Bethen had her full attention, though part of herself couldn't help but marvel how quickly an innocuous shopping trip had become a serious discussion. While the subject had a grave possibility of treading onto extremely sensitive lines, Deidre had no qualms stepping into the proverbial door to see where the hallway led. Her interest piqued, hearing the other woman now couldn't shake the feeling that she was still missing something -- the sensation, while elusive, thick and near-tangible. Confusion rippled clearly in her expression, from the quirk of her mouth and to the drawing of her brows forward, at the segue from the things that are to the way things should be. She thought that she was paying careful attention, however the sudden deviation seemed to have sprung from nowhere, coalescing from the ether and landing unceremoniously in the space between them.
"....perhaps not," the historian answered carefully, in response to the mage's words about what matters to her or him certainly wasn't the point. "But I thought the conversation was solely about you and him, not you, him, and everyone else. I'm not saying at all that he shouldn't be concerned about outside perceptions...given those who are in the upper echelons of the Chantry now, he ought to be at least a little worried about what his superiors would think. But all I'm saying is that that to Aurin, what you are is probably not cause enough for wariness and derision as much as it does to other templars. And that if you think that's how he feels, you should ask him if it's the truth."
If she harbored any allusions that they would agree on everything, it certainly wasn't apparent -- there was very little to learn (though it can definitely be fun) in spending time with people very similar to herself, and she got the most out of her interactions with others when paired with someone wholly different from her ofttimes bombastic personality. Despite her companion's agitation increasing, the cleric-to-be remained patient. Her overall silence as further words were unleashed, boiling over from an internal cauldron of stewing emotions that, perhaps, had no outlet until now, didn't root itself from any degree of obstinacy or sullenness in witnessing a surprising stir of blunt and barely restrained anger or bitterness over the way the outside world viewed her and the rest of her brethren. She remained active even while words were absorbed and the invisible strings of tension brimmed into visibility, sightlessly adjusting the worn leather gloves that clad pair of well-worked hands.
"Being a mage is your most defining characteristic," Deidre replied, once a lull in the conversation had been reached. "And I didn't mean to give the impression that it's easy to overlook it. All I meant to illustrate earlier is that I don't believe it's wrong to simply want an emotional connection with someone else because it's a completely mortal and utterly human thing to do and that I hoped, sincerely, that you didn't think it was abnormal to do so in any way. I'd like to believe despite the categories we're given that we're all still people and that we're capable of wanting the same things on occasion....even if getting the things we covet may be a separate issue entirely and might not always be possible. I'm very much aware that it's a viewpoint that isn't shared by everyone....I've been around. I've seen plenty of hate."