Writing from Kaz's POV is really difficult! Please review.
Kaz
As he watched Inej and her parents disappear into the study, he was struck by a memory of his mother and father sitting him down when he was...two? Three? To explain to him that taking things without asking was wrong. If Da could see me now... He simultaneously laughed and shuddered. He wasn't ashamed of what he was, but he thought he would rather be back at the Ice Court, in the hands of the Fjerdans, than have to explain to his father what he had become. He turned and walked down the hall, intending to go back to the Slat. He still had business to attend to. But before he could reach the front door, Wylan nervously stepped in front of him.
"Kaz?" The boy asked hesitantly.
On any given day, Kaz would've usually just pushed right past anyone who dared to step in his path, possibly leaving a knife buried in their chest, but he felt dismembering one of the few people he privately considered friends trouble he didn't need, and he was curious as to what the boy had to say.
"What?" He growled.
"Jesper and I wanted to know if you'd-you'd..."
Kaz sighed and checked his watch, thinking of the piles of work still on his desk. "Spit it out, merchling."
"Would you like to come to dinner?"
Kaz blinked, surprised. "Why?"
"We haven't seen much of you lately, and I know for a fact that the food here is better than what you get at the Slat any night of the week, so we just thought it would be nice." Wylan watched him nervously, obviously unsure how he would react.
In truth, Kaz didn't have a clue how to react. People didn't usually invite Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel, over for social visits.
Later, he wasn't sure why he accepted. He had a ton of work to do, now that he had taken over most of Pekka Rollins abandoned property. All he thought of at the time was how lonely it would be at the office.
"Sure."
Wylan looked surprised, but said "How about six bells?" Kaz just nodded.
As soon as he was outside, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his gloves. He had taken them off earlier for Inej, but he felt too vulnerable without them around other people. You're hopeless. He thought to himself as he pulled them on. His leg ached as he walked down the street. His body still hadn't completely recovered from what he had put it through at the Ice Court and what came after. As it seemed to be doing more and more these days, his mind drifted back to Matthias. He and the burly Fjerdan had never been on the best of terms, which probably had something to do with Kaz constantly insulting his god and making jokes about talking trees, and then destroying the symbol of Matthias's religion, but he still missed having the Fjerdan around. He wondered if it would have made a difference if he'd told Helvar that out of all of them, he had had the highest chance of dying. The others would have been able to slip back into the shadows, but Helvar had had the entire Fjerdan empire against him. For the millionth time, he wondered who had shot him. It could have been anyone in this city of thousands...
He turned down an alley that offered a shortcut to the Slat. He was surprised as a stray cat startled and hissed as he approached and shot down the alleyway. He swore under his breath and kept walking.
Suddenly, he heard impossibly quick and light footsteps as a breeze blew down the alley. He stopped and hefted his cane, eyeing the opening of the alley. A small shadow appeared, and he tensed, but it was gone as quickly as it came. What the hell was that? Summer was almost in Ketterdam, and they hadn't felt a breeze since the last early spring storm. And the shadow...
He shook his head and continued on, casting wary glances behind and in front of him. That sudden breeze had felt...strange. Unnatural.
When he reached the Slat, Anika was waiting for him. "What is it now?" He said, limping past her towards the stairs.
"The Black Tips. They've finally clued in to the fact Rollins might not be coming back, and those idiots have realized you've gained a huge amount of territory without resistance. They're not exactly happy, and the realization is spreading."
Kaz sighed. He had been waiting for this reckoning ever simce the fake plague panic had calmed down and news had gotten out that Rollins had fled the city, and he had begun buying property and abysmally low prices. They would have to be dealt with.
"I'll worry about Geels and the others. You should worry about getting to the Crow Club in time for your next shift." He raised an eyebrow, and Anika scurried away.
He hiked up the stairs to his room, his leg aching with every step. He remembered how Inej could slide down the bannister like she was made of smoke, and then shook those thoughts from his head. He would never admit to anyone, but Saints, he would miss her. He snorted. He knew he had been spending too much time with Inej when he started cursing with the word Saints.
He reached his room, glanced at the piles of work on his desk, and checked his watch. Two bells. He had four hours to try and get work done before Wylans dinner party, or whatever the hell it was.
He sat down, thinking of the shadow, and the strange breeze that had preceded it. Unnatural.
