The knock on Cullen's door interrupted his glum contemplation of the ever-growing pile of papers on his desk. Knocking was a bit unusual - usually people just burst in without warning, sometimes only to march across his office and out the other side. "Come in," he called. Whatever this interruption was, it had to be preferable to paperwork..

A plain-featured woman wearing an ornate set of robes swept into the room. She looked about, rather as if she owned the place and didn't care much for Cullen's choice of decor. Her gaze settled on him, and she sniffed. "You're the Templar?" she asked.

Cullen sighed. How many times was he going to have to explain this? "I'm no longer a Templar. I left the Order to join the Inquisition."

She glared at him. "You may not call yourself a Templar, but you doubtless still think like one. Once a Templar, always a Templar."

Cullen considered arguing the point. The prospect made the paperwork look more appealing. "Did you have some business with me, or did you just stop by to share your opinions on Templars? And ex-Templars," he couldn't resist adding.

"I'm newly arrived here, by arrangement with your spymaster. I intend to learn what I may from observations of the Breach and from your library. In return, I will undertake whatever tiresome chores she feels the need to assign me."

Cullen did recall Leliana mentioning this new recruit. "Oh, you must be the necromancer." Her brow wrinkled at his use of the word. "Sidony, wasn't it?"

"Yes. I practice the arts of the Mortalitasi." She carefully emphasized each syllable of the word, as if teaching it to a particularly slow-witted child. "Thus, my visit to you."

Cullen raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

Her brow wrinkled again. "The ignorant frequently confuse our arts with blood magic. I need to know that you won't decide one day that I'm evil, Templar." Contempt practically oozed from her voice.

"I assure you," Cullen said sharply, "that I'm very much capable of recognizing blood magic. I served for years in Kinloch Hold and Kirkwall. I had more than my share of opportunities to observe it."

"Can you say the same for the other Templars here?" Sidony demanded.

He breathed a frustrated sigh. "I assure you that none of the former Templars in this fortress will raise a hand against you. Assuming that you do not, in fact, practice blood magic, or start dragging their comrades' corpses off for experimentation."

Sidony glared at him again. Or continued to glare. Glaring seemed to be her default expression. "You southerners have the strangest ideas about corpses. But very well, I will respect your quaint views and your ignorant prejudices against my arts," she said.

That got under Cullen's skin. Who in Thedas had put more effort than him into overcoming their "ignorant prejudices" against mages? "You don't know me at all, Sidony. Dorian Pavus and I play chess on a regular basis, and he's a necromancer, just like you."

"The Tevinter whelp?" Sidony said with a sniff. "A dilettante at best, never trained by a true Mortalitasi. He barely deserves even the crude appellation you bestow… wait. You play chess?"

"Occasionally," Cullen said.

"I suppose even a small-minded lout can learn how to move the pieces around," Sidony said reflectively.

Cullen weighed his options. The stack of paper on his desk should take priority, but Josephine and Leliana did keep insisting that he worked too hard. And, he admitted, it was hard to resist the opportunity to put this arrogant mage in her place. Assuming that he could win - but she sounded like she'd spent her life focused on magic, not chess. He made his decision. "Would you care for a game?"

For the first time, Cullen saw conflicting emotions play across Sidony's face. He guessed that distaste for his company was warring with her reluctance to back down from a perceived challenge. Probably, she would enjoy putting him in his place as well. After a few moments, she said grudgingly, "I suppose I can spare the time for one game. Do you have a board here?"

"I do." Cullen carefully moved the papers aside and lifted the polished wooden box holding the board and pieces onto the table. "White or black?"

"Black," she said immediately. Both fell silent as they set up the board, and stayed that way through their first ten moves. She played with quiet assurance. Cullen was already suspecting that he had overestimated his chances. If nothing else, though, it was a pleasant change to be able to consider his next move without Dorian's continual taunting.

"How did you learn to play?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Etiquette and comportment training. The one component of it with any value." Sidony said. "Now will you be quiet? I stayed here for the game, not to listen to your yapping."

Cullen considered her silence a fair trade-off for his. Besides, her brief answer had given him what he needed, the key to understanding her style of play. She was indeed well-trained and probably more familiar with the classic strategies than he was. But she was over-reliant on her training, not a particularly creative or innovative player. Her style struck Cullen as perfectly opposed to Dorian's unpredictable, impatient risk-taking.

He began to play more aggressively, giving Sidony opportunities to take his pieces at the risk of disrupting her defense. She opted to maintain it and leave his pieces unmolested, and that gave Cullen the initiative. He crafted a swift attack on her monarch and was two turns away from victory when she gave a deep frown. After a brief consideration of the board, she tipped her piece onto its side.

"Not bad at all," she said. To Cullen's surprise, she sounded sincerely impressed. He wisely refrained from gloating and simply nodded in acknowledgement. She rose from the table, sweeping her robes around her. "Where can I find Dorian Pavus?"

Cullen gestured in the direction of the tower. "In the library, on the second floor of the tower."

She turned without another word and swept out the door. Cullen wondered why she was seeking out Dorian. Did she want to compare notes on their magical studies? She'd projected nothing but contempt for the Tevinter mage's abilities…

No, he realized. This had nothing to do with magic. She was planning to challenge Dorian to a chess game.

Cullen wished that he could follow and watch the game. The difference in styles alone would make for a fascinating match, but beyond that, there was no way Dorian was keep his mouth shut all game. The contempt, condescension, and sarcastic gibes that would doubtless be flying over the table! To say nothing of Sidony's likely reaction if Dorian tried to cheat…

He would have to trust that Leliana would observe any goings-on in the tower closely. With luck, he would be able to get a full report from her later. With that thought, Cullen sighed and turned back to his papers.