Dionysus You dream.

Dionysus This time, you are on a stage, with a crowd of faceless strangers waiting for something.

Dionysus Anticipation waves off them at you.

Dionysus They wait for you to do something. You have your oboe.

• Aurelia stares back at them, at the oboe, looks for exits.

Dionysus There's one in the back, but the crowd is chanting for you to play.

• Aurelia looks for another band member, anything. She has nothing to play.

Dionysus There is no one else that you can see right now, nor sense./

• Aurelia slumps, defeated, and plays, one of the old classical pieces.

Dionysus The crowd fades away, & you find yourself on the road. Hundreds of roads branch off from where you stand, but this time, there's several that are... clear. Down one, you feel love. One, you feel inspiration. One, you feel malice. One you feel creative energy. One, you hear music. One you feel emotion shatter into pieces. One, you feel hope, another hatred. Etc.

• Aurelia looks down one, than another, and another, leaning towards a few but not stepping, paralyzed with indecision.

Dionysus Benevolence, satisfaction, obsession, envy, greed, a lack of emotion & a burst of cold air, fiery passion & heat, flitting emotions & a breeze, responsibility & a stony path, motherly love, calm, comfort...

Dionysus Unease, a blocking of emotion, conflict, certainty, elation due to risk, perspecitve of one's place, patience, impatience...

Dionysus Understanding, confusion, a guarded emotion, uncertainty, shifting emotion, awe, curiosity, happiness, turbulent emotion & rain, animal instinct, soothing...

• Aurelia crouches down, head in hands.

Dionysus Down one is rejection of the gods, another despair, another is covered in plants, another is flooded...

Dionysus A whisper, "There's but one path."

• Aurelia doesn't respond for a moment, then lifts her head and looks for the source.

Dionysus An old man, who feels like an ender, stands before you.

• Aurelia flinches back.

Dionysus "All of these paths are but one path, for they are all connected. One you take may lead to another, but perhaps not."

• Aurelia watches him silently once the habitual fear has gone, after a few seconds.

Dionysus "Do you know me?"

• Aurelia shakes her head slightly.

Dionysus "I am you if you stay here, doing nothing. Down one, or perhaps all, of these paths, is what you want."

Dionysus "And yes, you do not know what that is."

Dionysus "That's why you can't see it already. But you will never get it if you do not move."

• Aurelia shivers and hugs herself. "Which..?"

Dionysus "Well, some obviously aren't suited to you, right? You're no ice queen, right? You're not interested in being a warden of nature, are you?"

• Aurelia shakes her head a little at the latter.

Dionysus Many paths vanish.

Dionysus "Are you a Guardian of Mortality? A paladin of light? A Servitor of the Devil?"

• Aurelia flinches again at the name.

Dionysus He makes several paths vanish. "You want revenge upon him, or freedom from his curse?"

• Aurelia shakes her head at one or both or neither.

Dionysus "You fear him?"

• Aurelia nods slightly.

Dionysus "Then he will win against you. Your blood, dark though it may be, knows that much about him."

• Aurelia doesn't respond.

Dionysus "This is not normal, you know. One's subconscious is never this direct. Someone is trying to reach you."

• Aurelia looks up at him.

Dionysus He shrugs, "Weird dream, huh?" And you wake up.

• Aurelia whimpers and curls in on herself.

Dionysus A knock at your door.

Dionysus You sense an empath outside it, powerful.

• Aurelia ignores it in hope that they'll go away.

Dionysus "Aurelia? It is Emily Argent. The Emperess said you might wish to speak with me."

• Aurelia pulls her blankets tighter and doesn't answer. She doesn't want to talk to anyone.

Dionysus "I can feel you in there. Please. Let us speak."

Aurelia "Enter."

Dionysus She does so. She's wearing a large, flowing silver blue robe with a bright mantle of orange & gold.

Dionysus She smiles.

Dionysus "Aurelia, I heard about Tamarnthek, but from what the Emperess said, you were... not this way last time she saw you."

Dionysus She closes the door & sits by the bed.

• Aurelia doesn't move from her place curled up surrounded by blankets.

Dionysus "What has happened to you, my dear?"

• Aurelia shakes her head.

Dionysus Compassion flows off her.

Dionysus "What is this dark aura about you?"

Dionysus She reaches out to touch you & pulls her hand back.

Dionysus "It burns."

• Aurelia feels occasional flickers of fear and anger, but mostly gaping, empty depression.

Dionysus "Who did this to you?"

Dionysus She sounds angry, but not at you.

Aurelia "I."

Dionysus She looks you over, then says, "You believe that. Tell me what happened, please?"

Dionysus Emily looks to you when that knock comes.

Dionysus The door starts to open

• Aurelia flinches at the sound.

Dionysus Err, no it doesn't.

Dionysus But you hear the sound of the doorknob jiggling.

Dionysus A moment of wait. If you don't answer, Emily does.

• Aurelia doesn't.

Dionysus "Please, Aurelia, it will help you to speak of it."

• Aurelia shakes her head.

Dionysus "That darkness which hangs over you can be undone easily. It is... superficially placed, though powerful. But it will require action on your part."

Aurelia "How?"

Dionysus "Well, for starters, you need to get out of this depression. I know how difficult it can be, but you're strong enough to do it, Aurelia. After that, removing a dark curse such as this one is merely a matter of purifying one's soul. Prayer, penance, or ritual would suffice. Whoever did this was... sloppy."

• Aurelia is silent for a moment, trying to find the easiest part of that to address. "He was angered..."

Dionysus "Who was?"

Aurelia "The Devil."

Dionysus She flinches.

Dionysus After a moment, "You are... unbelievably lucky."

• Aurelia doesn't respond to that.

Dionysus "Come, my dear. We can get rid of this onerous mark upon you easily. Let us do that much for you tonight."

• Aurelia opens her mouth, then closes it, resignation flickering around the edges of the depression. She stands unsteadily.

Dionysus Emily smiles. "Let us find your friends. Adversity is easier to face with friends to stand with you."

Dionysus "Bring your instrument, if you would. Do you follow a faith, my dear?"

• Aurelia shakes her head slightly, faint fear at the suggestion of finding the others.

Dionysus She nods, "Then we will pray on your behalf."

Aurelia She shakes it again with guilt, hurt, and loss at the question of faith.

Dionysus She stops, "What's wrong, my dear?"

• Aurelia shakes her head in indication that she doesn't want to talk about it.

Dionysus She nods, "Let us find your friends. Will you come?"

• Aurelia begins to sit again. "I would not bother them."

Dionysus A flash of anger from Emily. "Do not act that way. They are your friends. I can feel their comradery from here. It is not a bother to aide you. You are part of their family."

Dionysus "Would you not do everything you could for them, were they in your shoes?"

Aurelia "I do not wish their aid."

Dionysus "Why not?"

• Aurelia doesn't have an answer.

Dionysus "Come. We are going to see them."

Aurelia "No."

Dionysus "You would rather let a horrific curse hang about you than ask your very friends to help you?"

Dionysus Anger again. "I sense no noble self sacrifice from you. No honorable intent. Just fear & depression. You are sulking. Pouting."

Aurelia Faint responding anger that dies quickly.

Aurelia "If they aid, I will betray them."

Dionysus Stronger anger. "That is not what I sense. You have hidden depths, wells of creativity, light, passion, & beauty. You are a pool of love, Aurelia. If you would just break down the barriers of fear & depression you use to block them out, you would be stronger than anyone I've ever known."

Dionysus "What you lack is hope."

• Aurelia looks up at her.

Dionysus She holds out a hand & a golden chrysanthemum appears there. "This is Hope itself, Aurelia. Will you take it?"

• Aurelia begins to reach, then pulls her hand back and turns away. "It will be lost."

Dionysus She shakes her head, "Very well. When you are ready..."

Dionysus She pulls a string & ties the chrysanthemum to Kashaji's neck. "Take it, & you will find that which you fear, that which you despair, is less than you believe."

Dionysus She turns to leave. "Find your inner peace, Aurelia, & crush those that hurt you. You are great & I know it."

Dionysus She leaves if you asy nothing more.

• Aurelia bows her head in shame and watches her go.

---

Dionysus A pale golden glow waves off of it.

Dionysus And Hope fills your being.

Dionysus You can do anything for the next thirty seconds.

Dionysus Rather, you feel as if you can.

Aurelia Can I perceive the curse?

Dionysus if you want to.

Dionysus A black aura in the air around you.

• Aurelia wants it gone.

Dionysus The curse withers away. You have 8 more actions, theoretically.

Aurelia Can I change myself?

Dionysus You can... improve your feminine character by force of will forcing your body to produce particular hormones, but not actually cause the change itself.

Aurelia Then one action trying, one action keeping a piece of this feeling after one action giving the rest to Avery.

Dionysus You give him the Hope?

Aurelia Yes.

Dionysus You save a sliver of Hope?

Aurelia I... save two.

Aurelia One for just... continuing to hope when it's gone, and one for the song.

Dionysus Which song?

Aurelia The one I had been trying to write out.

Dionysus You have a 22 box song within minutes, & the Hope lingers, but the feeling of capability fades to realistic levels.

Aurelia Transcription probably won't be in time for this show, unless we have a serious while.

Dionysus Just a couple of hours.

Aurelia Did the flower stay when the hope went?

Dionysus The flower is now a normal flower.

Aurelia I was curious whether I'd have somethin to return to Emily.

Dionysus It does not wilt.

---

• Aurelia cleans up, ties back her hair, and tries on the reever outfit for the first time since she got it.

Dionysus It fits well, & is quite handsome?

• Aurelia stares at a mirror for a few minutes. then quickly takes it off, packs it away, and goes to sleep.