Here is what I’ve noticed--and I don’t know if it’s intentional, but I think it’s interesting.
Azriel, as a person, is very static. Unmovable. His very person, his physicality are stable, and mostly devoid of action. What’s he most known for? Standing in the shadows. When people are debating and arguing, he just stands, arms crossed. What do we see most frequently--he is standing in the corner, he is standing by the fireplace, he is maybe sitting, but usually, he stands, somewhere out of sight, or at least do still that sometimes, people don’t even realize that he is around. He stands silently, peering out of windows, or behind someone’s chair.
Even when we think of his ‘action’ scenes they are typically driven by someone else--he goes to Oorid with Nesta and Cassian, because he has to winnow them and not leave them alone. He spars with Cassian and Rhys, because they ask him to. He begins teaching the priestesses, because he is requested to. He is sent to retrieve Feyre and Lucien. He is pestered by Mor to go to Rita’s, which he does, after hundreds of years. He flies Feyre to the Human Lands, because she asked him to carry her. He goes to war and on his missions, because it’s his job (obvious). And so it goes.
There are only a handful of times when he acted unprompted or on his own:
When he offered to teach Feyre to fly. Understanding the difficulties that she’d experience as a novice flier, and relating to those difficulties.
Twice, during the HL meeting--when both Feyre and Mor were insulted. He spoke up directly against Tamlin and then of course jumped on Eris.
And finally, when Rhys prohibited from fighting, and he threatened to fly with a tree on his back.
But there is ONE person with whom all this quiet stasis just disappears.
He lets loose with Elain, doesn’t he?
He approaches her when she is alone, he talks to her through the night, he shows her things, he offers her things--hand, arm, tea, he takes things from her, he orders others to show respect to her, he lounges in front of her. (Ever seen Azriel lounge with anyone? Ever?) He doesn’t wait for anyone to make up their minds and just says ‘I am getting her back’. He donates his siphon for the mission. He arms her with TT. He listens to her when no one else would and asks her questions.
Every single action that he takes with her is out of his own volition.
He is never asked, prompted, requested or required to do anything with Elain. He does it all because he wants to.
Remember when Cassian said ‘I just can’t stay away’ about Nesta.
Azriel just can’t stay away from Elain.
The guys who normally stands like a marble column is a little ball of activity around his girl, making sure that she is cared for in a variety of little ways.
And when he is explicitly told to stay away from her, he answers ‘You can’t order me to do that’.
Coincidence? I think not.
