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October 17, 2004 |
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| Amber | Trump Deck | Logs | RL Pictures | Main |
We really need to talk. I discovered a few things about Sorcha that you should know. I was also approached by someone inquiring as to whether or not I had discovered anything about the rings yet. Please get in touch with me soon.
Sincerely
Dai Demonthorne
Webber's Wayside Inn -- Banished Sun...
Yosannah sits quietly in a chair before the fireplace.
The Inn is empty save for a middle aged man who stands behind the bar polishing glasses. As Dai enters the man interrupts, "We're closed, eh."
Yosannah turns her head and regards Dai from her chair, "S'okay. I think he's here for me."
Dai arches an eyebrow at the man when he speaks and pauses long enough to put his cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. "Ya, I'm here for you. We have much to discuss tonight, if you feel up to it."
Yosannah nods, a single inclination of her chin. She gestures for Dai to join her near the fire and then directs to the bartender, "Liam. Could you give us some time."
Liam gives Dai a disconcerting glance, nods for Yosannah's sake and excuses himself from the bar.
Yosannah waits for the man to disappear up the stairs before she states, "I got your message."
Dai approaches Yosannah and takes a seat next to her. "That is one loyal employee you have there. And ya, I figured that you would. Which subject do you want to start with first?"
A smile lingers at the corners of her lips. "Let's start with the person who approached you about the Rings.
Dai leans back a bit. "Loki was asking if I had any luck with finding any of them. He said something else about them, about wanting to talk to me about it sometime and winked. When he winked, his eyes were red. Whatever that means. I just found it odd. It could be nothing but I think I would like to watch him closely."
Yosannah furrows her brow in confusion, "Loki? He's a wretch. I can't stand the man."
Dai shrugs. "What can I say. Anyway, you wanted to start there and so there is where we have started. I would like to have him watched if possible. He has a place in /Amber/." He stresses that last word for some reason.
Yosannah repeats, "He does?" Her brow raises as she nods, "He does."
Dai nods. "In the Eleventh House. Lisle can have guards follow and curtail his movements in Amber. If nothing else, it will scare him or annoy him. I hope both."
Yosannah wonders, "Have you mentioned this to the Princess?"
Dai shakes his head. "This didn't happen until last night. I haven't had a chance to find her and speak with her. I am sort of without her trump."
"Yeah. Lisle doesn't share her trump with many. I'll try and reach her." She lets her gaze go to the fire. It snaps, occasionally interrupting their conversation, "Should we discuss the other matter you mentioned."
Dai says quietly, "There isn't much to discuss. I am almost certain now. I only have to speak with the butler to confirm it."
Dai says "It is pretty much a definite that Ada was Sorcha's mother."
Yosannah mutters, "Dear god."
Dai sighs. "The worst of it is that Sorcha.....well she was abused pretty bad after she was left in Shadow. So.....she can sometimes appear to be a little.....crazy. No more than the rest of us, but still."
Yosannah nods, thoughtful. "That doesn't fully explain the damn doll with Ryker's name in it. Do you suppose Ada left that for her?"
Dai nods. "Almost certainly. Sorcha has been doing these meditations to try and help her remember things from when she was little. She drew Ada's picture from what she saw in a vision and also said that that was the lady who gave her the doll."
Yosannah shakes her head, "The coincidence is just too uncanny." She exhales and then asks, "Do you think she could be Ryker's daughter?"
Dai nods. "Yes, I believe that she is. One thing that almost nobody knows is that Ryker went back to Montmouth shortly before the rest of Ada that was trapped in Death's little dimension thing was released. I bet you didn't know that." He stretches his legs out. "Sorcha will most likely have a lot of questions for you."
Yosannah bites at her lower lip, "And I'm not apt to have many answers for her I suspect."
Dai smiles. "Oh, I think you will have a lot of answers for her Yosannah. I think that more than anything, she will want to know what kind of person her father was. That and she'll bug you about learning how to draw trumps. Would you like to go meet her?"
Yosannah lifts her hands, palms held out, "Teacher... whoa, wait a minute. I'm nobody's teacher..."
Dai arches an eyebrow. "Indeed. Well then, I will ask Zeta to teach her. Zeta will most likely do it since Sorcha seems to be Ada's daughter."
Yosannah is obviously uncomfortable with the entire affair, "... yeah. That's a good idea." She bites at her lip some more, "Hey, maybe you could bring her here. I just..." She shrugs her shoulders.
Dai laughs. "Yo, I think you would be a good teacher but if you don't want to teach her, that's fine. Give me a few minutes, I'll go get her."
Yosannah nods slowly. After a minute she rises, "Alright. I'm gonna put some tea on." Her hand runs over her hair as she moves to the bar.
Dai stands and pulls a trump out of his pocket. "Make sure there is enough for me. Oh, and if you want to be a hit with Sorcha, make some hot chocolate with her and put some whipped cream on top." He winks and raises the trump to eyelevel.
Yosannah blinks at his request, shakes her head, and then goes about making tea and hot chocolate, "...whipped cream. I don't even know if I have whipped cream."
Dai shrugs. "Send Liam out for some dream whip or reddiwhip or whatever it is called." He concentrates on the trump.
Dai moves forward and vanishes, leaving behind a rapidly fading afterimage.
A trump call...
You have established contact with Dai.
To the image of Dai, Yosannah says "What? Everything okay?"
The image of Dai is in Niemands holding the hand of a little girl. "Fine. Pull us through?"
To the image of Dai, Yosannah sets something atop the bar and nods. She extends her hand...
Yo offers to pull Dai through.
Dai grasps your hand and you pull him through.
Sorcha appears, grasping Dai's hand.
Yosannah lets Dai's hand slide from hers, a rainbow of shimmer fades about them. In her other hand, a bottle of whipped cream. She lets her gaze go to the girl and, after a blink, says, "Oh, I made this for you. Sorcha, right? Dai said you liked hot chocolate."
Dai slips the trump into his pocket. "Sorcha, you remember Lady Yosannah don't you?" He hops onto a stool.
Sorcha is holding Dai's hand as she appears. She looks around, her gaze falling on the woman before her. "Yes, ma'am" she replies, nodding slightly again to Dai, "The Lady from the Magic school."
Yosannah tips the whipped cream tin upside down and tops off a mug of steaming cocoa. She regards Dai coolly and purses her lips uncomfortably. She sets the mug in a tray that already contains two cups, a teapot, cream and sugar and carries it around the bar, "Here, let's sit by the fire..."
Dai blinks at the cool look. "What did I do?" He sighs and grumbles as he hops off the stool and follows Yosannah to the fire. "Never do anything right apparently," he mutters.
Sorcha follows Yosannah to the fireplace, looking abit confused as well by the exchange between the pair. "I ment the Academy of Magic, sorry." as if it had been her error that got Dai in trouble.
Yosannah sets the tray atop the table most near the fire place. She lifts the mug of cocoa and hands it to the girl. "It's okay. My name is Yo. You're Sorcha, right."
Dai takes a seat and just looks into the fire, allowing the two to speak. The flames seem to be more lively now, dancing and flickering more as he nears them.
Sorcha nods "Yes, ma'am. Sorcha Reigns"
Yosannah nods at the cocoa mug, "Go ahead. I don't think it's too hot." And then, she sets a cup before Dai and poor from the tea pot. "Reigns," she wonders out loud, "Where did you come by that name."
Dai nods to Yosannah. "Thank you," he murmurs and takes the cup when she is finished pouring. He sips it without adding anything to it and turns back to the fire.
Sorcha shrugs "Some book I read, while I was..." she stops "Just some book I read."
Sorcha takes the cup and tips it to her lips gently.
Yosannah starts to fill her own cup but pauses mid pour to prompt the girl, "While you were where?" She looks to Dai in the hopes that he might know the answer.
Dai doesn't return Yosannah's look but says gently, "It's okay sweety. I think that Yo is someone you can really trust but if you don't want to talk about it, that is your decision."
Sorcha doesn't elaborate much "Away." she says between little sips of the cocoa. Her gaze seems to fall to the fire as well, though only for a moment, it's flames reflect in her black eyes as if she were entertaining some inner thought.
The answer is obviously not satisfactory to Yosannah. She eyes Dai, shoulder slumping. "Where has she been, Dai."
Sorcha looks to Yo, "An Asylum...Okay?!" her answer is curt, bordering on the rude. She sets the cup down and looks at her hands, which come to be folded neatly in her lap.
Dai sips his tea and looks to Sorcha. "Sorcha, apologize. And don't be afraid to tell Yo about it. As I have told you, it is not your fault and there is absolutely nothing wrong with you."
Sorcha looks over at Dai, then looks at her hands again "Sorry." she says softly.
Yosannah Watches the exchange between the two with obviously curiosity as evidenced by the knot at her brow. She kneels now, before the girl, "Do you recall how you ended up there, Sorcha. Try and remember. It's important."
Dai nods. "Good sweety. Even if your answer was that you weren't going to tell her, that is no reason to be impolite. Besides, she is not interrogating you, she is merely trying to learn more about you. And to help you."
Sorcha says "I don't remember how I got there...only that I've been there since I was very very little...." she says softly looking into the fire again, "The only thing I ever wanted from my parents is why they left me there...an answer I'll never get from my mother, and the same is most likely true of my father.""
Yosannah offers, "I suspect your father didn't know, Sorcha."
Dai shrugs. "Or if he did, he learned it too late to be able to do anything about it."
Sorcha looks between Dai and Yo, "Well, he isn't here to ask at any rate. And it's not like I can go around asking questions, since according to Dai, I have this bullseye on my back." she sighs. "At least I can say I have somesort of family. Diandra's cool."
Yosannah raises a brow and looks to Dai, "Diandra?"
Dai nods. "Regent Diandra Kolzin, Sorcha's niece. Diandra is Matthew's daughter. She was also.....Selene's daughter I think."
Sorcha nods, confirming Dai's answer. Seems she and Diandra have been talking.
Yosannah nods, following, "Ah, right."
Dai says "So where are we going with these questions Yo?"
"I'm not sure. I'm trying to piece it all togther I suppose. That Ada would have left," she smiles at Sorcha in an effor to sound reassuring, "such a charming young lady," and then back to Dai, "in a stranger's care..." She shrugs her shoulders, "I dunno. Why not just let Ryker know? Unless Ada didn't know either. Things got crazy near the end."
Sorcha blinks, her gaze difting off into space, looks almost like trump contact.
Yosannah turns her attention to the girl, not waiting for Dai to reply, "Sorcha. Sorcha?"
Yosannah senses Sorcha is involved in some sort of trump activity.
Yosannah offers, "Dai, she's in contact with someone..."
Sorcha blinks "Hi!" she mutters a name though not all that coherantly.
Dai shrugs. "You forget, both Ada and Ryker have or had a lot of enemies. Magnus would have taken Sorcha and used her as a knife at the throats of Ryker and Ada both. Joshua would do the same thing to get to Ryker. I think that Ada the only thing that she could do." He looks to Sorcha his eyes narrowing. "Indeed." He stands up and walks over to Sorcha.
Yosannah wonders as Dai approches the girl, "How many people have her trump?"
Dai shakes his head. "Not a damn person that I know of. I have never had someone draw her." He sounds furious and reaches out to grab Sorcha's hand.
Sorcha blinks a bit, looking to Dai, "Dai, Mr. Loki wants to know if you need any from him for the projects?"
Dai does grab Sorcha's hand and looks even more furious.
Yosannah's brow furrows and her arms go across her chest as she mutters, "Loki?" SHe exhales.
Dai snarls, "You go too far Loki, and are about one step away from my putting a bullet in your head."
Sorcha doesn't seemed bothered at all, in fact pleased. Seems to be her first contact other then when she's holding the card.
Sorcha 's mood changes with Dai's outburst however.
Yosannah grumbles in the background, "How did he get her image, Dai."
Sorcha does say Dai's name aloud clearly....
Dai's eyes shift, looking like lava caught in his eyeballs. "Yo! End this bloody contact now!" He draws a gun and snarls again, "You are messing with my kid bucko. Who the hell gave you permission to draw her?"
Sorcha glares angrily at Dai "I did!" she tries not to shout too loudly.
Yosannah dips her chin at Dai, understanding immediately. She moves to the girl...
You touch Sorcha, and begin to share her Trump conversation through physical proximity.
The image of Loki is already leaving, just having given Dai the finger and looking entirly pissed off.
Sorcha winces and screams as she is still in contact with Dai and Loki. She grabs her head "Dai!"
The image of Loki scowls taking hold of Dai's hand and falling backwards trying to bring Dai to him not the other way. (repose for yo)
The image of Loki's eyes burn in the glint of the fire, furrowing his brow at Dai. He says as he continues to pull away.. "Fine, fuck you both. I wont bother you again."
The Trump contact vanishes.
Sorcha holds her head, whining softly and rocking back and forth.
Dai stumbles a bit as the contact vanishes but he catches himself. "Son of a.......Sorcha, that is just about the-" he cuts himself short an just breathes heavily.
Yosannah does not stumble. In fact, she seems quite in control of her faculties. She moves to Dai, meaning to help him should he need it. "How did he get her trump."
Yosannah adds, "Dai, we have to get it from him."
Dai shakes his head. "No we don't. I need to shift her aura. He probably bloody knows I have one of the rings by now and is going to try and use her to get to me." He waves Yo away and gently touches Sorcha's cheek. "I'm so sorry little one. This is all my fault."
Sorcha slaps Dai's hand away "Don't touch me!" she cries, her voice full of the pain in her head "He's my friend..." she tries to stand up, and doesn't get far, "You hurt my head!"
Yosannah watches after the girl as she has a tantrum and shakes her head. She lets Dai handle her for the moment, "Short term solution to a long term problem, Dai. When he tries to use the damn thing again, he'll know what you've done. Are you going to hide her forever?"
Dai sighs. "I'm sorry Sorcha. You know I love you and I did not mean to hurt you. I needed him to break the contact. Don't you know how dangerous it is for someone to have your trump? What they can do with it? And considering what it is he is after, I do not want you placed in unnecessary danger!"
Yosannah suggests, "Listen, I think you guys should stay here for a while. Let me go turn down a bed for her." She thumbs over her shoulder toward the stairwell.
Sorcha finally looks up, her eyes burning with a black flame "What danger! You never tell me anything...You leave me...then come back and tell me I can't do this, or I can't do that....cause people will do this or that...I let him draw me! He just wanted me to ask you a simple question!"
Yosannah looks to Dai from where she stands at Sorcha's back, "Dai." She shakes her head, defying him to reply to the girl's questions. There is worry in her eyes.
Dai takes a deep breath and nods to Yosannah. "That may be a good idea. I think I owe Sorcha an explanation. She more than deserves it. I hope you don't mind my telling her the truth Yo, but she needs to know what is going on else she won't listen to me and run away to find Loki."
Sorcha sobs but no tears seem to come, "He was my friend..." she looks at Dai "And I /thought/ he was your's too..."
Yosannah warns, "Dai, if he gets the truth out of her, you won't be able to help me anymore. Or Lisle."
Dai hugs Sorcha. "He is in a way sweety. But that doesn't mean I trust him." He shrugs to Yo. "The cat is already out of the bag. Two people already know about it Yo. I can deal with Loki. It is this Garath person that worries me."
Sorcha turns to look at Dai and Yo, "I don't care about your stupid rings! Loki never did me any harm...in fact.." this she turns to remind Dai "He did save my life, twice in less then 5 minutes!"
Dai laughs softly. "Oh little one, think! He saved your life, but how do we know that he wasn't the cause of that whole mess to begin with?"
Yosannah crosses her arms over her chest as the girl blurts out her furry. Her expression is resigned to defeat, "Obviously you're going to do what you're going to do. Just get it through her head, Dai, how serious this is becuase she needs to start caring. Whether she wants to or not. I just hope it's not a mistake." She turns now and heads up the stairs, "I'm going to turn down the damn bed."
Yo climbs the staircase to the second floor. A myriad of snapshots of the locals line the walls.