timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

They already had the foundation in place. [ The size has been mapped out, as well as most of the outer structure. He hadn't seen a point in attempting to downsize it. ]

Or your parents. [ Just. You know. If they wanted to retire in another country.

He leads her up the stairs—wide set, to make the trip up easier without him having to worry about his cane slipping or missing a step—and starts with the couple guest rooms near the top. They're across from each other, both with different beds in them, though one had curtains in the windows and the other didn't. Next is the office, mostly bare aside from built in bookshelves and an austere looking chair tucked in the corner.

Situated at the back of the house (for the view, of course) is a wider room, with no furnishings aside from familiar looking ribbons hanging from a point on the ceiling. There's windows all along two sides, wide set on the lengthier wall. ]

You can see out to the edge of second harbor from here.

[ her parents, living in a house like this. inej is certain her mother would protest, but inej keeps that to herself, though she does squeeze his fingers at the mention.

she would bring her parents to live with her when they were ready to do so. hopefully sooner, rather than later, given the state of ravka.

but it's the back of the house, with the massive room and the windows overlooking to the harbor. it's enough to make her breath catch, and inej is about to ask what this room is going to be when she catches sight of the ribbons.

she lets go of his hand to move closer to the center of the room, reaching out to touch the ribbons. and her heart swells, a grin appearing as she tugs on them once, to assure they're properly anchored. ]

It's perfect.

[ finally. ]

Suli-made, so they should live up to your expectations.

[ He had to jump through some hoops to acquire them, but he hadn't wanted to go to a Kerch seamstress or anything. They had to be done right, down to the length and texture—his memory was good but he hadn't been sure about describing these to someone outside the Suli. ]

There's another room across the way and two more at the end of the other hallway. I wasn't sure what to do with them, so there isn't much to see. [ Between some of the rooms, there's a couple bathrooms, also relatively bare aside from the necessary fixtures. ]

[ her fingers entangle in the ribbon, and she's tempted to test them out . . . but she's still wearing shoes and her outfit isn't really built for the acrobatics required of the ribbons.

instead, she moves back to standing in front of him, and without saying another word, she tugs him into a gentle kiss.

the last eight months had been difficult, and inej had been slowly organizing her work into operating without her for a long period of time . . . building a network in ketterdam to be the central hub of anti-slavery work, to afford her a break, and time to be here. but she had always wondered what that would look like, and where she would stay, and what life would be, staying in one spot.

but kaz, as usual, had an answer and a plan for everything. ]

[ She seems to be tempted to climb into the ribbons, her face thoughtful. He can't blame her, especially not after he'd seen first hand how much she enjoyed the practice. There's been something freeing about it.

Of course, he isn't going to complain when she steps over and pulls him into a soft kiss. Well, it starts that way until he leans into it some more, his hand coming to rest at the back of her neck.

Ghezen, he missed this, missed her. He always does when she's gone, but this had been one of her longer stints away. On particularly bad nights, he'd wake up in the morning to find himself curled around one of his pillows, as though it could be any kind of stand in.

(It can't, obviously). ]

[ she hums to herself, grinning just enough into the kiss to be felt . . . and she can tell that he wants more closeness, but she pulls away just enough to open her eyes, looking up at him with a warm grin, shifting her hands to his face. ]

I missed you.

[ she's said it about twenty times since returning, stealing through his window late one night, but she feels the need to say it again, running her thumbs over his cheeks thoughtfully.

and, because she realizes she hasn't said probably the most important thing to say after you are given a house: ]

Thank you.

[ He definitely wants more, especially as she moves her hands to his face. There's still things to do—like moving things over, unpacking, something about dinner—but he's incredibly tempted to drag her to bed for a nap. It doesn't matter that she's shared his bed in the Slat, it hasn't made up for the months away.

(Truthfully, it'll never be enough, he just likes being close to her). ]

I missed you too. [ As communication could be spotty, he'd worried at a few points when he hadn't heard from her in a while. ] You can thank me by helping pick out furniture.

[ He's not doing all of that by himself!!! ]

[ the comment earns a laugh and she presses her lips against his again, for a brief kiss. ]

I can pick out furniture. [ how one does that, inej has no idea, but she’ll do her best. ] After a bath, and dinner. And sleep.

[ that seems to be a good order of priority. ]

Have you slept in the bed yet?

That's a plan. [ A good one, since she can soak in the tub. He knows how tense she can get just by virtue of the work she does. The hot water should help for the most part. Because yes, he definitely had that installed. Ever since staying at the Geldrunner, he'd made it a point to have that kind of piping in all his buildings. Putting it into the Slat had possibly been the most expensive, purely because of the size and old construction, but it's been worth it. ]

I laid in it to be sure it was comfortable, but I haven't stayed. [ On some days of long overhauls, he'd been tempted. But the thought of being in an empty house that was supposed to be hers had been too much to stomach. Instead, he'd ended up at the Van Eck residence—after Jes had found out—when he stayed too late and didn't want to walk back to the Barrel. ]

We can break it in. [ Oh. As soon as the words leave his mouth he pauses, realizing what it sounds like. He'd meant sleeping but. Hm. Well, he isn't taking them back. ]

[ her eyebrows shoot up, at his comment, her mouth opening into a short laugh, because how forward. but it's quickly apparent by the look on his face that he hadn't meant it in such a salacious way.

their journey to intimacy had been rough, to say the least. and honestly, it will probably always be a work in progress. there are good days, and there are bad days. which is fine. and it's that knowledge that sort of leads her to believe there is no way kaz brekker would be so blunt.

though inej is pretty sure he wouldn't argue if she agreed.

so she grins a little, running her thumbs over his cheeks again before moving her hands from his face to run down his arms, catching his hand in one of her own, squeezing his fingers. ]

I think the only good way to figure out if it's comfortable is to sleep in it.

[ amused, as she tugs on his hands. ]

We have a few hours before dinner, don't we?

[ Her laugh causes him to flush, just a bit, feeling caught out even though she seems to have understood what he was going for.

And it's not like they're exactly new to being more intimate. They've had time to work on it. Some days are great, approaching completely "normal". Other days the most they can do is hug or hold hands. They both used to have days where they couldn't even do that for more than a few minutes at a time before needing plenty of space.

So, progress. ]

Give or take. How long do you want to soak in that tub? [ His fingers squeeze hers back, following her short tug to start heading back towards the downstairs. ]

[ there's a hum, as she thinks, moving down the staircase (her staircase) into the foyer properly. it takes her half a second to remember which way the bedroom is, but she soon makes her way in that direction. ]

Not sure.

[ thoughtfully. ]

Maybe an hour. Or two.

[ it looked like a really big tub, so the sky is the limit. ]

[ Going into the bedroom, he settles on the side of the mattress, using their still linked hands to tug her closer. ]

Can I convince you of a nap beforehand? [ He loops his arms around her middle, turning his head to press his cheek to her sternum. ] Or after, I suppose I'm not picky.

[ Kaz pls you're the pickiest human ever. ]

[ for someone who isn't picky, he's certainly made himself comfortable. and inej laughs to herself before gently brushing his hair back, amused. ]

I think you've made up your mind already, but I have to take off my coat and shoes.

[ she won't torture him by sitting here by himself for an hour when he clearly just wants to be close to her. ]

[ He lets out a slow sigh when she brushes his hair back, the gesture somehow always comforting. With reluctance, despite knowing they both need to shed a few pieces of clothing, he lets her go. ]

I guess you have a point. [ Amusement colors his voice as he reaches out to lean his cane against one of the side tables. When she goes to shed her jacket, he unties his shoes and tucks them under the bed frame. His own coat is shrugged off and he gets up to hang it on a nearby hook. Next is the vest and tie, all set on the same spot for now. He folds up his sleeves to the elbow and unclips his watch, setting it on the stand where his cane is. ]

[ she lets him get ready while she crosses to the other side of the bed, shrugging out of her coat easily. she notices hooks and hangs up her coat while getting rid of her shoes.

she then takes the next step of quickly undoing her hair, shaking it out. much more comfortable to sleep without the braid than with it in.

soon, she tugs the comforter back and slips into the bed easily. and once she sinks into the mattress, she exhales slowly. it's soft, and the sheets cool, the pillows fluffed perfectly.

and she just sort of

lays there.

soaking up the feeling. ]

[ Kaz pulls back the covers on his side and lies down, echoing the sigh she's just exhaled. Turning over, he lays on his stomach, loosely curling an arm around her middle.

And just like that, it sinks in. They have a house together, with no one else. No more hearing the occasional shout or noise from three floors down. Or the general noises from out on the street, when his window is open. This area tends to be quieter, the houses spread apart for privacy.

They can decorate and repaint and start actually having things, not having to worry about a lack of space. He doubts either of them will be the type to want much, but the possibility is there.

There's also the relieving fact he won't have to go up three flights of stairs just to share a bed with her. Though he doesn't intend to give up the attic just yet, it won't see nearly as much use when she's in town. ]

Hey. [ He murmurs, moving his hand to her stomach, thumb idly stroking along the dip of it. ]

[ her attention is drawn to the arm across her middle, and she turns slightly to watch him relax into the bed, his hand resting on her midsection. and she watches him for a moment in silence, barely catching the murmured hey as she runs her fingers along his forearm, thoughtful.

her mind wanders to the same conclusions. it's quiet, here. no clattering or shouting. it's peaceful. serene. and hers, though that part is still sinking in. the reality of the situation will probably make itself more known in the morning.

kaz already looks ready to fall asleep, and inej is loathe to prevent that from happening, but she responds with: ]

Hi.

[ warmly, just as quiet. ]

[ It really is comfortable. Not only the mattress, sheets, and pillows. But having Inej close, sensing the weight of her on the other side of the bed. When she isn't around, the emptiness leaves an imbalance; he ends up sleeping towards the middle of his bed because of it.

Well, it's likely he'll still roll towards her, because they tend to gravitate towards each other. That's different.

Tilting his chin a bit, he meets her gaze, not even hesitating before: ] I love you.

[ the words cause an immediate upward tug of her lips, her fingers still drawing meaningless designs into his arm, eyes bright. ]

I love you, too.

[ it's said softly, feeling peaceful. and she remains where she is, watching him peacefully before she continues, still quiet. ]

I wanted to come back sooner.

[ but she had gotten into a situation that required more attention that she had previously thought; a slaver line that was far more entrenched than her information had intended her to believe. it had required sailing further north west, and then the weather had kept them stuck for a time. ]

[ She returns the sentiment and he smiles, part of it disappearing from where his cheek is pressed to the pillow. Most of it reflects around his eyes anyway, their shape curving with it.

Not for the first time he thinks: I could do this for the rest of my life.

And there might be some plans for something more official. Maybe. Ghezen knows Nina and Jesper are somewhere in the realm of exasperated with him since he hasn't said a word about getting married. Nina in particular seems to think it will never happen.

It will, just. Eventually. With a plan in place. ]

I know. Neither the ocean nor do the slavers rest. [ It's out of their control. Chasing the slavers is a choice but he knows she won't simply let one wriggle out from under her gaze simply because she wants to come back. And he can't disagree with it, knowing each time people are a little safer without them on the sea. ]

[ she hums to herself in agreement, running her palm along his forearm. it's true; allowing one to escape only makes them think they can defeat her at her own game, and that's inexcusable.

but as she soaks up the feeling of the mattress and kaz's hand on her stomach, she lets her eyes closed . . . though she continues to speak. ]

I'm actually in need of someone to help me with something.

[ lazily. ]

I want to create a base of operations in Ketterdam. So I can organize multiple ships to go out to sea, and I can stay to oversee the flow of information. But I know nothing about running anything like that, or where to begin learning.

[ her fingers run a line along his arm. ]

Do you know anyone?

[ It takes a second to sink in, what she's asking to do. And what it means for her usual travel schedule, which could be erratic. Sometimes she stopped in for a few days, long enough to resupply and head back out, knowing they were close to the trail of a slaver ship. Other times, she would plan ahead of time to stay for a bit—though that definitely took a lot of planning. For them both, when he would return the favor and go sailing with her.

This would still take a lot of work to set up and plan, but it implied a longer stay and he moves, propping himself up on one elbow to get a better look at her face. As if he thought she wasn't serious (she is, he could tell by her tone). ]

I might know someone. [ He says, finally, expression painted close to disbelief. ]

[ she can feel his weight shift, and she blinks her eyes open to see him watching her, propped up on an elbow. and inej surveys him for a moment before she pushes herself up onto her elbows, a grin beginning to appear. ]

Do you think they would help me?

[ a little coyly, her hair falling over her shoulders, amused. ]

I don't know if they know this, but I am rich, and can pay whatever their services are worth. [ and she inclines her head toward the bedframe. ] And I have a manor for collateral.

Hmm, not sure.

[ Two can play the coy game. ] I don't think they're pressed for money. And somehow, I doubt they'd need to collect on collateral.

[ His brow furrows, as he seems to consider the entire thing. It's the scheming face, naturally, it's reflexive at this point. There are a few stray thoughts filtering in beyond his initial surprise—how much crew she'll need, who will be in charge, docking paperwork and registrations for the newer ships.

Details for later. ] I have it on good authority they'll do it if you ask nice.

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