bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
After a second of staring at it, probably longer than she should have if she wasn't still stunned by being licked in the face, Beth took his hand and allowed him to help her up. She let go to straighten her robes again, and smiled brightly at Coan, "I hope to see you there, as well. But if not, take good care, both you and Noa." Her eyes followed in the direction of the Mabari, and she stifled a giggle at the sight the hound taking an interest in sniffing at one of the stoic guard's feet. She could tell in the way that his gauntlet covered fist was clenching and unclenching that he was trying to resist the urge to reach down and pet the dog. She began to walk with the noble in Noa's direction, in order to see them both out of the library safely. The hour was getting later, and she would have had to retire to her own quarters, anyway. Even if she wouldn't sleep once she got there, she could at least spend that time going through her possessions and begin to plan what might be needed, just in case Coan's advice about the Warden-Commander's decision proved to be more than just kindness and optimism.
But...if it wasn't, Beth had a sudden thought, and felt emboldened enough by his previous encouragement to ask, "And...if there is any chance that you manage to have enough time, would you mind...corresponding with me? If I don't have the opportunity to see it for myself, I would really appreciate it if you could write to me about your experiences." She paused, realizing that her request had practically been blurted out. Awkwardly, she wrung her hands together, glancing back at the templar they were nearing. He had finally given in to the whimpering advances of the Mabari, and was hesitantly holding out his cold metal fingers. Beth added shyly, "Of course, don't feel obligated. I'm certain you'll be preoccupied with many exciting things. But if I'm not leaving for Amaranthine, you'll know exactly where to send a letter, if you want to."
The Templar -- she didn't know his name, he seemed relatively new to the Tower and were he one of the few she was friendly with, she supposed he would have made his identity known underneath the uniform -- stopped what he was doing when he realized he was being watched. He straightened his pose, pulling back his hand, and was at attention when faced with the noble, "Evening, my lord. You," he turned his attentions over to Beth, and she could see his eyes moving over her face between that small slit in his helm. "Shouldn't you be in your quarters soon?"
"Ah, yes. It is that time, isn't it?" Beth tried to remain friendly, though she was a bit embarrassed, having never really been reprimanded that often, especially in front of a guest. She also didn't want to an incident to occur on the evening that a decision about her fate was being made. Belligerence won no favors, especially not between mages and templars. She turned to back to Coan, almost wanting to...shake his hand? Curtsy again? Once more, she felt undereducated on proper manners. Beth finally settled on words and a smile, "It really was a pleasure, and an honor, to meet you. I wish you well on your travels."
"Ahem," was the noise made by the waiting templar, trying very hard to seem like he had some authority over her. Officially he did, but his mannerisms and his obvious newness to his surroundings made him seem far less threatening than some of the other Tower guards.
"Yes, I know. I apologize, ser... I can make it the rest of my way to my room, thank you, though..." she responded in as polite a tone as she could maintain, just short of sounding curt. Before she turned to leave, she leaned forward to stroke Noa's head and run her fingers under her chin one last time.