bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
Fear for Alderic's safety had subsided upon witnessing the damage wrought upon the gauntlet; the wolf had a powerful set of jaws, and seeing them in action made Beth far less at ease having him by her side. By all appearances he had a strange affinity for her and didn't seem liable to turn on her, but she wasn't foolish enough not to be wary and alert as he resettled himself nearby. Carefully, the mage took a side step away from him. In spite of the distance, she still found herself reeling back at Thais in both of their defenses. Bethen snapped at the fairer female, "He's not a dog, he's a wolf, and were I able to control him, I would be a bloody ranger, not a mage." Perhaps a bit of the beast's spirit had rubbed off on her; she was bristling and tense, no longer the submissive party with her tail tucked, ready to slink away from conflict. Though Beth raised nothing more than her voice, her tone was harsh and her eyes narrow, "And he was behaving in a perfectly docile manner until you came along, sporting such a charming demeanor. Respect given is often returned."
In other words, if you don't want to be pissed on, don't try to do it to others. Her patience had been lost, but not her temper. Bethen straightened her posture, spine rigid and head held as high as possible (still shorter than the other woman, but as proud and defiant a poise as she could manage), this time looking Thais squarely in the eye. Her pale eyes took on an even icier edge to them as she spoke quickly, curtly, "My responsibilities are my own. I suggest you put your focus to yours, Enchanter. Or should I make that an order?" Mind your place, she meant, in full belief that the woman had forgotten it. And in some ironic way, her presence, the hesitation she'd shown in using her powers, had reminded Bethen of that fact herself. They were not equals. Bethen had nothing to fear from the templars here; the paranoia that had been drilled into her head was superseded by the power of the curse that flowed through her veins. She had found liberation from a death sentence. That awareness was empowering.
The Warden mage broke away from staring at the enchanter, turning back to Alderic. Maybe her irritation was slightly misplaced, but she felt ill-tempered toward him as well, as he really hadn't done much to improve her situation -- in fact, now Beth almost wished he'd allowed the wolf to make his mark, since the woman had found a way to try to belittle her, anyway. Warmth did not return to Bethen's tone as she addressed him, "I have business to attend to. Excuse me." Again, she strode off briskly, making her way to the broad wooden doors, this time without stopping for anything. If the wolf wanted to try anything else, he was quite welcome.