[It isn't the same as when they're in person, but Kaz is nothing if not adaptable. Making the best of a situation is one of his mottos, and that includes staying in touch with Inej when she's at sea. The occasional random message at odd hours at least let one another know they were alive and well enough to reach out, and provided unspoken company when shadows brought only solitude. Right now he's in his office, pouring over falsified documents for his latest project as the rest of the Slat is resting, his mind naturally going in many directions at the same time. After some internal debate on it, he sends a message to her.]
New theory. There was a body double before the party, but they were in on the attack.
[The ambassador's demise from years ago, he's going to crack that case one day or never give up trying.]
[ This is what he sends at this ungodly hour? Inej isn't surprised. Kaz's mind never stops even when it should—and he doesn't know when to give up, either. She's long since done so, thinking it better to leave this mystery alone.
But he hasn't, and that's something she admires most about him. ]
Say there was a body double, do you really think no one else would've noticed someone who looked like the deceased walking around the party?
[ As soon as Inej sends it, she thinks better of it. There's drink at parties. When people drink, they have no idea what they see. ]
I think people recognize positions of power more than a misplaced freckle, and seeing someone looking like him out and about before the body was discovered could have confused the supposed time of death.
[Scraping the bottom of the Barrel for new possible angles comes easily to one who lives in it. Truly it never even enters Kaz's mind to stop such ruminations, or that he's being his weird self in thinking it an appropriate conversation starter with her.]
Of course, if we push back the time of death then, we could bring previously ruled out suspects back into consideration.
[ He'd make a fantastic detective if he wanted to work on the other side of the law.
Inej can't believe she's going to humour him, but she misses him and she can't sleep, and this is a much better way to occupy her time than staring at a map or venturing out to the deck with the light drizzle of rain. ]
Alright.
So there's a body double. After he's dead, we'd have to assume the body double walks around without interacting with anyone else, but he's seen enough to jumble the timeline. You might not notice a misplaced freckle, but surely someone would notice a facial feature is different. A thin nose suddenly becoming wider? A confident walk suddenly looking insecure? Not everyone is oblivious, especially regarding someone was prestigious as him.
They might not notice if he kept his distance and was just out briefly. People would be more drawn to the outfit than anything, and they often see what they expect to find rather than assuming deception.
It's possible, is what I'm saying.
[Who else is he going to talk to about these things if not her?]
I'm glad you've finally started listening to Jesper.
[ Isn't he always saying that the outfit makes or breaks how seriously one takes you? While Inej expects Kaz to roll his eyes and push the implication he takes Jesper's rambles about fashion seriously, she can see their friend's influence even if Kaz doesn't.
And it's nice to think that Kaz listens to him, even when he walks away mid-sentence. ]
There are some people who look beyond outfits, Kaz.
Besides, if there was a body double who was involved, how would you even identify who that person is? They could have been Tailored to look different now. I feel it's a dead end either way.
[From how he dresses like a merch to spite them to helping legends grow around wearing his gloves, Kaz has known for a very long time now the power that how one presents themselves is valuable provided one could control the narrative.]
By changing the time of death, it opens up other previously discounted players from being involved. Tie it to one of them and there’s your trail then to the body double. I’m going to go back over those who were cleared based upon the time of death, and I reserve the right to get smug when I solve it.
[Fine though, he accepts that not all share his obsessive need to solve this crime and lets the topic go for now.]
I look forward to hearing just how smug you are about it from Jesper. Be sure to be incredibly insufferable for me.
[ He truly is a dog without a bone, but that's why she's always felt safe with him. He never gives up and never accepts what he's told if his gut is telling him otherwise. She assumes he'll solve it before she docks at Fifth Habor, and if he doesn't, perhaps he'll discuss his findings with her over waffles. ]
Is this your way of saying you've picked up a stray and need a home for it?
I don't think Jesper's even aware the case exists.
[Is that sharing too much? Did she think that Kaz wiled away hours with others on these topics, where there isn't a clear profit to be had from it? That he's claimed it's to hone his mind, rather than fulfilling a childhood need to always figure things out? Or is this her saying he should pass on the baton to someone else?
No. That would be cruel to put like that if that's what she meant, and that's something Inej never is with him.]
You can read about it in the papers, I'll make sure you get a good headline sent your way.
[Best to just make light of it all and move right along.]
I've picked up nothing. There's a raggedy cat whose taken to eating our mice, which is fair enough, but I did point out that they should just wait until it finds it's way into Wylan's supplies.
Before it finds its way to Wylan's supplies, Anika will insist on it becoming a Crow. You know she's fond of fluffy things.
[ And Inej thinks it'll be amusing to come back to Ketterdam to greet the newest member of the Dregs. ]
Is someone feeding it? Other than the mice. Cats need something else to feast on from time to time.
[ Not that she knows much about cats, but there had been one that had travelled with her caravan to a few cities before finding greener pastures. The thought of Kaz feeding a stray cat is amusing, and something she'd believe fully in without question. She knows firsthand his fondness for strays. ]
I thought about spraying Wylan with noxious odors to be avoided but he took umbrage at the prospect of acting as a training deterrent.
The flea carrier responds equally to 'you cat' and 'tenth life' if you're holding foods so I'm thinking it responds to reward rather than wordage. You can name it what you like if you want it, so long as you know it's insubordinate, cares predominately for it's own notion of profit, and is equally likely to bring mice to you because you're too dumb a human to survive without the assistance as it is to eating a mouse in front of you for the audience of gluttonously not sharing.
[ A very particular someone, although Inej doubts she needs to state the obvious. ]
I think I'd like to call it Kazzle. My dearest, daring and darling Kazzle.
[ Perhaps that's revealing more of her hand than she'd like, but Inej thinks she can easily sidestep away from any claims that she wants to bring Kaz to the True Sea. She'll name it something different, but "Kaz" is its middle name. ]
And when I take it on the True Sea, I'll at least have a little bit of home with me.
Nina does have questionably effusive sentiments towards her meals, doesn't she.
[He is not going to admit he and the cat have gotten that close even though he comforts it when there's gunfire. Though there's a little flip flop in his stomach at her next statement. Funny how he'd be on the defensive only at any other acknowledging his softness, though he's still gruff now because he knows no other way to receive a compliment that isn't about his brutal nature.]
Yes, Ketterdam feasts on the rodents that civilized society pretends wouldn't eat them whole otherwise.
[It's not what she meant. He knows it. She knows this life, he's lived it. It's a knee-jerk reaction to her admitting she'll carry parts of him while he knows and appreciates she won't wait for him forever to get himelf together.]
That.. wasn't at you. It was at others we're dealing with. [He wouldn't normally explain but for her, he will since she's not around to also scoff at those he means.] I trust you to handle a mouse assassin and rations thief, you've some practice at it.
[ He needs to stop worrying so much. If he's going to criticise her, he'll do so directly. That's something that she had once feared with him, having been fresh out of the Menagerie and Tante Heleen's sharp criticisms, but she soon realised that Kaz Brekker only gave critique to see someone grow stronger. He never did so to make anyone feel weaker.
And he thinks entirely too kindly of her. She pretends to be strong enough to handle mice, but she'll gladly hide behind the likes of Jesper and Specht if one so much as appears. ]
But sometimes it's nice to have help. And I wouldn't mind a fluffy friend as long as it doesn't mind being wet most of the time.
But I am surprised you don't have an issue with its name. Do I spy someone who you've finally deemed worthy of your name, Kaz Brekker?
Your eyebrows are expressive, Kaz. Why do you always have to look at everything as though the glass is half empty?
[ And yes… they're large, but they're long and he's emotive with them even if he doesn't realise he is. It's one of the pieces of him that she feels isn't so stoic and trapped beneath his facade of being untouchable. She likes that about him, his stupid eyebrows. ]
I'm clearly Crow Two. Perhaps Three, now that Wylan is around to ensure that Jesper behaves. That surely must've earned him a promotion in the ranks.
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