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[TreeHuggerHannah]

Tempest beamed. "It's nothing to be embarrassed of," she said. "It's a good thing. People being together... it's good. I realize it's still new, and who knows what will happen. I'm glad you two have this moment to enjoy, though, whatever happens in the future."

[Lorien19]

A drop of sweat slipped down Mercuriel's forehead as his sparring match with Tessa came to an end. She had managed to return his earlier attack with her own. She had hit his right leg. Mercuriel sheathed his weapon and bent down to massage his leg. The hit hadn't been painful but he could feel an ache beginning to build up in his leg. Tessa was certainly a skilled warrior, that he could see clearly from their match. Mercuriel liked having other blade experts on his side because if this upcoming battle with demons was true then he wanted others with solid steel on his side rather than unpredictable magic.

Mercuriel didn't really want to concede the spar as a draw but he saw Laurelin had joined everyone outside. He quickly changed his mind and returned Tessa's bow. "You did a good job as well. May we share more chances for such close proximity." He laughed and winked at Tessa playfully. Then he wiped his forehead and walked over to Beldin. He pat the human male on the shoulder. "Why don't you trade places with me for a moment? I need to rest this leg for a second and I, uh, have some business I want to attend to." He looked in the direction of Laurelin then turned back to Beldin and grinned.

He wondered if Laurelin had seen him sparring earlier and if she'd noticed his form or perhaps even his figure? She had a bird of some sort perched on her shoulders and she seemed to be talking to it. Well, she was a mage, who knew what tricks she had up her sleeve. Mercuriel walked over to Laurelin and stretched.

"May I join you? I need to rest this leg for a moment." He exaggerated a wince so as to get her to sympathize with him and allow him a seat. Truthfully, he barely felt anything in his leg but he didn't want her to know that. "Tessa held nothing back. She's a tough woman."

Laurelin still distracted by Harel's shenanigans heard the sound of footsteps,followed by that of a pleasantly familiar voice.
By the looks of it, Mercuriel decided to abandon the sparring match in order to rest his leg.
She furrowed her brow,a worried look appeared instinctively on her face."Does it hurt much?"she asked calmly avoiding eye contact,and shifted in her seat to make space for the elvhen warrior.
As soon as she moved,her raven jumped from her shoulder and landed on her lap,tilting it's head in confusion.
Laurelin's gaze focused on Tessa
"She is indeed a formidable warrior."she commented but Laurelin's also seen another side of her,that of a friendly woman eager to converse with a Dalish,when everyone else present in the inn was suspicious of her.

"But you too know how to handle yourself in battle, Lethallin."
Her eyes lingered over his toned form and then instantly met his,she could feel the heat on her cheeks,naturally assuming they were a bright red.
"But I must admit,that your courtship skills are equally impressive."she smiled teasingly.

[Mahumia]

Bartha looked back and forth between the members of their group. “Maker’s breath! Everyone’s flirting with everyone… did I miss out on some kind of potion or what?” With a theatrical sigh she stood up. “Well, guess I’ll have to find another place than, if I want to sleep quietly tonight…” She added with a smirk: “Unless you allow me in on the fun, of course.” She grinned and turned around, starting to make her way to the nearby wood. With the darkness closing in fast, it would be best to gather some wood for the fireplace now. And she needed something to direct her frustration to… Chopping wood should help with that. 

[BFace]

The only reason Beldin’s shield bash was actually a block was because Tessa was expecting his shield to be on his other arm.

 

‘Tessa, that kind of carelessness will get you killed’, she chastised herself as she scrambled to get out of his reach.

 

Ordinarily, Tessa’s big sword compensated for any difference in size between her and an opponent. Beldin, however, was the largest man she’d ever seen close to. Add his apparent left handedness to the mix and she had her hands full.

 

She took several steps back and readied her weapon. Tessa flashed Beldin a quick grin and swung her sword, stepping into the swing, her intent to whack him on his left forearm crystal clear.

[ChachiBobinks]

Tempest beamed. "It's nothing to be embarrassed of," she said. "It's a good thing. People being together... it's good. I realize it's still new, and who knows what will happen. I'm glad you two have this moment to enjoy, though, whatever happens in the future."

 

Etienne smiled privately and ran his hand through his long locks. "I... I suppose so." He shifted in his seat and pursed his lips together. "I just... ah, Maker. Nevermind." 

 

Wishing for a distraction, he noticed the parchment and motioned to it. "Whats that, if you don't mind me asking?"

[berelinde]

Maker's balls, why does she keep backing up! Beldin fumed as she danced away from him. His fighting style demanded that he get in close, until his shield almost touched his opponent's chest. At that range, he could use his reach to whip his axe around and strike his opponent's back, where the armor was usually less bulky. But she made him work for it, leading him across the paddock as if she were teaching him a pavane.

 

He lunged forward, trying to close the distance in as few steps as possible, and positioned himself precisely in the path of her blade.  The steel rang against his vambrace.

 

"Nice!" he conceded, even as he kicked himself for failing to react to an attack that was already underway when he started moving.

 

She backs up because she isn't a fool, he told himself. Unlike you. Now step sharp!

 

He closed again, feinting high and outside in an attempt to make her defend that quadrant, which, coincidentally brought her around until the angled sunlight shone in her eyes. It was a cheap tactic, and she would recognize it as such, but she was too good to let the glare distract her, in any case.

 

[TreeHuggerHannah]

Tempest could imagine the reason for Etienne's hesitation when she mentioned the future. Of course, there was the obvious, that she'd acknowledged - a crush, a flirtation didn't mean there would be a future. For Etienne, though, there was probably another layer. 

 

She had never been to Kinloch Hold herself, and from what she had heard it was somewhat more relaxed than Kirkwall, but "relaxed" when applied to chantry-run Circles was a very relative thing. A relationship between a Circle mage and an elven bard would surely be discouraged at best and outright forbidden at worst.

 

If Etienne and Rael's mutual attraction blossomed into something more serious, he would have some choices to make. 

 

At some point Tempest would need to talk to him about those choices, because she might be able to expand the options available to the couple.

 

For now, though, she accepted the change of subject. She passed the parchment to Etienne. "My family," she explained.

 

On the parchment was a watercolor picture of a grouping of four people. The adult was obviously Tempest, and she looked happy and fond, surrounded by three smiling children. The oldest daughter was practically an identical miniature copy of Tempest; the only evidence of her biological father was a slightly rounder face and straight hair. The next-oldest was close in age, another girl, red haired with a thick dusting of freckles. Though the picture was subtle in capturing it because of her wide sleeves, a careful look revealed that the redhead didn't have hands. The youngest child was a boy, a tow-headed blond, skinny and grinning mischievously.

 

"That's Cara. She's fourteen," Tempest said, pointing at the oldest dark-haired girl. Her finger moved to the red haired girl. "That's Annice; she's thirteen. My youngest, Minnow, is six."

[BFace]

Dammit, Beldin was good.  Tess was reduced to defending against that Maker-forsaken axe of his, while also trying not to let him brain her with his shield, then suddenly she was blind.

 

Only for a second, though, and Beldin was big enough that she could almost feel where he was.

 

‘Oh, so it’s like that now, is it?’ she thought to herself with a smile as she squinted to follow his form as he moved.

 

She trained on him for several beats, blocking as need be, but following his movements, watching for the right moment.

 

After a successful feint that left Beldin’s shield out away from his body, Tessa took one neat step forward, putting herself close enough to Beldin’s chest to not quite touch him. She looked up at his face, her sword down at her side.

 

“Boo!”

[berelinde]

Sun-brightened quicksilver glittered up at Beldin, but he forced himself to look past her eyes – and her mischievous smile. She was strong, and she was fast, and Mercuriel's praise was not idle flattery, but the fight was over. The victory was hers by rights. He had maneuvered her into a disadvantageous position and she had beaten him despite it all... but he was not going to go down with a whimper.

 

She was good. Sooner or later, she would wear him down with that giant sword of hers that she knew all too well how to use, but he still had one move left before he would be forced to concede defeat. In another life, he might have taken advantage of her proximity to kiss her nose or do some other outrageous thing, but that man had died in Arl Howe's prison. The man who emerged knew she deserved more respect than that. A little more.

 

"Boo to you, too," he said with a grin and tapped the back of her thigh with his axe. People always looked up when they fought him. They forgot that, like a dagger, an axe can attack from below.

 

"The field is yours, serah," he said, bowing as he offered her his weapon in token surrender.

[mysteriouspast]

(While all this sparring, flirting, and non-kissing is going on, Rael and Sarel have an intense conversation in the kitchen wherein Sarel spills every single secret of the Circle in a glorious, terrifying info dump.)

 

Spoiler

Sarel came into the kitchen, clicking his staff on the ground with his off hand and nervously fidgeting the coin purse in his other hand. He cleared his throat and stood to the side of the Elven Bard, a few feet away. "Hello, Rael, is it? I understand you're a bard. My name is Sarel. It's a pleasure to meet you." He paused for a second.

 

Rael heard someone approach and turned her head once he cleared his throat. She'd expected Etienne to follow her, but it wasn't him at all. The elf mage, the one who had so riled up Etienne, was standing near her, addressing her even.

 

"It is Rael, serah," she replied. "And the pleasure is mine," she said with absolutely no sincerity.

 

"Ah, well, I had a proposition for you. I. . . understand how it can be, when times get tight, and I'd hate for you to be forced to appeal to another person's base instincts in order to preserve yourself. I. . . I have a bag of silver." He reached out and set it on the counter in front of the Elf. "Please, take it, and find a better path. This isn't the way."

 

Sarel's words burned a swath through her mind. It suddenly made sense--he told Etienne that she did not return his feelings--tried to dissuade Etienne from her so he could have her to himself. And he thought to turn her towards him with a purse full of silver!

 

Rael turned around, and Sarel saw she had a large cleaver in her hand. She brandished it at him and hissed, "Do you think I could be bought so cheaply? That my affections rest on the jangle of coins?"

 

Sarel stepped back, sliding his staff into his dominant hand, "Miss, I don't understand your ire, and I don't want to do anything to harm you. As a fellow elf, I merely meant you shouldn't have to submit yourself to Etienne's coin. I'm sorry he turned to you when I turned him down, but it wasn't right to proposition you, or drag you into dangerous positions. If you need accompaniment back to Vivinter, I'm sure we can get someone to go with you, and. . ." he sighed, bringing his left hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes in thought and trepidation, ". . . and I still have some tomes, poultices of my own make, and other supplies I could barter for more money for your safe travel. I have contacts in the Denerim Alienage, please, hear me out. I want nothing from you but your safety. . .  if you must take Etienne's coin, too, take it and go." His eyes flashed dangerously as he turned around. "I can keep him away. I. . . can't rest while an elf is forced to. . . belittle themselves. Please."

 

Maker, why does everyone think I'm a prostitute or assassin? she wondered. Can't a musician just play music?

 

She tried to conceive how he could have gotten the idea that she was somehow sexually indebted to Etienne, or that Etienne had somehow expressed an interest in him. She shook her head, unable to fully comprehend how he could have gotten the situation so wrong, and so quickly.

 

So, he assumed she had no use other than as a bed-warmer, a hanger-on. And he took it upon himself to somehow deliver her from the sordid life he imagined her to have. She sighed in exasperation. It was hard to be angry with him when he was so genuine in his concern for her well-being. But he had to know that she needed no protection from him, least of all against Etienne. His misconceptions were insulting, to say the least, and she tended to deal with such things in her own particular way.

 

"So, how much coin do you have?" she asked, leaving the cleaver behind and swaying her hips as she walked towards him. "You offer me money without knowing my price, after all."

 

He stepped back quickly from the elven woman, blood burning his cheeks, looking back and forth. "Uhm, miss, I, uh, I have quite a few coins, and the aforementioned- ah- possessions and, uh. Well, Please, don't, I, please." He said quietly. "Please don't. I- please. Whatever the price, I'll find a way, just, don't. Don't do this." he said. When he looked back up, tears were in his eyes, and his hands were shaking.

 

Rael stopped short of him and covered her mouth in horror. "Maker's breath!" she breathed. "What--? Why do you look at me so?" He seemed paralyzed in fear--of her. A moment ago, he was accusing her of needing his help to escape Etienne's dastardly clutches. Now he was trembling like a leaf on a tree at her very approach. "I'm not going to do anything to you, serah."

 

"I- I just-" he straightened up, and composed himself, wiping his face with the handkerchief he kept in his sleeve. "I don't deal well with- I don't like physical contact. Touching is--not good." Searing heat, tears and sweat, barely heard screams over the billowing plumes of smoke. "It's...not anything I care to go into, messere." His sister's hand, turning black in his, crumbling away in the swirling smoke and flame. "I, ahem, I , I think I need to go. I'll gather my things for you. I'll return." He moved towards the doorway.

 

"Hold a moment," she said with some urgency, coming between him and the door. "This... this is madness." She held out her hands to him in what she thought was a comforting gesture, but one that made no indication of an intention to touch him.

 

"Keep your possessions, and your coins. I have no need of either," she reassured him. "Truly, serah, I am in no danger. I have no need of aid."

 

He stepped back again, to ensure he's out of Rael's grasp. "Please, I just want to help." he said miserably. "I'm sorry if I offended you, but, if you need my help, honestly, I want to." He tried, but still couldn't look her in the face. Something about her reminded him of his sister, of himself.

 

"The things we have to go through. . . if we don't look out for each other, who will?"

 

"Wait, wait," she said showing him her empty hands. "What makes you think I need your help?"

 

Sarel chuckled darkly, his demeanor changing, "Is there ANY City Elf who doesn't need help? Is there anyone who DOESN'T? We lost EVERYTHING in the Alienage, what little we had. My parents, my home, my freedom," he finally looked Rael in the eyes. "My little sister. The humans and the templars cut them down, they let the fire burn down five more homes, or so the driver the Templar hired told me." He looked sharply at Rael again, "I don't like to see anyone suffer. It's not right, it's not fair, and it doesn't matter how strong or powerful or 'justified' the fiend is. . . they are wrong. And those who stand and do nothing are worse."

 

"You have suffered," she said after pondering his words for a moment. Her voice was thick with concern and she reached out to him, but withdrew her hand when she saw him flinch. "As we all have suffered. I lost my parents as well, when I was little more than a child, and I had to raise my brothers on my own." She shuddered, feeling a bit strange for revealing so much to what amounted to a stranger. But he had trusted her with his pain, and it felt wrong somehow not to reciprocate.

 

"I think we both know, Sarel, that our pain is not something coin can soothe. So, your generosity, while appreciated, is unnecessary." She tried to catch his eyes so he could see her earnestness, but he steadfastly avoided her. "Know that no one here causes me to suffer, Etienne least of all."

 

"I'm glad he could be a friend for you, and honestly, he needs friends, too. He. . . has issues, too. He doesn't think about his, and I don't stop thinking about mine." Sarel paused, and turned to look at Rael, "Wait, so what's going on with Etienne?"

 

'Issues?" she asked in confusion. "Whatever could you mean?"

 

". . . Etienne, and several other Circle mages, were. . . not treated well. Believe me, one day, the priest who perpetrated this will meet our gods or theirs. But, he still bears the scars, mentally and physically. I'm going to try to make him better." He thought for a moment. "I'm sorry I made wrong assumptions about the nature of your profession, and I feel I might owe Etienne an. . ." he blushed "in depth apology, too."

 

Rael cringed when Sarel mentioned scars. She immediately thought back to Tempest and the terrible mars on her wrists. Tempest had seemed petrified of Rael seeing them, as though they were the result of enduring trauma. She had seen no such scars on Etienne, even after his gloves had "disappeared." What could Sarel be implying?

 

"What are you saying about the Circle? Are you saying someone hurt him there?" Tempest's terrified eyes flashed in her mind once again. "I thought the Circle was supposed to protect mages," she said in a quiet, faraway voice.

 

". . . I forget the outside world doesn't know much about what happens there. People are cruel, whether they wear Chantry Robes, heavy armor, farmer's garb, or beggar's clothes. Think about how humans treat our fellow elves, and you'll have part of the story of being a mage; except not only are you viewed as unnecessary and lesser, but you are feared and envied. They believe their God wills all they do, even if that is torture, and twist a young mage for their amusement." Sarel thought for a moment. "I will tell you a little more about Etienne's experience, however not all. He needs to admit verbally what happened to him in the Circle for it to be real to him, and he couldn't do that with me. You could try."

 

"A priest tortured our friend. If you've- ah," that damned blush again, "seen his back, you've see the mark he was left with. The Circle, the Mages themselves, are mostly benign, and even the Loyalists are probably victims of Chantry conditioning. The true dangers are the Templars, full plate cowards with great swords, lurking behind every corner, a perpetual dagger at the throat of mages. More than that, is the Rite of Tranquility. If you're not strong enough on your own to oppose the forces they think you should, or are particularly resistant to their influence, they take your. . ." Sarel's face screwed up in a look of abject horror and distaste, "...you. Your essence, your hopes, your dreams, your personality. You become an ant, one of many, with no purpose.

 

“The Harrowing, though, what allows us to be "official" mages, as if they have any control over what we are, is a secret even from us until adulthood." He turned to look her in the eyes. "They take young men and women, elves and humans into a room when 'they're ready,' a secret room at the top of the tower. You're surrounded by Templars, and are forced into the fade. Pitted against demons and temptations and--if you fail, there's a templar, waiting over your body to end you. They caused your possession, and they just dispose of you, like trash. I've been through that, and Etienne. If you see an adult mage from the Circle, they've experienced it.

 

“Any one of these things is a reason to say the Circle, as it is, is bad. Together. . . the tower is a gilded cage, lined with traps, filled with trap makers who want a reason to use the traps they worked so hard to craft. After all, you don't learn to fight in heavy armor, suppress magic, and use a sword if you never intend to fight."

 

He looked over to see what Rael was thinking.

 

"If it were in my power to do it, I'd tear down the Tower at Kinloch Hold , brick by bloody brick, and salt the earth. I'd disband the Templars and let the Mages govern themselves. If any part of you cares for Etienne, I'd recommend you feeling the same."

 

When Sarel finished his tirade, Rael stood there, saying nothing. The only indication that she'd heard him at all was her stricken expression and the way she wrapped her arms around herself, as though she were bracing herself against a blizzard.

 

"I. . .can't control what you and Etienne do. Know this though--if Templars come for him, or Laurelin, or Tempest--if they don't want to go with them, the Templars will meet my full fury. I didn't mean to upset you, but more upsetting is the idea that this goes on. What can I do?"

 

Rael stood mute for several moments, pondering all the mage had said. Words and ideas swirled in her mind, most of them all but incomprehensible. Harrowing? Tranquility? She could scarcely wrap her mind around the very existence of mages, and for him to lay all of this unwanted information at her feet, to try to force her into some action to serve his agenda, rankled her to the core.

 

It would be easy to dismiss Sarel's words as the rantings of a madman. Certainly, the Mage fit every definition of the word "unhinged." But even if there was a grain of truth in what he said, if Etienne was even in the remotest danger, she could not ignore what he said. And the image of Tempest--her scars and terrified face--would not leave Rael's mind.

 

With a wary expression, she turned back to her cooking. The skillet was plenty hot by now and she began to add the root vegetables to it. "I will speak to him of this," she said quietly over her shoulder. "It is all I can promise you."

 

Sarel, sighed, but realized he could only do more damage now. Something though, in the way she'd taken everything. . . Etienne and she had to be a couple. His heart sank for them both. Why do these two manage to embody my worst fears and temptations? Why do they shake me so? One more word of caution. "Please, do so. I would much appreciate it. I wouldn't want any Elf-blooded magelings running around where the Chantry or shems can get them; that's all the tower can offer the two of you together." With that, he gathered up his coin purse, tied it back onto his robe, and left the room, offering her a slight bow on the way out.

[BFace]

When Tessa felt Beldin’s axe on the back of her thigh, she did not emit an undignified squeak. Barely.

 

What she did do was laugh. She stepped out of Beldin’s personal space and waved away his weapon, still chuckling.

 

“No, no, serah. That was well fought. I should have paid more attention.”

 

Her voice still held a smile as she went on, gesturing at his left arm.

 

“I am certainly not used to going against someone who wields his weapon in his left hand.  Maybe you would let me practice with you again, after…after all this is done?”

[obsessedwjpn]

Mercuriel could hear the worry in Laurelin's voice. Perhaps he had laid the act on a bit too thick? He kind of liked her concern for him though. Perhaps he would continue the act just a bit longer and see where it got him. He slowly lowered himself down next to her, taking in the flush of her cheeks and those gorgeous eyes of hers scanning his body, and chuckled a bit. Oh, she noticed him alright and just maybe her concern for him was motivated by other reasons.

 

Mercuriel was used to women being attracted to him. It happened quite often. But Laurelin was different somehow, he felt. For one thing, she was Dalish and he had not been with another Dalish woman since Shaunee's death. He couldn't bring himself to lie with a Dalish woman since then. It just felt wrong. Was he getting another chance with Laurelin? He didn't know for sure but he would at least enjoy the moment while it lasted. Plus, if he was going to go up against demons with this motley crew of adventurers then he better make sure he found some physical pleasure along the way.

 

He nodded in agreement with Laurelin's assessment of Tessa's abilities. The human female was skilled and very beautiful thus why she had probably received the attentions of Beldin. As much as the human male tried to cover it up, Mercuriel could see the way Beldin looked at Tessa. He hoped his calculated flirting with Tessa had motivated Beldin to be a bit more open.

 

He made a show for Laurelin of stretching out his leg and rubbing it. "It doesn't hurt too much. I'll recover soon enough but I must say that the recovery process seems to be moving along quicker with you here." He flashed Laurelin a grin.

 

Laurelin's next comment actually threw him off his game for a moment. He was surprised by her boldness. Had she recognized what he'd been trying to do earlier with Tessa and Beldin? Or perhaps she just meant his flirting with beautiful women in general? He had to think a moment before responding. While he thought about his reply, he shifted closer to Laurelin so that his leg just barely touched hers. Then he shifted in his spot and reached out one hand towards her. He cradled the side of her face in his palm. "Does that mean you appreciate my courtship skills, Laurelin?" His eyes connected with hers. He suddenly forgot about everyone else around them.

[ChachiBobinks]

Grateful for the change of subject, Etienne offered a warm smile as he leaned over, staring at the beautiful picture. She handed him the picture and he held it delicately, as if he thought it was the most precious thing he had ever touched. "Maker," he replied breathlessly. "Your family is beautiful, serah." He leaned in, inspecting it as his grin spread. "Look at their little faces!" 

 

A family. Such a foreign concept for him. 

[berelinde]

"After all this is done?" Beldin sighed around a weary half-smile. "This Nan'Harellen, the demons, and all of it? I try to train a little more often than that, but I'd be honored to spar with you any time."

 

He took out his water bottle and offered it to her.

 

Mercuriel and Laurelin we still deep in conversation. He still owed the elf a bout, though the man didn't seem keen to collect on it.

 

"Should I wait, do you think?" he asked. "Or should we do a sweep of the road? I don't like us all outside like this. Someone is bound to see."

 

His expression grew more serious and his voice dropped to near inaudibility, "And then there's Eshara. We can't leave her stranded here for the villagers to find, and we can't bring her with us. She'd never survive the trip. I wonder if there's any way to sneak her to the Arbor. The Mullins would protect her."

[Lorien19]

As soon as she felt the unfamiliar touch on her face Laurelin's eyes widened,her lips parted in surprise but she didn't move.
Instinctively,she grabbed Mercuriel's wrist and looked intensely into his eyes furrowing her brow in confusion.
Her raven,startled by her abrupt movement decided to leave her lap and land on a more solid place,away from Laurelin for the moment being.
Laurelin,knew little about how to respond in such situation.She tried to avoid appearing aflutter,her expression immediately softened.
"Truth be told,I do appreciate your wit"she said and shot a quick knowing glance at Tessa and Beldin "And your boldness." She added teasingly,the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile and looked down at his hand that she was now gripping more gently.
"One could say, that you are too bold for your own good."she observed quietly,her eyes still focused on his.
Her eyes then lingered on his leg "I have bandages in my pack and some white willow bark"she tried to change the subject her face as flustered as it could be "It's will ease the pain,if it gets worse."She assured him, completely neglecting that she was still holding his wrist.

[BFace]

Tessa frowned and looked back toward the house, before answering Beldin quietly.

 

"You're right about the Dalish. There's no way we could leave her here unattended. Do you have an idea?"

 

She looked turned her gaze back to Beldin.  "Maybe Eshara herself would have an idea, if you don't."

 

Tess dusted off her leathers as she spoke, after handing Beldin his water bottle. "Maker knows, I have no idea how to sneak anyone anywhere."

[berelinde]

Beldin nodded.

 

"We should ask her what she wants to do," he said. "She's awake now, so we can't go making decisions for her."

 

He held his arm out, indicating that she should precede him to the door.

[TreeHuggerHannah]

Tempest was deeply gratified that Etienne demonstrated such appreciation of her family.

 

"Thank you, serah," she said. "My children are such a blessing. A blessing I never expected to receive."

 

She had been fifteen when Cara was conceived, sixteen when she birthed her and lost her. It was nearly half a lifetime ago. Through all the years they'd been separated, Tempest had loved and missed her daughter. She had thought about her and prayed for her. At times, the mere thought of her lost baby had been all that kept Tempest alive. Yet she had never truly expected to see her daughter again, let alone have the opportunity to raise her. Nor, of course, had she anticipated that she would have the opportunity to adopt two more wonderful children.

 

Tempest had felt like a mother before Cara was even born, from the time the baby began to move in her womb. That feeling of parenthood had never stopped, much as she tried to convince herself she was nothing more than a birthing vessel for a baby who would belong to someone else. Much as the chantry folk had tried to convince her of that. 

 

"I was separated from my eldest daughter for many years," Tempest explained, since her last statement would likely confuse Etienne in light of her obvious biological relationship to Cara, and Cara's age. "I adopted my other two more recently. Motherhood is the best gift the Maker has ever given me. I am truly fortunate."

[BFace]

Tessa nodded at Beldin and turned to walk into the house.

[obsessedwjpn]

Laurelin's response to his touch was not unexpected but not entirely expected either. He imagined she was probably not that used to men touching her what with how she immediately grasped his wrist tightly with her own hand. She loosened her grip over time but Mercuriel wondered if he might have acted too quickly.

 

She did return his heavy gaze with her own though and Mercuriel found this immensely attractive. She wasn't afraid to meet his stare head on. As he lost himself in her eyes, he heard her voice once more. So she found his wit and boldness charming, did she? He smiled lightly at her as he lowered his hand.

 

"Too bold for my own good? Now where would you get an idea like that?" He followed her gaze to Beldin and Tessa, "I consider myself simply wise beyond my years and dashing as well!" He chuckled and looked down to notice that Laurelin had yet to release her grasp on his wrist. "I will be fine in time. I do not need medical attention but I appreciate your concern, sister." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the skin on the back delicately before lowering her hand once more.

 

Then, he brought up his free hand and land it on top of hers so that both his hands encircled hers. "Perhaps you could release my hand before the sunlight extinguishes itself completely? Or would you like my hand to remain where it is?"

 

While he awaited her answer, Mercuriel looked to Beldin. The human had finished his sparring match with Tessa, in quite an amusing fashion, and seemed to be waiting for Mercuriel's return. He sighed, realizing that he may have to take his leave of Laurelin sooner than he wished. Then he looked over at the raven seated near her. "Is he yours? He seems to be wanting your attention."

[ChachiBobinks]

Tempest was deeply gratified that Etienne demonstrated such appreciation of her family.

 

"Thank you, serah," she said. "My children are such a blessing. A blessing I never expected to receive."

 

She had been fifteen when Cara was conceived, sixteen when she birthed her and lost her. It was nearly half a lifetime ago. Through all the years they'd been separated, Tempest had loved and missed her daughter. She had thought about her and prayed for her. At times, the mere thought of her lost baby had been all that kept Tempest alive. Yet she had never truly expected to see her daughter again, let alone have the opportunity to raise her. Nor, of course, had she anticipated that she would have the opportunity to adopt two more wonderful children.

 

Tempest had felt like a mother before Cara was even born, from the time the baby began to move in her womb. That feeling of parenthood had never stopped, much as she tried to convince herself she was nothing more than a birthing vessel for a baby who would belong to someone else. Much as the chantry folk had tried to convince her of that. 

 

"I was separated from my eldest daughter for many years," Tempest explained, since her last statement would likely confuse Etienne in light of her obvious biological relationship to Cara, and Cara's age. "I adopted my other two more recently. Motherhood is the best gift the Maker has ever given me. I am truly fortunate."

 

As she spoke, he inspected the picture further, noting the similarities between Tempest and the eldest. "She looks so much like you," he replied quietly. It took him a few minutes before things started to click, and he looked at her, worried. "You were... very young when you had her, yes? Were you still at the Circle?" 

 

It made sense, at least. He had heard rumors before of babies born in the deepest dungeons and shipped off to the Chantry immediately, never to be seen again. It was the reason why mages weren't meant to consort in such a fashion - they risked putting more children into the world who wouldn't have the sort of lives that kids were meant to have...situated in a loving family and free from the curse of magic. 

 

"Are they mages as well?"

[TreeHuggerHannah]

Tempest's cheeks reddened slightly when Etienne asked if she'd been young when she had her baby. She looked down at the ground and nodded. He would judge her, she was sure. But it wasn't as if she'd had a choice in the matter.

 

"Yes. I was sixteen when she was born. I was still at the Circle. I would be at the Circle for almost fourteen years after that. Fourteen years before I saw her again."

 

All those years of aching for a lost child. She'd had only months so far to make up for lost time.

 

"Annice and Minnow are mages. That's why I felt it would be acceptable to adopt them - I wasn't adding any danger to their lives that they didn't already face. Cara, my birth daughter, is not a mage. She inherited her looks mainly from me, but not that."

[ChachiBobinks]

It was like some quiet reminder of why Etienne had made the sort of decisions that made life, and even the theory of a relationship, so hard for him. He studied her face as she spoke, then looked to the ground with a frown. "That is a very long time, serah." Fourteen years of never knowing her mother... the most painful thing about being in the Circle was the abrupt disconnection from one's family during a child's formative years. He was happy that his life back home was one filled with joy and contentment. Not all mages could say the same. When he was lonely or homesick, he had plenty of warm thoughts to fill his head. He couldn't imagine growing up not knowing the way his mother would hold him or the feeling of his dad's large hand clapping him on the back. 

 

Rubbing his nose, he handed the portrait back to Tempest. "You have her now, though, and that is what matters," he replied firmly. "I am glad she is not a mage. I wouldn't wish such a thing on anyone. And I'm glad the two that are, the ones you adopted, have you to tend to them." 

[TreeHuggerHannah]

"It might've been better her for her if she was a mage," Tempest said, her voice still quiet but with a hard edge. There was an anger there... but it was clearly not directed toward Etienne.

 

"They told me that they would find her a nice family. Good Andrastians who would raise her right. They said she would be better off without me. It was a lie. It was a horrible lie. She wasn't better off. It was... awful... for her."

 

Tempest inhaled a deep breath, and forced the moment of emotion she'd allowed to animate her to recede.

 

"If she was a mage, she would have been at the Circle and maybe I could have protected her. But for some reason that was not the Maker's will. I am grateful for the time I have with all three of my children. I just wish I could have spared them the pain they suffered."

[Lorien19]

That wasn’t exactly how Laurelin expected the elvhen warrior to react.
For some reason Mercuriel wasn't discouraged by her unusual reaction,instead he kissed her hand gently.
Completely caught off guard she gasped and looked away,blushing even worse than before,she could feel the heat on the tips of her leaf-like ears,regretting the fact that she braided her hear,leaving them visible.
She looked down at their hands,realising that she was indeed still grasping his own,as Mercuriel mentioned teasingly.
"I...I apologise for...I was distracted!"Creators,she was stumbling on her words.Thankfully Mercuriel appeared to be distracted by Harel.The raven had it's attention on her,ready to spead it's wings and fly back to her,she was glad that it didn't attack Mercuriel,like it once did to that clan-mate,that attempted to court her,alin a rather obnoxious manner.
"He's mine.."she sighed and waved at the bird,which rushed towards her as soon as he got the signal.
Laurelin decided,that it was best for her to take her leave,to avoid further embarrassment,and also check on Eshara.
"I must go,Lethallin"she smiled shyly at the Dalish man"We...We will speak later."she then stood up from her seat and rushed towards Eshara's bed.