Chapter 1 – Awkward Encounters

Josephine sighed as she leaned forward over the battlements, resting her hands on the cool stone as she surveyed the snowy peaks around Skyhold. She had always loved the soft breeze as it whistled through the craggy terrain high up in the mountains, reminding her of the Montilyet Lodge in the Weyrs of Antiva.

She closed her eyes for a moment, content to let the wind blow and the world drift by.

'Room for one more?'

Josephine turned lazily, recognising the soft, mechanical voice.

'Lady Zorah, I thought you would still be in the negotiations.'

Tali walked over to the battlements and ran a gloved hand over the top, following a small crack in the coarse stone.

'It seems the Admirals are still… struggling to reach an agreement,' she said. 'And didn't we agree to drop the formalities, Lady Montilyet?'

Josephine couldn't see through the translucent glass of her mask, but she knew from the way she emphasised her name that she was smiling. She wondered, not for the first time, what the quarians looked like under their protective suits. She wondered about Tali.

She faced the mountains once more, desperately trying to hide the scarlet warmth which was surely creeping across her cheeks.

'Well, I… I didn't want to offend, Lady Zo-'

Tali cocked her head slightly, instantly stopping Josephine.

'…Tali' she said slowly, correcting herself.

The quarian nodded her approval and Josephine was sure that her smile had grown beneath her mask. After some small talk about the formal negotiations currently taking place, they drifted into a comfortable silence, both watching the clouds drift across the pristine landscape.

Josephine caught a shudder running through Tali's body from the corner of her eye and wondered if she could feel the gentle breeze. She ran her gloved hand across the coarse stone once more and Josephine's curiosity got the better of her.

'If you don't mind my asking… Tali,' she began carefully, remembering to skip any formalities with the surprisingly shrewd quarian. 'How do you feel the wind through your suit? Is it some form of enchantment?'

Tali's laugh was childish and innocent, and brought a warm smile to the face of the Antivan ambassador.

'It's called a Nerve Stimulation Program,' she began. 'It's software which integrates directly into the enviro-suit to-'

Tali saw the blank expression on Josephine's face and decided to try a different approach.

'Okay,' she began again. 'The Nerve-Stim allows me to feel everything the suit can feel without actually taking it off.'

Josephine scrutinised the suit, tracing the curve of the leggings, up to the hooded mask enveloping the quarian's face. It hugged Tali's figure closely, accentuating the curves of her alien body. Josephine felt another surge of heat rush through her and this time, decided to act on her passion.

She had barely managed to open her mouth however, when footsteps from the battlements behind her made her turn.

She heard the metallic clanking before she saw the sullen face and recognised Commander Cullen instantly. He made his way towards the two of them with the composure of a seasoned warrior and the subtlety of a drunken qunari. The clanging seemed to go on for a lifetime, with both her and Tali exchanging glances, before he came to a stop before them, bowing his head slightly in greeting.

'Ambassador' he said politely, the steel discipline of a soldier shining through as he sharply nodded towards Josephine.

'Commander,' she replied, smiling despite the interruption. She noticed as he shot her a furtive glance, his eyes briefly landing on Tali. 'Ah, this is Lady Tali'Zorah vas Normandy of the Migrant Fleet. Lady Zorah, this is Commander Cullen, Leader of the armies of the Inquisition and military advisor to the Inquisitor herself.'

They both made their pleasantries before Cullen turned once more to Josephine.

'Leliana informs me that the negotiations have finished for today and the Inquisitor has requested your presence at the war table.'

She nodded her acknowledgement and watched as he left, his armour once again loud enough to wake the dead.

'He reminds me of another Commander I knew,' said Tali, shuffling beside her. 'Back in my world. He was strong and brave and… and-'

Her voice quivered and she cleared her throat as she began to flounder awkwardly.

'I should… I mean… The Admirals will probably want to see me. I should go.'

Before Josephine had a chance to speak, Tali had already turned away and began walking back to the main castle, leaving her alone on the battlements once more.

She took one final look at the pristine landscape before walking in the opposite direction, following Cullen into the heart of Skyhold.

A/N - Hello! Thanks for taking the time to read my fic. This is going to be a short, feel-good fic that I'll be updating between chapter of my other, more serious, fic, Broken Mask (that's not a shameless plug, I promise!) XD

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little introduction to Taliphine, leave a fav or review if you like what you see! All support is greatly appreciated!