Blood from Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

"Yeah," he says, his voice cracking. Jass is going home soon, and he can't... he doesn't want to be exclusive and he can't give me children. If there's any hope...

"When Jass leaves," he promises. "I need to spend time with him while he's here."

[Tethras Clan]

Aveline relaxes, head coming back up. "Okay. Okay, that's... okay." She takes another step, then pauses. "Just... if... it'll have to be a very long talk. A complicated one. Being who am I, personal and professional. Anyway. Your sister. Do you want to go in first or...?"

[Carver Amell]

"Yeah... yeah, I think I'd better."

So he leads the way down the hallway, breathing deeply, trying not to think too hard about the woman behind him, her large soft hands, her honest sweat scent, barely any perfumed lotions.  No, focus on Liz now.

He knocks gently, then pushes the door open. "Liz? Can we talk to you a moment?"

[Marian Hawke]

"One minute," she says, not lifting her head as she scribbles across parchment on the floor. There's parchment strewn around her; the book is off to one side, discarded, forgotten. 

[Tethras Clan]

Aveline stares past Carver, a bemused smile on her face. She looks... rather adorable really. If she has ink on her nose or cheek...

[Carver Amell]

Carver squats, peering down at her paper. "That's... quite a bit of maths," he remarks. 

[Marian Hawke]

"Hang on, Carver, I've almost--"

She stops, lifting her quill, freezing as she realizes how annoyed she sounds. "Sorry," she whispers, her hand beginning to quiver.

[Carver Amell]

He folds his hand over hers, frowning. "Shh. Hey. It's alright. I'm interrupting."

[Tethras Clan]

"Reminds me of Seli, when she's in the middle of cooking. Love my wife to bits, but she can be right peppery if you interrupt her frying something. How about we make a pot of tea to give you a few minutes to finish up?"

[Marian Hawke]

"I.." whispers Liz, her eyes tearing up. She nods, mutely. 

[Carver Amell]

"Alright. We'll be in the kitchen," he replies gently. Impulsively, he presses a kiss to her forehead before he pulls back, letting her get back to her work.

As they head to the kitchen, he flashes Aveline a significant look.

[Tethras Clan]

Panting happily, Beka slips past the humans so she can lay down next to Liz. Thankfully, she's clever enough to avoid stepping on any papers. 

As they head to the kitchen, Aveline nods tightly. "I see it," she murmurs. "She acts like abused children. Fearing aggression and seeking approval."

[Carver Amell]

"I didn't until... she says it was Cindy's influence. Her... I guess, her orders, to pretend to be happy. So she pretended while she was here. But now that she lives here, she can't keep it up." Carver shudders. "She was never like this, before. We used to fight. Sometimes with fists. She was always trying to scold me, to, I guess mother me."

[Tethras Clan]

"Not an uncommon thing, for elder children. Especially given... well, your parents. But..." Aveline leans towards him, then stops. No. I can't. Not until... Instead, she starts to prepare the supposed reason they're in the kitchen. "Maybe it's... not a bad thing. Her not being able to... mask how bad off she is. Can't clean a wound out if you keep it covered. Does she have a preferred tea blend?"

[Carver Amell]

Carver frowns. "Lavender. She shouldn't have got that bad. We were here. But we weren't paying attention."