May The Dread Wolf Take You

Chapter Three: Uncertain

    "Are you sure that it's wise?" Cullen asks Cassandra as she slides her sword into its sheath and places it masterfully on her belt. "Taking her out there in the state that she is?" He continues. Cassandra lets out a sigh as his worry gets the better of him. "No. I'm sure it's quite unwise actually." She admits. Cullen's face spasms with wonderment and slight terror.

   "But," Cassandra begins before he can protest their leaving. "It is as the Inquisitor wishes." She adds. Cullen lets out a ragged, labored breath. He looks at her with a worried and suspicious gaze. "This isn't about becoming Divine, is it?" He asks. His voice is low and steady. He tries to keep it even as to not upset her. He hadn't told her yet that he knew she was a candidate for Divine.

    Cassandra's eyes met his. For a moment she wondered how he knew. Had she told him by accident? Had people been talking about it? She swallowed back the severe lump forming in her throat and looked away. She felt she had held his gaze for too long. "No, Commander. This is not about becoming Divine." She sat on the edge of the chair in the corner.

    He had followed her into her quarters upon seeing her dash down the hall with glee. She was ready to go, wanted to. She hadn't been outside of Skyhold since the Inquisitor had fallen "ill". She wanted, needed, to hit something. "I don't know how you heard about that Cullen but I'd very much appreciate if you did not speak of it to anyone else." She requested stiffly. He nodded with a slight grin. "Of course. My intentions are not to get on your bad side, Cassandra. I only request that you watch the inquisitor closely." Cullen states as she stands and begins to walk to the door.

    "I assure you, Commander, that the Inquisitor is the only thing I've been watching closely this week. Her welfare is of the utmost importance. She will be safe with me, mostly safe that is." Cassandra reassures him, her accent causing the words to fold and meld together. She wanted to reach out and pat him on the shoulder. But not only was it unprofessional, it was disrespectful, an act of condescension to her superior.

    He thought about what to say for a moment as she looked down at the floor. He didn't want to imply anything with his words. "Be careful, Cassandra." He says softly. Her eyes meet his again but her expression is different, harder. "I can handle myself, Cullen." She tells him confidently. He snickers a little at that as she stands by the door and picks up her shield. She places it on her back and turns to leave. "I bloody well know that." He says in a pleasant tone as his slight laugh diminishes. "But can you handle our frantic and miraculously recovered Inquisitor?" He asks. He fiddles with his hands as he speaks, weary of her response.

     Cassandra is somewhat of a wild card. He liked that about her but he always seemed to say the wrong thing and it came out sounding exactly as he hoped it would not. Cassandra sighs and leans in the doorway, her head resting against the frame as she contemplates how to reply. "I can not hope to handle a person whose emotions I do not even understand. I don't know where to begin to try to understand what she is going through." She expresses. She looks Cullen in the eye as she speaks, holding his golden gaze. "But I will try. I must." She adds. His eyes fall to the floor and he nods. Cassandra takes that as the end of the conversation and exits the room, leaving Cullen to his thoughts. He stares at the floor a while longer. He wasn't sure how he felt about Cassandra. It was odd. She's so... peculiar. But he liked it.