Dragon Age: Inquisition: Behind the Scenes

Pleasant Pleasantries

They knew from the start that the Winter Palace was going to be stressful beyond anything, but when Vida found Jossie slumped against a wall with a large glass of champagne in her hand, and no sign of Sera, she knew they were doomed.

Leliana had quickly disappeared into the crowd, anxious to find her before some noble's head got dunked in wine or something. There'd be time for that later, assuming they all survived the evening. Cullen would've assisted, but the large crowd of people around him seemed to be closing in on him.

She had noticed the crowd mere moments after their formal introduction to the ball about two hours ago. She hadn't particularly minded at first (she had much bigger problems on her plate than worrying if Cullen would stay faithful), and a brief conversation a few minutes later confirmed his lack of appreciation for the whole thing, but something in the back of her mind seemed to fester as the night went on, when the crowd seemed to only get larger and press more closely. She had to push him out. They couldn't afford to have our military commander tied up with all these...fans. She made a point to pass by Cullen, evaluating the situation as she seemingly ignored his silent pleas of freedom to her.

"Did you just...grab my bottom?"

She froze.

"I'm a weak man."

That was the last straw. It was personal now. You can't just barge in and scare them off! she scolded herself. You'd be making a scene! Besides, it doesn't matter right now. All you'd need to do is put Inquisition in your sentence, and they'd back off... She instead found herself snatching a random wine glass from the table next to her, downing the contents in a flash. Wonderful. I just broke my no-drinking rule. No going back. She ignored the expressions of the former owners of said wine, and walked briskly over to her Commander, deciding on a plan far too late to be safe.

"There you are, Cullen!" Just loud enough to get his, and the crowd's attention, but not loud enough to cause a ball-wide scene. If the Commander was blushing before, he was absolutely red in the face now.

"Inquisitor," he called, still being professional. "I thought you were—"

She didn't give him any room to spin a tale. She needed him as flustered as possible so he didn't screw anything up. Grabbing the top of his formal jacket, she shoved his lips into hers roughly. The crowd froze in shock and hidden amusement.

He pulled away just enough to speak, his eyes wide with pure terror and bewilderment, though she was pleased to see just a little satisfaction concealed.

"W-what are... This is... Are you sure—"

Perfect. He's blabbering like an idiot. So far so good.

"Commander..." Vida still wasn't sure how she learned how to drop her voice like that, that small dip in seduction that she hadn't really used on anyone before. Yet it was there, and it served her perfectly. "Are you really bothering these poor people?" She heard him flounder for an answer, but she cut him off. "Come now. There's better things to do with your time than them."

She could practically hear the subdued excitement in the small crowd as she dragged him a ways down the hall, nearly collapsing into a servant's closet in the corner of the bending hallway. There was only a single candle in here, illuminating the decidedly less-impressive décor surrounding the various cleaning supplies. As soon as the door was completely closed, she let go of his jacket, and braced herself for the fumbling Commander to regain his composure.

"By the Maker..." He tried furiously to straighten his now ruffled jacket. When he was slightly satisfied, he stared at her. She was leaning against the opposite wall now, arms folded passively, refusing to meet his gaze. Now he understood.