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August 24, 2003 |
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Gideon Club - Study ...
Yosannah is talking with Rohan when Lila arrives. She is at the bar, hands crossed over her chest. The boy lingers in a recliner, beer in hand.
Rohan looks Lila over and sips his beer.
Lila blinks seeing Rohan with a beer, shrugs then walks over to the bar, "Thought this place was empty as usual."
Yosannah regards the woman cooly as she wanders in without so much as a greeting, "Lila?" She seems doubtful.
Lila nods to Yosannah, "I am her, do I know you?"
Rohan looks at Yosannah and grins.
Yosannah nods, "Yeah, I think we met about five or six years ago. Yosannah." She holds out her hand, "Didn't you do some clerical work for Stone back then?"
Lila ponders as if lost in thought for a second before replying, "Yes I used to work for him, as did you I believe."
Yosannah chuckles, "No. That second part is a No. Where ya been?"
Lila smiles, "Working on projects, and finally getting out of Stone's shadow."
Yosannah nods, "Good for you. Can't say that I blame you." She gestures over her shoulder to the boy, "You know Roharm?"
Rohan says "Rohan."
Yosannah repeats, "Rohan."
Lila shakes her head no, "Rohan and I have not met till now, can someone explain to me why he is drinking a beer..a child drinking?"
Rohan says "Because I'm a man. I take care of myself so I'll do what I want."
Yosannah smiles at Lila, "Funny, I asked him the same thing. Seems the Thug Master here thinks he's old enough. Hell, already killed tons of people too apparently." She mutters, "If you can believe that."
Despil comes in from the lobby.
Rohan says "I can hold my own in the Kitchen."
Yosannah stands at the bar, hands crossed over her chest, next to Lila. A smile plays on the lips as the two women converse with the boy in the recliner. She notes Despil's arrival and moves toward him without so much as a word.
Despil comes in and says, "Cheers, all."
Yosannah smiles at Despil as she nears him, holding out both hands as if to take his in greeting.
Lila eyes the newcomer then comments to Yosannah, "Been writing a few books to be honest, the dummies guide to religion and the infulence amber and chaos have on such.
Despil says to Lila, "How about the converse of that? It would be more interesting."
Yosannah takes a retreating step away from Despil as he addresses Lila. "Despil, this is Lila." She gestures toward the woman.
Lila smiles over at Despil, "You are reall interested in my theories?"
Despil smiles to Lila and says, "I am."
Yosannah offers, "You probably would find quite a market for such a thing, actually." She mutters as she moves toward and behind the bar, "... I know I would be." She begins preparing a drink. A Manhattan to be specific.
Lila grins and comments, "In most shadows which have a connection to a god like creature, odds are the diety is a chaosian or amberite on a complex trying to simply control them. The amberite or chaosian does not believe they are any more than pawns and helps the said "God's" ego." She watches for reactions before she goes on.
Yosannah spears a cherry with a plastic sword and drops it into the drink. She returns around to the front of the bar and hands the glass to Despil, "I dunno about that. How 'bout you, Despil?" She seems to have forgotten the boy sitting in the recliner with a beer in his hand.
Rohan listens quietly to the conversation.
Lila hmms, "After all from the interviews I have had with self proclaimed gods in shadows have pointed this way..you only wonder if Amberites and Chaosian are gods to shadows..what sort of creatures must be greater to act like gods claiming to the serpent and the unicorn...another false god.
Yosannah raises a brow at Lila's hypothosis, "And if the Unicorn were to stand here before you and declare herself to you, you'd still not believe it, is that what you're saying?"
Lila nods to Yosannah, "You are correct for odds are it is just a shifter using his or her powers to claim to be such..for if there was gods then by theory you must remove the free will.
Yosannah shrugs as she hands off the drink to Despil, "Well, I beg to disagree with you. You're suggesting that if there truly are beings greater then ourselves, that we are pawns set on a stage for their amusement and control. And Faith dictates something more then that."
Lila says "Then explain to me why the amberite known as Calis claimed to be a God in the shadow Hell's kitchen, simple to use the locals of the shadow as his pawn."
Yosannah chuckles at that, "Now that is something completely different."
Lila seems very serious.
Yosannah offers, "Calis can be a pompous asshole. And I dont' doubt, very much, in fact, that he is using Hell's Kitchin for his own ends."
Despil takes the drink from Yo. "Thank you." He sits at the bar."The other thing to remember is how Shadow affects Chaos and Amber."
Yosannah nods at Despil, "Touche."
Lila eyes Despil, "Now I am curious on this subject matter."
Yosannah leans against the bar, elbows propped up behind her as she looks to Despil, obviously interested in his thoughts.
Despil sips his drink and says, "Think about it. Shadow is infinite, isn't it? Let's take the present bit of trouble we had in Chaos, the one Yo was connected to."
Lila says "What trouble?"
Despil says, "The plagues and so on, associated with the horsebeings."
Lila says "Oh yes that bit of humor."
Despil says "That was a case of shadow affecting Chaos. Said creatures came from shadow, and some people adopted them into past quasi-legend."
Despil says, "Amber's worse."
Lila says "It seems perhaps I should look more into chaos, I have been studying mostly from either shadow and amber."
Yosannah considers this, "You're sure to get no shortage of perspectives in Chaos, that's for sure. Even on this issue. But, yes. Amber is probably worse." She smiles at Despil, "Or better depending on your view."
Lila comments to Despil, "May I have the honor of who I am speaking to?"
Despil nods to Yo and says, "True. Let's face it, Amber is a shadow of a Hollywood interpretation of Elizabethan England, and Hollywood did it better. But don't quote me on that, please." He answers Lila with, "Despil Sawall."
Yosannah chuckles lightly.
Lila laughs and nods, "I thought I was the only one who thought that..I did feel like I was back in old England there."
Yosannah mutters and suggests, "Well, you'll look forward to meeting Magnus and the others in Chaos then. I wish you the best." She rolls her eyes.
Rohan finishes his beer and stands.
Lila shakes her head, "Ms. Yosannah, I fear I cannot, still doing research on the subject at this backwater shadow known as Eygpt, I believe... or was it Nile.
Despil smiles. "Let's take one shadow -- or one familyof them -- Earth. There is far richer culture in that set of shadows than you find in both Amber and Chaos together."
Yosannah smiles thoughtfully, "Excactly."
Lila listens in silence.
Rohan's movements are not lost on Yosannah. She regards the boy sidelong as he stands.
Rohan puts a cigar in his mouth, unlit. "I have to find my way back to my flat. It was nice talking to you all. Nice meeting you Lila."
Despil waves. "Cheers, Rohan."
Lila waves, "Farewell Rohan, till our paths cross once again."
Yosannah smiles lightly at the boy, obviously disapproving of the cigar.
Rohan nods. "Farewell." He makes his way to the door and is gone when it closes.
Yosannah inquires of Lila, "Lila, are you saying that you have no faith that there exists something greater then yourself? That beyond your existance there is nothing?"
Lila says "Actually Yosannah, I see the way of science..for example: Amberites and Chaosians are just a more evoled verison of the shadows."
Yosannah shakes her head, "I don't understand what you're getting at."
Despil asks, "What do you mean by evolved?"
Lila says "Darwinism..short and sweet."
Yosannah chuckles, "Wow. Okay. But that doesn't answer my question."
Despil drinks more of his manhattan. "Personally, I think it unlikely."
Yosannah winks at Despil, "Yes, to suggest that Despil here is more evolved then I is ridiculous."
Lila says "Actually this is what I am saying by the way of dna"
Yosannah shakes her head, "But now you're getting away from your original point. That there is no God. Not here. Not out in shadow. Not in chaos. I'm not following you anymore. Unless you're saying that the only gods are Chaosians and Amberites because of their DNA and that there is nothing greater then they and their existance."
Yosannah shrugs her shoulders, "Prove it."
Despil says, "Even if there is one, it's highly unlikely that I am in any way more evolved than Yo. We are different -- creatures. The word species itself does not even apply."
Lila says "It is only a more evoled being claiming such..there have been too many examples of such...the shadow of twilight, which has three chaosians claiming to be gods, Hell's Kitchen and amberite and some mystery woman calling herself death..shall I go on..can you prove to me there is a god Yo?"
Lila says "No not at all, I have been listening...different creatures was own words correct?"
Yosannah regards Despil for a moment, perhaps reflecting on his characterization of their 'differences'. She turns to Lila and offers, "I can't prove there is any more then you can prove there isn't. And that's where I think you're agrument is flawed. Even your belief in science and the fact that it cannot prove the lack of a God really is just an agrument of faith. Your analysis keeps falling back to something lacking substance. A lack of a factual basis for your hypothosis. Consequently, we are at an impass."
Lila claps, "Point taken Ms. Yosannah."
Despil says, "My point is that I can trace my heritage back to creatures born from a different universe than the creatures of Yo's ancestors, and so Natural Selection is at best irrelevant, and at worst obviously false, as we have no ancestors in common."
Yosannah smiles at Lila. She looks again to Despil, however. Something about his point seems to disturb her as evidence by the creases at her brow. She nods however, obviously in agreement.
Lila sighs and nods to Despil then to Yosannah, "You both make very good points, from two different views. It seems I have much more to research."
Yosannah nods in agreement, "It's an interesting subject, to be sure."
Despil crosses his legs as he takes another drink. He nods to Lila and says, "Many rules of mundane science simply don't apply to the laws that govern shadow."
Lila closes her eyes, "Please let's not go into that magic x-factor the effect which some try to use to prove that science is flawed."
Yosannah smiles, "Science is only as good as the facts that can be known. And I, for one, don't profess to know everything there is to know across the known world."
Despil says "Why not? Are you afraid to look into that telescope?"
Yosannah is obviously interested in the answer to Despil's question. Her gaze lingers on Lila.
Lila says "People keep speaking about magic, but as of yet I have seen no true signs of such...A man claimed he could cast fire, then did such..but when I ask to see if he was carrying a small flamethrower he refused."
Yosannah furrows her brow, "I'm surprised you doubt the use of magics. You've been across shadow after all."
Despil says, "Science is not a body of knowledge. It is a way of knowing; it is a process." He continues, "I taught physics for -- forty years or so -- at a University in some Earth. I didn't show them any quote-quote magic, but I'd be happy to do so for you, under controlled experimental circumstances. What I'm saying is that the body of facts produced by Earth science do not take into account physical or biological facts that people similar to me live under."
Yosannah mutters with a smile, "I've seen your 'magic'. Maybe you should spare her. "
Lila says "Mister Despil I would like to see such at a later time..but I will take that as a rain check."
Despil nods and says, "Any time."
Yosannah regards the woman, "Does that mean you are off?"
Lila says "I must depart for yet again I have another meeting to go to."
Despil says "What a pity."
Yosannah smiles at the woman, "Well, I'm glad you stopped by. It was good to see you again, Lila."
Lila says "It was an honor to see you as usual Yosannah, and Mister Despil you have my complete attention for the future."
Despil says, "Despil. Or Mister Sawall."
Lila heads for the door.
Despil gets a napkin from the bar and a pen out of his pocket. He hums a bit and makes a quick sketch.
Yosannah looks to Despil, "What are you doing?"
Despil smiles a bit. "Making a quick sketch."
Yosannah attempts to peer over his shoulder to get a better view of the sketch. "Obviously, of what?"
Despil says "Lila."
Yosannah nods, feigning a serious demeanor, "Ahhh. Of course." She chuckles, "Be gentle with that one. This is all very new to her."
Despil says "Tell me about her."
Yosannah reaches across the bar to a bowl of salted peanuts and fishes out a handful. She tosses one into her mouth, "She's umm... Used to be a sort of assistant to Stone a few years back." She chews and considers for a moment, "Jesus, that must have been about five or six years ago. I remember her talking about using her first trump," she smiles, "And how strange it was for her. I got the impression that Stone was the first to introduce her to shadow and the like." She shrugs, "Though, where she's been over these last few years, I don't know."
Despil says "Ah, then drawing one of her is unlikely to be a surprise."
Yosannah shrugs, tossing a few more peanuts into her mouth, "Well. It might be. I don't know how many calls she gets from strangers."
Despil mmms and nods, continuing sketching. "I'll have to weigh it. How are you?"
Yosannah nods as she continues to munch and watch over his shoulder, "Not too bad. I slept most of the day away actually. But all around, I feel good." She rubs at her stomach, "I've got a nasty little gash across my midsection though that's rather uncomfortable and painful when I go like this," She shifts her torso. "S'pose I shouldn't do that and I wont' have a problem." She winces slightly.
Despil says "How did you get it?"
"Uhh, sometime last night. When we were in the midst of all that insanity."
Despil nods and says, "You could get it looked at." He looks over and asks, "How's your symbiote?"
Yosannah nods, "She's quiet. I don't know that I expected it to be otherwise. But my body feels different. Energized." She finishes off the peanuts and reaches for a napkin, "I could get this looked at?" She reverts back to the earlier topic, "By who?"
Despil says "By some good shifter you trusted. At Shadow General."
Yosannah shrugs, "Ah, there is the crux of the matter. Trust. Don't know that I trust many folks to let them fiddle with my body."
Despil nods. "Then you may have to suffer." He looks to you again and says, "Did I inadvertantly insult you when we were talking to Lila?"
Yosannah smiles at the first part of his retort, but it quickly fades, "No." She drawls on the word. "It um. I guess I don't think much about our 'differences' as you described them. And I suppose the realization sort came over me when you brought it up. We're not the same. And it's a difficult thing to put my mind around, you know."
Despil nods to you and says, "According to shadow laws, we're of the same species."
Yosannah nods, "Yeah." She rests her elbow on the bartop and her head against her fist, "Well..." She shrugs.
Despil says, "It's my opinion that metaphysically, we're more alike than different."
Yosannah nods, repeatedly, "Sure. Of course. Hey, no worries." She smiles. And then, "You said that you could show Lila some magics. I'm curious," she bites at her lip, "You think you could show me something I'd be impressed with?"
Despil smiles. "I think you'd be hard to impress."