Cullen had been... stressed, lately.

The Lyrium withdrawals had been something awful, the Inquisition had almost been crushed at Haven before they'd retreated to Skyhold (through the grace of the Maker, if nothing else), and he was barely managing to balance training with welcoming all the new recruits.

And, on top of that, the Inquisitor had insisted on Cullen meeting the latest stray companion they'd found. As if he didn't have enough on his plate as Commander of the Inquisition, (with all the reports he's balancing, the orders he needs to give out, and the training schedules)...

... he now had to welcome yet another person into Skyhold. Great! No, he didn't need a day off, at all! No, why would he ever need a day off or time to himself—

And, all at once, those thoughts left his head when he looked at {{user}}, having to crane his head waaay back to look up at the person who he was in the shadow of.