Battle Scars

Small steps

Eve sat on the couch, waiting for Feyre to come back from her painting class. A few of Azriel' shadows were near her- for what, she did not know.

After they- her, Cassian and Az- had come back from Spring, Cassian had conveniently left them both under the pretence of work. The air between them had become tight and uncomfortable. Az had such a tired look in his eyes that despite his shadows still swarming around both of them, Eve had thought she would rather combust than stay there with him- not when she felt so damn guilty and sorry.

Luckily for her, Rhys had come to the rescue, wanting to know about her trip to Spring. She had told him each detail after they had made themselves cosy on the roundtable. And even though she had avoided Az altogether, she had felt his gaze on her the entire time. Unable to stay there anymore, she had requested Rhys to take her to the riverfront house so she could meet Feyre. He had obliged. Sparing only a 'goodbye' to Az, she had left hurriedly.

At present, the door opened and Feyre entered the room. Her hands were painted in colours and a smear of green was found on her face, nevertheless, she still looked absolutely beautiful. "Do you look in a mirror before leaving the studio?" Eve asked her, amused. Feyre' eyes widened and she quickly went to her room. Chuckling, Eve waited for a few minutes again. This time around though, her thoughts were not so much focused by the hazel-eyed winged male.

Feyre came back out, her cheeks a bit reddened. "I can't believe I walked through the entire artists' lane with paint on my face. Some High Lady," she said, and Eve noticed some self-depreciation and uncomfortableness at the end of her little rant. "You are the first High Lady, Feyre. And a damn good one, so cut that crap and sit down for I have a proposal." Feyre gave her a grateful nod before sitting down in front of her, her legs crossed and spine straight as if it were her throne.

"Go on," she told Eve. Eve shook her head; no matter how many times Feyre doubted her capability, she was every inch of a High Lady. "A proposal to start defence classes for the high and low-end citizens of Velaris no matter who they are. The fee structure will be what they can give and I have no doubt, that I can manage to convince Azriel, Cassian, or Rhys for that matter to help conduct it time to time. It can happen once a week- just basic techniques that can come handy say, in a drunk bar, or at night when you are walking alone. The venue- I was hoping- could be somewhere in the middle of Velaris." Eve concluded, sitting straight, her head held in line to the ground.

Feyre nodded slowly. "It sounds like a good idea. But how will you keep it running?"

"The only thing I will need to worry about is the cost of the place. I will give my time for free and recruit instructors by appealing to their empathy and as a way for them to market themselves too. It can be an NGO- non-governmental organization. The venue- I can either buy one on loan or rent it. Besides, I am good at crowdfunding."

"So, what do you need my help for?"

"I want to know if you can help me teach. I am not that good at it- and you are a natural." Feyre nodded slowly, contemplating. "Once a week?" Eve nodded. "I will have to revise my schedule, but count me in." Eve gave a broad smile. "Good," and Feyre grinned back. "Now, what about the famous soup Rhys was telling me you make all the time is about," Eve said and enjoyed watching Feyre' face turn red.

That evening, the only members present for dinner were her, Elain, Feyre, and Rhysand. It was fairly peaceful. "Pasta?" Eve asked Feyre who quickly shook her head. Eve rose her brows; Feyre loved the dish. Shrugging, not thinking much of it, Eve turned to Rhysand, "can we skip tomorrow' training?" "And why would we do that?" he asked. Eve glared at him; he knew precisely why. "Because..." Rhysand raised his brow, amusement shining in his eyes. "Yes?" he mocked her and Eve pictured throwing her fork at him. Glaring at him, she answered, "because I need to make up with Azriel. I want to."