Battle Scars

Courtiers at the Exiles

Az had his hands in his pockets as he waited for Eve to start. They were in his room in the House, Nesta and Cassian long gone. "Do you want to talk about it?" he had asked her and she had nodded. He stood patiently now, near his window as Eve opened and closed her mouth multiple times, sitting on the couch at the end of the bed.

"In all my pain and ... sadness, I forgot you all have dealt with loss too. Multiple times." She started. He nodded, looking at her, waiting for her to continue. "And- I guess what I am saying is I thought I wasn't really ready after yesterday's outburst but, aren't we all a bit broken here? And maybe, if you want, we can.... heal together?" Az took in a sharp breath before giving out a breathy chuckle. Smiling widely, he bent in front of her, "We can. I would love that." Eve gave out a relieved chuckle.

"Eve?" Az said as they stared at each other, lost in one another. "Hmmm." "I am sorry for what happened yesterday. You were right when you said we shouldn't have invaded Nesta's privacy like that and I am sorry I couldn't convince Elain and Rhys to leave it alone." Eve sighed and ran her hand through his hair. He almost purred. "I know, let's just.. forget it. What's done is done." Az kissed her in reply. Deeply. Sweetly.

Taking their own time.

***********

Mor left them in front of the manor. Cassian and her were about to play courtiers for the Night Court. Everyone else were too busy for it so Rhysand thought it a good idea if she stepped in along with Cassian- giving the fact that she already had a good relation with the Exiles and with words. "Since when does Rhys have you do all this?" Eve asked. "Since now, apparently," the general replied, shifting on his feet. "Relax," Eve drawled, "you go in looking that nervous and shifty and they will have the upper hand. Think of this as another battlefield, except we will be fighting with words, not swords." Cassian scoffed, "very helpful." Eve smacked him on his chest before going in.

Lucien's scarred, handsome face appeared, his golden eye whirring. "I thought I sensed someone else arriving." "You just got here?" Cassian asked and Lucien shook his head, leading the way in. "Who else has arrived?" Eve asked. Lucien giving her a side look said, "Eris is here." Well that explained his displeasure. They entered the room to see Eris lounged in a golden chair, legs crossed, his pale face the portrait of courtly arrogance. And though he was going for a confident, alpha-like look, he came as constipated to Eve. Cassian's hands curled into fits.

"Cassian, Lady Eve," he smirked, knowing just what he was doing as Cassian became stiffer. "Eris," Eve drawled and smiled facedly, "what a displeasure." He let out an amused laugh. Eve looked around to see Jurian and Vassa standing side by side. Giving them a nod of acknowledgement, she turned her gaze towards Lucien who motioned her to sit down. Eve did so, without saying anything. Eris was here- they had not anticipated this factor. So she waited for Cassian to take the lead since he knew more about the people standing here and their relations to the Night since Eve had not been present for half of the meetings that had taken place during the war, had not been privy to it. So she waited as Cassian let his rage at seeing the Autumn Lord settle down a bit.

He gave the queen a swift, perfunctory bow. "Your Majesty." Jurian coughed, hiding his smile. "It only goes to her head when you call her that." Vassa straightened, her cobalt jacket a sharp contrast to the red-gold of her hair. "I am a queen, you know." A queen by night, and firebird by day, sold by her fellow human queens to a sorcerer-lord who had enchanted her. Damned her into transforming each dawn into a bird of fire and ash. They had waited until sundown to visit, so as to find her in her human form.

Lucien, not paying mind to their bickering, turned back to Cassian and Eve. "Did you come with news or orders?" Cassian chose his words very carefully, "We give you orders as our emissary." He nodded to Jurian and Vassa. "But when you are with your friends, we only give suggestions." Eris snorted and Eve imagined how good it would feel to punch him. "What are you doing here?" Eve asked him instead. He gave her an assessing look from which she did not back down- she was a 21st century woman and she would be damned if she backed down from this pathetic male in front of her.