faderift | sleep is highly overrated [open]

WHO: Cullen Rutherford and Puppy, and whoever they happen upon
WHAT: being unable to sleep
WHEN: a few nights near the end of the month, bleeding into next month
WHERE: the training grounds, the docks, anywhere else without a big crowd (provided it’s not actually in The Gallows)

Sleep has never really been a friend of his. Even when things were good, they were never good enough that he could fully relax, and things have not been good in a long time. Exhausting himself with work and Puppy when they were back at Skyhold helped, the physical exhaustion quieting his mind some. There, he’d walked through the keep, Puppy encouraging him to seek people out rather than keeping himself holed up in his office. He’d also had people to encourage him out of his little domain, and he hadn’t been afraid to roam. Things are different here.

Still, when it’s late enough that the Inquisition is mostly put to bed for the day, there are areas of quiet to be found. Hen he can’t focus on work, it’s better than sitting idle. He can still walk, he just can’t roam. Besides, Puppy deserves more than this, more than him. So, when he can’t sleep, he wanders. It’s become most nights, and it’s not helping the way he’d hoped it would.

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Cullen looks up, startled, like he didn't hear her coming. Which is ridiculous, of course, isn't it? These places are hardly built for sound-proofing, and anyone paying attention would have heard her coming. If he looks tired, it's only because there's so much to do. The same for the distraction.

"I don't really--" He starts, because he has to, and then almost immediately he shuts his mouth. What's the point in arguing, really? So he shuts his mouth, stands from his desk, hands planted on the surface to help him get there.

Puppy, understanding just as much as Cullen does, is already sitting near the desk at attention, tiny little tail thumping loudly against the floor as it wags, and he is wiggling with excitement. "That sounds nice." Besides, if he's being totally honest, he's missed her. "Let's go."

Is he really so absorbed in his work that her arrival has startled him? She arches an eyebrow, ready to argue for the necessity of fresh air and exercise, but he changes his mind and complies soon enough. Looking rather pleased, she sets Ponce down on the ground where he immediately rushes for Puppy, giving a friendly bark.

"Good. It has been quite some time since we have taken one of our little excursions with the dogs. What has been happening lately in your life?"

Cullen is not going to come right out and say that he's been avoiding her since exposing her to a whole lot of his worst and darkest personal thoughts and issues in order to give her a better understanding of the psychological impact of slow, long-term red lyrium poisoning. It's what's been happening, though, and why he's been avoiding her. So he just shrugs, in his armour, the creak of metal the most obvious indication of the movement. "You know how it goes."

Puppy is thrilled to see his little friend. He drops down, front laws splayed and rump in the air, barking happily. Ponce lunges for him, no actual aggression, and Puppy lets him get in one good mounce before he turns his head and pins the tiny dog to the ground, licking the side of his furry little head.

"How is-- the research?"

It's one of those things that can remain unsaid. She knows that the personal things he wrote of were something meant to help him cope, and in giving it to her, he had hoped to help with her research. The very least she could have done in return had been to allow him a little time away from her if he was feeling exposed as a result. But a man like him can't hide away from her forever. She's a healer, and she's not going to let the Commander work himself ragged without a break.

Smiling at the pair of dogs, she then pats her thigh.

"Come on, boys. Time for a walk." She refuses to say walkies because that would make her far too much like a Fereldan, and she must keep up the ruse that she dislikes them. It's a complete farce, and everyone knows it, but she sticks with it because it's her thing.

"The research is carrying on steadily," she begins, leading him out of his office. "Slow, as is necessary with the materials. I would like to organize something out in the field, to both observe red lyrium growing in the ground and to eventually destroy it after recording our findings. Naturally, such a valuable thing will be guarded by Red Templars, so there would be combat involved as well, I should think. But all that will depend on the scouting reports the Inquisition receives, to see where any pockets of red lyrium growth might be."

He nods, thoughtful, very invested in the things that are important to her. She's his friend, even if he's muddied those waters, casting himself in a horrible light. He knows what a mess he was back then. What a mess he probably still is. "And to observe its rate of growth, I imagine you will have to observe it for quite some time? It might make the most sense to set up a temporary research site, have your people observe it in shifts to limit exposure. You would need a dedicated unit of soldiers. We may have to send for more troops from Skyhold."

He's already working on the logistics in his mind as they walk, figuring out how to make this work for her with the resources they have. WHile the dog play with one another and run around ahead of them.

"Mmm, yes. It will be a very involved process, and I agree that there will have to be shifts. Ideally, it would rotate to allow people to return to Kirkwall in between shifts, as it is not a good idea to even stay in the vicinity if it begins singing to you."

But this is a good route to take in their research now. They have the cleansing runes, so now they're just trying to uncover more secrets. How has this lyrium been changed into red? Why does it contain the properties it does? Only digging deeper will reveal the answers.

"I know the scouting division is outside your focus, but if you hear of any encampments of Red Templars, you will be sure to let me know?"

"Of course I will." He's not directly in charge of the scouting division here, but since Leliana is not in residence, he does end up seeing the boiled down reports. "I'm not sure how close to the city you're looking for. It might not be the most ideal circumstance, but I suppose a site with a small village within a day's ride would not be the worst situation? That way, your researchers could still spend as much time as possible safely away from the influence. We may even be able to increase our good will along the way. Do you think your people would be willing to make repairs and offer other assistance when they weren't doing work for you? In my experience, a well dug or fence mended can go a very long way to gaining a foothold."

"And we would be getting rid of the red lyrium threat near them as well," she replies with a nod. "It is not a bad suggestion, but small villages are not often friendly to those who are deemed as outside the norm. My research team has mages, elves, even a rifter among our numbers. We could make offers to help, but we may be run out of town as well. There is no way of knowing without extensive scouting reports first." These are the sort of things Christine constantly thinks on, where someone like him might not. Where will she be welcome and where will she be turned away, spit on, or even threatened with death?

"Despite the Inquisition's efforts, I am sure there are numerous locations in Thedas where there are red lyrium operations underway. We will find a good place to set up and observe."

"You may be right. Not too small. And..." He purses his lips, glances over at her with an apologetic look. "I would send mostly human soldiers, probably not many mages. Locals, if possible." He spreads one hand in a gesture that speaks to both an understanding that this is not the best way to handle things, but also a way that will work. Change is slow in coming, and he hopes she knows that his acceptance of that fact is not a reflection of the way he thinks of her. "Closed minds... they open slowly, or they break, most of the time."

"A fact I know all too well," she murmurs, but loud enough for him to hear. Her own uncle won't allow her in his house to visit her mother, so she has personal experience with this even within her own family. But she doesn't tell him of this. It's not something that can be changed.

Yet she gives a small smile, thinking of something she can share with him. "I know one person who does not mind mages very much. An Orlesian by the name of Guillaume Thiebaut. My mother gave him my hand in marriage, and two weeks ago, he came to 'rescue' me from Kirkwall. As you can imagine, I did not agree to marry him."

Now that has all of Cullen's attention. "I do hope you sent him scampering back to Orlais with his tail between his legs." It's a stupid and totally selfish thought, but he doesn't want to lose Christine. Especially to a marriage that doesn't seem to enthuse her in the slightest. "Does he need further persuading? I could spare some men for that, absolutely."

sleep is highly overrated [open]

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