Wynne was a little bit bothered by the lake water soaking the delicate hem of her gown. Even though her heat spell could easily dry it off, that would take a few moments and the rest of the group would really give her a hard time for being so meticulous. "Those uncultured brutes!" she thought it often, sometimes barely out loud.
Neither she or the rest of the companions was quite sure why the Grey Warden took them to the Circle Tower for the twentieth time, endlessly entering empty rooms and opening empty drawers. Nonetheless, all of them respected the Warden a lot and were always happy and proud to take part in the adventures.
This time, Zevran and Sten were around, which wasn't usual, and thus the group was less talkative than most nights. Zevran, being and extroverted and hyperactive elf, was really uncomfortable with the silence, as the boat left the Tower behind. As the Warden seemed to be in a particularly grumpy mood, the elf decided to pick on Sten.
"Hey, qunari, what's with the mysterious glance? We outcasts have nothing to worry about. You know your old life is over, right? You know you're never coming back and regaining your honour, or whatever you keep moaning about, right?"
"Please be silent, elf. I care not for your childish remarks on my life and won't respond to your incitations.". Obviously that didn't have any effect and the rogue kept pestering his mates for the rest of the journey, making the qunari ever more taciturn, to the point Wynne found herself seriously concerned he wouldn't ever say another word.
When they landed, the qunari remained silent, and sat by the shore, staring at the crashing waves, despite of the Warden's orders to enter the Spoiled Princess and join him for a pint. Wynne wasn't as cold hearted as the group believed her to be and, when no one was watching, approached Sten to give him the opportunity to share some eventual burden he might be silently carrying.
"You look ten times more stern than usual, warrior, and that says something. Do your memories consume you, as memories sometimes do?" asked her politely.
Sten broke his silence, unease with an unexpectedly emotional question. "... I guess I am. This is the date I left my land, so long ago. I wonder what happens there now.". Wynne then felt she could tell him a bit about feeling happy when joining the Circle and how melancholic it made her to see the Tower pillaged and ransacked. Despite her best efforts, the qunari didn't seem to feel any happier, so after a while, she just let him be.
Later that night, they returned to the camp, to rest and wait for the next day. Amidst the distant owl coos, a low "Ahem..." woke Wynne up.
"I don't mean to disturb you, mage. I wanted to thank you for your kindness earlier today. It's been a long time since someone last inquired me about my thoughts and that makes me wonder why would you do so."
"Well, I imagined you should be tired of roaming in a land you don't call home. I had no ulterior motive in talking if that's what you ask." replied she.
"Hmm. I thought I should let you know that I relate to your sense of cause and duty. I guess I admire you for that, most of all in this unruly land." said the 8 feet tall muscular slaying machine, awkwardly not shut. "As I understand, your people appreciate flowers," he said reaching for his pocket, looking as embarrassed as a qunari ever looked.
"Well, I suppose some of us do, under some circumstances... Often roses or gardenias..." uttered Wynne, very much shocked by the unforeseeable situation in which she found herself.
"I collected these, I think they would show my respect." Sten said, proceeding to offer her the gift. "These are camomiles and elderflowers. I guess they are much more useful than those plants you mentioned.".
"That's really... unexpectedly endearing, my friend. I guess I should start calling you that.".
She invited him to sit by her side and the hours flew by as they talked about their long gone days and the remarks they had on their own societies.
As the sun rose, hours before anyone would wake up, they laid down in the grass, staring at the colours changing in the sky. For some reason, they felt completely comfortable at each others side, and so they fell asleep.
Later that day, they were woken up by an extraordinarily amused Morrigan, who they had to bribe with good food, making her promise she wouldn't ever tell anyone else.