bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
He asked, and she let silence hang for a long moment. Beth studied him carefully, until the name finally came out, heavy and leaden on her tongue: "Ostagar." Even if he wasn't as good at paying attention to history lessons, Aurin had to know the place. It was where the last invasion started, before it swept over the countryside, swallowing the land and the people with corruption. And it was going to happen again, if they didn't succeed at their task. Her expression darkened, voice low and grave, "Last I remember hearing, those ruins are still crawling with darkspawn. I don't know why we'd be sent into the heart of it, but I guess I'll find out tomorrow, at our briefing." She took his hand and held it between both of her own on her lap; it was enough contact to be soothing, without overstepping any boundaries.
Tired of solemnity, Beth jumped back to his mention of the Chantry sister, brightening at the thought of traveling with the young woman again, smiling again, "It would be nice if Dee was with us... Not that I want her to be in peril, but something tells me she can handle herself. I really do like her, quite a lot. And much as she teases about bothering Alderic, I think her company would do him some good, as well." She wished she could be as lucky to have her own childhood friend at her side on her first adventure, but speaking of the other templar, it wasn't as if she'd rolled a poor lot in landing Alderic in her party. He'd been much like an older brother to her over the years, someone she could trust not to get her into trouble, unlike some of her other friends. Beth didn't know who else would be part of this group, but she was comforted by the notion that he could possibly take a leadership role in it. If there was anyone she wanted to turn to for sound, rational advice, it would have been him.
"I...do wish you could be with us," she confessed quietly, softening her regard for a moment. And there it was: that flicker of vulnerability, of regret, of meaning more than the topic at hand. In a blink, that sudden display of tenderness and honesty was erased from her expression. It was not Bethen's intent to toy with his emotions, but she had barely been able to decide for herself what she wanted. She settled on friend, and that was the only type of warmth to her tone when she resumed their conversation, "But someone has to look after the other magi, don't they? I can't imagine they'd lump all of their resources into one area. I didn't ask who you'd be with; I don't think the messenger I spoke with even knew. But if it's someone like Ashya, at least I know she'll be taken care of. She's still so young, even if she insists otherwise. Powerful and bright, but Maker, she still has so much room to grow." She was fond of Ashya, but Terraster must have been absolutely mad for sending her, even if she'd been successfully Harrowed at a remarkably young age and bounced back from the experience quickly. The mage didn't like to question the First Enchanter's motives, but it was suspicious that he'd agree to allow her to come. Had he really gotten that tired of the girl's antics? The same with Desiderio -- both of them were troublesome youths, which she knew first hand from trying to curb their behavior for years, but she never would have put them in harm's way, no matter how eager they were to prove themselves worthy. Yet here they were (and word had yet to reach her ears that Desi wasn't actually there anymore), and as far as she knew, they weren't going to return to the Tower.
At least they had someone to watch out for them, even if Aurin was better suited toward hunting maleficar than to being a guard dog. It was difficult not to tease. "I suppose that makes you something of a glorified babysitter, doesn't it?" She smirked at him, knowing that he probably resented the idea, but just as certain he would carry out his duties well. If not out of concern for them directly, or the reputation of Circle and Chantry, then at least because he was a good man, in spite of his occasional indiscretions (the worst of which she was still clueless about). She patted the back of his hand in mock reassurance, "Wherever you're headed, I'm sure there will be plenty of action in it for you, too."