Bull and Azalea kiss and tell.

A mug of ale was being turned around and around in Azalea's hands. Occasionally she would take a sip but mostly she just stared into it, a small, silly smile on her face. She had meant to meet with Cullen and warn him about Dorian and her plan, to maybe suggest he keep his distance after the official introductions had been made. Instead they had been distracted by... other things. It was all Bull's fault, it was his words that had put the idea fresh in her mind. Bull had wanted her to meet a few of the soldiers under her command and Azalea had obliged. It had been good really, even if it had only reiterated how much they all looked up to her not as a person, but as an idol. In many ways she envied Bull and his charges. He was able to know all the soldiers under his command, it was more like fighting with friends, he knew their strengths and weaknesses and could use both as needed. Azalea didn't really have that option. Afterwards, the two of them had shared a couple of drinks in the tavern, talking about this and that, how each of them had grown up and the like. And then the the topic of commander had come up.

"When are you and the commander going to admit your attraction and go at it already?" Bull had asked, grinning at the blush that it brought out.

Azalea didn't even bother asking how he had known; if what Dorian had said was true then a Ben Hassrath, trained in noticing things, would likely have been the first to see it. Instead, also remembering a throw away comment Dorian had made, countered with "When you do for Dorian. And give me the details."

It had seemed as though Azalea had actually managed to surprise the huge qunari for a moment at that. Then, slowly, a grin spread over his scarred face and he glanced over to where Dorian was sitting alone, eating his dinner. "Aye. You have a deal," Bull eventually said, returning his gaze to Azalea and rising his cup.

Azalea grinned even as she felt a jolt of adrenalin and she tapped her mug to Bull's. She was committed now, no more dancing around it.

She had hoped to bring it up after her family left but... Well it seemed her heart and Cullen himself had other ideas. Though perhaps she really should check that the man hadn't come down too hard on that soldier who had interrupted them. And maybe privately thank him as well. Their moment on the battlements had began with being soft and tender, but once interrupted and the soldier then left, Cullen had practically rounded on Azalea and their kiss had been strong and passionate and had driven out any memory of what she had originally approached the Commander for.

Raising a hand she ran her fingers over her lips, still feeling his against them. Azalea had been worried at first; after all, she was a mage and he had been a templar charged with watching her kind, of forever being suspicious of them. And she was equally worried that her love and trust would be betrayed the way it had before. Cullen had soon put those fears to rest with that kiss.

"I know that look," a familiar voice said. "You finally asked him, huh?"

"Perhaps," Azalea answered slyly as she slid across on the bench to make room for Bull to sit.

"Don't play coy with me, I know what I see."

Azalea chuckled a little at that. "In truth, I'm surprised you haven't heard already," she said. But the again, perhaps that soldier was too terrified of his commander's wrath to risk speaking of what he had seen.

"Maybe I have, maybe I haven't. I want to hear it from you," Bull replied.

So that meant he had heard. Azalea sighed, though even then the smile didn't fade from her face. "Yes, I asked him, he said yes, and we kissed on the battlements," she said, before taking a sip of her ale to cover her amusement at Bull's reaction.

"Ah that's hardly worthy of a story! That's like saying your Fereldan Hero recruited soldiers and killed a dragon, end of blight," Bull said.

Azalea couldn't help but chuckle at that. "I would hardly put our relationship on the same level as the ending of the Blight, but very well." She took another drink. "First though, have you spoken to Dorian?"

"Now, now, I'm not telling you your story until you tell me mine."

Azalea grinned. That meant he had, she was sure, but it wasn't what she had meant. "I meant with regards to our plan on how to handle my family."

"Oh that. Yes, he told me about it. What of it? Are you worried I would get jealous?"

"Perhaps," Azalea said. "Well, I was on my way to tell the commander of this plan and ask that, after meeting my family officially, if he could make himself scarce, maybe go on a scouting trip with Harding or something. But then he looked up from his desk and our eyes met and..." Azalea smiled, staring down into her mug of ale, a mug that was getting rather depleted now. His eyes had been the same colour as that ale, a sort of brownish golden colour. "And I had quite forgotten what I went there to talk about. It's your fault," she said, looking up and rounding on Bull. "If you hadn't put that challenge into my head-"

Bull laughed. "Don't tell me you regret it?"

"No. Never that. I... I think it's perhaps the best thing I've done. At least as far as romance goes. Though that's not particularly hard," Azalea added, thinking again of Derrek. She downed the rest of her drink and ordered another one. "I asked if he could ever see me as more of a mage; after what he's been through at the hands of mages I wouldn't have been surprised if he couldn't see past that part of me. Hurt perhaps, but not surprised. It was part of the reason I was trying to keep my distance from him, to respect that. Well, it turns out he doesn't have a problem with that, he just had dismissed it as a possibility because I have been named the Inquisitor. Once we established that I didn't care what people thought of the Inquisitor seeing the Commander, well." Azalea smiled into her second ale.

"So. Was he any good?" Bull asked over his own ale.

Azalea's smile widened into a grin, remembering the feel of his lips on hers, his hand resting on her waist. "Yes," she said, feeling the butterflies in her stomach once more. "Yes, he's quite... talented."

Bull practically hooted at that, and clapped her on the back hard enough to knock her against the table. "Well I'm glad. With all this shit going on we need to find fun where we can."

"So what about you?" she asked.

"Ah well..." Bull started, rubbing the back of his neck with one massive hand. "Mine didn't go quite so well as that. At least not yet. I found him in the library, flicking through some book or other already tucked away into a little private alcove like he was ready and waiting for me." Azalea snorted at that, highly doubting that Dorian would have agreed with that description. "I leaned in and... We talked."

Azalea waited as Bull took a drink and then fell into silence. "What, that's it? I need more details than that!"

Bull laughed. "He was convinced that I had a problem with him. 'If you have a problem with me just say it,' he said." Azalea couldn't help but grin at Bull's impression of Dorian's superior-than-thou attitude. "I told him, 'I do have a problem. The problem is when we go out in the field you're stuck behind me where I can't watch you.' 'What you don't trust me not to shoot you in the back, is that it?' says he. 'If I were afraid of that, I wouldn't be standing here now, this close to you,' says I. I think I actually stumped him with that," Bull laughed, taking another drink. "Anyway, that was about it before that tranquil woman came up to tell Dorian about some research she did for him or something and he ducked under my arms and escaped. Not before I saw the smile on his face though. No doubt he will claim he was happy that his research was done, but I know otherwise."

"So what's your plan now?" Azalea asked.

"Mmm I don't know. I suppose I'll wait and see how he responds. If he doesn't, I may have to be a bit more clear in my intentions."

"Maybe you should play chess with him, woo him a little. Be warned though, he cheats," Azalea suggested.

"Woo him? You think he'll go for that?" Bull asked. "I don't know, he seemed more like someone who likes it fast and hard."

Azalea blushed a little at the casual way Bull spoke of such things - she still wasn't used to that! - but nodded. "I think he pretends that he doesn't do romance but when actually faced with it, he'll like it."

"Hmm," Bull hummed. He was silent for a little while, just drinking. Then, "Ah, got it. Thanks Boss." And with that he drained the last of his drink, threw some coins on the counter and stood to leave.

Azalea stared after him for a moment or two, then laughed softly to herself, wondering what on earth she had started.