Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Bethany]

Bethany rolls her eyes. "I have to though, or the whole thing falls apart." Maybe. It'd certainly make it much harder. Wait, I promised... "Well, maybe not just from that, but it'd... contribute. I need to prove that I'm committed to helping, to making this communal brothel work. But... I'm not willing to... do a lot of the... more advanced stuff. Should, uh, should I assume you don't want me to be share this particular 'secret' with you?"

[Carver Amell]

Carver scowls. "I need to know what I'm protecting you from."

[Bethany]

"...just remember you asked for this," Bethany warns him. "Okay. So. I'm only taking female clients. Given the bullshit the guard pulled with Dad, I'm not touching child play- that's where I pretend to be a small child for pedophiles to get their rocks off with. So instead I'm going to do costume stuff- I'm going to make a guard uniform, maybe some priestess outfits. No chance it'll be ready by my first turn at whoring, but I'm planning on a 'fancy noblegirl' outfit too. Figure Coalers would love to pretend they're fucking a rich bitch. Need more?"

[Carver Amell]

He shudders. "I get the idea. What kind of people do I look out for?"

[Bethany]

"...regular shifty stuff, I guess. Anyone that looks... overly aggressive or that might be looking for a..." Dick and Dash doesn't work, given the whole lesbian thing... "Bang and Dash, I guess. Like I said, I'll be going with female only if I can get away with it at all, so that should help, I think. It's going to... cost me a lot of coin and some cred with the other whores but I can't bring myself to do anything extreme so the clients I'll be seeing probably won't be that bad." She offers him a wan smile. "So that's something, right?"

[Carver Amell]

"Define extreme?" asks Carver, a dark tone in his voice. 

[Bethany]

"Like... evidently some of the other girls let people whip them. I can't. I just- If someone did that I'd either burst into tears, vomit, fire icicles at them or a combination of all three. And scream, which would make you burst the door open on top of it all," Bethany says bluntly. "But! That's not relevant because I'm not doing that, so don't stress over it."

[Carver Amell]

Carver scowls, mulling this over in his mind. Finally, he nods. "Scream first," he orders her. "Then I can break the door down while you throw up and throw icicles."

[Bethany]

"I was actually thinking you could just have a key to the room, as long as you promise to not abuse it," Bethany says with a shrug. "Don and Ari too. Mike would peek for sure, I don't know Djon well enough and Steve..." She frowns slightly, then shrugs. "I dunno, probably peek too." Something about him bothers me sometimes but it's probably nothing. Just a quieter creep like Miki.

[Carver Amell]

Carver nods. "Good plan. Still scream first." 

He takes a deep breath, visibly trying to keep his temper. "You're not going to do anything extreme. It'll be fine. You're... you're as old as I am. You can make good decisions, when you don't lose your mind and decide to be a whore." He scowls at himself. "You do make good decisions, sometimes."

[Bethany]

"Ass," Bethany says fondly, smiling at him. 

[Carver Amell]

Carver grins. "Whore," he replies, just as fondly.

[Bethany]

"...so we're okay?" the young woman asks, voice vulnerable. "I know... I know you won't abandon me. I... I really, truly trust that now. But... we're okay, beyond that?"

[Carver Amell]

Carver sighs, looking away. "Varric said I should try to be..." he begins, but shakes his head. "It feels sometimes like you don't need me. You need Marian. Or, better than me would be, a dog. But Varric says I can't just be your dog, guard you and protect you and not have feelings. So I'm trying to be better, I guess." He keeps looking off at the horizon, trying not to cry.

[Bethany]

"Gods." Thank you Dad. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Bethany has to look away too, though she doesn't bother trying to not cry. "Carver, no. I don't- I miss her, of course I do. But I couldn't- I couldn't trade you, I wouldn't. Just as I couldn't trade her for you." Leandra, I'd trade for Summer, much less Marian but that's... not important right now. "I want my twin. I want him happy and whole and healthy."