bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
That her joke needed to be pointed out to the man by the dwarven girl and not the other way around was admittedly a little surprising -- wouldn't the surfacer be the one having to explain things to the newcomer? -- but Bethen said nothing, merely smiled at the small exchange. There was something else behind the knight's eyes, though, something distant and distracted, but the expression died with the resumption of the conversation. It wasn't her business to know what went on inside his head, though. "Oh, it was nothing... But you're very welcome," the mage addressed Falina, pleased that it had all worked out well, though she hardly wanted to take credit for Rhocanth's actions.
Her follow up questions gave Bethen paused; it was such a broad thing to explain, in spite of how simple it was to ask about. "Yes, I'm a mage of the Circle," Beth affirmed with a nod, glancing at Ordhan to see if he wanted to continue being the girl's information guide, but he was quiet and apparently allowing her to speak for herself. "Well... An enchanter might be allowed to, with permission, but most mages and apprentices, those of a lower ranking, aren't," she began carefully, though that statement didn't really answer the question. She wasn't entirely sure what to say -- it was a complicated answer, and hard to tell if her perspective would offend the knight in any way. Some people heartily believed that it was right to maroon every mage in a narrow spire in the middle of a lake. He didn't seem like the type to agree with that sentiment, having been very sympathetic and friendly to her when she would have anticipated otherwise, but he wasn't an easy man to read.
"We're...considered a potential danger to those around us, so we have templars around as guards. Though, not to protect us -- they're to make sure none of us misuse our magic, or get out of control. It's a valid concern, I suppose." There were younger magi in the group, those just barely Harrowed and hardly even adults. But they weren't half as stupid or careless as the Knight-Commander treated them -- if they were to pass such an important test, they couldn't possibly be so weak. Nevertheless, they were not trusted by the Chantry, and little could be done about it, even by the Grey Wardens. And besides that, there had already been a few minor incidents that had, surprisingly, not been cause for genuine reprimand. She was still here, as were Thais and Ashya. A potential Blight was more important than disciplining them for such small infractions, after all.
The last question from Falina caused to her blink, and glance at the man again, initially uncertain whom she was speaking to. But it was apparently directed at her; obviously, no one had told the young woman that mages did not roam freely across Ferelden and lived where they pleased. "Me? Oh. I've never been to a city before. I'm from Kinloch Hold. It's...a tower, in the middle of Lake Calenhad. That's where all Circle mages live. Amaranthine is much, much larger, by far. Are you from Orzammar? I'd think it's like that, probably a little smaller, and without a ceiling."