[sandbox]

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair surprises himself: he adapts to the Basin a lot quicker than he expected.

The camps feel -- snug, he decides. In a good way. Trees overhead, a limited number of egress points, a vantage point so high it puts every night by the ladder to shame: they're not the stone walls of Skyhold, but maybe they're the next best thing. After an initial restless night or two, he sleeps soundly.

(Knowing he's surrounded by lots of people with sharp, pointy weapons? Also helpful.)

Joining the patrol rotations seems like a decent next step. No point in being in the field, especially after all that training with Bull, if he's just going to twiddle his thumbs all day.

Comments

[bringspeopletogether]

"Much," he murmurs. A soft smile. "Thank you."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Of course." No louder.

[bringspeopletogether]

He relaxes more fully against Cullen; nearly all of the tension he brought in with him has drained away.

"Did I miss anything exciting while I was out and about today?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"I found out Harding can skip a stone seven times before it sinks," he says, thoughtful. "That's about it, really."

[bringspeopletogether]

A low whistle. "Impressive. As much for the stone-skipping as the quiet."

He runs his thumb along Cullen's knuckles.

"I'm glad."

[howtoactfereldan]

With Very Great Outrage Indeed:

"You're glad she can beat me?"

[bringspeopletogether]

"I'm glad," says Alistair, laughing, "that you weren't eaten by a gurgut or had the entire camp crash down around your ears."

[howtoactfereldan]

"I suppose that's acceptable." Lofty.

[bringspeopletogether]

"And I'm terribly relieved I pass muster, ser," he replies, with dry amusement.

[howtoactfereldan]

"And now you know that you ought to let me win next time we go throwing rocks in a lake."

[bringspeopletogether]

"Or teach you how to skip rocks properly, at least."

He squints at Cullen.

"How many skips did you get?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"Four," Cullen says, huffy. "That's perfectly respectable."

[bringspeopletogether]

His eyebrows lift. "Fair enough. I'll allow it."

Alistair nudges Cullen, gently.

"We ought to skip rocks ourselves anyway, sometime. See if we can push you up to five."

[howtoactfereldan]

"How many can you get?" he demands.

(His mouth is twitching.)

[bringspeopletogether]

"I," he says airily, "have no idea."

By contrast, he's grinning outright.

[howtoactfereldan]

"We'll find out." As ominously as possible. "And I'll get more."

[bringspeopletogether]

"We have a deal." Beat. "Or a date. Both, I suppose."

He cocks his head.

"Tomorrow, if you've some free time?"

[howtoactfereldan]

"Yes."

He does an admirable job of keeping the whole also I'm leaving for a few days thing off his face.

"Plans tonight, then?"

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair's smile quirks a bit.

"I haven't thought of anything," he admits. "Got caught up in..."

He wiggles a hand near his temple.

[howtoactfereldan]

Cullen nods.

And says, lightly, "Well, unless you can come up with something, I'm afraid I'll have to work."

[bringspeopletogether]

He wrinkles his nose. (It's a good-natured enough gesture.)

"I'll sprawl at your feet the whole time," he warns. "And as soon as I think of something decent to do, I'll drag you away."

[howtoactfereldan]

"So... just like usual, then?"

[bringspeopletogether]

Without missing a beat, "Exactly like usual, yes."

[howtoactfereldan]

"Good, you make an excellent footstool."

[bringspeopletogether]

Alistair snorts, and leans up just enough to kiss Cullen.