A court of shadow and spying (Azriel X OC)

the second chance

Time passed as Nesta told me all about how she was sent to Hewn City. At first, she hadn't wanted to do it at all, had denied and rejected everything. But after she found out that she would be spying there for a while and no one could interfere with her, she agreed. For some time she had only watched me from the outside, had written down the customers and told the others with whom I met, when and how often I left my room. Just my daily routine. And then one evening she had lost sight of me. That was the day I had met her. The day with my pursuer and so she had decided that this was the easiest way to make an acquaintance with me. In the beginning she had had no interest in being friends with anyone. But little by little she had realized how much she needed someone in this damned city. And so she had come to me more often, without anything of espionage in mind, just because she needed a friend and I was there. And so it came about that Nesta only passed on the most necessary of me and the information I entrusted to her. For example, that I detested Keir and would never swear my allegiance to him. I would rather die. Or that my family had abandoned me, or rather I had abandoned them. That I was brave and I also took risks to make a better life for myself. And that it was my dream to finally be allowed to return to my hometown. And I believed her. I didn't say anything for a while as we got up from the bench and walked towards the townhouse. It had become dark, in the evening, but not too late. When we were just before the last bend, I intercepted Nesta.

'Wouldn't it be stupid if I just came along?' I asked, somewhat embarrassed by my departure earlier. Nesta gave me a look that told me everything. And so we finally went around the bend and through the door. I hoped everyone was already in bed, but how foolish I would have been to imagine that. I heard laughter from upstairs and voices talking warmly. I looked at Nesta. I didn't want to go up, I didn't feel the slightest need to discuss any plan with them or to have to explain myself.

'I'm hungry', I said instead. Nesta knew exactly what I was doing anyway, however she pulled me into the kitchen instead. Away from the mood and into the cozy quiet of the kitchen. There were leftovers from dinner, plates for me and Nesta. I went to the table and heaped food on my plate.

'You were always greedy', Nesta said as she dropped down to the table. I snorted and laughed softly as I ate my food.
'Let me, at least I eat something, unlike you. Sometimes I wonder how you got such boobs in the first place', I countered with a sly smile, which made her put some food on her plate too.
I sighed, the food here was just delicious. In the Hewn City there were only half spoiled things, nothing that could be enjoyed. I wasn't emaciated, you got used to it, but tasting this was a whole new level of pleasure. Nesta grinned mockingly before she too took a bite.
'This is just too good', I groaned as I shoved a piece of cooked vegetable into my mouth.

Nesta grumbled and shoved her food around the plate. I eyed her curiously, knowing that she had a bad habit of eating, even back then in the Hewn City.

'Eat.' I ordered her, knwoing she wouldn't like it. Her defensive glare made my assumption true.

'Would you rather have the delicious food of the Hewn City? I believe you nearly spitted it out on your first try.' I grinned remembering the time when we first ate together. The food was nowhere near good and it was rather one to shovel down than to enjoy. Her face had turned into a grimace when she attempted to eat and I had found it hilarious back then. Not everyone was used to this food from the Hewn City and she definatly wasn't.

Somehow it made her eat faster now, giving me the statisfaction of her following my order. In the past she was way to thin and even now, with more trained sleak muscles forming her body, she looked thin. I munched down on my own food, rarley ever having this good food presented on my plate. It made me feel more at home, when my mother used to cook with my father, light music playing in the background. Usually they were alway dancing until the food was ready, gazing at each other with true, full, heartwarming love, that it made everything shine brighter.