[ When she meets his gaze, he can't exactly tell what's on her mind. Her expression is impassive, that wall going up that he so rarely sees. Though while he's having a hard time reading her, he has an idea of what could potentially be going through her head– she's disappointed. Or annoyed.
Upset, probably. That's in the mix.
They've had their share of disagreements but it's so rare for them to be at so at odds. She's only dressed him down thoroughly when they'd been on the Ferolind, after she'd been stabbed by Oomen. This isn't quite the same but the silence is frosty enough.
Pressing his mouth into a thin line, he pulls a tourist map out of his coat pocket and unfolding it on the other side of the sink counter. He leans over it, peering at the roadways and small printed buildings. ]
I have to do this, Inej. Otherwise I'm going to have a wolf at my back and on my front door.
[ her eyes flicker toward him, the movement of the map being spread across the counter catching her attention. something in her tugs, at his words. but it's not really the words, but his posture, the thin press of his lips. he's carrying a lot, on his shoulders. unnecessarily, in her opinion, if he would only tell her what he was thinking, or planning.
she knows him, better than he thinks she does. she might not know what's underneath his skin, or why he feels so tormented by certain things, but she knows he cares deeply about the things he wants to care about. and that he feels responsible for this mess that they are now all in.
it's not enough for her to change her mind on the stupidity of him going alone, but it's enough for her to abandon the bandaging of her arm and shoulder, stepping closer to look at the map, her eyes roving over it, a map forming in her mind of her city. she knows what way she would go, but kaz isn't her. there is no way he would be able to navigate the rooftops like her, not with his leg and cane.
which is not what he is going to want to hear. but: ]
You can take two paths. I suggest this one.
[ her voice is quiet, and she traces a path with her finger. it is a bit out of the way, but quiet, slow, and in the dark. and allows for a different pathway for her to take, to make sure he makes it. not that he needs to know that part. ]
[ It's a gamble, on whether the sincerity of his words is enough to get her to budge. He has in his mind a way there but it's a last resort, since it goes partially by street and he wants to avoid that altogether. There's too many gang members roving about in the Barrel and all of them would be looking for him at this point. Even if the Black Tips or Razorgulls didn't know what was going on, he wouldn't doubt them trying to get in good with Rollins over this. Brokering some kind of deal.
Though it's possible they'll steer clear, wanting none of the trouble. It's a unique situation that he's unfortunately the center of and he doesn't have enough intel on how the other gangs are reacting to know what they're thinking.
So, alternate route.
Inej does get up after a few beats, abandoning her bandages on the vanity. It doesn't take her long to trace out a path with her finger on the map, one he follows after to confirm. He traces it a few more times, committing it to memory, before folding the map back up and putting it back into his coat.
His hand isn't empty when he turns back towards her, holding a paper with the pale green seal of the Gemensbank on it. He holds it out to her, feeling both glad and anxious. ]
[ something in her chest feels heavy, as he traces the path with his own fingers. she's always noticed that he has such long and delicate fingers, which are usually covered by the gloves. the gloves, she supposes, accentuates those features, but she's always faintly surprised when he removes them.
in another world, maybe, he would have been an excellent pianist.
she's about to speak up again, to try and convince him that she needs to go with him in order to ensure he makes it across the rooftops safely, when he turns to her to hand out a piece of paper. her brow furrows, confused, and her eyes flicker at the seal before returning to his face.
she doesn't take the document, or read it, though she has a suspicious as to what it is. she would recognize that seal anywhere. it rules this damn city. and she has no account, at the gemensbank. the only record on her at the institution would be her debt. ]
[ Confusion crosses her expression, her eyebrows drawing down and creasing her forehead. Doubtless she recognizes the seal, she'd be hard pressed not to know where it's from. Not only because of the bank's near omnipresence in the city but also because it's where her contract's been housed.
He sets the paper down where the map had just been, turned so the words face her. ]
Something that shouldn't have existed. [ She never deserved to be tied down to this place, not knowing where her family was or how to get back to them. ]
[ her eyes shift back down to the paper, glancing it over. but kaz's words catch up to her before translating the kerch in her head does, and her head immediately snaps back to him, clearly stunned. and maybe searching his expression to see if this is a joke.
it isn't. obviously. and part of her knows that she should be ecstatic, being handed this proverbial golden ticket, a free pass out of ketterdam. she could skip town tomorrow and no one would care, or know any the wiser.
but the thought fills her with dread, and she reaches out a hand to press her fingers against the paper -- only to slide it toward him. ]
You will give me this when you come back in one piece.
[ because this feels like a goodbye, for some reason, which causes icy fingers to curl around her heart. she wants to be able to celebrate her freedom, to enjoy it. not suffer through it alone, without him. ]
[ Just in case. That's what hovers in the air between them. And it's the thing she doesn't like, why she'd been so frosty to him earlier. He hates the idea of leaving her alone permanently, should anything happen, but no matter how this goes down—he's buying her time. If it goes how he wants, it'll be one less problem they'll have to worry about.
And if it goes sideways, well, she'll have her freedom. Something she should have never had taken away from her. ]
There's a discolored brick in the wall behind the club with twenty thousand kruge. It's enough to bribe the stadwatch, at least. [ A final resort. He's nothing if not a planner and he's had to think of every angle. Including the worst case scenario. ]
I want you to get everyone out of the city, if I'm not back by six bells. [ It's why he needs her to stay. She's level enough to keep her head if everything goes rotten. And more importantly: he might be the schemer but she's the glue that holds all of them together. They'd all felt her absence and been poorer for it, when Van Eck had stolen her away. ]
[ she hears every word that he says, but it's clear by her expression that she disagrees with it, her jaw settling into a firm line. her eyes flicker to the piece of paper again, and she draws in a breath before she takes it. ]
This - [ and she shakes the paper lightly before putting it back on the counter ] - means nothing if you get yourself killed.
[ the thought of him not existing anymore causes a tightening in her chest, a heavy weight that she hasn't felt in a long time. the terror of loss, and pain, and anguish, and inej draws in another breath, letting it out slowly to release some of the anxiety building underneath her skin. ]
I refuse to have a conversation or a plan that ends in your death, so come up with a better alternative. Because if you do not come back at six bells, Per Haskell's head will be in the harbor.
[ He can tell she's going to argue. Could tell from her initial response, really, but it's the set of her jaw that warns him what's coming.
The most frustrating thing is he wants a different ending. Wishes he could guarantee that he was going to get out of this fully intact. But there are no guarantees in life, certainly not in the Barrel. And definitely not in this instance where they have everything stacked against them. He knows she fears the loss as much as he does—it isn't as though he takes pleasure in knowing he could leave her alone. ]
If I had an alternative do you think I'd be doing this? I put us in this corner, Inej, and I'm not going to let everyone swing because of it.
[ They don't deserve it. He's the one that convinced them it was good. ] I need you to stay here to get them out. All of them will listen to you.
[ Nina might be able to wrangle them but she's still worried about those grisha in the Ravkan quarter. ]
[ getting everyone else out is a powerful motivator. but nina is just as capable of organizing them to move. she was a soldier, a capable fighter, and more than willing to make the hard choice if need be. she wanted to protect her people, but didn't they all? that was part of the reason they were challenging van eck in the first place, wealth be damned.
he is right, though. and she believes him when he says that there is no other alternative. something has to be done to control the barrel before pekka rollins came for all of their heads. but that thought just reinforces the steel in her spine. and, honestly, at the end of the day: ]
You're asking me to do something that I'm not capable of doing.
[ it's said quietly, but there's a distinct undercurrent of pleading to her tone, seeking him to understand. staying behind, or lurking in the shadows, is one thing. but leaving him to die is another.
she has heard stories, about people who lose their other halves. their destined bonded person. it's a horrifically lonely existence. like a piece of your soul is gone. and usually, when one dies, the other isn't far behind. either by their own hand or just by a broken heart.
whether or not they were true, inej has no idea. but she does know that she doesn't want to find out. ]
I can agree to trusting you to know what you are doing. [ in handling haskell on his own. ] And I can agree to telling the others to leave, to having an escape plan, but I will not leave you here to die. The answer is no.
[ Something she isn't capable of doing—part of him disagrees, just on the basis that he thinks she's capable of just about anything. She's more than proven herself to do things other people wouldn't even attempt. And she's done it with grace and smarts, many times leaving no trace at all.
This, though, he can understand, even if it frustrates him. If their positions were reversed, he wouldn't be able to sit idly by either. Ever since they'd cleared the air on the Ferolind, he had the sharp paranoia that he was going to look down and the words on his wrist would blur, smudged like a hand over fresh ink.
It's still possible, considering the circumstances, but he is trying his best to get them out of this corner. ]
Give me until six bells at least. [ She's good at remaining hidden but he doesn't want her trying to intervene if things get ugly while he's at the Slat. But if he doesn't make it back, it's not like he can control what she'll do. ]
[ he seems to (reluctantly) agree with her. that much she can do - give him six bells. she'll simply wait in the rafters and count down the seconds until she can strike, if needed. nina can safeguard the rest of the crows in her absence - the rest of them will listen to her, and nina will listen to inej if inej tells her what needs to be done.
kaz doesn't need to know any of that, though, and she's relieved he changes the subject. mostly because while inej can lie through her teeth in order to survive, she's not good at hiding things from him. with the exception of her mark, which was really only hidden because kaz never bothered to ask her about it in the first place.
idiot. (though it's thought with affection.) ]
She wants me dead.
[ a little ruefully, as inej turns her attention back to the bandages, smoothing them along the counter so she can continue to stabilize her shoulder. ]
I cannot seem to hit her. She moves too quickly, and she can see every single strike that comes her way before it happens.
[ if dunyasha weren't determined to slit her throat, inej would probably find her a nice ally to have. maybe even a friend. unfortunate that they wound up on opposite sides, and dunyasha is set to remove inej's heart from her body.
inej frowns a little, at her reflection in the mirror. she looks tired, with dark circles under her eyes. new scars, and wounds. she never thought she would be wishing for something as basic and simple as a gang scrap, but kicking one of geels' men off the roof sounds like a vacation in comparison to the last month. ]
I am running out of lives to spare, and she knows that.
[ she murmurs, rearranging the bandages on the counter. ]
[ She describes more about Dunyasha, mentioning that she's having difficulty hitting her. And that this fighter seems to be able to see a move coming before Inej can go in for the attack.
Formidable, for sure. She must be good, if Inej is struggling to get in a cut. If she weren't so intent on trying to kill her, he'd consider seeing if he could sway her loyalties. Though ultimately, it might not worth it. Especially if she's one of those radicals or is too unpredictable. ]
Look for a tell. Everyone has one, even if it doesn't seem it.
[ she looks at him, brow furrowing a little at his advice. a tell. she supposes everyone does have one - a sign they're lying, or hiding something, but kaz seems to be describing this as more of a sign of weakness. ]
Fighters have tells. Keeping their balance on a certain foot or depending more on one side from an old injury. A shoulder tensing before they strike.
[ Small things he's had to watch out for. Not only from growing up in the Barrel and being relatively small but because of his leg, later. He needed to be able to try and predict how someone would move or what they'd do so he could have the advantage.
As he's gotten older, he's used information against people in the same way. Usually to stave off a fight—better to conserve energy where he could. And so he didn't have to show all his cards at once. ]
[ ah. well, that makes sense, though as inej wracks her brain, she really can't think of one for kaz. how he holds himself is obvious - he needs to compensate for his leg, but it doesn't seem to stop him, or hamper him. ]
What is mine, then?
[ she asks, almost curious if he knows. he probably does, given he's the one who taught her how to fight. but inej so rarely gets hit that she hasn't ever really considered someone could predict her movement. dunyasha is clearly the exception to the rule. ]
[ She asks what hers is and he studies her for a moment, thinking of how best to describe it. And as much as he doesn't want her to have one, she does. Though only better fighters would be able to pick it out.
Someone like Dunyasha, for example. ]
You square your shoulders like you're about to perform. As though waiting for the audience to notice.
[ No doubt carried over from her younger days of actually performing. But isn't a fight just another type of performance in some regard? It's not that out of place for her to do. Anyone else looking at her would probably have no idea where that little motion came from. ]
[ he looks her over, which causes a slight arch of her eyebrows, almost a silent warning to keep his mouth shut if he says something offensive. but instead, kaz says something almost surprisingly insightful.
and, yet, also annoying. ]
I do not.
[ but it's clear that she says it with a huff of faux annoyance, because inej is well aware that what kaz says is probably true. and she seems to forcibly allow her shoulders to relax . . . because she squares up when she's ready to argue, too.
[ Her brows go up and the near pout she gives after her protest is amusing. So is the protest itself, because she clearly knows he's being honest about it. Not like he'd want to lead her astray, not at this point. They're in too deep and she needs every weapon—physical or otherwise—to defeat this Dunyasha.
That doesn't stop her from returning fire, so to speak. A banter he's grown both used to and grudgingly fond of. ]
Inej, I'm crippled. [ He says in mock exasperation, as if she wasn't aware. As if she hasn't been anticipating how his leg is going to feel from day to day for the last couple years.
More seriously though, he looks at her and holds her gaze. ]
[ with a huff and a wave of her hand, before she moves to the counter, pushing herself up to sit on it neatly so she can actually bandage her wounds. and she tosses him a look, holding his gaze.
he's trying to tell her something, with that look. what it is, inej has no idea. not quite. ]
So what is it? [ as she tugs her stack of bandages closer to her thigh, so she can reach. ] Because you are far from a helpless cripple, no matter how much you exaggerate your limp in negotiations.
[ In a smooth motion, she levers herself up onto the counter, still facing him. It makes him think she's at a good height to hug, something he's tempted to do. If only to change the subject to something that doesn't expose the raw parts of himself.
Or the thing he's been regretting since Van Eck snatched her away.
But he knows her too well—she's going to pursue it if he tries to evade her line of questioning. ]
You. [ A thing both relieving and frightening to say. He's never had such a lever to be used against him before. The touch, perhaps, but even he could grit his teeth through it if he saw it coming.
The thought of anything horrible happening to her just. Puts him completely off balance.
He leans against the sink, hands curled along the ledge of it, his gaze dropping towards the letter from the Gemensbank. ]
On Vellgeluk, Van Eck changed his mind because I looked at you first. [ He's turned it over and over since then, hating that he'd been so transparent. ]
[ that . . . surprises her, and she looks over at him when he leans against the sink, with a slight frown on her lips. not because he admits that he cares about her to the point of seemingly caving to whatever demands to keep her safe, but the latter part. ]
He changed his mind because he is a cheat, and he took me because I was the obvious choice.
[ a gentle correction, and a nudge that he shouldn't carry a burden for something that was outside of any of their controls. she scoots herself over a little bit, within touching distance, if only so she can gently brush her hand against the sleeve of his shirt, to get his attention.
and, more importantly, inej ducks her head a little to catch his gaze, with a slight smile. ]
You have enough stupid mistakes to take credit for without adding unnecessary ones to the pile.
[ It's true that Van Eck is a cheat. That despite his upstanding merch reputation, he's just as bad if not worse than the denizens of the Barrel. At least with most of the gangs, you fought for your gang. Van Eck only fought for himself, the ultimate kind of greed.
Still, he doesn't think it's as easy as Inej says—that he'd changed his mind because he thought her an easy target. Kaz had seen his face, had seen how his expression shifted with recognition when he'd followed his eyeline. After all, he'd announced that he'd take the whole group just a moment before. At least they would've been all together; power in numbers, even if Van Eck wouldn't think of it that way. He thought too much like the stadwatch, in nice orderly lines. ]
He changed his mind because I couldn't help myself. [ And then she'd gone through that horrifying ordeal, threatened to have her legs shattered. He turns his head to look at her, brows furrowed. ]
Then what is the solution? To never show worry again?
[ it's asked quietly, keeping his gaze, searching his features. because while van eck may have seen that kaz was worried about her, it didn't change the fact that inej kept the secrets of the dregs. even if kaz hadn't looked at her, inej would be the obvious choice, if van eck wanted to know where yuul was.
she wants to brush her fingers against his cheek, run her thumb along his cheekbone, to comfort him. but that feels like too much, like a string waiting to snap. so instead, she gently brushes her fingers against the sleeve of his shirt. ]
[ If only it were that easy. He knows she hates it when he closes off, emotions shuttered, leaving only Dirtyhands behind. But that part of him would've kept Inej out of Van Eck's grasp. Would've saved them all the heartache and worry during the time she was gone.
Somehow, though, that boy from Lij had crawled up instead, worry and fear easily read by anyone looking. And he knows it would probably show again, if she were ever put in danger's path again. None of the logic works to assuage the anxiety—it doesn't matter that she can more than handle herself. He just wants her to be alright. To know she's doing fine. ]
Do I? [ It feels like all he's done lately is bring misery. There's a whole long line of it behind him too—Filip, Saskia, the fake bank clerks, and everyone else between him and Pekka Rollins. ]
Showing it is just going to get us in trouble again. I don't want to give them the option of using us as weapons against each other.
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no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 03:08 am (UTC)Upset, probably. That's in the mix.
They've had their share of disagreements but it's so rare for them to be at so at odds. She's only dressed him down thoroughly when they'd been on the Ferolind, after she'd been stabbed by Oomen. This isn't quite the same but the silence is frosty enough.
Pressing his mouth into a thin line, he pulls a tourist map out of his coat pocket and unfolding it on the other side of the sink counter. He leans over it, peering at the roadways and small printed buildings. ]
I have to do this, Inej. Otherwise I'm going to have a wolf at my back and on my front door.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 02:36 pm (UTC)she knows him, better than he thinks she does. she might not know what's underneath his skin, or why he feels so tormented by certain things, but she knows he cares deeply about the things he wants to care about. and that he feels responsible for this mess that they are now all in.
it's not enough for her to change her mind on the stupidity of him going alone, but it's enough for her to abandon the bandaging of her arm and shoulder, stepping closer to look at the map, her eyes roving over it, a map forming in her mind of her city. she knows what way she would go, but kaz isn't her. there is no way he would be able to navigate the rooftops like her, not with his leg and cane.
which is not what he is going to want to hear. but: ]
You can take two paths. I suggest this one.
[ her voice is quiet, and she traces a path with her finger. it is a bit out of the way, but quiet, slow, and in the dark. and allows for a different pathway for her to take, to make sure he makes it. not that he needs to know that part. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 04:51 pm (UTC)Though it's possible they'll steer clear, wanting none of the trouble. It's a unique situation that he's unfortunately the center of and he doesn't have enough intel on how the other gangs are reacting to know what they're thinking.
So, alternate route.
Inej does get up after a few beats, abandoning her bandages on the vanity. It doesn't take her long to trace out a path with her finger on the map, one he follows after to confirm. He traces it a few more times, committing it to memory, before folding the map back up and putting it back into his coat.
His hand isn't empty when he turns back towards her, holding a paper with the pale green seal of the Gemensbank on it. He holds it out to her, feeling both glad and anxious. ]
That's yours.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 06:33 pm (UTC)in another world, maybe, he would have been an excellent pianist.
she's about to speak up again, to try and convince him that she needs to go with him in order to ensure he makes it across the rooftops safely, when he turns to her to hand out a piece of paper. her brow furrows, confused, and her eyes flicker at the seal before returning to his face.
she doesn't take the document, or read it, though she has a suspicious as to what it is. she would recognize that seal anywhere. it rules this damn city. and she has no account, at the gemensbank. the only record on her at the institution would be her debt. ]
What is it.
[ it's said quietly, watching his expression. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 09:48 pm (UTC)He sets the paper down where the map had just been, turned so the words face her. ]
Something that shouldn't have existed. [ She never deserved to be tied down to this place, not knowing where her family was or how to get back to them. ]
It's paid off in full.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 10:51 pm (UTC)it isn't. obviously. and part of her knows that she should be ecstatic, being handed this proverbial golden ticket, a free pass out of ketterdam. she could skip town tomorrow and no one would care, or know any the wiser.
but the thought fills her with dread, and she reaches out a hand to press her fingers against the paper -- only to slide it toward him. ]
You will give me this when you come back in one piece.
[ because this feels like a goodbye, for some reason, which causes icy fingers to curl around her heart. she wants to be able to celebrate her freedom, to enjoy it. not suffer through it alone, without him. ]
Because you will.
[ there's no other option. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 11:39 pm (UTC)[ Just in case. That's what hovers in the air between them. And it's the thing she doesn't like, why she'd been so frosty to him earlier. He hates the idea of leaving her alone permanently, should anything happen, but no matter how this goes down—he's buying her time. If it goes how he wants, it'll be one less problem they'll have to worry about.
And if it goes sideways, well, she'll have her freedom. Something she should have never had taken away from her. ]
There's a discolored brick in the wall behind the club with twenty thousand kruge. It's enough to bribe the stadwatch, at least. [ A final resort. He's nothing if not a planner and he's had to think of every angle. Including the worst case scenario. ]
I want you to get everyone out of the city, if I'm not back by six bells. [ It's why he needs her to stay. She's level enough to keep her head if everything goes rotten. And more importantly: he might be the schemer but she's the glue that holds all of them together. They'd all felt her absence and been poorer for it, when Van Eck had stolen her away. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-07 11:50 pm (UTC)This - [ and she shakes the paper lightly before putting it back on the counter ] - means nothing if you get yourself killed.
[ the thought of him not existing anymore causes a tightening in her chest, a heavy weight that she hasn't felt in a long time. the terror of loss, and pain, and anguish, and inej draws in another breath, letting it out slowly to release some of the anxiety building underneath her skin. ]
I refuse to have a conversation or a plan that ends in your death, so come up with a better alternative. Because if you do not come back at six bells, Per Haskell's head will be in the harbor.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-08 12:02 am (UTC)The most frustrating thing is he wants a different ending. Wishes he could guarantee that he was going to get out of this fully intact. But there are no guarantees in life, certainly not in the Barrel. And definitely not in this instance where they have everything stacked against them. He knows she fears the loss as much as he does—it isn't as though he takes pleasure in knowing he could leave her alone. ]
If I had an alternative do you think I'd be doing this? I put us in this corner, Inej, and I'm not going to let everyone swing because of it.
[ They don't deserve it. He's the one that convinced them it was good. ] I need you to stay here to get them out. All of them will listen to you.
[ Nina might be able to wrangle them but she's still worried about those grisha in the Ravkan quarter. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-08 12:48 am (UTC)he is right, though. and she believes him when he says that there is no other alternative. something has to be done to control the barrel before pekka rollins came for all of their heads. but that thought just reinforces the steel in her spine. and, honestly, at the end of the day: ]
You're asking me to do something that I'm not capable of doing.
[ it's said quietly, but there's a distinct undercurrent of pleading to her tone, seeking him to understand. staying behind, or lurking in the shadows, is one thing. but leaving him to die is another.
she has heard stories, about people who lose their other halves. their destined bonded person. it's a horrifically lonely existence. like a piece of your soul is gone. and usually, when one dies, the other isn't far behind. either by their own hand or just by a broken heart.
whether or not they were true, inej has no idea. but she does know that she doesn't want to find out. ]
I can agree to trusting you to know what you are doing. [ in handling haskell on his own. ] And I can agree to telling the others to leave, to having an escape plan, but I will not leave you here to die. The answer is no.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-08 01:55 am (UTC)This, though, he can understand, even if it frustrates him. If their positions were reversed, he wouldn't be able to sit idly by either. Ever since they'd cleared the air on the Ferolind, he had the sharp paranoia that he was going to look down and the words on his wrist would blur, smudged like a hand over fresh ink.
It's still possible, considering the circumstances, but he is trying his best to get them out of this corner. ]
Give me until six bells at least. [ She's good at remaining hidden but he doesn't want her trying to intervene if things get ugly while he's at the Slat. But if he doesn't make it back, it's not like he can control what she'll do. ]
Tell me about this Dunyasha.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-08 04:59 pm (UTC)kaz doesn't need to know any of that, though, and she's relieved he changes the subject. mostly because while inej can lie through her teeth in order to survive, she's not good at hiding things from him. with the exception of her mark, which was really only hidden because kaz never bothered to ask her about it in the first place.
idiot. (though it's thought with affection.) ]
She wants me dead.
[ a little ruefully, as inej turns her attention back to the bandages, smoothing them along the counter so she can continue to stabilize her shoulder. ]
I cannot seem to hit her. She moves too quickly, and she can see every single strike that comes her way before it happens.
[ if dunyasha weren't determined to slit her throat, inej would probably find her a nice ally to have. maybe even a friend. unfortunate that they wound up on opposite sides, and dunyasha is set to remove inej's heart from her body.
inej frowns a little, at her reflection in the mirror. she looks tired, with dark circles under her eyes. new scars, and wounds. she never thought she would be wishing for something as basic and simple as a gang scrap, but kicking one of geels' men off the roof sounds like a vacation in comparison to the last month. ]
I am running out of lives to spare, and she knows that.
[ she murmurs, rearranging the bandages on the counter. ]
I need to end it, the next time we meet.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-09 02:15 am (UTC)Formidable, for sure. She must be good, if Inej is struggling to get in a cut. If she weren't so intent on trying to kill her, he'd consider seeing if he could sway her loyalties. Though ultimately, it might not worth it. Especially if she's one of those radicals or is too unpredictable. ]
Look for a tell. Everyone has one, even if it doesn't seem it.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-09 03:44 pm (UTC)What do you mean?
[ with a slight frown. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-09 04:51 pm (UTC)[ Small things he's had to watch out for. Not only from growing up in the Barrel and being relatively small but because of his leg, later. He needed to be able to try and predict how someone would move or what they'd do so he could have the advantage.
As he's gotten older, he's used information against people in the same way. Usually to stave off a fight—better to conserve energy where he could. And so he didn't have to show all his cards at once. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-09 05:25 pm (UTC)What is mine, then?
[ she asks, almost curious if he knows. he probably does, given he's the one who taught her how to fight. but inej so rarely gets hit that she hasn't ever really considered someone could predict her movement. dunyasha is clearly the exception to the rule. ]
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Date: 2021-02-09 06:45 pm (UTC)Someone like Dunyasha, for example. ]
You square your shoulders like you're about to perform. As though waiting for the audience to notice.
[ No doubt carried over from her younger days of actually performing. But isn't a fight just another type of performance in some regard? It's not that out of place for her to do. Anyone else looking at her would probably have no idea where that little motion came from. ]
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Date: 2021-02-10 01:10 am (UTC)and, yet, also annoying. ]
I do not.
[ but it's clear that she says it with a huff of faux annoyance, because inej is well aware that what kaz says is probably true. and she seems to forcibly allow her shoulders to relax . . . because she squares up when she's ready to argue, too.
so, just for a slight bit of revenge: ]
What is yours, then?
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Date: 2021-02-10 01:37 am (UTC)That doesn't stop her from returning fire, so to speak. A banter he's grown both used to and grudgingly fond of. ]
Inej, I'm crippled. [ He says in mock exasperation, as if she wasn't aware. As if she hasn't been anticipating how his leg is going to feel from day to day for the last couple years.
More seriously though, he looks at her and holds her gaze. ]
They never look for anything else.
[ Which is to say: her. ]
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Date: 2021-02-10 01:43 am (UTC)[ with a huff and a wave of her hand, before she moves to the counter, pushing herself up to sit on it neatly so she can actually bandage her wounds. and she tosses him a look, holding his gaze.
he's trying to tell her something, with that look. what it is, inej has no idea. not quite. ]
So what is it? [ as she tugs her stack of bandages closer to her thigh, so she can reach. ] Because you are far from a helpless cripple, no matter how much you exaggerate your limp in negotiations.
[ the fool. ]
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Date: 2021-02-10 01:54 am (UTC)Or the thing he's been regretting since Van Eck snatched her away.
But he knows her too well—she's going to pursue it if he tries to evade her line of questioning. ]
You. [ A thing both relieving and frightening to say. He's never had such a lever to be used against him before. The touch, perhaps, but even he could grit his teeth through it if he saw it coming.
The thought of anything horrible happening to her just. Puts him completely off balance.
He leans against the sink, hands curled along the ledge of it, his gaze dropping towards the letter from the Gemensbank. ]
On Vellgeluk, Van Eck changed his mind because I looked at you first. [ He's turned it over and over since then, hating that he'd been so transparent. ]
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Date: 2021-02-10 02:03 am (UTC)He changed his mind because he is a cheat, and he took me because I was the obvious choice.
[ a gentle correction, and a nudge that he shouldn't carry a burden for something that was outside of any of their controls. she scoots herself over a little bit, within touching distance, if only so she can gently brush her hand against the sleeve of his shirt, to get his attention.
and, more importantly, inej ducks her head a little to catch his gaze, with a slight smile. ]
You have enough stupid mistakes to take credit for without adding unnecessary ones to the pile.
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Date: 2021-02-12 02:42 am (UTC)Still, he doesn't think it's as easy as Inej says—that he'd changed his mind because he thought her an easy target. Kaz had seen his face, had seen how his expression shifted with recognition when he'd followed his eyeline. After all, he'd announced that he'd take the whole group just a moment before. At least they would've been all together; power in numbers, even if Van Eck wouldn't think of it that way. He thought too much like the stadwatch, in nice orderly lines. ]
He changed his mind because I couldn't help myself. [ And then she'd gone through that horrifying ordeal, threatened to have her legs shattered. He turns his head to look at her, brows furrowed. ]
I was worried about you and showed my whole hand.
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Date: 2021-02-12 02:05 pm (UTC)[ it's asked quietly, keeping his gaze, searching his features. because while van eck may have seen that kaz was worried about her, it didn't change the fact that inej kept the secrets of the dregs. even if kaz hadn't looked at her, inej would be the obvious choice, if van eck wanted to know where yuul was.
she wants to brush her fingers against his cheek, run her thumb along his cheekbone, to comfort him. but that feels like too much, like a string waiting to snap. so instead, she gently brushes her fingers against the sleeve of his shirt. ]
You deserve happiness.
[ it's said gently. ]
Part of that is showing that you care.
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Date: 2021-02-14 12:50 am (UTC)Somehow, though, that boy from Lij had crawled up instead, worry and fear easily read by anyone looking. And he knows it would probably show again, if she were ever put in danger's path again. None of the logic works to assuage the anxiety—it doesn't matter that she can more than handle herself. He just wants her to be alright. To know she's doing fine. ]
Do I? [ It feels like all he's done lately is bring misery. There's a whole long line of it behind him too—Filip, Saskia, the fake bank clerks, and everyone else between him and Pekka Rollins. ]
Showing it is just going to get us in trouble again. I don't want to give them the option of using us as weapons against each other.
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