Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Tethras Clan]

"I need to know why," Aveline says firmly.

[Carver Amell]

He flinches. "I... I'm worried if I don't get out of the house for a while I might kill myself," he says softly. 

[Tethras Clan]

Aveline's breath sucks in and she tenses. "What?" she chokes out. "What is- I'm going to beat the dwarf to-"

[Carver Amell]

"No!" he says, sitting up a little. "No, I, it's not his fault. He's been, he's been trying to help me. I talked to him tonight, that's when we came up with-- please don't be mad. I just need to get away. I'll be fine."

[Tethras Clan]

"Carver." A pause as she wrestles with her temple. "Please... please just explain."

[Carver Amell]

"I... I almost died on accident, uh, I guess twice," he says, wincing. "This past week. And I can't... I keep getting stuck. I can't do one thing and I can't do the other. And I.... I keep thinking being dead wouldn't be so bad. So. So I, I got scared, and I talked to Dad, and he convinced me to take some time off, let him hire a healer to look after Merrill and he promised Beth would be safe and I could just... go somewhere else for a bit. Not try to solve everyone's problems anymore. Work on me."

[Tethras Clan]

Alright. Just a lecture, I won't even hit him, Aveline decides, then puts Varric aside. "Good. And... yes, you can stay with me for a while," she says with a bit of reluctance, feeling... embarrassed at inviting him- anyone- over to her home.

[Carver Amell]

"Sorry," he says, hunching his shoulders a bit. "I know I'm a pain in the ass sometimes."

[Tethras Clan]

"No, it's not..." She exhales gustily. "I just... I don't think I've ever had a guest. Maybe when I was a little girl, but..." she mutters awkwardly. "Not... sure how to host."

[Carver Amell]

"That's okay, I don't need much."

[Tethras Clan]

"No-one really needs more than food, water, shelter and brief interaction every once in a while. Doesn't mean we shouldn't all have a great deal more than that," Aveline says sternly. 

[Carver Amell]

Carver shrugs a shoulder, looking down at the remains of food, awkwardly.

[Tethras Clan]

Aveline huffs. "You will learn to care about yourself, even if I have to etch into you with years of training," she grumbles warningly.

[Carver Amell]

He squirms a bit. "D-dad says you're trying to protect me, I guess? So I guess... but, really, I'm not all that important. And this whole thing, I fucked it up, it's my fault. So..."

[Tethras Clan]

Aveline leans forward. "Shut up," she snaps, eye blazing. "In one breath you acknowledge that you are one of mine to protect, then in the next you say you are worthless. Unimportant. You're smarter than that, Carve Tethras, even if you seem to like clinging stubbornly to foolish ideas."