June 19, 2003

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Vrokk - Beach...

Yosannah sits on the beach, sandles beside her. Her knees are tucked up close to her chest and her arms are wrapped around them. She appears to be gazing out over the emerald sea.

Through the power of trumps, Ryker checks your immediate surroundings from afar, recognize the iridescent purple sand he knows so well. Further aided by a memorized spot some fifty yards away, he appears about there, heavier weight sinking into the soft sand. Facing your direction, eyes already know where to look, deep footprints left as he treks towards you.

A light breeze dusts over the beach causing her hair to blow over her face and her eyes. She turns then at his approach, seemingly startled at first. After a moment she offers him a light nod, but then turns her attention back out over the water, "Hello, Ryker."

Ryker's critical squint checks you over, verbally as well. "Feeling better?"

Ryker doesn't sit, standing at an angle before you, not blocking your few.

Yosannah lifts a hand to her mouth, fingers curled and resting against her lips, "Fine. I have a name now. Joachim." She shrugs her shoulders, "Magnus knows who he is. Or so he said."

Ryker huhs. "A name for your thief, you mean?"

Ryker says "How'd you come by it?"

Yosannah attempts to swipe a strand of hair from her eyes as she nods, "Mmm hmm. I did something I'm regretting to get it." She looks to him now, "I let Despil fish it out of my head." She taps lightly at her temple as if to demonstrate, "I shouldn't have done that, should I?"

Ryker shrugs, but there is a fair degree of seriousness to his face. "I wouldn't have. But it's all a matter of how desperate you are." He asks, "How desperate are you?"

Yosannah wets her lips and presses her toes into the purple sand, "I was feeling pretty desperate." She shakes her head, "I was gonna have Merle help me, you know. Someone with whom I have built a little most trust." She shrugs, "But he's um... who knows these last couple weeks." A long exhale and she repeats, "I shouldn't have asked Dez. I don't know him well enough. Jesus, I'm smarter then that."

Ryker mms. Maybe swallows his remark. Instead, "You do you what you have to. There's something I need to know. Will you live, without Pestilence?"

Yosannah furrows her brow and looks out over the water, nodding as if she might have been asking herself that very question, "I'm not cured. Every bit of me is... it's like a cancer." She shrugs, "Maybe. Maybe not. I tend to think not, but every shifter with an ego has wanted a crack at figuring it out. In the mean time I'm using magic to keep me from burning myself out."

Ryker grunts. Turns his attention elsewhere, hands on his hips.

Yosannah inquires, "What's on your mind, Ryker."

Ryker, offhanded, "I don't know Despil well enough to say how much of a risk it was. Trump Artists, Shifters, mages, Chaosians with Logrus. In my experience, they all have their methods of exploiting a familiar mind."

Yosannah nods, listening in the event he has something further to offer.

Ryker doesn't, right away, his profile looking distracted. He frowns. "Gotta go, Yosannah." He moves forward and vanishes, leaving behind a rapidly fading afterimage.

 

Hell's Kitchen - Business District...

Yosannah appears in a sparkle. Tarot in one hand and silver glock in the other. She looks around, cautious.

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ Where are you? I know you can hear me... ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ I am where I am where I always am, alone, in my nightmares. ~

Yosannah's irratation projects to Mariko, quite vividly, ~ You've been asking for me, what do you want. ~

In your mind you sense, ~ Mariko hestitates, muttering in her mind, "Why won't she come here?" ~

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ She? Who are you talking about? ~

n your mind, Mariko says, ~ She asks who she is. If she doesn't know, how can we tell her. She is in my mind. ~

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ Listen, I'm not going to play around with...~ She sighs, ~ This is Yosannah. Were you not asking for me? ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ Ask for her, yes, yes, I did, yes. What do I ask? Can you not sense me, Sister? Where am I? ~

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ Let's get this straight, I'm not your sister. ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ You *were* my sister. ~

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ Something like that, sure. ~ She is insistant, urgency in the tonal qualities of her voice, ~What do you -want-, Mariko. ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ What has happened to me? ~

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ I don't know for sure, ~ She sighs before continuing. ~ I believe that Death, or the portion of Death that remained in you, is gone.~ A further thought escapes the resesses of her mind, ~ Not to mention that you're crazy as a loon... ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ How has Death gone? WHERE HAS DEATH GONE!?! ~

Yosannah shakes her head in an effort to clear her mind of the woman's screaming voice.

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ It doesn't matter. You should be free to leave this hole of a shadow now, Mariko. Why don't you leave this place in peace. ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ Can't. ~

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ What do you mean you can't? ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ This world will not let it's savrior leave so easily. ~

Projecting to Mariko's mind, Yosannah says, ~ You're not a saviour, Mariko. You're not a god. ~

In your mind, Mariko says, ~ You think not? ~

Mariko drops the last few feet to the ground from the rusty fire escape. Mariko appears from a shadow.

Yosannah is standing against a wall of a building, back pressed firmly against it. She carries a silver clock in one hand and a tarot in the other. She studies the woman cooly despite the perspiration on her brow.

Mariko shrinks back from the sunlight, glaring up at the hateful sun. She scowls somewhat, cringes even. Her hair is a unkempt, her dress a mess.

"Then prove, show me how you can leave this shadow."

Mariko laughs a nervous little laugh, "You think this world will let me? The power it grants me ties me to it. I can't leave because I'm a part of this world."

Yosannah humphs, "Power? Over what?" She gestures about the area with her arms,"This festering cesspole? Then congratulations on your -power-." She scoffs.

Mariko laughs and coughs at the same time, "My . . . *gift*," she looks around, "for saving this world. And to make sure I enjoy it, it binds me here. This *festering cesspool,* yes, it is that indeed, is my prison, Yosannah. Goddess and prisoner am I. You think I boast, you know nothing. Arrogant bitch."

Yosannah shakes her head, "I came here out of a lingering respect for Kitsune, and because Stone asked me to. It won't happen again." She begins to regard the tarot in her hand.

Mariko says "You think Kitsune is any less a prisoner? You think I want to rule my daughter's body? You're such a fool."

Yosannah's image begins to shimmer....

 

Gideon Club - Hallway...

Yosannah enters from the front door, a silver glock in her right hand hangs at her side.

Stone says, "Don't shoot."

Yosannah looks to him and nods her head, repeatedly as she asks "Do you know where I just was?"

Stone thinks the briefest of moments before saying, "Metropolis."

Yosannah rolls her eyes as she slides the safty into position. "I went to the Kitchen. Because I got your little message about Mariko." She runs a hand over her damp hair - forehead most with perspiration.

Stone ahs and says, "How'd that go then?"

Yosannah raises a brow, "Well, she's clearly out of her mind. And -you- are out of your mind for sending me there."

Stone grins, "I just passed the message along. I failed to mention she fancied herself a goth goddess?"

Yosannah nods, wetting her lips, "I knew that, but she's worse then the last time I saw her." After a moment she adds, "In any event, I'm taking that trump out of my regular deck."

Stone says "That bad?"

Yosannah nods, "I'm done dealing with Her. It. Whatever. She's not stable and I'm in no position to deal with her." She shrugs and then steps toward the stairwell - pausing however, "Hey, I wanted to apologize."

Stone tilts his head, "For what?"

Yosannah lifts her free hand to her neck, massaging it lightly, "The other day. I snapped at you when Nash was here. I didn't mean to."

Stone grins, waving with one hand, "No, you were right. I get kind of loose lipped around you, oddly enough. It was my bad."

Yosannah chuckles lightly at that, "You're -bad- huh?" She shakes her head, "Cute. I'm off. I have some work to do in the study. Have a good night, Stoner."

Stone gives another wave, "Get some rest. Be seeing ya."

Gideon Club Study -- Banished Sun...

Riva has arrived.

Riva taps lightly on the door before peeking in.

There is movement from inside the study and soft muttering. After a moment, the sound of a voice can be heard, "Yes."

Riva peeks her head in. "Hello, Yosannah. Are you busy?"

Yosannah sits at the table nearest the windows, a collage of papers and folders rests on the surface. She nods, tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "Uh, sure." She begins to collect the documentation together in some semblance of order, gazing at the woman sidelong, a question in her green eyes, "What's up."

Riva steps in and shuts the door behind her. "Heard something happened and you were Ill, wanted to check on you." she mutters. "Also had some questions, but that can wait if you're busy."

Yosannah collects the fury of documents in her hands, inclines the mess and raps the compilation against the surface of the table. She sets them off to the side. "Not a problem." She regards the woman and gestures to the chair at the other side of table. "Please."

Riva joins you, sinking into the the chair slowly. "Thanks."

Yosannah claps her fingers together and rests her hands on her knee, "So.." She nods, perhaps waiting for the woman to proceed.

Riva says "I heard Pestilence was taken from you and that Ada-shazandra took it upon herself to heal you. Seeing as she seemed fine, I was figuring you were probably better by now too."

Yosannah's almond eyes narrow faintly, "She did help me yes. To what extent she could." Her lips purse in a crooked and somewhat forced smile, "And what she could not do..." She lifts her hand and taps lightly at the pendant at her neck with the index finger.

Riva peers curiously. "What's that? Anecklace, I can tell, but how did it help?"

Yosannah tilts her head into her chest in an effort to look at the trinket, she lifts it slightly, gazing into the red eye-like gems, "A bit of magic. It was given to me by a friend from Sawall several years back." She drops the item and it rests again against her neck.

Riva nods and considers. "I hope I'm not prying, and if I am, don't hesitate to tell me to shut up." she leans back and rubs her neck. "But you're not Pestilence anymore, right? I'm behind on the news, it seems."

Yosannah chuckles once, just a single exhileration of breath, "Don't worry, Riva. It's not my way, or yours for that matter, to hesitate over such things." And then she adds, "No. At the moment, I am free of it. Hence," She gestures at the item at her neck again, "the need for the magic. I'm still a festering cesspool of disease." She inquires, "Why so curious, Riva."

Riva winces. "Then I'm glad your friend made the necklace." She sighs and mutters. "I'm looking for the man with the red jewel."

Yosannah furrows her brow, eyes narrowing, "The what?"

Riva says "The red jewel, Mariko and Bones mentioned someone who had a red gem that contained death for a time. I can begun to think each of the horsemen had encountered him."

Yosannah's expression is flat as she studies the woman, gaze devouring Riva's visage, "I'm curious, Riva. What would you do with this person if you found him and his red gem, hmm?"

Riva says "Talk. I don't think it's my place to do anything else."

Yosannah lifts her glasped hands from her knee and rests her elbows on the table. She leans toward the woman, "About?"

Riva says "A couple of things, some of which are for he and I to know. Mostly about death." she returns your gaze evenly, gaze lacking her usual self-assured or stubborn air. "I'm trying to find out what went wrong in Mariko's spell to fix hell's kitchen, and my discussion with Bones has raised some other questions."

A Club servant steps into the study from the hallway. He stands quietly until Yosannah notes his presence. After a moment she turns her head to regard him, lifting her chin as if granting him a moment to speak. "The texts you wanted have been pulled from the library and are in the lounge."

She smiles, seemingly greatful, "Thank you."

He inclines his head to her and exits the room.

Yosannah exhales slowly as her attention turns back to Riva. Whether the woman's statement has satisfied Yosannah's curiousity is debatable, "Anything involving the horsemen is of my concern Riva. But," She wets her lips with a tisk, "I unfortunately don't have any other information to share." She shrugs and sits back into her chair, casually.

Riva glances over her shoulder to note the servant before her gaze follows it's path back to you.

Yosannah casts a gaze out the window and over the front yard of the mansion, "Further, I did not witness the incident involving Mariko, nor did I speak to her regarding what she experienced," she shrugs, "So, I can't help you there either."

Riva nods patiently, not seeming over undeterred by this. "And asking what is the fate of Pestilence as well as the other two are out of the question." she braces her arms over those of the chair and pushes herself out of the chair. "I can' really expect anyone to give me free information. I know something's going on, and it has some neccesary peices of a puzzle I need to try to fix Hell's Kitchen, or at least Mariko. That's probably enough information to get me in trouble, assuming it's accurate." she reguards you, still uncharactistically bland. "I hope you find a way to rid yourself of the diseases left by pestilence. If there's something I can do for you, call me." she smiles vaguely. "You've put up with my snooping with patience, that at least deserves a favor or two, eh?"

Yosannah's smile mirrors Riva's; hollow but genuine, "Much appreciated, Riva." She adds, "You can be sure though, if I understood what happened to Pestilence, I and the other members of this Club would have done something by now to address the issue." She climbs out of her chair and crosses her arms over her chest. "It might be helpful for you to know, however, that, even though Pestilence was taken from me, I also got the distinct feeling she wanted to go." she shrugs her shoulders, "I'm not sure what that means, but it might be something worth exploring with Mariko. I wonder if she experienced the same sensation."

Yosannah exhales again, "In any event, I have a night of work ahead of me. I have a trial to get ready for."

Riva's eyebrows raise. "Good luck with it, and thank you for some of your time...and your advice." she turns. "Take care."