"I had it made by a woman in Venice, I send for her products whenever I have the extra coin to do so." She smiled and tilted her head, "It reminds me of something but I don't know what." She tapped her chin with her finger and then shifted so she was a little more comfortable, as the twin babes she didn't know were twins yet were causing her no small amount of discomfort, especially her bladder.

"I just want you to be happy here. It is nice to have some good things happen after... after all that's happened." She sighed and stretched.

Chéri frowned. They knew a lot about fashionable cosmetics and it wasn’t unusual to try to get something special, of any sort, really, when they lived in Paris, but they had never heard about Venetian perfume. “Why from there? And how do you know only that will work?” Chéri was curious. Sonia seemed willing to share very private things. Chéri wasn’t the type to ask too much, but they were -or had been- fashionable and they were still curious about it.
Chéri oiled their hands and started massaging the base of her spine, separating the vertebrae one by one with his thumbs, in a slow, controlled movement that pressed only as much as needed.

“You want someone to be happy here.” Chéri finished the sentence for her.

"I am from Venice as far as I remember," she said softly, "So I buy things from there with hopes of finding information about who I am. Or was, rather." She sighed and leaned into their touch, head soon tipping back as she arched a little. There was a heavy movement from within her as they relieved the pressure. Sonia closed her eyes and went on to murmur, "Yes, I would like someone to be happy here." Or at least as happy as one could be while working on their back.

“As far as you remember.” Chéri repeated, as softly as she had, a second violin following the first one. “It’s like trying to remember a dream, mh?” He tried to imagine. He really didn’t have that much experience with the loss of roots, everything that had happened to him had been a choice-even though not yours- and he remembered his language, his home, his family and many aspects of his culture, even though they had now been denied to him.
Chéri proceeded working on Sonia’s spine and shrugged “I… will let you know how I feel once I have been here for a while. How is the pressure?” He asked, thinking about her stressed spine.

"I cannot remember a lot of things, but I remember that smell," she said with a wan smile. She was starting to relax enough that her voice sounded sleepy. "That feels good, Chéri. And... I understand." She did. In her mind it was time to make things turn around. Magnus was a blight on society and she wanted to wipe his notoriety away from the Diamond Pony.

"Thank you for this. You're the only one willing to approach me right now." Her head rested back on their shoulder, the scent f lilac wafting up to tickle nostrils.

Chéri blinked “The smell?” They inquired, without going too much in details. Chéri smiled sweetly, even if Sonia couldn’t see it. “Any point in particular?” They asked, silently taking the compliment and winking as their eyes met.

Chéri laughed “How is everyone so afraid of a pregnant woman in a brothel? I don’t get it.” Where Cheri had grown up tragedies and bad luck were the norm. It happened to them all. Didn’t mean they stopped supporting each other, especially when someone fell pregnant. Chéri had seen certain scenes before, but wasn’t going to stop partaking in the isolation of the less lucky “unfortunate.”

"Lilac. It's like a summer's day in Italy with the flowers in bloom. I am sure I once belonged to someone there, that I was once someone's daughter." Her eyes met theirs as she turned her head. "I understand that the jury is still out as to whether a person likes it here or not and that it would take time to get settled. Ah, Chéri, and they aren't afraid of me, they're afraid for me. They are worried and think I am fragile... which is true in a sense right now, I suppose."

“You once belonged to someone.” It was a nice concept. Chéri couldn’t know it, but the Italian word for it included something that suggested “keeping” and “sharing” at the same time. If Chéri had known, they probably would have felt that applied to Sonia really well.

Chéri nodded. She had obviously understood. As for the rest, their eyes wondered where her scar was “You are not fragile.” They said, with absolute conviction.

"Oui. I don't remember anything from my childhood, but I am sure there was once somebody out there looking for me. I'd like to think my time on my back would help me find my family, but it hasn't yet. One day, perhaps." She was not paying attention to the fact that the scar was being looked at, but it would definitely explain why she was off in some manner. The scar looked like someone had hit her hard upon the back of the head.

"I thank you for saying so, but I have never felt so tired and nauseated. But perhaps that is just the babies as they grow."

“And you think they are no longer there?” Chéri was curious more than anything. They didn’t think much about what was realistic, true or not. If Sonia thought so, well, that was all that mattered to them too. “Did you lose your memory?” They were now curious. Chéri didn’t insist on the scar, that was going to be their only comment.

Chéri laughed “You are literally making two children with your body, that can’t be relaxing. But we can try to do something to make it less painful. What do you still have? Joint pain? Headache? Hunger? Wanna sleep? Any needs…” they touched their belly “here?” They weren’t trying to be crass, they just lacked decent vocabulary and didn’t want to be offensive.