[ Neria looks down at their hands and the fingers now intertwined, and she can't help but laugh. It's such a small and simple thing, really, but...when was the last time she felt capable of being open with someone like this? He is being ridiculous with her without being patronizing, comforting without allowing her to run roughshod over herself.
It helps her quiet the doubt in her mind, if only for a time. She's more at peace now with her decision to come here, to work with the Inquisition. To be beside him again, even if that had not initially been any intention of hers.
Still, she gives him a smile and tightens her tenuous hold over his finger. ]
And you have mine.
[ The next few weeks run by in an almost blur of activity. She never imagined Skyhold would be so infinitesimally busy. From a distance, the snow and cold made it seem so serene, quiet. But the visiting nobles seem endless, always asking for the Inquisitor's ear or for a favor. The war council meets for several hours at a time in between the courtly dances the Inquisitor seems unfortunately obliged to attend to.
Neria, for her part, feels as if she's been run roughshod over a myriad of different emotions over the past few weeks. The questioning had been acceptable, if difficult, and there is still a great deal she has not told. She's offered the truth, however, in everything she has said...and perhaps that is why she's still there. But she made a promise, one she intends to keep.
The Wardens are frayed, so many of the mages dead, and Neria is one of the last that is untouched by Corypheus' influence...even if she still hears the Calling, something else she does not divulge. Her people look to her for guidance and support and she refuses to let them down, even if it means a continuous encouragement for them to defer to the Inquisition. Until the danger has passed, they are little more than prisoners working for a lesser sentence - something she believes they deserve to experience after the Order has had too much leeway on its own.
She sees a great deal of Cullen in that time, from practice in the field to the few trips they've taken into Ferelden and Orlais. It provides time for them to catch up in between exercises and excursions, the Wardens always tasked with killing and restoring control to sites that have been seized by the enemy. They make use of the fortress in Crestwood to help rebuild what has been lost, the mayor's betrayal not unlike the Wardens', and Neria returns from the trek to the coast with Cullen at her side. She swipes back the hair from her face as she tries to read the missive Leliana has sent for the both of them to read, a summons back to Skyhold in preparation for Empress Celene's ball. ]
I still don't know how he thinks he's going to sneak anyone in there without being instantly spotted. None of Corypheus' followers are the definition of subtle, really.
[ As they enter the common room they've been using to discuss their collaborations and projects, she goes to approach the map they have out and open, and it is there that she pauses to look over at the side table. There's wine laid out, along with morsels and snacks to be sampled, warm bread, and other foods. She looks back at Cullen. ]
no subject
It helps her quiet the doubt in her mind, if only for a time. She's more at peace now with her decision to come here, to work with the Inquisition. To be beside him again, even if that had not initially been any intention of hers.
Still, she gives him a smile and tightens her tenuous hold over his finger. ]
And you have mine.
[ The next few weeks run by in an almost blur of activity. She never imagined Skyhold would be so infinitesimally busy. From a distance, the snow and cold made it seem so serene, quiet. But the visiting nobles seem endless, always asking for the Inquisitor's ear or for a favor. The war council meets for several hours at a time in between the courtly dances the Inquisitor seems unfortunately obliged to attend to.
Neria, for her part, feels as if she's been run roughshod over a myriad of different emotions over the past few weeks. The questioning had been acceptable, if difficult, and there is still a great deal she has not told. She's offered the truth, however, in everything she has said...and perhaps that is why she's still there. But she made a promise, one she intends to keep.
The Wardens are frayed, so many of the mages dead, and Neria is one of the last that is untouched by Corypheus' influence...even if she still hears the Calling, something else she does not divulge. Her people look to her for guidance and support and she refuses to let them down, even if it means a continuous encouragement for them to defer to the Inquisition. Until the danger has passed, they are little more than prisoners working for a lesser sentence - something she believes they deserve to experience after the Order has had too much leeway on its own.
She sees a great deal of Cullen in that time, from practice in the field to the few trips they've taken into Ferelden and Orlais. It provides time for them to catch up in between exercises and excursions, the Wardens always tasked with killing and restoring control to sites that have been seized by the enemy. They make use of the fortress in Crestwood to help rebuild what has been lost, the mayor's betrayal not unlike the Wardens', and Neria returns from the trek to the coast with Cullen at her side. She swipes back the hair from her face as she tries to read the missive Leliana has sent for the both of them to read, a summons back to Skyhold in preparation for Empress Celene's ball. ]
I still don't know how he thinks he's going to sneak anyone in there without being instantly spotted. None of Corypheus' followers are the definition of subtle, really.
[ As they enter the common room they've been using to discuss their collaborations and projects, she goes to approach the map they have out and open, and it is there that she pauses to look over at the side table. There's wine laid out, along with morsels and snacks to be sampled, warm bread, and other foods. She looks back at Cullen. ]
...I didn't realize you were expecting company.