Chapter Text
Never open suspicious mail.
It was the first rule of working for the Chantry, and even though Cullen was no longer a templar, the daily safety messages stuck with him.
This letter had all the signs: it was bulky, there was no return address, and the envelope was addressed in barely legible calligraphy. Was that a wax seal on the back? He had never seen one in person before, not even on official Chantry mail.
Against his better judgement, he slid a finger under the flap and broke the seal, pulling a second envelope out from inside the first.
Wasteful, he thought with a scoff. But the way the inner envelope was addressed was the most suspicious part of all.
Mr. Cullen Rutherford and Guest
And guest? How cryptic.
Frowning, he opened the second envelope, and found yet another, smaller envelope, along with a piece of thick card stock covered with tissue paper. Beneath the tissue—yet more waste—the card was embossed with a foiled gold border and elaborate black script.
DOCTOR AND MRS. VESTALUS PENTAGHAST
REQUEST THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE
AT THE MARRIAGE OF THEIR NIECE
CASSANDRA ALLEGRA PORTIA CALOGERA FILOMENA
"Maker's breath," he muttered. "That is a mouthful."
TO
SER GABRIEL RHYS TREVELYAN
SATURDAY, THE NINETEENTH
Oh. It was a wedding invitation. Cullen felt silly for being suspicious. The name Trevelyan struck a chord in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t place it.
He had, of course, some dim awareness that Cassandra was getting married. Even though he tried not to eavesdrop when she talked with Leliana and Josephine in the vicinity of his desk, they did tend to get loud when they talked about the wedding. Cassandra had even mentioned it to him once or twice.
"I hope you won't mind following up on these reports while I'm on my honeymoon. It's still a long way off, but I wanted make sure I gave you enough notice."
"Of course," he had said. He was always happy to help Cassandra, especially after all she had done for him, but he never expected to be invited to the wedding. It was probably just a courtesy. If he was invited, then she must have invited everyone from work.
There was a reply card inside the smaller envelope, with a space for his name and, presumably, the name of his guest.
Well, if he went, he would just have to go by himself. Weddings were expensive, right? That would save Cassandra's family some money.
I can save them even more money by staying home.
With a sigh, he straightened the mess of envelopes and set the pile on the corner of the kitchen counter. The card said he had over a month to reply, so he wasn't going to think about it now.
He microwaved some leftover takeout and sat down at his counter to eat, setting his phone down next to him to check his work email. His commute was only 30 minutes, but in that time, he had received 13 new emails.
“I knew I shouldn’t have left,” he said to himself. Along with the usual inane questions that anyone could answer with just a little web browsing, Orlais wanted a conference call at 6 AM, and the Ostwick office needed an updated presentation for a meeting the next morning. I’ll be up anyway, he thought, accepting the conference invitation. Once all the questions were answered, he fetched his laptop to take care of the presentation.
By the time he finished, his food was cold. Work tended to drain his appetite anyhow, and he shoved the leftovers back in the fridge.
His phone chimed and he sighed, preparing himself for more questions, but it was a text, not an email alert.
The work will still be there on Monday, Cullen!
It was Leliana. He let out another sigh.
I could say the same to you, he replied.
I’m not working—I’m telling you not to work. Why don’t you come meet us for karaoke?
Leliana and Josephine took turns inviting him out for friendly drinks or dancing or karaoke about once a month, and each time, he politely declined. They were only inviting him out of obligation, and he wouldn’t be much fun anyway. It was one thing to chat and joke around at work, but outside of the office, he would never be able to keep up. Just thinking about it made him tired, and the fact that it was already 11:30 didn’t help.
I’m not much of a singer, he told her.
Neither is Cassandra, but she doesn’t let that doesn’t stop her!
Cullen laughed in spite of himself. He had caught Cassandra singing at her desk once or twice, and she definitely hadn’t missed her calling. Shaking his head, he sent his response. Thank you, but I’m just too tired. Maybe next time.
You always say that. Watch yourself. One of these days, we’re going to kidnap you and force you to have fun.
He gave an involuntary shudder; knowing Leliana, she might actually do it. At least Josephine wouldn’t let her use force. Probably.
He closed his laptop and headed to the bedroom to change for bed.
As he brushed his teeth, he tried to remember the last time he went out with a friend. It was chess with Dorian in the park. Outside. When it was still warm. Meaning it had been at least two months.
To be fair, Dorian was currently on vacation in Rivain with his boyfriend, so Cullen wasn’t ignoring him at the moment. Of course, he never did return Dorian’s call from a month ago.
With a grunt, he plugged in his phone and climbed into bed. He turned on one of the late night shows and tried to get into the monologue, but the next thing he knew, it was 2 o'clock in the morning. He must have fallen asleep. He clicked off the television and drifted off again, relieved that he had turned down Leliana’s offer. They were probably just now leaving the bar, and he didn’t have that kind of stamina.