𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 — hello, nina

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 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐊𝐑𝐔𝐆𝐄. That was the prize for a heist well-done. However, even as Aleksa and Kaz walked side by side down the cobbled streets of murky little Ketetrdam... Kaz still hadn't spilled what exactly their job entailed.

 Following the curved lanes, stepping over puddles and splashes of blood was like second nature now, and Aleksa hopped over yet another murky little ditch flooded with swarthy water, "You have yet to tell me... what's the job? I'd like to know what I'm risking my pretty neck for."

 "You'll be risking it for Kruge."

 "You're not nearly as enigmatic and mysterious as you try to be. Tell me, pretty boy."

 Kaz felt the lump of gold still hidden within his pocket... he'd gotten jumped on the streets by a Grisha doing things he'd never once heard of; turning their bodies into mist, drifting through walls as though they were nothing than a mere ghost before his eyes... but there was only one ghost within Kaz Brekkers life, and that hadn't been Jordie. Soon enough, he'd been dragged to face the truth. Jurda Parem.

 Jurda was known worldwide as nothing more than a little orange flower grown in the depths of Novyi Zem; it was meant to be chewed and then spat out, all to get a hike lift in the mood, and add little spark in one's energy. Much like the coffee Kaz Brekker would guzzle cup by cup.

 But Jurda Parem... It was far more than a mere stimulant. He glanced at Aleksa, feeling her eyes still burning holes within the side of his cheek... he wondered what it would do to her. If a Healer could tap into the mind... if a Tidemaker could render their body as nothing more than molecules of moisture to manipulate, what could a Shadow Summoner of such a high calibre achieve?

 Kaz dipped his gloved fingers into the depths of his pockets, then tossed a hunk of gold her way.

 Aleksa caught it without a single fumble, snatching it from the sky as though it was nothing more than a fluttering feather. She twisted it and it was heavy upon her palm, solid, "Gold?"

 Kaz hummed, "That started as nothing more than lead."

 Aleksa halted, bringing the piece of shining material ever closer to her eyes. She scanned the surface, and rubbed the pad of her thumb over the smoothness... "Lead?"

 "Van Eck..." Kaz kept his eyes forth as he spilled. Why couldn't he ever keep his mouth shut around her? "He was the one who had me jumped. He had Grisha working for him, Grisha under the effects of Jurda Parem."

 Now that was something Aleksa had heard about. She thought it to be mere folly, gossip spread around the palace just as always. But she had to admit, that if someone had the brains to do so, someone like David, then of course Jurda could be manipulated and its effects could be broadened.

 "There was talk about it in the palace. Some Grisha were gossiping, eager to spill to me. One of them said that a Squallor had whipped up a hurricane that tore apart a cluster of ships." Aleksa recalled with absolute ease. It'd been a training day in which she'd demonstrate her powers alongside Alina, "Nikolai confirmed that a few ships were missing..."

 Kaz continued walking, trusting that Aleksa too, would pick up the pace, "He told me about a Healer... one who twisted the mind of another. Apparently, it doesn't affect us... what is it you call us?"

 "Otkazat'sya."

 He liked the way it rolled off her tongue, even if the word was considered a jibe, "Mm. Well, it appears that it holds little more effect on us than the usual Jurda. Van Eck wants the creator; Bo Yul-Bayur."

 "Shu?" Aleksa asked though the answer was obvious. It was odd, even the mere mention of a Shu name was enough to remember Alina Starkov and that glorious head of white hair she'd sprouted. The poor dear had hated the sight, claiming to look like an old crone... 

 "Yes. Van Eck said that he received a message from Yul-Bayur, begging for asylum. He was concerned about his government's plans for jurda parem, and Van Eck and his crew agreed to help him defect. They set up a rendezvous, but there was a skirmish at the drop point... with the Fjerdans."

 Aleksa frowned at that; for if she was right... and she always was, that would mean that Bo Yul-Bayur... "Please don't tell me we're going to the Ice Court."

 There was a genuine tone of pleading in her voice. Fjerdans harboured such a deep hatred towards Grisha that they would do anything and everything they could to capture them and sentence them to a 'fair trial'. Of course, these trials scarcely, if ever, worked in Grisha favour. No, instead the Fjerdans would haul the Grisha into the depths of their snowy wasteland and burn them on pyres, leaving nothing more than ash in their wake.

 She'd seen the remnants of such a place before; when Aleksa had followed Alina and Nikolai into the Fjerdan borders to hide and recover from the attacks Aleksander had pushed upon them.

 Merely getting to Fjerda would be a mission in itself, but to break into one of the only places that had never been breached before... The place would be crawling with Fjerdans ready to snuff them out, and Aleksa could only imagine what they'd do to herself, Nina and even Jesper should they discover what talents were hidden beneath their skin and bones.

 Kaz said nothing, for Aleksa had guessed with complete accuracy. He'd acted the same way when Van Eck had outlined the job... he'd laughed. Kaz Brekker had laughed at the utter absurdity of the man's words, but as ever, Kruge made him blind.

 "It's nothing more than another safe to crack." Kaz said.

 "A safe. You think the Ice Court is a safe. You've lost it."

 "I can assure you that my mind is perfectly intact."

 "That has never been true a day in your life." Aleksa scoffed, "Kaz... how on earth do you propose we navigate the place? I mean... I can speak Fjerdan as well as a native, but I'm not omnipotent."

 Aleksa then paused once more... Kaz hadn't said anything yet again. If Kaz kept silent it always meant he had a plan, he just knew that she'd erupt like a ferocious volcano when she would inevitably find out what said plan entailed. He should have known by now that there was no use in keeping secrets and prolonging the inevitable with her.

 Aleksa trudged onwards, boots covered in grime as she slunked through a puddle, "Go on then, how are we getting in?"

 Her use of we didn't escape him. Even after what little he'd divulged, she was still willing to join him. He waited to speak, eyes glued to a very particular building as they carried on through the East Stave. The Emerald Palace.

 He hadn't been back in there since his little meeting with Poppy, yet even still the sight alone of such garish green made his stomach twist. The entire facade repulsed him much like the man who had sealed the bricks together, who had created an attraction from the money he'd stolen from defenceless children who knew no better. Children that he and Jordie had once been.

 Brick by brick.

 Then he had to stop, for Aleksa, as stubborn as she was... came to a very abrupt halt. Her brow had climbed the length of her forehead, and a hand was planted on a jutted hip. She cocked her head, peering through narrowed eyes... that look made him feel bare. As though she'd slinked to his side and shucked him of every little piece of material shielding his skin.

 He knew this game of hers. The 'I'm not moving until you tell me... and we both know you'll tell me'. Clearly her comfort and absolute delight in infuriating him hadn't subsided even after their time apart.

 Kaz wanted to strike out with his cane and make her move as he'd do with Jesper and Inej, or any other member of the Dregs... but there was still something about her, something that managed to keep his hands by his side, twitching atop the resting cane. He hated it, truly he did.

 He'd grown worse since she'd been gone. Crueller, far more willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted... and yet while he'd threaten Muzzen or Dimitri, where he'd narrow his eyes and lower his voice into the makings of a looming threat, he could only blink at Aleksa... and then spill his guts.

 "Matthias Helvar." He cleared his throat, looking away from her accomplished grin.

 A Fjerdan name, that much was obscenely obvious to Aleksa. In what world would he enlist the help of a Fjerdan... actually, a better question would be how. Fjerdans were set in their ways as though they were made of nothing but stone; they were raised upon values that couldn't simply be brushed away.

 Fjerdans were loyal, no matter what cause they stood for, no matter what words were uttered to them... so few defected from their home and their values. So what exactly made this Matthias Helvar any different?

 "A Fjerdan," Aleksa stated, hands pushed into the depths of her pockets, "Makes sense, he'd know his way around... but how exactly —"

 "— That's where Nina comes in. You said you remembered her from the boat in Os Kervo?"

 "Yes. Lovely girl, very pretty."

 Kaz's eyes rolled skywards, "Well, the two know one another. Nina was on her way here while Matthias got shipped off to Hellgate for being a slaver. Nina's asked me to get him out on numerous occasions... seems the Heartrender can't control her own."

 "Nina Zenik... A Grisha..." Aleksa ticked off, "With Matthias Helvar, a Fjerdan?"

 "And Hellgate."

 "And Hellgate."

 Aleksa was utterly astounded at the situation she'd already found herself in. From the first second Kaz Brekker had met her eyes, it had been time for a heist. Four Million Kruge for kidnapping a grown man making drugs for Grisha... from the most secure building in all of Fjerda...

 But something was missing... Aleksa spied Kaz's narrowed gaze settled upon the cobble they walked, "You said that Nina's asked you to get Helvar out of Hellgate? So... he's still there?"

 "Yes."

 "Oh, good. Wonderful. So we're breaking him out of Hellgate, only to break into the Ice Court."

 Kaz twisted his head in her direction, watching the way she dragged her coat closer with a shake of her head... and yet there was an unmistakable grin on her pink lips. It tugged higher and higher, showcasing a little divot on her cheek, "Any regrets about leaving your palace?"

 The answer should have been yes. That would have made sense, wouldn't it? But Aleksa Morozova couldn't help but bedazzle Kaz Brekker with a shining smile. Her eyes narrowed as her cheeks rose higher; the palace might have been filled with fellow Grisha, ones she could trust... she might have been able to freely showcase her talents and run around the halls with little care...

 But nothing could ever quite match the sense one felt when they were about to begin an impossible heist.

 Aleksa seemingly skipped onwards, a newfound pep within her clunky steps. The coat around her middle billowed behind her and the white ruffled sleeves poking out from beneath jostled as she moved. She led the way towards a walkway bordering one of the smaller canals; Nina resided within The house of the White Rose; it was yet another pleasure house settled in the barrel, but this one had the facade of a much more... pleasant establishment.

 Nina, however, did nothing more than use her Grisha talents on poor unfortunate souls looking for a bit of respite. That's what Kaz had said, at least.

 This part of the barrel was one of Aleksa's favourites... not because of the establishments, no she'd rather burn them all down while she and Inej roasted sweet treats over the flames; but the pigeons chittering about the craggy paths often came veiled with masks and costumes. Everything was bursting with colour; from the vibrant scarlet glittering upon the Mr Crimson masks, to the stark shimmer of the Lost Bride.

 As they worked through the crowd, the pair of them stuck out. Two blots of dark ink trailing the length of a coloured page. Reds and blues skittered around them, yellows and green twirled like sprawling flowers in bloom, but Aleksa and Kaz were two lone figures drained of most colour.

 The pleasure houses lining the streets each had their own speciality, their own... quirk. There was the Blue Iris, the Bandycat, bearded men sneering and staring from the windows of the Forge, the Obscura, the Willow Switch, the strangely pale girls at the House of Snow, and of course the Menagerie.

 Aleksa offered the place nothing more than her most vile of scowls. How Tante Heleen could dress up her girls in fake silks and shawls and force them to accompany grown men whilst they were hardly out of their youth... actually, some of the poor girls were still children, like Inej had been.

 "There's something off about you," Kaz said as though he was merely stating that the sky was grey. Which it was, all the time. He continued to walk, though through his peripheral he still used those irritating eyes to pull her apart.

 Something was missing... but as a flock of actual pigeons fluttered past, each one cooing as they went, Kaz stopped.

 Aleksa was a pace or two ahead, she'd heard his cane halt. She'd clocked onto the falter in his uneven gait.

 "Where's your incessant bird?"

 She knew he'd ask that... actually, Aleksa was rather surprised that the question hadn't been asked sooner. So rarely could Aleksa be spotted within Ketterdam without the odd little dual-headed crow chirping atop her shoulder.

 She'd always garner odd looks, and Kaz would scowl with every little caw... Aleksa looked at Kaz and he saw nothing but stone within her eyes, "He's gone."

 She said nothing more as the weight around her finger seemed to increase tenfold.

 The House of the White Rose was fake. It looked so proper and polished from the outside, like a mansion settled between wooden huts... but everything about it was a lie. Those at the desk in the foyer were stark white. Their skin had been blanched, their eyes were milky and their hair was the colour of the moon — a Tailor's work to keep up with the little gimmick. 

 The window boxes clinging to the outside walls had bursts of white flowers climbing higher and higher, as though trying to reach sunlight that so scarcely doused Ketterdam; they smelt as sweet as a handful of sugar and the scent clung to the skin like a disease. The smell was fake, too... mere spurts of perfume doused on bleached petals.

 The inside was even worse. The smell increased and made the air thick as though you were wading through honey. The entire entrance was white; from the plush snow-white couch to the little swirls of vanilla buttercream atop a vanilla-bean cake soaked in almond liquor.

 Nina had been with a client when they arrived, yet Kaz Brekker had trailed throughout the pale halls nonetheless. Aleksa hadn't been unable to keep from burying her nose into the collar of her coat. She'd much prefer the lingering scent of salted seawater over the smell of tooth-rotting sweetness. Aleksa liked a toffee as much as the next person, but she could already feel a toothache sprouting merely by breathing the air.

 Nina's client had been a little bald man, seated before a cloth-covered round table. Nina was opposite him with her face contorted in such a gentle manner, she had a hand pressed to the man's forehead, another at the back of his neck. She made a living by scamming poor old fools into thinking her Heratrender abilities would put their minds at ease, erase all memories of the trauma they could no longer stomach.

 That wasn't quite how the small science worked.

 When the clock on the wall chimed thrice, the man stood. He offered a small and chase kiss to Nina's knuckles while his face flushed red and tears continued to tumble from his eyes. He made his way out then... leaving Nina alone for Kaz to intrude upon.

 Nina Zenik had greeted Kaz with about as much enthusiasm as anybody could muster when the Bastard of the Barrel came calling at their door. She swung the door open, keeping the latch firmly in place as she peered through a slit... the edge in her eyes faded and Aleksa could spy the whites of her eyes as she rolled them heartily.

 She unlatched the door, "Oh. You."

 Aleksa sighed, easily slipping by Kaz to enter the room first, "Still no more charming than you were, pretty boy?" Her eyes scaled the room, from the plush red couch in which Nina slept to the false marital wrapped around her curved body. It was a Kefta, a rather shoddy one from what Aleksa could see... but she supposed it did the job for a Heartrender in need of a costume.

 Aleksa fluttered her lashes, wingers wiggling, "Hello, Nina."

 Nina Zenik looked exactly the same as the day Aleksa had caught the smallest, fatigue-filled sight of her. She was about their age, her skin covered in a blanket of delightful freckles. Her wide eyes could narrow into something so very... Well, Aleksa was sure they might have played a part in hypnotising poor little Helvar.

 Nina gaped, "Aleksa?"

 "You remember me from the boat?"

 "Yes, of course," Nine replied dutifully, her voice far kinder now than it had been for Kaz. She shucked off her knock-off Kefta, eyes remaining on Aleksa all the while.

 She'd heard her name tossed about, the girl who'd shown up in the middle of the night, deemed a Dreg by Kaz. People sang her praises, from her beautiful little face, to her charm and wit. Inej couldn't seem to stop talking about the friend she'd missed so dearly.

 Nina spared a swift glance at Kaz... she'd expected he'd cut their conversation short. He was always one to cut to the chase, no time for pleasantries and all that. She'd caught him part his thinned and pointed lips, only to tighten them once again. She wondered why.

 Nina tossed the itchy Kefta to the ground, "The Dregs praise the ground you walk on, you're all they talk about."

 Aleksa sighed quite dreamily, it was so easy to keep up the facade of the Dreg's favourite. The girl who grinned and twirled her hair, the one who brightened their day, but certainly haunted their nights.

 She dropped into a seat, uncaring about the lack of invitation she'd received, "I'm the light of their lives, dear Nina."

 Nina laughed, shifting in her satin slip as she grappled for one of the buttercream-coated cakes lining a coffee tray. There was a teapot billowing with steam and an assortment of little treats; Nina shoved the cake into awaiting lips and swiftly copied Aleksa's actions by slouching into the couch settled behind her, wiggling her free toes into the little carpet on the floor, "So much better... What do you want, Kaz?"

 "You have crumbs on your cleavage."

 "Don't care." Nina said, taking another gobful of sweet cake, "So hungry."

 "Completes the look, I say." Aleksa hummed, and easily took a cake into her awaiting fingers the moment Nina gestured to the tray. She scooped a dollop of buttercream onto her pointer as she looked at Kaz, "I like this one, she feeds me."

 Kaz deadpanned, his features entirely blank, "You like anyone you can flirt with, or steal sweets from."

 "That's a reflection on you, too... you know?"

 Kaz sucked in a heavy breath through his nostrils... did he really want Aleksa and Nina within close confines? Did he truly have the stomach for the pair of them teaming up together? Shucking out an eye... breaking a nose... cutting off a finger, those were as easy to stomach as coffee, but Aleksa and Nina? One might need one of those enhanced Healers to see to their poor brains after.

 But the plan simply wouldn't work without Nina, for she was the ticket to Matthias Helvar, not to mention the fact that she was rather decently skilled at both Tailoring, and squeezing a heart within an inch of its beating life.

 Aleksa remained where she was, scooping dollops of white buttercream between her lips, waiting for the sugar to dissolve on her tongue. There was some back and forth between Kaz and Nina — it seemed that she wasn't one to run and hide from his glower. Aleksa liked her, a lot.

 Nina brushed the crumbs from her chest, finally addressing her actual point, "I have another client scheduled in half an hour, Kaz. What business?"

 "Your client will wait." Kaz hiked a single shoulder, fingers curling around the silver crow's skull atop his cane, "What do you know about Jurda Parem?"

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DATE: 08-04-2023

:･ﾟ★ NINA NINA NINA. As you can see, Aleksa and Nina together are girl bosses that make Kaz very frightened. As they should.

also babes, I'm thinking thoughts about writing a spencer reid fic... would anyone be interested? 

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