It was late. Late for him even, but her ship had docked well after the sun had set, and she always made sure it was unloaded before she set off on her visits. Kaz refused to look at his watch, the sign of a devoutly impatient man.
He wondered if Jesper had met her at the dock, even this late. He often did still, after all this time, waiting there the moment a runner saw The Wraith in the distance. He wondered how much news they had already shared, his arm slung around her shoulders, talking up a storm of his own with how eager he was to share the latest Dregs gossip.
Kaz wondered, then drew his focus back to the ledgers on his desk. If he was going to be awake this late for something other than a heist, it might as well be to get some paperwork done. Check and sign, and hours onward. She should be setting off to the slat soon, if Jesper and Wylan had not already lured her to a warm bed. It was unlikely that they had, as long as she'd been gone this time.
Almost five months. Not unheard of, but longer than any of them liked. She had only stopped by with Nina briefly before setting sail again, only a few quickly scrawled letters sent their way. She'd been tracking The Pearl for the past several weeks as far as he knew, a ship of a misleadingly lovely name for what it held. It had been on its way to Novi Zem.
He heard the window slide open. Or at least he felt her enter. He turned in his chair to face Inej, a spirit against the night.
She was still just as small of course (no better form with which to fool arrogant captains), hair tugged back in a braid as always. She had cut it short, years ago, but it had long since grown past her shoulders again. Dressed in black and sailing boots, he could see no new scars. That didn't mean much.
"Kaz." Her voice was just enough to reach him. Even the sounds from the slat below them had faded to a hum, only an occasional shout or bark of laughter. It truly was late.
He nodded, though he did not rise. "Inej."
She joined him at his desk, footsteps silent like a ghost, sitting down against him on the arm of his chair. His gloves lay on the table, though that didn't mean much now.
"We intercepted The Pearl before it reached Novi Zem." She said. Business first, as usual. "Over a hundred children below the deck, just old enough to start working the plantations. It took a long time to send them on their ways home, those that had them."
Kaz nodded, writing off a final ledger before placing the pile to the side. "The Captain?"
"Dead. The first mate is alive, but the crew was small. They don't have the means to go on."
Kaz nodded again, not saying a word.
"The club?" She asked.
"Doing well."
She smiled at his answer, as minimal as always. "And the dregs?"
"Our territory is expanding. Retcher was throwing a damn fit."
"Is he dead?"
"No. He knows better than to cross us."
"Us?" Her smile brightened, her smile. "Did I just hear Kaz Brekker admit to a team effort?"
"Slip of the tongue," he amended, a habit.
"Hmm. I'm sure." She leaned in, shoulder against his, the skin of her neck touching his head as she rested there. He took her hand, and ah, there it was, a new scar over the back of her knuckles. He traced it with his other hand, a question.
"Before The Pearl." She explained. "It was a small ship, but one of their crewmembers was surprisingly capable with a shortsword."
"You'll have to tell me about it."
"Later." She murmured.
She was tired. Five months at sea, and he was sure she hadn't slept in at least a day.
"You should rest." He reminded her. To think their roles would ever be reversed like this. She shook her head.
"I have something for you." She said, placing her free hand down on the table. When she pulled it away, on the desk were two gold bands. "Nina got them," she explained. "from Ravka."
He stared. He recognized rings, of course, but… "Nina?"
"She said if I was going to keep coming back to you, we should act like it."
He had to crack a smile at that, albeit a small one. "As if she was ever so proper." His eyes stayed focused on the desk in front of him though, preoccupied with the rings, shining softly in the gray-green moonlight. Even the bustle downstairs seemed to quiet with the unspoken proposal. Rings? He wasn't a ring man, hands still hidden under gloves he hadn't needed in years. That wasn't the problem, of course. What was the problem? His hands flexed.
"I'm not asking you to marry me, Kaz." she said. "We both know that's not for us."
"Then what are you asking?" He murmured. He had an idea, but it kept drifting around his mind, impossible to grasp.
"Nothing you haven't already given." she answered. "These are just a symbol."
"Rather sentimental, don't you think?"
"Says the demon who still wears his gloves."
"I have an image to uphold."
"So do I." She leaned against the back of the chair, inches behind him. Her arm resting on his shoulder now. "Gold is very befitting a pirate."
"Of course. I could tell from how you're draped in jewels."
She laughed softly. "I'm not as flamboyant as you, Kaz." Her fingers brushed his collar. "Is that a new suit?"
"It is."
"I like it."
He caught her hand in his own, still resting against his shoulder. He rubbed a thumb along the back, considering. There wasn't much to consider.
He reached down to the desk, taking the larger of the two rings, and sliding it onto his finger.
"Well?" Inej asked.
"Jesper would say if fits like a glove."
And there was the laugh, brief and light, before she pressed her lips to his, just for a second. Even now, there were still days when her breath over his felt like drowning, but not today. Her pulse beat strong next to his as she picked up the other ring, holding it in her palm. His look must have been expectant.
"Impatient, Brekker?" She held the ring between her fingers.
"Hardly," He answered, touching his face to the crook of her neck. "But it's only fair."
"Hmm, I suppose. Nina wouldn't be happy if I wasted her gift." Inej stood, finally sliding the ring into her finger, and took a few steps away before turning back. "Do you have much more work, tonight?"
"It can wait." He said, and stood up as well, gloves in one hand and cane in the other, pressed new against the band around his finger.