It was mid-afternoon by the time Branson released Cullen to take Evan out fishing. Clouds still hung in the sky, but they were patchy at best. Evan was skipping ahead of them, dragging Cullen with him as he gleefully led them towards the river that they always went fishing in. Clearly he had been there many times. Mia had insisted upon accompanying them, and she hung back with Siara. Siara was only half watching where she was going, but keeping half an eye on the two males in front of her. She could feel Mia's eyes on her, and glanced over at the older woman. Mia raised an eyebrow at her, a small smile on her face. Siara shook her head, looking back around at Cullen and Evan.

"I'm just not used to seeing him acting like this," she said. "He's usually the biggest stick-in-the-mud I've ever met. It's weird. Not a bad weird, but… weird."

"Mhm," Mia didn't sound convinced. "He doesn't visit as often as he should, but it's always nice when he does."

"The Inquisitor keeps a tight ship. Corypheus is going to attack us at any moment, and Cullen is her commander. He's good at his job."

"Right. The Inquisitor." Mia scoffed, and Siara looked at her again.

"Not a fan?"

"She has been doing good work," the woman spoke slowly, as though she was weighing every word she was saying.

"But…?"

"I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the way she's been treating my brother."

"The whole getting him to start taking lyrium again thing?"

"There are some other things that Cullen has mentioned in his letters that I'm not so happy about, but he doesn't seem to notice," there was a frown etched on Mia's face, but it slipped away as she looked back at Siara. "You, on the other hand…"

Siara pulled a face.

"Maker, first I'm mistaken to be Jacquelyn, and now you're suggesting that there's something between me and 'her' man. You Rutherford women are crazy."

"Are you trying to deny that there's something between you and Cullen? Because you're blind if you think there's not a spark there."

"Well, there is a reason I'm the Blade and not the Bow," Siara muttered, rubbing her bad eye half subconsciously. "Cullen's a friend. That's it."

"You'd be better for him than the Inquisitor ever will be."

"You're a wishful thinker, and certainly a hypocrite. I saw the way you looked at Larrison," Siara smirked as Mia narrowed her eyes at her. "There's no way you don't have feelings for him."

"We are taking things slow. Both of us have other priorities at this point in time. And we are not done with this conversation."

"Mhm."

They fell into silence, Mia clearly realising that Siara wasn't going to be convinced by her arguments, but giving the topic a rest for the moment. Siara was certain that Mia was going to stick to her promise and bring the topic up again at some point. She wasn't too thrilled at the idea, but she knew there wasn't a lot for her to do about it aside from leave. Where she would go, she wasn't sure, but she was starting to seriously consider not heading back to Skyhold again. She hadn't really considered leaving the Inquisition for a while, now, but she was beginning to think more about what her future held in store. She wasn't even sure she wanted to be the Blade anymore. There comes a time when everyone dies or retires, and she was wanting more and more for her future to be the latter.

It was at that moment that Siara and Mia saw the two boys start off at a sprint, Cullen clearly holding back as they made their way down a hill towards a small line of trees, a river snaking its way through. Siara smiled as Evan threw himself into the water, laughter ringing out through the air as he proclaimed his victory. Cullen pretended to be disappointed as he approached the water, slowing back to a walk. The sight filled Siara with a happiness she hadn't felt for a while, and for a moment she forgot that she had company.

"See?" Mia asked, a satisfied smirk on her face. "There's something there, even if you don't want to admit it yet."

The eldest Rutherford sibling stepped past Siara and began to make her way down the hill as Siara glared at her back. There was no way she was going to admit that Mia had the slightest chance of being right, but she pushed aside all those thoughts as she made her own way towards the river.

Siara and Mia stayed on the banks on the river, Siara hugging her knees to her chest as she watched Cullen and Evan in the water. They hadn't had a lot of luck catching any fish yet, and had given up on using rods. Evan had gotten bored with it pretty quickly, and Cullen had challenged him to catch fish with their hands. It seemed to be keeping the boy more entertained, and it was certainly entertaining for Siara to watch. Still, no fish had been caught.

"If neither of them catch anything soon, I might have to get involved," Mia sighed, her arm draped dramatically over her eyes as she lay on her back in the grass. Siara scoffed.

"I don't know if you'll have any more luck than them," she said. "They seem pretty keen on scaring everything away."

Indeed, Evan was once again diving forward in the water, sending it splashing everywhere. Cullen raised an arm to protect his face from it, grinning as he half turned away before sending a spray of water back at his nephew.

"I would like to have something for dinner."

"We'll get something eventually, Mia," Cullen called back.

"Because you've had so much success so far," Siara quipped, and Cullen straightened, raising an eyebrow at her.

"And you've been helping us so much."

"I'm offering emotional support."

Cullen scoffed, shaking his head as he turned back to fishing and Siara half smirked, picking a blade of grass before carefully shredding it. This was the most content she had felt in a while, and she didn't want it to end.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of an even bigger splash, a shocked look on Cullen's face as he sat up from the water. Everything was silent for a moment, and then Evan burst out in laughter. It was a delightful sound, and his whole body shook with it as he clutched his ribs.

"What happened?" Siara chuckled as Cullen got to his feet again, smoothing his hair out of his eyes.

"A fish slapped him in the face!" Evan choked out between bursts of laughter. Mia sat up, smiling at the thought.

"That brings back memories," she said, and Siara raised her eyebrows at Cullen.

"The great Commander strikes again."

"Come on then, I'd like to see you do better," he challenged, motioning at the water. Siara's eyebrow twitched at the challenge, and she pondered it for a moment before she pushed herself up from the grass and carefully stepped into the water. She didn't even try to keep her skirt out of the water, not wanting to risk the marks becoming visible as she stepped towards Cullen and Evan.

"I hope you're remembering how I grew up," she said. "What's my prize for catching a fish where you get slapped by them?"

"Dinner?" Mia suggested from the shore, and Siara half turned and stuck her tongue out at her before getting into a somewhat comfortable position to stand in as she waited for a fish to swim past. It wasn't a quick process, and Siara knew it. Evan, as seemed to be normal for him, got bored pretty quickly.

"How long is this going to take?" he whined, leaning forward and running his hand through the water.

"Longer, if you keep scaring all the fish away," Siara muttered, hardly moving, her eyes fixed on the stones beneath her, searching for any signs of movement. Cullen stood nearby, watching her with a small smirk, his arms folded across his chest. She didn't notice him shoot a look at Evan, didn't see the twinkle in his eye. She didn't have time to react as he reached out, grabbing her by the arm and tugging her off balance, sending her sprawling into the river.

She surfaced again almost immediately, drenched. Evan was once again howling with laughter, another chuckle escaping Cullen. Siara stood up, scowling for a moment before smirking at him. She splashed him, sending a wave of water shooting towards him. He held a hand up to block as much of the water as he could, hardly seeming bothered by it, retaliating once Siara was done.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing around in the water, Mia staying nice and dry on shore as Evan, Cullen, and Siara splashed around in the river, all thoughts of fishing gone from their minds.