"I know," he says again: gentler, this time. He squeezes Cullen's waist. "It's not a vacation. I...suppose it feels like one, occasionally, because I've been stuck at Skyhold so long. It's more fun being out in the field again."

A bird-shaped shadow circles near the lake; rockets downward; flaps skyward again, a fish wriggling in its talons. Alistair watches the ripples of its brief landing extend through the water.

"But you're here to work. And I'd much rather see you briefly than not at all." Soft, "It's all right."