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Chapter 5: Hyacinth, Florist

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Azriel showed up bright and early the day after his break ended. For a week Cassian had heard not even a peep from Azriel.

And then Azriel walked into the House of Wind, looking none the worse for wear.

"How was your break?" Cassian asked him, taking him in. Looking no different than he ever had before. Though not relaxed. The exact opposite to be honest.

"Can we spar?" Azriel asked in response and Cassian's brows rose.

Ouch. That break had seemingly not gone that well.

"That bad, hm?" he asked, though just nodded towards the sparring ring. "How's your Ma?" he asked and Azriel just stared at him.

"She's as good as she can get," he snapped back. Right.

His expression must have shown his shock, because Azriel held still for a moment, seemingly forcing himself to take a deep breath, closing his eyes for just a moment...

" I am in a mood," Azriel warned him, finally. "Don't go easy on me."

"I wasn't aware that I ever did," Cassian quipped.

He should have probably taken that warning more seriously.

He didn't.

Azriel nearly had him tapping out within the first few minutes.

There was an aggression behind his fighting that Cassian had only seen very rarely. An aggression that belied Azriel just "being in a mood".

This wasn't just being in a mood.

This was feral levels of aggression. This was being so upset that Azriel needed to hit something to get it out and clearly Cassian was that something of choice that day.

Azriel won. Of course, he did. he wanted it far more than Cassian did.

"You broke my fucking nose," he complained afterwards, spitting out the blood. The nose was thankfully the only broken bone. Though he was definitely gonna feel the bruises for a few days.

Azriel seemed on a more even keel though, so Cassian would gladly take the broken nose.

"I am sorry," Azriel apologised earnestly.

And that was that.

Az seemed back to his usual levels of weirdness, no longer randomly wanting his first break after 500 years, no more comments about table linens…and sometimes Cassian even thought that he caught his brother smiling softly, pleased at something.

He didn't say anything but he couldn't help but wonder.

Still, Cassian had more pressing problems. Like what he should buy Nesta for her birthday…Mor decided to tag along which was decisively unhelpful. How could a female who clearly liked shopping for herself be so completely horrible at choosing gifts for her family?

"Wait, is that Az?" Mor said suddenly as they left another shop empty-handed. Cassian's head swivelled around.

And it was indeed Az, standing around at a flower cart, clearly chatting to the owner.

By the cauldron, had Cassian been right all along?!

Mor and him exchanged a glance, both of them narrowing down to their brother just a few feet away from him.

"Which flowers?" Azriel asked at that moment, clearly contemplating two different bouquets. The female on the other side of the card was pretty, delicate with fluttering wings resembling a butterfly, and bright blue hair that was cropped close to her head.

A Palote Fairy. Clearly far from home in the summer court.

Maybe that was why Azriel had been keeping her a secret. Maybe it was some unfounded worry of her being a lesser fairie.

Did Az and her take long leisurely flights over Velaris and go picnicking? Somehow that seemed like the kind of thing she would enjoy. Their children would probably end up being the most magical thing that Cassian had ever seen. He wondered what wings would turn out to be the dominant ones. The idea of an Illyrian with butterfly wings was definitely something, that much was certain.

"Jasmine these days. She hasn't talked about anything since you bought them the first time," said butterfly girl told Azriel, smiling prettily at him.

Cassian held back a noise that Mor would have never let him life down. Something akin to a squeal threatened to come out of his throat.

Was this the female Azriel was stupidly in love with?

She clearly seemed to be nice enough not to turn down his advances flat out, instead both of them happily chatting.

"Thank you, Hyacinth," Azriel thanked her as Hyacinth, which must be her name started wrapping a bundle of dark blooming jasmines for him. He handed her a couple of coins, as she gave him the flowers, not for one moment flinching away from his scars.

"Will you be there on Friday?" Hyacinth asked him, excitement apparent in her voice.

Where are they going to have a date?

"I have been told that my attendance is mandatory. Because I need to learn how to swing my hips like a proper male," Azriel responded, his usual dry humour apparent. Cassian could still only stare.

They were going to have a date!

"You'll have a fantastic teacher," Hyacinth said with a wink.

"Oh, I expect nothing less," Azriel agreed.

A fantastic teacher. Was Hyacinth going to be the teacher?

Mor dragged Cassian along with a hand on his arm, calling for Azriel. "Az!"

"Mor. Cassian," Azriel greeted them, not seeming surprised at all at their sudden appearance. Nor particularly displeased about it or hesitant.

"Don't you want to introduce us to your girlfriend?" Mor said, sounding giddy as they arrived at Azriel's side.

Yes, Azriel, introduce us to your girlfriend, Cass mentally agreed unable to keep the bright grin off his face.

What he hadn't expected was for the blue-haired female to burst into laughter.

"Hyacinth is married," Azriel said drily. "And definitely not my girlfriend."

And Cassian's hopes were shattered once again.

"I am very much spoken for. He is too," Hyacinth responded, still trying to starve down the laughter, and failing horribly.

Damnit.

"What brings you two here?" Azriel asked, still holding onto his flower bouquet.

"Well, Cassian needs help with a gift for Nesta," Mor said brightly. "I offered my help."

Azriel stared at him like Cassian had grown a second head.

Quite frankly, it was understandable.

But Mor had offered her input and he hadn't been able to politely turn her down.

"What's in that bag?" Azriel asked, nodding to the one lone shopping back that Cassian held, sounding like he didn't want to know.

"Well…" Cassian started but Azriel just shook his head.

"You know what, I don't want to know. Come on," he said drily, the flowers disappearing from his hand, being whisked away by his shadows somewhere. "I'll see you on Friday, Hyacinth!" He called over his shoulder, Hyacinth waving them off the ring to the next customer.

"Where are we going?" He dared to ask, trailing after Azriel, who walked around the Rainbow like he knew every cobblestone personally. Maybe he did. Goodness knew what Azriel's shadows got up to when they weren't busy spying for Rhys.

"We'll buy Nesta a proper birthday gift," Azriel said with a roll of his eyes.

Mor stopped at a clothing store, staring at a dress in the window. "I'll catch up with you!" she said brightly and off she went, leaving Cassian with this gift debacle.

"Mor, really?" Azriel asked with a sigh as soon as she had entered the store.

"Who else was I supposed to ask?" Cassian gave back defensively.

"Feyre? Elain? Emerie? Gwyn? Rhys?" Azriel suggested drily. "Hell, Amren would have been better." He muttered under his breath.

Azriel stopped at a smaller store, the dark blue signage proclaiming it an understated "The Goldmine".

He had never even noticed the shop when he had been in the Rainbow, though a giggling group of young High Faes was leaving it.

Clearly, it was well-liked in the community.

Azriel pushed open the door, waving him through.

"Good Morning," Azriel greeted the High Fae at the counter, a rounded female with green eyes, a pale complexion, and curly light brown hair. She was very pretty in an unassuming way and greeted Azriel wide-eyed.

The Goldmine was clearly a jewellery shop, with merchandise laid out in the glass cases on the walls and in the middle of the room.

Cassian was already feeling slightly overwhelmed and he hadn't even been asked to pick out anything yet.

"Oh, I am so sorry, she isn't there currently," the High Fae blurted out, blushing as soon as she saw Azriel.

"I know," Azriel agreed, looking not surprised in the least. Cassian wondered who they were talking about. "She's out shopping with Briony. But that's not why I am here." That also didn't answer any of the questions he was having. "Cassian, that's Penelope," Azriel introduced Cassian. "Penelope, Cassian, my brother. Cassian needs a birthday gift for his mate," Azriel explained patiently. Cassian approached the counter that Azriel was leaning against with some trepidation.

"It's nice to meet you," Penelope greeted him. "What does your mate like to wear as jewellery?" She asked, all business and Cassian drew a blank.

He could write whole books about what Nesta liked and disliked. He could.

But right now, he had no idea.

"Hairpins that double as Stiletto Blades," he blurted out. Penelope stared at him, green eyes wide.

"We…We don't really sell that?" she offered up hesitantly, while Azriel next to him was silently shaking with laughter before he swallowed it down and decided to be helpful.

"You had new hair combs coming in, didn't you?" Azriel asked and for one moment Cassian wondered why Azriel knew what kind of new shipments a jewellery store got.

"We did!" Penelope agreed immediately, pulling out a tray from behind the counter.

Cassian heard the bell ring behind him, and Azriel waved off Penelope apologising as she started to take care of the newest customer.

Instead, he took the tray and pushed it in Cassian's direction.

"How am I supposed to pick?" he asked with no small amount of trepidation at the dozen choices laid out before him. Every style imagination, in gold and silver and whatever other metal there were there.

"Pick one that reminds you of Nesta," Azriel said easily. "And if you only like the shape of one, the gems can be easily changed out," Azriel assured him, as he picked up one comb, turning it around in scarred hands.

Cassian went back to staring at the hair combs.

Every single one of them was a separate work of art. Some more intricate than others. Some with careful engravings, some set with stones, others letting the metal do the talking. He didn't dare to touch them, even when Azriel carefully turned them in his hands and checked them over.

"This is moonstone and yellow gold," Azriel explained softly as he pointed out one with a row of milky-white stones set in yellow gold. "This is amber. Probably from the beaches of Summer Court…This is white opal," he said as he pointed out another two.

Cassian's gaze kept being pulled back to intricate designs with swirls set in diamonds and some kind of red stone, too dark to be ruby. Azriel followed his gaze.

"You could have the garnets replaced with your siphons," he suggested evenly.

"They can do that?" Cassian asked surprised and Azriel gave a soft smile.

"Of course."

"How did you find this place?" Cassian asked curiously. This wasn't…Azriel had never worn any kind of jewellery. or at least none that Cassian had ever seen…Azriel picked out the comb that Cassian had picked, turning it over in his hands…and for the first time Cassian saw a thin bracelet stretching over his wrist. It was so black that it would would easily sink into the black of his fighting leathers, so of course that would have made sure that Cassian didn't notice it. But right now Az wasn't wearing fighting leathers but a simple dark shirt, and so it stood out more against his skin.

"I know the owner," Azriel answered the question, his voice quiet. His scent changed suddenly, to Cassian's surprise from contentment to happiness.

"Did you ever buy anything from here?" he asked and Azriel hummed.

"Of sorts."

"How can you buy something from sorts?" Cassian wondered. How did that even work?

"If the person doesn't let you pay in money, does that count as buying?" Azriel gave back with a shrug.

What? "How else would you pay?" Cassian asked. How?

"I get a special discount," Azriel told him sagely.

"For what?" Cassian asked and then his jaw dropped when…suddenly it…Was Azriel paying for whatever he bought with sex?

His brother hit him on the back of his head with zero hesitation.

"Not that," Azriel told him drily.

"I didn't say anything!" Cassian snapped.

"It was written all over your face," Azriel replied, rolling his eyes. "I know the owner. That's why I get a special discount."

Fine.

Still, the hair comb was a way better gift than anything that anything he had come up with lately, so he thanked his brother for that.

"Thank you."

"Of course," Azriel responded easily.

Cassian should just really give up trying to figure out who was Azriel's special somebody. He was never going to get it right.