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March 12 , 2004 | |
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Ski Chalet, Avalon...
Yosannah sits quietly before the fire, hands resting in her lap and fur hat at her side. She stares therein, pondering it would seem. Pensive.
Circe is quiet as she wanders in from outside. She, too, has a certain quality of pensive about her, though she seems less peaceful about it. Troubled, perhaps.
Yosannah lifts her gaze to the woman as she arrives, bringing the cold into the chalet. "Lady. Hello."
Circe pauses, her steps halting as she orientates on the voice. "Oh. Yes. Hello." She makes her way closer to the other. "The others are restful. Or does she find it simpler to debate one on one?"
"I am not entirely certain I follow you, lady," she intones, dignified and propper. "I have noticed you oft seem to be refering to another." She smiles, perhaps a little coy, "Might there be two of you in that head of yours."
Circe arches a single brow delicately, hands smoothing over her dress. "Hardly. Rather, the number is insufficient. I don't understand, though, why she insists upon this charade. I haven't accepted her play at face value. It is becoming tiresome."
Yosannah shrugs her delicate shoulders, "Again, I'm affraid I do not follow you, lady."
Yosannah lifts her fingers, "It is your random use of pronous I belielve. She. Her. We."
Circe shrugs lightly. "Hardly random if you understand. Luce, you see, has made her bid for control. This farce is for my enjoyment, so to speak. If I accept it, she wins. If I don't - well.." Her hands spread in a vague gesture. "Is that clearer?"
Yosannah considers this for a moment, "You are schitzophrenic then," she nods.
Circe laughs and shakes her head. "Not a disorder I make claim to, no."
Yosannah gestures about the room, "And you think this. The occurances during the last two days, are some sort of farce. Are the rest of us dilusional then?"
Circe remarks calmly, "No, I think the rest of you are part of this illusion to make me believe we are here. That Luce has trapped me in our body." A pause. "The alternative.. I can not decide if it is worth the risk of believing."
Yosannah brings her hands together at the fingertips and inquires, "The alternative. What is the alternative, lady."
Circe takes a nearby seat, smoothing her dress down again before answering. "The alternative is that this is real."
Yosannah turns her gaze to the fire. It crackles and snaps. "Well, I should hope that it is."
Circe murmurs quietly, "It isn't so simple. I would expect you to hope it is. You're hardly going to agree this is all in my head - including you." She sighs, turning to watch the crackle and dance of flame. "If it isn't real, and I let myself believe, then she becomes me. How do take the risk of losing myself just to chance a reality that feels splintered." Softer still, "I lose myself no matter."
"I do not deny that ..." her voice trails off. There is a quiet moment before she notes, "I had a dream last night."
Circe can't help leaning nearer in interest, "Speak."
"Of a tree and a Pattern. It was most frightning as I know what a Pattern will do to one of my kind." Her gaze remains intent on the flames, "There was a great singing bird of silver and gold upon that tree. And an apple made pearl as the bird at from the fruit." She shakes her head, "It was so vivid. So very real." She looks to the woman now, "I must sound horribly crazy. My husband might call me daft."
Circe inhales a gasp, quivering as the dream comes to end.
Yosannah's gaze narrows, "What is it, lady?"
Circe turns a teary gaze to the other. "It.. it hurts. I don't know why. So beautiful."
Yosannah stands now, "Well, beautiful as it might seem, I haven't been able to shake the unease of it all day." And then, "There is a Pattern here in Avalon, is there not?"
Circe nods even before she has had time to think upon the answer.
"It might be crazy to think that there is a connection. But maybe not. And just maybe it might explain what has become of my husband and why I cannot find him since this 'farce' begain."
Circe says "Your husband? Who do you speak of?"
Yosannah clasps her hands together and exhales, looking to the flames once again, pensive, "Jurt Sawall. The king of Chaos. A land very far from here."
Circe speaks up, voice edged shrill, "I beg your pardon. I happen to know he is no such thing."
Yosannah raises a brow, "I am sorry?"
Circe rises from her seat. "You heard me. He is no such thing."
Yosannah's gaze rises as the woman does, "What do you mean? You know my husband?" She is obviously and notably tense.
Circe snorts lightly. "I know the King of Chaos. I helped put him there. And Jurt Sawall is not he. I know his brother, though."
Yosannah lifts a hand to her chest, "You are mistaken, lady."
Circe lifts her chin and nips out, "I am not. You, however, are. Though I'd hardly expect a conjured memory to be accurate,"
Yosannah insists, "What?! I am not the one suffering from delusions. How dare you." Despite her words, it is clear she is uneasy and doubting now.
Circe speaks quite clearly, "Calder Jesby sits the throne in Chaos. A daughter of Eric sits the one in Amber. You either walk other realms, Lady, or you speak of wishes not truths. Either way, you are wrong."
Yosannah blurts and shakes her head, "No. Kaldaur is dead. He has been so for eight years now. I'll not hear of this." With that she turns to make her way up the stairwell to the second floor.
Circe watches, floored. Silent. And does not stop the other.
Later, Griffin's Inn, Settlement - Avalon...
Yosannah closes the door behind her and pats at her clothing, brushing snow aside. With a soft smile, she intons, "Master Dai. Why hello."
Dai nods his head without looking over. "Good turnings Yosannah. How are you today?"
"Fair enough I suppose." She moves to his table and pauses, waiting to capture his gaze, "A word with you, sir, if I may."
Dai stands up and pulls a chair out, holding it for her. "Of course my lady. Please sit down. Is there anything I can get you?"
Yosannah offers him a smile though it seems somewhat forced, "No, thank you." She takes the offerec chair, however. "You'll join me, of course?"
Dai resumes his seat with a grin. "I certainly wasn't intending on standing. You wished to speak with me? I hope you don't mind my asking as to what exactly you wanted to talk about." He sips his tea.
Yosannah claps her fingers and sets her hands atop the table, "You've been keeping things from me."
Dai sips his tea again before answering. "And you have always kept things from me Yosannah. As for what I am keeping from you, could you be a little more specific as to what exactly you're talking about?"
Yosannah shakes her head, "I don't know what you're talking about." There is a pause, "But I do hear you all talking. When you think I am not listening. And yesterday, that woman. The one who is always talking to herself. She said something rather disturbing. She suggested that I am delusional."
Dai says "Would that the pretty little one who is the Empress here or the other one that talks to herself? Circe I believe her name was. They both seem to carry conversations on with themselves."
"Circe, I believe."
Dai nods. "Okay. Ya, she's probably right. You sound pretty delusional to me. I don't know how to help with that unfortunately."
Yosannah lays her palms flat on the table, "But I do not understand. I am quite sane, I assure you. She said something about my husband and Chaos. That I was a liar. Do you know of what she speaks? If you do, you must tell me."
Dai smiles sadly. "One, I never heard of you marrying Jurt. Ever. I had spoken with you a couple days ago, and you never mentioned it to me, nor do I remember seeing a ring on your finger. Also, a few days ago, Calder Jesby was King of Chaos, not Jurt Sawall. So, I think that whatever is happening here in Avalon, has made up a fictional future for you, and altering the past as well it seems."
Yosannah lifts a hand to her lips, her gaze lowers and her fingers tremble, "Circe also spoke of this Calder. I don't understand but I hear truth in your voice."
Dai scoots his chair closer and takes one of her hands, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about it Yo. Who knows, maybe this is a premonition of things to come in the future. A vision of what will be in a few years."
She bites at her lip. It is a simple gesture but one not seen during these last few days in Avalon. "Dai I..." She nods, "My head tells me that what you say is true, but the feelings in my heart are very real. I..." She shakes her head now. Resigned. Dignity returning to her visage, "Very well. I must face it, and I shall."
"Ehn. Look at Riva. She's lost years upon years of her memory. Doesn't even remember that I am her brother anymore. But, I know it will all work out in the end and she'll regain her memories. As I am sure you will."
Yosannah feigns a smile, "That is what I am affraid of." She slides her hand from his and reaches inside her fur jacket, "But, let us move on to more important matters. Two nights past I dreamt the most vivid of dreams. Of a gold and silver bird atop a tree that grew beside Avalon's pattern. Have you ever seen Avalon's pattern, Dai?"
Dai shakes his head. "No, no I have not seen it as of yet. I do not even know where it is or how to get there."
"It is a most lovely sight, to be sure. In my dream the golden bird ate from a golden apple that bled pearl tears." She withdraws her hand, "And so, today, I want to the Pattern. And found this..." She opens her palm. Sitting upon it, delicate and lovely, an apple. Gold and briliant.
Dai reaches out to take the apple. "So this tree was growing right beside the Pattern. Interesting. Now, what sort of bird was it Yo? I know you say it was gold and silver, but what type of bird? Hummingbird, crow, raven?"
Yosannah rests her elbows atop the table and clasps her fingers once again. She tilts her head, regarding the golden apple as he holds it, "The bird I would liken it to a magnificant calling bird. " She indicates the apple, "And the apple gives off an aura of magic. I've been studying it for a short while now."
Dai nods as he looks curiously at the apple. His eyes shift to pure silver as he does so, taking a look at the magic himself. "And what have you determined about it?"
"The magic is strong, but without more time I am unable to ascertain specifics. I'm affraid that am not as skilled in magics as my husba... As Jurt is. But, there is truth in the item. I sense prediction and fate. As if the thing might actually have the power to make the unlikely possible, if that makes any sense."
Dai grimaces and drops the apple onto the table, not wanting anything to do with it all of a sudden. "Bloody hell. Well, that's what happens when you plant a tree next to a Pattern I guess, weird shit. Still, I don't think that the magic would be able to effect you once you are out of Avalon."
The apple lands atop the table with a heavy *thud*.
Yosannah reaches out a hand to retrieve the item. "Might it not have somethign to do with the current state of things?"
Dai says "Yes. As a matter of fact, it makes sense to me because I, and others, have been thinking that this is all being caused by the Pattern. We were planning on investigating it."
Yosannah offers, "Save for the apple and the tree, it seemed quite all right to me. Perhaps we should return."
Dai hmmms. "Perhaps. I would like to have Stone with us, as well as Riva and Anolia. But we can always go another time as well." He stands and offers his hand. "Shall we?"
Yosannah rises with his aid, "Yes. Perhaps we can at least collect Riva..."
Later in Avalon - The Pattern...
Dai takes a look around and hrmms. "I was expecting something........grander."
Riva follows curiously.
Yosannah points to the towering tree, "There. I found the apple under there." She begins to move toward the tree.
Riva follows Yosannah and keeps her eyes peeled.
Dai begins to follow, careful to stay away from the Pattern. He glances around continuously. "Sis, you ever been here before?"
Riva shakes her head.
Dai, Riva, and Yosannah are walking towards the tree and are almost there by now. "So, you came here after your dream and found the apple? Did you see anything else?"
Yosannah clutches the golden apple in her hands before her. She shakes her head, "No. It was as you see it now."
Riva hrrms and considers this quietly.
Yosannah looks up at the tree and comments, "Look at that. Do those leaves ever fall?"
Dai's eyes shift to silver again as he looks at the tree. He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and light one up, as he usual does when trying to think. "What did you say about pearls?" He looks up and chuckles. "I doubt it."
The silver of the Pattern flares, highlighting the area with its glow. The sun is growing lower in the sky, late afternoon soon to be evening.
Yosannah offers, "The bird. When it sang, in my dream that is, pearls rained from it's beak..." Her gaze turns to the Pattern. She is forced to shield her eyes with a hand, apple clutched to her chest in the other.
Riva says "I have a trump of this place." She notes with sudden suprise.
Dai spins to look at the Pattern as it flares up. He grunts, one hand coming off of the newly acquired broadsword. "Well, that certainly makes up for the lack of grandeur earlier." He nods to Riva. "I know you do." To Yo, "And yet you didn't find any pearls when you got here?"
Riva says "Symbolic maybe?"
Yosannah glances sidelong at Dai, hand still raised to shadow her eyes, "No pearls. Only the apple."
Dai nods to Riva. "Most likely. White pearls? Black pearls?" He steps underneath the tree and pulls his cigarette out of his mouth. He begins to draw out rune constructs in the air with the smoke from his cigarette.
"White. Everything about my dream was gold and white and silver. And bright. Very bright. Almost," She squints, glare from the Pattern the cause, "blinding.""
Riva nods and notes, "I could never figure out my dreams. What should we do? Maybe spent the night here?"
Dai lets the conversation wash over him, not really paying attention as he continues to draw his runes in the air. Oddly, the smoke doesn't disappear. Finally the construct is complete, and he steps back, taking a drag from the cigarette. "I think I'll take a look around, head up that way a bit."
Yosannah offers Dai an agreeable nod.
The Pattern had just flared with a flash of silver. And evening approaches.
Riva follows Yosannah closely, looking more surely than usual but remaining silent.
Yosannah's free hand remains raised, shielding her eyes from the blinding light of the pattern. She nears the construct and holds the golden apple before her.
As the sun falls behind the mountains, another light appears. At first, it might seem to be the moon. But, as the light swells, it seems to approach and manuever within the treetops.
Yosannah squints at the object through her fingers. "Riva, do you see?" She points to the sky.
Riva says "Yeah, I do. Can't be a comet. Maybe it's what's been making all that racket?"
Yosannah looks over her shoulder, first at Dai then to Riva, "Well, it's too late to take cover..." Her gaze goes to the apple.
Riva lifts her hand to shield her eyes as well, anxious, "I say we can run like hell."
The mystery remains little more as a bird appears, flying into sight. This seems to be the source of light; it's a brilliant thing, clearly supernatural. Some distance behind it walks a dark haired girl.
Riva says "Oh." she relaxes and then notes the girl. She taps Yosannah's shoulder and points at the girl, "Look."
Yosannah follows Riva's gaze. She first notes the bird and intones, "Yes, that's it. Riva, I believe that is the creature from my dream." Green eyes squint a bit more as the raven haired girl comes closer into view.
Riva says "And her?"
The girl is dressed in a simple peasant's dress - or what you might assume to look as such. As she approaches you might note she wears no shoes. The bird seems to lead her. And both are headed for the trio at the Tree.
Yosannah shakes her head, uncertain, "I... I don't know."
Riva sighs and steps forward, a slightly protective stance.
Yosannah calls out to the girl, "Hello?"
Maryushka's voice is accented, nothing like Thari in the least. "The apple." She's less than 20 feet away now, and stops. The bird however, soars about, feathers like stars in the sky.
Yosannah's gaze lowers to the apple that rests in her palm. The would be queen of Chaos lifts her chin, dignified, "Yes. I found it here but one day past. Discarded." Despite her confident airs, she looks to Riva with a sidelong glance, uncertain.
Riva doesn't spare much attention from the girl, alert. She does give Yo a brief glance, attempting to look comforting as if to assure the other woman she's safe.
Maryushka returns Yosannah's gaze, and even offers a tidy curtsey as she notes her manner. But her voice is confident as she asks, "Are you sure you are ready for the gift it contains?"
"Gift?" Yosannah is doubtful, "That I came upon the apple hardly merits I should be given any such thing. But if it pleases you miss, I would do my part. If it means some good for Avalon, that is."
Riva says "Almost sounds like nash." She mumbles under her breath.
Yosannah offers Riva a sidelong glance but does not comment further. It would appear she does not know of whom Riva speaks. To the girl she inquires, "Choice? What are our choices.
"To take the Apple, or not to.
Yosannah looks to Riva for guidance.
Riva says "Don't look at me, your dream, your lead, your choice. Only you can make it."
Yosannah nods at Riva and, giving Dai a quick glance, returns her attention to the girl, "Very well then. What must I do?"
Maryushka closes the distance, to stand before Yosannah. She looks at her for permission, then, lifts Yosannah's other hand to the apple, placing hers over them. "Bite." Yes, the apple is gold, but seems as fleshy as fruit should be.
The bird settles in the tree above them. The light from it's feathers dripping like fireworks to the ground. But, it is light only, never fear.
Riva frowns and watches, shifting weight from one foot to the other.
Yosannah inhales slowly. After a long pregnant pause, she raises the apple to her lips and bites.
Riva bites her bottom lip and watches anxiously.
Maryushka and Yosannah seem frozen in time, and for many long moments stand there, just so.
Riva stands by, no less anxious as she feels the progress of time even if the pair do not.
Though the two remain still, frozen, Yosannah's eyes go distant. There is both pain and joy in their geen depths.
And then, for them, time resumes again. Maryushka smiles at Yosannah, the smile a mother gives a daughter, gentle and generous.
Riva just stands by.
Yosannah gasps lightly as time returns. As if she might have been holding her breath all this time. Her gaze finds Maryushka's, "Must I be reborn before these things I have seen come to pass, lady?"
Maryushka begins to transform. The bird takes flight and she shifts into light, until she and it seem to stretch from the ground into the sky. She still remains female, an apparation, angelic and beautiful - a terrible beauty that aches to view. "You will know the answer when the time comes."
Yosannah clutches the apple in both hands and drops to her knees, head bowed. Her hair falls across her face, distraught.
Riva kneels beside Yosannah, not touching her, "Yo?"
The bird and girl are gone in moments, leaving only a shimmer in the sky.
"I'm all right." She lifts her gaze, sad though resigned it seems, and looks to the heavens and the lingering shimmer, "I remember now. Who I was before coming here. I'm not married, am I Riva."
Riva shakes her head slowly, "No, yo. You're not. I know it's hard...I woke up this morning...and been told I had years missing from my memory. Including my husband leaving me and the birth of kids. I'm Sorry, hon."
Yosannah rises, gaze going to the golden apple in her hands. It is whole once again. She looks to Riva, "But my memory isn't missing. I just have two memories." She considers the implications, "And I was apparently smitten with... dear god."
Riva makes a face, "Uhhh, we got bigger problems, Yo. We'll deal with that later."
Yosannah closes her eyes, chuckles lightly, and shakes her head, "Oh, Jesus." She seems more like herself and less like the woman she was but minutes before. "You're right. Your memory. We've got to figure that out." The apple is tucked away into the folds of her furs, "And that noise you referred to earlier. We still don't know it's source."
Riva says "I'm told I can shift, something with wings. Maybe I can fly." she shudders, "Involves shifting but... Maybe it's worth a shot if wonder-boy and the hot chick are right."
"Wonder-boy? You mean Dai." She snaps her fingers, memory coming clearer now, "Dai, your brother. That's right."
Riva makes a face, "Don't remind me I'm related to that jackass."
Yosannah crosses her arms over her chest and laughs, "Come on now. I'm certain he means well..." She looks around, "But let's get back to the Chalet. It's getting late. We can try and figure out what's blocking your memories there. Work on this whole shifting thing."
Riva says "The only reason I think he's not full of shit is because he's got a mouth on him, so maybe we do share some blood." she nods and looks to you, "Since when you gave me the time of day anyway?"
Yosannah considers this, "That's right." She nods, "If you don't remember Dai and you're missing years... Well, trust me. Things have changed. We get along well enough now, believe it or not. I doubt you'd call me your best friend, but it's a work in progess." She turns her back on the Pattern and begins to make her way out of the valley. "Let's find Dai and get out of here."