Aarien stood, gripping the back of the chair nervously, as she addressed them all.

"So, I gathered you here because I need your help." She scanned across their faces, shifting awkwardly under the attention. When coming up with this idea, it had seemed brilliant, but now she had them here, she wasn't so sure. Surprisingly, they had all bothered to turn up, and were waiting on her next words. Well, everyone apart from Vivienne, who had point blank told her 'no'. Dorian drummed his fingers on the table, looking at her with undisguised boredom.

"Well get on with it, I have things to do."

"Calm down Sparkler, we're all here for a reason." Varric picked up his ale and turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "I'm guessing it's a good reason?"

Aarien felt her throat go dry. "Well...er, yes. It's about Cullen." The whole table collectively rolled their eyes and groaned. Cassandra narrowed her eyes at her, a hint of worry showing.

"Is he unwell?"

"No, no, he's fine. It's more my problem..." Aarien released a hand and nervously rubbed her cheek, feeling an anxious warmth start to spread.

"Just spit it out Boss." Iron Bull leaned back in his chair, crossing his bulky arms behind his head. "The suspense is killing me." He smirked at her, and gave a wink with his good eye. Aarien grinned back, a little too hard perhaps, and cleared her throat.

"Right, okay. Tomorrow is Cullen's name day, and I need to know what to get him." They all stared at her for in silence for a second before most of them started laughing. Cassandra and Dorian looked less than impressed. Cole just looked confused.

"You seriously brought me here for this?" Cassandra let out a disgusted snort and crossed her arms.

"But he knows his name? Doesn't he?" Cole looked at Varric questioningly. He chuckled and patted Cole on the arm for reassurance.

"Yes, he knows his name kid. Every year, people celebrate the day they were born. Mainly to be thankful they survived another year." Cole nodded, but didn't look convinced. He put his feet up onto the chair and tucked his knees under his chin. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he adopted a thoughtful look.

"Why did you need all of us here to help you with this?" Dorian waved his hands in exasperation. "Surely you're capable of thinking of something without wasting our time?"

Aarien took a deep breath. Growing up in the Circle had not been a bad life, but since leaving she realised there were many things she had no experience of. Most of the mages there could only roughly remember the month of their name day, let alone the specific day, having been brought in so young. The Templars had obviously decided it wasn't an important fact about their charges to keep record of. So they had never really celebrated name days, and it was only Josephine asking her what she was getting for Cullen this morning that had sent her into a panic about what to do. Hence the situation unfolding before her.

"Hey, she needs our help, so we're going to give it." Sera beamed at her, then glared at Dorian. He glared back, sitting back in his chair with a huff.

Aarien smiled shyly back. "Thank you. I've never really... gotten someone a gift before, so anything you can suggest would be very helpful." She pulled out the chair and sat down, looking to them with open desperation. Dorian's expression softened slightly.

"Well, we know he likes wine. So there you go, a bottle of wine."

"Is it that simple?"

Iron Bull groaned, and sat forward, grinning. "Come on, that's just boring. I know what you should give him." He stopped to chuckle to himself. Aarien looked at him suspiciously, not liking the conniving look on his face.

"Give him you."

"What?"

"You know, just be in his room naked or something" Aarien felt her face set on fire, and groaned inwardly as they all watched her reaction intently.

"I wanted to give him something -"

"Oh you'd give him something alright" Iron Bull sat back laughing, the booming sound echoing around the room. Varric chortled.

"You know he's right, the thing that makes Curly happiest, is you." Aarien shrank down into her chair, wishing the floor would just open up and eat her. She put her face in her hands, feeling the warmth of her cheeks burning into her palms.

"Ooo, maybe you could be naked holding the wine?" Dorian interjected. Cassandra, regarding them all for second, shook her head, then rose and walked out.

"Or maybe cheese?"

"Cheese? What good is cheese?"

"You've never had sex with cheese?"

"Why would I have sex with cheese?"

"No, not sex with cheese, sex with cheese."

"What, why?"

"No, sex with -"

Aarien slammed her hands down on the table, just going for anything to interrupt where this was heading.

"I am not doing anything with cheese, naked or otherwise."

Iron Bull shrugged, while the rest of them tried not to burst out laughing. Sera had a hand clamped around her mouth, muffled squeaks escaping as her body jolted from contained mirth. Blackwall, who had been sitting silently at the end of the table, lost in thought, dreamily spoke out.

"I'd be happy with you naked as a present." he mused.

Aarien paused and slowly turned to look at him. They all did, and stared at him, watching as the slow creep of a blush spread across his cheeks as he realised what he had just said.

"I...er...what I meant was...any naked woman would be a good gift, not you in particular, even though that would still be good of course, not that you're not attractive, any man would be lucky to..." He rambled, face turning as red as a tomato. He cleared his throat, and clawed a hand nervously through his beard.

"Excuse me, I have things to...hit." He scrambled to his feet, and hurried out of the room.

Sera's battle was lost, and she spat out a raucous laugh, bouncing up and down in her seat. Iron Bull joined in, thumping the table as he guffawed throatily. Varric and Dorian soon were in hysterics too, Dorian wiping a tear from his eye while Varric bent over in his chair, gasping for breath. Cole smiled at them all, grinning from under the brim of his hat. Aarien just watched them, then placed her forehead slowly down on the cool wood of the table.

"Why did I have to ask you" she mumbled, closing her eyes to try and wish herself somewhere, anywhere, but here.

"I'm..so glad...you did" Sera panted out words between giggles, before falling into another round of high pitched laughter. Varric, straightening in his chair, blew out deep breaths to compose himself.

"So, where were we?" He coughed and took a sip of his ale, a permanent smirk plastered to his face.

Aarien grumbled and they heard the muttered word 'present'. They all sat quietly for a minute, not daring to look at each other for fear of breaking again, trying to look thoughtful. Cole's eyes brightened, and he uncoiled from his chair.

"I know what he likes!" Aarien tilted her head a fraction and opened one eye to look at him.

Cole nodded to himself, happy with his idea.

"Desks!"

Varric frowned, and looked at Cole sceptically.

"He has a desk, despite what Sera did to the last one."

"Hey, that was all the Inquissy here." Sera grinned, crossing her legs under her in her chair. Aarien sat up, and rolled her eyes at the elf. She directed her attention to Cole, and felt her stomach drop as his eyes glazed over in that tell-tale, evocative memory describing way.

"Her scent lingers, mint and soap, he sees her shadow when she's not there, remembers the rough wood against his skin as she -"

"STOP, stop, Cole. That's enough right there. No more sharing." Aarien had half stood, bolting upwards in panic and reaching towards Cole. He blinked at her, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times, before curling himself back into his chair.

"What, why stop him when he was getting to the good stuff?" Bull smiled sweetly at her as she turned and scowled. She heard Sera snort with the effort of once again trying to contain her laughter.

"I'm...just going to go now."

Aarien, shaking her head, walked away from the table towards her quarters.

"So that's naked with wine then?" Dorian called after her. She didn't stop, not wanting to give him the satisfaction and just carried on walking.

The manic laughter that followed her confirmed that it was in fact, not, a brilliant idea after all.