noreasonneeded | IC/Overflow Post

[ Les nods in understanding as he speaks and studies the forged letter that he's been working on then one of the source letters he has, seeing the similarities between them. If she didn't see it with her own eyes, she wouldn't be able to tell that it was a forgery. Which was, ultimately the point. ]

That makes the most sense. Just like everything, practice makes perfect. Or progress if you're not an overachiever like us.

[ She snorts in amusement. ]

So no My beloved snookums either? That's disappointing but fair, I guess. So is he a more 'to the point' writer or does he write in code due to paranoia of his correspondence being found and read?

Oh, no code. He’s a shrewd businessman but not to the point of spy-level tactics. There’s some doublespeak but one doesn’t need to correspond letters to numbers or something of that nature. This is the reason though that I only commit to paper what is absolutely necessary in the case of an audit. I’m told I’m a terrible letter writer because of it, even in matters that don’t pertain to business.

Have you come across any spy-level tactics? [ She can't help but be curious and ask the questions on her mind. ] I can see why, knowing that anything could be intercepted and potentially used against you. I assume that includes those you consider friends as well?

In this instance? No, I haven't.

[He doesn't mind the questions, even if he's so tired that the answers are rather to the point rather than elaborate. It's obvious when he does get annoyed by someone asking him things or talking to him as he doesn't try to hide it. When feeling pestered he tends to give clear looks and scathing rebukes. Right now though he just twists in his seat to stretch his back, feeling the joints pop.]

Including friends. [Perhaps especially friends.] It's bad enough to know who my acquaintances are, why add on top of that how I correspond with them.

[Even his phone and that of the Crows would not have records accessible by the authorities or general public. Off the grid paranoia is a way of life. His fingers lightly tap on the desk, seemingly a touch restless but it's not directed at her as his eyes look down at the papers he's forging. His tone is scathing and dismissive.] No, he and his friends don't have spy skills, or anything special about them beyond being born into money and making poor choices on how they use it.

In general? In all of your experiences?

[ She watches him and knows he should, one day, sleep more than an hour but who is she to tell him that? After all, she was and could be just as bad as him when given a project. ]

Then I am sure Inej has been thrilled by any correspondence you've sent her since she's been away. [ She can't help but tease him just a little and it doesn't take a genius to know that they've most definitely communicated at least a bit. ] Though, to be fair, I've become much the same way after knowing anyone could be after me.

So they're that kind of person then, that's lovely.

In my overall experience, I've met a number of spies. All the gangs here have them, many of the merchers have them, and dealing with overseas political messes, both the governments and the militaries have them.

I tell Inej things are fine. And they are.

They're that kind of person, yes. Kerch only breeds the finest of those. [He lifts one shoulder in a shrug as though it doesn't matter. Or rather, he can't let it matter too much, or else he'll be acting out of emotion rather than reason.] It'll get handled. Anyway. How's the coffee?

That was a dumb question. [ She says after a moment with a laugh, sitting back in her chair and rubbing at her temples. She sits up and reaches for the coffee, taking a sip. Obviously, this meant she needed more coffee! ] Of course there would be plenty of spies around here. Yours included.

They are fine. [ She agrees with a little nod, watching him as she takes another sip of the coffee. It wasn't bad - even rewarmed up. ] If she wanted other news, I'm sure she'd reach out to Jesper or Nina.

I have no doubt that you will. At least the correspondence sounds straightforward enough. The coffee is good. I could go make more since you gave me your last cup.

It isn’t dumb to not immediately think on how the criminal underbelly works in a place like Ketterdam. Especially since it mirrors how the supposedly lawful side really operates, too. Yes, though. Ketterdam is where everyone comes to wheel and deal away from lawful prying eyes. It makes no such promises on other prying, though. [He says it with some pride. Ketterdam might be the cesspool of the world in terms of morals and scruples, but it’s also where so many come to make or break their fortunes. It’s independent and wealthy, even if that wealth isn’t evenly distributed yet. He could never count on the law but he learned to count on himself in these streets, and he embraces the promises his city brings, however broken they might be.]

I can just imagine how that news goes.

[His eyes fall on the empty pot sitting on his desk. He’s drunk all but the cup he shared with Piper, which means he’s been sitting now for quite awhile. Kaz often sits to rest his leg, but even he has his limits.] I’ll walk with you. I need the lav and to make sure nothing’s been set on fire in the past few hours. Although with you here where I can see you, that does lessen those odds slightly. [He’s teasing. He slowly gets to his feet, stretching his back before grabbing his cane to head downstairs with her.]

With everything I've learned about Ketterdam, it really shouldn't be so surprising. [ She can hear the pride in his voice and it's not completely unfounded. Ketterdam was an interesting place and one that her younger self may not have appreciated as much as she did now. Having been through everything she had and having needed what this place had to offer, she rather liked it. Or maybe it was because she had good ties to Kaz and his crows. ]

I can equally imagine it as well. Especially anything from Jesper.

[ She nods and stands from the chair, grabbing the empty pot. ] It was the one time. Jesper dared me and I can't turn down a dare. [ Piper can't help but tease in return as they walk down. She gets to work on the new pot of coffee while listening to everything going on around her. ]

While he can move deceptively fast in a fight, Kaz isn't as quick as some of the stealthier people he knows like Inej. On the trip down he's slower than Piper, his cane an added click against the floorboards as they make their way. She seems to keep pace with him. Most of his friends do, unless he annoys them. Along the way he mostly gives nods to people as they pass, unless a question is asked in which case he answers. He leaves the coffee making in Piper's capable hands. There's an energy to the house but not excessive or frantic as there isn't any immediate threat on hand.

In the kitchen Nina is sitting at the table making orange cardamom cookies. Kaz's gaze gives her a quirked eyebrow look. "I'd ask if you're stress baking but you'd only say yes now that I'm here."

"So glad we've reached the point where you can insult yourself for me." She offers Piper a piece of orange. "And no, I'm fine, Kaz. I'm think baking. Not stress baking." Her smile fades as she clucks her tongue seeing what Piper is doing. "You two can't be trusted, neither of you needs more coffee."

"Coffee goes with cookies."

"Who says you're getting cookies? Les is getting cookies, I didn't say anything about you." Her words lack any bite as she looks actually pleased when Kaz helps himself to an orange slice. Put food in front of him and he'll usually be compelled to steal it. She's unlocked the secret. It works at least half the time.

"I don't talk when I'm chewing," Kaz points out as though shutting him up is a valid reason to feed him.

"... fine, but one day you're both getting decaf."

Piper laughs and takes the piece of orange from Nina with a thank you and pops it into her mouth. "Isn't it nice when it gets to that point," she asks Nina with an amused grin before turning to make the coffee.

"I used to bake when I was stressed. Mostly brownies and chocolate chip cookies though," Piper admits with a grin. "These look like they're going to be excellent." But Nina's baking always is.

"I am not held responsible if my blood and caffeine levels are screwed up, who knows what may happen," she says before turning to watch them. "Not that I will ever turn down cookies because who would, but what's on your mind?"

Not that Nina has to explain anything but she'll ask the questions regardless.

Piper gasps in shock. "How dare you bring in the blasphemy of decaf to these hollowed halls."

"Food is therapeutic. Especially food that isn't good for you," Nina agrees with a nod. "I was thinking about the upcoming street festival Ketterdam has every year at the end of summer." She never got a chance to take Matthias but she's not going to let herself think on that part right now. "Maybe I'll enter the baking competition. If we're not working at the event."

She eyes Kaz, who says nothing while eating his orange, and sighs. "Are we working through the event, Kaz?"

"Not all of it." He rises with the rind in his hand, reaching out to Piper to take hers too to the trash. "You should have some time to enjoy it." He didn’t plan on taking time to participate in the festivities after, but once the job was done he didn’t care if the others did.

"And you were gonna let us know when?"

"When you needed to know." He gives her a lopsided smirk and steers clear of her reach when returning to the table.

She still flips him off. "Piper can have real coffee. Forget decaf. You're getting dirt grounds." She looks back at Piper, then. "You should come if you’re in town. It's fun even if Kaz tries to make it anything but. We can enter the baking contest together.”

"Especially food that isn't good for you," Piper agrees with a little grin. It was something she used to do with Jordan a lot when they were in the midst of finals or some other big project on the horizon. Afterward... well, much like everything else, it stopped. She had other things to focus on. When was the last time she baked anything? "That sounds really fun," she says, focusing back on the conversation at hand. "You absolutely should join the competition, you'd blow them all out of the water."

She hands over the rind to Kaz with a little thank you. "So basically after it was all said and done," she teases Nina with a laugh and picks up a second mug.

Piper takes a minute to consider her schedule at the end of the summer and nods. "I'd like that. It's been a while since I've baked anything but I would enter the baking contest with you hands down. I should be free then."

"The motto here is first work then play," Nina agrees with a little laugh and shake of her head. "Which is better than all work and no play, which I'm sure Kaz would prefer, but we nag him enough that it's more balanced." It's a far cry from her life as a child soldier in the Second Army where she ended up after her powers manifested at the orphanage. There she did form connections with some people, but there had been the constant push and stress to advance her powers and prowess for the good of her people. A part of her feels guilty for not going back, but she also relishes the freedom. As much of a taskmaster as Kaz can be, she could walk away at any time without him hunting her down. She's here by her choice. They all are, and that's what makes the little misfit family so powerful and important to her.

She smiles in delight as Les agrees, knowing the other woman needs fun in her life, too. They all do. "Great. We'll have to make some practice recipes while you're around, see what works best." She begins to scoop the cookie dough onto a sheet, warning Kaz and his nimble fingers, "There's raw egg in here. Don't. I don't care about your goat stomach, don't eat it until it's cooked." Her eyes narrow as he looks a little put out, but he backs down and folds his arms at the table. "What recipes do you usually like to make?" she asks Les to find out where the woman's expertise in baking lay. There were a lot of different types of baked goods, after all.

Piper laughs and nods her head. At one point, she'd had more play in her life but when everything happened, she became just as focused as Kaz was. She was glad that they'd had time in their life to play and to learn their abilities without their life being solely about their 'destiny'. Which was what so many of their ancestors had wanted. She's not sure she would want to know how she would have ended up had that been her background. But it didn't matter. She was here and she was forging her own path forward. And, truthfully she could use the fun.

"You know what they say about all work and no play," she says with a grin. "Really, you're lucky you have so many people looking out for you." She couldn't help but tease him and knew that a) she was one to talk and b) he still worked most of the time.

She snorts when he backs down but she had to admit, she did enjoy some raw cookie dough herself. "Basically sweets," she admits with a grin. "I always went for the cakes, brownies, and cookie recipes. Sometimes the rare pie or two. But the cakes and brownies were my favorites."

“What if my work is my play?” Kaz counters, thumb lightly tapping on the table beneath his folded arms. Even if he plans years in advance, there’s a restlessness to him that Nina’s noticed. A sense of persistent urgency as though he’s always racing against a clock, or against… something. Someone? She’s never figured it out, but she’s noticed that Kaz is the embodiment of perpetual motion. He is that shark that he’s always called, though perhaps for more reasons than just a predator hunting prey.

Nina shakes her head. “It doesn’t work like that, Kaz. You can enjoy your work, but it isn’t the same as play. It shouldn’t be.” She doesn’t think even he really buys what he’s saying, or else he wouldn’t let everyone but himself take days off.

The oven timer goes off and Kaz rises to his feet, taking the tray from her to put it in to bake. He gives her a smirk as he does so, one that’s shiny and sharp, smooth as a surface and no deeper than one, either. “Then I’ll just outsource it.”

Impossible man. She gives a huff, but at least he doesn’t eat raw egg. Sometimes it’s the bare minimum and all about small favors with Kaz Brekker. Looking back at Piper, she gives a smile. “Cakes and brownies are wonderful choices. And it’s so easy when baking with chocolate for things to end up dry, so it does take a deft hand. I usually like a little spice in my baked goods. Sometimes heat, but also just warm spices. Fall is definitely my favorite season because of that.”

"Although, I can see stealing art work being your idea of play though," Piper muses, her tone teasing though as she watches the two. She has also noticed the way he never sits still and from everything she knows, she's not surprised. She figures it's when he is sitting still that they should really worry. But she couldn't really say anything, she was constantly moving or doing something with her hands.

She turns back to the coffee pot and pours a mug. "Do you want a cup now or when we go back upstairs," she asks, glancing over at Kaz, fully intending to take the pot up with them.

"I don't think that's how outsourcing works, my friend," Piper laughs and brings the mug up to her mouth for a sip.

She looks at Nina with a smile. "That's for sure. it took me one too many times to realize what I was doing wrong," she admits. "Oh, spice is good. What is your favorite recipe to make?"

“Stealing artwork is part of my work, that’s -”

“Further proof of your psychosis?” Nina offers sweetly, utterly unperturbed at teasing him as he limps back to his seat after putting the cookies in the oven.

Kaz flips her off as he finishes answering. “It’s a perfectly reasonable and valid use of one’s time. It’s great practice at evading security systems. And showing the wealthy they aren’t entitled to everything money can buy.”

“Spiting your enemies is not a hobby, but you should get one, Kaz.” She says, knowing she’s talking to a brick wall. “Not inviting you to bake with me and Les, though. Stealing cookies doesn’t count, either. You can ask to have some.”

“Dear Nina, sweetest treat of the Slat, will you share your cookies with me?” Kaz places a hand over his heart when delivering that sarcastic plea in an innocent tone.

She laughs. “You’re as charming as a can of cold soup, Kaz.”

“Gazpacho isn’t bad. And that’s not a no,” he points out, in which case he adds as he turns to Piper, “I’ll have a cup here, and then the rest upstairs.” His leg makes him not inclined to walk back up the stairs then down again for the twelve or so minutes they take to bake.

“What he means is, can he please have one here and thanks for getting it for him,” Nina translates dryly before answering the question Les sent her way, “I think I make a great spice cake, and I’ve also made gingerbreads and apple cider breads. All the warm spices are great in cakes, breads, and cookies. Some people don’t find them sweet enough but I love them.”

“She also makes good lemon curds,” Kaz cuts in as he polishes his cane.

Nina faux whispered to Les, “He has a fruit fixation. It’s not as annoying as his revenge fixation, so we let him have it.”

Piper snorts. "You know, for most 'play' just means you're having fun with it, and considering you seem to really enjoy and dare I say it, have fun stealing artwork, I would argue that it is your idea of play. Even if most wouldn't." She watches with an amused look at the play-by-play between Nina and Kaz. She's sure this is how she and Adonis look and sound depending on the day.

She takes a sip from her mug before setting it down and pours one for Kaz and takes it over to him. "I figured that may be the case," she says with an amused smirk. "I'm glad for the refresh of Kaz-isms."

"It has been far too long since I've had a spice cake or gingerbread but I remember really liking both. Not sure I've had an apple cider bread before."

She pauses and gives a mock gasp. "Wait, did you say something was 'good', Kaz Brekker? That is decidedly better than fine. I think you need to mark this on a calendar or something," she says the last part in a mock whisper to Nina.

"A fruit fixation is also a little healthier than a revenge fixation so I'd give him that one too."

“Fun is a social construct made up by people who just aren’t productive enough to find satisfaction in getting ahead. Just like saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are pointless social norms,” Kaz protests. “If someone wants to do something, they’ll do it. If they don’t, they don’t. Adding on a phrase shouldn’t matter if the price and motivation is good enough.”

Nina groans and gives Piper a side eye. “Thanks for giving him caffeine, he can keep going like this all night,” she teases. Really, Kaz doesn’t even need caffeine to do it. The man has two levels he operates at, utter silence or grandstanding. There’s never a middle ground.

Really though, as fun as it is to tease Kaz, Nina loves getting to spend time with her friend who isn’t here as often these days. It doesn’t feel like so long ago they were all under the same roof, with goals that aligned if weren’t identical. She gets Piper’s loyalty to New Orleans, one that’s taken her out of Ketterdam. Hell, Nina’s thought about moving back to Ravka or Fjerda herself. Still, she misses the woman and naturally wants to make the most of their time together. “Tomorrow morning I’ll make some apple cider bread for breakfast,” she promises.

“I didn’t mean good as in taste, I meant good as in being useful,” Kaz clarifies as he sips his coffee. “A lemon pie stings someone’s eyes far worse than a less acidic pie to the face.” Ever practical, of course. “The taste though of the lemons is fine.”

“Go figure his heart belongs to something sour and bitter,” Nina stage whispers to Piper. “And I hope you both are living for more than revenge these days. Tell me about everything important in New Orleans. Don’t leave out the fashion and hot spots to visit.”

"You know I had to," she teases back to Nina and watches Kaz with an amused look. "Ah yes, spoken like a true workaholic." Though let's be honest here, she knew she really didn't have any room to talk or tease. She was just as bad as Kaz was. Though to her credit, she was relearning what it meant to have some fun in her life that wasn't fighting evil or avenging her cousin and boyfriend.

She was glad she had the opportunity to come back and spend time with her friends. It'd been a little too long and she missed Nina, Jesper, and naturally, Kaz though they'd had time to reconnect when he'd been in New Orleans. Still, it wasn't the same as when she'd stayed in Ketterdam. "I look forward to it," she says with a grin at her. She enjoyed their language lessons and looked forward to baking with her. It would give her a good reason to get out of town more and come by for a visit.

Not that she needed a reason but all the same.

She arches an eyebrow at Kaz and hums unconvincingly. "Of course that's how you meant it. Not that I disagree but," she says with an amused smirk. "I still think you need to count this as a win," she says to Nina with a grin, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I think we're both living for a little more than revenge these days. At least, for the most part, I am. You will need to come and visit me sometime soon and I will show you all of the hot spots to check out. Magazine Street has fantastic finds, I think they'd be right up your alley, and of course the Riverwalk Outlets. The food you would love the most though... the whole city is a food lover's dream."

“Calling me a workaholic makes it sound like a problem. I prefer to consider my lifestyle a solution instead,” Kaz banters back. His tone is light and flippant, though not without some truth underscoring it that most might not notice. Diving into work does help keep other parts of his life at bay, an excuse to not deal with them. Though like Piper, he’s lowered his impenetrable walls a little for the people who are family to him now, to where he might complain but he will share a drink with Jesper or share late night waffles with Nina.

“I’ll take the win,” Nina agrees with a grin just as Kaz says simultaneously, “It’s thieves who take, so I must have won.”

Nina shakes her head and gives Piper a ‘you see what I have to put up with?’ look. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“It does if you think about it. But I know you avoid what makes you think…” Kaz ducks as Nina lobs an orange slice at him.

“You made it land on the floor! Stop wasting food!”

“I should let you hit me so the food’s not wasted?” Kaz asks dryly as he leans over to pick it up and shrugs. “It’s fine.”

“Don’t you dare eat that. Don’t you dare blow on it and then eat it.”

“Why, is the floor that dirty? I can wash it off.” He rises to his feet to rinse off the orange slice.

“That isn’t how germs work, you know. I saw it on an episode of Mythbusters. The five second rule is a myth and so is rinsing off germs.” Nina knows it’s a lost cause though and just shakes her head. “Gross, Kaz. But look who I'm talking to, your body’s nothing but one big infestation at this point. I bet you're immune to everything.”

Why did Kaz’s shoulders bunch up in tension for a moment at that? It only lasts a moment but Nina is puzzled, it’s no worse than their other joking. They'd just been having fun as usual. She casts a quizzical look at Piper but doesn’t say anything, letting the topic shift to one more pleasant. “Yes, PLEASE, I would love to visit. Can I come back with you after the festival? I’m sure I’ll need a few days off. You can show me around and I can show you how good caraway goes in coffee. It’ll be a gateway to showing you that tea is superior.”

Edited (Grammar is asking too much on a Saturday.) 2023-09-23 15:16 (UTC)

Piper holds the mug of coffee between both of her hand and watches the two go back and forth with a laugh. There were nights when she wasn't handling her grief and when she was already up but her mind was full of questions like: did we annoy them too much with our constant arguing and fighting? Did we spend too much time working and not enough time enjoying the time we had together?

And while she was sure the answer was yes for both questions, she's not sure they would have done anything different if turning back time and changing things was even a possibility.

It had taken a while to start letting her guard down again and let people in. Some days it was still hard to do but she was glad that eventually, she'd taken a shot with this misfit group. Life had been beyond different for every single one of them and yet somehow they'd all come together around Kaz.

She mentally shakes her head to focus back on the conversation before her and snorts at the look Nina gives her. Piper takes a sip of her coffee and watches as Kaz walks over to wash the orange off so he could pop it into his mouth. "You know, I think I missed that episode," she muses, glancing over at Nina. "I should find it sometime. Never knew."

She noticed the way his shoulders tensed when Nina mentioned being immune to everything and shares a look with her. She couldn't begin to imagine what made him react that way - it wasn't any worse than Nina has teased him about in the past. Still, she lets the conversation change easily and grins.

"You can absolutely come back with me after the festival. I have a spare room and I can show you everything. I'm less sure about this caraway and coffee..." she drags out with a grin. "But willing to try it and see."

It was nice having company. She'd enjoyed it when Kaz came to visit her and she realized how she longed for company at times.

Nina clasps her hands, her eyes dancing. “Perfect. Yes, show me everything. I want to fit in.” A leftover of her spy days, Nina is extremely adept at fitting into just about anywhere, but she’ll also always take any excuse to shop and have a guided tour. “And I think you’ll like it. I promise, it’s good.”

At the start, drawing people to him had been strategic. As a child Kaz had spent several years perfectly fine surviving on his own until he found Pekka Rollins again. He saw the might and muscle the man had at his beck and call, and realized he needed an army of his own to fight back. The next day he found the Dregs, joining them with the intention of whipping them into a shape he could wield against Rollins. Into a weapon, into an army at his disposal. He told himself that fixing up the Slat, providing food and housing and decent wages, was all done with a selfishness in his heart.

It was that, too. It was very much rooted in selfishness.

Not entirely, however.

Dirtyhands, leader of the Dregs, knows his worth and what he offers to make recruiting someone into his crew profitable for them.

Kaz Brekker, the man behind the myth, the one who put a knife in a traumatized girl’s hand and promised her she was dangerous… he’d forgotten that side of himself existed until Jesper, Inej, Nina, Piper, Wylan, and Matthias came into his life. Until they didn’t let him accept the excuses he made for why he did kind things in between the atrocities he committed. He doesn’t feel he deserves his new family, he doesn’t think it will truly last, but he will protect them with everything he has.

Even when he can’t protect himself from memories of the past. His skin itches beneath his gloves, and his lungs feel like they’re filling. He shoves the orange in his mouth to hide drawing in a deep breath. Ripping off the flesh with his teeth, he tosses the peel into the trash. He starts to head out of the room without a word, cane clacking on the floor.

Nina leans back in her seat. “Where are you going?”

“What’s it to you?” It’s a touch more snappish than playful. He evens his tone out. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Cookies should be close to ready when you get back. They don’t take long to bake. Let Jesper and Wylan know, too.” Nina isn’t going to apologize when she doesn’t know what she even did wrong, but it’s still a peace offering of sorts. Kaz gives a nod and leaves the room. Once he’s gone she blows out a breath. “He really is like a drawer full of bees. There’s sometimes honey but always stingers.”

"I have no doubt that you'll fit in no matter where you go," Piper says with a grin. It was something she admired about her, honestly. She herself could only do so in certain areas but to anyone who was sensitive and could pick up on power, she stood out simply due to who she was.

The sudden movement of Kaz leaving the kitchen causes her to blink before turning to Nina.

While she was used to Kaz's quirks from their friendship over the years, sometimes moments like now, threw her for a loop. She was sure there was a reason though. There always was with Kaz. And while she was curious, something that she's always been since a child, she wouldn't bring it up now. Much like her curiosity regarding the gloves. It wasn't the time or place.

He never really pushed her to talk about anything she refused to talk about so she would give him the same consideration. She snorts at Nina's comment and turns toward the door, hearing footsteps heading in their direction. "He has his moments," she muses, shaking her head to herself.

Jesper and Wylan pass Kaz while he's on his way to the bathroom and steps into the kitchen. "Nina, beautiful, did you make cookies? They smell divine. Who stuck the bees in his bonnet?" he says, walking over and pressing a kiss to Nina's cheek then Piper's before grabbing some water.

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hope it's okay I tossed Wylan in with Jesper!

Always!

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