Once there was a girl who lived in light. She was strong and smart, and commanded over the armies of the Day Court, until she was burned by one close to her.
Then she became an echo, living off the light of her memories to stay alive in the dim cell...
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(Tattoo reference! Remember this for later <3)
When Inei woke up, Azriel could already tell she was feeling better.
He wasn’t sure if it was because of all the rest she had been getting, or if it was the result of her actually eating food, but either way he still was grateful.
It had been days since her breakdown, and in that time she had not only gained back somewhat of a healthy appetite, but she had also taken it upon herself to start walking again as well.
Yesterday she had wandered through the halls with a little of his help, since he was really the only one around to do it.
Sometimes she would just want to wander or explore, and other times she went to her old rooms. Whenever they passed the room she had destroyed, she would pause and lean against the doorway.
Every piece of furniture had been reduced to dust, and the beautiful pale stone that made up the room had turned black like it had sucked up every bit of darkness from her shadows.
He couldn't ever tell what she thought in those long minutes, her face unnaturally blank. If she showed any recognition of the dark room or the ash on the floor, he couldn't see it.
Azriel always just watched her carefully, looking for any sign of that overwhelmed power, but she only ever looked tired.
He didn't really know how to help either.
She was always silent, more so when she went on her walks. Whenever they visited her old room though, she seemed to get even more silent. Then, she would shuffle back to her new room, avoiding his gaze.
At this point, she could pretty much walk on her own again with only a little intervention by him, and so he usually just followed her around in case she needed help.
He didn’t know why he felt the need to help her so badly, only that it felt better for him to be the one to do it rather than someone like Cass or Nesta.
It wasn’t that Azriel didn’t trust them, but he was more worried about how Inei would react to those two. She seemed more than content to be alone, but for some reason she was more at ease around him over the others.
He didn't mind all that much though, because it gave him plenty of peace and quiet from the constant energy in Valaris.
Sometimes it was almost too quiet though.
In the week that she had been here, Inei still hadn’t uttered a single word, only using her shadows that fluttered around her curiously to communicate with him.
She had been getting better at controlling them, and sometimes when Azriel sat in her room to read books or just keep her company, he saw her out of the corner of his eye playing with them and contorting them into all kinds of shapes.
