#earthrunes

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Sidebar: Earl and Zara recieve a beautiful, hand-made card on the 14th. An illustration of them exchanging vows, with a scroll/banner below framing them with the message "Congratulations on your first year."
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(UNPAUSE)

only to find the seer's door has a note Even Seers have paramours. Come by again tomorrow

Coradel reads the note and sighs. "Well...I can't really fault him for that, now, can I? So..." She turns to look at Selena, taps a finger against the wall, thinking. "You're cursed. You can't tell me what the curse is. And it has something to do with not being able to talk to Hume, whom you obviously adore."

A bright blush, "the baroness is perceptive" Selena merely comments

"I.. can talk to him about.. most things"

"Hmmm..." She considers. "You mentioned a year. So...you can't pursue a love interest for a year?"

"I... won't be able to in a year..." Selena touches her brow as if a headache is coming on.

"Don't hurt yourself. Okay. You won't be able to in a year. Because...oh! You're betrothed!"

"No, Baroness" She says "I.. I am not, and likely never will be. There is no mere pumpkin for me when tthe bell finally tolls"

"You...you're dying? That can't be!"

She lowers her eyes "I can't..answer "

But Coradel is surre she hit it

"Well, since you could answer about other things I asked, I'm going to assume I'm right. You've got a year. You say it's a curse, and part of the curse is that you cannot speak of it. But...the lovely thing about curses is that they often have loopholes. Come with me." She takes the piskie by the elbow and ushers her along at a neat clip to the Library.

She goes along "i'm not much of a ..writer, if that is what you're hhoping for"

"Oh, no no. Just looking for an expert opinion. Of course, it's possible she's equally unavailable as Almandine was."

the library door is a RIOT of flowers

"oh so many flowers" Selena says, a look of envy on her face

Coradel blinks, and then remembers. "Oh, of course. No, they won't be coming up for air any time soon."

"Really, Baroness, just.. just make sure Hume is happy. I.. I don't matter. of course, other girls will now see him as the..wonderful man he will grow to be"

Coradel's temper is rising. Selena isn't the target...but her situation is. Not to mention whoever put this curse on her! "Oh, I'm not giving up with out a fight, Selena! Now...oh! I have an idea." Out in the corridor, she plucks a flower out of a vase and shows it to the piskie. "This is not a flower. This is a young woman named...named SelENE" putting the emphasis on the different last syllable. "Now...You can't tell your own story, but according to my decree of the moment, Selene's story just happens to be exactly like yours. So...tell HER story." She hands Selena the flower and makes an encouraging gesture.

Selena stares in amazement as protocol of a sort revamps the rules, what is proper, nuanced to the extreme! Nobles decide what is proper in their own holds after all

Coradel nods encouragement.

She takes the flower "Selene was a pretty flower, as she became a woman she found others noting it. Why some saw her as pretty as some sidhe, thhouh.. the Pisk.. err Posey, knew better." Her lip trembled "She drew the attention of a man... but did not realize he was claimed by annother... she didn't even want him really. But... the other, a foul witch, grew angry at Selene, and arranged what she meant to be her death. Selene was not born of nothing. She had a big sister whho loved her greatly, and thhe witch owed her sister a boon. " She strokes the flower, petals fall "As Selene lay dying, her sister called out the witch to save Selene, for her sister didn't know it was the witches' doing... the witch didn't want to, but said she would do it.. but the older sister would die in her place. Thinking the older sister would not be so Selfless... but... "the petals keep falling, "Selene's older sister agreed, and began to die. And Selene revived, and the witch laughed..." She looks dizzy, but the protocol helps

Coradel takes her hand to stop her from stroking away any more petals. "Enough. I understand. Does Selene's sister-flower yet live? Or has she passed?"

"Selene knew the wich was behind it all, and took her dying sister to ANOTHER... a wizard, who said he could keep her sister alive, but oly by finding a noble pure of heart and kind, and winning his love could she... free her sister from the slow death. She...selene that is... had a year and a day to do this, or they would boeth die..." And she crumbles into her arms

it would appear she just kept babbling. But now is stopped . Selena is ice cold to the touch, not banal, morre like the blood chose to stop cirrculating

"But...oh! Oh, no...HEALER!" Then as an afterthought, she also cries out, "HUME! LORD HUME!"

She picks up the piskie and carries her to the balefire, setting her down on a velvet upholstered couch.

With Emma also out with Oswald, it appears she has a problem, but calls go out for Lord Hume

She chafes at her wrists to try to get her blood moving again.

the fire seems to revive the girl, as if annswering the Baroness' demands. Heating her

"Get me HUME!" she demands again, not leaving Selene's side.

Hume is pulled in "Baroness? " he has lipstick stains on nhis neck. No doubt some ladies ARE impressed by his heroism

She looks at him, then does a double-take. Well, at any other moment I'd be impressed, but right now that's very inconvenient. "Lord Hume, Selena has taken ill. I must retrieve something from my quarters. I am entrusting you to sit with her and help her revive." A pause. "Please," she adds for emphasis.

"Selena? " He rushes to her side "What happened? How.. is it Covid? Where's Emma?" he takes Selenna's hand

"I think she has taken a vacation day. Here..." she moves aside so Hume can sit next to Selena on the couch. "She's cold, but recovering. Please, help keep her warm. I'll be right back."

She pauses a moment, and hands him a delicate handkerchief. "You may wish to...." She gestures to where he's got lipstick marks. "Tidy up."

Then she's away, at first appearing to hurry...and then slowing down once out of sight of the two of them, giving them some time.

"Oh? I .. well I was in the hall... " She seems gone so he just wipes "And I got smooched and.. right" He turns back to Selena , rubbing her hands "Please, be okay, Selena. Please... you always believed in me, even when I didn't. I'm very selffish. I don't like you sick"

He tries to make her comfortable, and rubs

When she gets to her quarters, Coradel fishes around for some bit of jewelry, a bit of silver chain, something....and she gives it a bit of her own glamour for effect.

Ah, yes, this from Bachdion will help

She hesitates. It's perfect, but...she doesn't want to give away a gift from him.

"Well, it's a loan."

She checks her hair in the mirror before moving back towards the balefire ...slowly at first, but at a good clip as she nears the destination.

"Found it!" she announces as she approaches, and pauses to take in the scene...whatever it may be.

Selena is breathing easier, her head in Hume's lap. he strokes her hair

and looks very tenderly at her.

Selena has been trying to win his love. It's clear she's winning his affecttion. Is that enough?