Blood from Stone [AU]

[Coquette Blacquin]

"No-- it's fine. We're fine. Just, emotionally exhausting." She waves a hand, her other hand cradling her forehead. "How was your evening? I trust less eventful?"

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill bobs her head agreeably. "Glim is teaching me draconic," she says proudly. "I've gotten the basic syntax down, mostly, but all the suffixes and prefixes and the rules of when to use which and what are very confusing. We spent most of last night after dinner going over how to describe common household items."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Oh? How complex are the suffixes?" she asks politely. And, truth be told, she's at least a little interested. It's something her tired brain can focus on, but something that isn't important, so if she forgets it as soon as she learns it, nobody will be hurt.

It distracts her from the look in Liz's eyes, the accusations, the sound of her whimpers.

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill rambles on merrilly, purposely trying to keep her prattering light and smooth. I might not be able to help with what is wrong- or at least, I'm not allowed- but I can at least help Cindy with recovering or being able to help with what's wrong, whatever that is. "So you see, unlike elven or common, where pronouns denote gender or at least sex of a thing, draconic pronouns all denote the degree of ownership the speaker has- or feels they have- over the being in question. Which can be a weird sort of thing to grasp for not dragons." She finishes her mug of tea, pouring fresh for herself and Cindy in the hopes that the other woman will continue to drink.

[Coquette Blacquin]

Cindy adds cream and sugar to hers, stirring automatically, her mind elsewhere. "I can understand the impulse," she muses. Degree of ownership... to what degree do I really own Liz? To what degree do I want to?

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill shrugs a little. "I suppose? I wouldn't like it myself. I mean, dragons don't think of people they own as slaves, but not because they think of them as less then people or even beasts. Well. I mean, normally they don't, some of them adopt other cultural viewpoints. They have a very firm separation between owning a thing and owning a person. Owning a person, to a dragon, is an honor and a privilege to both parties. More to the dragon, of course, but that's just, well, dragons." 

On her lap, Glimmerwing huffs softly and nibbles daintily on her slice of lemon cake.

"But it's also a responsibility, to the owner. I guess it's more like a parent or a liege rather than a slaver? It's a tricky thing, I'm still trying to understand it," Merrill admits. 

[Coquette Blacquin]

"It's not quite the same as a parent," Cindy admits. "There's a degree of responsibility, but less so. An adult person isn't the same as a child. A liege I suppose would be similar, but it's more intimate than that. There's always a sense of wonder, that you're blessed with this miracle and you're given the responsibility of caring for it. I suppose it's most like yourself and Glimmerwing, really. Glimmerwing doesn't need you to teach and train her the way a child would, but she does depend on you for care and comfort and safety."

[Tethras Clan]

"She belongs to me," Glimmerwing says a touch frostily, head peeking up from under the table. Her imperious stare is ruined, a trifle, by the scattering of yellow crumbs on the corner of her maw.

"And you to me, my glorious companion," Merrill says with deep love and affection in her voice. "And her point stands, I think. It's... I mean, our languages do the same, in a way. After all, I would introduce Varric as 'my' dad, Wynne as 'my' teacher, right? Possession, if not actual ownership."

[Coquette Blacquin]

She will belong to you when you care enough about her well-being to care for her instead of simply declaring ownership and ignoring her, thinks Cindy, bitterly. When you spend your days with her wellfare above your own, you can claim to be the dominant in the relationship. Dominance means sacrifice, and dragons are horrible at sacrifice.

She doesn't say any of this aloud, doesn't let her face betray it. But the thought is there, and it's unkind, and she regrets it when it's done. "True. I think it's more a belonging thing, however, like my city or my tribe."

[Tethras Clan]

And, thankfully, neither of the two she takes her tea with are capable of seeing the thought. "Mmh!" Merrill nods eagerly. "Belonging is a big part of it, I think. A sense of rightness, of... connectedness." A look of wistfulness shows on the elf's face, a longing she doesn't realize she has. "Dragons are prideful, arrogant beings," she says bluntly, "but I approve of how they own. Good ones anyway. I think that might be what separates a good dragon from an evil one. Whether they belong to what they own or simply... own it." Glimmerwing looks briefly startled, then thrums a soft croon of approval.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Well, that's good for dragons, but people are more complicated," says Cindy primly. "More tea?"

[Tethras Clan]

"Tea is good," Merrill agrees. "So are you."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I... what?" she asks, bewildered, her hand settling on the teapot.

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill blinks at her owlish. "You... you're good? A good person, I mean?"

[Coquette Blacquin]

"I... agree. What brought that up?"