[As much as Nepione wanted to be able to pick one task at a time to focus on, that was simply not realistic. It actually rather bothered her, considering her preference was to dedicate herself to one specific thing at a time. Multitasking was all well and good and of course there were things that didn't have immediate answers (Astarion's situation regarding the scars and words etched upon his back merely only one of those things), but it would have been nicer to feel like...
Well. To feel as if she was making any sort of positive difference. It didn't help when she was half the time distracted, knowing that Astarion had pointedly kept his distance from... just about everyone. She had begun to assume that eventually he would flat out leave, say nothing to her and continue along his way. Except perhaps not because the artefact protected him. Sure, he could have made the attempt to steal it and doom the rest of them to mind flayer condition, but the artefact had seemed rather adamantly attached to one very specific person.
(Although Nepione would have been perfectly fine with Shadowheart keeping it in her possession.)
Still, any day now, she expected to wake up and simply find Astarion had taken all of his things. Or just up and vanished without a single clue as to where he went, specifically so she couldn't go chasing after him. Whilst she didn't classify it as a fear, it was something that weighed heavily upon mind and heart, something that could only be marginally filled in by Halsin, who... had largely taken something of a backseat to their adventure thus far.
But when it came time to focusing on him, Nepione did as she always did, and put her entire person into it, which meant spending a lot of time with the druid, listening to his stories and the information he was willing to share over the last one hundred years of his prior stand against Ketheric Thorm. She supposed to any outside eyes and ears, listening to their exchanges and some of the subtle words of flattery and kind remarks could have been interpreted as... something more, though much of it had gone over Nepione's head.
Sort of. Until it couldn't any longer. But it never seemed like the right time to think about things like that either.
On the fated evening in which Astarion had interjected his way between her and the tall wood elf, it had been another one of those strange conversations. Halsin explaining something about how the Shadow-Curse was a terrible thing indeed, but something about Nepione's presence making it far more bearable. Something about stimulating company, as it were. An intervention that found Nepione a little pink in the features until she had to devote her attention onto Astarion.
Perhaps a little relieved at the interruption. If only because she didn't have an adequate response for what kind of company Halsin thought her to be.]
...Oh. It looks likeβ [Well, it looked like Isobel's wear. SelΓ»nite in its appearance. All greys and slate blues and silvers. Quite pretty. Quite representative of the Moon in all of her glory, really. Nepione actually quite liked it, but wondered if it really suited her at all.] You say it's boring and I suppose I can understand why you feel that way, but I think she might actually like that. It's been very helpful having her insight. She's a considerably more... well-versed cleric than I am. Now I can study a little more with her and look like a proper cleric of SelΓ»ne at the same time.
[Boring or not.
But she didn't think it was boring at all. When Astarion continued, she found herself looking between him and Halin. 'Private.' Whenever Astarion used that word, she always found herself tensing up. Private moments with Astarion were always... complicated.
Musk man.
Nepione shot Astarion a Look, a bit unimpressed with the address, and it took her moments mere to eye Halsin with a touch of sympathy, offering him a pat to a very impressive arm, and reassuring him that she'd visit him later. Presumably at his tent where they likely wouldn't have to worry about additional interruptions.
Leaving her with Astarion, she made a quiet tsk with forked tongue.]
Why are you so mean to him? He's not even actively rude to you. [Not that he necessarily had reason to be. It wasn't Astarion's fault that he was disrupting the natural order, after all.] I wish you would play nice sometimes, but go on. What is it that you need from me?
no subject
Well. To feel as if she was making any sort of positive difference. It didn't help when she was half the time distracted, knowing that Astarion had pointedly kept his distance from... just about everyone. She had begun to assume that eventually he would flat out leave, say nothing to her and continue along his way. Except perhaps not because the artefact protected him. Sure, he could have made the attempt to steal it and doom the rest of them to mind flayer condition, but the artefact had seemed rather adamantly attached to one very specific person.
(Although Nepione would have been perfectly fine with Shadowheart keeping it in her possession.)
Still, any day now, she expected to wake up and simply find Astarion had taken all of his things. Or just up and vanished without a single clue as to where he went, specifically so she couldn't go chasing after him. Whilst she didn't classify it as a fear, it was something that weighed heavily upon mind and heart, something that could only be marginally filled in by Halsin, who... had largely taken something of a backseat to their adventure thus far.
But when it came time to focusing on him, Nepione did as she always did, and put her entire person into it, which meant spending a lot of time with the druid, listening to his stories and the information he was willing to share over the last one hundred years of his prior stand against Ketheric Thorm. She supposed to any outside eyes and ears, listening to their exchanges and some of the subtle words of flattery and kind remarks could have been interpreted as... something more, though much of it had gone over Nepione's head.
Sort of. Until it couldn't any longer. But it never seemed like the right time to think about things like that either.
On the fated evening in which Astarion had interjected his way between her and the tall wood elf, it had been another one of those strange conversations. Halsin explaining something about how the Shadow-Curse was a terrible thing indeed, but something about Nepione's presence making it far more bearable. Something about stimulating company, as it were. An intervention that found Nepione a little pink in the features until she had to devote her attention onto Astarion.
Perhaps a little relieved at the interruption. If only because she didn't have an adequate response for what kind of company Halsin thought her to be.]
...Oh. It looks likeβ [Well, it looked like Isobel's wear. SelΓ»nite in its appearance. All greys and slate blues and silvers. Quite pretty. Quite representative of the Moon in all of her glory, really. Nepione actually quite liked it, but wondered if it really suited her at all.] You say it's boring and I suppose I can understand why you feel that way, but I think she might actually like that. It's been very helpful having her insight. She's a considerably more... well-versed cleric than I am. Now I can study a little more with her and look like a proper cleric of SelΓ»ne at the same time.
[Boring or not.
But she didn't think it was boring at all. When Astarion continued, she found herself looking between him and Halin. 'Private.' Whenever Astarion used that word, she always found herself tensing up. Private moments with Astarion were always... complicated.
Musk man.
Nepione shot Astarion a Look, a bit unimpressed with the address, and it took her moments mere to eye Halsin with a touch of sympathy, offering him a pat to a very impressive arm, and reassuring him that she'd visit him later. Presumably at his tent where they likely wouldn't have to worry about additional interruptions.
Leaving her with Astarion, she made a quiet tsk with forked tongue.]
Why are you so mean to him? He's not even actively rude to you. [Not that he necessarily had reason to be. It wasn't Astarion's fault that he was disrupting the natural order, after all.] I wish you would play nice sometimes, but go on. What is it that you need from me?