Kerch, Ketterdam

Present Day

INEJ

Inej didn't know why Kaz smelled like almonds, but the soothing scent reminded her of Mama's homemade almond butter that she used to lather all over their bronze legs when she was little.

"Now Priya, this is one of the many secrets of the Ghafa woman, don't go telling any of the other girls this recipe - not everyone deserves to have buttery legs."

Inej's eyes pricked at the memory of her beautiful mother, she already missed her. She felt Kaz let go of Inej's waist, feeling the loss of his body against hers, she wanted to ask him why in saints name did he smell like almonds. "What happened?" Kaz whispered, still close to Inej, definitely close enough to see the tears that were now blurring her sight. Inej let out a shaky breath as she began to unravel her hood from her head. Kaz took this as an opportunity to light his desk candles, sitting back in his chair. Inej followed, sitting down across from him. She remembered how less than a year ago, she would have sat in this chair - scheming with Kaz late into the night.

"It was all my fault, Kaz, all my fault."


Ravka, Os Kervo
Three weeks earlier

INEJ

If Inej had learned something from her time in the Menagerie, it was that being a heavy sleeper could cost you your life, but this wasn't the Menagerie - this was her home. So, only two hours earlier, before she and her parents fell asleep, she decided that she didn't need to sleep with Sankt Petyr under her pillow, and she decided she would let herself fall in a deep, desperately needed sleep. Oh, how wrong she was. Usually, Inej would have woken up from the slightest thud, so that first sound of metal on metal should have woken her up, she should've sprung up, knives ready, and she should've - she could've saved them. There was an overwhelming sense of Deja Vu about this whole situation. She had been taken originally because of her idleness, she had been too lazy to get up, and now, her parents are gone, for the same reason. She should have sprung up when she heard the murmur of voices, the murmur of instructions.

However, she didn't spring up, in fact, she slept for two more hours. Arising lazily as she padded into the kitchen, expecting her mother to be hunched over the stove - preparing the morning tea. So when she saw that her mother, or her father, were nowhere to be found (Or heard.) She bounded down the short hall, the feeling of dread building in her stomach. Unfortunately, her worst fear had come true, her parent's bed was empty - the window open and on her parent's bed was a small, stuffed crow.

Pekka Rollins.


Kerch, Ketterdam
Present Day

INEJ

"Pekka Rollins?" Kaz seethed, Inej had just finished explaining what she had done before she had left on The Wraith, How she had threatened to cut Pekka's heart out and replaced his son's Dime Lions toy with that of a stuffed crow, the same one left on her parent's bed. Kaz raked a hand through his hair, and Inej noted that his hands were still bare, even though his gloves were easily accessible on the desk in front of him. It made her want to smile for the first time since her parents went missing. "Have you told anyone about your little rendezvous to the country to visit Rollins? Could this be a copycat trying to throw us off course?" He queried, looking Inej in the eye, Dirtyhands was in full form, and she hoped that he could cook up a scheme for her. There was a tiny part of her that worried. Why should Kaz help her? She knew that he didn't do anything that didn't benefit him in some way, maybe she could pay him? However, that would be a last resort. She hoped that his personal vendetta against Pekka was enough motivation to help her.

Or he could help because he cares about you?

Inej shook this thought away, begging her heart not to conjure up kind lies, she knew who Kaz was. "Not a soul, until now." She answered, she was fidgeting with her thigh sheath, trying not to look into his solid gaze. Kaz nodded, leaning on his hand and thinking his brows furrowing. He looked surprisingly well-rested, wealth looked good on Kaz, well everything looked good on Kaz, Inej thought quickly, before cursing herself once more. This is Kaz for Ghezens sake .

She was suddenly taken out of her battlefield of thoughts by Kaz placing a cup in front of her, it was filled with tea. Inej's eyes widened, she didn't even know that he even knew how to make tea.

"Tea?" was all she was able to sputter out, looking up at Kaz, who was sitting back down in his chair, also having acquired a cup. "When was the last time you had a shower Wraith?" Kaz asked, ignoring her question. Inej knew she ought to be offended, but being at sea for so long she really hadn't had one for quite some time. "That's confidential," Inej said, taking a sip, Almond. Kaz Brekker had almond tea. Kaz shook his head slightly, putting his cup down and standing up silently, picking up his cane. Inej sat still in her chair, looking at Kaz curiously. He turned to her, beckoning with his hand for her to follow. She stood up and followed Kaz Brekker up to his bedroom.

4:43 am

KAZ

Kaz tried to ignore how his heart sped up at the sight of Inej in his bedroom. In all of his years living in the Slat's attic, he had never had another soul in his room. He had no clue what compelled him to invite Inej up here. He used the shower he had up here as an excuse when both of them knew perfectly well that Inej could've used the communal showers like the rest of the Dregs, but Inej wasn't just the rest of the Dregs, and Kaz hoped she knew that.

" So I guess the rumours about you living in a cave aren't true then?" Inej says with a smile, her eyes scanning the room like the true spy she is, no doubt collecting information for later teasing or blackmail purposes. Kaz scowled and sat down on his bed, taking out his golden cufflinks. "I thought I told you to stop listening to Jesper." He retorted, eyes fixated on his sleeve to avoid looking at her sweet smile. " Well, then I guess he was also wrong about you sleeping upside down, like a bat." She laughs at this, the sound making Kaz's chest tighten. Kaz looked up, shaking his head and watching her giggle to herself, realising that he never wanted to see her sad ever again.

"We'll find them." He said, meeting her brown eyes with his own, his gaze undeterred. Inej let out a shaky breath, nodding slowly, refusing to break eye contact. Kaz wished once again that he could hold her, he wished that he could hold his girl, that he had the courage to tell her that she was the reason he wanted to live, that she was the reason that he refused to let Rietveld die. However, that wasn't him, not by a long shot. So instead of standing up and grasping her in his arms, he broke her stare, pointing towards the bathroom.
"Towels are in the cupboard." He grunted, looking away. What he didn't know was that if he had just kept looking at her face - maybe even for a second longer, he would have seen her mouth I love you.