timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

They are not exactly sweet noodles, but that is the closest thing I can think of to describe them.

[ somewhat apologetically, her steps slowing as they move toward a small little shop. the air is brisk, but it is a nice day outside . . . and the tables outside are scattered with people taking advantage of the sunshine. and as inej reads the menu posted outside, she raises a finger to point in the window, toward some displays of blini, to entice people inside. ]

Those are blini. Or fake displays of blini.

[ either way, an example. and, after glancing inside, she looks up at kaz, arching her eyebrows. ]

Do you want me to order?

[ her ravkan is (way) better than his. ]

I'll find out while we're here. [ About the taste of those noodles. It had started as a curiosity and now it's a given that they'll figure out some way to get a version.

He's torn out of thoughts on how to methodically check by Inej as she comes to a slow and stop in front of a little cafe. There's a menu posted outside but he can't read any of it. Thankfully, she points out the displays in the window, which he turns to, immediately amending his mental image. Definitely not a cupcake. ]

Yes, otherwise I'm going to accidentally call someone a dog. [ He turns away from the window, glancing back to her. ] I trust your judgment, they all look good.

[ there's an upward curve of her lips at calling someone a dog before she squeezes his fingers, letting go to duck inside the shop to order, leaving kaz outside.

it's . . . odd, being back in ravka. the language flows easily, and inej feels for a moment like she never left, as she orders a couple different flavors of blini, plus coffee. it was in a port city much like this that she was initially taken by slavers . . . and inej had considered returning to os kervo with kaz, but she hadn't wanted to risk the sudden resurgence of memory.

maybe one day. but not this day, on a break, enjoying his company.

after a few minutes of waiting and coin exchanged, inej reappears outside with a tray of food and coffee, a warm smile in place before she inclines her head toward a near table. ]

Is that okay?

[ the blini smells delicious, and now that she has food, inej has realized just how hungry she actually is. ]

[ When she goes in to order, he steps off to the side, leaning against part of the low iron fencing that divides the cafe space from the street. He ends up watching people go by, letting their chatter wash over him. There's something nice about not knowing what they're saying—he isn't tempted to follow the mental cycle or to consider their motives. ]

After you. [ He gestures and follows after, pulling out a chair for her at the table. Once she's settled, he peels off his coat and drapes it over the back of his seat, sitting down at an angle so he can stretch out his leg. The first thing he picks up is the coffee, which is strong enough to smell from the tabletop. None of the watered down kind that ends up served in the Barrel. ]

Seems like this could wake the dead.

[ what a gentleman, inej thinks to herself, amused as she takes her seat. but she scoots the chair over a little, so she can people-watch the streets with him, seated next to him. and once she does that, she offers a quiet grin, at his comment about the coffee. ]

Ravkans enjoy their coffee. I believe it is considered an artform.

[ it's appreciative, as inej doles out the food. and while she does want coffee, her focus is on the blini . . . and she selects one with a dollop of cream and some type of smoked fish, rolling it up neatly to eat with her hands. and at the first bite, there's a tenuous moment where inej chews once, before closing her eyes in something of a bliss.

she hadn't realized how much she had missed the comforts of home (as close as ravka is to home) until she no longer had them in ketterdam. ]

[ It's nice, having her sitting so close, the both of them poised to people-watch with ease. He takes a sip of the coffee, eyebrows lifting a fraction at the strong taste—she's right, they do seem to take it quite seriously. Another sip and he watches her roll up the food over the rim, smiling a bit when she closes her eyes after taking a bite.

Well, if that isn't convincing as to the quality of food, he doesn't know what is.

Setting his cup down, he picks out one with strawberries, rolling it in the same fashion and taking a bite; it's fresh, the berries themselves sweet. Definitely right up there with waffles. ]

Maybe I should look at coffee imports, then.

You should.

[ amused, as she takes another bite of the blini, opening her eyes to take a look at the street for a moment before shifting her eyes to watch kaz take a bite of the blini, to sip his coffee.

he looks so different. at ease, and calm. comfortable, and content. and for a moment, inej just watches him with a small smile, her fingers curled around her cup of coffee.

she had spent so long envisioning what their life could be like that it's hard to believe that it's within her grasp. ]

[ As usual, his mind has already latched onto the idea and he idly turns over the logistics as he eats and watches some businessman book it down the street. It's an impressive feat as he dodges through the crowd, though he has a near miss with a lady carrying her groceries.

His attention is pulled away as he feels Inej's eyes on him and he glances at her, tilting his head in question. ]

Is there something on my face?

[ ah, caught. though she can tell that his mind had wandered to a plan, with his specific scheming face. so distracting him back to the present is really only for the best. ]

No.

[ as she takes a sip of her coffee, still watching him, eyes warm, fingers curled around the steaming cup. ]

Just watching you.

[ Her answer surprises him in a strange way. She always an observer– that's part of what makes her the wraith. But to have that attention specifically on him is...flattering? And also makes him self conscious.

Which means he has to cover the initial embarrassment somehow. Because what does one say to that? ]

Any astute observations?

[ she settles back into her chair with a thoughtful look, pursing her lips together. ]

You are thinking of something. Probably how to import coffee from Ravka to Ketterdam at a profit without investing a large amount of money.

[ but that's easy, as she takes another sip of her coffee. ]

You are enjoying yourself. Your shoulders are more relaxed, and your posture is less rigid. You are enjoying your food instead of eating it for the sake of eating it. You are clenching your teeth less; your jaw is more relaxed.

[ she pauses before raising her coffee to her lips, lips curving into a faint smile. ]

And your coffee is too hot; you have not touched it since your first sip.

[ She leans back and he knows he's in for something like a list. And she doesn't disappoint, though he feels that same strange mix of both embarrassment and flattery. Though there is something warm that spread through him because she's the only one who could be so accurate about him.

He shifts in his seat, angling his body towards her a bit more, watching her face. There's a faint smile on her mouth and he wants nothing more, in this moment, to kiss the curve. ]

How about now?

[ her eyebrows arch slightly at the adjustment of his posture, how his eyes search her face. and for a moment, inej almost points out that she can’t just pull observations out of nothing like a fortune teller wearing a jackal mask... but her brow furrows, as she really pays attention.

he is watching her. as he does sometimes, when they have conversations. but this is a little different. his eyes aren’t necessarily meeting hers, but are flickering down. watching her jawline, maybe? or... no, that doesn’t seem right.

it’s rare that Inej doesn’t see something, but this seems to be one of those times. but just as inej is about to tell him so, it suddenly hits her that his eyes aren’t drawn to her jaw, but her mouth.

ah.

her lips twitch, and inej sets her cup down, though her hands are still curved around it. ]

I wouldn’t want to make you blush again.

[ amused. ]

Edited (HTML!!!) 2020-06-21 02:41 (UTC)

[ As always, he knows she'll come to the right conclusion. This might be slightly more difficult. Maybe. He has no idea what his expression says right now; it feels like it's somewhat neutral.

Though he can't stop mirroring the little smile she gets when she finally figures it out. ]

Try me.

[ kaz has certain tells that inej is certain only she knows, but even he fools her, with the purposeful lies he can tell, the stories he can spin. he nearly did when kaz spun the tale of burying pekka's child alive. he's very convincing, when he wants to be.

but in normal conversations that aren't with pekka rollins, inej can tell when kaz can be pushed, and when it is a useless battle. when she can delicately nudge him in the right direction, or when she has to all but drag him, kicking and screaming, toward the right choice. she can tell when he's listening, and when he's pretending to listen, and when he wants nothing to do with the conversation anymore -- because those are three different twitches in his cheek, as he holds his tongue between his teeth.

now, though, the reason why it takes so long to figure out what she can normally collect in an instant is because she's genuinely surprised that he's thinking of her. and inej dwells on that thought for a moment, allowing it to settle around her shoulders before she closes the space between them, to press her lips against his cheek briefly before returning to her coffee, sipping it gently. ]

Maybe later.

[ xo ]

[ They've both become rather adept in speaking each other's language. The silent kind, like the minute changes in her expression when she'd annoyed with him, or when she's turning an idea over in her head. It's how he'd known her tell, in the hotel when she'd asked.

She hadn't figured out his, though he thinks now she might be able to. Now that he's showing, in fits and starts, how often he does think of her. Even if those thoughts are fleeting. Which, being in such close proximity nearly all day, she's more of a constant than anything else. What's more is he's grown to like it. The day in and day out, spending time and chatting about nothing in particular. He can already tell he's going to miss it when he's back in Ketterdam, back to his desk and schemes and running a gang without her nearby.

So he's going to soak up what he can. Like the gentle kiss to his cheek, making his smile widen by a fraction.

Maybe he should be more worried that it happened so out in the open but he can't find it in him to care. ]

Just maybe? [ Naturally, he's a pest for details. ]

[ she arches her eyebrows at his perceived impatience, allowing her own smile to widen a little in return over the rim of her coffee cup. ]

Patience is a virtue.

[ and inej tilts her head toward the rest of the blini.

they should probably get through breakfast before kaz has her waltzing down a road past the point of no return and distraction. ]

[ He huffs a laugh at her response, though he concedes to her overall point. It's still breakfast; they have plenty of the day left.

That doesn't stop him from being a little bit of a brat. ]

Preaching patience to a Barrel rat? [ He says, folding over another blini. ] You'd have better luck singing the birds out of trees.

[ But then, she probably could. The crows on his windowsill are practically hers, after all. ]

And you are asking for haste of a spider.

[ an easy retort, as she sets down her coffee to select another blini -- this one with fruit -- picking it up carefully. ]

You should know by now that impatience means you lose your prey.

[ like you, sir. ]

I think you can survive until at least dinner.

[ It's true that he knows the importance of waiting. Of being careful and relying on observation before making any moves. After all, it's how he's gotten this far, how he's managed to stay ahead of the game.

Her words have his eyebrows lifting as he eats his blini. Pretty sure no one in recent memory has thought of him as prey. Maybe Van Eck, but that had been his mistake. A mistake, all around.

And he knows that being considered such a thing by anyone else wouldn't send a slow slither of interest down his spine. ]

I'm already stuck in a certain web. [ If they're going to be using analogies. He's keen to watch it all unfold; the rest of the day, the both of them without responsibility. Though undoubtedly he's curious to see what she'll do, later. ]

[ inej actually has no idea what she's going to do to make him blush, mostly because she hadn't expected him to challenge her to do much of anything.

she's now realizing she should probably think of something. -- well, she has all day. ]

I think you will survive.

[ wryly, popping the rest of her blini into her mouth, chewing slowly to soak up all the flavors. and once she's finished, and swallows, she says: ]

You have done as much so far. [ and inej scoots her chair a little closer, so her leg bumps into his (good one), resting her leg against him as she looks out onto the street. ] Should we move farther into the city, after we are finished eating?

This is more than surviving.

[ He knows what she means, but the tonal change is...well, he needs to say it. Surviving had been every hour of every day thinking about how he was going to get through. How he was going to take out Rollins and make him pay dearly for everything. It had been an existence and not much else, as he's rapidly finding out. There's more to life than revenge; though he doesn't regret the time spent getting it.

Because it's all brought him here, eating blini with Inej's leg pressed up against his own. Away from business and responsibility for the first time since he'd left Lij. He finishes eating his blini and brushes his fingers off, settling a palm on her knee. ]

Might as well. This place is bigger than it first looked.

[ this is more than surviving causes a moment of pause, and she watches kaz for a moment as he places his hand on her knee. and the simple sentence strikes a chord in her, because she, too, has been doing nothing but surviving. from one day to the next. from one payment on her debt to the next. and finally, she can pursue life.

life means the seas, and setting people free. life means the ability to defend herself, and obtain justice. life means inej ghafa walking through ketterdam unafraid, while tante haleen scrapes together coin for food. but life also means sitting at this nameless cafe with kaz, eating blini and drinking coffee and talking about their plans for the day.

so when kaz turns to her, and says that they might as well explore, inej leans forward to press her lips against his, in a soft kiss. and once that is done, her cheeks slightly pink (because it is in public), she says: ]

I think there are more shops further down the street, here.

[ She's silent for a few moments and he takes that time to sip his (now cooled) coffee. It's good to have something that isn't watered down. To have coffee that isn't just there to drink down as quickly as possible.

Then again, that seems to be a theme being here. They can just enjoy their time without worrying about having to be somewhere or abide by any timetable aside from their own.

And he's definitely enjoying this sudden turn of affection. First the kiss to his cheek and now the one she presses to his mouth, a soft brush. He looks at her in a bit of surprise, head tilted as if to ask: what for? ]

Plan on adding to your knife collection?

It is not a collection.

[ only slightly put out, by the phrasing, as inej settles back into her chair, only offering him a small smile, at his questioning look.

maybe she can tell him later tonight, in private, what this means to her. but such things aren't supposed to be said in public, so he will have to be patient. ]

I use all of them.

[ as if that makes a difference. ]

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