A/N: I own none of these characters and none of the storyline, though most are going to be made up for the ff of course. Some of these ideas I've gotten prompts for, if you recognize anything I apologize for not listing any conceptualists, could not remember names as I saw these concepts a while ago. Enjoy!
Kaz Brekker sat behind his desk, reading through the papers that gave instruction for his next job. His room was quiet, though never peaceful. He found odd comfort in that. He knew where everything was, what every small sound was, and he could hear the bustle of the club below him, of gamblers and cheaters and drunks, and the sounds of birds, of morning murders of crows. It captured the essence of Ketterdam rather perfectly, or at least he thought so. The sound of paper against more paper filled the room softly as he went on. He didn't often have to do things like this, but he didn't particularly mind it.
The room was filled with a new presence, he could feel it, though he never once looked up from the place at his desk. "Wraith." There was no emotion behind the word, no hatred, no love. He spoke as he always did.
A woman, by the name of Inej Ghafa, in a blue tunic and brown pants slipped down from the sill of an already open window, landing ever so quietly. She had been ever so silent to enter, but he knew. He always knew. She sat back on the sill, never once making a sound from her steps to her breath. She was good at what she did. The window sat open still, and she didn't bother to close it. Crows were gathering on the ledge. They knew her face, and she knew theirs. She always liked to feed the crows.
"You're back sooner than expected," Kaz stated mindlessly, his voice rough as always, gravelly. Comforting. She nodded in response, looking to the crows. She pulled a small bag out of her pocket, it was filled with berries and corn and oats.
Kaz glanced up at her, dark eyes glinting in the morning sun shining through. "Any trouble?" he asked, scanning her over. She knew he was checking for any sign of injury, and if she didn't know any better, she thought it might be out of care for her. But she did know better. She knew that it was because she worked for him, one of his crows. She knew she was needed for his jobs.
"None," she confirmed, meeting his eyes. He looked back down at his desk.
"Good." He went back to the papers, never fully meeting her warm brown eyes. She opened the bag, plucking out a small handful of the mixture. She reached to litter the bits on the ledge, a few of the crows flying away. The braver of the few only jumped back, skittish as to not be touched. She thought of Kaz.
She watched as they pecked at the food, quickly losing all the pride they previously had. They squabbled, fighting over the food. "You have a new job?" she asked, without turning back.
Kaz said nothing for a few moments, biding his time as he always did. "I do." She listened as he stacked the papers together, tapping them against the wood of his desk. She listened further as he sat back in his chair. She could always tell his mood by the sound of his movements, the intensities. He let out a sigh.
"What's it on?"
Silence ensued once again. Biding his time.
"Information. I've got to go in disguise, Jesper and Wylan will be joining me." Inej thought for a moment. A job of stealth, and he had yet to ask her to contribute. Yet to ask her to follow along, like he always did. "When is it that you leave the harbor?" There it was.
"I'll be here for three more nights," she answered, watching as the crows calmed. The handful was almost gone. She took out another one, sprinkling the bits once more. "Are you asking me to help with the job?"
Kaz was now looking at her, and she looked back. He had a crease between his eyebrows, as he always did. His life seemed to be rather consistent, despite the chaos. Perhaps that was what made it so consistent. "You have your freedom, it is your choice." He spoke with an exceptionally bored tone. She always enjoyed when he said things like that, she relished in being her own person. He wanted to give her a life she deserved.
The stillness of the room was pleasant, in her opinion. "When is it that you'll need me?"
He flashed an exceedingly rare smile to her, leaning forward upon the desk and clasping one gloved hand in the other. Since she had gained her freedom, he was always pleased when she would come along on jobs or, truth be told, even just visit him. He would never admit that, not now anyway. "We meet behind the Van Eck mansion half before noon, Jesper and Wylan will meet us there," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice. He always enjoyed his jobs, enjoyed the Kruge he got from them. She nodded as her response for the millionth time.
They sat in comfortable quiet for a few more minutes, Inej continuing to feed the crows and Kaz continuing to contemplate. He stood up abruptly, reaching for his cane and stretching. Several pops echoed throughout the room. Inej had no reason to look up from the crows. He walked to a shelf on the wall beside him, cane tapping on the floor, footsteps uneven. Inej found herself wondering for the hundredth time how he could struggle to stride across an even floor, but could jump from rooftops just fine. Sometimes she wondered if the pain was an act. Not that he faked the limp, but that he made himself seem more vulnerable for an upper hand on ambush. He reached for a book, pulling it off the shelf and flipping it open. He leaned his weight on the cane as he read.
"Why do you feed the crows?" Kaz inquired, his voice barely audible. He had asked this question a few times before. Inej wondered whether she should answer truthfully, she never had before. She gave the luxury of changing her answer every time.
"I like to see them," she replied, still watching as they ate. Not the whole truth. She was almost out of their feed now. Her answer made no sense to Kaz.
"They give you nothing in return," he stated. He sounded a little frustrated, like a boy in class who couldn't figure out the answer to a problem. She laughed at his confusion, a soft chuckle.
"They don't need to," she responded, a smile still on her face. She let herself relax, adjusting her position. She always felt safe in this room, which made her feel foolish sometimes. She knew nowhere was truly safe. Not in a city like Ketterdam. But she couldn't help but feel comforted by the room, the quiet of it and the sound of the bustle below. Perhaps it was because of the boy who owned the room, owned the whole club. She thought back to when his stern silence used to scare her. Not anymore. "I enjoy watching them come to life, and I enjoy that they wait for me. That they always appear, hoping I'll be here," she added. Kaz almost didn't catch it, she spoke so quiet. He thought for a moment, at whether or not he should respond to that. To whether or not he should move from his spot behind the desk.
The silence was ever so strong. He hoped that she would be there, every night he entered his room. He wouldn't ever tell her that.
"They bring me stuff. Items. Stones, from the harbor, coins," she murmured, careful to not slice the comfortable quiet in half. Kaz was baffled once more. She always enjoyed when they would bring her things, she would often keep them. Once they brought her a jewel. A beautiful diamond. She assumed it was lost, dropped off of a ring of sorts.
"You waste all that Kruge just for a few stones?" Kaz asked incredulously. The more he heard about these odd gifts, the more annoyed he was that he couldn't understand it. His voice was almost demanding, edging on annoyance. She merely chuckled, a hushed laugh at his frustration. She wasn't going to attempt to make him see why she liked it. He was motivated by his greed, his need for revenge. Everything he did had a logical benefit. She would enjoy the finer, smaller details of life. She would revel in her freedom. That's just how it was, how it would likely always be, and she didn't mind.
The crows began to disperse, the session coming to an end.
She decided to give him her real reason. "I enjoy feeding them because I want something to miss me, when I don't see them." The crows were gone now, the ledge empty. She brushed the remaining crumbs off into the alley below, climbing onto the ledge herself, letting her feet dangle over the edge.
Inej stuck her hand in her pocket, pulling out another, different bag. More feed. Inside the bag sat a hot bun, Kaz liked those. She stuck her hand out behind her, looking over her shoulder and holding it out for the man, dark attire and all. He cocked a brow, curious, even tilting his head a bit to gesture his interest. He stood once more, grasping his cane and padding up to the parcel, taking it carefully.
She turned back towards the sky as she felt the warmth of the package leave her hand. He hovered behind her, resting his cane on the wall left of the window, resting his own hands upon the window sill. He looked forward, blankly staring at the skyline with Inej.
"I would miss you." He didn't look at Inej. She smiled to herself. A gift from a crow, brought about by feeding it. A shining, beautiful diamond, found within the intertwining alleys of a damp dark city. Not Ketterdam, a different one. One that you couldn't visit, not in person, not physically. What a good day to have brought him a gift. This is what she got in return.
"Don't make me miss you." Kaz's voice quivered, very slightly. No normal person would have noticed it. Inej was not a normal person.
"I'll try my best."
He climbed carefully onto the ledge, grunting in pain as he sat. His bad leg. There was a distance between them, an invisible wall that they were working towards tearing down.
They sat there for quite some time, serenity encasing them warmly. They did not talk as they sat there. They did not exchange any looks. They sat together, unmoving, understanding of each other. Inej was the one to break the peace. She was the one who stood, stretching, a noiseless yawn. Kaz did not look up. He was disappointed that she had to go, but he understood. "I should probably go, prepare for the job," she stated, explaining herself. She knew she didn't need to, but she did anyways. He gave only a nod.
She disappeared without a sound, Kaz could feel when she was gone. He got up shortly after, having finished off the bun she brought, preparing himself. He pulled on a much more standard suit, gray pants, gray vest, gray tie, white dress shirt. Nothing unusual or out of place. He smoothed out his hair as he looked himself up and down in the mirror above his basin. He had to remain undercover, which meant he could not look like Kaz Brekker. He could have no identifying traits. He would explain further to the crew when they met at Van Eck estate, he would bring them a change of clothes as well, a disguise. They could not be identifiable. Not now. This, for him, meant no cane. He would leave it at Van Eck estate with Wylan.