Alistair's nearly finished his own tea by then. He eyes Cullen's mug with resigned amusement. Then he puts his drink aside and wanders back to the ladder.

When he returns -- even more precariously than before -- it's with the teapot gingerly balanced on its warmer. The farthest corner of the desk has yet to be completely eaten by paperwork; he sets both pot and warmer there, before moving on to the bookshelf in search of something to read.

(He puts the odds of Cullen noticing at somewhere around negative one thousand, but hey, at least the nice warm tea's within easy reach if he wants more.)