She nodded, which might clear things up a little bit as to why she was the way she was. Her eyes met theirs and she said, "I was found with a deep wound to the back of my head about seven years ago." Sonia nibbled at her bottom lip for a moment and then tilted her head, "I don't know where they are."

"I am, and they are quite active. Even now they keep moving. The pressure on my spine is less than what it was." And then she looked with a long gaze as they asked more questions. "Needs?" she asked, "I do but I... haven't been with a man since before Magnus was shot. If that is what you mean." She had stopped working on her back after marrying the bastard.

Sonia started to explain. Chéri blinked and looked at her. They shook their head “And nothing to say who you are? Do you remember some of your education? Did you have some music in mind, some objects with you? Where did they found you?” They inquired.

Chéri massaged their chin, wondering how could Sonia sit or lie to be the most comfortable. They needed some thinking. The side probably wasn’t going to be enough. Chéri nodded. It was what they meant. “Do you want to?” Were they offering themselves? Offering to look for someone else? Asking in general to understand her condition better? The caring expression on their face wasn’t saying much.

For the first time in her life that she could remember, color flooded her cheeks. "I know nothing of most of my childhood. I... was found and cared for by a stranger..." She closed her eyes against the memory of his lessons. "He treated me as a daughter, and I am sure if he lived, I would never have ended up here... working on my back to survive." She scoffed at herself.

And then they asked her if she wanted that and she gave pause to think about it. She wasn't even sure she wanted to do that for a time but something about being pregnant caused her to want more than she should. And she wanted Darius, but she didn't know if she could have him because of her unwanted marriage to Magnus. "Oui," she eventually said.

[content warning: reference to sex trafficking]

Chéri saw her getting some colour. They blinked and wondered “Would you like me not to ask or say anything about this? If it is something you don’t like to talk about, We won’t.” They were really sure in their words. Chéri blinked again “You… don’t want to do this job?” They added, trying to gather a better understanding. For them, selling their body had meant freedom, in more ways than one, and at least in their head it had been a good choice, which could have been true, had they been the one to make it.

Sonia needed a moment to decide. Chéri nodded and they stayed still for a moment. “Do you want someone in particular?” They continued with their questions. If Sonia had wanted relief with more massages, a specific food, another blanket or maybe a spiritual advisor, Chéri would have found her that. But no, she wanted something else. And Chéri seemed determined to find a way for her to have exactly what she needed.

"No, it's not that. I am just... I haven't told many people about me not remembering. To be honest, I don't even know my name and Sonia is what he chose to call me. I don't know how people would react to me saying such a thing." Her eyes drifted toward the window.

When asked about someone in particular, she murmured, "There is someone but I fear he is unobtainable." She knew that Darius was attracted enough to have been affected by her nearness, but was it right to make love to someone who was a sibling to one's dead husband? She wasn't sure how to feel.

Chéri shrugged “I had a mother, once, and she didn’t call me Chéri. That person I am no more and I haven’t been for a really long time. People don’t get to judge that. People get to call me “Darling” and that’s all. The same goes for you: people get to call you Sonia. Anything else doesn’t belong to them. You don’t owe them honesty, kindness, time or attention. Unless you choose to sell it to them.” Chéri was being way more honest than they generally liked to be in these situation, but Sonia was close to them, in more than a way and felt compelled to share something.

Chéri shrugged “Almost every man is obtainable, if you really work on that. Of course, you want to ask yourself if it worth it. But in most cases, if they are interested and there is just some principles between you, that can be pushed off the way with the right strategy.” It sounded like a ready-made quote, something that didn’t belong to them and sprinkled with just the necessary toxic masculinity to give it some extra flavour. Chéri dropped themselves on the mattress and took a napkin, starting to dry their hand with it.

"No, I mean, it is against the law..." she murmured, "At least from what I understand of the law. I want Darius," she confided, "But he is the brother of my dead husband." Her confession was low but it was truthful. Her eyes looked away, "I had feelings for him before I was married to Magnus..." She sighed and rolled onto her side, unabashed by her nudity. It wasn't like other people hadn't seen her in her nude state. She was, after all, once a courtesan.

"It's all a big mess," she admitted then with a sigh and peered at them with hooded eyes. "Added to that, I've gotten myself into another mess." She snorted, "But I'll figure it out."

Chéri bent their head to the side then went “oooh.” Chéri nodded. They fixed their hair and said “Well, you don’t need to be married for that.” Chéri shrugged. Either they didn’t understand the problem at hand or were just used to people leaving at the edge of what was acceptable.

Chéri nodded. It sounded like that. Also, they had met Darius before and knew the man had a clear set of things he was willing to do. “Can I help you?” It was a more sincere question than most things they had ever said.

"There is a man... I have entangled myself up with him by mistake. You see, I was desperate." She paused and sighed, then continued. "I don't want him. I don't wish to marry him either... He put an ad out in the paper for a wife and I answered it before I realized what a stupid thing I was doing, and now I must... Get out of this engagement somehow. I wish I could take it back." It was something that weighed her down, it seemed.

"I know this sounds bad, but at the time, I thought it wise to present him with an ultimatum. I won't say what it is, but it was something that could have ruined that man and the last intention I ever had was to ruin someone else. I was bluffing, really." She slowly sat up and pulled her shift back on. "I must get out of the mess on my own."

Chéri didn’t know much about engagements. They seemed to have been kicked out of the marriage market before they could even enter it and had never put too much thought into it. After all, even medium-term relationships really wasn’t something they had experienced much. Sonia explained about her engagement and Chéri rose their eyebrows “Why… were you desperate? Wasn’t this after your husband died? And… you know, when people are desperate they’d do anything.” They shrugged and made sure not to show how much this applied to them. “Why can you not?” They continued. To them, that sounded very easy.

Chéri rose their eyes and thought long and hard “You could say you changed your mind because you are a good Christian after all. It might not sound very believable to him, but he also wants out -and I am assuming he didn’t want in- he will not ask further questions.”