Her fae & His fairy

Chapter 17

Warning: Mentioning of struggle with alcohol in Azriel's pov. This will be a returned theme - I will warn each time.

Euodia:

Watching Azriel close the door, sending the staircase into its darker light, I turn with shaky hands into what has become my room.

A room. It's a funny thing that I never before have pictured to stay in or to have. Having grown up in tents, the possibility of living in a house always seemed impossible. But it is not something that I have ever wished for. It's far quieter. The sound of birds is not constant. The feeling of the wind rustling the walls is nonexistent, and there is no small breeze gracing my skin.

Housing like this is fundamentally a human concept. Funny beings wished to travel and see the world, yet always in need of one place to call home. So different from my own people, where home moves with you as it is people, not a place.

The room, though unfamiliar, carries a certain stillness that contrasts sharply with the nomadic life I have led. The concept of a room, a confined space meant for me alone, feels foreign and strangely confining. The walls, instead of canvas and fabric, are solid and unmoving.

Running my fingers over the unfamiliar textures of the furniture, I take in the oddity of permanence. The bed, a luxury I hadn't anticipated, stands at the centre, its mattress a far cry from the bedding rolls on which I used to rest under the open sky. The windows, adorned with curtains that shield me from both the moon and the sun, are a curious invention that makes me feel simultaneously protected and confined.

The idea of a place to call home, a notion that has always eluded me wandering people, takes on a tangible form within these walls. It's a place where the nomadic soul grapples with the strangeness of stillness, and the silence that envelops the room echoes the quiet complexity of my thoughts.

The clash between the human concept of a stable abode and the nomadic essence that courses through my veins leaves me standing in the centre of the room, feeling like a creature caught between two worlds. In this quiet space, where the absence of wind and rustling leaves a void, I contemplate the unfamiliarity of home and the daunting permanence that comes with it.

"Where is that wretched bird?" I mutter, frustration lacing my words as I address the shadow around my hand, which had begun to tighten with the tremors coursing through my body.

Turning my attention to the far too large bed that dominates the room, I scan its surface and see nothing. A subtle unease prickles at the edges of my senses as I wonder where the elusive creature has hidden itself. Determination sets in, prompting me to investigate further.

Kneeling down, I peer beneath the bed, searching for any signs of the elusive bird. However, it remains elusive, leaving no trace of its presence in the shadowy recesses beneath the bed. Undeterred, I climb onto the soft cushion atop the bed, the unfamiliar underground threatening to unbalance me. My eyes scan the room, surveying every possible perch. The mischievous bird seems to have mastered the art of concealment, adding an extra layer of bewilderment to my already tumultuous situation.

When finding nothing, I turned to the door to where Azriel said the bathing room was. Slowly, I crack down the handle on the door, holding my breath, half expecting to get jump on the other side. But no one is there.

The room is unlike any other I have seen. Stone tiles grace the floor, each intricately painted to form a beautiful and elaborate pattern that weaves its way across the expanse. The artistic touch on the tiles lends a unique charm to the room, transforming it into a canvas of colours and shapes.

In the centre of the room, positioned in front of a sizable window, sits a bathing pool. The water structure mirrors the one in the kitchen, featuring an intriguing seat and a glass wall. Behind this glass barrier, a brass-coloured iron fixture attaches to the wall, and tiles with delicate paintings extend the decorative theme. While the floor showcases larger stone tiles, the wall behind the glass is adorned with smaller ones, creating a harmonious contrast within the bathing space.