The Amell Legacy: Transgressions

[Carver Amell]

There was one expression Bethany hated to see on her twin's face: the expression she gets when Jadan enters the room.

A moment ago, she was playing with the new puppy, christened Hunter. She was fussing over him, cooing, clearly thrilled to have him; she can't stop touching him, petting him, ruffling his ears, hugging him. 

But as Jadan enters, a new expression comes over her: not the unbridled glee she'd had with the pup, but a warm smile laced with poison, her eyes yearning, desperate, hungry. She wants him, but not in the way she wanted that pup; she wants to prove herself to him, to be good enough for him, to please him. It's a look Zevran would know better than Bethany, but it's not a look Bethany likes.

"My lord," she says, hugging the puppy to her as she rises to curtsy.

"Carol," he says, moving toward her, a worried expression on his face. The half-elf had blond hair, pale skin, and serious grey eyes; he wore a waistcoat, suitcoat, slacks. Everything proper, not a thread out of place. "You are unharmed? Thank the gods."

[Bethany]

''Or you know, the guards we were with. Or me,'' Bethany mutters, just loud enough to be heard but not clearly enough he can be sure he heard her correctly. It's a trick she's gotten a fair amount of practice with over the last few years. And what drama is he going to go with today? Smart money on... 'Oh Carol, you worried me so much, my darlingest most lovey-pop. Please never exist except when it's convenient for me, that would be so very wondrously super-duper neat.'

[Carver Amell]

"Un...harmed?" asks Carol, slowly, blinking. Since dinner? You were over when we came home, and then went to the office, and now... what could have happened in so short a time? 

"Of course. That brute of a pup! I'll hire a trainer, ensure he doesn't savage anyone else the way he attacked my poor angel," says Jadan smoothly. 

[Bethany]

What. ''Hunter weights less than ten pounds,'' Beth says sweetly. ''Surely you do not think him such a danger as to overwhelm not just my twin and I but also our servants and guards?''

[GamesMaster]

"I just couldn't stand to see either of your poor fingers mangled by that brute's jaws," he says, smoothly. "My baby's tail was so-- I couldn't imagine your hands in that kind of condition. I had to rush her to the temple for healing." 

[Bethany]

When? Carol has barely stopped cuddling the poor pup, much less let it out of her sight? Just when we took our baths, less than half an hour. I suppose Hunter could have, well, hunted the cat down right off and then rushed back but...''Brute? That's a bit strong. Hunter is a mabari and a puppy. If he hurt anyone, it would either be to protect Car or by accident while playing.''

[GamesMaster]

"My poor Carol," he says, instead, turning his attention to the girl who actually wants him around. "My poor darling. I'll ensure that thing is trained properly. Alright? Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Carol says at once, her voice straining a bit. "Of course." Then, without prompting, she deposits the puppy in his arms, taking a step back. 

"That's my girl," he praises her. 

[Bethany]

''You can't!'' Beth rises to her feet. ''Mabari need to be trained by the person they belong with. Carol needs to be there for it at the very least. Doing otherwise would be cruel.'' To Car if not the pup.

[Carver Amell]

Carol flinches -- flinches. From her sister. "It's alright, Beth. Jadan knows what he's doing." 

[Bethany]

Beth's jaw clenches and she takes a deep breath. ''Hey. It's alright. Not angry at you, yeah? Just... surprised that Mister Jadan would make such a silly mistake. It happens, no-one is perfect, and I'm sure that he didn't mean to try and hurt you and Hunter. He's just worried about Ferris. Right?'' She forces herself to smile warmly at Jadan,

[Carver Amell]

Carol turns away from Jadan, toward her sister. Something in her rebels, argues, demands that she go to the pup right now, take him back -- but she stifles the feelings. Stupid. Selfish. You trust Jadan. He's always been good to you. He'll make this right.

Her eyelids droop a bit, but she takes a deep breath, steeling herself. "Let's play chess," she mumbles, swallowing hard. 

[GamesMaster]

"Of course. Besides, I've read of Mabari. Many of the superstitions are unfounded. I'm sure the pup will come to love you even if I have him trained by an expert." He smiles, warmly, at Beth, but there's a bit of challenge in his eye, a bit of determination she wouldn't expect.

[Bethany]

Her own eyes narrow. ''That so,'' she says flatly. ''That sounds fascinating- perhaps you could lend me those books? I do so love to learn new things.''

[GamesMaster]

"Of course," he says simply, intending no such thing. 

He shifts the pup, gesturing slightly as he does -- an odd flick of the fingers, nothing more, but Beth was waiting for it, can feel that tingle in the back of her mind she sometimes gets. The seductive lure -- isn't he handsome? Clever, and kind? Doesn't she like him?

[Carver Amell]

Carol smiles a little, the lopsided smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "See? It's alright, Beth. Jadan knows what he's doing."