The conversation was casual as Cullen ate his meal (everyone seemed to be ignoring John's loud complaining) and within fifteen minutes the dining hall emptied out. Diana watched Sandrine and Flora leave, hands clasped, and then turned to Cullen.

"I have questions," she said.

Cullen cleared his throat, putting his fork down onto his plate with a gentle clink. "About?"

"About you. About this place. Who is paying for all of this? Where did everybody come from? What does everyone spend their day doing? How-"

He smiled. "Maker's breath, you have a lot of questions. John didn't answer those?"

"I didn't ask him anything," Diana confessed, shoulders giving a tiny shrug. When Cullen had left her side to go send his raven, her confidence deflated a bit and she had therefore let John do most of the talking. The initial elation of being reunited with her - friend - had worn off and left her very conscious that she was in an entirely new place with an entirely new group of people and everyone here knew she was the Inquisitor.

"Ah. Let me see," he said thoughtfully, taking a long drink out of his cup. "Eventually, I want us to support ourselves by offering services: healing, training, mercenary work… anything anyone can do that's useful and good for others. My goal is to be entirely self-sufficient."

She hadn't missed the key word. "Eventually?"

"Right now, with so few of us… we're mostly operating on loans. The Teyrn of Highever, Fergus, has invested a large amount in our property and although he's never specified a repayment schedule, I'm trying to prepare for the day when he does. For now, we're not going anywhere. I'm not worried about our demise just yet."

She forced a smile, but she was thinking quickly. Diana wasn't poor; when the Inquisition had been dissolved she had received a generous portion of their coffers… not to mention whatever inheritance she had as a Trevelyan. Josephine, who she had placed in charge of her accumulating wealth, must have a way to-

Cullen cleared his throat. She glanced at him; he looked rather nervous. "I neglected to ask you earlier because I didn't want to make you feel like you have to stay, but... I can have someone set up a bed for you in the barracks if you'd like."

She tensed up for a moment, then forced herself to relax with a deep breath she hoped he didn't notice. "If you're sure it's okay," Diana said hesitantly, nervously running a hand through her dark curls. She wasn't sure why she found this offer so nerve wracking; of course she would need a place to sleep if she stayed here. Maybe it was just that this offer made her frantic journey to Highever seem more real… she was really here, really with Cullen, and she had really left her only home for the past six months.

"Of course I'm sure," he said and then his voice softened. "You're… you're always welcome wherever I am, Diana. I hope you know that."

Her throat felt like it was swelling and she could only nod silently. He seemed to know she was trying to find the words for what she wanted to say and so Cullen waited patiently. "Everything you've done for me…" she trailed off, then licked her lips as suddenly her entire mouth was dry. "I don't know how to tell you how much… I don't know how to thank you."

His eyes were soft and intense. "You're here. That's enough," he said, voice low.

She didn't know what to do with the intensity in his eyes, didn't know what to do with this man who was so open about pain and suffering and so optimistic for rehabilitation and recovery. In a way, he frightened her. How did the man she had known during the Inquisition grow to become the man sitting in front of her, the one who was confronting his demons every day of his life? He was powerful and that, too, scared her.

It wasn't long until Cullen was called away again, gone off to give an opinion about something or other. She was ashamed to admit she was a tiny bit relieved; his burning presence was beginning to make her stomach flutter uncontrollably.

After a while, the door to the hall opened and there was Flora, smiling as she saw Diana. "I'm supposed to show you to your new quarters. And there's someone who's very excited to be reunited with you."

She searched her mind, panic rising into a ball in her stomach. Reunited? In theory, Cullen was the only one she had met before. Her heart raced. Leliana? That woman knew everything, maybe she had found Diana's true location and sought her out. She wasn't sure if she could-

"Ah, here he is," Flora said, opening the door to the dining hall a bit wider. A flash of gray and white fur sped through the door and into Diana, knocking her from the dining bench onto the floor.

"Roger!" Diana said, pleased as he began to enthusiastically lick her face. She struggled to get to her feet and Roger stayed by her side, his hindquarters wiggling with pure joy. "I was wondering where you were."

"He goes off into the hills, sometimes. I think he likes all the open space. Occasionally he'll bring you back a rabbit or a quail, if he likes you," Flora nodded toward where the mabari was licking her palm as she petted him. "He clearly loves you. That's good. He doesn't like Leo, but I think that's just because he has his cat..."

The mage nodded over to the kitchen, where Leo was dangling pieces of rabbit out for a furry gray cat to bat. The sandy-haired teen looked over, hearing his name, and gave them both a shy wave. A low growl hummed in Roger's chest.

"Easy, boy," Diana said, running her hand over his massive head.

"We'll leave," Flora said, jerking her head toward the door. The two women bid goodbye to Leo and then left the dining hall. Diana began to walk toward the barracks, but stopped when she noticed that Flora wasn't following her.

"Aren't we going to…?"

"We have guest quarters," Flora said, nodding toward a building near Cullen's office.

"Oh. I didn't realize-"

"Didn't realize you were a guest?" Flora asked, smiling. "Of course. By all means, if you'd rather stay in the barracks, you're more than welcome. Cullen just thought you'd be more comfortable in a space of your own. He mentioned you have trouble sleeping."

Her face burned and Diana only tightly nodded as they walked.

"You don't need to be embarrassed. If you were cut, would you hesitate to ask for a wrapping? No, you wouldn't," Flora said, sounding like she had said this phrase a thousand times before. "Being hurt isn't shameful; even if it's your mind that needs healing. That's the belief that this whole place was built upon."

Diana didn't answer.

"I used to have nightmares all the time. Used to shake when I was out in open spaces," Flora said casually, tucking a long black braid behind her ear. "Do you think I'm weak?"

The former Inquisitor balked at her. "No! Of course not. I can't imagine what you've-"

"Right, you'd never say it about someone else. But you'd say it about yourself? Call yourself weak, say you need to be stronger?" Diana's open mouth snapped shut as Flora looked steadily ahead. "If you said it to anyone else, it'd be mean. You shouldn't be mean to yourself; you were the first friend you ever had in the world."

Diana was silent as they reached the guest quarters. Flora was right, but recognizing that someone's words made sense and actually changing her own thoughts to match was something entirely different - and difficult.

Her room wasn't large, but it was furnished comfortably. There was a small brazier near the only window and down the hall from her room (and several other rooms that shared the building) was a washroom with a bathtub and fireplace for heating water. Everything was bright, clean, and new.

"I brought your packs from your horse. Tulip, right?" Flora asked, pointing to a small pile of bags she had put into a corner of Diana's room. Roger was sniffing them with great interest. "If you find that you need something you don't have, feel free to inspect the store room for whatever you need. And if it's not there, just ask anyone and we can get one sent from Highever."

"How far is Highever?" Diana wondered.

"Not long. An hour if you're walking," Flora said. She motioned to Diana's bed. "I know your journey here was rather long. If you'd like to rest for a while, I can make sure no one disturbs you. Or feel free to take a bath - there are different oils and herbs and such in a small cupboard in the washroom."

Diana smiled. "Are you telling me that I stink?"

"As politely as possible," Flora deadpanned, then broke into a grin. "You don't, I promise, I just wanted to make sure you knew the option was available."

"Thank you. I might."

Flora nodded and turned to leave, but hesitated in Diana's doorway. "After dinner, some of us meet in the barracks… we talk. Share stories, share dreams, share thoughts. Things like that. I think it helps, if you're interested. Shows you're not so alone."

That explained where Flora's very practiced-sounding speech had come from; she probably led these talks. Diana gave a noncommittal shrug, unsure if she wanted to open her heart and mind to a bunch of people she had only just met.

"That's fine, there's no pressure to join," the mage said, then gave a small wave. "I'll see you later. Rest up."

"Goodbye," Diana said, shutting the door to her room as Flora left. She turned and saw Roger had already made himself comfortable on her small bed and she struggled to stretch out in the space around him. She fell asleep.