#dreaming

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Swarms of Cupid Chimera descend into the autumn lands! This time of the year, they truly feel like GODS again!

"Cry Havoc!" One winged Cherub screams "And release the Cats of DESIRE!"

"ARRROOOWW ARRROOOW!" The other chant like extras in a 300 movie!

And they scatter by the hundreds into the lands of the mortals and kithian!

....................

at the edge of the Dreaming, the Near Dreaming.. Olgar and Kerri soak in a hot spring

"So...not bad for a place to soak?" A grin

"Ohhhh....not bad at all..." She sighs and reaches to take his hand lazily as she looks up at the sky above. "The hot tub at the Lodge is fine enough, but this is so much better...."

"It does come with a view " He could be talking about the valley and cliff view... but he's looking at her as he does it. He squeezes her hand back "Too bad It will only hold for a few hours"

"Mmm...what'll happen then, oh Rover of mine?"

"The Firchilis breaks, the pattern shatters and it becomes subject to more chaos...could turn more into sludge or thhe like"

"Good tip not to doze off for long, then." Still, it feels good now, and some of the tension he's noticed in her features the last few days -- even before the Imbolc Incursion -- has melted away.

"Mmm no sure if I should ask you if you want to talk or just doze." He shifts and massages a leg, "Don't want to ruin what you need but babe? You've beenn tense even before the troubahorde"

She enjoys the massage, but she's also quiet for a moment. Finally, she makes a decision and takes a deep breath. "I may have to do something I...kind of really don't want to do. And I'm worried about how you'll feel about it, and how Sylvi will feel about it. And, yeah, about how I'll feel about it."

"Mmm well... if it endangers you, I won't like it, or if it makes you sad. But then what I like ain't always the important factor."

"It's important to me. I want you to be able to..." A pause. "...to respect me."

"Respect you? You're my wife, my trueheart, mtoher of my child, one third of the triumvante of the lodge.. .and the best at it I've ever seen... you're brave, beautiful, and wise. You are all that and my favorite sugar taco.. what's not to respect?"

She squeezes his hand and gives a tense half-grin. "I...may have to choose a House. And become a baroness."

"I still respect you... but I am..." He blinks "VERY confused"

A deep breath. "The Chieftain wants to ensure that someone is ready to assume the Lodge if something should happen. We have talked about this before, but...for some reason, she seems more concerned about it now. Maybe it's nothing, or just an abundance of caution, but..." she shakes her head. "At any rate...this is a barony. A barony needs a baron. Or a baroness. She has said she intends to petition Hemlock to give me that title in the case of her loss, rather than have some stranger take over the Balefire."

"Wow. " A deep breath "Baby, you being a knight, the way you became a knnight, bothered me for a long time. You know? I think it bothered yo utoo"

"A lot." She nods, her voice low and troubled.

"But.. this, this seems..better than that. you know? No wham bam you get raised without warning. ... but, and correct me if I'm wrong, the idea is you get raised ONLY if something happens to the Chief? There won't be two baronesses at the hold?"

"That's what the Chieftain wants, yeah. I'm not sure how do-able that is, or if Hemlock'll go for it. But...I really...I don't want to see the Balefire go to somebody we don't even know, Olgar." Jealousy? Maybe?

"So... you may not want to be a baroness, but you want a stranger even less. Sounds like priorities to me"

"Well...yes. But a House?" She shakes her head. "Playing that game feels....ugh."

"Do you have to take one?" He asks with distaste "I mean, Jessica didn't.. and she's rank equivalent"

'....Mmmmaybe? But she's in a different kind of place. A brand new fief? That's a different situation, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but what I'm saying is... that's not a no. And there are levels right.. House Aflilation instead of membership? Sure , you don't get the truth telling or fearlessness... but you don't get the grrr arrgh or 'wweee let's get in trouble'"

"But...you think...I could still take the baroness title with only an affiliation?" She looks interested in that.

"I think it's possible... I mean, has any house ever called to you? It's not something we common kith normally have to mull over."

"Not really. Not these houses. I heard how the trolls in Thyle have bloodlines instead of houses and something about that kind of clicks, you know? Like, something in that idea might matter a bit. But the sidhe Houses? No, I don't feel called. But I don't want to say that to Hemlock and have him decide that making me a baroness is too risky if I'm not reallly go-go-Gwydion."

"The guy has plenty of barons who aren't Gwyds. Dougal, Fiona..and heck even a scathatch...if anything, your openiness to affiliate with more than one house might work to the Count's advantage. Because then if you go say 'Affiliated Fiona' he can tell the Fiona 'See, I'm throwing you Fiona a bone here...'"

"I'm not saying we play the game, I'm saying that making it fit the game is HIS thing and he's a Sidhe, he should be able ot make it work whatever you hope for"

She's quiet for a long moment, weighing his words. "I guess maybe I'm once bitten, twice shy. I don't know if I trust him to respect my wishes in this. But if the Chieftain tells him specifically what we want to do...." She trails off, thinking.

'Well, I hope he considers it, because if the lodgei s going to the sidhe anyway, I am more than happy to grab you, Sylvi and pack off to a place where we're more appreciated. And whoever is new can deal with things. If the Chief's wishes re ignored by her own liege, then we certainly aren't in any sense obligated to go along. You are sworn to the Chief, not him. "

The suggestion of leaving the Lodge makes her frown, but she looks at him and considers, then says, "You know...you're right. If that's how it goes...you're right. That would be the next step. But I'd fight first. I'd fight for the balefire."

"Of course you would. And that's why the Chief chose you as her likely successor. Because you would ... and yeah, if what we see as unworthy lord is taking over anyway... and the fight is done ,then we leave. Sylvi has contacts in Alaska. I trods you wouldn't believe. The DeBukes would b happy to have us stay forever or a day. Mists Edge and more." A pause "Not firnost though, that place would be crazy. But yes, as a next step IF pushed. First step? Here."

"Here?" she indicates the hot springs with a wry grin.

"Okay..ha.. no the lodge"

She nods. "Okay. Yeah." She seems a bit more relaxed...for a moment. "Now I just have to figure out whether Sylvi will forgive me. She's not as anti-noble as she was for a while there, but I think this might be a bit much to swallow."

"First thing we drive home to her, is that whatever you swwear to is not expected of her. If you become a Baroness of House whatzit, she is still her own person... we support her ..whether she decides to strive for knighthood or lets her freak flag fly... if it's self destructive we give our views... but ... she needs to know that we're not trying to ram her down a path that's going to make her miserable. Sound right?"

She gives him a warm look. "You have gotten very good at telling yourself these speeches, Mr. Dad. Yes, it sounds perfect. It gets a bit harder to follow when she's being difficult, but it sounds perfect."

"Yeah, easy for me to put down a plan, you're the one who has to make the pitch to her" A grin

Kerri groans. "Sure you don't want to do it for me?"

"Oh that'll be good' Hey, Rugmonster, good news, if the Chief bites it, she wants your mom to take her place. Bad news, this means she's got to get baronized b the Count and might need to get into Sidhe Sorority...otherwise some sidhe lord might take over our home that you've known all your life ... no pressure how's cheerleading?'"

Another groan and she sinks a bit deeper into the hot spring.

He watches her submerge "If you're trying to drown yourself it will take a while. You've still got the two best natural flotation devices in the entire duchy and they seem pretty buoyant" Admiring leer