18: Full Of Surprises
"Isabeau, what's this Bodahn says about you're having someone for tea?" That was a first. Usually, Beau was inclined to go out and have a drink with her friends in Lowtown. Since moving back into the family home last month, Beau had been decidedly… less Beau. She was acquiescing to all of Leandra's requests and whims, Leandra knew she had really been pushing it. Admittedly, she had been curious as to how far her daughter was going to allow this.
"I'm having someone for tea," Beau glanced over her shoulder, spotting Leandra in the doorway though she hadn't come in. Beau was rifling in her closet, which was still a novelty, an entire room of her own, a massive bed and a closet with clothes she had only once upon a time dreamt of wearing. "Uh, he's not coming through the front door, I don't think."
That meant the tunnel and the only reason anyone would have to come through that route was if they were in trouble with the guards or someone of- "Would it be your friend Anders, by any chance?" It sometimes amazed her how she had picked up things over the years even though she had not been focused on her eldest at all. Beau had always been independent and strong; she had never worried about Beau. Maybe that had been her problem, lack of worry had somehow turned into a lack of caring. She knew she had a lot to make up for. However, there were some things even she hadn't missed, even if they only registered on some odd, inner level.
Beau stopped rifling, turning to face her mother properly with a wary look on her face. "You know Anders?"
"I do recall him stopping by Gamlen's… house," which was a very nice way of saying 'hovel' and she knew another silent prayer to the Maker that they were finally out of that terrible situation. She only wished her other two children were here with them. "He's a mage, an apostate."
The way Leandra said it, simply as if talking about the weather, Beau wasn't sure what to think. This could go either way and she knew it. "Yes, he is."
Maybe Isabeau was a bit more like her than either of them had realized. "I assume he's coming through the tunnels?" Beau nodded and she did as well. "I have something for you." Leandra beckoned her daughter to follow, leading the way to her own room.
In the month since they had moved in, Beau had only been in this room once and that was on day one. It smelled delicious in here and she realized it was from the white lilies scattered about the room. "Those are beautiful."
"Aren't they?" If Beau was waiting for more on them, she wasn't getting it. Leandra was sitting on this little secret of hers for a while, enjoying it. "Here."
Beau stretched her arms out, accepting the clothing she was passed. "More dresses?" She tried injecting a note of 'yay' into her tone.
"Just look, dear."
No, not dresses. Laying everything out on her mother's bed, Beau took another look at the flowers before returning her attention to the clothing. Breeches, there were proper pants in these clothes and she felt joy skipping in her. Beau began pulling treated hide pants out, running a hand along the material slowly. Soft and supple for some, and then she realized others were flexible but harder, the material would not give so easily. There were, of course, more in style pants, those would be delegated to 'no danger involved' times. Next were the tops, several of them in the same style Bethany had favored, which seemed to be cut low and laced up, in neutral colors, along with a few of those cinching style belts she liked. "Mother…" these articles of clothing were much more her taste then the dresses had been.
"I know I haven't been the easiest, and I've been downright cruel to you, Isabeau," Leandra reached out, brushing a lock of unruly hair off Beau's face, her eyes holding her daughters. "You've also been extremely patient with me this past month, letting me have my way with dressing and spoiling you like I always wanted when you were a little girl." She would have loved spoiling her children, all three of them, fussing over their attire, giving them everything she had had. "I'll go oversee the tea and you can finish changing. "I assume he'll be coming through the tunnels?" Since Beau had never confirmed it.
"Yes, I gave him the key to use for today."
Leandra pursed her lips at that, considering it. "Do you trust this man, Isabeau?" She asked slowly, quietly.
Beau didn't even think twice about her answer. "Yes, I do."
"All right then, that's good enough for me." It was almost like watching her and Malcolm replaying itself out through her daughter and it made her heart clench painfully in her chest. She wouldn't have traded her time with the great love of her life for anything but she also knew it was no easy path to walk.
Anders had been in the cellar of the Amell, no Hawke, estate years ago with Beau and Bethany. They had been hunting for the Amell will that Gamlen had left behind when he had lost the mansion. That hunt had led them to the now, he supposed it had worked out, minus Bethany being in the Circle opposed to her family home. The key Beau had loaned him felt heavy in his pocket as he made his way through the cellar, past the wine barrels that he was certain had been here the last time.
After the other day, when she had come to see him with concerns from Varric's ever running mouth, she had invited him to her Hightown mansion. Beau had seemed shy almost when she had asked him over and his initial response had been a no. An apostate in Hightown? She was out of her mind. She would lose her newly acquired status if she was caught with him.
He had gone anyway. He turned towards the narrow hall to the stairs and came to a stop. Beau was sitting on them, elbows on her knees and chin in her palm. She looked just as surprised to see him as he was her and he gave her a hesitant smile.
"I wasn't sure if you'd come."
"It would probably have been better if I hadn't."
Leandra had instructed Bodahn to set them up in the library with the fire roaring. Beau loved all these fireplaces, she loved coming home after being out in the cold all day, knowing that it would be warm and comfortable inside. No more wind whistling through cracked and gapped walls, no more chilling breezes threatening to turn her bones brittle. Being rich had a lot of lovely perks, her new current fear was losing it all, hence her still enduring habit of trying to earn coin and hoard it mentality.
The table had been a bit much however… as soon as those doors had mostly closed -her mother had insisted on a small gap for 'propriety'- Beau had began arranging the tea and items in a way to avoid spilling them. "Help me."
"What are we doing?" But he helped, lifting one side of the small tea table and raised an eyebrow. "Up there?" She was looking towards the small flight of steps that led to the second floor of the library, the wraparound portion of it. At her nod, he helped her cart it up and then watched as she began rearranging everything on a rug near the fireplace. A fireplace, on a partial second floor, the elite and their oddness never seemed to fail to surprise him but he couldn't deny it was nice, a smile spreading across his face. "This is much better." And more Beau, if he were honest. He hadn't known her more than… what, three years or so, but her and fancy, proper, just did not seem to go hand in hand. He settled down with her on the rug, beginning to laugh.
"What's so funny?" But she liked the sound of it, it was genuine laughter and a sound she didn't hear from him very often.
"You, pouring tea like a queen but you're on a bloody rug with an apostate. You never cease to surprise me, Hawke."
"That's me, full of surprise," Beau quipped, stretching her legs out before the fire and sipped her tea. "Not entirely sure I like this though, it's too sweet."
"You added like five cubes of sugar!"
"Because tea tastes like ass."
He felt like slapping himself in his own face, staring at her profile. The corner of her mouth was lifted, she was smirking, and he felt like decking her too. "Why are you drinking it then?"
"Because I invited you over for tea, so we're having tea."
Women made no sense, whatsoever.