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Ceri sighed as she finished sweeping the floor of Cullen’s office. She had cleaned everything. Surfaces dusted, the books that didn’t fit in the shelves stacked beside them, the floor swept, and the lighting fixtures on the wall polished. She had refrained from going upstairs, nosing around his bedroom (if it could be called that). It seemed like that was crossing a line. Really, the only thing left was his desk, and she had hesitated from touching that. Her own desk was a mess, but she knew where everything was. Sorting through his documents and ledgers and sorting his supplies seemed like a recipe for disaster. He’d come back and not know where anything was and what was meant to be a sweet gesture would turn into a headache.
A small vase of flowers was the only thing added to his desk. They weren’t anything fancy, just some aster and baby’s breath, but she thought they were pretty enough. Ceri hoped Cullen would like them. She wasn’t even sure if he liked flowers, he’d never said.
Ceri was just about to turn to leave when one of the doors swung open and Cullen stepped inside. The pair stared at each other for a long moment, Cullen with a sheaf of papers in hand and Ceri still clutching the broom.
“What are you doing in my office?”
“Oh, um,” Ceri started as she glanced down at her feet. “I wanted to tidy up. The people in my clan do it all the time to show affection to the people they’re interested in or with. It’s also sort of a way to show respect to Sylaise. I just thought, you know, with us together, I should do something for you.”
Cullen chuckled and crossed the room. His arms slid around Ceri’s waist, and he dipped down to press a kiss to her forehead. Some tension fell from Ceri’s shoulders at the gesture, and she smiled softly.
“Thank you, it was sweet of you,” he murmured against her hair.
“I didn’t go up to your room or touch anything on your desk. Aside from the flowers. I know I wouldn’t mind my room being tidied, but I wasn’t sure if you’d want yours cleaned, so I left it alone,” Ceri said, speaking in a bit of a rush. Cullen laughed again as he pulled her a little closer.
“Very thoughtful of you.”
“I try.”
Ceri slipped her arms around Cullen as they stood there, head against his chest. They held each other for a moment before Ceri sighed and stepped away. “I had some time to come do this, but I should probably finish packing for the road. We’re leaving in the morning.”
“Write to me while you’re away?”
“I’ll write every day,” Ceri promised. She stole a quick kiss before leaving the office.
The peace of night left Skyhold muted as Ceri stumbled towards her room. She was saddle sore and in desperate need of a bath. The lanterns burned low in the great hall, a few of the night staff waving to Ceri as she passed. She politely smiled and waved at each, but didn’t slow for conversation.
The moment her bedroom door closed behind her, Ceri stripped naked and tossed her clothes into the basket by her door. She made a beeline for the bed and collapsed in a heap on top of it. The bed was made, which surprised her because she didn’t remember making it before she left. Maybe the cleaning staff had done it for her, but they usually didn’t come in while she was away. Ceri lifted herself up to climb under her blankets when a vase on her nightstand caught her eye.
Ceri scooted closer, lifting a folded note next to them. She turned it over. It was plain paper with ‘Ceri’ scrawled loosely on the front. She recognised it immediately as Cullen’s handwriting. A smile crept across her face as she read.
Ceri,
I’m not very good at putting things to paper, but I thought I would return the room cleaning you did for me. I hope you like the flowers, it took a lot of searching to find ones I thought suited you.
Yours,
Cullen