[ when inej first arrives here, she nearly panics. whips around on her heels with her knife in hand to cut the throat of van eck, to fight her way through his demonic grisha, to get back to kaz and to be freE. but when she staggers to her feet, whips around to defend herself . . . there is no one. nothing.
no van eck, no grisha. nothing but the forest. the ruins.
it's in that moment that inej realizes she is no longer in kirsch, and she needs to focus. so she sits on the ground, crossing her legs underneath her, tucked away in a small alcove of bushes to hide herself, and begins to pick through her things. discovers her knives are missing. discovers her head aches. and finds the thing on her wrist seems to have a catalog of names in it -- and, immediately, inej searches for familiar ones. she sees his name, in the log of the device attached to her .kaz... sees jesper's name, too. but it's kaz's that has her attention, at first -- kaz, because if kaz is here, then inej should be with him.
if, for nothing else, to prevent him from murdering someone who likely does not deserve it.
but she hesitates, in that thought. sorts through her feelings, her thoughts, and realizes that immediately rushing to his side won't solve the fact that she seems to be trapped here, in some . . . alternate dimension quasi-injured and without her knives. arriving to kaz, if the name is even real, with no information is useless, and besides -- inej can certainly take care of herself.
so she pushes herself to her feet. to explore, to get to know the area. find answers. and she finds them, in part -- where she is, what she is expected to do. but most importantly, she finds the bathhouses. cleans herself up, washes out her hair. cleans the dirt and blood out of her clothing and face, and then -- and only then, does inej feel prepared to go find kaz brekker.
she slips through the shadows, invisible, silent. tracking signs of kaz, whispers of new arrivals. ultimately finds where he is hiding himself for the night by process of elimination, and hesitates outside of the door before she eyes the window -- placing her hands against the rough wall of the stone before pushing herself up easily into the window sill. silent, as she sits upon it, to stare into the room. to get a feel for where he is. and once she spots him (him, with his stupid coat and stupid cane and ridiculous gloves), and only then, does inej speak: ]
You really are here.
[ it's soft -- not relieved, necessarily. a soft statement of fact, as the wraith sits upon his windowsill. just the same as always. her fingertips resting against the edge of the windowsill, her still damp hair framing her face underneath the hood of her cloak. he is here. and that is a complicated thing, and inej tries to quell the sudden rush of emotion that comes with that statement, almost kicking herself for not using the device to contact him sooner -- hours, she had let slip by, hours, but -- ]
I wanted to see for myself; I did not want it to be another lie.
[ the series of events that follow kaz brekker's introduction into this place are not all together pleasant. unlucky are those who have to deal with him for any period of time, for this is something inherently violent, panicked, and dangerous about a man ripped from the only place he'd grown to understand. because we are talking about kaz, not really even a man so much as a boy, a survivor, who had put everything he could into learning and mastering a city, with no real intents to leave, now finding himself...
where, exactly? he wasn't sure. and it wasn't that he wasn't sure, he wasn't even certain this was possible. that this all wasn't some fever dream induced by the stress and impossibility of the feats he had before him back home. finding inej, ending van eck, saving inej and getting them all paid. his team, the people he'd brought together for a job he knew would go bad, and yet...what. he was stuck in some faraway land he's never heard of by a woman calling herself a witch? this was no description of ravka he's ever heard of, but magic? it had to be grisha.
but that's just scratching the surface of theories, of possibilities, that kaz is trying to work his way through. he's not doing a fantastic job of it, that subtle, ever-present press of anxiety in the back of his head. a painful, sharp pressure reminding of of everything he needed to fix, of nina, of kuwei, of inej.
contacting jesper had been done in a moment of rushed decisions - not even quite reading the names as he scrolled through them, stopping somewhere along the list and seeing jesper fahey. thinking that there's no fucking way, and yet here he was, all six foot two of unnecessary energy and...well. that's complicated, isn't it? still, some part of kaz could accept that. they'd been together right up until they arrived here, hadn't they? and it wasn't like kaz needed to check the rest of the names. he would find jesper, get information, move on.
except that in meeting jesper he hadn't really gotten anything new. jesper knew just as much, if not less, than he did. jesper was just as freaked out, just as uncertain, and honestly...a bit more annoying, now that he was aware of it all. but kaz didn't have time to deal with that, didn't have the patience for jesper, and so they split ways. the migraine pushing into the inside of his skull was getting worse. he finds a dark room to hole away in for the night, the arching in his leg getting worse by the second.
he's just settled in for maybe half an hour before he hears the movement, the barest scratch of limbs against stone. he'd settled on a bed, trying to wait for the pain in his leg to calm enough to possibly sleep, when he'd heard it. sitting in the dark, willing himself to breathe.
you really are here.
his hand is on his cane, his body taunt, prepared to stand and fight if he has to while assessing his options. there was someone here, now. someone who knew who he was, who came searching for him. it takes another second before the pieces start to fall into place - the voice, the movements, the presence in shadows itself. ]
Wraith? [ because the realization comes as more shock than anything, the memory of seeing her body - limp and unresponsive - being carried away flashes across his eyes, and then kaz is moving. without thinking. he pushes off the wall, off the bed, to try and stand- hissing as the pain shoots through his leg again and forces him back to sitting, but he can see the figure of her crouched in the sill, can see her there, out of reach.
silence passes for another second while he pulls himself together to speak. ]
Inej? [ his voice sounds disgustingly soft, weak, young. he chides himself for it, internally, folds back into the mask. the armor. but even still, it's not quite all the way back when he continues. ] How...how did you get here?
[ she doesn't move an inch, as kaz bolts out of bed and spits out her title -- wraith -- but she nearly corrects him. nearly straightens her spine and says inej, but instead she remains quiet, and watches him attempt to stand. still not moving, still not trusting this bizarre circumstance.
but when he sits, though, and says her name -- and asks the question, is when inej finally moves. a tension escapes her, and she slips into the room silently, landing on her feet before immediately turning to close the window, pulling the shutter closed before she reaches over to turn on what appears to be a lamp. and her instinct is correct, as a flickering flame near the top abruptly bursts to a faint life as she touches the switch, illuminating her face as inej pushes back her hood.
her hair is down, still damp from washing it earlier, and she has what appears to be a small amount of swelling across the side of her face -- a healing injury, from her fight with van eck. and she nearly moves to sit next to him, suddenly exhausted after forcing herself to keep herself together for the last six or eight hours. but sitting next to kaz brekker is just going to cause kaz to want to move, and inej isn't entirely sure she can (or wants) to deal with that. not yet.
but there is no other bed, or really any other type of furniture in the room she can sit on, and while inej is certainly not bothered with fake standards of chivalry, she'll be damned if she sits on the floor while kaz fucking brekker sits on the bed. so she moves toward him, to sit next to him, speaking as she moves: ]
I imagine the answer is the same as yours: I was taken by the Witch, Astoria.
[ and, silently, inej takes a seat next to kaz on the bed, resting her palms on the mattress as she allows herself to exhale slowly. the pain in her ribs suddenly manifesting, now that she has time to relax. her fingers shaking, ever so silently, until she curls them closed into fists, to quell the nerves. ]
But if you mean your room, or finding you, I looked you up in the catalog. . . device, whatever it is. I saw you, and Jesper, and I decided to find you first.
[ it's all a bit ridiculous, really. how visceral his reaction had been, how on edge he's felt since he arrived. inej barely says a few words and he's reacting, standing, in pain. the seconds following are spent mostly in reflection on his part - stupid, stupid reacting. he needs to be better at that. needs to hold that in. he's not even certain if it is inej, so he keeps his eyes on the figure as she steps inside his room, closes the window, ignites a lamp.
the exhale he makes when he sees her face is audible, the tension sliding out of him in one exhausted breath.
because it is her. with a welt across her face and moving with what he can assume is some bruising, perhaps worse, but she is there. alive. whole. out of van eck's reach. part of him still thinks he's dreaming, that some heartrender on jurda parem has his mind in a vice grip. but still, he's exhausted, he's on edge, and watching inej move through the room is bringing him a kind of peace he only allows himself to acknowledge on the worst of nights.
she moves to sit next to him, and he won't lie - there is an urge to move, to slide over to give her more room. it curls under his skin like wire, the urge all consuming for just a moment. but kaz doesn't move, whether it's his own exhaustion, the pain still searing from his leg, or something else - his eyes following inej like he's still not completely convinced she's there. that even as the bed shifts under her (minimal) weight, he's still not certain.
kaz loosens his grip on his cane, realizing now he'd been keyed up to fight back, even given his odds. but with inej sitting at his side, the grip feels almost embarrassing. because, he has to be honest - she would have won that fight. so he loosens his grip, his eyes falling to where her hand is on the mattress, where the one between them slowly closes into a fist. he is still listening to her, and at the words his stomach tightens angrily. she'd been on the device, she had been on the device and he'd missed it, in his suspicions and his panicked searching he'd missed it. hate and shame curl in his gut at the idea of it, showing only in a slight tension over his shoulders.
he should have looked for inej. even when a voice in the back of his head answers you never thought her being here was possible, he still should have done it. another oversight, another mistake. he'd be dead at this rate, if they were still in ketterdam. if this place was anything like home. ]
And your injuries? [ it's an effort to keep his voice steady, to keep it above whatever wretched, soft thing it had been moments before, but he does it all the same. ]
[ there's a tension, in the room, that was never there before. they used to sit there constantly, keeping each other company, in relative silence. but now, there is a tension, and inej can't help but wonder if it's because of their last conversation, or the series of arguments that they've had, or how their last interaction that inej remembers went. they are on the same page, but not. a team, but not really.
it's overwhelming, and inej suddenly comes to the realization that she came here to feel safe, and she still does not feel safe. and part of her is angry about that, and part of her feels angry with herself for expecting safety out of kaz brekker -- but then kaz asks that question. which, for kaz, translates to are you alright. and that question gives her pause, because it's the first time inej remembers kaz bothering to ask her if she's fine.
he's probably asking to make sure you're well enough to do his bidding, came the bitter voice in the back of her mind. but inej draws in a breath. ]
A concussion, and broken or fractured ribs.
[ finally, uncurling her hands from fists to lay her palm flat against the mattress. ]
[ when the network begins to flicker back to life, inej immediately seizes upon the opportunity to send messages . . . but first, she has to figure out what to say. taking charge is not something she does, and she's done quite a bit of that, over the last handful of weeks. being on her own has been strangely . . . liberating, but also lonely.
try as she might, the dregs are the only ones who truly know her. she won't tell the truth to any of these people. for better or for worse.
and so: ]
I'm fine.
[ the entire message, shockingly, goes through. but she doesn't need to share more than that, to assuage kaz's immediate fears. ]
[ it's a miracle that kaz hasn't entirely destroyed his device. he heard the rumors that the network was working again, saw signs of life somewhere along the way, but for him? not in the least. only half the names will appear, and even less will let him get messages out. his frustration has only grown as the hours have continued on - he just needs to check in on inej, what worthless piece of shit won't let him do that - when the message comes through.
relief floods him, though there is only the barest hint of it across his face. not that inej would see that, either, but for anyone else who might be focused on him. ]
[ so the network isn't working perfectly. it figures. her luck has never been that good. but inej can guess what kaz is asking even without the full message, and so she tucks herself away into an alley, ducking out of the rush of people to communicate ]
The Palace of [ . . . ].
No sign of [ . . . ]. I'm wor---- at a ---taurant.
[ the relief is soon replaced with frustration, bits and pieces of information being sent. he supposes a more patient person could take this as code, could look at this and put the pieces together. kaz's urge to tear the watch apart at the seams is back, but he resists. ]
Jes--- here somewhere. He knows . . . survive.
You're work--- /where/?
-'m . . . Thunder-ome. -here are wea- - - here.. . I have . . . knives for -ou.
[ jesper knows how to survive. that is true, but doesn't assuage her concern. being separated is frustrating, and dangerous. but kaz seems to be fine, and once inej figures out how to contact jesper, she can track him down too. saints knows kaz isn't going to do it.
the thunderdome. inej has heard it, in her adventures of the palace. she has no idea where it is, or how to get there, but it's a tangible thing, which is better than nothing.
but it's the last part, that inej sees -- knives for her? that causes her lips to twitch into a faint smile, amused. she doesn't thank him for them -- mostly, a petty part of her decides, because kaz hasn't thanked her for anything in his life, so why should she thank him for a gift when he owes her more than that?
still. that thought tugs at her heart a little, unnecessarily malicious. and inej is a better person than that, so: ]
Keep them for me. And I ca--ot steal [ . . . ] --ily here. I needed [ . . . ].
[ besides, hanging out with connor was kind of fun, in a bizarre sort of way. ]
Waitressing is easy.
[ and far more dignified than her other options, if inej were totally honest. ]
Reminiscent, really. I, too, was once a teenager with an overinflated ego and sense of self. I've mostly recovered from the condition, but people like you tend to remind me every once in awhile that I have work to do.
[ what a brat. and, because kaz made roy expend the extra effort (of . . . poking around and observing the network, which really took no effort at all, but he's going to act like it was the largest of inconveniences): ]
I'm not in the business of harming anyone or anything, but you two should be careful who you follow around, or who you pry for information. The Circle has mostly been peaceful, but that likely won't always be the case.
This isn't home; you aren't special, here. Though I have to admit, I am jealous of the information you've likely already acquired on your fellow Circle members, thanks to your friend. Or is she an associate? Employee? Girlfriend? All of the above?
Lucky you, having the time to really mature and come into your own as a mature adult.
[ can roy feel that dark shiver down his spine? the sarcasm and spite dripping from the words? probably not. oh the things he sacrifices by speaking entirely over networks. ]
Is that a threat, General Mustang?
[ there's also a lot more he could probably say here - about how they've got an up, knowing they're not special. how these powers probably make them more special here than they ever were at home. but that wouldn't really be true, would it?
inej has always been special. ]
She is very good, yes.
And I take it your associate is also just as good. You two have been here a long time.
You assume a lot. And you give me too much credit, Mr. Brekker. I'm not really in the habit of threatening anyone. No one would take me seriously if I did that. Wave a big stick, that is.
[ mostly because he doesn't need to. only idiots in amestris would openly threaten the flame alchemist, and it was the idiots who burned as a result. not that kaz needs to know that, but roy has never really been one to make brash threats. he would much rather play chess. ]
I assume you mean Riza? Colonel Hawkeye, to you. Good is an understatement. I'm sure she could teach Inej a few things.
And I wouldn't call her an associate, really. I like the sound of 'partner in crime' or 'co-conspirator' or 'best friend' more than associate.
[ kaz is slowly healing. slowly. it could be expedited, but he refused to be healed. and inej was in no position to force him. instead, she took care of him, carefully avoiding the topic of how he wound up this way, or the way he cringed whenever she touched him.
at the bare minimum, kaz wasn't complaining. much. he was at least being delicate about being rude to her, so that was something. but in a way, it made inej feel worse. it would almost be better if he was angry with her, but instead, it was mostly silence. no attempts at reassurance, but also no real attempts at anything at all. maybe he needed time to decompress. or maybe he was thinking about what she had said to him, what she had told him.
she's broken too.
but one early evening, after being gone for the majority of the day, she steals back through the window, landing softly on her feet, his cane in hand. she had left a note, but she had mostly planned on him being asleep, for most of the day. that tended to be what happened, anyway.
she closes the window, and brushes back her hood to glance over at him before moving toward his bedside, peering down at him . . . gently touching his forehead with the palm of her hand, to ensure he still didn't have a fever. and, feeling none, she murmurs: ]
You need to eat.
[ she knows, by now, the touch is enough to make him stir. and, she also has the sneaking suspicion that, by now, he's milking this for anything it is worth. ]
[ she has been avoiding the conversation for weeks, and to her astonishment, kaz seems to be none the wiser. he hasn't pressed her for information, he hasn't asked questions. he hasn't seemed off, or like he's hiding his irritation. he's seemed remarkably normal, all things considered.
that means nothing, in the long run. kaz brekker is good at hiding secrets, but inej likes to think she reads him better than most. matthias and nina haven't told him, clearly. he would have certainly told inej about it. or maybe he wouldn't have -- but matthias and nina would, and inej swore matthias to secrecy. this was her burden, and if anyone could navigate kaz brekker's bitter attitude and cruelty, it was her.
at the very least, inej was used to dealing with it.
all of this comes to a head, really, while they're sitting on the roof of the dusty coffer, eating dinner, and sitting in relative silence. it was remarkably normal, sitting cross-legged on the ground and listening to the sounds of a noisy city, waiting for kaz to go into the next plan. the next heist. the next big idea. and she has engaged in minimal conversation, during the night. playing her role of quiet shadow, listening, more than talking.
but the weight of what she knows she has to talk about him (and, really, the guilt at keeping it to herself, and keeping him ignorant) is still weighing on her, and inej knows the moment she brings it up, it is going to ruin any tenuous peace kaz has built himself while staying here. she isn't even sure why pekka rollins is on her mind right now, other than the simple realization that kaz is in his element, here. and it makes her think of home, and of ketterdam, and of what kaz built for himself. and what he gave away.
just do it, inej. ]
I need to tell you something.
[ it's said suddenly, quietly, as she sets down her food in her lap, breaking the peaceful silence. they're sitting on a blanket together, relatively close to one another. and inej almost has half a mind to move, before she goes down this path, to give him the space he's surely going to need, but she decides against it.
she's humming with nervous energy, but she continues, regardless. to provide context, for the words falling out of her mouth. she has never been a very good liar. and she is quiet, standing on the precipice for half a moment, before she elects to just . . . jump. ]
[ it is not even that he's good at hiding secrets, more so that for kaz brekker, he is nothing without them. to become the rumor, the reputation, the idea of a man that he is, it was dependent on how well he could collect, keep, and use secrets efficiently. there is not a piece of knowledge that could not be used against someone, depending on the situation. on the moment.
this also means, generally, that he's pretty good at knowing when, and how, others tend to keep them from him. but maybe it has something to do with this place, or the events over the last few months, have kept him distracted. he knows that nina and mattias are from around the same timeline as he is, he knows that they know more than inej does, but the concept of that information being spread doesn't quite cross his mind.
the night is. a relatively simple one. he's been working to attract more work, and has slowly garnered enough trust with other patrons that the talk of jobs has started to circulate. it gives him energy, it gives him purpose, having something like this to work on. but more than anything, it makes him feel like himself - a feat that hadn't been done since his arrival here. and maybe it's felt more so because of the simple fact inej is the one sitting at his side, the peaceful quiet between them something they both are used to. comfortable with.
but even so, he can tell there is something else here with them. something on her mind. so when she does speak, he's not surprised. he doesn't jump, kaz brekker doesn't jump, but there is a new tension to his shoulders. inej is tense, buzzing with nervous energy, and kaz waits - knowing she will tell him what is on her mind, if it is really bothering her that much.
( part of him wonders what that feels like. an inability to hold that information inside. so much of him is information that part of him wonders if he shared all the secrets he's kept if there would be anything left. )
but then she says that, and kaz. knows. suddenly, wholly and completely, knows. but he schools his expression, his response, almost too entirely nonchalant in his reaction. ]
You cannot be angry with Matthias or Nina. I told them to be silent.
[ it's said evenly, feeling the change in the air, seeing the tension in his shoulders. the moment of relaxation is lost. he is on high alert, now, and inej feels a twisting in her stomach, but the words have already been said.
there's nothing to be done now but jump.
still, she sets aside her food entirely, and loops her arms around her knees. watching him, carefully, her voice still low and quiet. words purposefully chosen. but she's watching for more than his reaction, she's watching for a tell. to see if he's surprised, by what she says. to see if he lied to her, when she demanded to know what his trick was.
( she does not think he did. but you never know, with kaz. )
but once that's said, she hesitates for a moment, before exhaling slowly. ]
I know that whatever you are planning, with Van Eck, requires a lot of money. And I know how you got it.
[ what she can't figure out is why, but she imagines kaz will tell her, once she says it. ]
You sold your shares.
[ she doesn't say to who, yet. kaz is smart. he'll figure it out. ]
[ there are words on his tongue about that. about how he can be angry with matthias and nina for whatever he wants. how they deserve to have him angry at them for a variety of reasons, whether or not this is one doesn't matter.
but he doesn't, and instead lets the tension in the air speak for itself.
in the barrel, having a secret like this get out could mean the end of him. of his plans, of the people under his care, of everything. but if they were in the barrel, she wouldn't be sitting next to him like this either. not yet. he can feel her eyes on him, and he turns to meet them, staring directly back and giving her plenty of time to see whatever it is she wants to see, though in reality he doesn't seem to react at all to it.
the skin on the back of kaz's neck crawls when he hears that name. a kind of spinning threatening to take over. for barely half a moment, he's back in the truck. back on the island (the island, that inej has seen). and then it is gone.
in its place is a simple nod. an agreement, to what she says, before his eyes turn back to the rooftops of the city out before them.
he knows she is waiting on an answer from him. knows that she's waiting on an explanation. but for the next few moments, kaz doesn't say anything at all. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
( action )
Date: 2018-11-09 02:56 am (UTC)no van eck, no grisha. nothing but the forest. the ruins.
it's in that moment that inej realizes she is no longer in kirsch, and she needs to focus. so she sits on the ground, crossing her legs underneath her, tucked away in a small alcove of bushes to hide herself, and begins to pick through her things. discovers her knives are missing. discovers her head aches. and finds the thing on her wrist seems to have a catalog of names in it -- and, immediately, inej searches for familiar ones. she sees his name, in the log of the device attached to her .kaz... sees jesper's name, too. but it's kaz's that has her attention, at first -- kaz, because if kaz is here, then inej should be with him.
if, for nothing else, to prevent him from murdering someone who likely does not deserve it.
but she hesitates, in that thought. sorts through her feelings, her thoughts, and realizes that immediately rushing to his side won't solve the fact that she seems to be trapped here, in some . . . alternate dimension quasi-injured and without her knives. arriving to kaz, if the name is even real, with no information is useless, and besides -- inej can certainly take care of herself.
so she pushes herself to her feet. to explore, to get to know the area. find answers. and she finds them, in part -- where she is, what she is expected to do. but most importantly, she finds the bathhouses. cleans herself up, washes out her hair. cleans the dirt and blood out of her clothing and face, and then -- and only then, does inej feel prepared to go find kaz brekker.
she slips through the shadows, invisible, silent. tracking signs of kaz, whispers of new arrivals. ultimately finds where he is hiding himself for the night by process of elimination, and hesitates outside of the door before she eyes the window -- placing her hands against the rough wall of the stone before pushing herself up easily into the window sill. silent, as she sits upon it, to stare into the room. to get a feel for where he is. and once she spots him (him, with his stupid coat and stupid cane and ridiculous gloves), and only then, does inej speak: ]
You really are here.
[ it's soft -- not relieved, necessarily. a soft statement of fact, as the wraith sits upon his windowsill. just the same as always. her fingertips resting against the edge of the windowsill, her still damp hair framing her face underneath the hood of her cloak. he is here. and that is a complicated thing, and inej tries to quell the sudden rush of emotion that comes with that statement, almost kicking herself for not using the device to contact him sooner -- hours, she had let slip by, hours, but -- ]
I wanted to see for myself; I did not want it to be another lie.
( action )
Date: 2018-11-09 05:55 am (UTC)where, exactly? he wasn't sure. and it wasn't that he wasn't sure, he wasn't even certain this was possible. that this all wasn't some fever dream induced by the stress and impossibility of the feats he had before him back home. finding inej, ending van eck, saving inej and getting them all paid. his team, the people he'd brought together for a job he knew would go bad, and yet...what. he was stuck in some faraway land he's never heard of by a woman calling herself a witch? this was no description of ravka he's ever heard of, but magic? it had to be grisha.
but that's just scratching the surface of theories, of possibilities, that kaz is trying to work his way through. he's not doing a fantastic job of it, that subtle, ever-present press of anxiety in the back of his head. a painful, sharp pressure reminding of of everything he needed to fix, of nina, of kuwei, of inej.
contacting jesper had been done in a moment of rushed decisions - not even quite reading the names as he scrolled through them, stopping somewhere along the list and seeing jesper fahey. thinking that there's no fucking way, and yet here he was, all six foot two of unnecessary energy and...well. that's complicated, isn't it? still, some part of kaz could accept that. they'd been together right up until they arrived here, hadn't they? and it wasn't like kaz needed to check the rest of the names. he would find jesper, get information, move on.
except that in meeting jesper he hadn't really gotten anything new. jesper knew just as much, if not less, than he did. jesper was just as freaked out, just as uncertain, and honestly...a bit more annoying, now that he was aware of it all. but kaz didn't have time to deal with that, didn't have the patience for jesper, and so they split ways. the migraine pushing into the inside of his skull was getting worse. he finds a dark room to hole away in for the night, the arching in his leg getting worse by the second.
he's just settled in for maybe half an hour before he hears the movement, the barest scratch of limbs against stone. he'd settled on a bed, trying to wait for the pain in his leg to calm enough to possibly sleep, when he'd heard it. sitting in the dark, willing himself to breathe.
you really are here.
his hand is on his cane, his body taunt, prepared to stand and fight if he has to while assessing his options. there was someone here, now. someone who knew who he was, who came searching for him. it takes another second before the pieces start to fall into place - the voice, the movements, the presence in shadows itself. ]
Wraith? [ because the realization comes as more shock than anything, the memory of seeing her body - limp and unresponsive - being carried away flashes across his eyes, and then kaz is moving. without thinking. he pushes off the wall, off the bed, to try and stand- hissing as the pain shoots through his leg again and forces him back to sitting, but he can see the figure of her crouched in the sill, can see her there, out of reach.
silence passes for another second while he pulls himself together to speak. ]
Inej? [ his voice sounds disgustingly soft, weak, young. he chides himself for it, internally, folds back into the mask. the armor. but even still, it's not quite all the way back when he continues. ] How...how did you get here?
( action )
Date: 2018-11-09 12:35 pm (UTC)but when he sits, though, and says her name -- and asks the question, is when inej finally moves. a tension escapes her, and she slips into the room silently, landing on her feet before immediately turning to close the window, pulling the shutter closed before she reaches over to turn on what appears to be a lamp. and her instinct is correct, as a flickering flame near the top abruptly bursts to a faint life as she touches the switch, illuminating her face as inej pushes back her hood.
her hair is down, still damp from washing it earlier, and she has what appears to be a small amount of swelling across the side of her face -- a healing injury, from her fight with van eck. and she nearly moves to sit next to him, suddenly exhausted after forcing herself to keep herself together for the last six or eight hours. but sitting next to kaz brekker is just going to cause kaz to want to move, and inej isn't entirely sure she can (or wants) to deal with that. not yet.
but there is no other bed, or really any other type of furniture in the room she can sit on, and while inej is certainly not bothered with fake standards of chivalry, she'll be damned if she sits on the floor while kaz fucking brekker sits on the bed. so she moves toward him, to sit next to him, speaking as she moves: ]
I imagine the answer is the same as yours: I was taken by the Witch, Astoria.
[ and, silently, inej takes a seat next to kaz on the bed, resting her palms on the mattress as she allows herself to exhale slowly. the pain in her ribs suddenly manifesting, now that she has time to relax. her fingers shaking, ever so silently, until she curls them closed into fists, to quell the nerves. ]
But if you mean your room, or finding you, I looked you up in the catalog. . . device, whatever it is. I saw you, and Jesper, and I decided to find you first.
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Date: 2018-11-09 03:33 pm (UTC)the exhale he makes when he sees her face is audible, the tension sliding out of him in one exhausted breath.
because it is her. with a welt across her face and moving with what he can assume is some bruising, perhaps worse, but she is there. alive. whole. out of van eck's reach. part of him still thinks he's dreaming, that some heartrender on jurda parem has his mind in a vice grip. but still, he's exhausted, he's on edge, and watching inej move through the room is bringing him a kind of peace he only allows himself to acknowledge on the worst of nights.
she moves to sit next to him, and he won't lie - there is an urge to move, to slide over to give her more room. it curls under his skin like wire, the urge all consuming for just a moment. but kaz doesn't move, whether it's his own exhaustion, the pain still searing from his leg, or something else - his eyes following inej like he's still not completely convinced she's there. that even as the bed shifts under her (minimal) weight, he's still not certain.
kaz loosens his grip on his cane, realizing now he'd been keyed up to fight back, even given his odds. but with inej sitting at his side, the grip feels almost embarrassing. because, he has to be honest - she would have won that fight. so he loosens his grip, his eyes falling to where her hand is on the mattress, where the one between them slowly closes into a fist. he is still listening to her, and at the words his stomach tightens angrily. she'd been on the device, she had been on the device and he'd missed it, in his suspicions and his panicked searching he'd missed it. hate and shame curl in his gut at the idea of it, showing only in a slight tension over his shoulders.
he should have looked for inej. even when a voice in the back of his head answers you never thought her being here was possible, he still should have done it. another oversight, another mistake. he'd be dead at this rate, if they were still in ketterdam. if this place was anything like home. ]
And your injuries? [ it's an effort to keep his voice steady, to keep it above whatever wretched, soft thing it had been moments before, but he does it all the same. ]
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Date: 2018-11-09 04:29 pm (UTC)it's overwhelming, and inej suddenly comes to the realization that she came here to feel safe, and she still does not feel safe. and part of her is angry about that, and part of her feels angry with herself for expecting safety out of kaz brekker -- but then kaz asks that question. which, for kaz, translates to are you alright. and that question gives her pause, because it's the first time inej remembers kaz bothering to ask her if she's fine.
he's probably asking to make sure you're well enough to do his bidding, came the bitter voice in the back of her mind. but inej draws in a breath. ]
A concussion, and broken or fractured ribs.
[ finally, uncurling her hands from fists to lay her palm flat against the mattress. ]
I've endured worse.
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Date: 2018-11-26 06:35 pm (UTC)try as she might, the dregs are the only ones who truly know her. she won't tell the truth to any of these people. for better or for worse.
and so: ]
I'm fine.
[ the entire message, shockingly, goes through. but she doesn't need to share more than that, to assuage kaz's immediate fears. ]
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Date: 2018-11-27 03:50 pm (UTC)relief floods him, though there is only the barest hint of it across his face. not that inej would see that, either, but for anyone else who might be focused on him. ]
Where . . . . you?
( text )
Date: 2018-11-27 07:54 pm (UTC)The Palace of [ . . . ].
No sign of [ . . . ]. I'm wor---- at a ---taurant.
Where are you?
( text )
Date: 2018-11-28 09:49 pm (UTC)Jes--- here somewhere.
He knows . . . survive.
You're work--- /where/?
-'m . . . Thunder-ome.
-here are wea- - - here.. .
I have . . . knives for -ou.
[ olive branch, maybe? ]
( text )
Date: 2018-11-29 06:24 pm (UTC)the thunderdome. inej has heard it, in her adventures of the palace. she has no idea where it is, or how to get there, but it's a tangible thing, which is better than nothing.
but it's the last part, that inej sees -- knives for her? that causes her lips to twitch into a faint smile, amused. she doesn't thank him for them -- mostly, a petty part of her decides, because kaz hasn't thanked her for anything in his life, so why should she thank him for a gift when he owes her more than that?
still. that thought tugs at her heart a little, unnecessarily malicious. and inej is a better person than that, so: ]
Keep them for me.
And I ca--ot steal [ . . . ] --ily here.
I needed [ . . . ].
[ besides, hanging out with connor was kind of fun, in a bizarre sort of way. ]
Waitressing is easy.
[ and far more dignified than her other options, if inej were totally honest. ]
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From:( text ) literally 4 hours after that conversation this is hella backdated oops.
Date: 2019-03-01 12:17 am (UTC)Inej can't be more than eighteen.
[ you challenged him and he fuckin met that challenge you piece of shit ]
( text ) lksjhdflksjdfh THEYRE CHILDREN
Date: 2019-03-01 03:41 pm (UTC)for saints sake inej.]
Is there an age limit to who can get kidnapped and forced into warzones?
Do we make you feel old?
( text ) you wanted a dad right kaz
Date: 2019-03-01 06:02 pm (UTC)[ what a brat. and, because kaz made roy expend the extra effort (of . . . poking around and observing the network, which really took no effort at all, but he's going to act like it was the largest of inconveniences): ]
I'm not in the business of harming anyone or anything, but you two should be careful who you follow around, or who you pry for information. The Circle has mostly been peaceful, but that likely won't always be the case.
This isn't home; you aren't special, here. Though I have to admit, I am jealous of the information you've likely already acquired on your fellow Circle members, thanks to your friend. Or is she an associate? Employee? Girlfriend? All of the above?
Whoever she is, she's very good.
( text ) YOURE NOT MY REAL DAD
Date: 2019-03-01 07:02 pm (UTC)[ can roy feel that dark shiver down his spine? the sarcasm and spite dripping from the words? probably not. oh the things he sacrifices by speaking entirely over networks. ]
Is that a threat, General Mustang?
[ there's also a lot more he could probably say here - about how they've got an up, knowing they're not special. how these powers probably make them more special here than they ever were at home. but that wouldn't really be true, would it?
inej has always been special. ]
She is very good, yes.
And I take it your associate is also just as good.
You two have been here a long time.
( text ) thank god honestly
Date: 2019-03-01 07:15 pm (UTC)[ mostly because he doesn't need to. only idiots in amestris would openly threaten the flame alchemist, and it was the idiots who burned as a result. not that kaz needs to know that, but roy has never really been one to make brash threats. he would much rather play chess. ]
I assume you mean Riza? Colonel Hawkeye, to you.
Good is an understatement. I'm sure she could teach Inej a few things.
And I wouldn't call her an associate, really. I like the sound of 'partner in crime' or 'co-conspirator' or 'best friend' more than associate.
But she would probably use the word associate.
( text ) that's real
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Date: 2019-03-29 11:05 pm (UTC)at the bare minimum, kaz wasn't complaining. much. he was at least being delicate about being rude to her, so that was something. but in a way, it made inej feel worse. it would almost be better if he was angry with her, but instead, it was mostly silence. no attempts at reassurance, but also no real attempts at anything at all. maybe he needed time to decompress. or maybe he was thinking about what she had said to him, what she had told him.
she's broken too.
but one early evening, after being gone for the majority of the day, she steals back through the window, landing softly on her feet, his cane in hand. she had left a note, but she had mostly planned on him being asleep, for most of the day. that tended to be what happened, anyway.
she closes the window, and brushes back her hood to glance over at him before moving toward his bedside, peering down at him . . . gently touching his forehead with the palm of her hand, to ensure he still didn't have a fever. and, feeling none, she murmurs: ]
You need to eat.
[ she knows, by now, the touch is enough to make him stir. and, she also has the sneaking suspicion that, by now, he's milking this for anything it is worth. ]
(text)
Date: 2019-04-07 02:03 am (UTC)What did you do to deserve being stabbed by Inej?
[Hi, Kaz!]
(text)
Date: 2019-04-07 05:41 pm (UTC)Hello, Zenick.
Figure out how to use the device, then?
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Date: 2019-04-07 05:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2019-04-07 05:49 pm (UTC)You’ve talked to Inej.
I got stabbed and I survived.
What I did or didn’t do isn’t relevant.
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Date: 2019-04-07 05:50 pm (UTC)Inej is an angel, which means it must have been absolutely terrible.
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Date: 2019-04-25 02:27 pm (UTC)that means nothing, in the long run. kaz brekker is good at hiding secrets, but inej likes to think she reads him better than most. matthias and nina haven't told him, clearly. he would have certainly told inej about it. or maybe he wouldn't have -- but matthias and nina would, and inej swore matthias to secrecy. this was her burden, and if anyone could navigate kaz brekker's bitter attitude and cruelty, it was her.
at the very least, inej was used to dealing with it.
all of this comes to a head, really, while they're sitting on the roof of the dusty coffer, eating dinner, and sitting in relative silence. it was remarkably normal, sitting cross-legged on the ground and listening to the sounds of a noisy city, waiting for kaz to go into the next plan. the next heist. the next big idea. and she has engaged in minimal conversation, during the night. playing her role of quiet shadow, listening, more than talking.
but the weight of what she knows she has to talk about him (and, really, the guilt at keeping it to herself, and keeping him ignorant) is still weighing on her, and inej knows the moment she brings it up, it is going to ruin any tenuous peace kaz has built himself while staying here. she isn't even sure why pekka rollins is on her mind right now, other than the simple realization that kaz is in his element, here. and it makes her think of home, and of ketterdam, and of what kaz built for himself. and what he gave away.
just do it, inej. ]
I need to tell you something.
[ it's said suddenly, quietly, as she sets down her food in her lap, breaking the peaceful silence. they're sitting on a blanket together, relatively close to one another. and inej almost has half a mind to move, before she goes down this path, to give him the space he's surely going to need, but she decides against it.
she's humming with nervous energy, but she continues, regardless. to provide context, for the words falling out of her mouth. she has never been a very good liar. and she is quiet, standing on the precipice for half a moment, before she elects to just . . . jump. ]
I learned something, about home.
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Date: 2019-06-23 05:09 pm (UTC)this also means, generally, that he's pretty good at knowing when, and how, others tend to keep them from him. but maybe it has something to do with this place, or the events over the last few months, have kept him distracted. he knows that nina and mattias are from around the same timeline as he is, he knows that they know more than inej does, but the concept of that information being spread doesn't quite cross his mind.
the night is. a relatively simple one. he's been working to attract more work, and has slowly garnered enough trust with other patrons that the talk of jobs has started to circulate. it gives him energy, it gives him purpose, having something like this to work on. but more than anything, it makes him feel like himself - a feat that hadn't been done since his arrival here. and maybe it's felt more so because of the simple fact inej is the one sitting at his side, the peaceful quiet between them something they both are used to. comfortable with.
but even so, he can tell there is something else here with them. something on her mind. so when she does speak, he's not surprised. he doesn't jump, kaz brekker doesn't jump, but there is a new tension to his shoulders. inej is tense, buzzing with nervous energy, and kaz waits - knowing she will tell him what is on her mind, if it is really bothering her that much.
( part of him wonders what that feels like. an inability to hold that information inside. so much of him is information that part of him wonders if he shared all the secrets he's kept if there would be anything left. )
but then she says that, and kaz. knows. suddenly, wholly and completely, knows. but he schools his expression, his response, almost too entirely nonchalant in his reaction. ]
What did you learn?
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Date: 2019-06-27 04:45 pm (UTC)[ it's said evenly, feeling the change in the air, seeing the tension in his shoulders. the moment of relaxation is lost. he is on high alert, now, and inej feels a twisting in her stomach, but the words have already been said.
there's nothing to be done now but jump.
still, she sets aside her food entirely, and loops her arms around her knees. watching him, carefully, her voice still low and quiet. words purposefully chosen. but she's watching for more than his reaction, she's watching for a tell. to see if he's surprised, by what she says. to see if he lied to her, when she demanded to know what his trick was.
( she does not think he did. but you never know, with kaz. )
but once that's said, she hesitates for a moment, before exhaling slowly. ]
I know that whatever you are planning, with Van Eck, requires a lot of money. And I know how you got it.
[ what she can't figure out is why, but she imagines kaz will tell her, once she says it. ]
You sold your shares.
[ she doesn't say to who, yet. kaz is smart. he'll figure it out. ]
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Date: 2019-07-01 10:23 pm (UTC)but he doesn't, and instead lets the tension in the air speak for itself.
in the barrel, having a secret like this get out could mean the end of him. of his plans, of the people under his care, of everything. but if they were in the barrel, she wouldn't be sitting next to him like this either. not yet. he can feel her eyes on him, and he turns to meet them, staring directly back and giving her plenty of time to see whatever it is she wants to see, though in reality he doesn't seem to react at all to it.
the skin on the back of kaz's neck crawls when he hears that name. a kind of spinning threatening to take over. for barely half a moment, he's back in the truck. back on the island (the island, that inej has seen). and then it is gone.
in its place is a simple nod. an agreement, to what she says, before his eyes turn back to the rooftops of the city out before them.
he knows she is waiting on an answer from him. knows that she's waiting on an explanation. but for the next few moments, kaz doesn't say anything at all. ]
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