#Matthias thinks that he 'has no right' to think about what Nina did at the White Rose | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

barrel-crow-n · 19 days

Text

I was just thinking about how Kaz built this heartless persona for himself and how everyone falls for it to varying degrees: He's widely regarded as a monster and as "not made right"; Inej thought he wouldn't come for her and that once she was useless to him that he would discard her; Jesper never knows where exactly he stands with him; Nina "doesn't want to know what dark hole he crawled out of"; Wylan calls him "the most vengeful creature he had ever met"; Matthias believes he's a demon. But in reality his true motives for most things are love and grief and loss of family.

Kaz only wanted money for revenge, he didn't want to try and build a meaningful connection with Imogen because she would distract him from pursuing his vengeance, he only mentions how Pekka conned them out of money to explain how they ended up on the streets, how it was never about the money but about Jordie.

Kaz says that he and Jordie were such easy marks because they missed their dad. Kaz's biggest gripe was not just the loss of Jordie but the illusion of a home and family that Pekka had snatched away before the plague snatched Jordie away too.

It all always leads back to Jordie and his loss and avenging him and about never wanting to be that vulnerable again. Kaz created Kaz Brekker to protect himself, to hide his vulnerabilities. His grief is hidden behind a fake name, his naivety is hidden behind violence, his touch aversion is hidden behind the gloves.

Kaz pushes people away because he fears what will happen if he lets them in. He gets mean when he's vulnerable to hide said vulnerability. He did it in the clocktower, he did it in the bathroom. After he accidently calls Jesper Jordie he lashes out verbally and physically, when Inej asks about Jordie and Pekka's involvement in what happened he recounts how he tortured someone. In both incidents it's again Jordie that he's hiding, that is causing him to be vulnerable. It always leads back to Jordie. Even with Van Eck! He's again angry that he fell for what he fell for before, the thing that made him lose Jordie making him temporarily lose Inej.

In both the Jesper and Inej examples he hides behind violence - by brawling with Jesper and recounting a time when he tortured a young boy. He does this because he loves Inej and Jesper, and it scares him, and he doesn't know what to do with it. Because everyone he's ever loved has died in horrible ways (his father was torn apart by a plough, his brother died from a horrible sickness) and he doesn't want to go through it again - especially since he still hasn't let go of Jordie, although it has been eight years.

Kaz is a person who loves so deeply. Who is mainly motivated by love. Who, when Pekka asks him what he wants, replies "Bring my brother back from the dead." because he never cared about money, nor power, nor anything else. He just wants his brother. All he wanted this whole time is his brother, and since he no longer has him he lashes out, all hurt and grieving. He's hurting so badly that he destroys everyone even mildly involved in what took Jordie away from him. But he only did that because he loved Jordie. It wasn't revenge for the sake of money it was for the sake of love. It was for the sake of Jordie.

Kaz loved Jordie so much that he became the most feared person in Ketterdam, that he took down the King of the Barrel and a merchant from one of the oldest families in Ketterdam (because even if his gripe with Van Eck was unrelated, it's because of Jordie's loss that life snowballed into their interactions and the consequent betrayal and destruction of everything Van Eck held dear). Kaz loved Jordie so much that it changed the entire course of the narrative.

If not for Jordie's loss the heist wouldn't of happened, all of the Crows lives would've been different, some of the Crows would even most likely be dead, and this extends even further to much more major things. The King of Ravka managed to steal the titanium because of his help which will aid Ravka in wars, the path to jurda parem is no longer in the hands of the Fjerdans and a cure is being safely developed in Ravka because Kaz rescued Kuwei, Wylan took over the Van Eck empire because Kaz tampered with Van Eck's will and papers, Inej is working on taking down the slave trade which is only possible because Kaz freed her from her indenture, Nina became the queen of Fjerda because of things that Kaz started (her joining the Dregs instead of being indebted to the Dime Lions, him freeing Matthias, him organising the heist, Matthias dying in the aftermath, her going to Fjerda to bury Matthias and the results which ended up being her and her new lover on the Fjerdan throne trying to fix prejudice against grisha, and women, in the most conservative country).

All of it leads back to Kaz. And he did all of it for Jordie. It all always leads back to Jordie. Jordie and Kaz's love for his big brother and his grief over having him snatched away from him.

#he makes me INSANE #talk about haunting the narrative #kaz really said: my brother is haunting me and i'm going to make that everyones problem #kaz brekker #jordie rietveld #kaz rietveld #jesper fahey #inej ghafa #nina zenik #wylan van eck #matthias helvar #pekka rollins #six of crows #six of crows duology #grishaverse #my analysis

261 notes · View notes

she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 1 year

Text

Some little details you might have missed in Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

(Maybe part one?)

When discussing the Ice Court Heist at the start of the book Wylan explains that he speaks Fjerdan and although Jesper teases that he probably isn’t very good at it, the fact that Wylan has been to the Ice Court at least once before would beg to differ; as a diplomatic meeting it would probably be considered impolite if he and his family didn’t speak at least some Fjerdan when being hosted by what I assume to have been the royal family or at least higher-ups in the Fjerdan government. However, when he’s drawing up plans of the Court on the boat, Kaz asks why nothing is labelled and Wylan says “I don’t know Fjerdan”. He does, in fact, know Fjerdan (and it’s confirmed later that he speaks it well), but he is hiding the fact that he cannot write

In the Bathroom Scene™️ Kaz says that Inej’s tell is the way she squares her shoulders before making a move, “as if you’re waiting for the audience’s attention”. When Kaz goes to the slat in the next chapter, after the fight he squares his shoulders before making his speech to launch a coup against Per Haskell. I think this is really interesting and it absolutely shows what Inej realises at the time, that “the fight was just the opening act” but this, the talking and the convincing and the persuasion, this is Kaz’s superpower. I think this is so interesting and says so much about him, but it’s also a great Kanej parallel. More than any character I can think of, Kaz absolutely embodies the quote “I discovered at a very young age that if I talked for long enough I could prove anything right or wrong, so either I’m god or truth is relative. And either way, boo-yah” (which by the way is a quote from the brilliant sitcom Community)

This is my favourite Wesper parallel: in soc when Wylan uses a bomb to save them from the parem-drugged fabricator, Jesper says “Wylan earned his keep”. Wylan replies “Did I?” and Jesper says “Well, you made a downpayment”. At the end of Crooked Kingdom when the pair are able to go back to Wylan’s house because Van Eck has been arrested, Wylan asks Jesper if he really meant it when he said that he would stay and help run the business by reading to him, and Jesper says of course, but “I charge a pretty steep fee”. Wylan blushes and replies “well I hope the medik is here to fix my ribs soon, because I’d like to make a downpayment”. THEY’RE SO GODDAMN ADORABLE

This one I think is something people just forget, but Nina and Matthias are heavily implied to have slept together on Black Veil when they got from Ravkan embassy. The pair go to get changed and reappear “rumpled and rosy several long minutes later”. Jesper laughs when he sees them- he says “Staying on task?” to which Nina replies “I’m teaching Matthias all about fun. He is an excellent student, diligent in his studies” as Matthias gets progressively more and more embarrassed. But yeah I’ve never seen anyone talk about it I think people just forget

#grishaverse #leigh bardugo #six of crows #crooked kingdom #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #kanej #wesper #helnik #the crows #crow club #ketterdam #kuwei yul bo #shadow and bone

2K notes · View notes

crvptidgf · 22 days

Text

Whipped

Kaz Brekker x Reader

➸ summary: just as you start to think that Kaz is incapable of basic human decency, he proves you wrong (in his own, Kaz-like way)

➸ warnings/notes: none

word count: 1.2k

————————

ONE THING YOU quickly learned about Kaz was that he never showed outward emotion. In fact, sometimes you weren’t too sure he even felt any at all. That was what everybody said - Kaz was robotic in the way he interacted with people, hardly sparing a thought on the well-being or opinions of others.

While it wasn’t far off the truth, you knew there had to be more to him than a void machine with no care for anybody but himself. He was still, after all, human (despite what anybody else might say).

It wasn’t without reason that he gained his infamous aliases. Bastard of the Barrel, Dirtyhands, Demjin. That’s why it surprised you when you started getting nervous around him. Not the kind of nervous that most people felt with Kaz, but more like a stupid, naïve school-girl kind of nervous. Why? You could probably name a million reasons.

Putting aside all that he has done and all that he is, Kaz was genuine. Perhaps not like how Jesper and Inej were - and sure, he didn’t have the softness that Nina held, or the undying open affection that Matthias bared for his lover, or even the sweet, lovable awkwardness that Wylan had. He was, however, intriguing in his own way.

He was brutally loyal to those he deemed worthy; his mind worked unlike anyone else you had met; and he never, ever, took shit from anyone - no matter if it was a stranger off the street or one of his Crows. Not to mention that he always seemed to be 2 steps ahead of his foes, which was something you admired greatly. These special qualities made him who he is and you couldn’t help but fall for his cold and calculating personality.

There was always a wall separating him from being honest with people, his lack of trust and need to be in control too strong to ever let up. Yet bit by bit (or brick by brick) his shell started to gather cracks and crevices in the shape of you.

You had somehow wormed your way into his icy heart. Of course he would never dare admit it to himself, much less say it out loud, but deep down he knew. And he hated it.

He hated that he remembered your favorite color. He hated that he knew exactly how you liked your tea in the mornings. Most of all, he absolutely loathed the fact that you, out of anybody he has ever encountered, managed to become his biggest weakness.

Kaz always prided himself on his nonchalant façade. Nobody could ever read what was going on inside his mind and he worked hard to keep it that way. Until you came along. Until you wrung and twisted his insides until he couldn’t take it anymore - the thoughts of you so polluted in his mind that he couldn’t help but chastise his childish behavior.

He wasn’t a boy anymore. He didn’t have crushes (although what he felt for you was a little more than a measly crush).

All of this to say that, when he saw the small smile that tugged on the corner of your lips whenever he did something thoughtful for you, he actually found that he didn’t mind being reduced to a mindless, clueless idiot around you. He actually realized that he liked making you happy. This epiphany scared him. But if tossing and turning at night, his mind completely overtaken by you, meant that he could see your grin light up the room just one more time, he could live with it.

You, on the other hand, had no idea of his inner turmoil. Yeah you knew he was a bit gentler when you were around (not by much, you noted), but that could be for a multitude of reasons. Surely Kaz Brekker, the notorious Dirtyhands, didn’t take a fancy to you of all people. Right?

These thoughts were however thrown from your mind when you awoke to your floorboards creaking, the sound alerting your fight or flight response. Constantly being in imminent danger does that to a person. You can never be too sure when death would knock on your door.

Yet when you slowly reached your hand under your pillow for your dagger (a gift that Inej had graced you with on your first birthday at the Crow Club), a voice stopped you from your worries.

“It’s just me. No need for any violence so early in the morning.”

Turning in your small but cozy bed, you were met with a somewhat startled looking Kaz. He wasn’t expecting you to wake up - he should’ve forseen this. Saints, he was losing his game. He always did when it came to you.

“Oh,” you replied simply. “Did you need something?”

Kaz’s lips formed into a line, something in his hand shuffling as he mulled over his thoughts. He should leave, he thought. But he didn’t. Instead he stood at the foot of your bed like a total creep, his eyes traveling over your face so quickly that you almost missed it.

“Breakfast,” he said, throwing the bag that he previously toyed with in his hand.

It landed with a soft thud on your bed, the brown paper almost unfolding as it reached your knee. Picking it up slowly, you looked towards Kaz for any indication of what it was. Nothing could’ve prepared you for what was inside.

It was a sugar-roll. Something you had been craving for months, but could never seem to get your hands on. There was only one bakery in the Barrel that sold these, and it was on the complete other side of the city.

“How did you- Where-“ you stumbled over your words, utterly struck by surprise.

Kaz spun his cane in his hand, the crow's head glinting in the sunlight that peeked from your window.

You never thought you would see the day, but he hesitated before answering.

“Had some business to attend to. I just happened to walk by that bakery that you’re always harping on about.”

So he did listen to your meaningless rants. Nina had mentioned the bakery a while back, and you and her bonded over your shared enjoyment of the confectioneries that they sold. You didn’t think Kaz actually heard it, much less remembered what your favorite pastry was.

“Thank you,” you breathed out.

Kaz nodded, retreating backwards as he responded. “Hopefully now you’ll stop bugging me about that stupid roll of yours,” he said.

While his words were harsh, you could see the glint in his eyes as he spotted your excited expression, your hands pulling the doughy goodness out of its bag. In his own backwards way, Kaz was as whipped as somebody like him could get.

As he limped out of your room, the comfort of your presence leaving him, he spotted Jesper outside the door, smirking.

“What,” Kaz snapped.

“You just happened to walk by?”

Kaz rolled his eyes, sighing. He continued to walk, ignoring Jesper’s attempts to annoy the man.

“That bakery is at least 30 minutes away,” he stifled a laugh, “you need to think up better lies, boss.”

“Tell anyone and you’ll never see your guns again,” Kaz said, knowing there was no point in lying any more. He cast a backwards glance at his friend, who immediately put his hands up in defense.

Jesper smiled to himself as he was finally left alone upstairs. He was going to have so much fun taunting that over Kaz's head in the next few weeks.

The Bastard of the Barrel - whipped.

270 notes · View notes

amsgrey · 11 months

Text

Need Help?

kaz brekker x reader

synopsis: Kaz helps you get ready for a job, lost in the moment he forgets his anxiety and stays present.

warnings: other than bad writing? not much.

authors note: I have had terrible writer's block lately, so here is this terrible story that has been in my drafts for weeks. I will be doing my best to fix it but man it is not easy.

Kaz woke you early one morning, knocking sharply on the door. He knocked once, waiting for any sounds behind the door before he struck again.

You sleepily opened the door, ready to tell Jesper to get lost. Realizing it was your boss, not the sharpshooter, you stuttered over your words.

"I need you and Nina for a job."

You followed his instructions, waking up Nina and forcing her to join you on the job to Little Ravka.

Before you had left the slat Kaz had ordered the two of you to not get sidetracked, with no stops on the way to Little Ravka and no detours on the way back. Nina had quietly mumbled about Kaz being no fun and you knew then you would spend the time steering her away from food vendors.

Walking down the Ravkan market had been the hardest. Nina had told you about this place, but seeing it for the first time was nothing like hearing about it. Like Os Kervo's markets, Nina had told you. She had explained the time she spent there in-depth, the afternoons walking through the markets with her friends.

Nina let out a tiny gasp, snatching your hand and dragging you along behind as she approached a stall. You could see what she was fixated on, a pastry dusted in sugar.

Nina ignored your protests, ordering two of the desserts and paying the vendor quickly. The girl handed one to you, nodding for you to try it.

“Why are you so obsessed with these?” You asked as you walked back through Ketterdam.

“Because they’re brilliant,” Nina said like it was the most obvious answer.

You laughed, watching her brush icing sugar off her nose.

“They are good,” You agreed, “I see why you love them so much.”

Nina beamed, “And Brekker said stops weren’t worth it.”

Kaz would not be happy. You knew when the two of you strolled into the slat the boy would see the crumbs - no matter how many times you would brush down your clothes - and chastise you about the detour.

At some point halfway through the Zelvar district, you decided you didn’t much care. Kaz was sour about many things, he would act annoyed for a while and then see how you grinned in defiance and let it go. Besides, you all knew this errand was hardly one of high stakes.

You were surprised to walk into the slat and see Kaz not at all surprised at your lateness. He took one look at the two grinning crows and rolled his eyes.

“Enjoy yourself?”

“Yup,” Nina replied, planting herself in the chair next to Matthias.

You sat on Kaz's right, looking over the map of the Financial district Kaz was scrutinizing.

“Why do you need a tailor?” You asked, thinking about the message you and Nina left at the cafe in Little Ravka.

Kaz spared you a glance, taking in the furrow of your brow as you studied the map.

"For the job," Was Kaz's blunt reply.

“What did Nina convince you to stop for?”

You turned to Wylan, "I would have stopped too."

Nina’s face broke into a grin, “No one can resist sweets.”

“What is it like?” Wylan continued.

“It’s pastry,” Kaz replied, fixing Wylan with a glower.

You laughed, “It’s not just pastry, Brekker.”

Nina launched into an explanation while you looked back over the map. You brushed off some of Wylans pencil shavings from when he completed it.

“What are you thinking?” You asked Kaz, trying to see what he was scrutinizing.

Kaz looked from the map to you, muttering about his plans.

You and Kaz didn’t realize that the conversation had lulled around them, the other crows watching the two sit close together hunched over the map and scribbling notes.

Inej tapped Jesper's shoulder, no one had realized the wraith had even appeared, “Scheming face.”

Jesper laughed, breaking You and Kaz from your concentration, “Definitely scheming faces.”

You pouted, “I don’t scheme.”

Kaz corralled everyone into his office later in the evening of that day. He let everyone know the building that was on the map was holding a Gala that night, and there was a target you needed to reach.

As always, Kaz's plans had layers and twists that he didn't reveal to everyone. Trying to follow along with what he wanted everyone to do was sometimes impossible, so you were glad he explained it slowly for everyone.

"Whose going as a guest?" Jesper asked, having been already assigned fake driver duty.

"Matthias and Y/N," Kaz replied.

You started to protest, but Kaz didn't listen.

"You will be posing as Mr and Mrs Mjelde. You two look like them."

You and Matthias looked at each other, wearing matching frowns. You hadn't worked with Matthias before, but you trusted Kaz enough to have faith in his plan. Kaz explained how you both could pass as the Frejdan-Kerch couple, mostly because of the resemblance you had to the couple. When you had asked why Nina couldn't be Mrs Mjelde, Kaz waved it off with "I need her somewhere else".

After Kaz had given everyone their assignments and explained the target, you remembered the job he had sent you and Nina earlier that day.

"So why do we need a tailor?" You asked.

"Mrs Mjelde has shorter hair than you," Kaz replied, "I thought you would rather tailor yourself to look different than cutting your hair."

Your chest constricted, Kaz had put extra care into making you feel comfortable on this job.

"Well too bad there aren't any available Tailors in Ketterdam," Nina sighed, already hearing from her fellow Grisha that the only slightly knowledgable tailor had left the city a week ago.

Kaz frowned, trying to come up with an alternative plan.

"I can just cut my hair," You said.

"You love your hair," Jesper replied.

You shrugged, "No harm in a change every now and again."

Everyone seemed slightly surprised, but no one said anything to challenge you. Kaz ordered everyone to prepare for the job, Jesper and Nina had to slip away to get the disguises for the night, leaving the rest of you to prepare in the Slat.

You had borrowed the scissors Kaz used to cut his hair, the same ones you used not two weeks ago to cut his hair. You sat in front of your mirror, it was perched haphazardly on your small dresser. You stared at your reflection, trying to work up the courage to cut your own hair.

"Need help?"

You could see Kaz in the reflection, standing in the doorway like you had not long ago. You felt suddenly self-conscious, breaking eye contact and running your fingers through your hair to try distract yourself.

Kaz stepped into your room, closing the door behind him. Your tiny room felt cramped with only you in it, now it felt claustrophobic. Kaz leant his cane against your bedframe, coming to stand behind you. You felt unease build in your chest, unable to say a word. You felt at ease in Kaz's room, lazing on his bed or bothering him while he worked. But now that he was in your room, it felt strangely more intimate.

Kaz slipped his hands out of his gloves, placing them in front of you on the dresser. He held his hand to you, waiting for you to give him the scissors.

"We don't have all evening," Kaz said, rather bluntly.

You laughed, a stupid smile greeting Kaz in the mirror. You didn't much mind Kaz's bluntness, in fact, you had grown to love it. Once you learnt he never meant any harm - to you most specifically - you grew to appreciate how he cared little about sugarcoating anything. At times he was cruel, but never with you.

You let Kaz take the scissors from you, he turned them over in his hands. Once. Twice. You watched him in the mirror, as he finally decided on his action. He ran his fingers through your hair like you had done to him. His fingernails raked along your scalp, pulling fly-away strands from your face. He began to work on your hair, combing it away from your face with his fingers then cutting it slowly, methodically.

You were both silent as he worked, you could only watch in awe as he took such care. His brows were furrowed, much like they always were. But his eyes weren't piercing or angry, they were gentle and kind. He was so concentrated on what he was doing that his mask fell. It was the first time since that night in his room that you saw Kaz Reitveld again.

When Kaz was almost done, you finally shifted your gaze from Kaz behind you to your hair. Jesper was right, you did love your hair and you had been reluctant to change it. It felt a little easier knowing it was Kaz who was cutting your hair, Kaz who was helping you change.

Kaz stayed close when he was done, running his fingers through your hair again. His fingers ran through your hair, then rested on the bare skin of your neck. It was like you were both stuck in a trance. Making eye contact through the mirror. Kaz was taking deep breaths, not removing his hands from your skin.

You looked away, "I should go see Nina."

Kaz nodded, watching you stand up from your chair and brush down your clothes. He took a small step back, entranced by the way your hair now perfectly framed your face.

You looked up to see his staring, a faint smirk on his face.

"See something you like, Brekker?"

Kaz chuckled, "Maybe."

He took another step forward, reaching up and tugging on a strand of your hair. You smiled, offering your thanks for his help.

Kaz nodded, silent while he looked over your face. You could feel his breath over your cheek. From this close, you could see the flecks in his irises. You glanced from his eyes to his lips, the silent question hanging between you. You both knew that Kaz wouldn't be the first to instigate a kiss; you had been close before but never as close as that night in his room.

Kaz felt like he couldn't breathe, watching you look at him with so much faith, so much devotion. He hadn't seen anyone look at him like that since Jordie died. In The Barrel, it wasn't like people were willing to get close to him, not that he ever let them. Kaz trusted you, too, as a crow and someone he could love. He had a hard time showing that, in fact, he never showed it.

You ignored the doubts running through your head, leaning forward and pressing your lips to Kaz's. You pulled away quickly like a child having their first kiss. The last thing you wanted to do was overwhelm the man before you.

Kaz snaked his fingers into your hair, pulling you closer and kissing you again.

You were struck by how sweet Kaz tasted, like Hopjes. He cupped your cheek gently, pulling away hesitantly. He smirked, enjoying being close to you without the debilitating panic that usually forced him away.

"Y/N!' Nina knocked on the door, "Saint's sake, have you finished yet?"

Kaz pulled away, both of you snapping out of the trance and fumbling around the other. You had to slip past Kaz to get to the door, trying to ignore how close the two of you were. You threw the door open to see Nina, standing impatiently with the dress for the job tossed over her arm. Nina could no doubt see Kaz standing behind you in your room, his face no doubt flushed as it always was when the two of you were caught close by another crow.

With everything finally in place, you forced yourself down the stairs to greet the crows. The ridiculous shoes you had to wear made climbing down the stairs harder than you liked, you had to rely heavily on the ballestraid so you wouldn't fall down.

At the bottom of the stairs, Matthias was scowling at Jesper and Wylan, who were making fun of his formal attire. He looked as miserable as you, constantly adjusting the collar of his shirt and blazer to try get comfortable.

"Hey gorgeous," Jesper greeted, throwing his arm over your shoulders and pulling you into a side hug.

You jabbed your finger into his ribs, getting him off you. "Don't call me that when I'm dressed like an idiot."

Jesper rolled his eyes, "That was rude."

Kaz finally joined you all, leaving his office and pausing a few paces away from you all. You could see how he took in what you were wearing, the subtle makeup covering your eyes and the fake jewels resting on your collarbones. You tried not to flush when you noticed his gaze linger on the buttons of your bodice.

Nina was staring at you, giving you a knowing look. You waved her off, pulling your cloak around your dress.

"Everyone knows the plan?" Kaz asked.

There was a chorus of yes'.

"Then let's get to it."

835 notes · View notes

lady-ashfade · 1 year

Note

Hey! I’d love to see what you’d do with the Crows & a reader who comes off as just another dumb rich person, they act like a naive airhead and dress like a “princess” but in reality they’re incredibly smart and find it funny when people try to pull one over on them. Thank you :^)

Not so dumb

Platonic!Six of crows x Durast!Bimbo!reader. (Minus Matthias)

Notes: I added the reader being a Durast because for some reason I thought of it, I think it works. Hope this is okay! And you like it 🌸

Warnings: Drugging, a little bit of violence, idk what else to put.

It was just perfect when they saw you in their club, a woman who had a smile on her face. Little clumsy and seemed to be losing a lot, but you dressed so expensive. The necklace around your neck must have be heavy by the looks of it, golden earrings that shined so bright, and the dress that was huge.

That’s when they first met you because you seemed like a easy target. Of course they wouldn’t hurt you but making it seem like you lost your jewelry and coin purse wasn’t so bad. After all you should expect this on this side of time, it was overflowing with thieves.

Nina came over with a tray in her hand with a cup on it, smiling at you charmingly. “Someone at the bar ordered this for you.” She handed the drink you and you smiled at her, “Oh, thank you so much. I’ve been losing so much I do need a drink.” You thanked her as she walked away. As soon as her back was turned to you she smirked.

It had just a little concoction in it to make you pass out and feel drunk. Nothing harmful to kill you, but just right to do what they needed.

Idiots. You thought to yourself and set the drink down and continued playing, you knew how to play people. They will soon bet all their money and you’d do your part to win, you always do.

After a while your cup was almost empty and you stomped a bit, eyes closing and body moving without your knowing. But you did win the round, so you put the money in your pouch and got up. Your body was all over the place as your tried to walk around and to the door when a pair of arms landed around your waist.

“I’ve got you.” Looking up you saw the man who worked for the owner, Jesper you think is name was. “Thank you..” you slurred as he helped you out the door and you pushed your weight into him. I’ve finally got her

But little did he know he was so wrong, oh so very wrong. He stood on his knees in the alleyway holding his neck as the necklace that was once on yours now wrapped around his and choking him.

“I can’t believe you tried to steal from me, you see I’m not as dumb.” You smiled still so kinda and you bow down to him and released him. You picked up with ear rings and pouch he tried to steal from you, “Tell your boss when I come back I want free drinks- Without poison or anything.”

He catches his breath and tried to stay awake as you walked away, disappearing in the fog in the alley and into the darkness. He was very confused about what had just happened, how in the hell did you know and beat him?

Kaz was intrigued when he found out, he wasn’t impressed but he could give you props. And that’s exactly when his brain told him to see if you’d like to join his crew.

And of course, you did because come on. It was fun.

So, I think the team loves to have you on their side now. Because you are actually fun, and kind to them. But they love to watch you fool someone else.

I think you come in every day with something new you stole because all the drunk men are easy targets.

You can go with them on missions to distract the guards. And sometimes you work as a waitress, because you’re good at it.

Nina loves to watch you do your things, even has you teach her a few things but you’re both good at playing dumb.

Jesper is the same way, he is usually the flirt and uses that to fool people. I think you both would make a perfect team, I’m going to say this right now. You like to dress up and so does he, so “shopping sprees” without the paying part.

Jesper doesn’t hold a grudge because he was the one who tried to steal from you, and you didn’t kill him. So, he was easy to forgive.

But going on about how you’re actually really smart is the part that shocked them the most. Here they thought you were just a dumb rich girl but you’re just a smart girl who plays dumb.

Kaz even if he doesn’t admit it, runs the plans by you but in a subtle way. He’ll tell you the plan in full and listen to any comments you make, and it’s rare he makes mistakes but you give him pointers. You can make things a lot more easier and he’s glad he invited you to the team.

He’ll never tell you though.

Inej, she’s really interested in you. How you choose to acted dumb but are smart and can defend yourself well. She often wonders why you do that and why not just acted yourself.

“Well I act this way because it’s easy, one can’t trick someone they don’t really know. And plus it’s fun, and it’s not all fake. I actually do love to have fun…And sometimes I do stumble but don’t tell anyone.”

You and Inej spare sometimes.

But you are a Durast. You teach Jesper how to use his powers when he’s ready, also really handy when on jobs.

Wylan loves when you visit him while he makes things, because you listen to all his words and actually understand most of what he says. Or let’s say you don’t understand all of it, but can keep up with him. He’s glad to have someone who understands what he can do.

The way you two would be the cutest together- The cutest besties.

Over all you’re a pretty interesting mix to the group. Getting alone with everyone one of them for different things.

#six of crows x reader #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker #shadow and done #shadow and bone x reader #nina zenik x reader #nina zenik #Inej ghafa #Inej ghafa x reader #jesper fahey x reader #Jesper fahey #Wylan Van Eck #wylan van eck x reader

689 notes · View notes

justdaphne · 9 months

Text

The Crows during Barbenheimer

Kaz

You can tell what color he’s already wearing. LITERALLY straight out of Oppenheimer.

“Kaz can you get Barbie tickets I already got Oppenheimer”

“6 tickets” “for Oppenheimer?” *stares* “Barbie”

Kaz was awake during the whole duration of Oppenheimer. He actually liked it.

Of course, he understands it. Everything. Afterwards, he had a discussion with Wylan for better bomb creations

“KAZZZZ I DONT GET ITTTT” “not everyone has the level of intelligence to.”

For Barbie, Nina managed to sneak some pink paint onto his coat

Honestly, he didn’t like it but he understood the message and was there for Inej (only) who was probably getting a tad bit emotional (who else wasn’t) So he tried his best to comfort her.

Jesper

A pink atomic bomb dropped on him

“CMON BARBIE LET’S GO PARTY I’M A BARBIE GIRL IN A BARBIE WORLD ..” He’s been singing that song non-stop.

Jesper slept during Oppenheimer. He was probably most awake during THAT scene though.

“I DONT GET IT WHAT DOES IT MEAN” “What did he say?” “HUHHHH” “WHEN IS THIS OVERRRRR” “Wylan this is YOUR THING”

“JESPER STFU”

A whole different person during Barbie. Got the Barbie popcorn, Barbie tumblr, even decorated his guns pink.

After the movie? A sobbing mess.

“I am Kenough. I AM KENOUGH.”

Continues not stopping to sing Barbie girl

Inej

Personally, I think she wore a less flashy color of pink..so dark pink? (Does she even have pink?) Well Nina helped.

“Inej what’s he doing?” yeah she does the explaining but not all of it BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE KEEP TALKING DURING THE MOVIE, SO SHE LOSES FOCUS ON WHAT THEY’RE SAYING.

“Please don’t tell me you plan on recreating that bomb Kaz”

She probably felt bored in some of the scenes.

During Barbie she had the time of her life. Laughing (Kaz was somewhat smiling because of that) Dancing in her seat during uplifting music playing and also tearing up. Especially during that line about the struggles of women.

She felt Kaz’s hands squeezing hers.

Pretty much comforting everyone else after the whole film (Mom of the group thingssssss)

Wylan

I think he’d wear black with a tad bit of pink to match both movies

HE ABSOLUTELY LOVEDDD OPPENHEIMER. He found it so interesting. Also inspiring maybe

“Maybe I can.. NO I WON’T”

Father son moment with Kaz about stuff . They were talking about everything that happened but most importantly if Wylan could recreate it but that’s dumb hahaaha Inej stopped it right away

HE ALSO ABSOLUTELY LOVED BARBIE. Ryan Gosling.

Laughing, dancing, crying too but he had to comfort Jesper.

The only person he could deeply analyse the movie with was Inej because everyone else was busy crying, comforting or Kaz.

“I loved how ..”

Nina

Dressed in absolutely the Barbiest pink you can imagine. And a cowboy hat.

In Oppenheimer she can literally tell who a character is played by. “IS THAT DEVIN BOWSTICK”

Most definitely awake during THAT scene. “I have a crush on Florence Pugh.”

After that, she doesn’t understand a thing. BOMBS. EXPLOSION. CILLIAN. that’s it.

She needed a whole 30 minute explain video.

“I come out of the cinema as J R Oppenheimer.”

“Nina, you know nothing about quantum physics.”

Like Jesper, SOOO HYPED FOR BARBIE. BARBIE GIRL. BARBIE WORLD. MARGOT ROBBIE. MOSTLY MARGOT ROBBIE.

“WATCH ME. DAAAAANCCEEEEE DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY”

A sobbing mess pt 2

But it’s fine because Barbie World started playing so she’s dancing again. With puffy eyes. #moodswings

“That..was a cinematic masterpiece. *intellectual statement*” but like 2 business days after the movie because she needed time to process and think and recover.

Matthias

Nina would PERSONALLY make Matthias try out a whole wardrobe. Black? Pink? Black AND Pink??????

“Nina, let me wear whatever I want”

“NO.”

He’s just there because Nina is there. Probably judges the whole Oppenheimer movie.

“Is that ethical?” “Is that reasonable?” “IS THAT BIBLICAL?”

But overall he probably was just silent during Oppenheimer.

But of course, he does have some statements about the movie #critic101 .

“So Matthias what do you think?” “It was a cinematic masterpiece.. Christopher Nolan.. *blah blah blah*”

He secretly enjoyed Barbie. Secretly. Maybe he said it was too girly for him but he secretly liked it.

“I’M JUST KEN ANYWHERE ELSE I’D BE A TEN”

Of course, he comforts Nina because she’s sobbing. Hugs her. Kisses her. And reassures her.

He tells her that he’s grateful for someone like her in his life and he thanks her for being as strong as she is no matter how hard it is. Which makes her cry harder.

361 notes · View notes

rose-sophia-isabella-rogers · 3 months

Text

A Steel That Went Through Hottest Fire: Chapter XX - An Arrow in the Quiver

Chapter Summary: It's time to face Fjerda. Who will win and who will lose? Will Ravka finally be at peace? And what will you get for everything you've done?

Pairing: Aleksander Kirigan/Reader, Alina Starkov/Mal Oretsev, Zoya Nazyalensky/Nikolai Lantsov, Fedyor Kaminsky/Ivan, Genya Safin/David Kostyk

Characters: Aleksander Kirigan, Reader, Nikolai Lantsov, Genya Safin, Alina Starkov, Mal Oretsev, Ivan, Fedyor Kaminsky, Zoya Nazyalensky, David Kostyk, Nina Zenik

Word Count: 4449

A/N: Inspired by prompt: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/207306389090100611/

Tag list (let me know if you want to be added or removed):

@budugu

@intothesoul

@mizelophsun11

@pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy

@zeeader

@marrymonrich

@wonderland2425

@chelseyyouraverageluigi

@thehufflepuffavenger1

@drinix

Ivan and Tolya return. With a promise of an army. Like Aleksander has predicted, the people of Shu-Han are furious. Their beloved princess is 'dead' because of Fjerda and it has to pay for it. The great battle is about to happen soon.

Everyone is preparing in the ways they can. Including you. Even though you've already did a lot, you still spend days in the workshop, working on your latest project.

This is where one night David finds you. The only reason Kirigan hasn't dragged you from here is because he is at the Grand Palace, busy with another war meeting.

'You've done so much already, [Y/N],' Kostyk says quietly, but still manages to startle you. 'Go and get some rest.'

'I can't,' you huff, combing your hair with your hand. 'Not after what Nina told me about Fjerdans' work on jurda parem.'

'And that is?' David asks, raising his eyebrows. You sigh and remember your conversation with Zenik…

'Jurda parem in gaseous form?' you asked with disbelief. The Heartrender nodded, troubled.

'I wasn't dosed with it in the end, but still…' she said. 'I'm worried our Grisha will be attacked like that during the battle.'

'Everyone is to have a dose of antidote with them, so I wouldn't worry about that,' you said, pensive. 'But you brought up a good point. Gaseous form is more effective. If we had the antidote in that form on the battlefield…'

'We could save Grisha on the Fjerdans' side,' Nina said, her eyes lightning up. You nodded.

'I will think about it,' you promised. Zenik clasped your hands in hers and smiled.

'If anyone can figure it out, it's you,' she said, winking. You stared at her hands, pensive. From all the people, she's been one of the first that seemed to trust you. It puzzled you.

'Thank you,' you said quietly. 'It means a lot.'

'Hey,' the Heartrender said softly. 'I know what you're thinking. But I am the last person who should judge your actions. My lover is a Fjerdan after all.'

She smiled wryly. You thought about Matthias. He was a good man and utterly in love with Nina. But yes. He was a Fjerdan and almost as unpopular as you and Aleksander.

'The heart does what it wants, huh?' you asked, shrugging. Zenik chuckled. She sighed and nodded.

'Oh, yes,' she agreed. 'That's so true.'

'Hm, that is a good idea,' David says, already thinking. You blink, discarding the memory.

'Yeah, but so far it's just that,' you say and huff in frustration. 'I can't believe Fjerdans figured out the gaseous form of parem and I can't do the same with the antidote!'

'Well, they are a little different,' Kostyk points out. 'You're using more raw jurda.'

Instantly, you look at each other. You think of the same.

'That's it,' you say. 'And maybe if we-'

'Instead of-' the Durast says.

'And then-' you add.

'Yes, let's do it,' David says and you two get to work. Some time later, while waiting for your work to cool down, you sit and drink tea.

'I've forgiven you, by the way,' Kostyk says suddenly. 'Your betrayal, lies and manipulation. I get why you did it. Also, I see you were right. Ever since Kirigan has returned, things are finally looking up. We really needed him now. And since three years have passed, some emotions and grudges cooled down. We could put them aside and work together for Ravka.'

'Thank you,' you say after a beat. 'I… I didn't want to betray you. It hurt me. So, your forgiveness means a great deal to me.'

'You are my friend, [Y/N],' the Durast says softly. 'It may take some time, but I'll always forgive you. No matter what you'll do. And I hope this will be the same in your case.'

'I can hardly imagine you doing something so vile you'd need my forgiveness, but of course,' you chuckle. David smiles. You chat for a bit more, then continue your experiment.

When Aleksander walks in later, tired and exasperated with you, you're staring proudly at your work. At first, neither of you even notice his presence.

'We have to test it now,' Kostyk says, pensive. 'But we don't have more affected Grisha.'

'We can always drug someone and then give him an antidote,' you suggest.

'You're thinking about those two Grisha that were ogling Kirigan during the party, aren't you?' David asks. You look at him innocently.

'I'm sure someone will show up soon,' the Darkling speaks up, joining your conversation. 'We still get new Grisha hurt by the parem. So, for now you both can go to sleep.'

'Yes, sir,' Kostyk quickly says and starts cleaning up.

'If no one does, though, can we consider my suggestion?' you ask hopefully. David and Aleksander roll their eyes. You sigh and quickly help Kostyk. Once you're done, the Durast bids you farewell, and leaves. Kirigan takes your hand in his and you go to his chambers.

'So, what was that experiment about?' he asks you.

'We've managed to make the antidote in a gaseous form,' you explain and your lover looks at you, impressed. 'We just have to see if it still works.'

'If it does… it would help immensely in the battle,' the Darkling says and kisses your hand. 'Thank you, milaya. You've already done so much and yet you continue to amaze us all.'

'Well, since I'm not going to be on the battlefield, I want to be useful in another way,' you say. You enter the room, since you've reached it.

'I want to argue about that usefulness, but I'm too exhausted,' Aleksander sighs. You comb his hair with your hand. He closes his eyes, leaning into your touch, relaxing.

'How was the meeting?' you ask.

'Alina and I didn't argue, so that's a success,' he answers. 'Other than that… we still can't agree on the best course of action.'

'Well, you'll get it in the end,' you assure him. 'If not, you can always threaten the generals with me.'

'Hm, I would not like to see you entering a meeting, furious and ready to argue,' Kirigan admits and kisses you softly. 'Thank you, lapushka.'

You beam at him and answer the kiss. It takes a few minutes for you to pull apart.

'You can thank me properly after I give you a massage,' you whisper. The Darkling groans.

'Yes, please, I need it so much,' he asks. You chuckle and push him into the bathroom.

'I'm at your service,' you say teasingly. Aleksander pulls you with him, a mirth in his eyes. A lot of time passes before you finally go to sleep.

Everything is ready. Shu-Han's army has arrived. Your warriors feel up to the task. The antidote in a gaseous form is working and you've produced it enough, or so you hope. All of that means it's time to move out to battle.

In the morning when the armies are to set off, you help Aleksander get ready. The atmosphere is solemn, tense. You don't speak. Both of you are scared to break the silence.

'[Y/N]…' Kirigan starts when he's ready. But he trails off and sighs.

'Come back to me, okay?' you ask him. 'I don't fancy bringing you back to life a second time.'

'I'd say it's not possible now, but I know you'd find a way,' the Darkling says, smiling wryly.

'Obviously,' you huff. Aleksander chuckles. He cups your cheek. You lean into his touch, looking at him sadly. You're scared he's not going to return. He's immortal, yes. But some things still can kill him.

'It's going to be okay,' Kirigan says quietly. 'Thanks to you we're well prepared. We're going to win. And I'm not going to die. I made you a promise, didn't I?'

'You did,' you admit. 'But I… can't help it.'

'I know,' the Darkling says. 'I used to thrive in a battle. Now I despise it, because I know it makes you worried or you could get hurt. I wonder why is that, hm?'

You smile slightly, not at all sorry. Aleksander cups your other cheek and touches your forehead with his.

'I love you so hard that I softened,' he says. 'And I don't mind it one bit. I'm a happier man thanks to it.'

You lift your head and make your lips join. You kiss for a minute or so. Then, you pull away, but only slightly.

'Then go and win this, so I could be a happier woman,' you whisper. Kirigan catches your mouth for a moment longer.

'As my lady commands,' he murmurs. 'But before I go… there's something I want to ask you.'

He takes your hands in his. You look at him quizzically. He seems nervous for some reason.

'When I come back… I'd like to marry you,' he says, stunning you. 'If you'll have me, that is. Since we're both immortal now, I understand I'd be tying you to me forever. If you're not sure, need more time or you-'

You silence him with a finger on his lips. He looks at you, hopeful and scared. But to his relief you smile.

'Yes,' you say. The fearsome Darkling laughs, overjoyed. He kisses you again and again.

'Now you better win quickly,' you say when you finally stop. 'I don't want to wait long.'

'Neither do I,' Aleksander says, grinning. You join hands and leave his chambers. Ivan and Fedyor, who are happily married since last week, follow you. Soon, you're outside with the rest of the army.

'[Y/N], are you sure you're not coming?' Nikolai asks, walking to you. 'You can, if you want.'

'Oh, I'm sure,' you confirm, nodding. 'I don't want to be anywhere near a battle until I learn to control fully my amplified abilities.'

Lantsov nods in understanding. He smiles charmingly at you.

'Then keep an eye on the capital, will you?' he asks.

'Hm, I don't know,' you say playfully. 'Haven't I done enough?'

'You've done,' the King says, suddenly serious. 'You've done so much to help us win this. If we do, I know it's mostly thanks to you.'

He offers you his hand. You stare at it for a moment. Then, you grab it and you shake it.

'Good luck, moi tsar,' you say, bowing your head with respect. He nods back and goes to his horse. You bid farewell to the rest of your friends. Even David goes with others. Suddenly, Alina shows up next to you.

'[Y/N],' she greets you and becomes nervous. 'I… Can we talk?'

'What is it?' you ask, trying not to sound too much hostile.

'I want to apologise,' Starkov says after a beat. You look at her with raised eyebrows. She sighs.

'I hate it, but Aleksander's ideas were mostly spot on,' she starts. 'And he genuinely seems to have changed. I know it's thanks to you. You… were right. About so many things. Maybe even most of them.'

You stare at her. You see your silence makes her even more nervous.

'Good luck, Alina,' you finally say. 'Win this war and come back home. I honestly wish for that for you.'

'Thank you,' the Sun Summoner says quietly. She walks away. Her slumped shoulders tell you the conversation didn't go as she hoped.

'Alina!' you call after her after a moment of hesitation. She turns, a hopeful look in her eyes.

'Maybe one day I'll be able to forgive you,' you say. 'As I hope you'll forgive me. But now… it's still too soon.'

She nods her head in understanding and walks away. You watch her joining Mal. They talk and smile after a moment. You turn your head and look at Nikolai. He meets your gaze and grins.

'Best of luck,' you say.

'I have your antidote, best warriors I could hope for and a perfect equipment,' he says. 'I think we're more than ready to win this.'

'Just don't get too cocky,' you warn him.

'Don't worry, I won't let that happen,' Zoya says, showing up on her horse next to Lantsov. 'You try not to ruin the Little Palace while we're away.'

'What about the Grand Palace?' the King questions. Nazyalensky shrugs.

'I don't care, it's ugly anyway,' she says. Nikolai looks at you pleadingly.

'Look after it as well,' he asks.

'But I don't like it either,' you say. Lantsov sighs and turns to his soldiers.

'Move out!' he orders and the armies slowly head out. You manage to catch the gaze of Aleksander. You smile at each other and nod.

'Good luck,' you whisper. After everyone is gone, you turn and go back to the Little Palace. Now all you can do is wait.

It takes some time to reach the border with Fjerda. But the King's army finally does and a day later the battle starts. It's not pretty. Many people die. But thanks to your antidote, Zoya's excellent training, Kirigan's spot on strategy and some other things, they seem to be winning.

'Nikolai!' Zoya shouts at some point. He quickly turns to her, alarmed. But she doesn't seem to be harmed.

'If we survive this, you can ask me!' she shouts. 'You know, that certain question!'

Lantsov stares at her, stunned. Then, he grins.

'Seriously?' he asks, beaming at her. She barely manages to stop a smile forming on her face.

'Yes,' she says. 'But I want it to be public. I want to see the faces of courtiers when you do it.'

The King chuckles. Then he has to duck, because Zoya suddenly shoots flames in his direction. Behind him someone screams. He looks at his general sheepishly. She sends him an annoyed glare.

'But try to live to that moment, hm?' she asks. He salutes her and returns to the battle.

Some time later, it's over. While at first the numbers on both sides have been even, when Ravkans started using antidote on drugged Grisha on Fjerdan's side, the numbers turned. Because when they were no longer under the effect of parem, Grisha with fury turned on Fjerda. Mostly thanks to that, Ravka and Shu-Han are victorious. Well, Zoya, Aleksander and Alina attacking with enormous power helped as well.

Nikolai walks to one of Fjerdan generals to make him announce the surrender officially. He's lying on the ground, coughing out blood, Kirigan's shoe on his chest. He laughs when he sees the approaching Lantsov.

'You may have won today, false king,' he says. 'But you have nowhere to come back to.'

Dread fills Nikolai. He looks with alarm at the Darkling. His expression is grim as well. And worried.

'I knew there's too little of them,' Mal murmurs. Lantsov turns to Zoya.

'Go,' she says before he can say something. 'Alina and I will make sure it's over here. Ravka needs you to be there. Both of you.'

She looks at Aleksander. He nods at her in gratitude. The King wants to argue. But he knows Nazyalensky is right. So, he barks orders and takes some soldiers with him. Then, they speed up to Os Alta.

Which is under attack. When they first attack, you're in your room, writing a letter to your lover. But sudden commotion interrupts you. You bolt out of the room.

'We're under attack!' a panicked soldier shouts, running to you. 'Fjerda has carried out a sneak attack! They're going to be here within an hour!'

You curse under your breath. You think on your feet.

'Gather everyone we have in the throne room of Grand Palace,' you order. The soldier doesn't even question you. He just nods and rushes out.

Ten minutes later you enter the room full of soldiers and Grisha. But it's still not enough to defeat an army that's coming to get you. Especially, since most of Grisha are still learning. The rest are Durasts and Alkemi. The experienced ones are on the front.

'We're gonna die,' someone whispers.

'No, we're not,' you deny. 'We can't win, but we're not gonna die.'

'What's the difference?' someone asks.

'This Palace has been made to withstand a siege,' you say. 'All we have to do is hold on until the army returns. And I know we can do it.'

'What about people from the capital?' someone asks.

'They're being evacuated as we speak,' you answer. 'So, what do you say?'

'But we're not fighters,' a Durast says shyly.

'No, but we're clever,' you counter. 'Like I said, we don't need to win. We just have to stop them from entering the Grand Palace and Little Palace. We're going to use our talents for this. Anything we can create that can stop them, we're making it. Same goes for the rest of you. It doesn't matter how much you can control your powers at the moment. In fact, let it loose on Fjerdans. As long as we work together, we can hold them out until the return of the King. I'm certain of that. So, who's with me?'

Everyone exchanges a look. When they turn to you, their eyes are filled with determination. They nod. You're going to do it.

By the time Nikolai returns with his part of the army, there's a total chaos everywhere. But the Fjerdans are still not inside any of the palaces. In fact, some Fjerdans try to desert.

'Well, it's better than I feared,' Lantsov comments. 'Come on!'

They attack the enemy. Soon, Aleksander, the King, Fedyor and Ivan are almost at the door to the Little Palace. But suddenly, a Fjerdan shows up out of nowhere and manages to thrust his sword in Kirigan's shoulder.

'Die, Darkling!' he shrieks. The Shadow Summoner grunts in pain.

'That was stupid,' Ivan comments, absolutely calm.

'Very stupid,' Fedyor agrees, nodding, also not bothered. Nikolai opens his mouth to say something, confused, but is interrupted by a vicious battle cry. Then, something falls from the sky (or rather a windowsill but they don't know that) and lands on the enemy's back.

'Die, die, die!' you scream, stabbing (or as you'd say, aggressively poking) the soldier. Lantsov's eyes widen.

'This is why we're more scared of her than him,' Fedyor explains, motioning with his head at Kirigan. A Healer is already by his side, tending to his wound.

'I can understand that,' the King says, nodding, and returns to the battle. When it's won by Ravka, he surveys the battle field. He's surprised to find you still stabbing/aggressively poking the same soldier from before. But now he's dead and lying on his stomach on the ground.

'[Y/N],' Ivan says, walking to you. 'Leave him alone. He's been dead for some time now.'

'I'm. Venting. My. Frustration,' you growl, stabbing the guy with every word. 'You. Have. No. Idea. How. Stressful. That. Was.'

The Heartrender sighs. He wonders what to do, but then Aleksander shows up. He simply takes the dagger out of your hands, picks you up and cradles you in his arms.

'It's alright, milaya,' he murmurs and looks at Nikolai. 'It's over now.'

Fjerdan has been defeated and forced to sign a treaty. Shu-Han has been held responsible for their attacks and also forced to laid down their weapons. They also must stop creating more khergud and stop kidnapping Grisha. Ravka is finally at peace and united.

Nikolai decides to honour everyone that has made it possible. Which means a huge ceremony. You're terribly bored at it and mostly don't listen to the King praising people. Until he gets to Zoya. Then, you watch her joining him with a great interest.

'Zoya Nazyalensky, general of the Second Army,' Lantsov starts. 'My partner and most trusted advisor during the past years. There's no doubt you've played a huge part in our victory. This peace wouldn't be possible without you.'

You swear you can hear her murmuring 'obviously'. You smile.

'I thought you'd serve as my general for many years to come,' Nikolai goes on. 'But recently I realised there's a better position for you. If you agree to take it, Ravka has a chance to become even stronger and prouder.'

You notice her tensing. Lantsov either doesn't see it or ignores it, as he lowers himself on one knee. People start murmuring. You focus only on the couple. The King shows his general a box with a gorgeous ring inside it.

'Zoya Nazyalensky,' he says, 'will you give me the honour of becoming your husband?'

You see her lips twitching in reaction to the phrasing of the question. But she stays silent. Nikolai becomes nervous.

'Come on, Zoya, don't do this to me now,' he murmurs. Nazyalensky almost snorts.

'Yes,' she finally says, offering her hand. Lantsov quickly puts a ring on one of her fingers, before she changes her mind. People cheer and clap. You, Genya and Fedyor are probably the loudest.

Zoya goes back to her place, showing with pride her ring to those around her. The King's eyes land on the Darkling. The latter walks to the former. The room falls silent. You hold your breath.

'Before I start, how should I address you?' Nikolai whispers.

'Aleksander Kirigan,' the Shadow Summoner decides after a beat. Lantsov nods.

'Aleksander Kirigan, the Darkling, the peace advisor,' he says, louder. 'At first, I wasn't sure if this was going to work. But you held your end of the bargain. Without your help, your advice and skills, maybe none of us would be standing here today. We've been at war once. But I think we both learnt that our dreams are actually quite similar, if not the same. You've proven your loyalty to Ravka and helped me keep its people save. Which is why, in thanks for your contributions for our country, I grant you a full pardon for your past crimes. Every one of them. Including creating the Fold that has separated us for centuries.'

People murmur, astonished. You smile with tears in your eyes.

'Your most gracious, moi tsar,' Aleksander says, bowing his head.

'That was our agreement,' the King says and smiles. 'Besides, you've earned it. In fact… your old position is going to be open. Would you care to become the general of the Second Army again, after the present one becomes the Queen of Ravka?'

People gasps. There's more murmuring.

'I'd be honoured, moi-' Kirigan starts.

'Nikolai,' Lantsov interrupts him and two men share a look. After a moment of silence, the King offers his hand to your lover. The Darkling shakes it, smiling. Then, he returns to his place by your side, accompanied by clapping and cheers.

'[Y/N] [L/N],' Nikolai says, silencing everyone. You slowly make your way to him. You can't help but wonder why are you the last. It worries you a bit. But seeing a kind look Lantsov gives you, you calm down.

'Where to begin?' he asks, spreading his arms, and laughs. 'By creating the antidote to jurda parem, you've saved Grisha. All of them. When you created its gaseous form, you helped turned the tide of the battle with Fjerda. Your design of kefta and uniforms saved countless lives. And let's not forget… you've brought back to life the Darkling. Without whom the victory wouldn't be possible.'

There are no murmurs this time. People are quiet. You could hear a pin drop.

'I can't deny, your actions caught us all by surprise,' the King goes on. 'The truth is, we should have seen it all coming. Because you are extraordinary. But you've been overlooked by everyone. Invisible, even. We would have seen it all if we had just bothered to look.'

You clench your teeth. You can feel tears forming in your eyes. You have no idea why he reminds you of the years of isolation you had to endure.

'I can say I didn't know you back when my father was the king,' Nikolai continues. 'But I ignored you as well. Put you in a cell. While your only "crime" was falling in love. For that, I apologise.'

He bows his head to you. You blink, surprised. People murmur, astonished as well. Lantsov looks at you again.

'You had every reason to hate us all, hate this country and not move a finger to save it from collapsing,' he says. 'But instead, for the past years you've done what you could to make sure Ravka can rise strong and powerful. After the Fold was destroyed, you told me I can't stitch it back together on my own. That I needed Kirigan. You were right. You brought him back and you proved us all how wrong we were to ignore you and underestimate you. We can all argue who did the most to save our homeland this time. But in my eyes, there is no doubt… that the person who made it possible for our army to win… is you. [Y/N] [L/N], the Saviour of Ravka.'

You stare at him, stunned, as he falls on his knees in front of you. For you.

'[Y/N] [L/N], the Saviour of Ravka!' Zoya calls and also knees. One by one, your friends and Aleksander do the same. Even Alina and Mal.

'[Y/N] [L/N], the Saviour of Ravka!' the rest of the court shouts and every single one of them falls on their knees. You look around, stunned and with tears in your eyes. You can feel some of them rolling down your face.

No longer invisible. No longer unnoticed and underestimated. Finally seen. Finally appreciated. And… when you look at all the smiles of the people you care about… no longer alone.

You look at Nikolai. He smiles warmly at you.

'Thank you,' you whisper.

'No, [Y/N],' he says, shaking his head. 'Thank you.'

He stands up and everyone follows suit. They look at him. It's clear he's not done.

'When Kirigan will return to being the General, he won't be my peace advisor anymore,' he finally says. 'And since this position's been just created, it would be a shame to dispose of it. Would you be interested to take it?'

'On one condition,' you say. Lantsov freezes. You grin at him.

'Just kidding,' you say. 'I'd be happy to, moi tsar.'

'You'll give me a heart attack one day,' the King sighs. You laugh and bow to him. You return to Aleksander's side, accompanied by cheering and clapping. Kirigan at once takes your hands in his.

'We've done it,' he murmurs into your ear. 'We've brought peace and stability to Ravka.'

'And more importantly, we can finally be together,' you say. The grin on his face tells you that he agrees with that. He presses a kiss to your forehead and you smile. Finally, all is well.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts! Reblog, like and comment if you could. Every comment makes my day!

This can also be found on Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52696933/chapters/135677767

41 notes · View notes

sleepless-crows · 1 year

Text

the way greed is a big theme in the grisha trilogy. we even have the quote "what is infinite? the universe and the greed of men." and how with the crows, as much as we joke about them doing it for the money, they aren't greedy. kaz goes on the ice court heist to seek revenge. inej goes on it for her freedom and those of others. matthias and nina were bound by honor for the most part. jesper may have needed the money but he isn't greedy for it. and same goes with wylan. but we can see how much greed indirectly influenced them to be in those positions.

as much as inej said that greed was kaz's god. it really isn't. he works for justice, for revenge. against whom? pekka rollins. the one who shows greed more than kaz ever will. pekka duped two young boys and countless many others out of their money, and some out of their lives. he did all the dirty work for the money. and kaz dedicated his life to avenging jordie and later making sure people like pekka don't do it to anyone else. and he goes on the heist for the money, not because of his greed, but to seek vengeance for what greed has done to this world.

the villain in inej's story is tante heleen. through inej, we see how people like tante heleen care about money more than anything else. she makes sure the girls in the menagerie never earn out of their indentures. she physically abuses the girls and then tells them she has to take from the money that they earn whenever there's blood on their bedsheets. and the second that kaz bought out inej to work under per haskell, tante heleen didn't even care and let inej go because she was given a sum. and she even taunts inej that she'll have her back because she knows she can earn from her. she's incredibly vain and greedy and i'm glad inej stole her diamond necklace in the ice court.

jesper's encounter with greed is probably the most common in ketterdam. people in ketterdam feed off of greed and all the dirty desires of the people. jesper's fallen into a lot of debt because of the casinos scattered all throughout ketterdam. and gambling houses are such a dirty means of profit but that's what ketterdam thrives off.

wylan, on the other hand, was disowned by van eck because of his dyslexia, because van eck didn't believe that wylan could properly carry on his legacy if he couldn't read. van eck goes to such severe means to build his empire, to earn as much as he can, as it is the religion of ketterdam. van eck ordered two people to kill wylan and drive him out to keep his reputation clean because if the merchant council only knew his dishonest ways, he would be kicked out and lose everything. he manipulates kaz into thinking he wants to save the world when he would gladly bring it to chaos if it meant he would have the power and the control. and his greedy and selfish ways are how he falls. and wylan helps bring him down.

nina and matthias are the most noble of them all. they went on the heist for both their people to be saved from the dangers parem could cause. but we can trace their place in the crows back to when they met. he was a druskelle and she was a grisha. a generations long prejudice, a war they've always had to face, because of the incredibly warped mindset of the fjerdans. as matthias says, what must it feel like to worship djel, knowing that he gave gifts to another? grisha power could be djel's hand and maybe the otkazat'sya were jealous and couldn't wrap it around their heads. and so with that came greed for control, greed for their god's favor to the point that they've missed what djel truly stood for. trying to justify all inherently evil actions they had to take when it all stemmed from envy and greed.

the greed of men is infinite, ancient, and common. i just find it intriguing how the crows are always described as criminals who will do whatever it takes for the right price but they are the farthest from greedy. they were shaped by greed, not their greed, but the greed that inhabits this world. and throughout the duology, we see how they all work against it in the end.

#grishaverse #six of crows #soc #shadow and bone #crooked kingdom #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #nina zenik #matthias helvar #i dont even know if i understand myself i just had this random thought and i've been trying to write this for hours #well 🤷‍♀️ if it doesnt make sense it probably doesnt

349 notes · View notes

targaryenluvs · 1 year

Note

So hello, I think I placed this request is someone else inbox and it’s so embarrassing. So I hope you're having a good day/night. I was wondering if you would consider the crows × teen! reader. Like the one you have done, because I love that. Maybe she has her first crush and everyone is reaching in their own way. I just really want to see kaz glaring and staring at the boy and is scared him so much. (Protective dad)

-🦢

this is shorter than most since i’m in a rush but enjoy!

Where'd All The Time Go?

kaz brekker x teen!reader, crows x teen!reader, oc x teen!reader

warnings: cursing, yelling, intimidation? (idk if that counts) kissing

You’d tried so hard to hide him.

Elias, or Eli as you called him was amazing. You’d meet him whilst shopping with Nina and you couldn’t keep your eyes off of him.

He was the son of a Pub Owner, but he wanted to be more. His ambition matched yours, so did his personality. The two of you got to talking and ended up conversing for hours. To the point where Jesper had to run around and try to find you which lead to you lecturing him on the fact that you were sixteen and able to handle yourself at night.

On the way home you begged Jesper not to mention it to anyone except Wylan. Wylan would never tell a soul and Wylan would make sure Jesper never let it slip. You had wanted to tell Nina but she would tell Matthias and you weren't sure if he fully understood the concept of a secret relationship and Nina had a particularly loud personality.

So you snuck around, Eli also worked as a Barkeep and would sometimes pick up on information left out in the open by inebriated customers which he'd relay to you.

You were able to sneak him books, his father wanted him focused on running the bar one day but you knew it wasn't what he wanted out of life.

You'd spend the time you usually set aside for leisure time to spend helping Eli study. It was too risky to bring him into the Slat or the Crow Club since you knew you'd run into someone you knew who'd question you for his presence.

Eli's mother knew about the two of you and loved you a lot, you were well-mannered and educated as well as gorgeous. What's not to like? And you loved her too. She always had something to give you, a trinket, a book etc. One of the things you adored?

Her cooking. Gosh it was like being transported to heaven. She herself was half Zemeni and it was always nice to have someone appreciate your culture.

Sometimes you showed up just to talk to her.

When his parents were out and two of you had the place to yourselves you loved to cook together. It helped you imagine a future life together, peaceful and sweet.

But when his dad was in you'd sneak him into your place.

And you'd always been so careful, until today.

You had a few drinks at a local tavern, perhaps a bit more than a few but who was counting?

Eli had gotten himself a secret job at the biggest Library around with the only problem being that it was so close to Pekka Rollins turf. You knew if he found out about Eli he would be used to lure you.

Instead of scaling the walls to your bedroom you thought that walking right inside would be more fitting. "I'm so hungry E." You whined as Eli laughed, "I'll bake you something. Make you some eat."

You giggled, "What in the Saints are you on about?" Eli pushed open the door as he frowned, "Don't mock me, that is a very rude thing to do my love." As you walked in you felt at home, quickly you lead him upstairs as fast as possible, along with a few trips on the stairs.

But your swift escape was foiled when you ran right into Kaz.

"Y/n." He spoke in an angry tone, although anger wasn't new in Kaz's case. "Kaz." You replied in a low, mocking tone. "See now that's mocking babe." You laughed, but Eli wasn't.

"What's wrong?" He laughed drily, "Nothing, just the fact that he's staring at me like he's gonna skin me and maybe shoot me in the head to finish it off." That brought out a smirk from Kaz, "Would you suggest another way to ward off unseemly boys from trying to get with a girl too high above them in every way.

"Aww how nice of you to say so Kazzle. Come along E." You smiled but as you walked Kaz grabbed your wrist before swiftly pulling back.

"You can go upstairs but he cannot. Leave. Now."

"That's not fair! He's my guest and my boyfriend he can do as he please."

"Boyfriend?"

"I mean a friend who just so happens to be a boy. Goodnight!"

"Y/n."

"Yes she's my girlfriend and there's nothing you can do about it. She's a grown woman and not a little kid with a crush, I know who she is. She's not stupid and you know that. Y/n wouldn't risk getting into a relationship if she didn't know the person and if they weren't a good guy. I love her with everything I have. She always pushes me to be my best and half the things I've been to scared of doing she held my hand and led me through it. She taught me so much and I'm forever grateful. She's absolutely gorgeous, intelligent, articulate, well-spoken and overall an incredible woman and I'm forever grateful she chose to be with me and I will always treat her with the upmost respect because she deserves nothing less."

"And E is a good guy. He's sweet, and genuine. He always knows when I'm in a bad mood and he always knows how to cheer me up. He cooks for me when I can't be bothered. He reminds me to clean up, he knows everything about me and I him. No I haven't met his father yet but that's because he's an ass. His mothers an amazing woman and incredibly sweet to me and treats me like I'm her own. And not only is Eli an amazing guy but he's super pretty!" You exhaled and inhaled quickly.

Eli stood with his jaw dropped and eyes bulging. "I- Y/n." You sat down on the stairs with him as he sat next to you with his hands clasped with yours.

Kaz was stunned, and he hadn't been speechless in forever, his fast thinking and wit was one of the main reasons he survived.

Inej and Nina were standing with Kaz, a bit behind him.

"I think I'm going to cry, I wish Matthias would say something like that to me."

Inej smiled, she'd always known you'd attract suitors, you were nothing short of stunning. But the Barrel had no shortage of annoying, immature boys and she was thanking all her Saints you had seemed to find the best.

Kaz looked back at her, Oh how he wished he could say that, express all of his millions of thoughts and praise. But it was too hard, so he looked back at you to see Eli smiling whilst resting your forehead on his.

And so he relented, "Leave the door open halfway and if you try anything I will drag you through the streets attached to a wagon and then let the Crows have a go. It's been a while since we delivered a proper beating."

"Yes sir." Eli nodded, you were surprised his head didn't fall off with how quickly he nodded.

Kaz sat back down at his desk and opened his locked drawer, grabbing one of the old notes you use to leave him, it had a drawing of a flower, your favourite, a Black Dahlia. And he couldn't help but sigh.

Where'd all the time go?

#six of crows x reader #jesper fahey x reader #kaz brekker x reader #inej ghafa x reader #nina zenik x reader #wylan van eck x reader #shadow and bone x reader

338 notes · View notes

nyx-lyris · 1 year

Text

the crows when they get sick

matthias: he’s a strong guy, so i imagine his immune system is pretty good. but, if he ever does get sick, he does everything he can to hide it. eventually, of course, nina finds out and insists on tending to him until the sickness has passed. she sends for inej to get the supplies she needs to keep him well so she can remain by his side. he tells her he’s fine, and of course he’s worried about getting her sick, but inwardly he loves having her take care of him.

nina: nina’s a grisha, so i don’t think she can get sick. however, if she did get sick, she wouldn’t try to hide it - mostly to get matthias to take care of her. she would bask in his attention, and he would give her everything she needed. soup, medicine, a cool press for her head, you name it, he’s on it. or rather, inej is on it - she would volunteer to get anything matthias needed, coming in sometimes to spend time with her best friend. of course, she’s worried about him getting sick, but he tells her not to worry, his immune system is nigh impenetrable.

jesper: it depends on who he’s around whether he lets on or not. if it’s just him and wylan at the van eck mansion, he doesn’t bother to hide it - but if he’s on a job, he hides it as much as is humanly possible. inej would notice first and insist that he get some rest and get well, but he brushes it off with his usual smile and wink (what do you mean? i’m fit as a fiddle and twice as gorgeous!). kaz would tell him to rest up, too (no good having a member of my crew down right now), but he doesn’t listen to that either. eventually, wylan notices and immediately starts scolding him for not saying anything, before shoving him into bed and taking care of him. jesper flirts with him the whole time, telling him how great of a nurse he is, etc., etc. wylan constantly has to tell him to go to sleep, jesper, you need to get well. jesper just grins but does as he’s told. truthfully, he wants to stay sick as long as possible - he loves watching wylan play nurse.

wylan: wylan would try to hide for as long as possible. he doesn’t want to be a burden to anyone, after all. there are more important things than him. of course, he’s not exactly an expert at hiding it and eventually jesper just rolls his eyes, wraps wylan up in a blanket, and makes him the soup his mother liked to make him when he was a child. inej and nina would be there, too, doing everything they could to help. kaz would send an anonymous basket of medicines and other supplies (everyone knows it’s from him. he refuses to acknowledge it.). wylan would be more than a little ashamed at the attention from his friends family, but they would all just shake their heads and remind wylan over an over how much he’s loved.

inej: when inej gets sick, she does what she always does - hides the pain, insists she can do whatever job needs doing. she would keep up the ruse - fairly well, too - until it’s horribly obvious to everyone around her that she is definitely not okay. she would keep insisting, but nina would just sweep her off her feet and carry her up to her room, plop her down on her bed, and order her to remain there until such time as she was well (and i’ll be the judge, inej, not you. nina- you’ll just get up as soon as you’re feeling halfway straight and then you’ll fall off a roof and kaz will kill me.). the others do everything they can for her - nina spends the most time with her, but jesper and wylan make frequent visits, and occasionally matthias stops by to check in on them. kaz comes by as often as he can, but it’s difficult for him to be near her on a sickbed when all he can see is jordie’s face in his mind. so, what he does instead is leave her things by her door - food, medicine, a book she said she was interested in but never had time to read. he never leaves a note, but she knows it’s from him. whenever he does stop by, nina is out of the room instantly - he stays as long as he can, makes sure her condition is improving and she’s getting what she needs. inej makes sure to thank all of them for their help, before and after she’s well again.

kaz: this man would probably rather eat shards of glass than let anyone know he was sick. he hates getting sick. he has better things to do than lie in bed and wait it out. he refuses to acknowledge it, even though his pallor and sweaty brow are obvious to everyone around him. he keeps everyone as far away from him as possible. he angrily refuses anyone’s help - until he nearly collapses, and inej orders him to bed. his aversion to touch makes caring for him difficult, but he trusts inej. she’s constantly running around getting what he needs to keep him well, recruiting nina or matthias to keep watch while she’s out. he hates being sick, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t love the feeling of inej caring for him. gentleness is horribly foreign to him, and he drinks up all inej has to offer, until he’s well again.

#kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #matthias helvar #nina zenick #six of crows #crooked kingdom #six of crows headcanons #shadow and bone #kanej #wesper #helnick

198 notes · View notes

unrequitedloveletter · 1 year

Text

DREAMS-k.b x gn! reader

Okay! Last day of this event and final fic that’s coming out before I run back into my little writer cave and start figuring out a balance between novel writing, requests, and managing to keep myself together when the chaos starts picking up in these next few months. Requests will likely start coming out in the upcoming week, though if not then, it’ll be around the middle of the week after. Thats a pretty rough estimate because I have no actual idea how busy my life is gonna get by the time that April hits, but we’ll see.

I meant to post this yesterday but by the time I’d remembered, it was four in the morning and I was tired as hell because my brain cannot handle staying up any later than three thirty unless I’ve gotten a nap or two in beforehand lol.

Fic type- I’d,, I’d classify this as fluff with angsty undertones? Maybe slight hurt/comfort, I honestly can’t really say

Warnings- mentions of drowning, mentions of death, mentions of heights (reader has a fear of them because I projected a teeny tiny bit lol) and mentions of falling

Over the two weeks leading up to the final ten days of winter, Kaz Brekker had been experiencing dreams.

They weren’t his normal dreams of darkness, dreams that had him convinced he’d spent his sleeping hours in the depths of the Fold, nor were they the nightmares that occasionally waltzed back through his subconscious to remind him of all that he’d lost, all of the things he had to lose.

They were weird dreams, to say the least of it. He would find himself talking to someone whom he’d never met in some of them. He knew more about a person who did not exist than he knew of some of the newer recruits into the Dregs. He knew more about a person who did not exist than he knew of even those who’d been in the Dregs for more than two months, even those who’d been there longer than five or six.

Others were a lot like his occasional nightmares. He would find himself talking to the person he’d never met one moment, find himself drowning in the next. He would find the person his subconscious had made up for him to his right, drowning but looking more at peace with it than he had.

“How long have they been a thing?” Jesper asked shortly after Kaz had accidentally alluded to the dreams whilst talking to him and Inej. They were heading to Fifth Harbor, where they would meet in a cafe, negotiate the terms of ownership for a building that had once been Dime Lions owned but was to be owned by the Dregs since Pekka had left.

“Nearly two weeks,” Kaz said. “Why?”

“Ravkan legend,” Inej said. “Suli legends have come from it, so I know what Jes is referencing.”

“It’s not a legend,” Jesper said. “It’s a phenomenon. The fact that it’s gift from the Ravkan saints, the idea that it was given to the Suli by their ancestors, is where the myth and legend aspects come in. Nina talked about it after the Ice Court, I think. Mentioned that she’d been having dreams about Matthias and then it felt like they were soulmates? There is literal scientific evidence behind it. The dreams are supposed to be a kind of prologue.”

“Prologue to what?”

“A life with someone whom the universe deems your other half,” Inej said. “Your confidante, your strength when you are weak. It’s said to be a gift from the saints, one only given to those who are deemed worthy.”

Kaz scoffed. The idea seemed ludicrous to him. Why would he, someone who’d spent the broader half of his life committing more crimes than he could ever be redeemed for, end up with a soulmate? Why would the saints think to give him one, if not an attempt to change his character?

“I am not worthy of saintly gifts,” Kaz said.

Jesper shrugged. “We know that. The saints probably know as much, too, but you were chosen at random.”

“Not everyone in a relationship knows that the person they’re with is their soulmate,” Inej added. “The prologue, Jesper called it, is a two week grace period before you meet them. You skip the get-to-me questions in your waking hours by having to deal with them in your sleeping ones. Your subconscious sets the scene, and you just have to deal with it. Be grateful, Kaz. You might not think yourself deserving, but the saints, for some reason, do.”

“And what if you’re wrong?” Kaz asked.

Jesper shrugged, and Inej followed with the same.

“Then the saints have chosen someone different, and you may be right about the fact that you do not deserve their gifts at all,” Inej said. The trio walked into the cafe where the negotiations were to occur, and Kaz let the matter rest.

A week later, the dreams continued, and Kaz continued to wonder what their root was, tried to pinpoint some reason that they kept on. Some part of him had begun believing Inej and Jespers words about the phenomenon, and after a bit of reading, Kaz may have found himself a religious man after all, though he did keep to pessimistic habits rather than give in to the slightest hint of optimism.

Then, on the day of the seventeenth of March, Kaz found himself yearning to go to the bookstore that’d opened up near the East Stave. He’d read all of the books that lined the shelves he kept in his office, and he needed something new. He’d never been much of a reader as things were, so it really shouldn’t’ve concerned him that he’d read all of the books he’d owned, but on that particular day, it did.

He worried for the off chance that he would find himself with off time and choose to spend that time reading a book, only to find that each book on his shelves had been read two or three times already, so he gave in. He walked through the East Stave until he was finally in the bookstore and could breathe again.

“You don’t seem like the reader type,” came the voice of someone Kaz knew had to be the owner. “I mean that respectfully, of course. Businessmen and criminals who dress like them are normally the ones doing the writing.”

Kaz blinked a bit startled as he realized that the voice sounded familiar. It sounded like the voice of the person he’d been hearing in his dreams.

The person who’s favorite book was by an author who’d been dead for centuries, though the book had never quite become a classic like plenty of the others. The person who yearned for a life in the countryside, the person who loved the rain and, despite their yearning for a quiet life of many beautiful sunsets in a place unaffected by light pollution, loved the city.

“I’m not,” Kaz said. “Not normally. I’ve read all of the books on my shelves. Thought I’d come round, pick up something for the next time I have time to spend reading a book.”

Kaz turned to look at you, and the realization came twice.

Oh. It was you, after all. The person with whom he’d spent more than fifty of his dreaming hours. The person with whom he’d conversed, the person whom he occasionally dreamt about losing.

Oh. It was you, after all. The person who knew how Kaz took his coffee, the person who helped him figure out plans for heists when he was stuck and could not stop thinking about it even in dreams, the person whos laugh Kaz would’ve died to listen to even once in person.

“I’ve read the Ravkan tales of phenomena,” you said. “I’ve listened to Suli people talk about it and how they consider it a gift, not from their saints, but from the people who came before them. I’ve listened to the Zemeni talk about it like it is the most sacred thing known to humanity. I’ve seen the Kaelish people discuss the dreams like they are fictious. I’ve read read equations written out in some attempt to understand it by a couple of Shu Hans old kings and queens, and I’ve seen the Kerch people try to monetize it relentlessly since I came last week. All of them describe a feeling.”

Kaz nodded. He’d read up on it, too. “The feeling when two souls meet after so long spent talking in dreams. It feels like--”

“Like you already know your soulmate. The dreams are what that’s for,” you said. “You learn about them what it is that you need to know, what the universe wants you to know, and then you meet them and you learn the rest of it.”

“The purpose of the dreams is to get the ‘get-to-know-me’ Q&A out of the way, and that’s done well enough,” Kaz said. “The meeting is the part where you realize that the saints, the universe, whoever it was that decided to pair soulmates together, were right. You look at them and you just know, beyond any rationale. You look at them, and you think--”

“The universe did not get this wrong,” you said.

Kaz nodded. “Yeah. You and your fear of heights recognize that well enough.”

You shot him a very pointed look. “This from the man who has had me drowning several nights in a row the past week.”

The dreams wherein Kaz was drowning and panicked, but you were relaxed, like you knew your time had come and you were accepting the death that awaited. Kaz had felt much the same in the dreams wherein both of you fell, calm and collected even though all that he could feel around him was air as he rapidly moved toward the ground.

He met your gaze, letting a smirk grace the right side of his lips.

“Well then, it’s lovely to meet you. My name is Kaz Brekker. I don’t recall ever having introduced myself in our sleeping hours.”

“Y/N,” you introduced. “It’s your lucky day, Mr. Brekker. Soulmates get a half-off discount. Store wide.”

Kaz scoffed. “Lucky me,” he said. “Looks like I’ll be coming round often, then.”

You laughed, and Kaz felt his heart give a flutter. “Can’t wait.”

Kaz hummed. “Nor can I, so it seems.”

It was the start of the best thing that Kaz Brekker would ever have, the start of something incredible.

#kaz brekker #kaz brekker x reader #six of crows #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix

230 notes · View notes

aphroditestummyrolls · 3 months

Note

*cheering with a pair of pompoms* Wytthias deleted Spare Prayer scene for the ask game please!

MY FRIEND! HELLO!

“D’you want me to get Nina?” He tentatively broke the silence, not daring to touch his friend beyond what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze around his icy hand. “She can help you rest.”

Wylan scoffed wetly. “Don’t think I’ve ever been so tired.”

“Yes, but will you sleep?”

They were different matters entirely. Matthias knew it well— tossing and turning even when you were exhausted beyond what you thought possible. And right now, there was nothing Wylan needed more than true, deep sleep, and he wasn’t going to manage it on his own.

Judging by the glitter of fresh tears overwhelming his eyes, he knew it. And he hated it.

“Please, Lamb— please let us help you.”

There was a moment where the only sound between them was the din of the wild rabble downstairs. If he was asked, Matthias would admit freely to holding his breath as he awaited his friend’s answer. He knew that Wylan felt helpless, useless— but so did he! All evening, he had been wringing his hands and unable to actually help. Feeling his friend’s body go limp in his arms and knowing there was nothing he could do to save him alone; balancing a basin of bloodied water, cleaning those wounds with clumsy fingers while Nina staunched the blood flow; listening to Wylan’s agonised screams as Jesper inched the bullets out of his body.

None of them felt particularly in control of this situation. Not even the demjin himself, if that night’s conversation was any indication. Brekker may never admit it, but his mistake— underestimating these threats, separating Jesper and Wylan, not ordering Rotty to stay till the day was over— had brought everything crashing down.

Maybe he even did it on purpose. Maybe he called a bluff, and discovered it was not a bluff at all. And nearly killed—

“Okay.” Wylan’s voice was small and thick with tears he was desperately trying to hold back. It snapped Matthias back into the present to hear him speak.

“Okay?” He smiled. “Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

Just how long the day had been hit Matthias hard in that moment, and he had to struggle for words while he shrugged. “It’s a difficult thing to let yourself be taken care of, when you want to prove yourself as… as independent.” It was no secret— how Wylan still bristled occasionally in the face of compliments, or how he pursed his lips and struggled alone rather than ask for help… or how he held back his tears, even now. What type of childhood did you have, when your own father was so eager to see you dead? Matthias didn’t know, but every time he learned more about Wylan Van Eck, more things made sense. “It has been a long time since I was part of a family— mine was taken from me when I was barely more than a child. But, you are part of my family now, and I want to help you.”

Wylan’s eyes were wide and round, rimmed with red and glowing in the low lamplight of the room. It reminded him of his home burning; his siblings in the ashes. There had been too many times where he hadn’t been able to protect the people he loved.

“There is no burden between family, Lamb. It’s a pact of support and protection. Let us give you ours.” He rasped, clearing his throat as he collected up the cooled bowl of stew. “I’ll get Nina.”

This got a little long— I didn’t want to cut it off, though 😂 thanks for playing ❤️

#grishaverse #shadow and bone #six of crows #wylan van eck #matthias helvar #Wylan & Matthias friendship

26 notes · View notes

she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 1 month

Note

Your analytic posts are the best:) Could you talk a bit about the scene on the roof of the embassy between Inej and Kaz? I have so many questions. They might die, so why does Inej pick that moment to tell Kaz she is leaving the Dregs? Why not wait until they are on the boat? Also why does Kaz rub her wrist (through the gloves, of course) where the temporary menagerie tattoo is? Why does Inej touch Kaz's cheek? And why does Inej tell him she will die unafraid?

Kaz's POV chapter previous to this scene is the only one where he doesn't really think about Inej. He is totally focused on finding Pekka in the prison. So, I was surprised when he said to Inej "I want you to know..." What did he want her to know? (I'm sure with her hand on his face --the first positive physical contact he's had in almost a decade--and her question to him about dying unafraid, his mind was reeling. It's no wonder he couldn't formulate an answer to her question).

Hello and welcome to episode one of DK Finally Gets It Together And Answers Her Asks Because It's About Damn Time (working title)

I am so sorry you sent this such a long time ago, but thank you so much for asking it and I hope my terrible answeringness (that's a word now, I've decided) hasn't put you off my stuff, I promise I'm not ignoring you on purpose, when I first read this I thought it was really interesting and I needed some time to think about it and now it's so long later it might even be a year and yeah, I'm sorry, but I'm here - let's go!

So I think that the reason Inej chooses to tell Kaz she's leaving the Dregs in this moment is for the very reason you voiced: they might die tonight, and they might not see each other again before that happens. Inej comments earlier on in the book, when they get hot chocolate at a cafe in Djerholm and wait for Nina to return, that whenever she talks about Ravka or about going home Kaz turns away and tries to find another conversation - in this case I think he starts chatting to Jesper - so we already have this idea that he doesn't want to confront the truth of the situation, which is that Ketterdam is a very temporary part of Inej's life. For Kaz the city is what fuels him and he needs it to enact his vengeance, but he also never sees himself leaving it after Rollins is dead and I think that's really interesting because he almost doesn't know how to comprehend any other existence - I've spoken before about how I don't think that killing Rollins will ever be enough for him and that his revenge is essentially an addiction. It's possible that he will one day be able to find the future and the relief that he needs in Inej, but right now not only does he struggle to view himself as ever leaving Ketterdam but he also struggles with the idea of being alone there - as far as he can see Nina and Matthias will go home together/find a new home together, Wylan will make peace with his father over whatever their arguement was and return to the Geldstradt, Jesper will pay off his debts only to carry on digging himself in deeper whilst Kaz is forced to watch him destroy himself, and Inej will leave and let Ketterdam become a brief blip in her life. I think that, for all he doesn't want to care about the others, Kaz has a very real fear of being an impermanent, small aspect of the others' lives whilst they are such a big aspect of his. And the most frightening part of that for him is to not have Inej with him anymore, the one person he can confide in, seemingly the only person he talks to without specific job-related purposes except maybe Jesper, and the only person he can remove his gloves on front of - I think this inner conflict is really well presented in the Bathroom Scene when he thinks about how he'd concocted a thousand schemes to bind her to him, but that ultimately he knew he was in the wrong and so he paid off her contract with Per Haskell and returned it to her. But from Inej's perspective, considering she doesn't know how he feels about her at this time, I think this could almost look cold. He doesn't want to know about her home, her life, who she was supposed to be, and what she's going to do with her future, and she may even be internalising the idea that the idea she can pay off her debts then up and leave angers him because we know that she massively internalised his description of her as "an investment" with damaging psycological consequences including her belief that she would not come to save her when she was taken by Van Eck and this even extending so far as the quote "He'll never trade if you break me". This is a gut-wrenching moment in Crooked Kingdom, when Inej is forced to admit that she genuinely believes Kaz will not care about her anymore if he "has no use for me anymore", whilst the reader knows that Kaz is losing his mind over rescuing her.

And all of that, as Kaz points out to himself on Black Veil during the "I would come for you" scene, is borne of real actions he completes that, although in a far less intentional way, actually align with some of the abuse that Inej has endured; the dehumanisation she experienced from being "bought and sold like a bolt of cotton" and the way she was denied her own identity to the point that she almost cried when she heard her own name said aloud can both be directly linked to the multiple times Kaz refers to her as an "investment" and the way he doesn't want to hear about her life. And his intentions are never to hurt her in the way he does or in the way she was hurt in the past, but it is also more than possible that some of this is part of the way Kaz distances himself from the others and pushes them away. There's a quote I think about a lot when Inej is horrified to see that Jackal masks, sacred symbols to Suli religion and culture, are sold like "party favours" and worn by pleasure seekers in Ketterdam and Kaz dismisses her emotions, and he then says "In moments like that, she thought he might hate him". I remember reading that and thinking 'yeah, because you just defended the appropriation of her culture, which she herself was forced to appropriate for a year whilst enduring horrific abuse, it would be more than fair to be mad at you right now' but I wonder whether that's almost what he wanted? I talked about it in my "Treasure of my heart" analysis as well where he uses a sarcastic expression of his real feelings to mock her so that's she'll be upset and he come somehow justify that it's therefore not worth liking her because she doesn't return his feelings; it's a self-destructive mechanism, but without meaning to it has the potential to hurt Inej as well.

Wow, if there were awards for tangents I think I'd win them. But my point here is that I think this is exactly why she chooses to tell him in this moment, because she has to say it and she has to make him hear it in case they don't make it out the other side of this night. It's also possible that Inej wants to have her dream said out loud in case she dies tonight. Although she was unable to voice it to Nina because she didn't think it was ready to be shared, that was when they were still following the original plan. Now that everything has spiralled very quickly out of control and into a new, far more daring plan with a lot more moving parts, and that will directly involve revealing themselves to be infiltrating the Ice Court, Inej knows there's a very good chance she won't survive the night. And if she isn't going to make it, she needs someone to know what she intends to do, it needs to be said out loud so that it's real and it means something.

Wondering what Kaz wanted Inej to know is one of the things about these books that has at some point or other kept me awake at night, and honestly my personal final conclusion is that I don't think he knew what he was going to say, but that I think this could have been his first attempt at a confession. This scene bears explicit parallels to the Bathroom Scene in Crooked Kingdom, as you said it's the first time they touch and both of them are greatly vulnerable in each moment; this is a moment of fear, of trust, of realisation, and I think for both of them it arguable is to some extent a confession. I think Inej tells Kaz that she will die unafraid as almost the beginning of what eventually becomes "I will have you without armour", she is directly challenging him in the way he hides his emotions but she has still seen them, and she directly telling him that she is trying to heal and that they only have a chance if he tries to heal as well. Inej doesn't tell Kaz she will only have him without his armour to say that he isn't good enough for her as he is or that he needs to fix himself alone for the final goal of being with her, but she is saying that if he continues down this path and never lets anyone help him and never makes any attempt at healing, that she will not be able to stay with him because she has to try to heal as well and she knows she would have to pull herself away from that situation to be able to do so. I really hope this makes sense. But I think that the touching of Kaz's cheek and the touching of the temporary menagerie tattoo could very much be linked to this idea that the confession has begun or will be coming and I also think it bears resemblance to the Bathroom Scene and I really adore that as a paralell

Thank you so so much for your question, I am so sorry about how long it has taken me to respond but I hope that this was interesting and made sense. And I am planning on continuing to work through my inbox moving forwards, so stay tuned for episode two, and please don't be put off form keeping asks coming I promise I am making my way through them! <3

49 notes · View notes