#earthrunes

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Coradel gets yanked aside by her archer and house sister, Dame Leonora "Got a moment, my liege?"

"Oh!" Surprised by being yanked rather than drawn aside, she half laughs. "Yes, of course! What is it?"

"Sorry, wouldn't do it if you had anything official going on or were in the throne room" She assures, but as they move she speaks "It's about August. Has he told you anything about feeling guilty about not ...providing for me?"

Suddenly, her expression goes from amused to serious, and she nods. "He did. I insisted he talk to you about it before doing anything to 'fix' it. Sounds like he has."

"He did, and good thing... way he was talking I was afraid he was going to try to find a way to get me a timeshare. " She says "You two are great friends.. and maybe a bit more " Wink but it goes serious again "But if this three some is stressing him with guilt for not providing... I'd rather step back than have him feel bad for not providing me with stuff I can afford more easily than he can anyway. "

"Oh, I hope you don't do that, Leonora. I don't think...it's not the threesome, exactly. I think...Well, August half-remembers being more than he is now, and I think it frustrates him that he's not..." She waves her hand vaguely. "...not in charge, in more ways."

She raises a brow 'more in charge? I mean.. we've both played the ah... hem... hapless carnal damsel for him.... sometimes that's a lot of fun actually. But you mean outside the bedroom?"

A happy spark in her look. "It is fun, isn't it? But...yes." She sighs. "Don't tell him, but I've petitioned the county more than once to allow me to grant him the baronial title with me...but they've yet to get back to me."

"Why the delay? It's been almost a month since beltaine... and House Beaumayn is friendly towards House LIam even if an Aesin might not be,?" Brow knit

"I'm not sure. And...well, I haven't pursued it. There have been other concerns. But...I should." A frown. "I hope I like the answer I get."

"Well, whatever they decide, you'll roll with it. Lord knows you've rolled enough." a tilt of her head "My imagiantion, or have you and Delores mended the fence, at least a little?"

A deep breath and a nod. "I think so, yes. No, I'm certain of it." A half-smile. "I just hope she and August are able to do the same." A curious look. "What did you tell August when he talked to you? Not that you wanted to step back from us, I hope?"

"no no.. I told him that I could afford things more htan he could and that was the wrong tact... so I went to the other, which was also the truth... the places I live at aren't really home for me. So he's never made love to me in my home either"

"Hmmm..." She nods. "He accepted that?"

"Hard to tell with August, but he at least seemed to understand. Though he got weird for a bit..."

"Weird?"

"Not sure... sometimes I think the idea that we take bodies.. well, most of us, bothers him. I can see why, but my host? She was a horrible person. She treated her dad like a piggy bank. I..can't say I regret settling in "

"Ugh. Same. Mine had whipped Samson bloody before I arrived." A flash of old anger.

"Bitch did not!" Disbelief more that anyone could "Samson's a sweetie"

"She did! I have never regretted displacing her...though sometimes August insists I should be grateful for her sacrifice of this body. It's certainly convenient that she happened to not need it at the moment when I did, but I hardly think she would have made the sacrifice willingly if she'd been given the option."

"May they both learn to be better people in the dreaming"

"Yes..." A bit of a frown.

"Ok, don't tell me I've bummed you out?"

"No, just...a half-memory. Something about people waiting...in the Dreaming...." She puzzles after it a moment, then shakes her head. "Must be from a quest, but I can't track it down. No matter." A smile again.

"Well, old flickers of what was can be really hard to piece together. Oh, what's this I hear about Sir Earl having a squire?"

A blink. "Sir Earl? A squire? Well, we do seem to have an abundance of squires, but this is the first I've heard of one for him. Details?"

"Some pooka girl...she was in your art gallery ..sweet kid, just turned wilder. I hear it's the season for that too"

"Ha! Well, at least our childlings will stay childlings a bit longer. At least, I hope they will...none of them are ready to pop, right?"

"No no.. yyou'll get to cuddle Isis and Enri a bit longer still "A grin

"Good! The thought of them not being quite so cuddle-able is not something I want to entertain at the moment." A laugh.

A grin "I know right? Enri's just so sweet, and Isis is so... well, she's very much a princess"

"So very!"

A bit more chatter about the kids, then she says "Okay... back to the original subject.... August... anyway I can help him feel more... well, macho?"

"Oh, Leonora...that's the question, isn't it? I mean..." A fond twinkle in her eye. "It's a switch that seems to turn on and off, right? Sometimes he's anxious and insecure and then other times...." A sigh. "Oh, those other times....." Almost a purr.

"I know..." A bit of her lips, "I like both mind you... sometimes I'm the stern librarian and his books are overdue..." She mimes lowering glasses with a sexy arched brow, "And then other times I'm the school girl who has to go to the principal's office and he's all in charge"

Then she adds "Do NOT Tell Zara bout the librarian overdue book one"

Eyes wide. "Oh, I won't tell Zara, but...oh, my...." A devilish grin.

"Oh yes.. let me tell you about the lion outfit" and stories proceed

(End scene)