#earthrunes

"That's...not what I asked." Concern. "Try again."

He shakes his head. "I don't.... I'm sorry. I'll... I'll do better."

"August! Stop!" She gets up from her chair. "This is just like you were...before..." A pause. "What happened?"

"I made you angry?"

"What is going on with you?! You haven't been this bad in months!"

"Bad?" He seems lost, then sits up and nods. "I...sor.... I didn't intend insult. My apol..... I'll bear it in mind."

A long look of concern, then, "August...I...need to talk to Sir Almandine. Why don't you go back to whatever you were researching?" She stands and hesitates just a fraction before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll...find you later."

He nods, face a blank. "Of course."

A Fiona doesn't "flee"...but she does stride purposefully in search of the seer.

He.... August tries to go back to... whatever he was doing.

She gets to Almandine's study. "Sir Seer! I must speak with you!"

The runes scatter and the Eiluned turns and looks at her, "you..startled me, Baroness. What can I do for you?"

"Something is wrong with August. Something...I'm not sure how it started, but he's off. Can you tell what it is?"

"Off about Sir August?" He gathers the runes and slips them into a bag. "Can you more details? How is he 'off'? how is he acting that is 'wrong'?"

She hesitates. "You will keep it in confidence?"

"We Eiluned are somewhat known for being able ot keep a secret"

"Yes, and I trust you to use that skill on my behalf in this case. Fine. He is..." A breath. "I've seen this before, but not in months. He is...totally submissive. I ask him what he wants, and he only says what he thinks I want him to want. I ask him his opinion, and he merely defers to whatever I said last!" She's pacing with frustration. "I know August...and I know he can get this way a little...but this has crept to a level where he seems to have abdicated his own control of himself."

He thinks on it, "mm when did you last see him defiant to you?"

"Well, he contradicted me at breakfast yesterday, but I wouldn't call that 'defiant' exactly."

"And it's not about being 'defiant'....he's my husband! My equal!"

Alamandine says "Give me your hand. You are oathed yes? That should provide a link"

"Yes." She offers him her left hand, palm up.

"The hand you most long to hold, now seems too easy to control . Your equal he was until recently, at least that's how you'd like to see. His spine apears to be jelly filled, that in you ardor might just kill. A balance is wanted, a balance is sought, else fiona lady remain distraught... let us see clearly through through it all. The ball and chain should not lose its balls" and glamour flows

A bit of a wry grin at the words, then she inhales at the flow of glamour...and waits, tense.

"II see scars on a slim back. Marks of the matyr, not scars of cowardice, but survival and prudence. When one cannot fight back, one can only endure. "I see a lady, wreathed in light who shone on her first dawnand fought and defied, and this is how SHE survived. Her scars are wounds from battles earn, and to yield was to die. Each showed strength, but one pulled, one pushed and.... yes, weight. Libra is askew. He can remove every article of clothing from her but the crown. She thinks it is set aside, but he cannot separate them, where she can appreciate the facets and... he has always bowed before any crown. He must,for he threw away his own. he accepts this... and yet he is blind to how much she longs to set both crowns aside when it is just two, mroe than two the math changes..numbers, scattering. One is doing one style of math the other another. No wonder they don't.." He gasps and looks dazed "pardon, your ...oath...it's got a lot of ....power behind it. On both sides. Love and..history I.. so much history I can't even begin to understand what happened before this time but it is...legend that I do not know" A glance at the baroness, his cantrip done "You and he did something great together, or something terrible. Didn't you? Before you wore flesh"

Her eyes widen, and she snatches her hand back quickly. "You pry too far, Seer." Anger tinged with anxiety.

She turns and paces away, troubled.

"I would say not far enough" Eyes with interest "But I do serve you, Baroness.You could stop me with a command. Yet it is the power of your command that he bends to even as he misunderstands. He is not sworn vasalage to you has he?"

"No. I...I don't want that." Her back is still turned to him, and she turns her head to speak over her shoulder to him. "He is my equal, not my vassal."

"I think he has trouble understanding. He has survived so far by bending, a willowin a house of oaks. This is not weakness, it is strength, or at least wisdom. To him. He needs to learn your storms are different, your tempests fierce perhaps but..." A pause "Forgive me. He must grow to see that perhaps at times you want him to rule in the bedroom, serve at court before others, and ...in private, be your equal and confidant. I think we..enter the realm where others who advice on matters romantic might be better than a seer who advises in the arcane"

"So...it's not a curse or some damage being done by another. Only...by me." She turns her head away again.

"it's only you plural, it's like a mentor told me once, any damn fool can make a mess, to really complicate things it takes two folks in love"

A sigh. "Yes. I suppose I should be used to that by now." A pause, then she turns to leave. "My thanks, Seer. And this remains between us." The words sounds as if they should be coupled with a pointed look, but she focuses straight ahead.

"Of course, Baroness..." A brief pause "Baroness, my cynical mentor aside. This is a ...swerve on your journey together. Not a crash. I have oddly some faith in you both"

"Oh, trust me, Seer...the mode of our journey may have gotten away from me for a bit, but that is over now, and we will right this course." And she is gone.

-----

Coradel next seeks out Bachdion at any of his usual haunts.

There was a time she could simply listen for the throws of pleasure in various rooms, but the hold is truly Fiona now and many have embraced it. So she goes to those areas that he favors and...

Almost runs into him in a hallway "Ah, Baroness. I was looking for you" he states, 'have a moment?"

"And I for you." She looks tense.

"Oh?" The graybeard satyr's brow uplifts under a curlling horn

A nod. "That missive I sent to the Countess, regarding August. I haven't received a reply and...I need one."

"Why the rush?" He asks

A pained look. "August is...he's simpering again, Bachdion. But worse. He's...." She shakes her head. "I just checked with Almandine, to see if there might be some curse affecting him, but it's just that...if I've got this right, he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not sworn to a liege, and he's losing his way. I don't want him to swear to me."

"Easy easy..." he says but hugs her "He loves you. You know he does. You two will be okay. now, seers are talented, but hardly romance experts."

She sighs into the hug. "To give Almandine credit, he did point out when the issue had gone beyond his expertise. Which is why I was looking for you. Bachdion, if August can just be made Baron, as he should be, then he'd be all right, I think."

"He'd know who he is."

"I think you're latching onto a quick fix. " Bachdion says "But it should HELP. Yes."

"Help is help, and I'll take it. I wanted to do this for him before whatever-this-is happened."

"I know, I know" A sigh "Look, we've all dropped some clues here and there. Myself included."