timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

[ she's not oblivious, to his brief moments of captivation. and she's reminded of nina, on the boat. how kaz's heartbeat and breathing change, when he looks at her. then, it had been frustrating, but now, it's almost . . . sweet.

she arches her eyebrows at that, though. ]

How was the keeper being difficult?

[ she sounds curious -- and she hasn't moved to open the box, not yet. instead, she pushes a glass of water toward him, along with his share of food. ]

Chatty.

[ It's not exactly a sin to be so talkative, it just grinds his gears. He likes to concentrate on his task and get it done with as little chatter as possible. Usually his reticence is met with people matching that energy. But occasionally, it's like his silence invites people to babble at him.

Nerves, maybe. Or in this case, obliviousness.

He takes the glass and food, digging into the latter gratefully. ] She wanted to tell me about her grandchildren and six cats.

[ when he says chatty, inej purses her lips together to prevent a smile from escaping, listening seriously to his complaint of this woman who wanted to chat up a customer. but when he continues about the grandchildren and six cats, inej's eyebrows raise, and she leans back in her chair, looking

well

wholly unimpressed. ]

That sounds horrible.

[ it should be a crime to sound so deadpan. ]

I am sorry you had to experience such a thing.

[ you're being a baby!!!!! ]

[ When he looks up, he can tell she's trying not to laugh. He scowls at this, stabbing his fork into his food. It's stupid. The whole situation had been stupid, being outdone by a grandmother who wanted to talk every second.

Also, it had been embarrassing, getting asked who the hat was for. His face must've said something because the shopkeep had gone down a trail of questioning that he was honestly surprised he didn't blush through. ]

Don't be patronizing. I was there to do business, not hear about Lizabet or whatever she named her cat.

[ oh, he's properly irritated now, and inej watches him stab the fork into his food with an unimpressed amusement. most people fear kaz brekker when he's in a bad mood, but inej has long since learned that kaz is rarely actually in a bad mood. it's when he's actually furious that people should probably duck, but kaz's baseline is generally grumpy, and so inej has learned what lines she can prod and what lines she should avoid.

this one is a line she can toe, because -- well, he's being ridiculous. ]

I'm not being patronizing, I'm serious.

[ as she pokes through her food, seeking out an olive that she can pop into her mouth, amused. ]

Entertaining an old woman's conversation about her beloved cat while you do something for someone else sounds like torture.

[ REAL LIVE TORTURE ]

Should I pay her a visit, to remind her not to slight you again?

[ maybe now she's being patronizing but you're being ridiculous. ]

[ Of course she finds this entire conversation amusing. Honestly, he should've kept his mouth shut.

Though, some of the irritation bleeds off as she teases, turning into begrudging amusement. Because she is right, it's not the worst thing to happen to him today. Even if it certainly felt like it at the time. And he'd rather break another leg before he admits that the worst part wasn't the cats, it was getting asked a hundred questions about who he was courting. ]

Cats, Inej, cats. I'll be honest, I'm not sure she'd be phased.

[ she can tell that he's starting to get over it, and so, clearly, inej decides to keep going: ]

Ah, I will include you in my prayers tonight, so you are protected from such grievances in the future.

[ dryly, as she fishes another olive out of her food to pop it into her mouth. ]

I am certain the Saints will take your pain seriously.

[ at least one of them will. maybe. ]

[ Wow Inej, rude???

He snorts at her comment before taking another bite of his food, now quite past the irritation. Rather, embarrassment that became annoyance. He's not sure why he'd been so defensive about the intrusive questions. Though perhaps defensive hadn't even been the right word—flustered.

It's not like he wants to leave his feelings unacknowledged, like he'd attempted in the past. But giving them voice? Too much.

He'd rather have this; letting Inej needle him over something stupid. ]

They're supposed to be merciful, aren't they?

They are merciful.

[ a correction, as she takes another bite, her tone a little wry. ]

But I think the Saints may side with Lizabet, in this situation.

[ inej includes kaz in her prayers regardless of arguments with old women, but she keeps that to herself. he can simply reap the benefits of protection without knowing where it came from. ]

Of course they'll side with the cats.

[ The creatures are less likely to piss someone off or punch someone in the face, after all. He's aware the Saints are somewhat benevolent spirits. Ethereal beings. Whatever. But he's done quite a bit of terrible things in his life and he doesn't exactly see himself stopping anytime soon. There's a whole Barrel to run and he's gotten this far by being monstrous in a lot of ways.

Perhaps he'll muse on the philosophy of it all later.

He finishes his dinner and stretches his bad leg out, angling his body to the side so he won't kick Inej. The day is catching up and he feels pleasantly tired, as opposed to his usual bone seeping exhaustion. Well, aside from his leg bothering him from the walk. Climbing those stairs hadn't helped, but he really wanted to see that view again. And maybe start putting those little increments of Jordie to rest, years later. ]

You should try the hat on, make sure I didn't get you the newest fashion color—tangerine.

[ she rolls her eyes at the first statement before she, indeed, takes the hat box into her hands, settling it into her lap... though at the word tangerine, inej gives him a skeptical look.

foolishly, she realizes, she didn’t give him any parameters. and as she prices open the box to peer inside, seeing . . . a feather.

a laugh bubbles to the surface as she tugs the hat out into her hands, before promptly putting it on. it looks a little ridiculous, but it suits her all the same, and inej adjusts it carefully before giving Kaz a grin. ]

What do you think?

[ the robin hood of the seas, that’s inej. ]

[ She has every right to be suspicious, he definitely could've gotten her something ridiculous. Though truthfully, she could still probably pull it off.

(He's biased, though).

Her delight when she pulls it out of the box is enough to make him crack a small smile, always enjoying when her face lights up like that. And maybe he's staring a little again as she models it—the only word that comes to mind is cute. But she's attractive even when she's brandishing a knife—or perhaps especially when she does—so perhaps he's a bit skewed. ]

It suits you.

Does it?

[ amused, as she rests her chin in a hand, leaving the hat on. it felt . . . unpractical, and inej had spent the last handful of years trying to vanish and disappear. it felt a little weird, to wear something that deliberately calls attention to yourself, but she supposes that there's a time and place, for hiding. and there's a time and place for a fun hat. ]

I suppose you have to get a passing grade, for your first attempt at taking orders. Points deducted for arguing with an old woman over her cat.

[ :) ]

[ So much suits her. He's thought it before and he thinks it now: she'd look fine in a burlap sack. Saying as much is a bit more difficult, though he finds some phrasing that hopefully doesn't make him look like the lovesick fool he is. ]

Most things do.

[ Well, close enough. ]

I didn't argue with her. That assumes I managed to get a word in amongst the chatter.

[ the comment most things do doesn't escape her notice, and inej's smile becomes a little softer, at that . . . before she rolls her eyes, settling back into her chair. ]

She looks forward to your visits, you know.

[ knowingly; inej knows exactly where kaz buys his stupid hats, having had to go there once or twice or four times. and while she, too, has been greeted to a mess of chatter, it's usually not as bad as it is with kaz. ]

Maybe you reminds her of one of her grandchildren. Or her cats.

[ the cat is more likely, given kaz's penchant of clawing eyes out and hissing, but she'll keep that to herself. ]

Edited 2020-06-07 15:56 (UTC)

I can't imagine why.

[ Aside from being a steady customer, that is. He pays on time, every time, not keen on having any little debt that could choke him later. ]

If I remind her of a grandchild, I almost feel sorry for her. [ Look, he knows he's a difficult personality. At least recently he'd acknowledged it more.

A far cry from when he'd called Inej an investment– he hopes. ]

[ kaz is lucky inej doesn't hold grudges and is a lovely pious girl because being called an investment is probably in his top ten fuck ups.

still, inej gives a sigh before she removes the hat and delicately puts it back in the box, talking as she does so: ]

Maybe it is the cat, then. [ amused, as she puts the top back on the box. ] But thank you, for the hat. Especially in light of the struggle you endured to get it.

[ at least she's grinned a little, at the jib, her nose wrinkling. ]

[ There's a different retort on his tongue but it dies when she grins, her face lighting up. It doesn't even matter that she's laughing at his expense, he would do anything to keep her smiling so much. ]

I'm glad you understand my plight. [ He says instead, faintly amused. This kind of banter he enjoys and misses when she's gone—no one in the Dregs knows him well enough to be so familiar. Anika comes close but she's still too nervous about pissing him off.

He'll hold onto these little moments until he can spend more time with her. Not just these two week stints and then seeing her off for at least a couple months. Silently, he reminds himself to really work on getting the gang to be sustainable without him. ]

OPEN POST 2020.

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