bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
If her jaw could have actually hit the floor, it would have; but physical limitations being what they were, Bethen had to settle for merely having her mouth hang slack in pure shock, eyes wide as saucers. Then there was the palette change, as her face went from the typical porcelain of a sunless erudite mage to a vibrant beet red, the rosy hue centered specifically on her cheeks. Was this some kind of dream? A nightmare? This was the Library and not the Fade, right? (Nevermind that the little girl must have been positively demonic to have made that inquiry.)
After a long pause, the shock (bordering on mortification) still hadn't completely worn off. Had this child really just asked that? And of her, of all the people in the Tower, in the entire world, even? Worse yet, in front of a templar. And not just any templar, although she couldn't be sure if it was better or worse that this one she knew. On the one hand, she wasn't about to embarass herself in front of a near stranger, but on the other...that was exactly the problem. She spoke to Alderic more often than other in their respective orders might find acceptable, but she enjoyed his company, and really didn't want to have to explain such a sensitive subject in front of someone she intended to keep talking to, lest she start to associate what was bound to be a terribly awkward conversation with his presence.
But to her misfortune, he was there, and had even suggested that he would help with the question, too. It was a trap. They were now both stuck in it.
Or at least she was. Bethen figured that, if he really wanted to, Alderic could always grab the helmet that was still on the table and shuffle off, claiming he had some templar related duty to attend to right at that moment. She wasn't sure if she would hate him more or less if he did choose to abandon her. Her mouth finally closed, and she blinked several times, slowly regaining her wits, but not really her words. Beth lifted her hands from where they were folded on the table, as if to start making gestures, "Well. Um. Well, it's... Hmm."
For being so well-read, words were completely failing her in this situation. She desperately wanted to look to Alderic for help, but wasn't sure if she could look him in the eye and talk about the act of physical intimacy at the same time. But then again, she wasn't even sure if he'd be able to describe it, either. He was a member of the clergy, hadn't he taken some sort of vows of celibacy? Not that it didn't mean he didn't know about...it, but it wasn't something he ought to be telling kids about, either. That had to go against some sort of code, didn't it? She squirmed in her chair a bit, trying to figure out an appropriate approach.
She could certainly give a clinical, rational explanation, as that was as far as her actual experience with the subject went. She knew humanoid anatomy, she had studied biological properties it as an apprentice to the healers, but she had never once actually tried anything, with anyone. Well, at least no more than an innocent kiss, but that was only once, just to see how it felt, and never again. Not because she hadn't liked it, so much as she had felt incredibly guilty after the fact. Why exactly, she couldn't explain, but it was not something she intended to experiment with further. Not for a long time, at least. There was a reason why Bethen stuck primarily to the company of books; they made her comfortable, and never self-conscious about being a woman.
Would they even understand, if she started the discussion with physical reactions to stimuli, and the exchange of fluids, and all of those technical descriptions of the act of procreation? Probably not. Maybe she would have to start at the beginning. Beth breathed in deep and exhaled slowly, trying again, "You see, when a boy and a girl... When they like each other very much, they...want to be close to one another. Very close." She paused again, not sure where to go with what she had started, or if she should have really begun, at all. Oh, Maker, what had she gotten into?