I really love how Solas tries to portray himself as this unassuming, humble apostate in Inquisition. But keeps contradicting it.
The first instance I noticed this REALLY happening is at the start of the game when you are closing the Breach. You've gathered your allies (mages or templars) and there's Cassandra. Okay, yeah totally makes sense she's there. Then Solas is ALSO there...okay, that ALSO makes sense. Given he's the Fade Expert TM.
But then he's...giving orders? Rushing to the front of the small army beside Cass in a confident stride, "Focus on the herald, let her will draw from you," waving his staff like he's waiting to signal an attack?
In that moment he seems to be really drawing upon his experience as a leader, forgetting he's drawing upon an experience he's got no way of explaining away were someone to point it out. And I LOVE IT. I think this was such a neat detail to add that gives us that little bit more of foreshadowing to the reveal of his true identity because it ISN'T how a 'nobody who grew up in a small village' should be acting. But IT IS how a rebel leader would be acting, drawing upon his experience to improve morale. And it's just so subtle enough you miss it your first playthrough. (or maybe not if you've got Iron Bull levels of intuition)
Same premise exists for his first kiss scene. Again if you are Lavellan, you're still under the assumption that Solas is this wandering mage who hasn't been around people much. Who withdraws himself from the spotlight, from others, keeping to himself mostly. And it makes sense that in the first kiss scene she's very much the one to take charge. She's the one who flirts with him, turning an initially innocuous sentence from him and exposing it for the intimate declaration it can be. She turns his face and kisses him because she knows he won't be the one to initiate this.
I think it's also telling she's about to walk/skip away in that scene too. In a cheeky 'whoops' sort of way probably thinking he'll let her go. That he won't take the initiative to-oh and he's grabbing her by the waist, shoving his leg between her legs and using fade tongue, kissing her like he's she's just snapped something inside of him.
And she has, really. He's been trying so very hard to keep up appearances and here she is, the woman who changes everything, kissing him in the realm that feels most like home to him. His kisses aren't gentle or reserved, like you'd THINK they would be. He isn't holding back or conscience about how desperate he's coming across. This isn't the kiss you'd think the gentlemanly, composed, reserved advisor to give. It's the opposite of what she (and the player) expected from him given how he has tried to protray himself. It's no wonder she looks so dazed when he comes up for air.
There just seems to be so many moments in the game where Solas is unwittingly in his element and the facade drops. And I love it. It not only exposes how bad of a liar he is, but also how he can't HELP it lmao.
