Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

He plants a kiss on her cheek. "Alright. Love you, m'win."

[Bethany]

"Thank you so much for letting me do this," Bethany says yet again as she flips another page of the well-cared for journal of a long ago Keeper. "Helene is still trying to catch up from their, uh, illness so I think I have a little time before they remember they asked me about it so I think I can still surprise them. Which would be great, they could use a good surprise. And I already told you this. Sorry, I-aaaawwah." She flushes, embarrassed by the rather jaw-breaking yawn. "Maaaay have stayed up until like four in the morning reading with Carver and Merrill. And I babble when I'm exhausted. As you may have realized already because I haven't shut up since Silence and I got here."

[GamesMaster]

Don chuckles, perched on a chair, watching Beth, his tail swaying. "That's fine. Did you find anything?"

[Bethany]

"Umm, well, I discovered that your great-great-great-great-great-something-grandfather was a giant pervert that loved him a prevy limerick," Bethany replies with a grin, then clears her throat. "There was a young girl named Sapphire, who succumbed to her lover's desire.  She said, "It's a sin, but now that it's in, could you shove it a few inches higher?"

[GamesMaster]

A broad grin stretches across Don's face, and he cackles. "Nice. Very nice."

[Bethany]

"But yeah, there's some really neat stuff in here, some stories and histories that are fascinating. If you're allowed, I'd love to be able to be able to come back again, just to read over things instead of skimming to find something specific," she comments, continuing to skim and flip as fast as she can without risking a tear or missing something. "Hells, I would love to maybe do a... compendium? Primer? Some kind of book that might explain a little bit about the Tribe to outsiders. Not anything secret, just make shed some light and burn away some of the rumors that- ahah!"

Snapping upright, she leans down to read intently.

[GamesMaster]

"Ahah?" he asks, tilting his head. Seeing her lost in the volume, he gets up, pacing to the side table to eat more cheese from the cheese tray he'd purchased with some of the Bandanna money. 

For some reason, he really wanted this time to go well.

She's a lesbian, he reminds himself again. And a skin. You can't. And he couldn't -- and he wasn't really pining for her. He'd been with someone else his last heat, and it was nice. Pleasant. He might even take Jazz up on her offer to join her for her heat, bless her with a kit since her steady girlfriend couldn't. But sometimes, just every now and again, he's taken with the urge to do something nice for the human girl. Lay out a nice lunch when they're together, or bring her flowers. Something to brighten her day.

[Bethany]

Bethany licks her lips. "Ummm. Just... You're the older twin, right? Of you and Ari?" the human asks with a poorly hidden note of excitement in her voice. Oh gods. Oh gods. If this is- there's at least ten different tests that need to happen but... holy shit. 

[GamesMaster]

He blinks. "Yes? Catfolk don't really do inheritance that way. Why, am I rich?"

[Bethany]

"Uh, yes? Probably I mean. Hope Goldclaw's great-grand-kits married into the Noaidi line, uh, four generations ago. So. Um..." Bethany looks up with him with wide eyes. Keeper is a religious title and obligation so that invalidates your dad so... "Hail Founder Light Adonis zi'Noaidi?" 

[GamesMaster]

Don stares at her. For minutes. On end.

[Bethany]

Beth slowly moves to hug Don, gently stroking his fur. "Take your time, lo- Don."

[GamesMaster]

He jerks back, staring at her with a mix of pride and horror. A moment later, he slumps in relief. "They won't let me. No skin will ever let a cat take power."

[Bethany]

"They can't... not let you. It's a Founder position. There's no approval or voting for it, just some magical lineage tests," Bethany says gently, trying to hold his hands. "They don't get a choice. The other Founders would never allow any kind of block to be used, not when it could affect them at some point."

[GamesMaster]

"But I'm a cat. They'll say I'm not really this.... Goldclaw's descendent. Because I'm not a Goldclaw, I'm a Naoadi, and that matters to ski-- humans."