A week had passed since he had last left the gallows. It was early morning and Cullen groaned as he mentally prepared for the day ahead. There was an endless list of tasks to complete as Meredith had taken over as the leader of Kirkwall. Cullen and his team were working non-stop, and the tension between mages and templars was starting to increase once again. After taking a deep breath, he got out of bed and started his morning routine. Once he was ready, he went to find Merideth to receive his orders for the day.
As he approached her office, he heard a familiar voice coming from inside. When he arrived, he found Grand Enchanter Orso and Hawke. He was surprised to see Hawke there, especially so early in the morning. He waited patiently outside until he heard Meirdth call out to him. "Knight-Captain, come in," she said. He straightened up and entered the room. Hawke and Orso both turned to face him. "Good morning, Grand Enchanter, Hawke," he greeted politely. "Good morning, Knight-Captain. Ready to start the day?" Orso let out a light laugh, and Cullen smiled in response. Then he turned to Hawke, who only gave him a gruff pout and turned to look at Meirdath. 'What was that all about?' he thought to himself.
"We have some issues with some of our new recruits. I can't have them accusing every living soul of harboring apostates. I've asked Hawke to accompany you today to settle this matter," Meredith said, looking between Cullen and Hawke to see if there were any objections. "Where do we start?" Hawke replied enthusiastically, "Excuse me, but do you want me to take her with me for this? With all due respect, I believe I can handle this matter on my own." Cullen's voice had a slight agitation. That's when Grand Enchanter Orso interjected, "This has to be done in unison, the Champion of Kirkwall with one of our Templars will show good faith. We hope it can improve relations with the people and let them know there is still hope."
Cullen noticed that Meredith was unhappy with his answer as she had a dumbfounded expression on her face. She stood up and walked towards the door, saying "I expect a full report on my office by day's end. Or do I need to repeat what I asked you to do?" Cullen immediately straightened up and responded, "No ma'am. We will resolve this as quickly and respectfully as possible." From the corner of his eye, he saw Hawke trying to hide a smile behind her hands and looking in the opposite direction. Meredith said, "Good, you're both dismissed." She waited by the door as Cullen quickly saluted her and left the room. Hawke told Meredith, "We won't let you down." Meredith only nodded in response, and then she was off, following Cullen by his side.
They both walked in silence through the gallows, heading towards the boats. Suddenly, Hawke abruptly stopped, and Cullen turned to her, "What is it? I'd like to get these orders done as quickly as possible." She looked at him with a smug expression on her face and said, "Hey, just because you have an uptight boss doesn't mean I have to follow her orders, hahaha!" She happily skipped away, leaving Cullen with a confused expression. He tried to process what had just happened; this was not how he wanted to start his morning. Hawke noticed how lost he looked and smiled warmly at him before calling out, "Hey, don't look so sad. It's early morning, and I know for sure you haven't had anything to eat, and I'm starved." As she said that, he felt his stomach ache, but he wasn't going to admit it. He continued in her direction and while she continued talking, "Let's get something to eat first, and I promise I will not bother you and get this assignment done however you want. How does that sound?" He observed her for a second, trying to decide whether or not to believe her.
He felt his stomach ache and make a grumbling noise. Hawke heard it and he felt embarrassed as his face turned red. However, Hawke didn't tease him about it, for which he was thankful. Then he thought to himself then said, "What harm can getting a quick bite to eat do?" He agreed with Hawke but added, "But we get right back to work after this, understood? No detours." He saw how big her smile was, and just hoped he wouldn't regret this decision. "Excellent! I know exactly where we can get some grub this early in the morning. Come on, she loves having people over." He heard Hawke say "she" to herself and asked, "Wait, where exactly are we going?" Hawke just looked at him as she entered the boat, "Why don't you get in and I'll show you instead." Although he was hesitant, he was also hungry, so he nodded and entered the boat.
Upon reaching the other side, Cullen noticed that Hawke was heading towards Lowtown. He was about to express his concern, but before he could, Hawke seemed to read his mind and reassured him, "Don't worry, I'm not leading you towards your demise. As I said, it's the only place to get something decent to eat at this time." Cullen decided not to protest any further and followed Hawke until they arrived at a small home near the Elven Alienage. Hawke knocked on the door a couple of times before an elf girl answered. At first, Cullen had trouble remembering who she was. "Oh, hello Marian. Good morning. What brings you here so...?" The girl trailed off as soon as she saw Cullen. She looked at him with familiar eyes that shone like the midnight sky. Cullen felt his heart race and his face flush. 'What is going on with me?' he wondered. Hawke interrupted his thoughts, "Nereida, I'm sorry for being here so early in the morning. I brought a guest. Do you remember Knight-Captain Cullen?"
When Cullen saw her, he noticed that her expression changed from excitement to fear within an instant. "Why is he here? Is he taking me to the gallows?! I'm not even a mage yet. *GASP* It's because of that isn't it?! I'll leave before that happens if you like, just please don't send me there." She then hid behind the door, and tears started to form in her eyes. This was the first time in a long time that Cullen felt hurt in a way he couldn't understand. Seeing her like this made him feel something he thought he could never feel again, empathy.
Hawke immediately ran up to Nereida and began hugging her. "No, no, no, that's not it at all. I'm sorry, Nereida. I didn't mean to scare you. That's not why we're here. Please don't cry." Hawke continued to hug her, trying to calm her down. "I just stopped by because I knew you'd be up, and I'm not gonna lie, I came for food." Hawke rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Nereida calmed down a little, looking at Hawke and Cullen while breathing small sniffles. "So, he's not here to take me away?" Hawke cupped Nereida's face, making her look at her. "No, that's not why he's here. I'd never let that happen." Hawke looked over to Cullen, who saw the way her eyes leered at him, knowing she was being serious.
Nereida managed to compose herself and wiped away her tears before she stepped aside to let them in. "Well, if that's the case, please come in. Food is almost ready." Hawke smiled happily, "Thank you." She made her way inside, while Cullen stayed outside, unsure if he should leave or stay. Nereida noticed his hesitation before she spoke. "You can come in as well, Knight-Captain. I'm sure you're hungry as well." Cullen's stomach growled at the mention of food. He let out a defeated sigh before heading inside. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." Nereida gave him a small smile. "It's alright. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions." She looked at him as if she wanted to say something more but seemed to change her mind. "It's good to see you again." With that, she closed the door behind them and walked to where Hawke was serving herself a meal. As Cullen entered the room, he couldn't help but wonder, 'What does she mean by "see you again"?'
