Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Tethras Clan]

"Can you be sure?" Zevran asks, no accusation in his voice. "We, mortals, can hardly avoid making decisions, taking actions, that hurt ourselves, much less others.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I am certain," she says firmly. But am I? He has a point -- and Liz so rarely says what she needs...

[Tethras Clan]

"Then you are a miracle, unique in all of the Free Outlands, nay, all of Aldis entirely," Zevran says dryly. "No domme ever gets it all right, all the time."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Well I do. Or at least not so wrong as to be a disaster. If she would have preferred pudding to jam-on-toast, that's hardly cause for concern."

[Tethras Clan]

"Little things make up big things. If you change what she eats, you change her diet. Change her diet and you change her habits. Which changes who she is. Which is not necessarily bad, but it should be something done purposely, with both of you being aware and willing."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"She's the one who asked for a diet," she snaps. "I don't see what's so wrong with wanting to lose weight."

[Tethras Clan]

Zevran's eyebrows shoot up. "Did she? I was merely riffing off your comment about pudding. Loosing weight is fine, just as gaining it is. Your body is yours, as long as you do not hurt another, do what you will to it."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Exactly," she says, firmly. "All this talk of healers and so forth, when really, our methods were effective before. If she wants to change her diet, that's fine, but there's no need to speak poorly of trustworthy tactics."

[Tethras Clan]

"I am missing a great deal of context," Zevran observes brightly.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"We were scolded for eating as my mother taught me, last night, at dinner. Beth devised a new diet for her sister, which she has begun as of dinner tonight. I personally am skeptical of the results, but we shall see. If it works for her, I'm glad. If it doesn't, she can change back if she likes. I personally see no need to change my methods, but I'm getting double the scolding for it."

[Tethras Clan]

"I suppose it's a matter of values," Zevran says with a shrug. "Beth is a skilled healer, so I don't doubt her suggested diet is very healthy. But healthy is not the only thing a diet can provide so..." He shrugs again.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Precisely. If getting back to her starting weight is important to helping Liz feel at home in her body I see no reason not to use the most effective tool to hurry that along. She's been through enough already."

[Tethras Clan]

"Provided it doesn't cause her greater harm," Zevran puts out. "Fixing her body shape is all well and good but if it causes a heart attack- which I have seen occur to people on very low rations, then...." He shrugs. "But perhaps you can speak with Beth to create a compromise? Use your methodology but with her shaping it with health in mind?" Smiling charmingly, he gives a soft laugh. "I know only basic healing and little about this sort of thing save what I have witnessed."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"It's only basic portion control," she says dismissively. "after a time you become used to being empty, and hunger is no longer debilitating."

[Tethras Clan]

"...that sounds disturbingly similar to what slaves assured newcomers," Zevran says with a wince