bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
"I think so," Bethen replied quietly, letting the back of head lean against the stone wall as she turned to look at him, watching that spark grow in his eyes and his smile broaden. They were terrible at being rogues, given how much they were laughing and liable to give themselves away. But no one came by to find them, and they were left alone again. The narrow space they shared was wide and deep enough that they could both fit without touching, but she did realize that Aurin was remarkably close to her, enough that she could feel the warmth of his body radiating against her. If she let go of his hand to tilt his head toward her just so, and lifted herself onto the tips of her toes, she could just brush her lips against his jawline, then trail upwards until she caught his curved mouth with her own and... He asked her a question, didn't he? She blinked, twice, before making her answer.
"Well, of course. Karolis was the partner, the equal," she said as a matter-of-fact as she pulled him back into the middle of the hallway, voice assuming all the rationality of her childhood self. Naturally, Aurin always had to be the hero of the story, and she didn't mind tagging along in a supporting part, but she always hated the idea of being less important. Funny how their roles had reversed as adults -- she was the protagonist now, and he was her companion. She didn't think to say it aloud, though, lest she continue bruising his already sore ego when it came to being manly or impressive. "I'd rather not be the wise old dwarf again, and unlike Servana, I..." Beth paused carefully at this allusion; there were many similarities between her and the woman of legend, but she found it much more necessary to point out the biggest difference: "I wouldn't betray you. Break you out of prison and follow you Arlathan, yes, but...I wouldn't ever do anything to get you captured or tortured." She carefully omitted the detail about being his lover, though. It would turn a light-hearted comment back to that sensitive subject.
She paused at the end of the corridor, where it diverged into two paths. Beth knew exactly where their destination was located, but hesitated as a courtesy -- she'd allow him to take the lead again and be that helpless damsel for just a second, if it would make up for previously calling him cute. She was not much of an actress, being incapable of keeping a smirk out of her expression, but she did her best to feign ignorance as she cheerfully asked, "Kitchen is which way?"