#epigraphed.

the sun was coming up on a new day, when dain aetos finally felt like he could breathe. the fight was over, but that didn’t mean the work was done. he had been running in and out of rooms since the venin retreated, checking on his wing cadets, helping heal whoever needed it, holding people up while they mourned. it was hard, especially knowing that there were cadets unaccounted for, but dain kept his head down and did everything that came with his wingleader title, worrying in silence. late into the evening, while helping second wing’s leader hand out meals to those stuck in the infirmary, a commotion in the courtyard alerted him to the fact that imogen and violet had arrived — violet one ring and title heavier than when she left — and he was running out to check on the scene. he didn’t trust his squads with anyone that he didn’t immediately recognize. anyone could be secretly harboring loyalty to navarre and he wasn’t going to leave anyone alone with people who reported to his father if he could help it. so dain had wrapped arms around both their shoulders and led them away from the questions and towards privacy. for hours he sat with them as imogen mourned a best friend lost, and violet tried to piece together the last twelve hours, where her life was irrevocably changed, and she remembered none of it.  as the sun approached the horizon, the sky turning from black to purple, violet had finally fallen asleep. imogen disappeared to where dain had stashed quinn’s belongings so they would not be offered to malek without her, and dain could finally take a breath. the wingleader had been walking down the hallway toward the flight field when he saw another body. garrick. the two men had passed each other multiple times in the fight, but the last time — the last time dain saw him, garrick had disappeared right before his eyes. a moment that still made him pause, but he wasn’t sure if the lieutenant would confide in him. he wasn’t sure how far the trust dain had started to rebuild with the resistance went. but he had to try. “tavis,” dain said, voice echoing off the brick around them in a way that made him wince as it broke the silence. “you doing alright? haven’t seen you in a few hours. the healers have an open spot if you need to get checked out.”