5. Temple of Lathander

"Probably not in the official sense. But it seems a lot of powerful people believe marriage is best used as a bargaining chip. It was for my mother, when she married Rieltar. I don't see how he would have taken in me or Winski otherwise."

He cheerfully accepts Aiwe's considerably rarer sausage. "It's good! Slides down easier, too."

Koveras nods in the direction of the Silvershield estate. "Shall we be heading back, or is there anything else you wanted to do?"

Aiwë shakes her head. "Let's head back. I should check on Stella, I've got a memory to share, and we have more planning to do."

She continues talking as they walk. "What did Rieltar see in your mother that was worth the bargain? She can't have been a powerful match, so far from her family's original estates. And from Luskan!" She winces. "It's no wonder she went South. With two and a half orcs in her family, she'd never be allowed home. That awful city makes everything so much harder for the Cagebreakers."

Koveras expression darkens slightly. "Sometimes it's easy to think that everything Rieltar has done is just to cause me misery. But I know that doesn't make sense. The truth is that I really don't know why he did it. She knew how to accomplish much with little, and she enjoyed archery and the outdoors - probably more than any true 'lady' should." He shrugs. "Maybe it really was just a publicity stunt. Or maybe nobody else would marry him. Maybe he just wanted people to terrorize."

He clears his throat. "I know you and your family have dedicated your lives to improving the lives of orcs, individually and collectively. Better quality of life, better religion, better relations with their neighbors... What would you say your success rate is? Out of one hundred orcs, say, how many make these changes in their lives?"

Aiwë frowns as she thinks. "I don't know. We don't really think about it like that. In that way, we're focused on individuals. Every life saved, orc or not, is a victory. It's not the majority, not yet, but despite Luthic's opposition, more leave the her and her pantheon every year." She fingers the scarification tattoos on her upper arm as she takes in the sights of the large city.

"So, you like sausage. What else do you like? Do you have hobbies?"

"And if they don't agree to live by your rules, you... execute them? Or turn them loose to fight another day?"

Koveras nods. "I enjoy watching theatre. Something about the sets and costumes, the personas people wear, it's like glimpsing another world. Another life that I can experience, other than my own. I also enjoy reading. Part of the reason I visited Candlekeep was an excuse to bury my nose in some books."

"They... are usually executed," Aiwë admits sadly. "It's not a matter of them not liking our rules or a conflict over finer points. Those that follow Luthic see us as blasphemers, responsible for Gruumsh's death. They seek retribution, revenge, and blood. If we allow them to live they will come for us again, or worse, the others in the Dale. They are given a second chance, but not a third."

She grins brightly. "I love the theatre. I've been trying to get performances going at home but it hasn't quite caught on. Costumes and sets don't quite land with the tribe. They enjoy ballads in parts better with regalia for the performers, similar but different."

Koveras muses over that, his frown showing he's maybe not convinced the matter's so simple.

He's happy to move on to the next subject. "There are some troupes that travel up and down the Sword Coast, visiting each of the major cities. My favorite is one entirely made up of tieflings. It's said they collect the best stories from across the planes, but I've detected recurring themes in each of their performances. Still, it makes for a good show."

The half-orc lights up. "If we have a free night sometime, perhaps we can attend a performance together! Would you like that?"

Aiwë laughs at his sudden change in expression. "I would like like that." She examines him, taking in his change in attitude. His emotions can be fluid, when he isnt putting a face over them, it seems.

"So, you want to make the world a better place?" she asks, referencing their eventful conversation that morning. "How do you want to do that?"

"I do want to make the world a better place," Koveras says. "But mostly, firstly, I want to make my world a better place. I feel like happiness and I are strangers. I've seen it. I want to know it."

He takes a few steps in silence, eyes on the cobblestones. "Is that selfish of me? To want to focus on myself first?" He shakes his head. "I don't want anyone to go through what I did, and I'll act to prevent that from happening. But is it bad to... want to live a little myself?"

"I don't think so at all," Aiwë assures him. "You need to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. I only ask because you mentioned it, before."

Koveras looks relieved. "Oh good. Your opinion means a lot to me, Aiwe."

"So what's it like to have siblings? Are any of them as musically inclined as you are?"

"Why?" Aiwë asks curiously. "Why does my opinion mean so much to you?"

Koveras nearly misses a step. He takes Aiwe's elbow to stop her in the street, looking into her eyes. "How could it not? You mean so much to me. I fancy you quite a lot if you haven't noticed."

"Actually, save your graveside proclamation and this morning in the reading room, it was pretty hard to tell." She tucks her hands behind her back and adopts a formal stance as Koveras often does, then gives him a polite nod with a distracted frown on her face. Then she laughs. "You're a different person today. It's alright! I'm just... adjusting."

Koveras grins. "Well I think you're being a great sport so far. It's not every day one accidentally agrees to court a grumpy half-orc."

He cocks his head. "Why did you go along with it? After you realized, I mean."

Aiwë winces. "Embarrassment, for one. I thoroughly botched our conversation. And you seemed so happy, it felt cruel to dash it immediately. And then..." She shrugs. "Why not?" She frowns up at him. "Is that a terribly disappointing answer?"

Koveras answers her shrug with one of his own. "I'm happy to have you as long as you'll have me. I'm enjoying getting to know you better. Besides, it makes for a good story - maybe almost as good as your mother nearly killing your father on their first date!"

He touches her arm. "But in all seriousness... please do what's best for you. If you hate the idea of... well, us, I'd hate to subject you to it."

"It is a good story," she laughs, "but I'm starting to understand why my mother always winces when I recount hers."

Aiwë smiles at Koveras. "That's considerate, thank you. I'll admit I'm worried about you, and it makes me wonder if this is a good idea, but..." She spreads her hands. "We can take it as it comes."

"That's all I ask," he says with a bow.

"Alright! Shall we see what the others are up to?"