Yoke Van der Lusse

> "*Now I just want you to kiss me.*"
>
>
>

**Yoke Van der Lusse** is a love interest in the book Theodora.

## About Yoke

**Yoke** comes from the Belgian town of Himworde, where she works as a nurse at the local hospital. She lives with her father, Jan and her five-year-old son, Bruno.

Theodora, who is the main character you play as in this book, meets Yoke in Brussels, Belgium in 1914, where Theodora came to fulfill her new job as a war correspondent. When they met, Yoke was devastated because after the takeover of Brussels, Germans wouldn't let her get back home to her family. She came to the city on business and was supposed to come back within a week. Theodora comes up with a plan to help Yoke and both of them, together with Lawrence, travel to Himworde. She introduces them to her father, a shoemaker, who owns a workshop and teaches her son Bruno his craft.

Yoke tells Theodora that she started working at Himworde Hospital in 1908 under the mentorship of Madame Martens, who began to prepare for retirement and wanted to find a replacement. Yoke was eager to learn nursing and worked diligently. The only doctor that worked at the hospital, Monsieur Christian Gossens was very supportive of her. After Madame Martens retired, Yoke became a real nurse. After her first official day of work, Dr. Gossens made a move on her and while she wanted to indulge, she refused at first, because she knew he was married. After his love confession, she couldn't stop herself anymore and they started an affair. She was extermely happy during that time. However, their happiness didn't last long. Her lover was having an affair with another nurse and one time she caught them in his office. Darika, the nurse, was hurt, so she spread the rumors around the town that Yoke seduced Dr. Gossens and that she had tried to destroy his family. People started looking down on and avoiding Yoke. Her reputation was sullied. Later, she found out that she was pregnant. She never had a chance to tell Christian about it, because he had left the town before she discovered it. It was a hard time for her, but she doesn't regret anything - thanks to all this she has Bruno. As the time passed, some people started forgetting about the affair and started treating Yoke like before all of it had happened.

Yoke is very family-oriented person, who also cares deeply for her friends. She's kind, big-hearted and cheerful. Depending on your choices, Theodora admits that a feeling of warmth and comfort envelops her whenever she's near Yoke. Whether Yoke is Theodora's love interest or not, Yoke always lights up whenever she sees her. At first, she seemed to develop a soft spot for Theodora after she noticed Bruno warmed up to her more easily and faster than to other people. As a friend she's incredibly supportive. When romanced, Yoke worries about Theodora even more and becomes very affectionate.

After they start getting closer, Yoke reveals that before she met Theodora, she had never felt a strong attraction to women before and she never thought she could be interested in women. She expains that despite not being afraid of deep wounds, blood or death, she lacks courage in many things - for example when it comes to her heart, among others. She decided it was easier to seal it, but now she wants to open it up for Theodora.

Despite her seemingly soft personality, Yoke's strong, resilient and very sure of her abilities. She's confident and capable when it comes to her profession. She loves her job and yet she was ready to secrifice her career for her family - she refused to go to another town for business with Dr. Roberts to treat German Hauptmann. After being stuck in Brussels, she could not bear leaving her family again, not knowing if she could ever return or see them again.

When John Roberts leaves Himworde, Yoke takes charge of everything at the hospital. According to Dr. Melsbach, the new doctor, she does a great job. He admits that Yoke surprises him, because her knowledge goes way beyond the usual. After the passing of her father Jan, who dies in December 1914 due to a heart attack, Yoke has a tough time, even with the support of her loved ones.

**If you romance Yoke**, in Season 1, Episode 12 Theodora suggests that they leave Belgium and move to the USA. It was difficult decision for Yoke to leave Himworde, a house which had belonged to her family for generations or her work at the hospital, but in the end she agreed because she believed it was safer for them and Bruno. In April 1915, they leave Himworde after saying goodbye affectionately to Friedrich and Lawrence.
Some time after arriving in the USA, Yoke was given a promise ring by Theodora, who had a matching one, during a dinner to celebrate Yoke's admission to college. These rings symbolized their commitment to each other, their promises to love, support and treasure each other, since they couldn't get married. However, it didn't matter to them - they were a family regardless of the legal status. Thanks to her hard work, Yoke fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor.

On December 12, 1937, Yoke got into car accident when she was coming home for a family dinner with Theodora, Bruno and his wife, Diana. She died the same day, at 49 years old.

**If you don't romance Yoke**, in Season 1, Episode 12 Yoke stays in Himworde with Bruno and says goodbye to Theodora (and Theodora's partner, if she has one) in April 1915 and in the coming years, to her other friend(s). Just as Yoke wanted, after the war ended she became a doctor and worked at the Himworde Hospital. However, in 1922 she caught the Spanish flu and never recovered from it.

In 2019, Theodora buys a magazine and reads in it about Bruno, Yoke's son, who became a scientist and helped developing a second Polio vaccine in 1952. If Theodora and Yoke were a couple, they raised Bruno together; she remembers that Bruno went to study medicine and focused on virology after his mother's death in 1937. He and Theodora were really close until she left to cover WW2 and discovered her immortality. If Theodora and Yoke were just friends, she remembers that he was placed in a Himworde orphanage after his mother died in 1922. Theodora supported him financially but they didn’t keep in touch. Bruno died in 1994 after a long life with his wife.

## Relationships

* Theodora Avery: Friend or Love Interest
* Jan Van der Lusse: Father
* Bruno Van der Lusse: Son
* Christian Gossens: Ex lover, father of Bruno
* John Roberts: Co-worker at Himworde Hospital
* Lawrence Barkley: Friend
* Friedrich Blumhagen: Friend

## Quotes

* *"Thank you. I have no one in Brussels and I felt so... lonely."* **(Diamond Scene - S1, Ep2)**
* *"It's all right, chérie... We're safe."* **(S1, Ep4)**
* *"It usually takes a lot longer for people to win him over."* **(About Bruno, S1, Ep4)**
* *"I think a woman like you would attract anyone's attention."* **(S1, Ep4)**
* *"You know, life has been so... crazy lately. But I'm glad that I met you."* **(Diamond Scene - S1, Ep4)**
* *"But when it comes to my own heart... I had decided it was better if I left it sealed. It's safer that way, you know?"* **(Diamond Scene - S1, Ep4)**
* *"I don't want to let you go. But I know I have to."* **(Diamond Scene - S1, Ep6)**
* *"Please... Never leave me."* **(Diamond Scene - S1, Ep8)**
* *"You're not alone anymore, do you hear? I'm with you, I'm not going anywhere."* **(Diamond Scene - S1, Ep8)**
* *"Chérie... You're not alone."* **(S1, Ep11)**
* *"I just... I love you so much, Theo, and I can't bear the thought of losing you..."* **(Diamond Scene - S1, Ep11)**
* *"We... Bruno and I are happy that you have become part of our family." **(S1, Ep12)***

## Trivia

* Yoke's zodiac sign is Virgo.
* Her height is 5'4.
* Do's: the scent of wildflowers, knitting, scrapbooking
* Don'ts: loud music, being alone for a long time, short daylight hours
* Yoke's father was against her becoming a nurse. Jan wanted her to help him in his workshop. They argued a lot about Yoke's future, but in the end, he came to terms with his daughter's choice.
* Her first impression of John Roberts is that he scares her a little.
* Theodora revealed that the smell of daisies envelops her whenever she's near Yoke. **(S1, Ep4)**
* She can knit.
* She has a cat named Shoelace.
* One of the things Theodora had in her "memory box" was a small patterned cup Yoke gave to her.
* Yoke knows how to play the guitar.

## Romance Path

* Season 1
* Season 2
* Season 3

**Season 1**

* **Ep 2:**
	+ Invite her for some tea. (💎12)  [❗Yoke is grateful for your concern.]
	+ Pull her closer.  [❗Your relationship with Yoke has improved!]

* **Ep 3:**
	+ Tell me in detail (💎20) [❗Yoke is grateful that you want to hear the full story.] (You see a flashback scene narrating what happened between Yoke and her child’s father)
	+ I'm so sorry.  [❗Yoke appreciates that you sympathize with her.] [+1 Romantic 🏹]
	+ I… got lost and decided to come in. [❗Your lies saved Yoke from punishment.]

* **Ep 4:**
	+ Yoke. [❗Your relationship with Yoke has improved!]
	+ (Go to Yoke.) (💎19) [❗Your relationship with Yoke has improved!]
	+ Your attention too? (💎51) [❗Your relationship with Yoke has improved!] (CG unlocked)
		- (Kiss Yoke.) (No effect on stats.)

* **Ep 6:**
	+ What? But why do they need Yoke? [❗You're worried about Yoke.]
	+ If you have a close relationship with Yoke: [❗John has noticed that you and Yoke are close.]
	+ "I want to say goodbye to Yoke properly." (💎17) [❗Yoke appreciates that you stayed behind for her.]
	+ I want to be with you. [❗You have decided to start a relationship with Yoke.]
	+ (Think of Yoke.) [❗Your relationship with Yoke has improved!]

* **Ep 8:**
	+ If you've confessed to her in Ep 6: [❗You're in a relationship with Yoke.]
	+ How long till your family comes home? (💎55) (Sex scene)
	+ I'd like that. (💎30) [❗Yoke is glad you've decided to join her.]

* **Ep 9:**
	+ Console Yoke first. [+1 Romantic 🏹] [❗You are comforting your beloved.]

* **Ep 11:**
	+ (Focus.) (💎8) [❗Yoke is with you.]
	+ Why don't you stay? (💎20) (Love confession and a kiss scene)

* **Ep 12:**
	+ If you are in relationship with Yoke, in April 1915 Theodora, Yoke and Bruno move away to the USA together to live as a family. Yoke's father Jan had died of a heart attack a few months earlier. They say goodbye to Lawrence and Friedrich, then go on their way. [CG image of Theodora, Yoke and Bruno on the ship.]
	+ Theodora rummages through a memory box and finds a promise ring. Yoke had a matching one. She recalls the day she gifted it to Yoke as a sign of commitment since they could not get married.
	+ (Don't put away the ring.) (💎10) [❗You kept the ring.]

**Season 2**

* **Ep 1:**
	+ I thought about the person dearest to me. (💎33) (You will see a happy memory of Theodora's life in the USA with Yoke and Bruno.)

* **Ep 3:**
	+ (Imagine her being there.) (💎10) (You briefly think back to a moment when you fell asleep together with your partner.)

* **Ep 4:**
	+ (Plunge into your memories.) (💎29) (You remember one day in 1915 when you, Lawrence and Yoke watched Friedrich played the violin in the tavern.)

* **Ep 6:**
	+ (Kiss Yoke one last time.) (💎23)

* **Ep 11:**
	+ I dreamed of Belgium. (💎33) (You will see a brief flashback with Yoke, Bruno, Lawrence and Friedrich.)

* **Ep 12:**
	+ Decided to look around. (💎21) (You will see a very brief, dreamlike interaction with Yoke.)

**Season 3**

* **Ep 3:**
	+ (Buy a magazine.) (💎20) (If you buy the magazine, later in the episode you'll read in it about Bruno, who became a scientist.)
	+ I remembered the day I chose my wedding dress. (💎30) (You see a brief flashback to you trying on your wedding dress with your mother and then Yoke walks in the room.)

* **Ep 4:**
	+ (Touch yourself.) (💎51)
		- Imagined Yoke touching me.

* **Ep 7:**
	+ (Plunge into your memories.) (💎46) (You see a flashback scene of a day in Himworde with Lawrence, Yoke, and Friedrich.)

* **Ep 12:**
	+ Remain immortal. [❗You've decided to remain immortal.]
	+ A face I haven't forgotten after all these years. (💎97)
		- Yoke's face
		- Kiss me. (💎69) (Sex scene)

## Possible endings

* **If Theodora defeats the Lord and decides to become mortal again**, she remembers Yoke's face before dying. Afterwards, she wakes up in Yoke's house in Himworde where they've been living together. Feeling like she just had a nightmare, where she lost Yoke, Theodora seeks comfort from her lover. Later, they pick up Bruno from the workshop and go for a walk and spend time in a field full of daisies together. Theodora and Yoke discuss menu for a dinner party they planned for their friends.
* **If Theodora doesn't defeat the Lord but saves her soul**, she wakes up in a French hospital, realizing that she suffers from amnesia and doesn’t even remember her own name. While sitting on a park bench, Theodora sees a woman with a bouquet of daisies and remembers being in a cozy house, with a cup of hot tea in her hand and close to a woman with a boy in her arms. Feeling like she knew that woman some time ago, Theodora swears to find her whatever it takes.
* **If Theodora doesn't defeat the Lord and doesn't manage to save her soul**, she dies in terrible agony and her soul is doomed to eternal suffering. While being tortured by invisible forces, Theodora sees an injured Yoke and briefly remembers their time together. Yoke tells her that she failed and will never get out.

## Gallery

* Sprites and items
* CG images
* Backgrounds
* Additional content
**Sprites and items**

Yoke full spriteYoke full spriteYoke in work uniformYoke in premium scene (S1, Ep8)Elegant (💎19) (S1, Ep8)Plain (Free) (S1, Ep8)Shoelace, Yoke's catYoke in 1937Theodora's promise ringYoke imagined by Theodora in premium scene in S2, Ep3**CG images**

CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep4CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep4CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep4CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep4CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep8CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep8CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep8CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep8CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep9CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep9CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep9CG unlocked in diamond scene in S1, Ep9CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S1, Ep12CG unlocked in S2, Ep12CG unlocked in S2, Ep12CG unlocked in S2, Ep12CG unlocked in S2, Ep12Happy ending unlocked in S3, Ep12Happy ending unlocked in S3, Ep12Happy ending unlocked in S3, Ep12Happy ending unlocked in S3, Ep12**Backgrounds**

Yoke's house in Himworde**Additional content**

Special RC image released for International Women's Day (March 2022)Special RC image released for New Year (December 2022)Yoke's profile card (RC Facebook, March 2023)
## References

1. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=672867991506611&set=a.635421201917957