Ah, yes. [ in a knowing tone, as she shifts to sit cross-legged, resting her hands in her lap. ] There is also the overdramatic coat and the ridiculous hat.
[ can't possibly forget those things. she leans back a little, to rest a shoulder against one of the crooked chimneys sticking out of the roof. it's not on, or warm. who knows if it even still works. and her gaze turns back to the city, which has a quiet hush over it, now. it must be nearly two or three in the morning.
even so, the lights on the menagerie still flicker.
she lets the silence hang between them for a moment, comfortable as inej watches windows continue to darken, the night growing too late for even the night life of the barrel. the brothels tend to stay lit the longest; these were prime hours, for people like heleen.
monsters move better in the dark. ]
I am glad I met you.
[ it's said without thinking, a tiny blip of quiet honesty, spoken where no one else can hear it, on the rooftops. ]
Overdramatic? I'm only mirroring our esteemed merchants.
[ The great businessmen of Kerch. A bunch of thieves, just like the gangs that run rampant in the Barrel. He finds it particularly amusing.
There's also the added bonus of it allowing him to be bundled up. Sure, he might get questioning stares when he's wearing a suit into the humid summer, but it's less judgment or questions than if he were to don long sleeves and trousers all year round. At least this is part of a specific look. One that keeps him from brushing against anyone's skin as much as possible.
A comfortable silence settles between them and for a bit, he continues picking at his food, watching the lanterns dim and the candles go out in the windows of the Barrel. West Stave is still in a full swing, a riot of lights in a darkened city.
Inej breaks the quiet, just a bit, her voice barely heard. I'm glad I met you. He doesn't know what to do with that information. This isn't what he'd good with: reciprocating feelings. That soft farm boy filters in, eager to say he feels the same way. He crushes that impulse. It has no place here.
Because while he understands her sentiment, he doesn't want it. It fills him with a spike of dread; she's too good to be here. To good to be associating with someone like him. She should be flying high above the rest of them with nice clothes and shoes, with a future that doesn't involve slitting throats. ]
You say that now.
[ It's been almost two years since he'd gotten her out of the Menagerie. But he's still capable of doing something monstrous enough to drive her away. ]
[ it isn't said firmly, or with a tone. just a simple statement of fact, as she watches the lights of ketterdam flicker. though she doesn't seem to be keen to press the point, unwilling to get into an argument over something as silly as being glad she met him.
inej imagines few people think that, about kaz brekker. most people who meet him would probably rather have never done so in the first place.
still, she unfolds her legs, stretching them out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. her toes nearly reach the edge of the roof, something inej doesn't seem bothered by. she isn't afraid of much. ]
We should probably get some sleep, before the watch decides to come tear apart the Barrel in the morning.
[ as she glances over at kaz, arching her eyebrows a little. ]
[ She says it's true and the most frightening thing is that he believes her. The circumstances in which they met were very different from how he usually encountered people. Especially since he'd gone out of his way to have Haskell buy out her contract.
Him visiting the Menagerie on that particular day had been a saving grace for her, despite everything that followed. But if she died here in the Barrel, at least it was more on her own terms and not because Heleen decided she had no use for her.
He doesn't respond. Doesn't know how, really. Not in a way that continues the face of Kaz Brekker and not the boy he'd let drown in the harbor. She solves it for him, moving onto the next subject. ]
There's a loose board in my room.
[ It'd be easy to pry up and stash. The watch would be hard pressed to go that far in their search. That would take manpower they didn't have. ]
[ she makes a soft noise of agreement before she rises to her feet, dusting off her pants with a hand before picking her way across the tiles, to his general direction.
as always, she offers him a hand up, even though she knows he's rare to take it, bracing her weight and keeping her balance evenly on the crooked roof tiles. ]
Coming in, then?
[ with a small smile, inclining her head toward the entrance into the attic just behind them. ]
[ He watches her stand, the motion more graceful than it has any right to be. She carries that same poise as she picks her way over the shingles, easily avoiding the loosened ones.
When she offers him a hand up, he doesn't take it (as usual), choosing to use his cane as leverage up instead. He folds up and carries his leftovers back in with his other hand, going ahead of her at he gesture. He knows she doesn't like it when there's someone at her back. It's not like he particularly enjoys it either, but she had too many men come up behind her, trapping her where she stood.
Kaz thinks he can live with a bit of discomfort if it means she won't freeze up in fear. ]
No jobs tomorrow, aside from regular duties. [ He says as they step back into his room. Doubtful he'll sleep much, but they both have leave to. Haskell isn't expecting him at the club until later in the afternoon. ]
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[ can't possibly forget those things. she leans back a little, to rest a shoulder against one of the crooked chimneys sticking out of the roof. it's not on, or warm. who knows if it even still works. and her gaze turns back to the city, which has a quiet hush over it, now. it must be nearly two or three in the morning.
even so, the lights on the menagerie still flicker.
she lets the silence hang between them for a moment, comfortable as inej watches windows continue to darken, the night growing too late for even the night life of the barrel. the brothels tend to stay lit the longest; these were prime hours, for people like heleen.
monsters move better in the dark. ]
I am glad I met you.
[ it's said without thinking, a tiny blip of quiet honesty, spoken where no one else can hear it, on the rooftops. ]
no subject
[ The great businessmen of Kerch. A bunch of thieves, just like the gangs that run rampant in the Barrel. He finds it particularly amusing.
There's also the added bonus of it allowing him to be bundled up. Sure, he might get questioning stares when he's wearing a suit into the humid summer, but it's less judgment or questions than if he were to don long sleeves and trousers all year round. At least this is part of a specific look. One that keeps him from brushing against anyone's skin as much as possible.
A comfortable silence settles between them and for a bit, he continues picking at his food, watching the lanterns dim and the candles go out in the windows of the Barrel. West Stave is still in a full swing, a riot of lights in a darkened city.
Inej breaks the quiet, just a bit, her voice barely heard. I'm glad I met you. He doesn't know what to do with that information. This isn't what he'd good with: reciprocating feelings. That soft farm boy filters in, eager to say he feels the same way. He crushes that impulse. It has no place here.
Because while he understands her sentiment, he doesn't want it. It fills him with a spike of dread; she's too good to be here. To good to be associating with someone like him. She should be flying high above the rest of them with nice clothes and shoes, with a future that doesn't involve slitting throats. ]
You say that now.
[ It's been almost two years since he'd gotten her out of the Menagerie. But he's still capable of doing something monstrous enough to drive her away. ]
no subject
[ it isn't said firmly, or with a tone. just a simple statement of fact, as she watches the lights of ketterdam flicker. though she doesn't seem to be keen to press the point, unwilling to get into an argument over something as silly as being glad she met him.
inej imagines few people think that, about kaz brekker. most people who meet him would probably rather have never done so in the first place.
still, she unfolds her legs, stretching them out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles. her toes nearly reach the edge of the roof, something inej doesn't seem bothered by. she isn't afraid of much. ]
We should probably get some sleep, before the watch decides to come tear apart the Barrel in the morning.
[ as she glances over at kaz, arching her eyebrows a little. ]
Where should we hide the painting?
no subject
Him visiting the Menagerie on that particular day had been a saving grace for her, despite everything that followed. But if she died here in the Barrel, at least it was more on her own terms and not because Heleen decided she had no use for her.
He doesn't respond. Doesn't know how, really. Not in a way that continues the face of Kaz Brekker and not the boy he'd let drown in the harbor. She solves it for him, moving onto the next subject. ]
There's a loose board in my room.
[ It'd be easy to pry up and stash. The watch would be hard pressed to go that far in their search. That would take manpower they didn't have. ]
no subject
as always, she offers him a hand up, even though she knows he's rare to take it, bracing her weight and keeping her balance evenly on the crooked roof tiles. ]
Coming in, then?
[ with a small smile, inclining her head toward the entrance into the attic just behind them. ]
no subject
When she offers him a hand up, he doesn't take it (as usual), choosing to use his cane as leverage up instead. He folds up and carries his leftovers back in with his other hand, going ahead of her at he gesture. He knows she doesn't like it when there's someone at her back. It's not like he particularly enjoys it either, but she had too many men come up behind her, trapping her where she stood.
Kaz thinks he can live with a bit of discomfort if it means she won't freeze up in fear. ]
No jobs tomorrow, aside from regular duties. [ He says as they step back into his room. Doubtful he'll sleep much, but they both have leave to. Haskell isn't expecting him at the club until later in the afternoon. ]