Dionysus Aurelia, there's a knock at your door.

• Aurelia puts down her dress and moves to open it.

Dionysus Rumbleford is there, with Avery.

• Aurelia smiles.

Dionysus Rumbleford stares, mouth agape.

Aurelia What does he feel?

Dionysus Horror.

• Aurelia blinks, smile faltering.
• Avery smiles back, though he's slightly preoccupied. worried, nervous, uncertain.

Dionysus "What did he /do/ to you?"

Aurelia "He..?"

Dionysus "Nightmare Incarnate."

• Avery looks more worried.
• Aurelia quietly says, "Oh," and looks away.

Avery "...Aurelia...are you okay?"

Avery concern

• Aurelia nods.

Dionysus "You... are... What happened?"

• Aurelia looks at Avery, then away again, guiltily.

Dionysus Rumbleford steps inside & sits down.

• Aurelia moves back to let him.

Dionysus "Please, if you explain, I might be able to help you."

Avery "...Aurelia? you've...changed." he follows Rumbleford, feeling confused and concerned. "I..felt it, back on Merukis...but things came up, and...I just...I guess it slipped my mind...did something happen, back there?"

Aurelia "He found me, in dreams. He told me what would come of Avery."

• Avery looks down slightly, still a little unnerved by that prospect.

Aurelia "In Merukis, I called Him. His price for protecting Avery was not onorous."

Dionysus Rumbleford breathes in sharply. "What price?"

• Avery snaps his head up at that, stunned.
• Arsul_T knocks

Aurelia "Use of-"

Dionysus Rumbleford looks over to it, "Whoever that is, I urge you to finish explaining to me."

• Aurelia looks up sharply, and a touch gratefully at the knock, looks at Rumbleford for objection, and goes to open it.
• Aurelia does not open, then.
• Arsul_T is without, holding some ough canvas

Arsul_T or not

• Aurelia stops, hand near the door's handle, then swallows and turns back.

Dionysus Rumbleford hisses, "Avery, go answer it. Aurelia, talk to me."

Aurelia "Use of my flesh for some months."

• Avery hesitates a moment, nods slightly, and goes to do so.
• Arsul_T is without, holding some rough canvas

Dionysus He winces, "He will... possess you?" He sounds almost hopeful when he asks that.

Avery Softly, "Arsul...what's up?"

• Aurelia shakes her head. "He did so then. Now..." She touches her belly with hesitant fingertips.

Arsul_T "I-- I'm sorry to disturb. I was wondering if I could speak to Aurelia. I-- I'd like to ask her help."

Avery "...give us a minute?"

• Arsul_T nods and moves down the hall out of his own earshot

Dionysus Rumbleford puts his head in his hands & groans in agony. "No, no, no."

Dionysus "Damn. Blast. Hellfire. By the Unicorn!" He stands & kicks the wall.

• Avery shuts the door slowly and turns back to them, jumping at the kick.
• Aurelia watches passively.

Dionysus He turns back to Aurelia, "How long ago?"

• Avery listens.

Aurelia "Two days."

Dionysus A glimmer of hope, "Then we can still terminate it."

Aurelia "No!"

Dionysus He flinches, muttering, "Damn all women."

Dionysus "Very well. There are other options. It is... Unseelie?"

• Aurelia nods slightly.
• Avery looks back and forth, wavering between confusion, concern, and worry.

Dionysus He bites his lips, "Avery, are you--no, you can't be. I'm going to teach you a song. It's called the Song of Shaping. It's not... perfect, but the better the skill of the player, be he fae, the better the chances it can shape the child. This is of utmost importance."

• Aurelia asks quietly, "Shape..?"

Dionysus Rumbleford looks to Aurelia, "All fae are Named at birth. Part of that process is how we shape the child in the womb. The Father of your child is quite powerful, so his influence will be hard to fight, but if we can affect the child before birth strongly enough, your Naming might overpower any Naming he might try to affect."

Dionysus "And Name affects the child's Identity."

• Avery nods slowly, hand going automatically to his whistle.
• Aurelia nods uncertainly.

Dionysus He grimaces, "If we don't do this, I doubt you'd live through childbirth, miss. It's necessary to save far more lives than you know."

Aurelia "The bargain..."

• Avery looks at Aurelia at that, fear spiking slightly. he doesn't want to lose her.

Dionysus "The bargain?"

Avery "Bargain...?"

Aurelia "This is His price. I cannot..."

Dionysus Rumbleford narrows his eyes, "Then we will have to hide this from him. Do it at the times he can't possibly know it is happening. And keep it from your nightmares. Each night, Avery, you are going to have to weave her dreams."

• Avery looks stunned, part very touched that she would make that sacrifice for him, and sad that she did. he glances at Rumbleford and nods.

Dionysus He looks into Aurelia's eyes, & you sense his intensity, his determination, "Do you accept this?"

Aurelia "He will know, at its birth..."

Dionysus He frowns, "There are other ways to protect Avery from the likes of him. We fae have done so for eons."

• Avery moves to put a hand on her arm, gently, trying to reassure her.

Aurelia "How?"

Dionysus "Until the Father of Dreams is released? I will cast a spell on Avery that should any servant of Nightmare attack him, my own body will take the damage--I will fall in his place. Once the Father of Dreams is released, no power on Shem can harm Avery, I assure you."

Dionysus He looks at Aurelia, "So I suggest you work on the contest, while Avery works on your child. Win the contest, save the Dream-Father, & keep me from being an unseelie lord, please." He smiles, slightly.

• Avery looks shocked, but says nothing, the shock quickly fading to determination.

Dionysus He looks into Aurelia's eyes, this time feeling hope &... pleading. "Please, Child of Beauty?"

• Avery can't help the smile at that name.
• Aurelia blinks at it, surprised, then looks away. "I am not."

Avery "You are."

Avery "you always have been."

Dionysus Rumbleford touches the dress you were working on, "The evidence is before you. Do you accept this... arrangement?"

• Aurelia shakes her head, then looks at Avery. "You choose this..?"

Avery "..." he nods. "We can get through this, Aurelia...together. Please."

• Aurelia turns away and nods.
• Avery puts a hand on her shoulder gently, saying softly "Thank you."

Dionysus Rumbleford breathes a sigh of relief, "Noonday is the best time, then, assuming you are wide awake at that hour. Avery, each time you play the Song of Shaping, you must alter it to match your intent. Think of the child as you play & try to focus on... anything, really. Anything you want the child to be. Any feature, power, characteristic you want it to have, & play... something that represents that. Something new each time you pl

Dionysus ay it. Once a week, at least. And every time she sleeps, weave a pleasant dream for her. Something short & simple will suffice. And keep practicing your fae powers, every day. Understand?"

• Avery nods.

Dionysus He says, "Then I will teach you the song tonight. Right now, I have to go work it out. Come to me this evening."

Avery "Right."

Dionysus "Go see what your friend wanted," he says as he walks through the wall to his own cabin.

• Avery looks at Aurelia. "...Arsul was outside...he had some canvas, he wanted to talk to you..."
• Aurelia doesn't look back, but nods again.

Avery "..." he nods and turns to go. "I'll...let him know you're free..." he heads off to do so.

• Aurelia closes the door behind him and slumps.