bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
It hadn't entirely occurred to the mage to remain cautious until her fellow Warden stepped between herself and their intended rescuee; she stopped short, though continued to look the warrior over with the scrutiny of a medic while she waited for answers. No wounds gushed, not in the way that they were in the bodies of those she had just stepped over and was presently attempting to ignore. In the moments that followed, the woman turned out to be an elf -- not that the reveal was nearly as astonishing to Bethen once they were in closer proximity, given that the warrior was slighter than herself even when layered in armor, nor did it make a difference to her decision to offer aid. It did seem to surprise her young friend, but the reason didn't quite register with the mage, not before he turned around to address her. His murmur made sense to her, though she was admittedly out of her element when it came to considering what enemies could lurk ahead. That Bethen had held together as well as she was right now, given that this was her first time being in the midst of live combat, was surprising even to herself. She could only nod in affirmation at his assessment.
As this 'Cadi Seris' answered the volley of questions thrown at her from the other approaching Wardens, Bethen could only take the woman's word as truth. After all, there was no reason she should have trusted them in turn, but they had already made their decision to align themselves with her in this conflict, and it did no good to treat her with suspicion if they wanted her to be cooperative. Already, the mage had set her mind on thinking of the stranger as an ally, and had Alderic not approached and extended an offer to join them, she would have done so herself. No one made objection to the idea -- Jaden had gotten them involved in the first place and made an attempt to be amicable (elven solidarity, perhaps?), and Rhocanth seemed in admiration of her skill. Alderic would have been the only person Beth thought might raise doubt, but it was his suggestion. They were in an unspoken agreement, then. That boded well for their dynamic as a team, didn't it?
In an attempt to be reassuring, though it was difficult to be cheerful in the center of carnage, Bethen smiled awkwardly at the woman, "Really, if you are injured, I do have a few spells that can help, even with the smallest wounds. Draughts, to help with fatigue, as well." She glanced around at the others of their group, expression becoming stern when facing the companions she was familiar with as she warned, "That goes for everyone. I don't want anyone trying to be brave. The slightest cut can get infected and then next thing you know, we'll wind up resorting to amputation." She turned back to the elven woman, who didn't look well, regardless of how she'd shrugged off her earlier inquiry. Beth frowned and reached for the leather pouch at her hip, not even bothering to look into it before producing a small vial of translucent red liquid. With as much authority as she could muster, the healer held the stamina draught out for the elf, "Take this, please. It should restore some of your energy." It wasn't as much of a request as an order, and the offering was just as practical as it was generous. They couldn't afford to be slowed down by someone who was ill, after all.
Bethen didn't wait long for a response -- either Cadi would believe that it wasn't poison and took it, or simply didn't and trudged on in discomfort. Regardless, they had to keep on the move and think forward. Her focus returned to her colleagues, "We should go further west, I suppose. Away from the river, but if the ambush was planned heading east, we'll likely be better off, and we should have plenty of fresh water stored up to last us overnight, if not a couple more days." She lowered her voice, closing in the circle of Wardens to council by stepping in closer to them, "Maybe we ought to have more people on watch tonight. I don't mind doing it myself. I can maintain a perimeter of glyphs, too."