bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
"I...am?" was the only response that Beth could manage, dismay replaced by puzzlement. The wheels were turning in Dee's head, but in a direction that the mage could not perceive from outside. "I...alright." She shrugged, and continued forward at the cleric's side, being utterly clueless to her plotting, but content to simply go along for the ride.
Deidre's words were some reassurance (and perhaps she was better suited to being a priest than others often guessed by her rambunctious demeanor), though not quite enough to dissuad the mage from feeling at least somewhat sullenly inadequate. It wasn't fair to compare her contribution to their relationship with Aurin's, given that he'd always had more liberties than she did, but even the smallest of gestures (a handful of flowers, just because he wanted to make her smile again) he had made in the past left her wanting to reciprocate. If Dee was right about one thing, it was that the sentiment meant more to both of them than the actual object in question, but this was Bethen's first real chance to make up for all the little things, and she didn't want to screw it up. Especially if this could also double as her final opportunity.
But she didn't want to think about that part, or the fact that the closer the sun dipped to the horizon, the less time she had to search for this gift, and the sooner she would have to say her actual farewells. It was hard to perceive time when, up until a few weeks ago (had it really been so long, or so recent ago?), every day was almost exactly the same as the last -- there were no seasons, there was no weather, there was no change in the Tower and therefore a minimum sense of urgency. There was no shortage of time then, but now, out here, everything seemed so rushed and so finite, and just another reason for her to be so anxious as they set forth out the main double doors. She bowed her head to the regular guards, who smiled at her now and called her 'Warden' with such unfamiliar reverence -- and strode the rest of the way across the courtyard unhindered. The same courteous motion was repeated once they passed through the front gates.
One night and a gulp from a goblet of thick, black blood, and the world suddenly welcomed her with open arms. Maybe it helped that Dee was a beautiful young woman and not a suit of plate, but fewer heads were turned at their presence (and those that did look their way displayed a completely different type of interest than complete fear and paranoia) as they entered Amaranthine proper. Even in parts of the market place where fish wasn't out on display, the odors of seafood, both freshly caught in the morning and cooked throughout the day, hung in the air. The occasional rotten notes were repulsive, but Beth still found most of the smells strangely appealing. She would have to get used to it, after all -- this town was to be her new home, provided they came from from where they were going.
Though they had drifted far away from that topic in their conversation about gift exchange and its relation to friendship, the sight of some variety of tentacled beast wriggling in a glass tank reminded her of the briefing, and the comment Dee made while they were still in her room. At that thought, Bethen just had to ask: "So...was it true what you said, about darkspawn? I mean, I believe that they aren't like bears, and for more reasons than lack of fur and apparently cuddliness when recreated in stuffed toy form. But...have you encountered darkspawn in person before, then? Obviously, I haven't."