[ the comment narrow faced rat sparks another laugh, and she grins up at him, eyes bright. both that he's annoyed (or, at least, fake annoyed) and that he threatens to ship her to the harbor, something they both know that he will never do. ]
Luckily, I can swim and keep your secret at the same time.
[ somewhat primly, though her grin betrays the pointed statement, and she steps past him to move toward the ordering window, knowing kaz's order without asking. he's woefully unadventurous, though he will eat whatever is in front of him. like most barrel folk.
she will, however, add a strong coffee. mostly because he's irritable, now (even if in jest). ]
[ She laughs again, the sound bright and sunny. Warm. It's hard to stay annoyed, despite the fact that she'd put an awful image in his head regarding Geels. Normally, he would be sour about it but the high from the heist and well, her good humor, is keeping his mood in the positive. ]
That I don't doubt.
[ He's never worried about her keeping secrets. Even if he sometimes jibes her about it. She always keeps it close to the chest, lips sealed.
After she orders, he steps up next to her to pay for dinner–he did say he would. They end up waiting a bit and once they have their food, head a winding way back to the Slat. Mostly so they could avoid the areas where the watch tended to pass through. Just because they had been in the clear earlier doesn't mean they were staying that way. A troop could always loop back. ]
I figure Van Eck's annoyance will drop off after a few months. It'll be easier to find a fence then.
[ they make their way back to the slat, and once she's situated, she unwraps her meal. it's really more dessert, at this point, but strawberries and cream were delicious at any time of the day. she glances over at him, arching her eyebrows a bit. ]
You think he is going to forget about this in a few months?
[ inej doesn't sound so sure, but - then again, van eck is ridiculously rich. he could probably just buy another dekappel. and she tucks into her waffles a bit, cutting into them with great purpose. ]
[ They get back to the Slat without much fanfare. Most of its inhabitants are sleeping, considering the late hour. Despite the Barrel being full of night life, the Slat does tend to start to wind down two bells after midnight.
The two of them quietly make their way to his room and then onto the rooftop. His leg is feeling decent enough that he hadn't needed to use his cane as much to go up the stairs, so they only creaked a modest amount. Once they situate, both of them dig into their dinner with relish. Her waffles are piled high with strawberries and cream, a usual staple. His are fairly plain in comparison, with syrup, butter, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Usually he doesn't have too much of an appetite but he's worked one up—for him, anyway, which means he isn't just picking at his food. ]
Not forget. I just doubt he'll be pouring as many resources into looking for it past the three or four month mark.
[ Which could potentially give him a window to start asking around for buyers. ]
Another merch, a collector most likely. Or one of the matrons of the pleasure houses.
[ Rollins, even. Though Kaz doesn't think this is to his taste. Not nearly gaudy enough. ]
[ it's said dryly, as she takes a bite of her waffle, careful to not leave a single dollop of cream behind. she can see most of the staves from their perch on the rooftops, and the menagerie is just as hideous as it always is.
part of her wonders about the girls that might still work there, that inej had known. she had kept to herself, for the most part, but tried to offer kindness in a place where there was not much to the girls who needed it. or the ones that couldn't survive.
the thought pauses her to pause, her fork still partway in her mouth before she swallows the bite of waffle she had taken, settling her meal in her lap. ]
Do you really think this city will see us as anything but what we are one day?
[ as she glances over at him, the question genuine. ]
[ Ugh, so tacky. Ostentatious looking patterns, fitting for that horrible woman. She craved the attention and the appearance of wealth. It was just nice wrapping paper over a core rotted through.
He tilts his gaze to Inej as she goes quiet, looking for any sign she might be remembering something from that awful place. They don't talk about, not really. More like they talk around it. He's never asked her anything about her time there and she's never offered more than was necessary.
Still, he doesn't want to send her down that mental track. ]
Ketterdam bows to two things: money and fear.
[ Most of the time, money begets the fear because those with wealth could get away with so much. Could do so much more. ]
People put crushed glass on their sills, thinking it'll stop the Wraith. So, you tell me.
[ And that's in such a short period of time. He locks his gaze with hers, steady and confident. ]
[ that comment prompts a slight upward curve of her lips, at that. it is true, that gangs have decided to take to spreading glass on rooftops and windowsills, to prevent her from coming in. as if that would stop her from scaling a building.
it makes her feel safe, honestly. protected. people like heleen had no sway over her, anymore. she may not be as feared as heleen, but inej is certain heleen doesn't want her arriving on her windowsill in the middle of the night.
the thought is satisfying, and she meets his gaze, expression thoughtful, before she takes another bite of her waffle. ]
That is only half of what I am talking about.
[ though the certainly seems less . . . wistful, maybe? and she considers continuing on that path, before deciding to disregard it. ]
I will never understand how you are so tall when you eat less than the crows on your windowsill.
[ as she finishes off her plate, scraping it clean, as per usual. ]
[ Though she doesn't seem to want to elaborate, moving onto the next topic with ease. Which is to bother him into eating more. The usual. ]
The harbor doesn't spit up short shadows. [ And he's ridiculous, as usual. It's not a total lie, to say the harbor was how he was born. The person that crawled out of it certainly hadn't been Kaz Rietveld.
Though realistically, he thinks he might take after his father. Hard to say, since he'd been nine when he passed; his memory of him is always someone much bigger. ]
I subsist off of pigeon tears and the anguish of merchers.
[ she just tosses him a knowing look, at only half, because she knows that he knows that she changed the subject for a reason. and she rolls her eyes a little, at that - the harbor, as if that's really where he came from. ]
So you say.
[ on both counts, setting aside her empty container to rest her arms on her knees, turning her gaze back to the city, her braid falling neatly against her back. ]
Pigeon tears may not be enough. Probably why you still have a limp.
[ but she tosses him a slight grin, a sidelong glance. clearly meant as a joke, and nothing serious. ]
[ Well, alright, she isn't going to elaborate. There's a few ways that conversation could go and he's left puzzling out what she was going to say. Part of him thinks he knows. But sometimes, Inej could be the most mysterious person he's ever met. It's hard to gauge how she'll react. ]
It's true. [ As true as he'll ever be.
Her return snipe is a good one and he does laugh, still glad she doesn't act like that subject is hallowed ground. There's no point in talking around it as though he's some pity case. That just grates on his nerves. ]
[ his laugh prompts a wider grin, eyes bright. it's a rare sound to hear, his laugh. it's still raspy, but makes his voice feel more full, somehow. authentic, not the cold and occasionally cruel quip that it usually is. ]
That might ruin the image, without the limp.
[ thoughtfully, as she looks him over, her eyes falling on the cane lying next to him. ]
[ Even in the dim light, he can tell she's smiling wide. It leaks into her voice as well, when she speaks up again, tone warm all the way through. ]
The limp is only part of the look.
[ And the rest is made up by how he dresses, what he does. Having both a young face and a crooked leg just makes people underestimate him, something he uses to his advantage whenever possible. They just don't think he can move as fast as he can.
He snorts, though, at the idea he would give up the cane if his leg magically healed itself tomorrow. ]
I paid good kruge to have it made, I'd still use it. [ It's still a good weapon. And an unexpected one to boot. ]
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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no subject
Date: 2021-01-26 12:57 am (UTC)Luckily, I can swim and keep your secret at the same time.
[ somewhat primly, though her grin betrays the pointed statement, and she steps past him to move toward the ordering window, knowing kaz's order without asking. he's woefully unadventurous, though he will eat whatever is in front of him. like most barrel folk.
she will, however, add a strong coffee. mostly because he's irritable, now (even if in jest). ]
no subject
Date: 2021-01-26 03:11 am (UTC)That I don't doubt.
[ He's never worried about her keeping secrets. Even if he sometimes jibes her about it. She always keeps it close to the chest, lips sealed.
After she orders, he steps up next to her to pay for dinner–he did say he would. They end up waiting a bit and once they have their food, head a winding way back to the Slat. Mostly so they could avoid the areas where the watch tended to pass through. Just because they had been in the clear earlier doesn't mean they were staying that way. A troop could always loop back. ]
I figure Van Eck's annoyance will drop off after a few months. It'll be easier to find a fence then.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-26 05:26 pm (UTC)You think he is going to forget about this in a few months?
[ inej doesn't sound so sure, but - then again, van eck is ridiculously rich. he could probably just buy another dekappel. and she tucks into her waffles a bit, cutting into them with great purpose. ]
Who do you think would buy it?
no subject
Date: 2021-01-26 06:57 pm (UTC)The two of them quietly make their way to his room and then onto the rooftop. His leg is feeling decent enough that he hadn't needed to use his cane as much to go up the stairs, so they only creaked a modest amount. Once they situate, both of them dig into their dinner with relish. Her waffles are piled high with strawberries and cream, a usual staple. His are fairly plain in comparison, with syrup, butter, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Usually he doesn't have too much of an appetite but he's worked one up—for him, anyway, which means he isn't just picking at his food. ]
Not forget. I just doubt he'll be pouring as many resources into looking for it past the three or four month mark.
[ Which could potentially give him a window to start asking around for buyers. ]
Another merch, a collector most likely. Or one of the matrons of the pleasure houses.
[ Rollins, even. Though Kaz doesn't think this is to his taste. Not nearly gaudy enough. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-01-26 09:35 pm (UTC)[ it's said dryly, as she takes a bite of her waffle, careful to not leave a single dollop of cream behind. she can see most of the staves from their perch on the rooftops, and the menagerie is just as hideous as it always is.
part of her wonders about the girls that might still work there, that inej had known. she had kept to herself, for the most part, but tried to offer kindness in a place where there was not much to the girls who needed it. or the ones that couldn't survive.
the thought pauses her to pause, her fork still partway in her mouth before she swallows the bite of waffle she had taken, settling her meal in her lap. ]
Do you really think this city will see us as anything but what we are one day?
[ as she glances over at him, the question genuine. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 01:13 am (UTC)[ Ugh, so tacky. Ostentatious looking patterns, fitting for that horrible woman. She craved the attention and the appearance of wealth. It was just nice wrapping paper over a core rotted through.
He tilts his gaze to Inej as she goes quiet, looking for any sign she might be remembering something from that awful place. They don't talk about, not really. More like they talk around it. He's never asked her anything about her time there and she's never offered more than was necessary.
Still, he doesn't want to send her down that mental track. ]
Ketterdam bows to two things: money and fear.
[ Most of the time, money begets the fear because those with wealth could get away with so much. Could do so much more. ]
People put crushed glass on their sills, thinking it'll stop the Wraith. So, you tell me.
[ And that's in such a short period of time. He locks his gaze with hers, steady and confident. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 01:44 am (UTC)it makes her feel safe, honestly. protected. people like heleen had no sway over her, anymore. she may not be as feared as heleen, but inej is certain heleen doesn't want her arriving on her windowsill in the middle of the night.
the thought is satisfying, and she meets his gaze, expression thoughtful, before she takes another bite of her waffle. ]
That is only half of what I am talking about.
[ though the certainly seems less . . . wistful, maybe? and she considers continuing on that path, before deciding to disregard it. ]
I will never understand how you are so tall when you eat less than the crows on your windowsill.
[ as she finishes off her plate, scraping it clean, as per usual. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 02:15 am (UTC)[ Though she doesn't seem to want to elaborate, moving onto the next topic with ease. Which is to bother him into eating more. The usual. ]
The harbor doesn't spit up short shadows. [ And he's ridiculous, as usual. It's not a total lie, to say the harbor was how he was born. The person that crawled out of it certainly hadn't been Kaz Rietveld.
Though realistically, he thinks he might take after his father. Hard to say, since he'd been nine when he passed; his memory of him is always someone much bigger. ]
I subsist off of pigeon tears and the anguish of merchers.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 02:48 am (UTC)So you say.
[ on both counts, setting aside her empty container to rest her arms on her knees, turning her gaze back to the city, her braid falling neatly against her back. ]
Pigeon tears may not be enough. Probably why you still have a limp.
[ but she tosses him a slight grin, a sidelong glance. clearly meant as a joke, and nothing serious. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 02:54 pm (UTC)It's true. [ As true as he'll ever be.
Her return snipe is a good one and he does laugh, still glad she doesn't act like that subject is hallowed ground. There's no point in talking around it as though he's some pity case. That just grates on his nerves. ]
I'll just have to drink some more.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 05:33 pm (UTC)That might ruin the image, without the limp.
[ thoughtfully, as she looks him over, her eyes falling on the cane lying next to him. ]
You wouldn't need the cane anymore.
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 08:52 pm (UTC)The limp is only part of the look.
[ And the rest is made up by how he dresses, what he does. Having both a young face and a crooked leg just makes people underestimate him, something he uses to his advantage whenever possible. They just don't think he can move as fast as he can.
He snorts, though, at the idea he would give up the cane if his leg magically healed itself tomorrow. ]
I paid good kruge to have it made, I'd still use it. [ It's still a good weapon. And an unexpected one to boot. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-01-27 09:48 pm (UTC)[ 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
Date: 2021-01-28 04:30 pm (UTC)[ 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
Date: 2021-01-28 05:00 pm (UTC)[ 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
Date: 2021-01-28 06:27 pm (UTC)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
Date: 2021-01-28 08:00 pm (UTC)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
Date: 2021-01-28 08:53 pm (UTC)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. ]