Sleeping Venus (Session Summary)

**Sleeping Venus** details the events of the April 4, 2021 session where the party tries to find Cecily among the chaos of "Hendry's" murder.

* A physician approaches Simon and Aedryan, requesting their immediate presence in the gardens regarding the incident with Cecily.
* Simon and Aedryan join Anastasios, Sorni, and Chae outside, but decide to discuss the matter in the nursery.
* Chae informs the group that, not only is the Breath of the Gods present, but the body outside does not belong to Hendry but, rather, some other creature that was created by a doctor who experimented with creatures. Aedryan and Sorni recall the incident with the kraken on the ship to Veitium — where Ximena mentioned that Jenny, Eli’s late wife, had created it and others.
* The group determines that, even if Hendry was able to ward off the shapeshifter, he may not be safe where he is. Chae attempts to use her ability to try to locate him.
* Simon and Aedryan head back to the ballroom to try to keep people from noticing their absence, while Chae and Theo venture off to try to find Hendry, and Anastasios and Sorni go to collect Cecily and Talos.
* While searching for Cecily, Anastasios and Sorni discuss the woman’s relationship with Talos: Sorni is disappointed in Anastasios’ disapproval, especially on the vague basis that he “isn’t good enough” for his sister. Sorni presses Anastasios for valid reasons to disapprove, and he says that Talos isn’t open enough with his feelings and won’t let his sister be trapped in a marriage where she isn’t sure how her husband feels — Sorni says that the same could be said for Cecily.
* The two of them split up. As luck would have it, the first door Sorni opens is Cecily’s room… and she finds Cecily and Talos asleep, nude.
* Sorni closes the door and decides to knock — receiving no answer, despite numerous attempts. Anastasios tells Sorni that Cecily sleeps too heavily to hear the knocks, and should be shaken awake, prompting Sorni to rush into the room and lock Anastasios outside of it.
* In the course of Sorni’s vain attempts to wake up the damn-near passed out Cecily, Talos stirs and asks Sorni what she’s doing in the room with them. Sorni tells Talos to hide and, as he gets up, he notices his state of undress — and bolts to the bathroom with his clothes in tow.
* Outside the room, Anastasios is growing impatient and threatening to break the door to get inside but, before he does, Sorni opens the door with an apology: she was trying to help Cecily get dressed. Anastasios, unfazed, attempts to wake up his sister.
* Sorni notices Talos’ bandolier on the nightstand. After stealthily grabbing it, she disappears into the bathroom to return it to Talos, and try to help him sneak out — unfortunately, there’s only a single point of entry.
* Though the two try their best to be quiet, Talos’ suggestion that Sorni seduce Anastasios as a means to distract him causes her to yell, which Anastasios hears.
* Anastasios approaches the bathroom to make sure Sorni’s sudden exclamation wasn’t due to her falling in, but is satisfied with her answer that she’s never seen such an elegant bathroom before that moment. He goes back to attempting to wake up his sister.
* Cecily wakes up and asks Anastasios for her corset. He helpfully tells her to find it where ever she took it off, and then asks Talos’ whereabouts — she confirms that Talos fell asleep with her.
* Anastasios, incensed, asks why Talos isn’t with her now. Talos emerges from the bathroom, confessing to hiding. Despite his efforts to keep things light, Anastasios focuses on the fact that Talos was in bed with his sister and then in the bathroom with his fiancée, and hits him.
* Although Sorni attempts to diffuse the situation, Cecily casually drops a bomb on the whole situation by announcing that she and Talos had sex.
* Anastasios pragmatically challenges Talos to a duel over Cecily’s honor, which is accepted. *It’s to be a fist-fight in the garden*!
* Sorni tells the two of them that they’re being idiots and ignoring the very real threats currently facing the group, but her plea for rationality goes unheard because *::vague gesture::* men.
* Anastasios drags Cecily back to the ballroom to inform Simon of the impending duel, while Sorni demands Talos tell her everything he remembers of the past few hours.
* Talos remembers falling asleep, fully clothed, after calming Cecily down, but says that he believes Cecily’s recollection of events. The two head to the ballroom.
* Anastasios and Cecily meet up with Simon, Aedryan, Chae, and Theo, and Anastasios announces his duel with Talos due to the alleged inappropriate behavior.
* Chae tells Anastasios that the woman with him may look like Cecily, but is not Cecily: it’s Titania.
* Titania dramatically drops her glamour, terrorizing citizens and causing visceral reactions from the party.
* Simon orders guards to seal the palace and search for Hendry and Cecily, but Titania reminds him that he shouldn’t rely on the Fated for assistance. He instead orders Theo to search for Talos and Anastasios to keep his mother distracted.
* Aedryan tries to remind Titania that their war is not with the Fae, but Titania reveals that David convinced her to join his side.

## Additional Information

"Sleeping Venus" is a painting by Giorgione (Titian, if you're an art history nerd who cares about that sort of thing). The work is largely seen as a symbolizing chastity and eroticism as being at odds with one another; originally, the painting included a depiction of Cupid at Venus's feet with an arrow pointing at himself that has since been painted over. Art historians often view this depiction as Cupid waiting for Venus.