ketterdamn: (what)

tattoos

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-12-30 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Two weeks have passed since that first day he'd spent training Inej in the Slat's basement. Their schedule since then has been somewhat erratic, solely because of Dregs business, but they've met nearly every day. Twice, he met her in the early morning, around eight bells, having been too full of mental energy that he hadn't slept.

Since then, though, she seems to have slowly integrated. The Dregs finally broke, curiosity outweighing some of their fear, and a few of them had introduced themselves over meals. Whenever she wasn't shadowing his steps, Jesper seemed to take over and keep her company, doing what he was best at: making friends. He chatted and joked, attempting to make her laugh to try and break the tension that had been permeating since she'd arrived.

It's been working, mostly. The tension breaking. And he thinks he might've seen a smile or two from her.

Either way, it's apparent that something has to go sideways, because that was the nature of things that seemed to be going too well. Jesper had come hurrying into the club, expression pinched, to tell him Inej and Per Haskell had an argument loud enough for the entire Slat to hear. And that no, he hasn't talked to Inej, because apparently she fled to the roof.

Kaz pulls rank and gets someone to cover his shift, heading to the Slat to do as much damage control as possible. Per Haskell won't want to see him right now, not if he's heated, so he skips that visit and goes directly up the three flights of stairs and carefully out onto the roof. ]


You've got guts, I'll give you that.
ketterdamn: (huddle)

rescue.

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2021-01-31 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A week passes from their encounter with Van Eck on Vellgeluk. He sets his mind to the task of getting Inej back. Not only for her own sake but because he won't abide by a second more of her being in Jan Van Eck's hands. It makes his stomach turn, not knowing what she's going through. Not having her here, with the group, at his side.

If he's honest, which he only is in the dead of night when left with his thoughts, he feels like he's missing a limb. Her absence has left a gaping hole, one that everyone has been feeling keenly.

So he schemes, thinking on how best to outmaneuver a merch who has nearly every resource at his disposal. It's his major leverage but, as Matthias asks how they'll do this, he knows it's also his biggest weakness. Van Eck has picked a fight with people who understand what it is to have nothing. And in some ways, aren't afraid to have it taken from them again. None of them have legacies or estates or, in some cases, even families.

Van Eck, though, had handed his soft spot to Kaz on a platter. An heir and a very pregnant wife, tucked away.

All things considered, the rescue itself goes off...not terribly. It's chaotic, but he'd counted on chaos. The sound of fireworks ring in his ears all the way to the Weft, finally dying down once he and Inej make their way into an abandoned linen warehouse. It'd been victim to a fire relatively recently which meant no operations would be here until the real estate exchanged hands. Nor would anyone come looking for them here.

He watches Inej get settled on the leftover linen rolls and hands over the food and water he'd tucked away ahead of time. She looks pale and too thin. A week had been too long. A week shouldn't have existed, if he'd just kept his eyes on Van Eck instead of darting his gaze over to her.

Stupid, so stupid. He'll regret that moment for years to come.

Carefully, he lowers himself to the linen pile, sitting close but giving her space. ]


What did you say to Van Eck? On the bridge.

[ The merch had looked distinctly unhappy. ]
ketterdamn: (think about it)

geldrunner.

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2021-02-06 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's starting to become a trend, he thinks, with days feeling like weeks. Frankly, it's not something he enjoys. Because there's both too much time and not enough of it. The hours drag by like sticky toffee and he still wishes he had more of it to get everything in place.

But, it is what it is. And if there's one thing he's good at, it's working with what he's got. Not to mention: he hates feeling cornered. He's going to make Van Eck pay up for the discomfort and for all the shit he's put them through. It's not just about getting even, it's taking the man down completely, burning his legacy and good name down to ashes. Because he doesn't deserve it. Doesn't deserve to have such wealth and power when he's shown exactly how ugly he is on the inside. When there's a group of people right here that deserve it more. Kaz is going to make him regret every second he's spent lording over "Barrel scum".

First, though, he has a particular debt to settle. It's not his, exactly, though it would be around his neck if Inej ever decided she didn't want to deal with the Dregs any longer. Despite that lurking leash, he's never felt bitter about it. That contract was her relative freedom from Heleen; he'd do it again, a thousand times over.

Striding into the bathroom, he stops at the sink, pulling his coat off and tossing it over the counter away from the water basin. Inej sits a couple feet from him, cutting up bandages at the vanity. What he's about to ask is incredibly risky and stupid but it's necessary. Necessary so they all got out, even if he had to hang for it, as much as that sends a sharp jab of anxiety through him. Inej doesn't deserve to have that mark on her arm distort, not after everything she's gone through.

But he couldn't handle it if she died before living out her dream.

So: ]


I need an alternate route to the Slat, off the streets.