timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

[ the hand moving up and down her back causes her eyes to open slightly, as she feels him pulling away. and she has half a mind to seize him, to keep him close, but she looses her arms around his middle, blinking her eyes fully open before she tilts her head back up to look at him.

she's tempted to brush the hair out of his eyes, or to take his face in her hands. something, to keep him closer. but inej stills her hands and pushes those thoughts aside, to focus on the achievement. the now, because they are truly in no rush. ]

They do.

[ in reference to her saints, pursing her lips together into a smile, and she catches his hands in her own before he pulls away completely, squeezing them gently. ]

And that is fine, I do not have very much.

[ per usual. ]

Thank you.

[ He doesn't exactly want to let her go but he's mindful of the long day she's probably had. And maybe the touch had been a little too much, despite the barrier their clothes provided. Intimate and vulnerable, two things he isn't used to being around anyone, even Inej.

Brevity aside, it's still a step forward. Something he wouldn't have dreamed of doing before she left. Or perhaps that's not quite right– he dreamt of plenty and never took the initiative.

Her hands catch his in a happy squeeze and he returns the gesture before gathering his cane and hobbling towards his room. ]

Of course. [ As if he wouldn't put aside his entire everything to make sure she got what she needed. It's what she deserved.

Stepping into the adjoining room, he automatically starts unbuttoning his vest and tugging his tie loose, a creature of years of ingrained habit. As the knot of his tie slips halfway down, he stops, suddenly and painfully aware he's sharing the space. It shouldn't feel as strange as it does. After all, he's stripped in front of her so many times in the past, unworried by her judgment.

Frankly, he hadn't even been thinking about the impact, then. Another niggling bit of idiocy he's faced with, because now it has an entirely different feel. He frowns, struggling over whether he can keep going as he's done before– why not, why make it into such a big deal?

Except it is, isn't it? His glance darts to Inej, as if he'll find an answer there. ]

[ inej follows him into the room, moving past him easily to access her things, which have been placed neatly on the bed which is now in the corner. she undoes her pack, distracted by fishing out what she needs for the night.

once she's done doing that, inej undoes the buttons on her hooded jacket, shrugging out of it with ease. bare shoulders and a tight lightly padded tank-top cover most of her. and, the loss of the jacket shows a holster with knives tucked against her sides, but she doesn't remove those, just yet.

instead, she focuses on undoing the braid of her hair, threading her fingers through the plait to undo it. she's just about finished letting her hair out of its braid when she feels a sudden . . . stillness in the room.

she glances upward, and her eyes meet kaz's, who also seems to have paused in getting ready for the night.

part of her wants to laugh, because now he seems to have found modesty. the larger part is insulted that he didn't turn around, and that is the part that wins out, in the end. ]

Wall.

[ it's said a bit flatly, quickly gesturing with a free hand, a finger spinning around in a neat circle, indicating he should turn around. and stare at the wall. and she will do the same!!!!

USELESS ]

[ Like a thief caught in the act, he's frozen, watching as Inej's small hands undo the plaits of her braid. She shakes the length of it out and he's mesmerized by the flutter of it, fingers twitching once with the urge to reach over and touch.

And then he feels an embarrassed flush when she tells him to flatly turn around. Because really, that should've been the obvious decision. Instead he'd floundered, mind seemingly empty of anything but panic and the way her hair draped over her shoulder.

Well ok, he's still thinking of that as he promptly turns around to face the wall. Firmly, he pulls his thoughts away from going further, focusing instead on pulling his vest and tie the rest of the way off. Going through the motions helps and soon enough, he's changed into a night shirt and pants, his day clothes tossed into the nearby basket. Anxiously, he runs a hand through his hair and perches on the edge of his bed. ]

[ they're both broken, in their own way. and inej feels a sting of guilt at her sudden reaction, because he (probably) didn't mean any actual harm . . . but the rise and flow of the tides of memories is hard to conquer, in the moment.

now, she has a moment to finish undressing, folding her clothing neatly to place on the floor near her bed, to be washed later. her boots go against the foot of the bed, and inej tugs a loose shirt over her head, along with loose pants, her hair hanging past her shoulders.

once that's done, inej hesitates before crossing the room to take a seat next to kaz on his own bed. not touching, for half a moment, before she rests her head gently on his shoulder.

not saying anything. just a silent apology. ]

[ There's silence as she finishes dressing and he stares up at the ceiling, expecting some sort of verbal signal to say it's ok to turn around. What he gets instead is her slight weight dipping the mattress next to him—a surprise, definitely. She leans her head on his shoulder and he adjusts for it, steady. ]

Don't apologize. [ He knows what she's trying to say in the quiet space between them. Her reaction had been sensible, considering what her past was like, all those men staring like she were some beautiful object. That's the last thing he wants her to feel while she's here.

Carefully, he covers her hand with his, giving it a gentle squeeze. ]

[ she doesn’t bother objecting to his request, because she knows he is right. an apology isn’t required or necessary, but she still allows the silent apology to hang in the air, settling between them as he takes her hand to squeeze it.

she allows her eyes to close, truly relaxing in the moment. it’s about another minute or so before she speaks. ]

I am supposed to bring you to Jesper and Wylan’s for dinner, this weekend.

[ she sounds tired — but in a pleasant way, relaxed and at peace.

and also a delicate change of subject. she doesn’t want to dwell on something negative before she goes to sleep. ]

[ The subject change is welcome. They both understand there's going to be some things to work through—people don't change overnight. ]

That's their way of saying I'm overdue this month, I'm sure. [ It was either pass the message through Inej or Jesper himself would show up in his office to be just enough of a nuisance that he'd agree to visit just to get him to leave him to his work.

Though, he won't admit this aloud, he likes when Jes has visited recently. His usual manic energy has been curbed by his living with Wylan and he feels like they can actually converse. Maybe it had helped to call a spade a spade as well: realizing how much Jesper reminded him of Jordie and putting it to words had cleared up that particular part of their relationship. Even if Jesper isn't necessarily aware of it. ]

They caught you up? [ On their going-ons. He's sure they both had so much to say. ]

[ jesper might have delicately suggested that inej would have an easier time coaxing Kaz to come along rather than jesper’s usual method of badgering Kaz into submission. and when inej didn’t necessarily disagree with his assessment, she had been volunteered to deal with Kaz on this go-around.

some things never change. ]

More or less. [ her tone is laced with amusement. ] Jesper has made progress, with his gift. [ he had offered to sharpen her knives. Inej had politely refused. ] And Jesper caught me up on what has been happening with Van Eck, but the conversation was cut short.

[ wylan thought inej would rather talk about something else, but Inej was fairly certain wylan just needed a reason to move on from the subject. ]

But they are happy. And still have much of their money.

[ miracle of miracles. ]

I shouldn't be surprised that Wylan managed to coerce him into taking lessons. [ But somehow, he is. Kaz has suggested it a few times after he found out and Jesper had always been oddly stubborn.

But then, he supposes, Wylan has a more gentle touch. ]

I can catch you up on the Van Eck trial. It's gone fairly smoothly thus far. [ The evidence had been too damning. Kerch could not ignore money or deals being handled the way Van Eck had attempted to, it went against their entire culture. ]

Another bit of Wylan's doing. He asked me to run some budgeting numbers. Some of it goes to Jesper to speculate on the markets, it keeps him busy and gives him a similar satisfaction as his gambling.

[ Just without the losses that would put him into debt again. Kaz has to admit he's getting good at reading the shifts among said markets, his impulsiveness working well with his intuition. ]

I doubt he wants to leave prison.

[ that would mean looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life for her.

but her lips twitch into a small smile, at the news. jesper is truly finding his way, and his path. it’s a beautiful thing to hear, and a comfort that he’s doing well. despite everything. ]

Wylan is going to single-handedly lower the crime rate in this city just by keeping Jesper busy.

[ what a good kid, honestly. ]

They wanted to walk the city with me, tomorrow. At some point.

[ wylan had suggested inej could drop by whenever she wanted, rather than jesper’s suggestion of showing up first thing in the morning. wylan, it seems, assumed she would want to sleep.

bless him. ]

Hellgate would be safer for him.

[ There are untold horrors in that place, though he doesn't think Van Eck will end up spending his days there. If he did, it would probably be less horrifying than what any of them would do to continue ruining his life. ]

I have a meeting with an informant in the morning, right before noon. [ He leaves off there, giving her the freedom to choose whether she wants to walk with them in the morning so they can spend time together without him or to go later when he could join them. If she decides to go without, he won't be offended— he's become keenly aware he can be difficult more often than not. ]

[ hellgate is indeed the safest place for him. inej likely can’t reach him there. likely.

but at news of the informant, Inej opens her eyes, shifting to lift her head just enough to look at him. they’re perilously close, but Inej doesn’t seem to mind, instead focused on something far more interesting: ]

An informant for what?

[ otherwise known as: Kaz is coming to meet jesper and wylan, but first... ]

Who is it?

[ The tilt of her head does put them very close, but as with all things Kaz Brekker: his mind has turned to business first. Perhaps a good thing in this instance, otherwise he's going to be too distracted by the curve of her mouth. ]

I don't have the time to drop into the pleasure houses any longer. [ It used to be routine for him, going to listen to the matrons or the girls there to get a good idea of what people were doing. Who had come into sudden money and was willing to spend. And once, bringing one of those girls into the Dregs and handing her a knife. ]

Tomorrow, it's Yara, she's been keeping tabs on some things in the White Rose. [ Mainly: who's buying young girls like a creep? ]

[ there’s a slight arch of her eyebrows, at the news. the white rose had been one of the more reputable places in ketterdam, but that meant nothing, to inej. and more importantly... ]

Then I am going, too.

[ without much room for argument.

the city already knew she was back. she may as well put the brothels on notice that the wraith is paying attention, too. ]

Fair warning, she might faint.

[ Though not from fear, which is why his tone takes on an amused color. He's never been very good with flirtatious or romantic overtures or anything related to them—which is probably why he struggles so much to communicate to Inej without pissing her off—but Yara's crush on the famous Wraith had been clear as day. She won't be expecting a visit from them both. ]

Edited (autocorrect why) 2020-05-24 18:33 (UTC)

She is not going to faint.

[ with a roll of her eyes, not impressed with Kaz’s assessment on anything related to crushes or romantic interests. ]

But I can always make myself unseen, if you believe it would make her more comfortable.

[ inej can be scary!!! or something.

whatever yara isn’t going to faint, you’re just being a dick. ]

Swoon, then. [ He grins at her, cheeky. Swooning, fainting, same difference. And truthfully, he can't say he's never felt a bit light headed around Inej. Usually when she's flashing her knives about.

That probably says something about him, doesn't it? ]

No, it'll be fine. She grew up in the Barrel, she won't be too bothered. [ In fact, their first meeting had seen her giving him lip. ] Unless you need the practice. Can't imagine there's too many opportunities to give people a scare from rafters while on a ship.

[ inej has a hard time envisioning anyone swooning over her, and so his cheeky grin is rewarded with a dubious look, followed by a sigh of the exasperated nature. ]

No, I will say hello to her.

[ she won’t use yara as a test subject to keep her skills sharp. she can use dumb merchers for that. ]

It will be good to see her, anyway. And I may have questions that you do not.

[ and this way yara can be spared asking Kaz brekker if the wraith is back. ]

Alright.

[ He's interested you see how it pans out. Both of them are accomplished, though Yara is relatively new. ]

It won't be til late morning, so you'll have a chance to sleep in. [ A sometimes luxury in the Barrel. But she isn't beholden to the Dregs or their constant movements any longer. She could sleep until noon if she wanted.

He tilts his head to regard her, impulsively curling the tip of a hair lock around his finger. In the braid it doesn't seem as long as it truly is, so much of it settled like a sheet around her shoulders.

Hastily, he unwinds the curl, pulling his hand away. ]

I'll be up early to finish the club's numbers. [ So really, he should move away, get in bed. But he likes the lean of her weight against his side and wants to let the moment last a little longer. ]

[ sometimes, she's tempted to cut it. mostly because long hair can be something of a burden, in her line of work. but she has so few things left, from home (her old home), and some things just can't be sacrificed. her faith, for one. and her long hair, that she inherited from her mother, is another.

so she braids it, to keep it out of the way. and really only lets it out of said braid at night.

she doesn't react, when he idly plays with her hair, though she does notice that he hastily pulls it away. too much? or maybe kaz just didn't realize he was doing it. as he seemed relaxed, the second was more likely, and so inej doesn't comment. instead, she just offers him a small smile at the remark that he has to get up early.

truthfully, she's exhausted. the storm had been a few nights of no sleep, and she had been so determined to get to ketterdam that sleep often eluded her. upon arrival, she hadn't really given herself the chance to rest, instead rushing to see her friends -- which she did not regret in the slightest, but it was time to sleep.

such a thing, apparently, that kaz was not willing to suggest first.

gathering her bravery, she turns slightly, to gently rest her forehead against his temple for a moment before moving to stand, shifting her weight to lean away from him. ]

Then you should sleep.

[ or try, anyway. ]

Edited (html wtf) 2020-05-24 21:17 (UTC)

[ The press of her forehead is brief, not nearly enough time for a poor reaction. Already, he misses how close they'd been sitting. It's tempting to ask her to stay but he can see the tiredness on her face, the lines under her eyes deeper than usual.

And honestly, he thinks he could actually rest easier tonight, despite the oddity of sharing his room for the first time in years. Here she's safe, so his mind won't be turning over the worry of her ship sinking or something horrible happening to her while she's out at sea.

He waits until she's climbed into bed to get up, capping off the candles and cracking the bedroom door. The lamp at his side table gets turned down and darkness drapes over the room, only a sliver of moonlight peeking from under the doorway and behind the curtains. Sliding under the covers, he lets out a quiet sigh, content. ]

Good night, Inej.

[ it's a relatively uneventful two weeks. inej tags along with kaz on meetings more often than not (either in person, if it would help, or hidden in the rafters, if it would not). she spends copious amounts of time with jesper and wylan, and she wanders her city without a care in the world.

she collects information. new slaver routes. attempts to avoid her. they'll fail, but inej makes notes of the ones who are brave enough to try. her ship is slowly being repaired, relatively on schedule, and her crew seems happy to wait it out while the wraith is restored to her glory.

it's a cloudy day in ketterdam, as she sits cross-legged on her bed. she's dressed, but in bare feet and a looser top, slowly brushing out her hair. she's finished stretching for the morning, and offering her prayers to the saints. and as an added bonus, she has no real plans today, and she's unsure what kaz is planning on doing for the day. so inej is in no real rush, when it comes to getting ready for the day.

and she has a lot of hair to get through. ]

[ Two weeks pass in something like a blur. He and Inej fall into a rhythm of sorts—not quite like old times but reminiscent of them. She's free to do as she likes now. Which is why it's slightly surprising that she typically goes with on meetings.

But then, he supposes, information is useful, even when she won't be here at the end of the month. Something he's trying not to think about.

Because while those first couple days of sharing his room had been oddly stilted, he's gotten used to it. And it's nice having her in his space. Even if it could be seen as embarrassingly domestic. He can admit to himself he'd be happy doing this all the time and maybe that happiness is a bit more apparent—Anika herself had commented on him scowling less.

It helps there's been hardly any reason for his displeasure. As though the Barrel is behaving itself while Inej is here. Normally the silence precedes bad news, but he hasn't heard a single strange thing as of late. None of the Dregs are commenting on it, preferring to keep up the luck of a quiet couple weeks. The lack of gang interference gives him time to catch up on smaller tasks and to simply enjoy the time he has with Inej.

Like the last hour or so he's spent furtively watching her do morning stretches. He'd fled to the office on the bottom floor the first morning she'd done it, mouth going dry at the sight of her nearly bending herself in half. Since then, he's...adjusted to the sight, though his heartbeat still goes a little funny during.

It's still doing that now, albeit a slightly different skip beat, as she brushes her hair out. There's that familiar twitch in his fingers, always wanting to reach out and comb through it.

This time, he doesn't chicken out. ]

Let me do that. [ Uh. There's a half second delay before: ] Please.

[ she honestly doesn't notice whether kaz is uncomfortable with her morning routine, mostly because she never really thought that it was a mystery to him. she has to be limber and fluid in order to do what she does . . . and past the pragmatic reason behind her schedule, it's calming and soothing. it allows her to be in touch with her body, and herself, and center her focus.

as such, she doesn't find it weird, that kaz doesn't interrupt her, or talk to her during the morning. or leaves her be, to go do something else. but on this morning, he decides to do work in the same general area, and he even talks by . . . suddenly requesting that he brush her hair.

her fingers pause, eyes flickering toward him, surprised by the request. and inej doesn't immediately hand over the brush, instead: ]

You know how to braid hair?

[ she might sound amused. ]

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