[ She laughs quietly under her breath. ]

Well, remember that we're present and our enemies are not. If we could convince Corypheus to come here himself, he'd probably have just as much of a headache with the amount of rumors and hearsay they'd inquire about. It's really not a wonder why he's determined to destroy the world.

[ That last bit, of course, is dripping in sarcasm. She gives Cullen a brief sideways glance. ]

And if you think people wouldn't use the moment to ask him to confirm or deny their little fabricated tales, you would be very wrong.

[ For all that everyone seems to be afraid of Neria being a demon, a corpse, or worse, no one has actively tried to avoid her. She doubts a walking, talking Darkspawn would be treated as anything but a novelty once the terror had worn off. She shakes her head, putting both hands out to lean on the railing for a moment. ]

Truthfully? I think they believe I'm more intimidating than I am. But if I want to impress, I just remind myself this: anything a person can do pales in comparison to facing down an Archdemon in a city on fire.

[ Her smile is just this side of self-deprecating. ]

After that, it's not so frightening to look down at leaders and world-shakers.