The shift in Gela's mood is obvious, and Clarisse isn't sure what to do about it. For one thing, she's not sure what exactly brought it on—something she said, that much is clear, but what? Should she apologize?
She can't apologize. That's what this whole conversation has been about. She'd have a heart attack. She's looking a little sweaty about it already.
And then Gela seems to recover just as quickly, leaving Clarisse even more confused.
"That I don't have to take myself so seriously all the time, I guess." She takes a sip of her tea. "And how to, like... bake bread."
Gela, sensing this confusion, smiles to let her know it's all okay.
She says, "I'm learning to make friends again?" Which is slightly embarrassing to admit to! "It was hard to make and keep them while I was travelling around."
You can't even write to people, when you've no permanent address. She hooks her finger around a curl of her hair as she's speaking and pulls it out, straight. When she lets it go again, it jumps back into shape and nearly gets in her teacup, but she doesn't seem to notice that. "And how to use a knife properly. Ellie is teaching me."
Clarisse nods—she doesn't think it's embarrassing that Gela is figuring out how to make friends after years of being on the move. Sounds like a valid reason if you ask her—and is in the middle of snorting over Gela's curl nearly sproinging into her teacup when she's suddenly reminded of the fact that Gela knows about her and Ellie. Or at least knew that they were hooking up, doing that ridiculous "we're just friends who sleep together!" thing. Said they should have rules, apparently.
The tips of her ears go red, but she soldiers on.
"Ellie's great with knives," she agrees. "You couldn't find a better teacher. Well, except for me."
The look on Gela's face, so excited and genuine, gets Clarisse smiling too. She can't help it. What Ellie said earlier reoccurs to her: She was excited, it was kinda sweet.
"We can talk about it," she says. "I mean, if you want to."
Please, she's dying to dish about it, but she doesn't want to be the weirdo who makes someone else listen to her talk about her relationship. Still, this is already a better reaction than she's ever gotten from her roommate, so it's a good sign.
"Ellie told me it came up with you guys once before. Ellie told me recently, I mean. But your conversation must have happened a while ago, because apparently you told her we should have rules, but she ignored you and now we're dating." Haha! Wild!
And she has a feeling Clarisse does too, judging by the way she just sat up a little straighter in her chair and edged closer to the table. Gela leans in too, now that they're doing proper gossip, elbows up on the table.
She laughs instantly when Clarisse mentions Ellie telling her about that, interrupting delightedly to tell her, "Oh! I knew it! That's so nice. How long have you been dating for?"
Ellie hadn't said a word! Gela is making a mental note to bully her about it later...
Clarisse has to think about it for a second, and sounds almost surprised when she answers: "Since Guardian."
In her defense, it doesn't feel like it's been five months already. It's felt like it's gone by in a flash, and also like she's known Ellie forever. Then again, Clarisse is coming up on one year since she ended up in Thedas. It's at the end of this month, in fact. And she met Ellie pretty soon after she got here, and they were fooling around soon after that, so it makes sense, but—
Gela's eyebrows raise. "No wonder she didn't take my advice."
By then it was past of the point of rules. She imagines they fell for each other swiftly and without realising it, which is such a romantic thought that she sighs with her chin in her hand. "I'm so happy for you both.
Is there a story? Who said something first?"
She really does want all the details Clarisse, hit her with them!
And unfortunately for Gela, Clarisse has had a while to think about all this and basically nobody to talk about it with, so she's gonna get the whole rambling mess.
"Ellie said something first. It was after she came back from a mission and we were hanging out in her room—" If by hanging out you mean cuddling in her bed, obviously— "but it honestly felt like we were together way before that. I mean, we went on a date during Wintermarch, in New York. We held hands the whole time."
She runs a fingertip up the side of her cup. "It sounds really dumb now, because we kept saying we were just friends but we were never just friends from the very start, you know? But I think we were both scared we were going to screw everything up if we said anything."
Gela shakes her head. "That's not dumb. It's hard, moving it all from one thing to another."
Sleeping with somebody, wanting to move along into dating them, having to tell them that, it's very hard. It can feel so dramatic. Gela remembers. She pinks up suddenly, attention darting elsewhere, teeth pressing into her lip.
That Ellie said something first is very charming, especially since she was the one nervously telling Gela a few details out on the ice, that Satinalia. She says, knowing the answer already but wanting to hear it directly from Clarisse, "Are you very happy?"
It's true, and maybe she didn't realize it until this exact moment. Not that she's happy, but how happy she is. Even rolling out of bed in the morning with the sun barely up, ready for drills and work. Even doing thankless heavy lifting, or riding out for a mission where she knows she'll end up dirty and exhausted and maybe hurt. Happy.
She is, it's so nice to hear about things like this, it's something she's really missed while she was traveling. Gossip will go anywhere, but it doesn't much matter unless you care about the people being gossiped about. And like seeing them happy, and trying to bashfully hide it away. Cute.
To answer Clarisse's question, "No."
Well. "There's Jude, but it's not anything serious." Which she likes, very much.
"You hook up with Jude?" Clarisse isn't really shocked to be finding this out; she's definitely seen Jude and Gela talk before and they seem pretty friendly with each other. Still, it's a pleasant little surprise.
"Good for you. He's hot." And he makes good pancakes.
"Not today," is Clarisse's answer, but she knows herself well enough not to assume it won't be the case, like, tomorrow. Or two weeks from now. Or whenever.
Hell, it's already happened a couple times in the past, and while she likes to think she did a decent job apologizing (or decent for her, at least) she would still like to... be better at it.
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She can't apologize. That's what this whole conversation has been about. She'd have a heart attack. She's looking a little sweaty about it already.
And then Gela seems to recover just as quickly, leaving Clarisse even more confused.
"That I don't have to take myself so seriously all the time, I guess." She takes a sip of her tea. "And how to, like... bake bread."
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She says, "I'm learning to make friends again?" Which is slightly embarrassing to admit to! "It was hard to make and keep them while I was travelling around."
You can't even write to people, when you've no permanent address. She hooks her finger around a curl of her hair as she's speaking and pulls it out, straight. When she lets it go again, it jumps back into shape and nearly gets in her teacup, but she doesn't seem to notice that. "And how to use a knife properly. Ellie is teaching me."
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The tips of her ears go red, but she soldiers on.
"Ellie's great with knives," she agrees. "You couldn't find a better teacher. Well, except for me."
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"So it's going well, then."
Presumably.
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"It is." She takes another sip of her tea, because at least the cup will hide some of her face.
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"Do you want to talk about it?"
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"We can talk about it," she says. "I mean, if you want to."
Please, she's dying to dish about it, but she doesn't want to be the weirdo who makes someone else listen to her talk about her relationship. Still, this is already a better reaction than she's ever gotten from her roommate, so it's a good sign.
"Ellie told me it came up with you guys once before. Ellie told me recently, I mean. But your conversation must have happened a while ago, because apparently you told her we should have rules, but she ignored you and now we're dating." Haha! Wild!
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And she has a feeling Clarisse does too, judging by the way she just sat up a little straighter in her chair and edged closer to the table. Gela leans in too, now that they're doing proper gossip, elbows up on the table.
She laughs instantly when Clarisse mentions Ellie telling her about that, interrupting delightedly to tell her, "Oh! I knew it! That's so nice. How long have you been dating for?"
Ellie hadn't said a word! Gela is making a mental note to bully her about it later...
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In her defense, it doesn't feel like it's been five months already. It's felt like it's gone by in a flash, and also like she's known Ellie forever. Then again, Clarisse is coming up on one year since she ended up in Thedas. It's at the end of this month, in fact. And she met Ellie pretty soon after she got here, and they were fooling around soon after that, so it makes sense, but—
damn.
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By then it was past of the point of rules. She imagines they fell for each other swiftly and without realising it, which is such a romantic thought that she sighs with her chin in her hand. "I'm so happy for you both.
Is there a story? Who said something first?"
She really does want all the details Clarisse, hit her with them!
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And unfortunately for Gela, Clarisse has had a while to think about all this and basically nobody to talk about it with, so she's gonna get the whole rambling mess.
"Ellie said something first. It was after she came back from a mission and we were hanging out in her room—" If by hanging out you mean cuddling in her bed, obviously— "but it honestly felt like we were together way before that. I mean, we went on a date during Wintermarch, in New York. We held hands the whole time."
She runs a fingertip up the side of her cup. "It sounds really dumb now, because we kept saying we were just friends but we were never just friends from the very start, you know? But I think we were both scared we were going to screw everything up if we said anything."
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Sleeping with somebody, wanting to move along into dating them, having to tell them that, it's very hard. It can feel so dramatic. Gela remembers. She pinks up suddenly, attention darting elsewhere, teeth pressing into her lip.
That Ellie said something first is very charming, especially since she was the one nervously telling Gela a few details out on the ice, that Satinalia. She says, knowing the answer already but wanting to hear it directly from Clarisse, "Are you very happy?"
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It's true, and maybe she didn't realize it until this exact moment. Not that she's happy, but how happy she is. Even rolling out of bed in the morning with the sun barely up, ready for drills and work. Even doing thankless heavy lifting, or riding out for a mission where she knows she'll end up dirty and exhausted and maybe hurt. Happy.
She clears her throat, a little embarrassed.
"What about you? You, like, seeing anybody?"
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She is, it's so nice to hear about things like this, it's something she's really missed while she was traveling. Gossip will go anywhere, but it doesn't much matter unless you care about the people being gossiped about. And like seeing them happy, and trying to bashfully hide it away. Cute.
To answer Clarisse's question, "No."
Well. "There's Jude, but it's not anything serious." Which she likes, very much.
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"Good for you. He's hot." And he makes good pancakes.
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Re: Ellie, who is a little young for Gela sure, but she isn't blind.
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"I think so."
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"You don't need to apologise to Ellie, do you?" Ooh, did they fight?
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Hell, it's already happened a couple times in the past, and while she likes to think she did a decent job apologizing (or decent for her, at least) she would still like to... be better at it.
Just in case.