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September 8, 2000 |
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Studio Apartment...
Yosannah looks up from the couch as the elevator door opens revealing two men... well, one man and a dwarf.
Damen looks up from the couch. "Ah. Excellent. Thank you, Bartholomew."
The dwarf nods and turns to walk through the door he came in.
Yosannah just stares, "...bartholemew...??"
Hotwire looks around, giving everything a good look, "Nice place."
Damen smiles faintly. "Thank you." He gets up from the coach and offers Hotwire his hand.
Yosannah is in her pajamas, a pair of sweats and a tank top. "D, a guest.. Did you know."
Yosannah snatches up a pillow and hugs it to her chest. Damen looks to Yo, "It was an open invitation."
Hotwire straightens out his tie, "Your employee, Bartholomew, informed me that you would like to take a personal investment in NeoCyberoth."
Damen nods, "Indeed. It seemed an intriguing prospect."
Yosannah grabs up the blanket that hung over the back of the couch. She wraps it around her and moves to stand. She wanders over toward the two men and looks back and forth between them, "What's Neberoth?"
Damen continues, "I was curious whether it was married to any other affiliations....or is it a separate entity in itself? Self-governing...so to speak."
Yosannah asks again, "What's Neberoth?"
Damen explains to Yo, "A company I am considering investing in."
Hotwire stands waiting, "NeoCyberoth is self-governing. It is not loyal to any Houses of Chaos if that's what your asking."
Yosannah shrugs, obviously disinterested, "Whatever." She looks between them one more time and then wanders across the room to the computer desk.
Damen nods, "As well as other organizations...yes. I presume you have documents....current investment possibilities, R&D prospects...basic business plan?"
Damen watches Yo move to the computer fondly, before turning his gaze once again to Hotwire.
Yosannah sits at the computer desk and pokes around in Damen's belongings.
Hotwire stands, "We do a lot of business of many types. How involved in the company can decide how much you get to know. We generally like to have a foot in everything."
Yosannah chuckles under her breath as Hotwire says this.
Damen chuckles softly. "Fair enough. What are -you- looking from your investors?"
Hotwire states, "Usually those investing in my company would be on the trading floors. But you seem to have more of an interest. This strikes my curiosity a bit. How would you invest in a large company such as mine which would make you different from common investors? In other words what are you planning to give and receive?"
Yosannah thumbs through what appears to be a date book.
The hint of a smile plays across Damen's lips. "I offer the resources that are at my disposal...in exchange for the resources that are at NeoCyberoths disposal. Isn't that the basis of any business relationship?"
Hotwire still standing, he smiles lightly, "It is. I have many resources at my disposal. First I want your name."
Damen nods, "Damen Raynard."
Yosannah eyes Damen.
Hotwire extends his hand, "Hotwire, aka Nick Holden, aka dozen other names."
Yosannah mumbles, "..Hotwire.." She looks up, "is that some sort of hacker name or something?"
Hotwire smiles, "I guess so. It's the name I go by."
Yosannah ingores the rest of the conversation and, after Hotwire leaves...
Yosannah crosses her arms, "So, what was that all about?"
Damen regards her, "What do you mean?"
"Him," She points at the door, "That Hotworm guy."
Damen shrugs, "Business. Possible investments...you heard the conversation."
"How'd you hook up with him though? Where'd you meet him?"
Damen shrugs, "My staff found him...I've been looking for some new investment opportunities and this sounded fairly lucrative."
"In what way?"
Damen grins at her, "What's -your- definition of lucrative in that context, hon?"
Yosannah eyes him, "I'm just curious what he's all about and what you're planning to get out of him." Under her breath, "He seemed like a dolt to me"
Damen nods, "I wasn't that impressed either. We'll see how it goes....so...how are you? Up to anything new and interesting?" He moves to get a soda from the refrigerator.
Yosannah offers simply, "no." She sighs at this.
Damen peers at you after snapping open his soda. "What about getting back into the practice?"
Yosannah sighs, "I've been meaning to. You know, set up shop and such, that is, if I'm not going to go back to being a Prosecutor. Somehow the summer has slipped away from me. Side's, you and I don't agree on where I'd like to set up so..." she shrugs.
Damen raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean we don't agree? You never told me you had a place in mind." Damen moves over to the couch.
Yosannah mumbles, "I was thin... at..th..G..ub." And then she looks up at you, "But you said that I didnt' belong there."
Damen frowns faintly.
Yosannah points at him, "See!"
Damen looks up to you, "I'll rethink my decision, okay?"
Yosannah shrugs, "Whatever."
Damen shrugs nonchalantly. "Then I won't."
"Thpppptt. You know Stone was all set to let me go ahead until you stuck your face in it."
Damen remains silent and merely regards her .
Yosannah grumbles, "It's true."
Damen smiles at her, "So...do you still want to play at the 'whatever' game with me or do you want me to rethink my decision?"
"That's just it, D. It shouldn't ultimately be YOUR decision. I hate that!" She scoots off the couch and wanders over to the bed area.
Damen says "I don't care if you hate it or not....it's not an organization you're a member of. I am. So yes...it's my decision. But you're not even giving me an inch here. I just said I would rethink my earlier decision which I thought would make you happy....but no, you have it stuck in your mind that you want to be irritated about this....which doesn't sell your case to me in the slightest. I have told you my reasons for not wanting you in the Gideon Club....and now I'm telling you I would be willing to rethink it...and all I get is 'whatever'. Sometimes you decide to be too stubborn for your own good, Yo."
Yosannah begins to change her clothes. She slides into a pair of jeans. "The only one who seems against me being there is you. That sucks." She smiles coyly, "And I am stubborn. You like that though." She slips her feet into her boots.
Damen raises his hands, "Am I the only one here who hears me say I will rethink my earlier decision? This is me being swayed over to your feminine-wiles, can't you see that?"
Yosannah laughs and skips over to the couch. She plants a kiss firmly on his forehead. "So, let's go."
Damen raises an eyebrow, "Where are we going?"
Yosannah hmms, "I don't know yet. Get your jacket."
Damen says "Is it cold where you don't know where we're going?" That being said he gets up and collects his jacket. "You know you're crazy, right?"
Yosannah laughs, "Actually, let's go to the Kitchen. Do you know how to get there?"
"Hell's Kitchen?" "Yeah."
Damen says "Nope. Don't frequent there."
Yosannah considers, "Well,we can go through the subway in Dover. Maybe the shadow path still works."
Damen heads out and Yosannah follows.
Once outside she reaches for his hand, "Come on..."
Damen smiles as they make their way down the street towards the center of Dover. The walls and street are nearly black from filth and rusted cars lay dormant and gutted by the roadside. Dank alleys reek of bodily fluids and dark shadows seem to almost reach out from doorways and side streets at all passers by.
Yosannah leans close to him, "This place sucks." She points, "There." They make their way toward the subway entrance. After a short time they pass through shadow and arrive at Hell's Kitchen. Yosannah peers around....
A dark labyrinth more
intimidating and dreary than the darkest of dungeons. On both sides,
black and grey stone rises into the sky seemingly infinitely. The
darkness that is Hell's Kitchen seems even darker here, more
foreboding. Here, the vagabonds and poverty-stricken make their
homes, living in waterlogged cardboard boxes and congregating around
barrel-fires that give only weak heat, and almost no light. Here,
also, are the most dangerous criminals, concealing themselves in
shadows and waiting for the chance to spring on their next victim
like a predator on its prey. Only those bravest souls, or those with
no reason to go on, will venture more than a few feet into any of
Hell's Kitchen's alleys, and even that far is like playing a game of
Russian roulette. The sky of Hell's Kitchen is eternally black, dark
clouds hanging heavily and constantly threatening rain or worse. A
cold breeze seems to blow down the streets at all times, causing the
barrel fires in the alleys to gutter dangerously.
Yosannah casually reaches into the depths of her jacket pocket and retrievs the silver glock hidden there. She climbes over some rubble, "Come on. I'm sure it was here."
Damen raises an eyebrow, "This is a nice date, Yo."
"This isn't a date. And you've been here before with me, don't you remember? Come on."
Yosannah pounds on a locked steel door. The sound echoes down the ally. After a moment more she crosses her arms in a huff.
Damen smiles, "What are we looking for?
"I was here before," She points at the gound with the barrel of the glock. Apparently trying to indicate where 'here' is. "As Pestilence. This is where I met that woman, Riva. I've been meaning to get back here ever since you started bringing her around." She looks this way and that.
Damen crosses his arms. "Why?"
"Dude, she's been stalking me. And I'm assuming it's because of her relationship with you." She begins to move down the allyway, "And, in case you haven't noticed, the girl is fucked up." She stops and turns fully to face him, "Multiple personalities or something." She continues on, "But sometime she talks about this guy - Avim. Ever hear of him?"
Damen nods, "Her husband. And maybe she's not stalking you but rather just doesn't have many friends?"
Yosannah shakes her head, "Nut uh. I was talking to her one day when she dropped by the Inn. And after a while she blurted out, 'Lady! I don't know you!!' and I was like.. what the fuck. Are you coming?"
Damen says "She had some problems in the past...where are we going, Yo?"
"Maybe she lives here with HIM!"
"Who?"
"Avim. How come you never listen to me...."