We don't talk about it

Ailwin hadn’t had an easy upbringing, not that it was entirely terrible either. There had been a time when he’d had both a mother and father that loved him. Until his father was crippled and became a drunk, and then his mother was raped by the noble she was working for and got knocked up. His father hadn’t seemed to care that the whole thing had been against her will, Ailwin’s father took off and never came back.

On top of all that add on how elves were generally treated in Val Fermin and the fact that Ailwin had always been a bit ‘odd’, or at least that’s what many of the other children would call him. He was different sure, more stoic and logic oriented, he always had a thing for counting things and generally struggled with understanding social cues and sarcasm.

Maeve and Vincent Valathrian had been his younger half brother’s age, but they had always been counted in the small group of his friends that never treated him like he was odd. Even after he was beaten up by some bullies and started walking with a limp.

Eventually he and his friend Reva would start working in a Noble’s home and ultimately learn how easy it could be to blackmail the man, so they did and succeeded. Him and Reva were only seventeen at the time, but soon decided to form a group, The Forsaken.

Maeve had never joined the group, but would always be a good friend as far as Ailwin was concerned. Not just because of their growing up together, but also because she was a capable fighter and always willing to pass on information to him. When possible he always tried to keep in contact with her over the years, though the frequency of their lunches would ebb and wane depending on their busy schedules.

A number of weeks had passed since their last visit, a combination of things really. Maeve’s schedule due to her pregnancy and wedding, and even Ailwin had had some things come up himself. Though Ailwin had attended the wedding, there had been obviously far too much going on to have a proper sit down with Maeve then.

They finally managed to schedule some time together, so he made his way through the market to their favourite lunch spot. He had a table reserved for their meeting, even slipped the waiter a few extra gold to make sure it stayed available even if they were late.

He arrived and mentioned to the waiter to be on the look out for one Maeve Valathrian. It still felt weird to think of her as a noble, but she had indeed married into nobility, and to someone that Ailwin actually approved of. Which was saying a lot considering his views on human nobles. He sat down and drank some water while he waited for Maeve.

Maeve was a bit late but lately it was what tended to happen. She was usually fretting about leaving the kid alone and ended up rushing towards everywhere. When she reached the place she was almost breathless and the waiter pointed her towards where Ailwin was and offered her arms to pull him into an embrace.

“I am glad of that you do remind that I have kept my last name, people tends to assume that now I am just Maeve Beauvois instead of Maeve Valathrian-Beauvois and it kind of irks me, don’t know why” she said as she sat down.

“You need to come over someday so I can show you the kid properly, I couldn’t do it in the wedding, it was way too crowded” she said with a sigh as she sat down “That way you can see the little person guilty of making me arrive late everywhere, this round is on me for the delay” she was going to pay anyways but she had an excuse now

“So tell me, anything to share with me darling?”

Ailwin always felt awkward hugging, but Maeve was a dear friend so he wasn’t going to deny her either. He was never quite sure where to put his hands. They usually ended up on either side of a person’s arms versus a full around the back embrace. Once they were seated again he chuckled at her comment about her name.

Well, you’re an independent woman who married for love, not status. Honestly you’re a credit to the institution. Keeping your maiden name is a giant fuck you to more archaic practises of the institution and the busy bodies that like to gossip about you. He said with a grin. Personally he never could have married a human, let alone a noble, but then the heart wants what the heart wants. Moving on to the gossip.

Actually I’ve heard some things that may interest you. Specifically about your father. Apparently he’s fallen on hard times. Some say gambling, some say he made some poor investments. He also has another kid on the way and rumour is it’s with an elf. No surprise there really.

“You know me, I wouldn’t have been able to put up with someone just for the status; I would have ended up either divorced or murdering them while sleeping” she said with a chuckle “I mean, I have such a pretty surname! Despite of being born in Orlais my grandparents were from Ferelden; keeping a foreign surname only enhances the fuck you that you mentioned”

“Such a pity, I am so so sorry for him, and I bet that Vincent is going to be too” she deadpanned before ordering a tea for herself to the waitress that just had arrived “I am sorry for that poor kid and that mother; since that prick won’t look after them maybe you can get me the poor woman’s name? Perhaps I can try to fetch her a job to spare her my mother’s fate” she said with a pang of sadness. Her mother's demise had been related to an illness but if she hadn't been in the verge of poverty perhaps her health would have been better.

Ailwin was no fan of nobles, especially human nobles, but even he had to admit that the match between Maeve and Lucien was a good one. Even if he would never be besties with the man due to his race. Though of him and Aerona, he was by far the more accepting of other races, even though he was still more biased than some. He wasn’t so biased he couldn’t grudgingly accept that Lucien was not bad for a human noble.

Listening to Maeve's plans of helping the woman stuck with her father, he nodded approvingly. He could always appreciate a person who didn't forget their roots and tried to help others. "I'll get the woman's details for you. It's a good thing you're doing, Maeve," he said sincerely.

“Besides of getting the details contact her, I mean it when I said of that I’ll make sure of that that family doesn’t have necessities since that asshole likely won’t give them even a copper” she said with a sigh as she remembered her own childhood. If there wasn't any room to hire new servants she would use her connections to find that poor woman the means to have a proper life.

“Gossip aside how are you? Like you have told me news but you haven’t told me about yourself, any interesting news to share in your personal life?” because she knew Ailwin wouldn’t mind gossip if it was her doing it.

Ailwin let out a small chuckle, Well, I guess the most interesting news is that I've been working on some new projects with The Forsaken. Nothing too groundbreaking, but it keeps me busy. He paused, swirling his drink thoughtfully. And I've been considering adopting a mabari. Ever since I helped one on the streets, the idea hasn't left my mind. He’d have to make sure of course that the mabari in question got along with his cat, Mr. Dribbles, but he wasn’t too worried.

Then he remembered something else and perked up. OH, and I met an ancient elf the other day. Up until now I’d only heard about them through Zevran, so that was certainly an interesting twist to my day. He explained.

“Well, that’s a big deal! Look at you making your way up in the world” she said with the kind of smile that an older sister would give to a sibling. “Mabaris are cute but a bit too clingy for my own tastes. I am more of a cat person as you know but Dribbles is quite friendly so I doubt that you will have problems with that”

“And what was he like?” asked Maeve with genuine curiosity. She had heard some rumors but she had yet to met one of these “And how did you met him?” Ailwin traveled a lot so it wasn't really a surprise that she'd met one but that didn't mean that she wasn't curious about it.

Ailwin chuckled at Maeve's reaction. She was quite... different. Not like any elf I've met before. She had an air of wisdom and timelessness about her. We met at the docks, of all places. She came along while some children were, well, let’s just leave it at being children. He explained. Yes they were human children, but children learned from their parents, so it was really the parents he blamed.

She intervened, and the children scattered. We got to talking, and it was quite fascinating. She had a different perspective on just about everything. He took a sip of his drink, his eyes distant as he recalled the encounter.

“Well she surely will have her own perspective on the matter but be careful about what you hear from them” said Maeve after the recalling of the encounter “no because I think that they are malicious or anything like that, I just smell conflict on the horizon and I don’t want to have you tangled in the middle of it” he was like a brother to her and she wanted him safe.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure to meet you darling but I need to finish a couple of errands before the day ends” she said with a smile “Contact me next time you come to the city will you? I always miss you dear” said Maeve as she finished her drink.

Your instincts are sharp as always, Maeve. I'll keep my ears open and my wits about me. Conflict does seem to be brewing, and I'd rather not be caught in the crossfire. But you know me, I can't resist a bit of adventure. He said as he took the last sip of his drink and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

It's always a pleasure to see you too, my dear. I'll make sure to contact you next time I'm in the city. Stay safe with your errands, and let's not go as long between meetings next time! With that, Ailwin left some coins on the table for the waitress’s tip, and then headed out to his next meeting.