𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 — who will you have then?

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 "𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 think?" Were the first words uttered from the Bastard of the Barrel mere minutes after he and Aleksa had settled into a bout of quietude within his office.

 A blanket of cool air had wafted around them, drifting inwards from the open window that dipped with lingering rain and cloudy condensation. The pair hadn't spoken since leaving Dreesen's, after watching Alexei's head cave with a bullet.

 Inej and Jesper had disappeared. The Suli girl would no doubt ponder and praise the Sun Summoner; she'd pray and dwell within a new hope blossoming within her heart, whilst Jesper would likely drink away the memories of watching a boy getting shot before his very eyes.

 "I don't know." Aleksa mumbled. Her fingers picked at a fraying thread around one of the buttons lining her shirt. She truly didn't know what to think; did she now suddenly believe in the Sun Summoner just because a boy desperate for his freedom had said she existed?

 Did she think it was worth the risk to travel to Ravka and scoop her up just to sell her to the highest bidder? Everything was contradicting. Aleksa wanted her freedom, she wanted the Kruge that would guarantee her stay within Ketterdam... But kidnapping another girl was the trade, and Aleksa wasn't sure she could submit somebody to her former fate.

 Could she truly rest knowing that her cage had been unlocked just for another young girl to take her place?

 Then there was Inej. Aleksa and Inej's bond was something close to unbreakable; could she do that to Inej? Help kidnap the very person the Suli girl prayed to in her times of hardship?

 Speaking of Inej; would she go? Would she join them if they sailed across the choppy and salty seas, would she follow them side by side through the wall of shadows that acted as a scar across Ravkas heart? Would she help take the Sun Summoner from beneath Aleksander's nose?

 Kaz rose a brow, "That's a first. You said you didn't believe in the Sun Summoner."

 "I don't believe in Saints, Kaz. I can summon and control the dark, why wouldn't there be somebody who could do the opposite?"

 "So now you're a believer?"

 "I believe in Grisha. If she's a Grisha who can manipulate the light, it's really not all that unbelievable."

 There was a beat of silence. Kaz's stoic gaze lingered on Aleksa, watching as she stared into nothingness. There was time that he believed she could see things in the shadows; she'd stare so intently as though a crowd of people swam within the darkness.

 His fingers tapped at his knee, "Would you go?"

 She hesitated, and Kaz had caught it immediately. His stomach twisted.

 "You know I will." She finally breathed, fingers finally prying away from the thread. She linked her hands together, settling them on the edge of the desk as she stared into his impossibly dark eyes. She almost grinned; he really was handsome, and he'd likely threaten her if she said so.

 The risks were high. From Aleksander finding her and hauling her back to the dull shimmer of the Little Palace to be kept as some secret weapon, to finding this Sun Summoner only to find a fake.

 But there was just one thing that trumped those thoughts. Aleksa knew she could be a selfish woman, taking whatever she wanted and fighting those who opposed her... But Inej was somebody who could cease those thoughts and wants, "What about Inej."

 She stared at the piece of parchment held between Kaz's bare, pale fingertips. He'd plucked his gloves and neatly piled them upon the corner of his desk, his cane resting against the wall behind him; golden beak glinting beneath the dull light that hung above them. It casted shadows over his face, making the harsh lines of his features as sharp as a knife. Aleksa roved her eyes over him, and he could feel it.

 He always could. Her eyes burnt holes into his cold skin, he could feel her assessing him just as he did with everyone around him; but it was the unfamiliar look within her eyes that made him never scold her for it. A warm look. He wanted it to stay.

 His eyes strained to stay focused on the paper, rather than meet her twinkling eyes, "I have a plan."

 "You always do."

 There was a faint twitch at his lips. His brow quirked and he finally chanced a glance over the top of the tea-stained page, "Was admitting that a struggle for you?"

 Aleksa laughed; eyes crinkling and nose scrunching as her shoulders shook, "Absolutely." She sobered quickly, like the flick of a switch, "So... What is the plan?"

 He was an idiot, really, for what he was going to suggest; for the paper that lingered in his hands. He should have thrown it into the fire, torn it to shreds. Did they really need the Wraith, and was she worth his shares of the Crow Club? She was good, the best to many, but would he really give up his shares for the girl?

 Kaz Brekker was not a kind man, he had made Inej very aware of the fact when he'd agreed to pay off her indenture for her services. He didn't promise her safety, nor did he promise her security and kindness; if she wanted that, she'd have to take it for herself.

 But then Aleksa had to come along and mess everything up.

 He would have left Inej behind, he knew he would have. They were chasing the Sun Summoner, a 'Saint' Inej prayed to daily, one she praised and spoke highly of. That was a liability. He would have left her behind... If Aleksa wasn't so damn fond of her.

 He didn't know why he had written the deal on paper. With each scrawl of his ink he tried to fight himself, to pull his hand back and settle for the disappointment on Inej's face when he told her she couldn't join them. But then he thought of the storm that would billow within Aleksa's azure eyes.

 His mouth parted and his fingers twitched against the paper, then he paused.

 Aleksa's eyes had strayed from him and he had sensed their new company the moment she had. Aleksa would always keep a loose hold on the shadows, feeling them, calling to them, and listening to the dull mutterings they whispered in her ears. It was incredibly easy for her to sense when Inej had slipped through the window.

 As for Kaz, nobody snuck up on Dirtyhands.

 "Inej." Aleksa chimed lightly, her voice like a bell as she shuffled in her chair. The smile on her face was enough to break Inej's serious demeanour; clearly, she too had been off thinking about the mission they had been tasked with.

 Her brows furrowed once more, a line appearing on her forehead as she finally tore her gaze from Aleksa and rounded on Kaz, "What was that?"

 Kaz blinked almost lazily. He'd expected a scolding from the girl, "You'll have to be more specific."

 "It was one thing when we had at least a week to find a way across the fold. But sunrise? We have to say no."

 "No."

 "So that's a no to the job?"

 "No." Kaz bit back once more, his voice growing colder as he narrowed his eyes at Inej. He was growing impatient, and his mood always seemed to sour when he was interrupted, "It's a no to saying no."

 Aleksa remained silent, her eyes darting to and fro between the two. In all honesty... Inej was right. For all the scheming and planning that Kaz Brekker had accomplished; getting through the fold twice was completely different. Robbing a man, stealing a painting, planning an extravagant heist was nothing compared to the Fold, and Aleksa could attest to that.

 Though Aleksa somewhat agreed with Inej's sentiments that finding a way through the Fold and back, whilst keeping a grasp on their lives would certainly be difficult; Aleksa knew it was a cover. Inej wanted to see the Sun Summoner, but she didn't want to ensnare her; even if it would seal her freedom.

 "We can't go!" Inej yelled, not once did her voice falter, nor her solid glare as Kaz whipped his head to her with a sneer.

 "Can't we?"

 Then Inej pulled back her sleeve.

 The tattoo was tiny, easy to miss if you merely glanced at the Suli girl's wrist; but if you caught it, then you immediately knew of its meaning. It was less of a tattoo and more of a branding, a tag of ownership. It made Aleksa's blood boil every time she saw it.

 "I can't go," Inej muttered, her throat bobbing as she swallowed harshly against the knot that had festered. She saw Kaz's response and almost scoffed. He looked as though he couldn't have cared less.

 "You will." Aleksa stated, her voice holding firm. Though she was addressing Inej with utmost sincerity, her eyes were trained on Kaz; willing him to meet her icy stare. He didn't.

 He brushed the pair of them off as he rifled with the papers askew on his creaking desk. He could see from his peripheral that Inej had stepped back, her arms folding across her chest. Aleksa's leg bounced, and he was certain that if he didn't speak, she'd prop her muddy boots on his desk and try with all her might to smear mud over his papers.

 "I have a plan." Was the clipped answer that kept Aleksa's heavy boots thudding rapidly against the wooden floor that groaned beneath her stamps.

 "So, what is it?" Aleksa questioned, scepticism beginning to grow in her voice from the lack of answers he was providing — Kaz had sensed it immediately.

 "Aleksa."

 "We both know by now when you're still figuring things out," Added Inej, "You don't know how to pull off this job."

 "I still have six hours, and right now, neither of you are helping."

Aleksa could sense the rage beginning to radiate from Inej; the way the Wraith's hands curled inwards, no doubt leaving crescents on her palms. Inej did what she didn't often do — yell.

 "Maybe you crack a way across, but that doesn't solve this problem!" She thrust her wrist forth, forcing Kaz to stare at the branding on her flesh; the very one that had marked her since her days as a lonely child.

 Aleksa remained silent, the words Kaz had muttered only hours prior resounding in her mind. Inej doesn't need you to fight her battles. He was right, Inej could easily fight for herself, she had learnt to because she had to.

 Nonetheless, just because Inej could fight alone didn't mean she had to. Aleksa wanted this job even despite the risks, but there wasn't a chance in hell that she'd cross through the fold without Inej by her side.

 "If I can't crack this, no one is going." Kaz spat, his gloved hands curling into balled fists.

 "And if you do you?" Inej countered, daring him to speak the words that would force her to turn her back on him... And Inej wasn't blind enough to believe that Aleksa would let her leave alone. If anything, she was counting on it.

 "Then maybe you stay here!"

 Silence fell. An uncomfortable, thick and tense silence that Aleksa was certain even Aleksander's cut couldn't penetrate. Her blood was slowly simmering, bubbing into a boil as she finally stomped to her feet.

 Inej let a humourless laugh fall from her lips, those stray little black-hairs that had fallen from her slick braid tickled her cheeks as she turned her back on Kaz, "Well, maybe your Wraith won't be here when you get back."

 With that, her silent steps carried her to the open window; she slipped through without a glance back, nor another word parting her lips.

 Kaz's jaw tightened. He would need the Wraith on this job, yet his own pride prevented him from calling out any form of apology... He straightened, readying himself for the onslaught that was likely to erupt from Aleksa.

 "You are a fucking idiot." She had said it so slowly, as though enunciating a foreign language she wasn't sure he'd understand. It was a calm response for her, but when her hands slammed on the desk and her sharp cerulean eyes narrowed in on him did he realise that he wasn't quite lucky enough to avoid her steadily growing rage.

 The papers his gloved fingers had been pinching at were trapped beneath her palms. Scars glinted on her skin like cracked pearl stings, they wove around her fingers and conglomerated at her white knuckles. His eyes found the scar on her cheekbone, one he'd caught himself staring at far too often.

 He had never seen such a look on her before. Kaz Brekker knew Aleksa could get angry, he knew she'd find fights in dark back alleys and come back to the Slat grinning as her knuckles bled red onto the floor. He'd tut, he'd roll his eyes, and then he made Big Bolliger clean the mess.

 But this. Her eyes had always been puppets on strings for Aleksa, just like her smile. She could manipulate her own features so damn easily that a man or woman would be drawn in one second from the falsified lust, and sent scuttling away the next second at the sight of her revulsion.

 Her particular shade of blue was a stagnant lake. Clear blue that glittered beneath the rising sun of dawn; twinkling ripples appeared when she laughed and teased; something he was often on the receiving end of. But now they were the glaciers Kaz was certain lined Fjerda, perhaps even colder. They were more bitter than frozen droplets of water, icier than the crashing waves that washed upon the chilly shores of the country that prided itself on capturing Grisha.

 This was something he had never been on the receiving end of.

 Aleksa's fingers curled, a pristinely painted nail tore through one of the pieces of tea-stained paper. The shadows behind her responded like soldiers to their queen; they crept forth until only Aleksa was in his view, in a limelight surrounded by tunnel vision.

 "If she stays," Aleksa leaned forwards and beneath the light, Kaz could finally see that there was no trick; her eyes were slowly darkening as though the shadows were flooding her irises. She was angry, disappointed, yet even despite that, she would never cross the line that would make Kaz recoil. Their skin never touched. She was a mere hair away from his nose as she peered up at him with rage, "I stay. And if I stay, Jesper stays. Tell me, Kaz... Who will you have then?"

 Aleksa followed Inej's movements, her lips tugged down in a scowl as she scoffed to herself and finally stood to her full height. Her boots thudded against the old wooden flooring and as she turned, she didn't see the gloved hand that reached out, only to be tugged back from where it came.

 She heard him call her name, and as ever the rasp on his voice as he spoke it like a symphony made goosebumps crawl up her arms; but she never looked back.

 The window was still cracked open with droplets of murky water sliding down the foggy pane. The cold wind that shrouded Ketterdam blew through, jostling the hairs that framed her face.

 Aleksa paused, hearing Kaz's footsteps hastening behind her, and when she was certain he could see her once more, she slipped out the window. Her name was on his tongue again, but she wouldn't surrender to the call. Instead, her fingers curled around the tiles of the roof, teeth gritted together as she hauled herself up, only to pause as a soft and warm hand curled around her wrist and helped her ascend.

 Inej was a mere shadow beneath the dull light of the moon, but Aleksa could decipher that braid and that touch with utter ease. The Suli girl waited for Aleska to stand, and then slowly walked ahead, "I heard what you said."

 Inej had waited after fleeing through the window in a bout of anger and silence; she knew Aleksa would follow... For all the teasing and poking fun that the Shadow Summoner did, it was no secret that she cared for the Crows.

 If she stays, I stay. That declaration was enough for Inej to thank the Saints for the path she'd trailed within Ketterdam. Had Jesper not have stolen that one night so many months ago, she'd never have had the privilege to call Aleksa a friend.

 Aleksa offered a rare and honest smile. It wasn't exaggerated or pulled up by puppet strings as though she were trying to fool a poor unfortunate woman or man for the night. It was just a simple twitch, one filled with warm embers of a fizzling fire, "I meant it. If you stay in Ketterdam, then so do I."

 "Even if you want that money and adventure as badly as I know that you do?"

 "I can settle for gambling and a fistfight."

 "And a rumple in the sheets?" Inej supplied coyly, her lips curling as Aleksa narrowed her eyes.

 "I'll have you know that my bedside has been cold for over a month, thank you."

 Inej almost laughed at that, for the tone Aleksa supplied was one of amusement and exasperation, but then Inej studied her. She'd noticed, for the Wraith noticed everything, every whisper and every secret. Inej and Aleksa's dull and bleak bedrooms were separated only by a thin wall, one that scarcely muffled any sound and so Inej was almost always privy to Aleksa's nightly... Friends.

 But as the Grisha had stated, there had been no other man or woman joined to her lips and groping at her skin for over a month. It was odd to Inej that the fact was almost unsettling.

 "Why is that, exactly?" The Suli girl wondered.

 Aleksa's insides churned as she met Inej's dark eyes. They were so full of warmth and hope even despite the never-ending darkness of her irises. They peered into the shadows just as Aleksa did, and something about them made her want to spill what was festering inside of her.

 But even Aleksa had a reputation in the Barrel.

 "Sorry, dear Wraith," Aleksa mumbled as she slumped on the end of the shingled roof. The coolness of the tiles seeped through her trousers, and goosebumps arose on the skin of her arms. She tugged her rolled-up sleeves back down, picking at the poofy material, "You can't have everybody's secrets."

 Inej merely smiled, her hand falling upon Aleksa's as she too, swung her legs over the rooftop as her eyes settled on the dim lights shining through the windows of each building, "I don't want your secrets. I want to know that you're okay."

 "I'm always okay, darling Inej."

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23-03-2022

i hope you all enjoyed this chapter! please remember to vote and comment, let me know what you think as i do require a certain amount of comments before i post another chapter!!

honestly, i think aleksa and inej's relationship is one of my favourite things I've ever written. they care about each other so much and i ADORE them. 

just know that kaz is absolutely crying in the club rn okay.