ...
Cemetery of the Lost
Souls...
She removes a trump from her pocket and
stares at the image...until she has established contact with
Merlin.
To the image of Merlin,
Yosannah is standing amidst and ash strewn graveyard, "Corey. Hey,
are you bus..." She squints as if in effort to ascertain his
surroundings.
The image of Merlin tilts his head. "A
little," he says,"And you'll never guess where I am."
To the image of Merlin, Yosannah raises a
brow, "I'm almost scared to."
The image of Merlin nods his head. "I
received an invite. Curious why. So I'm here."
To the image of Merlin, Yosannah says "An
invite? Invite where?"
The image of Merlin says "The Spade's
place in Erotic City. Should I ask Joshua about that bandage on your
arm while I'm here?"
To the image of Merlin, Yosannah's jaw
drops, "Erotic City? I'm gonna guess that the invite is thanks to
Emily." She shakes her head and then adds, abruptly, "And
no."
The image of Merlin says "You're probably
right."
To the image of Merlin, Yosannah says
"Damn straight I am." She bites at her lip, "How long... um... Do you
think you might be tied up?"
The image of Merlin shakes his head
slightly, and seems to be in the process of casually filling a plate
with food. "Can't say, really," he says. "Apparently Dwight and I
have some things to discuss."
The image of Merlin shrugs. "Something to
do with my father."
To the image of Merlin, Yosannah says
"Really." She nods, "I recall Dwight saying something in the Courts
to you about wanting to talk."
The image of Merlin nods his head. "So
curiosity is getting the best of me," he says. "And I want to hear
what he's got to say. How about I call you later and tell you about
it?"
To the image of Merlin, Yosannah lets a
smirk escape the corner of her lips, "Oh, I wouldn't miss it for
anything. Give Joshua a big wet kiss for me."
The image of Merlin smirks. "I'll do
that."
Yosannah breaks off trump contact with
Merlin.