IC/Overflow Post

[noreasonneeded]

Random messages and thread continuations welcome here!

Comments

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

[callmeles]

"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.

Always!

[noreasonneeded]

"Flattery will get you everywhere, including first choice when they get out of the oven." Nina turns her cheek upwards from where she's sitting and smiles at the kiss. She's as physically affectionate as Jesper is, and it's nice to have someone else around who enjoys it. At his question she waves a hand and sighs. "Me, I'm the bees, but who knows what even caused the sting." She looks to Piper for confirmation that what she'd said was mystifying in why it irked Kaz.

Wylan enters in Jesper's shadow, content to be quiet and unobtrusive. He simply smiles and slinks down into a seat, letting Jesper command the stage. It's only when Jesper poses the question that Wylan speaks up, a habit from being raised in a dysfunctional home where he made excuses for everyone around him acting poorly. "He's got a lot going on, he might just be stressed out."

"Kaz thrives on stress. It's when there's not enough stress in his life that he gets more stressed." Nina gives a shrug. "Whatever, it's not like he'll tell us, anyway. The one person he might have told is now sailing the high seas. Who knows if they even still talk or..." her voice trails off as the distinctive sound of a cane thumps to a stop in the doorway. She gives Kaz a beatific smile. "Hi, we were absolutely talking about you." She notices that his sleeves are wet, like he'd harshly scrubbed his hands and arms, and the hair around his face is a little damp. She leaves it be.

"You must have better things to talk about," Kaz comments wryly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Always," Nina assures him, looking back around the small group. It's hard not to still picture Matthias with them in moments like this, but she tries to focus on what and who she does have. "It's been ages since we've all been together like this." Well, almost all together. They're still missing Inej. "Piper was catching us up on everything going on in New Orleans. Wylan and I are very interested in your work, and Jesper will look very fascinated while keeping guard on the cookies. Jes, just take them out when the timer goes off if you're going to hover like that, love."

[callmeles]

Piper smiles and presses a quick kiss to his cheek before taking another sip from her mug. She had been more physically affectionate before her life had completely changed and it had taken her a while to feel comfortable with it again (without over worrying about this or that). She honestly appreciates that affection more than she can convey to them in words.

Jesper grins and leans against the counter near the oven. He loved Nina's baking. "That was my goal," he says pointing a finger in her direction. Looking between her and Piper, he gives a little shrug. "If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else perhaps." He'd been that little bee once or twice, he's sure. He glances at Wylan and nods. "Or he's right."

"I have no doubt they talk. Maybe not as often as when she lived here but they talk," Piper muses before hearing the sound of his cane thumping on the floor. She watches as he walks in with the wet sleeves and files it away in the back of her mind like she does so many other things.

Jesper barks out a laugh at Nina's comment because leave it to Nina to be the most straight forward of the lot. "I'm here for the cookies," he says waving a hand at the oven. "I will have you know, I am very interested in your work but... mostly the cookies. You can count on me, love. For this much."

Piper grins and shakes her head. "New Orleans is keeping me busy and there is always something going on. Still sorting out everything that is going on with the place and making it a little better for the witches and Grisha who call it home. It's not so busy that I haven't been able to get away though which is nice. I like getting the opportunity to come back." Though, it's not the same without Inej or Matthias here.

[noreasonneeded]

On first glance at her brash nature, the word spy doesn’t immediately come to mind for Nina Zenik. Spies are built like Inej, small and slim, hiding in shadows and scaling walls. Or at least, that’s one popular perception. Nina though is a social chameleon, her power of knowing intimately how a person feels makes her stellar at then knowing how to handle them. She’s right at home charming thugs in a dimly lit tavern as she is sharing tea with kings and queens. A child soldier trained spy who chooses not to play that game any longer by political rules hanging over her head. Perhaps a traditional spy wouldn’t say it like it is right off the cuff and straight from the heart, but Nina thrives in living that way.

Besides, someone like Kaz needs someone in his life to be blunt with him. It doesn’t seem like he has very many who actually do that, for all the love and friends that surround him. Nina can’t blame them for it, because everyone is dealing with their own issues in their own ways. Asking someone like Wylan to confront Kaz is asking for a lot; she only sees it when Kaz is about to cross a moral line that Wylan won’t.

“If I can do anything to help you, let me know,” Nina assures Les regarding her work in New Orleans. “I may not be the most popular Grisha since I left the Second Army, but if they’re hiding out in New Orleans anyway, they might not mind the deflection.” And at the end of the day, a lot of Grisha felt a kinship for their own.

The ding goes off and she waves a hand at Jesper to take the tray out, warning him, “I don’t know if you can touch hot metal or not, but if not, use a pot holder.” The smell in the air is admittedly delightful, though she sighs as Wylan gets up to get some coffee to go with it. “Such a Kerchman,” she teases him, as Kerch is known for being coffee drinkers. “Jesper, you’ll join me in tea against all these coffee beans, won’t you?”

Wylan just smiles and quietly sets out small plates for everyone. Not paper ones - Kaz hates spending money on paper plates when they have perfectly good ones they can just wash.

[callmeles]

"Actually, having you in New Orleans for a few days may be perfect. It could help them. There aren't a ton of Grisha, but there's enough that it would be worthwhile meeting up with them. I don't think they're going to be too bothered by the deflection since they've been hiding out in New Orleans making the city their home," Piper admits after giving it a little thought. She wasn't Grisha and she knew that there would be people who would find it easier to connect with someone like Nina.

Jesper takes a minute to look around the room and smiles. They were missing a few people but he liked it when they were all together like this. When the timer dings, Jesper grins. The smell had only gotten better the more he stood there. He grabs a pot holder to take the cookies out. He didn't know if he could touch hot metal or not but he wasn't going to chance it here. Not when he had cookies to look forward to.

Piper laughs and steps away from the coffee pot so he'd have easy access while taking another sip from her mug.

"Of course, I will," he says while setting the cookies down on top of the oven. He enjoyed both equally - coffee and tea.

[noreasonneeded]

While Nina was the fanatic sort who only stuck with her kind, she does feel a responsibility towards helping them. She still has some guilt over leaving the army, even if she refuses to apologize for living on her terms. Perhaps helping other Grisha in new ways would bridge those two. Plus, she always wants to help Les out in whatever ways she can. Giving the other woman a warm smile, Nina nods. “You got yourself a deal. I’m looking forward to it.” The mention of a deal makes her think of Kaz, and she glances back towards the doorway where he’s standing.

Where he was standing. The space is now empty, he must have left either to go back upstairs or out the front door.

She gives a little sigh and shake of her head, then turns back to the remaining group. Hearing Jesper confirm he’ll have tea with her makes her grin and rise to her feet. She heads over to set the teapot on the stove to boil. “Lovely of you to not leave me alone,” she teases, giving him a little hip bump. “I think some chai will work just right.” Wylan sits next to Les and she trusts Jesper to dole out the cookies - even if he gives himself more than he hands out to others, she made plenty. There’s a warm feeling of satisfaction in feeding her people, her makeshift family, and she settles in for a pleasant night of it.

[OOC: Feel free to tag if there’s anything you want to add or if you wanna keep it going! Otherwise I think we can wrap this one, too. :) ]