You remind me of someone

Jesper was early. Now that was new, a unique event, if he could say so.

"You take the expression 'fashionably late' too literally", Inej once told him.

"I know" he replied "Especially the part about fashion, darling", while straightening his jacket dramatically.

It had always been like that, which is why it was weird, when he was the first to arrive at the meeting place. Immediately after the escape from Hellgate, the group had to separate, so it would have been easier not to get noticed: the girls went with the Fjerdian by boat, Nina made sure that the giant didn't wake up and Inej was the best when it came to moving without being noticed; Kaz returned to the Crow Club, quickly collecting the documents he needed; and Jesper went straight to the prearranged rendezvous point. The air was cold and he didn't wait a moment longer to enter, but when he opened the door, no one was inside. He wondered if he was in the right place. Kaz said the last member of the gang for the heist was waiting for them, but, as usual, the information he shared with the rest of the group was slim. The light was dim and the only things Jesper could see in the room were a total mess on the floor, a huge work table covered with chemicals, boxes and shelves loaded with the materials and nothing else.

"Hello? Anyone here?" He tried.

Messy hair peeked out from under the table. "Oh… Hi!" The boy quickly stood up and looked at him startled. Jesper wondered once again if he was in the right place, the boy didn't even seem of age and looked at him as if he couldn't believe that he was there. Had Kaz warned him that they would all be there? "I- I didn't… Hi. I wasn't expecting you" the boy smiled at him and moved some curls away from his face.

"And you are?"

"We've… You don't…?" The boy stammered nonsense words, then took a breath and managed to articulate a real sentence "Uh, my name is Hendriks".

"No, I mean. Why did Kaz have us meet here?"

"Oh. I guess, um, I'm your demolitions man."

"You? You've got all your fingers". Jesper was skeptical. Before him was a boy who looked like a prince with soft curls and delicate skin, he certainly didn't look like an experienced bomb technician. For a moment he lingered in his deep blue eyes. He had the feeling that Hendriks reminded him of someone, but he didn't know exactly who. Perhaps he had already met him in some store in the Barrel? If he was a one night stand, Jesper would surely remember it.

"Well, maybe I'm careful", Hendriks replied testily as he took away the bottle Jesper was playing with.

"Careful is something you learn from losing your fingers". Jesper touched his hand and saw him look away, embarrassed by that unexpected contact.

The sound of the door behind them caught their attention, Kaz entered the room without addressing them with a word or a look. But Jesper wasn't surprised, it was just Kaz being Kaz.

"So this novice is telling me that he's our new demo man". Jesper talked to Kaz like the person he was talking about wasn't in front of him. "Raske is better. Or even Pim".

"And yet Wylan is the one I hired" answered Kaz dryly.

Jesper looked at the kid who, in the meanwhile, was making order in his working station "Shouldn't you be graduating university and, I don't know, starting a desk job?"

Hendriks silently glared at him, it was Kaz who answered for him: "Where do you think I got all those bombs in the last few months? He's my provider."

"But he looks sixteen, at the most."

"I'm twenty-two," this time Hendriks responded to the provocation.

"If you're going to make up lies, make them sound realistic" Jesper laughed. It seemed like the boy was biting his tongue to keep from getting his words out.

Jesper was starting to have fun teasing the novice, he was waiting to enjoy his reaction when Nina's call interrupted them: "A little help? Matthias is pretty heavy".

"Kaz?" Jesper looked at him, but the only answer he got was the boss's gloved forefinger pointing to his weak leg. "Oh, sure, very convenient for you". Kaz shrugged.

"Why is he tied up?" Hendriks asked while he was moving a chair for the Fjerdian's unconscious body.

"You'll find that you'll prefer it that way," Nina said, breathing hard with fatigue.

"Tie him tight. Zenik, be ready to wake him up in a few minutes." Kaz ordered before returning to the documents scattered on the table.

Inej quickly tightened the knots around his ankles, while Jesper worked on his wrists. The adrenaline of the day was still flowing through his body and his tiredness was starting to hit, he really needed to sit down. It must have been like this for the others too because Nina and Inej dropped onto the sofa next to him. Not far away Hendriks had taken a small chair for himself, he was sitting with his back straight and his eyes turned to Kaz, waiting. Every now and then Jesper became aware of Hendriks' gaze pointing at him, darting to the still unconscious Matthias, then quickly returning to Kaz.

Jesper broke the silence: "Well, since Kaz doesn't make the introductions. Inej, Nina, this is Hendriks, our new kaboom expert.

"I know, we've known each other for a few months", Inej leaned over from the sofa and smiled at Hendriks who reciprocated with a nervous expression. "I was the one who brought him the orders for the Dregs".

"I also know you, but just by your reputation, rumors run around at the House of the White Rose" Nina was nibbling on some biscuits that she had gotten from who knows where.

"What rumors?" Hendriks' tone became even more anxious than normal, he sounded really agitated.

"Rumors about Brekker working with an innocent-looking kid who makes bombs that are downright dangerous for that little angel face of his," she replied, popping another biscuit into her mouth with a grin of satisfaction from the pink on Hendriks' face.

"So I'm always the last to know about things," sighed Jesper, sinking deeper and deeper into the sofa cushions.

"Zenik, now" Kaz, with his usual courtesy, put an end to the small talk. Nina swallowed what she was eating and with a movement of her hands Matthias' breathing quickened, his eyelids began to flutter in search of light.

"Good morning, sunshine," Nina greeted him while he was looking around.

"Drüsje". Matthias' voice was so full of hatred that Nina was unable to argue back. It wasn't like her to stay silent, Jesper was astonished by the wounded expression he'd never seen on her face, she was always so fierce.

"Of course, there's no need for a thank you for the jail break." Jesper tried to play down, because it was too hard to see Nina with that sad face that didn't suit her at all.

"Good, now that we're all here", Kaz brought back their attention and everyone focused on him. "An opportunity has presented itself. The most lucrative job we've ever taken. There's a new weapon about to hit the market. If it does, it could make the destruction of the Shadow Fold seem like a spring picnic. Every corner of the world would feel the effects. It's a drug called jurda parem. Highly addictive. And if Grisha takes it their power is amplified a thousand times over. The chemist who created it fled to Kerch once he realized what he'd done, but the Fjerdans caught him. He now awaits trial. If the Fjerdan weaponize this drug, the consequences would be unimaginable. Everything we've ever known, every strength we've relied upon, shattered. Any question?

Inej spoke first. "What is the job about?"

"Break Bo Yul-Bayur out of the Ice Court," Kaz replied as if he hadn't just said the craziest thing Jesper had ever heard.

Matthias genuinely laughed: "You'll never succeed."

"For that reason we need an expert of the Ice Court. You will be the one to give us the directions to steal from your own people."

"And why should I do that? I have already betrayed my people for that witch, and look where I'm now"

"Everyone has a price."

"Let me kill Nina Zenik and I'll tell you how to enter the Ice Court, demjin."

Nina looked at her feet, it seemed she didn't have the strength to follow the conversation with her head held high. Jesper played with his rings, he twirled them between his fingers to fight the urge to punch the Fjerdian's nose. He just needed to shut up and let Kaz do his job, as always.

"I can give you a prize of greater value: to go back home." Kaz waved in Helvar's face, the document declaring his release, and allowing him to return to the ranks of the Drüskelle. "I'll interpret that murderous look as an 'I accept the deal'".

"Who hired us?", Inej asked again.

"Jan Van Eck," Kaz replied without showing any emotion.

Silence fell in the room, everyone's eyes sought each other to ask for confirmation that they had understood correctly. Jesper noticed Kaz's black eyes fixed on Hendriks, he wondered if the boss still didn't trust the new recruit enough and was studying him to calculate his reactions and predict his thoughts.

"Who is Jan Van Eck?" asked Matthias, the only one who hadn't had enough experience of Ketterdam to know one of the biggest names in the city.

Kaz hadn't moved a muscle, his eyes still on Hendriks with his usual intimidating gaze. "Why don't we ask his son?"

Hendriks, who had been sitting up until then, trying to take up as little space as possible, jumped up, red in the face. Jesper wondered if it was humiliation or anger, but he couldn't help but laugh and enjoy the revelation, a real drama that Kaz had set up.

"Of course, you're Councilor Van Eck's son, that's why you reminded me of someone," Jesper suddenly realized. Thus explaining the feeling he had as soon as he saw the boy's face. He had already seen Jan Van Eck's face on several occasions; the resemblance was evident. Hendriks' blue eyes pointed at his and this time there was no mistaking it, the reddening in his cheeks was anger, such resentment that Jesper couldn't understand what he said to make him this mad at him.

Hendriks turned back to Kaz with fists clenched on hips. "So that's why you hired me, for my name."

"You should be grateful for your name, it saved your life. Have you ever wondered why, during your nocturnal trips to the Barrel, you didn't end up bleeding to death in an alley?"

"Kaz put you behind the protection of the Dregs," Inej answered for him. She hadn't even shown the slightest surprise at the revelation, unlike all the others. Jesper wondered how many secrets she kept for Kaz.

"Have you always known?" Hendriks asked again, desperately trying to hold Kaz's ruthless gaze.

"I don't do business with people I don't know. And I knew that having a Council member's son in my pay packet could prove useful, if I ever needed something like a guarantee on 30 million kruge."

"30 million? My father doesn't have that amount of money."

"The Merchant Council does".

"If he got the Council involved, that's a big deal."

"It is. Tomorrow morning we will begin with the study of the Court of Ice, thanks to the kind help of our nice Fjerdan friend," Matthias replied with a low growl, "be ready to stock up on everything you need for the trip and do not tell anyone about this work. Absolute secrecy."

As soon as he finished talking, Kaz gathered his things and walked briskly towards the exit. Jesper still had a lot of questions, but he told himself that he could wait until morning. Clearly Hendriks didn't feel the same way because Jesper saw him running after Kaz asking him to wait for him. Even though he wasn't exactly close to them, Jesper could hear the brief conversation they had.

"Kaz, if you know about my father… Do you know my full name?"

"Of course".

"Why didn't you say it in front of everyone?"

"There is more gain in keeping some secrets. I think you might agree with me".

"Yes, indeed. Thank you".

"Why are you thanking me? I'm using you as a hostage".

"You're too smart to think that my father can really be affected by me".

"Everyone has at least one weakness".

"I'm not my father's".

"We'll see".

"What I want to say is… Don't rely on my father's affection to win this game, you will lose".

"Do you know what is the most important thing to win a game, Hendriks?"

"Luck?"

"Cheats."

And with this, Kaz left Hendriks' lab, leaving the boy dumbfounded and nervous. A thousand questions buzzed in Jesper's head. What was his real name? Why had he never heard of a Van Eck son? And how the hell would a merchant like him know how to make bombs and why did he leave his wealthy life to live in the Barrel?

Jesper looked at Hendriks trembling in anxiety and still had that feeling he couldn't really explain; there was something in the merchling, in his quiet and musical voice, in his intelligent and naive blue eyes, in the way he moved around the room, as if he were afraid to annoy anyone with his mere presence. All these things made the same sentence rumble in Jesper's head over and over again: 'You remind me of someone.'