amellsinferno | In Another World | locked to apostate

"And if they ask us what we're doing on the way to the Lothering Chantry? You think we could get away with saying 'We're going off there to pray?'" She snorts.

Anders snickers, before frowning. And then nodding.

"If we said that we were going to bring the Chant of Light to the Chasind, and we wanted to get the blessing of the Revered Mother...that could actually work."

Solona smirks, "Are you coming up with all of this off the top of your head, Anders?" She scoots over next to him with a glint in her eye. "You do know how attractive it is to have you take charge of things like these right?"

"Maybe I am...what can I say, I'm an improviser. And it's not exactly a bad idea..."

He raises an eyebrow at her, before giving her a wicked smile.

"Oh, it is? How attractive is it, exactly?"

She mimics his grin and crawls on top of him. "Very, very attractive. Like you're totally in control, love." She grins, slowly bringing her face closer to his, teasing him with her lips. "You know, it really does turn me--!"

Cullen emerges from his tent, sleepily rubbing his eyes. He had to relieve himself but is a bit flustered at what he sees.

"Am I, uh... I-interrupting a-anything?"

Anders leans in, lightly brushing is lips against hers.

"Oh, I'll show you how in control I a--"

And then Cullen showed up. Anders groans and sighs, giving Cullen a look.

"No, we're fine."

Nellie, meanwhile, suddenly feeling a loss of Cullen shaped warmth, stirs and sticks her head out from the tent, sleepily.

Solona immediately stands up and moves aside, blushing slightly. What awful timing.

Cullen turns around, flushed from the sight he saw and is surprised to see Nellie awake. "Love! You're up! How are you feeling?"

Nellie nods and rubs at her eyes, yawning.

"'m good...did I miss something..."

Everybody's standing around awkwardly. She doesn't get it. Anders just laughs nervously and shakes his head.

"No, you're good, Nels. You almost missed breakfast, though."

Cullen was thankful she missed the sight of that. How awkward. Solona and Anders were so... shameless. Imagine how it would be like between him and Nellie and-- "I'm going to... Err, nature calls," Cullen says hastily before scurrying off into the throng of trees.

Solona laughs despite the whole awkwardness of the situation. She grabs a few bowls and forks for Nellie and Cullen and sets them by the food.

"Good morning, Nel!" Solona smiles brightly. "Better eat up before the bacon gets totally cold."

Nellie looks around at everybody, confused. She did miss something. But that's probably for the best, she gathered, given how weird everybody was being.

She just shrugs and comes out of the tent, smiling and grabbing some food.

"Did you cook, Sol?"

"Yep, I did! Tell me how it is," Solona beams.

Nellie nods and smiles, eating some of the bacon.

"It's good! I forgot you were a good cook, Sol..."

Anders nods.

"Good thing one of us is, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Solona laughs, although a but embarrassed that the two of them held her cooking with such high regard. "Anyone can fry bacon."

Cullen returns from the woods, stretching his arms, which were a bit sore thanks to the rowing. "Maker, is that bacon I smell? I don't remember packing bacon."

"I can't! Nobody ever taught me how to cook, remember? You at least remember some of what Mother told you."

She smiles and laughs a little bit, motioning for Cullen to sit next to her once he comes back.

Anders chuckles.

"Sol made it, I packed it. You're better off not asking where we got it."

Cullen's eyebrow twitches. It was better that he didn't know where Anders got the food at all. "I'll keep that in mind." He takes his seat beside Nellie, taking a bowl which he assumed was for him and takes his share of bacon and eggs.

"Nellie, I was four when she taught me how to cook. I barely remember anything else," Solona smiles. "Except for her cookie recipe. I'll never forget that one."

Nellie smiles at Cullen, before rolling her eyes at her sister.

"Still, that's more than I can remember. She didn't get the chance to start teaching me like she did with you."

"Because you were two!" Solona snickers. "Imagine that? A toddler-- no! A baby in the kitchen, cooking?"

Cullen snorts in amusement. He can't help it. The image of Nellie as a toddler carrying around a spatula was an adorable thought.

Nellie blushes and smiles at Cullen.

"I know, I know...but she started teaching you when you were four. I thought she'd start teaching me when I turned four, but, well."

She and Solona were at the Gallows by the time she was four, so that never ended up happening.

"I just wanted to help. I think. I can't remember it too well."

"Well..." Solona trails off awkwardly. "Well, let's get everything cleaned up once you're all finished. Anders had this brilliant idea that we can travel beneath the Imperial Highway."

That caught Cullen's attention. He finishes his last strip of bacon and looks up from his bowl. "Beneath the highway?"

Right, Cullen and Anders don't know much about them from before they were in Ferelden. This is all meaningless chit chat to them. Oh well. Nellie moves to help clean up the empty bowls.

Anders just shrugs at Cullen.

"The Highway is above the ground, right? We just travel under the raised parts. If anybody stops us, we're on our way to Lothering to get the blessings of the Revered Mother there, before we go to the Wilds to bring the Chant of Light to the Chasind."

He grins.

"Pretty solid excuse, if you ask me."

But Cullen enjoyed listening to their stories!

He shifts his attention to Anders. It did seem like a good idea. "You have a point," he says, rubbing at a knot he had at the back of his neck. "It could work if we don't gather too much attention."

Once they get to Lothering, they can tell more stories if Cullen wants.

Anders nods and smiles a bit. "We should be okay if we just act normally...no hand holding or flirting or anything, though."

Nellie looks a bit disappointed at that, but nods.

"Manageable," Solona smiles. Cullen however looks extremely disappointed.He would have loved to be able to hold Nellie's hand as they travelled. But there would be another time for that, he reasons with himself.

"We should leave soon then."

Nellie smiles at Cullen and mouths a quick apology to him. They can hold hands later, when the danger is past.

Anders nods, starting to pack up some of the camp.

"The sooner the better. They'll probably have noticed we're gone by now..."

"They're likely to head to Lothering," Cullen scowls, squeezing Nellie's hand then standing. He goes over to his tent to grab his armor, his weapons and his pack.

"Then we have to beat them to getting there," Solona says, dousing the fire and covering it with a fresh batch of earth. She keeps the pan and helps Anders put the tent back together.

In Another World | locked to apostate_amell

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