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zaritarazi · 6 months

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onwards (six of crows red dead redemption franchise au)

There’s a suspicious lull, a rare window in the time they have to finish their meal before nightfall, when business really begins. “And what about the man that’s been following you?”

Jesper points to himself, muscle-memory or habit, and when Inej shakes her head, his sort of general nonchalance turns quickly. He looks to Kaz with “You’re being followed?”

It’s the nonresponse that makes the situation worse, Kaz pointedly ignoring the way the room’s turn to pin the light on him as he pretends to finish his meal.

“By-” Jesper offers, to fill the space. “Not by anyone important, right? Not a lawman. Right?” He tilts his head forward, a gesture that’s supposed to goad Kaz into making the next sentence. “You wouldn’t just-”

And maybe Kaz had only kept the pretense of his meal so he could toss down his fork, a gesture that makes Wylan jump. “I am being… pestered,” Kaz says, and he would shoot Wylan some kind of look of sympathy, but he first has to glare at Inej.

It's not entirely shocking, how intensely she returns it.

“An accountant,” Kaz says, looking to his lap, tossing his napkin on his plate. “And mostly just a nuisance.”

The light above them glows too brightly, filament not spaced out quite right, and it holds the silence of the room trying to gauge where Kaz has hidden the half-truth in his statement.

That’s the fun thing about Kaz. The lie might not be there yet- It might not come until later. He likes to hide it, likes to watch everyone sift for the story first.

“An accountant?” Nina asks. “Like a tax man?”

“A tax-man is just another word for Pinkerton,” Kaz says.

“So what, then,” Jesper says. “Like… a debt collector?”

“Who’s going to collect on Kaz?” Wylan asks.

Kaz validates him with an errant point of his index finger. “And who would know we’re stranded up here?”

“That is a great question,” Nina says. “So what’s the answer, Kasimir?”

“You’re all so dense,” he snaps. “No one knows we’re here. I’m being lightly tailed, sometimes, by a local. Someone from around here.”

“Matthias,” Inej says. “Can’t you do what makes you useful?”

Matthias pulls his attention from the window and the darkening night sky. “What?”

“Inej wants you to beat up an accountant,” Nina says.

“Any one of us could beat up an accountant,” Inej says. “You know the area.”

“You’d like me to go through every accountant…” Matthias says. “In Fjedra?”

“I’ll draw him, if Kaz describes him,” Wylan says.

“Inej can describe him,” Kaz says, holding out his hand to her, a mockery of an offering. “Since she’s been paying such close attention.”

“I haven’t lived in these mountains since I was ten years old,” Matthias says. “How am I going to know?”

“Maybe he’s from the capital,” Jesper says.

“Matthias isn’t good with faces,” Nina says. “His memory lapses from time to time.”

“I remember everything that’s ever happened to me,” Matthias says. “What I choose to disclose-”

“Are you two fighting, still?” Jesper says. “I wasn’t sure if you were passing it off to the other two, or if you’d made up- I’ve seen him drag himself to your room right before the sun rises, but-”

“I don’t know,” Matthias says. “Nina prefers to surprise me.”

“Oh, we’re talking about surprises?” Nina says.

“He’s tall,” Inej interrupts, putting her hand down on the table, looming beside Kaz. “He wears a very fine suit. Whoever he is, he’s very rich.”

“Accountants are rich,” Kaz says.

“You should’ve been an accountant, then,” Inej grouses.

“I’m well aware, Inej dear,” Kaz says. “But how could I deny you the pleasure of the backwater mountains of this frozen, horrible country?”

“This is a beautiful country,” Matthias seethes. “But… there are not many rich men. Not many who are very rich, I mean.”

“I don’t know how you’d like me to draw this,” Wylan says. “What kind of suit is it? Did he have a vest, or just a jacket? Was he wearing a tie? Black? Navy? What’s the twill? Single or double breasted?”

“He looked like he worked at a funeral parlor,” Inej says.

Kaz shrugs. “Maybe he has two jobs.”

#six of crows #soc fic #soc au #capinejghafa #tovezza #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #nina zenik #matthias helvar #my fic #this one is going to be... long. and maybe never end #anyway in this scene kaz will not tell people he's being stalked by... you know ;)

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smol-stardust · 1 year

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Wylan probably just keeps around a stash of tea at all times so he can quickly whip up some tea and offer it up to everyone when things escalate to extreme awkwardness. Or to de-escalate tension whenever a brawl is available about to start.

(it's also how he gathers Intel and gossip)

I see him as a flavoured fruit tea kinda person, but he probably has every kind of tea tbh. Brews everyone their preferred teas too

#six of crows #wylan hendriks #wylan van eck #the video has me on a brainrot #grishaverse #s&b season 2 headcanon #shadow and bone season 2 #shadow and bone netflix #shadow and bone #sab #sab cast

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squidpro-quo · 11 months

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Do Catch Up

The advice from Sankta Neyar echoes in Jesper's head after the whole world saving goes down. He's been in the company of grisha before, but never so many at once and maybe it's the place to start

David, the greatest Fabrikator at the Little Palace, isn't alive to help give him any pointers. From what Jesper's heard of him, they would've been polar opposites but it's a shame he didn't get the chance to see how they would get along

Tolya's advice is very poetic but Jesper's never 'plumbed his inner depths' or anything of the sort except with company and some drinks so that's not a big help either. Maybe their small sciences or whatever are just too far apart

Nina offers him half of the pastry she's eating—between her and Tolya what is it with corporalki and their bottomless stomachs—and her commiseration. She hated the Little Palace's stifling rules and gross patriotism, but a good teacher is a life-saver when it comes to coming into your own.

Maybe what he needs are materials, like the name of the materialki order suggests, and he just so happens to know who has a bunch of those.

"You want to 'play with my stuff'?" Wylan hugs his backpack to his chest, protective of the powders or Jesper, Jesper can't quite tell. "After you were the one that made a point about most demomen having less fingers because of exactly that?"

"But I'd have a very capable teacher standing by to warn me about what not to do!" Jesper says, running his hands down Wylan's arms, with his most winning smile on full blast. He's a master at taking chances. And losing on them, but what better good luck charm than the cutest demoman in the world?

"What would you want to make? Or do? What's the proper term for..." Wylan's caving, Jesper can hear it in his softening interrogation, but the questions makes him reconsider. What does he want to do? Or make? Neshyenyar surfaces in his memory, but neither is he at that level nor is he interested in a sword. Who would use it? Certainly not him, and as much as there's not a weapon Inej can't wield, he knows where her preferences lie. And why look elsewhere?

"Never mind, I'll leave the game of Ravkan Roulette for another time." Relief fills Wylan's face, but Jesper doesn't miss the shy glance down at his clinking backpack. "But I'd love to watch a master at work instead. Now, I need to go steal something from a Wraith. Wish me luck!"

Inej gives him one of her knives with less persuasion than Jesper had expected to have to expend, all that unused charm will just have to wait around for the next opportunity.

"I was planning to leave one with you when I left; you're welcome to pick which one you'd prefer," she says, her smile an apology and appeasement in one. His heart stings with the impending loss, knowing every shadow is empty made the night very dark indeed. She doesn't need to show him her knives, he's seen them all before, between her fingers, between the gaps in a guard's armor, and he knows which one he'd pick.

Maybe Tolya was right about the inner depths bit, he's never felt such a bone-deep exhaustion before and he never even moved from the chair or left the table. What he thought he knew of his blessing was being tested in so many different ways; this wasn't putting a piece back in place, or moving something that he'd always felt was a part of himself. How did he make it do what he wanted when he was an ocean away and out of his reach? How could he make it flexible and yet sturdy, adaptable but always what was needed in the moment?

How could he give it just the tiniest bit of life?

A pair of hands circles his shoulders, drawing him out of his daze with a start. He can feel Wylan's cheek pressed against his ear, a grounding weight that pulls him from the immeasurable depths that he still needs to plumb. His mind feels heavy from twisting itself into so many different shapes and he swears he can taste molecules now. More than he normally can anyway, more than would be normal, and his fingers ache from kneading metal for hours.

"Is it done?" Wylan's soft voice is a balm on his bruised brain. He nods, head flopping back on Wylan's shoulder in a pointed gesture of being so done, if not done.

"What about the kiss?" Wylan asks, and Jesper hums in apology and finds Wylan's lips with his eyes still closed, because he could be blind and still know his way to them.

"Mm—" a noise of surprise from Wylan, as if Jesper would ever deny him a kiss "—I love it but I meant the kiss for your work?"

Jesper opens his eyes, wondering if he's spent so long down in those depths that he broke his ears. "What?"

"The—the kiss..." Wylan stammers, his hands waving about in search of words as he finally gestures at the knife Jesper's been tying himself in knots for this past week. "Your guns."

"My guns?" Jesper repeats, at last finding some purchase in something that he understands intricately.

"You...I've seen you...When you kiss your guns..." It's endearing, it really is, to see Wylan getting more and more flustered the longer Jesper stares at him in incomprehension, but at some point the bearing does drop and the spark of understanding flares.

"That's just for good luck, though really I don't need—"

"—need luck for those because they're a part of you. But a kiss can go a long way, everything needs a little show of love sometimes." Ducking his head, Wylan tries to hide the smile but Jesper's never missed it and he's not about to start now.

"Once I'm done giving it a kiss, I'm giving you a little show of love, just you wait," he promises, grabbing the knife and considering the best way to both keep his oh-so-silver tongue intact and still plant a solid Jesper-trademarked smooch on it.

It's a quick kiss, the metal cold on his mouth, but in the instant that it lasts, he knows it worked. And the knife knows it worked, it knows what to do and when to do it, and it knows how important it is to do it right. Jesper lays it down gently on the leather he wants to wrap it in tomorrow, before Inej sets off, and leaves to let Wylan know just what a great idea that was and how smart he was for figuring it out.

Inej unwraps her knife with a confused look, and before it can turn to hurt, Jesper butts in, "I know you meant to leave it with me, but have you seen me handle a knife? Trust me, it's a menace, and not in a good way. Best for all of us if it stays with you, but I gave it a little something special to remind you of me while you're off flying the skies or sailing the sea. Lots of places to lose a knife out there where the ground is far away..."

She turns the dagger, a karambit by her words, quizzically. "I don't see any bedazzled jewels on here, Jesper."

"I can respect a style when I see one, don't worry. Give it a good throw," he suggests, gesturing to the ship despite Nikolai's groan of protest about his rigging.

"Is it the weight?" Inej asks, tossing the knife a few times playfully before it slams into the side of an old chest at the prow of the ship, Jesper can hardly see it between the maze of ropes and sailcloth.

"It did cross my mind, but I expect you had it made the way you like it and I don't mess with a perfect system like that." He shakes his head before waving towards the long-gone knife with a flourish. "Call it back."

"I can't just—" Inej mimes yanking back on a fishing rod, but her face splits into a surprised gasp when the knife appears in her grip with just that much ease. "Jes, how did you...?"

"Just trying to act my age," Jesper says with a bow, side-eyeing the trail of torn sails and fraying ropes the knife left behind in its wake. "Um, one last present from me, you can lay all the blame for that damage on me. Don't forget me on your wide travels."

"As if I ever could." Inej laughs, the sadness of parting flecked with a glee Jesper knows she reserves for a new pair of knives. Slowly but surely, he'll catch up. And he'll have a good teacher, or more fellow experimenter, along for the ride.

#jesper fahey #shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #inej ghafa #wylan van eck #wesper #my writing #i just couldn't get the neshyenyar sword convo out of my head and I needed something where he gets to make something #the kiss thing came specifically from the scene where they're auditioning for the performing troupe #but i like to think he does it other times too

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unrequitedloveletter · 1 year

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Merry Christmas, Love- Jesper Fahey

All right! Here’s day four of the five days of christmas queue. Today and tomorrows fics for the event won’t be requests BUT, expect to see at least a few requests out by the new year! I won’t be focusing on them today or tomorrow because it’s christmas and I tend to neglect my phone in favor of spending time with my family, but, once this event is done and the Christmas part of the holiday season drops to a close. all of my focus in writing will be on the requests that I’ve been sent since the start of the month

Fic type- fluff!

Warnings- mentions of alcohol and the consumption of alcohol

Christmas in Ketterdam was always a wonder unlike anything else. Snow dotted the ground, trees went up in shop windows and fairy lights were strung up in shop overhangs. Everyone got a bit more festive with the start of December, and that general feeling of festivity didn’t go away until January, when the bars, clubs and gambling hot-spots were packed full of people celebrating the new year.

Though, Jesper had to admit, his preferred way to celebrate Christmas was far more mundane than that of the people who got drunk in the clubs, the tourists who wanted to chance their luck by going into the gambling dens, believing that the holidays were a perfect time to do so.

Jespers preferred way to spend Christmas was in the bottom floor of the Slat, a mug of boozy hot chocolate sat on the table in front of him whilst you opted for an eggnog spiked with brandy.

Nina and Inej were singing a Christmas song, Wylan playing along to the tune with his flute as laughter and discussions flooded the room.

Christmas in the Slat had been that way every year since the Ice Court heist, the discussions flooding the room in the same way that brandy and kvas flooded the glasses of those who chose to drink.

The tree that Nina had convinced Matthias into putting up and assisting with decorating was in the back corner of the room, lights set to white and adding a bit of additional light along with the dim lights throughout the run of the first floor.

Jesper looked at you while you met Pims gaze, giving him a nod as he proceeded to the bar. You’d been dating for six years, since the last month before the Ice Court heist. You’d been engaged since the beginning of November.

Sometimes, when Jesper looked at you, he knew that he could easily have been convinced that you were someone so ethereal that the only explanation to your existence, the fact that you loved him at all, was that of the saints.

You gave Jesper a grin as you met his gaze. “Merry Christmas, my love,” you said. “Need a refill? I’m gonna switch to straight out brandy, figured you might want some rum?”

Jesper nodded, pressing an appreciative kiss to your cheek and giving your hand a squeeze as you stood.

As you left, Wylan began to play an old christmas tune on his flute. Inej and Kaz joined Jesper at the booth, Inej drinking a brandy on the rocks where Kaz drank whiskey.

“What is it?” Inej asked. “You’re thinking something, and I know it’s not just because they offered to get you more rum. What is it, Jesper?”

Jesper gave Inej a look, a bit stunned that he’d been read so easily. “How in the bloody hell did you—"

“You’re one of my best friends, you’ve been looking at Y/N like a lovesick idiot all night, and if the ring on their finger that they’ve not mentioned to even the likes of Nina Zenik says absolutely anything, it says that you’re so in love that marriage is something you want. What are you thinking, Jesper?”

“Damn it, fine,” Jesper gave, looking at the empty mug that’d been full only thirty minutes before. “I hate that you can read me like I’m an open book.”

Inej shrugged, shooting Jesper a grin. “I’m your best friend,” she said. “It’s what I do.”

“I look at them sometimes, and I’m convinced they were created by the saints, is all. I love them more than I’ve ever loved anyone else, and it’s—”

“I’ve seen the two of you around,” Inej said. “When I’ve been getting info for Kaz. You look at Y/N like they’re the reason behind the universes existence. You look at them the same way, Jesper. You mean the world to each other. Even someone who knows neither of you could see it just by looking.”

“Yeah,” Jesper grinned. “I love them with everything I’ve got.”

“You would exist in the loudest room in the world if Y/N was with you,” Inej said. “Or in the quietest. The fact that you mean the world to each other is clearer than even the windows in the Slat after they’ve been washed.”

“You’re so right about that that it bloody hurts,” Jesper said with a laugh. “You’re observant.”

“I’m the Wraith,” Inej said. “Being observant, going unnoticed, it’s quite literally in my job description.”

Silence lapsed for a moment, until Inej gave Jesper a grin, noticing something but not saying a word about it.

Jesper laughed after a moment, cheers’ing his empty mug against Inej’s glass. “To a merry Christmas,” he said.

Inej laughed. “To an incredibly long vacation to sleep off this hangover.”

“So,” you said, placing Jespers glass of rum on the table as you slid back into the booth. “What’d I miss?”

“A riveting conversation if I do say so myself,” Kaz said. “Merry Christmas, you two. Jesper, I call best man.”

Jesper laughed, shaking his head as Kaz and Inej stood. “You absolutely don’t,” Jesper said. “Might give it to Matthias to get him to finally propose to Nina.”

“That’s a better idea, actually,” Kaz agreed, nodding. “Make the fjerdan get off his arse and finally buy a bloody ring.”

Jesper laughed, and Kaz and Inej left. Wylans flute music continued, and the world kept moving.

After a time, Jesper pressed a quick kiss to your cheek, took a sip of his rum and registered that feeling as he looked at you. The feeling that he tended to associate with Christmas, with getting drunk and laughing with your friends in the Slat. Warmth spread across his body, filling his heart with love and contentment as you grabbed his hand, interlacing your fingers with his.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too, Jes,” you responded. “Merry Christmas.”

He leaned up, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Merry Christmas, love.”

#jesper fahey #jesper fahey x reader #six of crows

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jackwolfes · 2 years

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i know it's hot but jesus put some clothes on!!! with jesper and whoever you please

this was delightful thank you friend 👯‍♂️ tags: sort of horny, trans wylan

“For the love of the Saints.”

Wylan glances up and catches Jesper’s eye. Or, he catches his eye as much as he can when Jesper’s eyes are drawn downwards, staring at the wide expanse of freckly, pale skin he’s been presented with. There’s so much skin. It’s flushed a little pink like Wylan’s sunburnt, and maybe he is, although they’ve been home all weekend because it’s too hot to go outside.

Jesper finds himself wondering about it. He’s lost, for just a moment, about what it was he came into their stuffy shared kitchen to do. All he can think about is Wylan, and Wylan, half-naked, and skin.

“What?” Wylan asks. Jesper flicks his eyes up to look at Wylan’s face. He glances up and down Jesper’s body like it holds the answers. “Why are you staring?”

“Because you’re half naked,” Jesper says, then – perhaps a little desperately, perhaps a little brokenly – he adds, “Put some fucking clothes on, kid.”

He means it to land lightly, like a joke. It doesn’t.

Wylan scowls at him. “I do have clothes on.” He hooks his thumb in the waistband of his soft green shorts. Jesper watches him snap the fabric against his skin, and stares too long at the place it smacks against his jutting hip bones.

Jesper is warm.

Everything about him is warm. Everything about the world around him is warm. It clings and lingers, which isn’t surprising given that they live in a top floor apartment where heat rises and sticks, cloying, in their tiny, cramped kitchen. Jesper knows his cheeks would feel warm if Wylan touched him – and now he’s thinking about Wylan touching him – and knows without a doubt that it isn’t just the sticky weather. He is sticky, and sweaty, and overwhelmed. Maybe it’s the sight of Wylan’s fingers still tucked beneath the tight fabric of his too-little shorts, up against the curve of his hip bones like– like–

“Did you come in here just to stand in the doorway?” Wylan asks, irritable and annoyed.

“Ice cream,” Jesper offers, only just barely able to remember the thought that pulled him out of bed.

“Scoop some for me, too?”

Nothing in the world could make him say no.

So he goes to the freezer and tugs out the tub – strawberry ice cream because that’s Wylan’s favourite and Jesper never has the heart to say no when he smiles and asks for it all sweet like he did. Jesper prefers caramels, rich chocolates, mint choc-chip. Not strawberry. Nothing that sweet. He’d still bought it, because that’s what Wylan wanted. He would have done anything Wylan wanted; anything at all. He still will.

Then he turns and sees Wylan leaning back against the counter across the room, hands perched on the edge of it and soundlessly tapping, tapping, tapping. His legs are crossed, hooked at the ankle, careless and taunting with how easy he stands.

At least, Jesper stupidly thinks, he doesn’t have his hands in his shorts anymore.

Jesper looks away.

When he blinks the sight that greets him behind his shut eyelids is Wylan. Wylan’s bare chest. The soft dip of his stomach and the curving cut of his waist. The neat little scars arcing beneath his nipples that are on show now and every day of this saintforsaken heatwave because Wylan is happy being on show. And Jesper doesn’t mind, Jesper is happy for him, Jesper is truly glad that Wylan can be his whole authentic self now even if his whole authentic self is gorgeous enough to give him a crisis while he tries to portion out ice cream into their chipped ceramic bowls. One has a cat on it. The other is painted with daisies.

It’s hard to breathe.

The fan runs constantly on the counter beside them. When it hits Jesper it ruffles the loose fabric of his tank top. Then it turns again, and leaves him sweating worse than before.

He stands and shovels out scoops of strawberry ice cream for them both, thinking far more about all the freckles dotted along Wylan’s ribs than the sickly sweet way the ice cream will taste on his tongue. There are more freckles now because Wylan has been out in the sun all summer, before the heatwave pushed him indoors. They crawl up his throat – and now Jesper’s thinking about the curve that his throat makes, the curve that Jesper wants to tuck his face into and maybe lick his tongue along, even if he’d end up suffocating in heat like this.

He can’t breathe.

It’s a heady thought. He wonders, absently, if the heat in his veins is just the heat, or if he’s going to need to readjust to make sure his own loose shorts stay loose. Maybe it’s wrong to be getting turned on at the thought of his best friend – his roommate – his Wylan – just standing around their kitchen, sweating, looking like that. Shirtless. Gorgeous. Way, way too kissable.

Jesper glances back in time to see Wylan rub his hand over the back of his bare neck, to the place his red hair curls. He’d whined about cutting it, but it’s still too long. In all likelihood, he could tie it up into a tiny little ponytail. It leaves Jesper wanting to run his fingers through it. Maybe hook around the back of his head. Maybe tug.

“What’s wrong with you?” Wylan asks.

“I’m fucking melting,” Jesper replies, scared in short seconds that he’s been caught. His pathetic fucking crush. Wylan just snorts. It makes irritation spark in Jesper’s chest – but he doesn’t think irritation is the right word. He scowls anyway. “Go put on some fucking clothes, kid.”

“I’m in my own home,” comes Wylan’s equally irritated reply. “Go fuck yourself.”

Jesper hears the hidden hurt beneath his words, because by now he knows Wylan well enough to see it. Not at first glance, but Wylan never lets anyone see anything immediately. He’s a crafty son of a bitch.

He hides plenty – but not the span of his back or the freckles covering it, not the little tulip he has tattooed on his ribs, not the stretch marks on his hips or the sight of his collarbone – and Jesper has to work to see it. He sees it now – along with the aching spread of his body that Jesper wants to touch, maybe needs to touch, can’t touch when it’s this damn sweltering – because the note of anxiety on the corners of Wylan’s words betrays him.

It’s a tiny part of him that clearly doesn’t believe Jesper really wants to see him like this at all. That his body makes Jesper uncomfortable. It’s the part of him still laced up with a little bit of shame for no good reason, that curves his shoulders in a slouch a bit more reclusive than his usual habit, although he tends to slouch all the time anyway. He slouches more now, like he can put himself away without really caving and getting a t-shirt.

The fan blows hot air against Jesper’s face. It reminds him of the sticky pool of sweat at the base of his own throat, on his clavicle. Behind his knees. On his navel. He needs a cold shower, for more reasons than one.

Everything is silent, save for the steady, endless drone of the fan.

“I’m being an asshole,” Jesper says, because it’s true. Wylan says nothing. “Sorry. It’s too hot.”

Jesper watches Wylan. Wylan watches him back. He stares, still quiet. The fan drones on.

Moving carefully, Wylan shifts his shoulders back enough to show the long lines of his chest to the rest of the world. Jesper wants – and wants, and wants – to step up to him and touch, maybe even kiss them. He feels guilty. He thinks he’d do anything – anything – to make his amends.

“Take off your shirt and stop complaining, then,” Wylan mutters.

In weather like this, it feels like a challenge.

Jesper’s heart thuds a little dangerously, but it’s all a little dangerous. Over-exertion, heat exhaustion, whatever, whatever. A kick in his pulse that’ll kill him, he thinks, already pushed too far with the way the air around them cloys sticky and heavy with humidity and need.

He leaves Wylan’s ice cream on the counter. Then he takes his cat-patterned bowl and – weakly, wordlessly – he goes back to his bedroom alone.

#trans crows #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #trans wylan #six of crows #soc fic #fics #wesper #wesper fic #soc #doorsclosingslowly #asks

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thatfangirlofsb · 11 months

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T/W: Grishaverse spoilers.

Your highness (V)

"I've already told you several times Nina, it's not that easy." Kaz's voice was already a little angry, despite his relative pity for the heartrender. Getting someone out of Hellgate was not so easy, especially not that drüskelle who had excelled so much in the little fights with that tourists entertained themselves and spent their money.

"I'll go myself and..."

"And you'll come back in a coffin, or you'll surely end up thrown into the sea first." Jesper's voice, which was never the one of reason, this time decided to be. "I like risk, but I prefer it to be at a card table."

"Inej?" She asked the suli, looking for some support, but she only received a short movement of the head from left to right; no. "Wylan?" The boy who had just come down the stairs looked at her confused, he seemed just awake but he still didn't react much to the sunlight leaking through the cracks. "Nobody?"

"Nina Zenik!" The door was flung with a too-strong blast of air, and the heartrender couldn't do anything but open her mouth in surprise at hearing that voice again.

"Zoya?" She turned her head to see the squaller clearly. She hadn't been so confused ever, her mentor was there. Why had she made such a long journey to Ketterdam? "Zoya!" The last repetition of her name was not out of joy or fear of seeing her there. The cause was that small movement of the cape caused by the air that was still spinning around her, letting her see for a few seconds... It can't be. "Are you pregnant?" Zoya rolled her eyes, just like when Nina did something wrong in the Little Palace. "How...?"

"Am I going to have to explain how babies are made?" Zoya asked in ravkan, her voice clearly annoyed. "Though, I'm sure you already did it with your drüskelle..." Nina couldn't help but blush, still hearing how they named him aroused a strange feeling in her.

The squaller shrugged off her cloak, setting it on a chair and giving Kaz a little disgusted look.

"Kaz Brekker..."

"Zoya Nazyalensky and mini Zoya Nazyalensky." He answered her, his voice as raspy as ever.

"Hopefully, so then I'll have someone else who can torture you with their attitude." She sighed and turned her head, catching Inej with her gaze and offering her a small smile. "Buna, spectru"* She said in suli, catching the small welcoming smile she showed.

"Can we speak in a language we all know, please?" Jesper's voice caused them to turn their heads towards him. "Kerch, for example. Or can I ask you 'cav anyonee?' "

"My donkey is very well, thanks for asking." Zoya looked strangely to the Zemeni boy, and then turned her gaze to the heartrender. "What? I know six languages, it's part of my job."

"You and me, alone." The etherealki said, pointing at Nina, this time in Kerch with her thick Ravkan accent. With each passing second she regretted going there.

"Easy squaller, Nina stays here."

"No." Zoya rolled her eyes at Brekker's arrogance. But instead of answering him sarcastically, she decided to grab a chair and sit on it.

"Yes."

"No."

"Thank you for asking me what I think." Nina spoke loudly, trying to make them listen to her and not pretend she didn't exist... but she couldn't. "I would like to..."

"I've been with this for several months." She said pointing a finger at her swollen belly, and instantly felt a kick. Give them to Kaz Brekker when you get out, not me now. "I have made a very long journey and without the protection of the Second Army." She felt another kick. "I've lost myself. I've almost been kidnapped by the shus and a Ketterdam's merchant. Besides, I have to…" She sighed and counted to three, but she couldn't control herself any longer. "Stop!" They all looked at her in confusion, all except Dirty Hands. He only smiled slightly with a mocking face. "When you all get pregnant and the baby wakes you up kicking you in the middle of the night... don't come to me for advice."

"We aren't saints, we don't perform miracles." Kaz said looking at Wylan and Jesper, before turning his gaze to Zoya, causing her to realize the mistake.

"I don't care." Crossing her arms over her belly, she turned back to Nina. "I went to Fjerda Nina, to Fjerda! I thought that drüskelle had broken out of his jail and brought you to the Ice Court."

"Matthias is still in Hellgate." Now all eyes were on Nina. Finally, she thought helplessly. "And that's what I wanted..."

"He is okay in there." The heartrender looked at her slightly stunned, she always ended up being interrupted. "I need you to take the position of General of the Second Army."

And no noise sounded, only Nina could hear the beating of the hearts of all those present. She even noticed how her own slowed down for a few seconds, after hearing such shocking news.

"Zoya, you're... Wait, if you're here and you've been traveling for several months, that means you're no longer a general." Before the squaller, and now a former general, answered her with a sarcastic surprise, zhe decided to keep talking. "But if Alina has come back and married Nikolai, just like the news says, that means she's a general now."

The long-awaited wedding between the king and the sun summoner had caused a lot of talk, and had also filled the headlines. 'The great golden wedding', 'The saint and the king, a love story with a happy ending', 'Alina Starkov, saint and new queen of Ravka', 'Royal and saint wedding'... And so they had continued writing for weeks, telling their readers about what seemed like a love story of a happy couple, until the Kerch market managed to cause a huge inflation in the price of wheat and the interests of readers changed.

She would have kept thinking about it if weren't because, after hearing the blond's name from Nina's mouth, a kick caused her to touch her belly slightly surprised. Had he recognized his father's name or was it just crazy things that the blue-eyed one imagined? But she wasn't the only one who realized that, the only difference was that he thought of keeping the information to himself until he knew more and could use it.

"Nikolai Lantsov and Alina Starkov?" Wylan's voice, still a bit sleepy, broke through the silence of the ground floor of the Crow Club. "Haven't they been expecting a baby since several months?"

"Yeah." Said Inej, taking out the knife with the name of the half shu summoner and beginning to play with it, passing it from one hand to the other. "A holy baby."

Zoya couldn't help but roll her eyes. A baby could be a saint when she was too.

"Impossible." Improbable. And there it was again, another memory of the stupid king who seemed not to have cared for her at all. How foolish she had been when she thought that the sex between them was something more, that there was something romantic between. It was just an affair and now, for thinking about what Alina told her, she would have to deal with the consequences. "But I don't want to hear their names, thanks to the orphan I'm like this." Nina turned her head slightly to the side, showing her confusion. "You are going to Os Alta, you will take the position and you will say that I died in search of you when we were returning to the Little Palace."

"I'm not leaving without Matthias, and…"

"I don't think our fellow grisha would like to see you hand in hand with someone who would pay to become inferni, burn them all, and then burn himself for being a grisha for a few minutes."

"He does not..."

"Fjerda?" Kaz's voice was present again, and Zoya couldn't help but turn her gaze to the other suli for an explanation. But it seemed that it was going to be impossible, Inej looked at her boss with confusion too. "Have you been to Fjerda?"

"Yes, it was very simple." Zoya summoned to grab another chair and place it in front of her to put her feet up on it. "I just needed to not show my abilities, they are such idiots… they think that a pregnant woman isn't dangerous."

"How far did you go?"

Zoya thought, trying to remember what it had been like to walk through the snow with an already visible belly and a big coat over her to keep out the cold. Ravka was a cube of ice, but the country of the drüskelles was a whole lake.

"Elling." Her memories were so detailed that she grimaced for a few seconds when she noticed that nauseating smell again. It was disgusting. "From there I took different boats to here." Her mind recalled all the materials, animals, and people that were stacked on those ships. That smell seemed similar to the one she had to inhale for several days in the cellar of... "Don't you smell something like goat?" She didn't know how, but she had managed to recognize the exact scent. And it seemed that everyone was just as surprised as she was, because they were looking at her with confusion. "It smells like goat, and don't ask me how I know. My hair suffered a lot."

And as if it were an omen, some hooves were heard against the steps of the staircase and a small goat began to jump lightly until it reached the ground. "

Milo! What have I told you about..."

"Get that wild animal away from me!" Zoya didn't mind hearing Jesper's voice speak fondly to the animal. She stood up on one of the chairs, her hands ready to summon a current of air and push it away. "I didn't come all the way here to die because a wild goat struck me with some type of a rare disease."

"Hands in place, squaller." Kaz spoke again, and Zoya glared at him. Who did he think he was, an otkazat'sya, to speak like that to her, a very powerful grisha and not in a very good mood thanks to her pregnancy and the long journey. "Leave the goat, or there is no heartrender for you."

"Thank you for putting me in play with a goat." A bleat caused Nina to smile slightly. "I'm sorry Milo, but you know I love you."

"You have hurt his feelings." Jesper covered the animal's ears with his hands as he gave the corporalki a disapproving look. "You are no longer invited to his birthday."

"Fjerda, right?" We were talking about Fjerda." Zoya opened her mouth, she didn't want to continue watching and listening to how that place seemed to be full of criminals who were missing a few screws.

"Nina, Matthias will be free in a week." Zoya could see how, with Kaz's words, the grisha's smile brightened again. Was she so crazy that she was glad for the early release of a murderer who would make her his first target? "Squaller..."

"No."

[°°°]

"No." Zoya raised her hands in the air a little higher, holding the fjerdan up against the wall of his dungeon. "Do you want me to take the air out of him?" She asked as she watched Nina touch her neck, where marks from the drüskelle's grip were already beginning to form.

"We need him alive, squaller." Kaz didn't seem to know how little she cared what he thought, but he still seemed very sure with his words. "Aren't you, fjerdans, polite? We've come to get you out of here and that's how you welcome us?"

"I prefer..." The blonde drüskelle couldn't speak, feeling how his throat was getting smaller and he didn't get enough air to form sentences.

"Squaller." Brekker warned her.

"Drüsje..." Matthias said using a very little amount of air, pointing his fierce gaze at the girl who had accused him of being a slaver and the one who was making him float.

"And now you find out?" Zoya said, with a funny tone and couldn't help but laugh. "Was it shortness of breath or floating?"

"Drüsje..."

"Your friend isn't much of a talker?" asked to Nina. Zoya laughed again, squeezing a little more to see the pained face that drüskelle was trying to hide. This is for all my comrades you killed on a pyre.

"Squaller." The grisha no longer cared about what Kaz told her, it was her moment of revenge and she was going to take advantage of it. "We don't want your baby's father to have to leave his royal duties to attend the birth with you in a cell."

Her powers disappeared, and the blonde fell; not high enough to hurt himself, although a slight groan of pain was heard. Nina ran towards him, and Zoya couldn't help but show her disgusted face. How could she care about a monster like him?

"Don't you dare..." The grisha didn't expect him to know, it was a secret she planned to take with her to the grave. But here he was, unleashing it in the middle of the mission to get that fjerdan out of the Hellgate, then get Nina to Os Alta so she could disappear off the map. "Don't you..."

"Don't be so open and touch your belly when you hear his name and don't say you don't want to hear about the king and queen of Ravka. Although the rumors about your relationship in bed helped." She was going to kill Brekker right there, if that thief from The Barrel knew that information…she and her baby wouldn't be safe there; and nowhere. "Will you give me the honor of explaining or am I going to have to say my guesses?" The boy looked down at the place where the result of her little adventure with the king was, and she wrapped her arms around it as if she could protect him with that movement. "Do you know why you have lived through so many kidnapping attempts? Now you are more important than just a grisha. Now a banner of a million kruge reward hangs over your head for finding the missing general on a mission, or at least her dead body. ." A small smile appeared on Kaz's face, and the other Crows noticed that this was how he looked at the wads of cash. "Imagine how the price will go up when he finds out you're carrying his baby."

"Don't you dare..."

"You don't know how many tailored corpses to look like you your dear king has seen." Zoya felt all eyes on her, now she was a great reward for those ruffians; alive or dead. "But I'll help you. I'll take you to live your love story and I'll get the money in exchange."

"It's not..." They were the only two who spoke, all the others were silent by choice; except for Matthias, who had passed out after Nina had slowed his heart rate.

"But it will be difficult, but you will take care of that." Zoya felt a draft around her, something very bad was coming and she could discover it through the challenging look of the boy in front of her. "A certain Sabina Garin has taken her daughter, alive, and now that girl is being general to your dear king."

"If they've already found me then why are you talking about a reward?" She avoided showing how her face contracted. She wished, the day she ran away with her aunt from that church, to never hear that name again in her life. But there she was, listening as her past, the one she had tried so hard to leave behind, came back to her.

"Zoya, we both know your mother would never act with good intentions. Not when your search began two weeks ago." The squaller was very confused, how did he know who her mother was? Though later, when she remembered who he was talking to, she forgot those questions; he was Kaz Brekker, what he didn't know didn't exist. "Or are you going to let her kiss the lips of your dear king?"

"You can take care of the king, leave Sabine Garin for me."

—————

* I couldn't find how to say 'hello' or 'wraith' in suli, so I translated those two words into the actual language closest to the grishaverse; the romanian.

You can read the first part HERE.

You can read the second part HERE.

You can read the third part HERE.

You can read the fourth part HERE.

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hypermania · 1 year

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I can't tell if you liked Shadow and Bone or not and it's killing me lol

i also can't tell if i liked it! i know for sure i liked s1 a lot better than s2. s1 was an interesting viewing experience because i had to adjust to the fact that they really weren't following the books and i wasn't prepared for that. i think what they did with the grisha trilogy worked really well. pretty much every change was for the better. it made the characters more likable which serves the plot a lot better. the crows stuff, however, was more jarring both because i'm far more invested in them and because the changes were bigger and without any obvious payoff. but once i got over the hesitancy of the story being changed it was mostly fine. there were still a few things i didn't like but overall it was like okay i get it. we're moving chess pieces around because we're setting stuff up.

going into s2 i knew they weren't following the books closely so i went in with the mindset of "hey this is its own thing and you should judge it based on what it is, and not what it isn't." and then... they just shoehorned in a bunch of big Moments(tm) from the books that... have no relevancy in the story they're telling?

like what was the point of kaz bringing pekka to his knees begging? pekka still has a crap ton of people loyal to him. he's still running shit from hellgate. there was no emotional catharsis to it. and kaz hasn't built up the reputation of "When everyone knows you're a monster, you needn't waste time doing every monstrous thing" yet soooooooo it kinda just feels like kaz showed that yeah he can figure out what is most important to someone and push that button (figuratively, because he won't actually do the horrible thing) but it ultimately doesn't even matter because... ??? like i don't know why that mattered in the context of the story they're actually telling. it was just a big moment from the book plopped into the show. if they wanted to rearrange the pieces so that pekka would be in hellgate with matthias, they could have done that without using the alby storyline in a place where not only does it not fit, it completely undermines the point.

same with the "i will have you without armor" interaction. i'm not a big fan of that line in the books to begin with. it's fine. i just think there are way more *scream into my pillow about it* moments but i know it's a fan favorite and it feels like that's the only reason they included it. when it happens in the book, it's because kaz hasn't offered inej anything, really. he's asked her to stay in ketterdam but that's the most vulnerable he's allowed himself to be with her. so it serves as like a linchpin for him to do better, sort of? but in the show... he's already told her about jordie. he's already given her freedom from the menagerie and a lead on her family. he's already given her everything except physical skin to skin contact, and so that line just comes across as "you're not good enough because you're traumatized" instead of "we're both traumatized but i want to get better and i won't let you hold me back from that. you have to at least try" so it's... kinda gross?

the jesper and wylan changes are mostly fine but their relationship feels very rushed and i don't really understand what the point of doing that is. like jesper watching wylan play piano and having a moment about it felt like... nothing? because wlyan is just a guy he had a one night stand with. what new light is it shedding on a guy jesper doesn't really have any mis-formed preconceived notions on? and why are they already basically married? maybe this is just a personal preference but that's not fun to me. i am much more interested in watching them awkwardly fall for each other over time than having immediate confirmation that they're a couple.

(also i have a pretty big gripe with the way jesper being grisha is handled. but that's a whole other discussion.)

idk i guess the point i'm making is that s2 felt like a marvel movie. it had a lot of quippy one-liners and Big Emotional Beats that we knew were Big Emotional Beats because there was swelling music and lingering shots but there was no substance to any of it?? none of it mattered in the context of the story they were actually telling. it only matters if you already have a built-in connection to the story via the source material.

that being said: kaz bar brawl and nina spy competence = very sexy. and as much as i just talked a bunch of shit about jesper, he really is amazing. kit young continues to be an inspired stroke of jesper genius. almost everyone was perfectly cast, actually.

there were other things i liked and disliked about it but this is the general gist of where i'm at, i guess.

#replies #anonymous #sab #negativity for ts

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themerchliing · 1 year

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continued from here - @rasvyet

He hadn't imagined an audience with the Sun Summoner could be so casual. It came as a wonderful surprise, and it had only taken Wylan a few minutes to feel at ease in their presence. The offered hand with pinky sticking out made his lips easily curl into a smile that matched the other's. Such a simple gesture, and yet it added to the comfort he felt in their presence. Was this what Inej felt whenever she thought of her Saints?

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

His pinky hooked with theirs, sealing the promise of his identity and presence here. He had to keep hidden until his fellow Crows had carried out their part of the plan and then he could slip back out undetected. It hadn't felt right to lie to Alina, though. Not when they were being so kind to him.

"I won't be a bother," He promised, looking around the room to see if there was a separate area he could wait until he heard the signal from Kaz. When he didn't see anywhere he could sneak off to, Wylan turned back to his gracious host. "Is it okay if I stay here and keep you company?" He paused for a second, then asked the question that had been bothering him.

"Sorry, I'm not quite sure how you prefer to be addressed. Is it Sankta Alina?"

#rasvyet #&; ( in character )#&; verse ( main )#//hello i love them #//wylan just needs a place to hang out #//while he waits for the crows to pull something off #//as they do

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dcviated · 1 year

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sof intimacy memer :: open

@sentofight sent: 😴 - Curl up next to my sleeping muse [ok lets try some flof edea and wy hoho]

Anyone would be tired with the amount of effort that had gone into the day's training. Even outside of their multiple bouts of sparring Edea had gone extra lengths to train her form, taking to heart the critique Wylan had offered during their matches. Even when she was the victor he found ways to offer advice, to hone the weaknesses that she still had to be exploited. Come to think of it, maybe he ought to listen to some of her advice as well?

Maybe.

As the daughter of the Grand Marshall, and supposedly the heir to the title, Edea's word carries more weight than her slender form ought to. Wylan is far from perfect, and how impressive it was to see her growing as a woman over the time they had known each other. Meeting her, the idea was laughable. Edea lacked a lot of the maturity to be a leader, but it's grown. So has he.

Gravity.

She's passed out on the bed, having only intended to shut her eyes for a moment to catch her breath after another set of exercises to better guard her flank when drawing for her second blade combination. Maybe she'd prefer that Wylan wake her. But for now he's content to watch. Observe. Think. Wonder. At some point during this he'd laid down in the grass beside her, fondly regarding her face as she breathes.

Tenderly.

"Never did consider myself a great teacher." He whispers under his breath. A hand reaches out to gently stroke a lock of gold hair from her face. With a caress of a finger it's tucked behind her ear. "But as a partner, I think I did a pretty good job. Edea. But I still got a way to go, don't I?" Wylan chuckles, the intoxicating emotion of calm and contentment bringing him closer to the ground, laying next to her in the grass.

"Now it feels like I'm the one who's got to catch up to you."

A smirk. But his eyes are drooping. The gentle winds are comforting, and the sun is warm against his sweat-beaded skin. The more he gazes at her, the more he feels rather silly. Yet. Whole. And. Well. A number of other emotions.

"Get... ready..."

#sentofight #sentofight :: edea #inbox :: answered ic #muse :: wylan #verse :: fantasy #flipped this one technically #but it gave me more room to ramble :^)#have sof

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cadcnce-archived · 1 year

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@more-than-a-princess from here

Much like his place on the floor, casual continues to define his presence around Novoselic. Regardless of the building or the pretenses of the event. Many wondered if it would always be the case. The days that followed his introduction were dismissed to be part of a transitory period, and yet Wylan persevered as Himself, despite all efforts to clean and sharpen him into a figure more palatable for news cameras and interviews. Perhaps, the issue was the opposite- he was too good for their questions offering them far more entertainment than The Machine would otherwise prefer.

Oops, the American would say to that. As if shaking up things in Novoselic hadn’t been his goal, as if it hadn’t been the expectation of the woman that held his heart just as she did his leash.

Like many other facets of his life, he’d neglect to apologize while simultaneously finding where to create the proper respect for his position. Interacting with children seemed to be an ironic heart that was to be fostered. At least there, his energy was welcome and beneficial to the image of the royal family. There was no rigid stuffiness or put on airs of interest. His acting was genuine. His enthusiasm for the stories real.

Appearances mean far more than they should. “Yeah. I can drink to that.” Pause. “Later. Speaking of the library though, I talked with my assistant and we got another reading coming up uhh.. I’ll have to check my phone when exactly that was. It’s in my other pants pocket.” Oh no, he can’t be reached without knowing where he was. The horror. Someone is probably doing so and on a wild goose chase as a result. Not that it would be hard to guess next where the man would end up. Simply find Sonia, Wylan won’t be too far. Neglecting whatever time the princess had before she was needed, Wylan probably bought himself an hour.

“That’s cute of you to say, but you know it’s bunk. Holding those core traits of you back when just walking around and talking as you are throws off so much- fucking impossible. Fortunately, I’m fine with sharing some of you, but the best parts…” His hand dips below, a trace of a finger around her leg and anticipating some measure of reaction in response to it. “…I am absolutely hogging for myself. And I guess some parts of me are reserved for your personal use too, it’s only fair.” A dismissive gesture of his hand as he leans away, back to another casual position on the floor.

At the mention of prior feeding in the room, Wylan has a thought, and bobs a finger with a playfully serious edge added to his tone. He clears his throat.

“Right, and speaking of the burgers and the other stuff. I know I’ve gained some weight since I moved in. But let’s be honest. Can you imagine how criminal it would be if I didn’t take some advantage of these chefs? I have to try their take on some of my more indulgent interests at least once before falling into the proper diet. Which I will. You know I’m good for that. I’ve even got a few ideas in mind for getting my exercise in.” What Wylan won’t say, is he’s not interested in dealing with the professional trainers. Compared to the other staff such as custodial, assistant, or kitchen- they’re not as much fun to mess with. Because they can actually keep pace with his antics.

#morethanaprincess #verse :: main #:: queue #he's gonna get the hang of it #and figure out the right people to torment

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mcheang · 1 year

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Shadow and Bone S2 E4 recap

Spoiler alert

Oh, they did a recasting for Vasily who now has dark hair, unlike his parents. Alina dislikes Vasily but offers to lead the Grisha since the Lanstovs want a Second Army commander loyal to them and she is Nikolai’s fiancée. Mal is against this as making her General will put an even bigger target on her back but Alina wants to protect the Grisha. Vasily manages to learn about Malina since they were having a moment in a hallway rather than a room. Genya still looks beautiful to me. Her and Kirigan’s scars do not make them ugly. Frankly I’m more worried about Baghra’s finger and Genya’s right eye. Seriously Kirigan, you could have chosen a lighter punishment for your mother! Imprisonment was enough! Baghra seems to care about Genya now. Aleksander calls out Baghra for protesting his plans because she made him this way. Baghra finally gives up on him. I have my doubts about Vladim. It looks like he wants Baghra’s power. And the bone crushing scene was horrifying. David warns Alina and she imprisons him after Nadia informs her that Kirigan keeps his close. Honestly, if that was obvious, he would make a horrible choice for spy. David refuses to teach Alina merzost but warns her about the tether. Nina knows Pekka cannot free Matthias and warns Kaz. Kaz has released a fake firepox that will be blamed on Pekka and threatens his son Alby. Wow, we actually got the Pekka showdown in Crooked Kingdom without the Jurda yet…

Pekka loses the respect of his men

Mal wants to find the special blade that might kill nichevo’ya. I’m not gonna say the name cos then I have to repeat it and it’s long. Anyway, Tolya and Zoya will go to the Crows to hire them for the job. Unless the blade was made with merzost, it will be useless. Vasily did his research and has Mal arrested for desertion. Dude, if you’re going to seduce Alina, don’t arrest her boyfriend! He is an idiot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Jesper and Wylan kiss! 😄 now where are Ivan and Fedyor? Kaz kicks Inej out of the Crows after she made him worry with a detour. She is a free woman. Seriously, Nikolai giving Alina her ring has more chemistry than Malina. Alina starts getting worried about Mal’s absence, but no one is as concerned as she is. Oh, the siege and storm ending is here too. Only it’s at an engagement party rather than Nikolai’s birthday. And it’s still Vasily’s fault. Honestly, if he actually becomes king, Fjerda will crush him. I doubt even Kirigan could have reined him in if he were still General. Vasily dies and I’m not sure if the king still lives. Kirigan lures Alina away with an illusion so she will be away from the fighting and her head does some weird glowy thing. To Adrik, she must look unstable. While the invasion happens, Baghra takes advantage and frees herself and Genya, who heals her missing finger. (Seriously Kirigan, fixing her finger would have been better than figs!) Genya sees her reflection and destroys the Alkemi’s workstation in a fit of rage. You know the Darkling confrontation at the end, his S&S speech would work if Mal had been frightened of Alina’s power. But here it seems out of place. And considering book Alina had grown used to her imaginary Darkling, the offer to rule suited the book better than the show. It looks lika Nadia and Adrik are the only members of the Second Army who survived the engagement party. I don’t count Tamar and Alina since Tamar isn’t loyal to the second army, she’s loyal to Alina, and Alina wants to retire once the Fold is gone.

This certainly was a combo of endings from Crooked Kingdom and Siege and Storm. Looks like we get the Ruin and Rising arc next. This was too crammed, considering Alina’s relationship with the Darkling. His speech at the end is so out of place.

Well I can say this for Tatiana, she does love Nikolai, I think. I actually prefer book Baghra. I have not forgotten that Baghra only gave partial truths to Alina when Anastas was to blame for the Fold, and that she tried to kill Mal. The fact that Baghra gives up on her son now makes me unhappy. If you’re responsible for how he came to be, you don’t give up, you try to save him. Poor Tolya. None of his friends like poetry Pekka is a villain for sure but he does love his son and while I think it is good he knows his son is alive, I find that having Alby witness his arrest is too cruel.

Ooh, is David back under Kirigan’s power now?

#shadow and bone spoilers #shadow and bone season 2 episode 4 #shadow and bone netflix

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delicious-in-danger · 3 years

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ATTENTION: BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD

————

now that they've given us crumbs of Wylan's foreshadowing and his future job for the crows, i really wanna see his backstory in season 2. Siege and Storm picks up slowly, and the writers have already shown their preference for inclusion of individual narratives anyway with Helnik + with a bigger budget there is plenty of room for it.

just imagine: a new character, sharp and cute red-haired boy with talents for math and chemistry, is introduced in a separate plotline in one of the first episodes, just like Nina and Matthias were. the viewers see how his father sends him away because of some poorly concealed disappointment in him, but (!) due to the fact that the future heist and the outcome of the deal with Van Eck have to be a surprise, the reason for that disappointment is not revealed. and we see how he says goodbye to a girl his age humming something awfully off-tone, leaves a rich merchant’s house, one completely different from those that have already been shown in ketterdam, with just a bag and what looks like a flute (?) and boards a ship, where his own guides try to kill him. yet he survives, and gets to the barrel, until some time later one very extravagant sharpshooter picks him up from his chemicals job. the last scene in his backstory is Kaz Brekker examining him from head to toe and offering collaboration. but Wylan refuses and goes back to his place, where he sees a letter from his father - the audience can’t see what’s inside though. the scene ends, and the next time we see him he’s already making a bomb for the crows.

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frick6101719 · 3 years

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Kaz as a dad anon here again! Thank you so so so much that was so cute!! Of course the girls are so quiet but Kaz always knows when they are there just like Inej!! I’m obsessed with your Kanej family!!

If you are looking for a prompt would love the first time Kaz has to take care of the baby by himself.

SAINTS Anon, this was a great idea. It ran away from me a little bit, but enjoy more Papa Kaz with a HEALTHY scoop of Kanej (slightly steamy Kanej? I had fun)

Kaz looked down at the blueprint on his desk, feeling Inej’s eyes on him, watching, waiting for his reaction. When she’d lured him into his office a minute ago this had not been what he thought they would be doing. “Roeder came up with this all on his own?”

She nodded. “Apparently he ran it by Anika half a dozen times before showing it to me. It’s pretty good, isn’t it?”

His eyes scanned every detail of the building, the notes written on the side, the vault make and model up in the corner. “Well, it’s only a bank,” he said, straightening, looking back at her. “Nothing too special about it. Though there is a certain… elegance, to the plan, I can admit.”

Inej grinned. “Not to Roeder, I’m sure.”

“Of course not.” He tapped the print. “But he knows he doesn’t need to check something like this with me, so what’s the catch?”

Light as a feather, Inej hopped up onto the corner of his desk. From the little smile on her face he knew just what she was going to say.

“His ankle still hasn’t fully healed, and he doesn’t think he can handle a roof this steep without hurting it again or falling. Especially not with the weather recently.”

It had been an exceptionally icy January. “Typical. Dreaming up a plan he can’t even see through.”

Inej leaned back, resting her weight on her arms. “He was looking for some extra help. He wanted us both.”

“Who doesn’t?” Kaz looked back down at the plan. “It’s a job for the Wraith, that much is certain. Especially if our budget-friendly replacement is out of commission.”

“Kaz!”

“Roeder knows he’s always been my second choice,” he said, grinning. “He’s not a terrible replica, but when you’ve got the original…”

“Kaz,” she repeated, covering his hand with her own, halting its steady progress up her thigh. “I all but told him we would do it.”

He sighed. “Inej, darling, you are free to do this and any other job if you wish. But we can’t both be gone all night.”

She squeezed his hand. “Well, I talked to Wylan--”

“Absolutely not,” he interrupted. “She’s not even one year old yet!”

“Rosie would be perfectly safe with the Van Ecks. Marya even offered to come spend the night here, in the nursery, if we preferred that.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Rosanna’s too young for us to let someone else look after her.”

“Jesper and Wylan have had two babies of their own, my love,” she reminded him gently. “They are more than capable of taking care of Rosie for one night, especially with Marya there.”

“But Cassidy is even younger than Rosanna,” he pointed out. “Plus Fritz and Ada? They’ve already got their hands full.”

“Fritz and Ada are going to be sleeping the entire time. We could drop Rosie off at ten or eleven bells, and we’d be back before dawn.”

He shook his head again, more emphatically this time. “No. No, one of us has to watch her.”

“Kaz…”

Even that wide-eyed, imploring look she gave him couldn’t move him. “She’s too little,” he said.

Inej sighed, then touched his cheek. “Alright. We’ll stay home.”

“I’ll stay home,” he corrected, moving his hand from her thigh to jab at the blueprint on his desk. “This plan needs you, not me. Look at this vault--if they need me to crack that model then they don’t deserve whatever’s inside.”

The melodic sound of her laugh reminded him of what he’d hoped they’d be doing now that their baby girl had fallen asleep. After only two hours of rocking...

He brought his hand back to her leg, squeezing the inside of her knee. “I’ll take care of Rosie,” he said, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. “Tell Roeder you’re in.”

She smiled up at him, leaning forward to rest her arms across his shoulders. “Alright, I think I will. I’m sure the job will be even easier knowing Rosie is in such capable hands.”

He hummed his agreement, threading his fingers through her hair to draw her closer. “Yes, and speaking of capable hands…”

~~~

Rosanna’s first birthday was just over a month away, but this was the first time Kaz had ever had to take care of her by himself. Most of the time he and Inej had both been home, and on the occasions when business called him into the city he was sure to never be gone for very long.

Everything else they’d done, they’d done together; whether that was dinner at the Van Ecks’ or day trips to their country home. It had been a strange year--both more restful and more exhausting than any other time in Kaz’s life, but he didn’t mind. He didn’t mind that he’d told himself he’d only be stepping back from full-time involvement with the Dregs for a few months and nearly a year had gone by with meetings only twice a week. He didn’t even mind Anika and Pim loudly exclaiming “he lives!” every time they saw him, like he’d gone missing in action months ago and wasn’t just working from home across the city.

Although this time they barely greeted him at all. “Is Rosie still awake?” Pim asked, one leg still hanging over the window ledge.

Inej looked up from across the kitchen, where she was stretching with one foot propped up on the back of a chair. She nodded in Kaz’s direction, where a happy and wide-awake infant sat on his knee.

“Rosie!” he boomed. “What are you still doing up at this hour?”

She babbled her own response, which Inej interpreted. “It seems someone neglected to wake her up when her afternoon nap was over.” She gave Kaz a meaningful look. “So she might even be awake when I get home.”

Anika grinned as her feet hit the floor behind Pim. “Ah, well the punishment fits the crime on that one, Brekker. Hope you’ve got a pot of coffee on.”

“She was fast asleep,” he explained. “No one likes to be woken when they’re sleeping that soundly.”

Anika shrugged. “Just make sure to keep telling yourself that when you’re still awake at three bells.”

Roeder appeared at the window a moment later, landing on the kitchen floor easily enough for a man who got the cast off his ankle only two weeks ago. His smile widened as he saw Rosanna. “Rosie! You stayed up to see us off?”

Rosie cooed happily, waving her little hands at the spider.

“Just in time, old man,” Pim said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Kaz was just saying you could borrow his cane for the job!”

Anika scoffed. “Saints--first he can’t get his own gimmick, now he can’t even get his own cane to go with it?” She wrinkled her nose. “I thought better of you, Roeder.”

Kaz smirked. “Anika’s right,” he said. “I’ve been doing the crippled thing for years.” He lifted his cane. “How about I break both your arms instead?”

“Yeah Roed, give you something with a little original flavour!” Pim said, still laughing.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re all so funny,” Roeder grumbled. “Just as funny as you were six weeks ago. How about a joke with some original flavour?”

“It’s called a callback,” Pim said. “Yours is just a knockoff.”

Roeder frowned, face as sour as if he were sucking on a lemon. “This is why I only like Inej,” He said.

“And because she does your job for you when you get an owie,” Anika said with an exaggerated pout. “You mustn’t forget to say thank you.”

Roeder threw up his hands. “This is still my plan! Without me there would be no job!”

“Alright,” Inej interjected, pressing her lips closed to keep from smiling. “If we don’t get started on this soon there really won’t be a job. Kaz, you have the blueprint?”

He placed the tube containing the rolled-up paper on the table with a flourish. Rosie reached for it, so Kaz shifted her onto his good leg, bouncing his knee gently to keep her occupied while they went over the plan one more time.

It was a good plan; Kaz had only two suggestions to improve it, and it only took them about twenty minutes to go through the plan once more from start to finish, working out any remaining wrinkles.

For all he was mocking Roeder, even Pim was rather extraneous to the job. All the heavy lifting would really be done by Anika and Inej, and if everything went smoothly, Roeder and Pim would do little more than stand watch.

He scanned the notes once more. If he’d agreed to do the job it would probably be him and Inej running the show by themselves.

It was almost enough to make him wish he was joining them. It had been years since they’d done a job like this, just the two of them; with more money than they knew what to do with, Inej didn’t think highly of jobs that involved stealing for “no reason.”

Luckily, Roeder had found a bank with a sufficiently predatory history to satisfy Inej.

He looked down at Rosanna, who kept trying to reach the tube the blueprint had been kept in, repeating “ba, ba” to herself. Bank?

He smoothed a hand over her belly, eliciting a giggle. There will be other jobs, he thought, fighting a smile.

“Alright, that about does it, I think,” Roeder said, checking the clock on the wall. “Shall we?”

Inej reached for Rosanna, who reached back enthusiastically, settling instantly into her mother’s hold. “Goodbye meja. Don’t keep Papa up too late, okay?” She turned her cheek. “May I have a kiss?”

Rosanna obliged, leaning forward to press her lips to Inej’s cheek with a loud “mwah!”

The three Dregs practically broke out in applause, and as they all took turns saying goodbye to Rosie, with a little prompting, they each got their own slightly-damp kiss.

“She learns a new trick every time I see her!” Pim exclaimed.

“A trick?” Roeder scowled. “Ghezen, Pim, she’s not a puppy…”

Anika gave a dramatic salute, backing up toward the window. “Do svidaniya, Brekker. And don’t worry, I promise we won’t make your wife save all our asses tonight.” She winked, slipping nimbly out the window.

“We can’t guarantee that,” Pim said, following her with less than half his partner’s gracefulness. “But we’ll do our best! Night boss! Night Rosie!”

“Ba! Ba!” Rosie called.

Roeder passed Rosanna back to Inej. “It should go smoothly, I think,” he said, scratching the back of his head. He looked between the two of them. “We seemed to work out any issues.”

Inej nodded, smiling up at him. “I think so, too. It’s a good plan, Roeder.”

He grinned, flushing a little when Kaz nodded.

“It’s not half bad,” he agreed. “And if anything goes wrong, of course, just blame Pim.”

He nodded, doing his best to look serious again. “Will do. Thanks for your help, boss.” He turns to Inej, opening his mouth to say something before realising he should probably give them a minute. “Right, well, see you out there. We’ll wait for you down at the canal.”

Once they were alone, Inej passed Rosie back to him, then surprised him by taking his face in both her hands, drawing him down to kiss him soundly. Her lips moved almost hungrily against his as her tongue explored his mouth as if for the first time. Her body was as flush to his as it could get.

When she eventually pulled back Kaz felt as though he’d been burned.

He bent his head to kiss her again. He didn’t care if she was late meeting the others down by the water. That could wait. It all could wait.

They separated when Rosanna started squirming, wanting to be put down. Kaz wasn’t about to just set her on the kitchen floor, so he moved her to his other arm, trading her for his cane.

Inej watched the exchange, then looked back up at him with an expression that made him want to tell Roeder just to throw the whole thing because the Wraith was his for tonight.

“I wish you were coming,” she said, a small smile gracing her lovely face. “Next time?”

He kissed her again, quickly. “Next time,” he agreed. Next time a job like this came up Ros would probably be old enough to be left with Marya… maybe even left at the Van Ecks’. If it was a short job--overnight, like this one. “I’ll see you when you get home,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow. “Both of you should be sleeping when I get home.”

He shook his head. “I’ll wait for you.”

Without a sound, she was out the window, disappearing like a shadow in the yard.

“Mama?” Rosie cooed, reaching after her.

Kaz kissed the top of her head. “You’re stuck with me tonight, love.”

Rosie turned back to him, her tiny eyebrows drawn together. “Pa… papa?”

He grinned. It had only been a week since she’d first said it, but he knew it would never get old. “There’s my clever girl,” he said, grabbing the rolled-up blueprint off the table and tucking it under his arm. “Now, let’s go get some coffee.”

~~~

The job did go well--smooth as clockwork, Inej thought. She was home an hour early, and since she was alone she even used the front door.

It was pitch black as she crept silently up the staircase, but she wasn’t surprised to see the light coming from the end of the hall, leaking around the edges of the door to Rosie’s nursery.

She pushed the door open, slipping in without a sound. The lamp on the table by the rocking chair spilled a warm, dim light over the room, and over its two occupants.

Inej pressed a hand to her heart. A few picture books sat on the little table, and blocks, stuffed toys, and a rattle or two lay scattered all across the orange and gold rug. Amidst the chaos, in a little spot on the rug cleared of the worst of the debris, lay Kaz and Rosie. Rosie lay with her head turned to her Papa, who was half on his back, half on his side, as if he’d fallen asleep watching her. A pair of twins, they were, with their messy black hair, fair skin, and half of her heart each.

Rosie was in her pajamas, at least, though Kaz was still dressed but for his jacket and shoes, which hung over the back of the rocking chair and sat by the edge of the rug, respectively. His cane rested across the seat of the rocking chair.

Inej scooped up Rosie, who opened her dark eyes sleepily to blink up at her. She might have tried to give a little smile, but even that effort seemed too much, and she was fast asleep before Inej even had her in the crib, pulling the little blanket over her legs.

When she turned, Kaz was rolling onto his side, brushing what looked like cracker crumbs off his waistcoat.

She sat on the rug beside him, criss-crossing her legs. “How was your night?”

He blinked a few times, nearly as disoriented as his daughter. “Lovely.” A few more blinks. “We read books, we played with… with Ollie--” he reached behind his back, shifting, pulling the stuffed crow from beneath him. “Ate some animal crackers. Tried to teach her ‘Rosie,’ which didn’t go terribly well.” He grimaced, lying back down on the rug. “Drank some coffee. Not enough coffee, apparently.”

Inej hopped over him, noticing how Kaz seemed to wake a little more with her sitting atop his stomach. “How does Rosie take her coffee?”

He watched her. “One cream, and one sugar.”

She hummed. “We’ll have to do something about that. Sugar isn't good for babies.”

He shook his head, still watching her. “No, it’s not.” He lifted onto his elbows. “How was the job?”

She grinned. “Oh, it was perfect, Kaz, you would have loved it.”

He smiled back. “I’m sure I would have. Anika didn’t have trouble with the vault?”

“No, she didn’t seem to.” She shrugged delicately. "Although she wouldn’t be my first choice for a safe-cracker, if I had my pick.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

She leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on his left cheek, then his right. “No,” she said. His jaw was just the tiniest bit scratchy with stubble. “She’s very good, but only because she learned from the best, I’ll wager.”

She could hear him swallow as she kissed the left corner of his mouth, then the right. “She’s more of a budget-friendly alternative?”

Inej laughed, her hands reaching for the knot of his neck tie. “I wouldn’t say that--”

He grinned wolfishly, sitting up a little straighter. “That’s alright, I’ll say it for you.”

She rolled her eyes, but kept untying the knot, tucking his tie pin into a pocket of her quilted vest. “I’ll just say that I too prefer the original.”

He stayed still while she detached the collar of his shirt, slipping it free. “You don’t seem tired, for having just spent your night robbing a bank,” he observed.

“No,” she agreed. “I feel rather awake.” She started on the buttons of her shirt, then paused. “You see, my husband told me he’d be waiting up for me.”

Kaz’s eyes were dark. “Ah. He’s an untrustworthy sod, that husband of yours.”

“He can be,” she said, then kissed him fiercely. She pulled back a little, resting her forehead against his. “But not to me.”

Kaz sat up, and Inej lifted just slightly to keep her weight off his bad leg. He rested his hands on her waist. “Still, he’ll have to make it up to you.”

She combed his hair back with her fingers, as though there was any hope of it staying tidy for long. “He does not,” she said. She smoothed her thumb over his mouth, tugging oh-so-gently at his bottom lip. “He has no amends to make. He only fell asleep because he was being the most loving, attentive father to our baby girl. He is more than I could have asked for.” She kissed his forehead. “And for that reason--in addition to so many others--I love him more than I could ever say.”

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