The weather was mild, a refreshing change from the harsh cold that they had previously been experiencing. The first five days in Skyhold had gone rather smoothly and things were beginning to look up, but there was still much to do. Cullen had wanted to ensure direct supervision over his men and settle everything down as quickly as possible. To do this, he had procured an empty crate that once held equipment and used it as a makeshift desk in the lower courtyard, near the entrance.

"Commander."

He instinctively snapped his head up from his reports and inventory lists scattered about. There she was, bright as day. Cullen straightened his posture, giving her his full attention. He'd assumed that she was there to check on the reports and see how everything was going. He didn't mind it either, content that he had positive news for once in a long while. Before he could offer her an update she spoke again. "How are you?"

"The soldiers are-"

She raised her hand to halt him. He furrowed his brow as the confusion struck him. This was alien to him, he didn't quite comprehend what she was doing or why she would be there if it wasn't to check in with the military side of their operations. Cullen had been running on autopilot ever since they had arrived, he'd even been choosing work over sleep most nights. Although it wasn't a difficult decision since he'd rather be productive than experience the nightmares. However, when she interrupted him it was jarring and he had been thrown completely from his one-track mind. "Cassandra has shown me the documents you've passed onto her, I know that everything is being handled expertly," She said matter-of-factly. Cullen crossed his arms at this notion, she was only causing him greater distress. He had been so invested in the Inquisition it felt as if he didn't know how to speak about anything else. "I don't understand what it is you need then," His statement felt more like a question, regardless he wanted to end this dialogue so that he could get back to his duties.

A quiet giggle escaped her lips as she threw her hands on her hips, leaning backwards, the smile she wore twisted into a smirk. "I don't need anything," She said with a short laugh, "Here, let me reiterate." She took a step closer to him. "Is Cullen well?"

"I am," He answered dismissively, not amused about her glee at his confusion.

"You're sure?" She asked, bringing herself another step toward him and closing the gap. "Many of our companions are still shaken by what happened in Haven. It is okay if you are too". She spoke softly, her demeanor dropping from playful to serene. Her concern for him was foreign and it made him uncomfortable. He shifted his weight to his dominant side, his arms still crossed. "It was troubling," He admitted, "But I'm fine. And I'm very glad that so many had made it out." He was insistent on not wanting to share that he'd been troubled by his inability to prepare everyone better for that battle, but he offered her that in hopes that it would be enough to satisfy her inquiry.

She gifted him a small nod. "As am I," She said, her words lingered in the air for only a moment. "Well Commander, I'm sure you're busy, I won't keep you any longer." She turned away from him reluctantly, not wanting to leave yet. She had no desire to push him, unfortunately based on the defensive behavior that she had observed she feared that she'd already done so. She slowly began to walk away, down toward the stables to check in with the quartermaster.

Cullen's arms fell to his sides, a sharp guilty feeling pierced his chest. He truly didn't want her to leave just yet but he couldn't bring himself to speak after she had, an internal struggle consumed him. Cullen had been trained to bury personal feelings down so that they would not interfere with his duties and for a large portion of his life he felt that it was dangerous to allow himself to feel. When facing an abomination that was once someone you used to know it would be fatal to hesitate. 'She deserves to know', He'd scolded himself. Refusing to hesitate any longer he hastily called to her. "Inquisitor, wait."

The sound of her new title caused her to wince slightly but she spun around with purpose. "Please, I am Orianni, not 'Inquisitor'." As she quickly started to close the gap between them once again she smiled widely, not making much of an effort to hide the fact that she was glad he called her back. "I much prefer my name," She said as she sat down on a small crate next to his "desk" that hadn't yet been processed. She crisscrossed her legs and looked up at him, anticipating his reasoning for calling to her.

"Orianni," He echoed, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Cullen hadn't known that a name could hold so much power over him. In all honesty he had carried his guilt all the way to Skyhold and he wished to relieve himself from it. He thought that after they'd found her it would dissolve, but the feeling would not leave him. Cullen was disappointed in himself for judging her so harshly based solely on assumptions and his ingrained prejudices. "I owe you my deepest apologies," He said sternly, deciding that an admission of his feelings would be the way to resolve this.

"Oh?" Orianni tilted her head, unaware of anything that he may have done. Whatever it was, the tone he'd taken told her that this was serious to him and she would listen to what he had to say.

"Admittedly, I… did not have as much faith in you as the others did," He explained, "I thought that you were childish, unable to lead even." He hung his head, disappointed in his words. "But what you did at Haven… You could have -" Cullen put a stop to the sentence, not wanting to complete the thought; the memory of her cold, limp body in his arms lingered. He shuttered, that night had been so nerve racking. When he saw that green light from her hand shine through the darkness his heart swelled with so many emotions he was overwhelmed and without thinking bolted toward her. He'd never felt such relief to see someone, ever. Cullen looked up at her, realizing that he never actually finished his thought, meeting her eyes in the same way that he had that day out by the training grounds. She did not speak and her expression was muted, making her impossible to read. She was waiting for him to finish his admission. Cullen regained his composer quickly, not wanting to prolong this much more. "What you did at Haven was brave, I regret that I underestimated you."

They were silent only for a moment, the sound of everyone else hustling around them felt distant. Orianni knew that it was her turn to speak this time but she had lost her words. She admired the commander greatly for his vigor and determination, she felt that he was a great leader and had rightly earned his men's loyalty. She actually would have preferred that he carry her title, but Cassandra had disagreed with her. She, as well as Leliana, felt that Orianni needed to take the responsibility and spearhead the Inquisition, that she was destined to do so. At first she was crushed by his statements. She was bothered that he'd found her incompetent in the past. Even so, she was honored that he trusted her enough to tell her this himself, it was clear that this was not something that came easily to him. "I thank you for your honesty Commander," She spoke affirmatively, doing her best to hide any insecurity that may have surfaced, "I hope I can be the Inquisitor that this cause deserves."

"The people love you," Cullen assured her, feeling as though he was responsible for the awkwardness between them. "Morale has already drastically improved since you accepted the role as 'Inquisitor'." He offered her a smile. "I swear, I will not doubt you again."

Orianni stood, noticing a recruit that had been waiting patiently for the crate that she was resting on. "It is easy to understand why you had reservations about me. I want you to know there are no hard feelings." She said this hoping that it would ease him, she didn't want him to worry about whether or not he should've shared his feelings in the first place. She wondered what other things weighed on him like this. "You are forgiven." She touched his arm as she said this to him, emphasizing her words. She reluctantly pulled away from him and smiled. "I won't take up any more of your time, I shall leave you be for now."

Cullen could still feel her touch long after she started back down toward the stables. "Orianni," He called to her once more, "Please don't change the way that you are because of what I said." He liked her gentle but audacious ways and was afraid that what he said might alter that.

She turned her head ever so slightly so that he might see the smirk that had returned to her face. "No worries Commander, 'tis not my way."