Alistair guffawed loudly, pointing at Shepard in disbelief. "That can't possibly be true!"

Her mouth curled into a half smile in response. "This is really going to be the hill you die on? Out of all the other unbelievable shit I've told you?"

He let out a mocking sniff in return as he crossed his arms haughtily. " I saw your shuttle with my own eyes, thank you very much! And besides…" He leaned forward with a smirk, "how can you say your people are so advanced if they have somehow left such a lack in your education?" He lifted one hand to wave daintily in her direction.

Shepard felt her mouth crack into a full grin, the man was ridiculous. "Not having fondu is it, huh? You can't believe I've never tried melted cheese?"

Alistair turned a mockingly despairing expression to the sky. "Everyone's tried it! It's the only gift Orlais has ever given Thedas! You know, for all your talk of how wonderful your world is, you're really not selling it to me…" he trailed off, eyes narrowing. "So disappointing."

Shepard let out a full laugh next to him, snorting inelegantly. "Not all the technology I've described? The Citadel? Earth? All the different aliens?" Alistair shook his head in fake indignation at her list, prompting her to smile wider. With a lingering huff she laid down on the ground beside him, crossing her arms behind her head. Her back ached from where she'd propped herself against a log, holding still for the duration of Alistairs and hers talk. How it had circled back to food she wasn't sure. Alistair certainly did love food. A Grey Warden thing, or so he claimed. Though trying to get a straight answer out of him about that was practically impossible. Still smiling she turned her head to catch his gaze. "Honestly, I tell you about ancient space stations and Mass Relays and all you remember is that I've never tried heating my Gouda before I eat it?"

He grinned, tilting his head down to better face her, tearing clumps of grass idly. "I'm not sure how much I believe of your… adventures. I mean, riding a mechanical horse, thing, along ancient highways and nearly driving off the side? Meeting members of alien civilizations? Food though? No one would lie about food."

Shepard rolled her eyes, sighing in exasperation. "That mechanical horse was the Mako."

"Right, that was the name." He nudged her gently with his foot. "And such a cute name too! Did you name all your mechanical things?"

"Nah." She smiled slightly at his enthusiasm, ignoring the quiet voice telling her to shut up. It had been ages since she could reminisce with someone without the legend of her name in the way. Longer still since she had met someone so thrilled with what had become mundane and cynical for her. Though she did wonder if telling the story of practically hurtling herself, Garrus and Liara off the side of the Prothean skyway had been a good one to lead with. "You don't believe me?"

He shrugged slightly, knocking his arm against hers with a metallic thwap. "Not too sure really. These, Mass Relays, they sound like nothing I've ever thought possible. And that Citadel? Crazy." He paused, turning to look up at the stars. "But if even a fraction of what you're saying is true… Makers breath, but that sounds wonderful."

Shepard turned to him, surprised. "Not scary?"

Alistair blinked down at her. "Well finding out there is something so incomprehensibly vast and far beyond myself is scary. So many different places and things! But!" he paused, mouth flattening as he turned his gaze back towards the sky. "It also sounds amazing. Your choice of cheese notwithstanding of course."

Shepard sucked in a hard breath, struck by the awe in his voice. Her throat felt suspiciously tight, eyes blurring as the stars sparkled above her. She swallowed hard, fighting down the rise of conflicting feelings swirling in her belly. When had space lost its wonder for her? When did it start to represent fear? Anger? Despair?

"Shepard?" Concerned brown eyes trained on her own, plucking her from her thoughts as an armored hand awkwardly reached for her shoulder.

What would he think of me, she wondered, if he knew how much blood was on my hands? Would he still think it was all so amazing? Shoving the thought aside she cleared her throat. "I'm fine Alistair. I'll be sure to try it before my crew comes to rescue me." She smiled at him climbing to her feet, his hands falling to his lap awkwardly as she moved. "We should go back, long day of travel tomorrow." As he stood, she ignored his concerned look, focusing instead on the distant blaze of campfire. "Thanks for the berries… and for the talk."

"Of course." He walked back to camp with her in silence, occasionally casting worried looks at her. As they halted before her tent he reached out tentatively to pat her arm. "Goodnight Shepard, sleep well."

She smacked his breastplate lightly in return. "You too."

Alistair wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or run screaming from the woman as she crawled into her tent. Of one thing he was certain, Shepard had the strangest life ever. What had started as a stilted conversation about cheese had quickly dissolved into tales of exploits and travels. And she most definitely had strange stories. With a sigh he crossed the camp, heading to his own little tent, nodding to Sten as the Qunari patrolled the perimeter. His mind was spinning with imagined planets and beings, ships of metal that floated through stars, creatures and civilizations of unimaginable scale and wonder. He felt… so small. The Blight nothing but a blip on the map of an unimportant, backwater hole in the mud. All their struggling, useless in the grand scheme of a galaxy.

He clenched his eyes shut and pinched his nose, pushing the anxious thoughts aside. Calmer he continued on to his tent, turning his thoughts instead to the stories she had told of her crew. Maker, whoever these strange crew mates of hers were, they sounded amazing. At some point Alistair had stopped disbelieving and simply started listening as the cadence of her voice weaved stories of places too fantastical to exist, but so intriguing.

What a life that would be to live. To travel amongst the stars meeting new people, new cultures, seeing lands never before witnessed by thedosian eyes. He glanced at the forest surrounding him, the soft sounds of Ferelden wild life calling in the night. How boring a Blight seemed in comparison.

"Alistair?"

He jerked slightly, hand clutching his chest as Aiden materialized from the shadows next to him. "Andraste flaming sword! Do you have to sneak everywhere?" Alistair demanded, heart racing. "Stupid stealthy rouges." Annoyed, he reached for his tent ties with slightly trembling fingers. The man was a menace.

Next to him Aiden shrugged pale eyes tracking his own. "It's a useful skill."

"So it would seem, wouldn't it?" Breathing deeply through his nose he turned to face his fellow warden, warily watching the other man's closed expression. "Something you need?"

"You were gone for well over an hour."

Get right to the heart of the problem, why don't you. Alistair thought sourly, glaring. "Yes. That tends to happen when two people stop to actually talk to each other, Maker knows you should try it sometime. You might be surprised what you learn."

Aiden flinched slightly under the reprimand but Alistair stayed firm. The man had barely bothered to learn his name before flinging them all head first into suicide mission after suicide mission. And whose fault is that? A voice suspiciously like Morrigan's asked. Immediately he shoved the thought away and met his fellow wardens' gaze.

The other man sneered in response. "Did you learn anything? Or were you too busy staring at her arse to listen to her speak?"

Alistair flushed, anger forcing red high upon his cheeks. "Not everyone gets as distracted by looks as you do Aiden!"

Aiden snorted, ignoring his outrage with a casual flick of his hand. "Don't be juvenile, Alistair. If you had found an ugly strumpet thrashing through the forest would you have been as quick to help her?" At Alistair's sputtering Aiden swiped his hand through the air, eyes flashing. "Enough! I don't have time to listen to you try and defend yourself all night. Now tell me what you learned."

With a glower Alistair shifted, willing the anger rolling in his chest to cool. Arguing with Aiden was always pointless. "She told me a little about her crew and how their technology works, and a mission they went on. Helped save a colony, it was all quite wonderful. Also she's never tried melted cheese before, shame that. Also, Andraste reborn? Definitely not."

Aiden frowned. "That's it?"

Stretching his hands out to the side Alistair nodded. "That's it. Maybe if you want to learn more you should try, oh I don't know, speaking with her?" Striding forward he pushed past his fellow warden, barely containing the urge to shove him in the process. "Have a good night Aiden."