Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Tethras Clan]

"That's a pretty good start, yes. You can sometimes soften it a bit if the person is... prickly about being called out by adding something like.... 'I'm worried about you' or the like to the start. And other tricks like catching them in a good mood, or bringing something to eat or drink they like can help," Aveline agrees, then gestures with her fork. "Oh! With Beth, given how... used to you not criticizing her she is, you might want to say 'with how you act mean' instead of 'how mean you get.' It makes it seem like it's something that happens to her, not something she is. Kind of like... how you can do dumb things but you aren't dumb," she expands, tone a smidge wary on that last part. 

[Carver Amell]

He flinches. "It... doesn't feel much different. I do stupid things because I'm stupid."

[Tethras Clan]

"Varric and Beth do stupid things too. Are they stupid?" Aveline asks.

[Carver Amell]

"They don't though. Not like I do."

[Tethras Clan]

"Beth never does anything stupid? Ever?" Aveline says with disbelief. She's just of age, of course she must.

[Carver Amell]

"Well, not big things, anyway."

[Tethras Clan]

"If you say so, but I suspect you're just seeing them through Astea's eyes," Aveline relents. "My point is that just because people do something, doesn't mean that's a defining characteristic."

[Carver Amell]

"Beth cares about people. Dad takes care of us. I fuck up. It's our defining characteristics."

[Tethras Clan]

"No, it's really not," Aveline says, eyes narrowing. "Beth cares about causes, not people. Not saying she doesn't also care about certain people, just that she doesn't think of strangers that way. And your defining trait is 'family above all else.'"

[Carver Amell]

"I.. if you say so," he says, shifting a little. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Do you disagree?" Aveline prompts. "You're allowed to. You're my... trainee, not my pet."

[Carver Amell]

"Family above all else," he echoes, gently. "It's what I'd like to be. But not... not really who I am yet."

[Tethras Clan]

"It's your core... motivation. But no, you, don't, can't always act on it," Aveline allows. "It's hard, especially when parts of your family conflict with each other. Or if you have to hurt one of them in order to help, like setting a broken bone or point out a a negative character trait so they can improve. And sometimes you're simply wrong in how to help."

[Carver Amell]

"Why do I always fuck it up? Do you think learning to talk to people will fix it or is there something else?"

[Tethras Clan]

"i think learning to talk to people better will help a lot. But you're always going to make mistakes. That's just how life is. You can make them less often, learn how to recover but you can't prevent them all from happening."