noreasonneeded | IC/Overflow Post

Before you come see me, make sure you push something very heavy against the door. He'll be able to unlock the lock, but will he be able to push open the door?

[ Inej laughs lightly at that. Of course, if Kaz wants to get into a room, he'll find his way there. But Wylan deserves to have someone on his side, and Inej is more than happy to go up against Kaz in this instance. ]

Or you should leave a trap. Oo, I think you could create something fun. That'll teach them a lesson.

[ Wylan chuckles and peers at Kaz, although it's not with much fright now. Perhaps his confidence has been reinvigorated by someone he deems held in high regard by Kaz leading the march in teasing him. ] I think if I'm going to leave them a trap, then perhaps we shouldn't be talking about the trap while one of them is listening?

Who's to say it's the trap you'll settle on? Kaz likes to be challenged. Now he won't know what trap it'll be. Or if there will be a trap at all.

The Captain is sore that old scores are to be settled once dry land locks her feet. [It should sound like a threat. The words are, and yet, Kaz would never in a million years address anyone he’s in a tiff against with such dignity. Captain. Kaz’s damaged vocal chords never make anything sound sweet. Yet the word is imbued with purpose, which is everything to Kaz’s crew.]

I… am just going to make my designs and let you two settle any scores.

… Kaz does love a challenge, though.

So do you.

Yeah, but I’m rubbish at people challenges.

People aren’t any different than equations.

I… you’re not an equation. Inej isn’t. I’ve never dissected either of you. You’re my friends.

You should.

I won’t. … boss. … we trap together? [He supposes it’s not quite ‘no mourners no funerals’]

Inej can’t trap a fish at all so I think we need more solid parameters. [Shift focus off him as fast as he can.]

Excuse me!

[ Inej huffs, easily taking the bait. It's better to go this route than to continue feeling those butterflies flutter around in her chest at Wylan suggesting she and Kaz have scores to settle. They don't, not unless he insists on telling everyone her business.

Which he is, clearly. The idea of Kaz going around and telling all the Crows what she can and can't do while on her ship fills her with anticipation. She likes it. This gossipy nature of his. It doesn't matter to her that Kaz is using it to deflect from something else. ]

I can trap a fish! I just can't hold it!

[ Wylan laughs and makes a sound that suggests he's taken back. ] Is that… Is that not the same thing?

No! [ Inej doesn't even complete her inhale before she's defending herself against their unfair scrutiny. ] You can catch a fish. Catching a fish is catching it. Keeping a fish is entirely different!

So… you can't keep a fish?

[ She's quiet for a very brief moment. ] I choose not to keep the fish.

I said that once and she disputed it.

I… am staying neutral on who said what?

[ There’s a pause, then Kaz very pointedly hands over a wrapped pita to Wylan.]

This is one way to shut me up, but you can eat some too, you know. Jesper said -

I’m fine. More importantly, I’m right.

Edited 2023-04-24 02:59 (UTC)

You're only one of those things, Kaz.

[ Wylan might not be the type to press, but Inej is. She can. He's given her the perfect in to do so. Being on the sea means that she has some immunity when it comes to pushing Kaz when he denies something. ]

Take some of the food. If you do, Wylan might let you touch something that won't singe your eyebrows off.

I'm both of those things and more.

I do have some very exciting molds that shouldn't cause any damage. I say that with the caveat that they shouldn't be thrown.

Why would I throw them?

I just like to be thorough. Inej, do I hear singing in the background over there? [He can just faintly make out the sound in the distance of her crew on deck.]

Uh… [ Momentarily distracted, she looks up at the ceiling and listens to the song before she laughs and shakes her head. Sable and Karel are singing at the top of their lungs with Karel purposefully messing up the words. Unsurprisingly, Wylan has a good ear for music, even when it's not loud and clearly played beside her. ] Yes. They love to sing when it's a quiet, boring night.

[ Sometimes Inej joins them, and she would've tonight if a certain someone hadn't wished to talk about a Zemeni ambassador. That was much more important than singing about one hundred beer bottles sitting on a wall and it somehow morphing into two hundred before winding back to fifty-eight. ]

You should teach them new songs, Wylan. If Kaz can spare you. Mahika's been trying to learn the flute. Karel says she's quite bad at it, but… I think she's getting better. She just needs a good teacher.

I suppose there isn't always much else to do on a ship other than sing and play cards. I don't know if I'd make a good teacher... but I could perhaps try. Depending on how busy things are here when you're docked. Not that things aren't fine here! Things just get busy, you know? I mean, of course you know.

Kaz…

[ This time when Inej speaks, she deepens her voice as though she's about to scold him. Instead, it's clearly playful—and she imagines she already knows his response. ]

Will you let Wylan come out and play when we're at Ketterdam?

If we're not too busy.

[His response mimics Wylan's to cover his bases.]

In which case you can take the whole house out of my hair for awhile.

Or you could... [Seeing Kaz's expression he shifts his answer.] Right yeah absolutely not come play with us.

The only things I play are people and trick decks.

[ Inej can't help but laugh. Kaz says that, and yet, she knows he'll be there with bells on. She wants to believe he will be. Even if he intentionally delays his inevitable arrival at the harbour, she knows he'll be there with the Crows.

It's best to let him have this. ]

Kaz is busy. Most likely scheming. Has he worn his scheming face recently?

[ Wylan hums and taps his fingers against his chin. ] Hmm. Not that I've seen lately—and I see his face quite a lot. He's always here, asking me for things. Not that that's particularly a bad thing, it's just… no scheming, Inej. Not for a while.

Oh, good. That means I haven't missed it. I'd be heartbroken if I missed Kaz's scheming face.

[Kaz wouldn't be asking Wylan for things if it wasn't part of a scheme, but much like Inej let him have his refusal of playing, he lets her have this right now. There's no need to argue that Kaz Brekker and schemes go together like fish and water.]

We miss your face too, you know. Bets were made on whether you'd get a pirate tattoo.

[ Despite the instinctual lurch in her gut at the mention of a tattoo, Inej's voice is warm. ] Is that so? And who bet that I'd get one?

[ Inej doesn't think to tell Wylan that a tattoo isn't in her future, perhaps ever. He doesn't know, and she's fine with him not completely knowing. Sometimes it's freeing to be around someone like him who only knows her in the after of being freed of that final cage.

The fact that Kaz says nothing about it tells her he's coincidentally on the same page—not that Inej ever thought Kaz would come to her defence. She doesn't need him to. ]

Jesper, I assume. [ She sighs heavily, intentionally dramatic. ] He's always betting against me.

If it helps, Jesper's bets usually end... well, not always in his favor. [It's the kindest way Wylan can put it. He glances over at Kaz then curiously.] Do you have any tattoos? Other than the Dregs one. [Wylan hasn't seen it on Kaz but he assumes the man has one.]

Why would I have another tattoo? [Which doesn't answer the question, but it's the answer given.]

I would assume for the same reasons lots of people get tattoos.

How very mundane then of the populace's majority.

Mundane sounds nice, actually. Some of the time.

Edited 2023-04-24 11:19 (UTC)

[ She thinks of the R on his bicep and how Kaz continues to carry Jordie with him wherever he goes. That's a story that belongs to him, even if she'll happily safeguard it. While she knows Wylan won't push, she doesn't want the conversation to linger awkwardly on Kaz. He's made his feelings about his other tattoo known. ]

If you want to get one, Jesper knows a good tattooist. She's very good. I think she did a tattoo for Specht before we left.

[ Wylan hums. ] I'll need to think about it. I'm not quite sure what I'd want to get.

[ She suspects it'd be something simple like a very small musical note or a letter or symbol. Wylan doesn't strike her as the type to cover himself in pictures. ]

A musical note? One of your formula things?

[ He chuckles. ] "Formula things", Inej?

[ She purposefully sighs heavily. ] I can't know everything all the time! There'd be nothing left for any of you to know.

[Kaz hasn't yet shared what the R stands for specifically, hasn't pulled out the Rietveld name from where it plunged into the harbor and died. Perhaps one day, but that time is certainly not right now.]

That's very generous of you, leaving some knowledge to spare for the rest of us. I'll think about it.

You know more formulas than you think, though. They're used all the time, not just in a lab. Most people just don't put a scientific name to it when they use them.

Now I can see why Kaz puts you to work. You're very wise for a chemist.

[ He's very wise, period. It gives Inej something to think about, especially on the days and nights when they're at sea with nothing to do but play silly children's games to keep them entertained and she doesn't wish to use the communicator to take up even more of Kaz's time.

There's a roar of laughter from up above and a stampede of feet. ]

Just make sure you take breaks. Don't let them touch any of your things. I'd like to come back and see all eyebrows intact, including yours.

I have singed mine from time to time, but I'm very careful. Still got all my fingers for a reason. It sounds like your crew is having fun.

[ Inej hums loudly before she takes off, inspired by Wylan. She keeps her feet light on the wooden planks but still purposefully loud so both of them can hear her. When she opens the door to her quarters, the singing's louder.

And once her crew spot her, they cheer. Some of them are a little drunk, but Inej doesn't have it in her to scold any of them. The night's pure black, but it reminds her nothing of the suffocating Fold. ]

Wylan's here—

Hey, Wylan! [ And there's an uproar of warm laughter. ]

And Kaz.

Kaz! [ Thankfully, his short name hasn't inspired a series of chants as it had when Specht had mentioned him on a rather drunken night like this. There's no risk of blushing, either. ]

Wouldn't it be great if he could compose us our very own song to sing when we're not drunk?

[ Her proposal's followed by cheers and a loud insistence that they're not drunk at all. Not unless it's on life and the sea. ]

What do you think, Wylan? Every pirate has a song, and we don't have one at the moment. No one's going to take us seriously without one.

Oh, um… hi, everyone. [That welcome was louder than he’d anticipated. Wylan is used to not being the center of attention. He glances over at Kaz, who remains quiet. Which isn’t surprising. Wylan’s come to know that Kaz doesn’t talk much when he’s not around a select intimate few. Even when he's around the Crows, he's not the best gabber like Nina and Jesper. It often takes directly talking to him to get an answer, otherwise he simply observes. Kaz has turned to face the table, looking over the lock project they've been working on together. Wylan knows though that he's listening. There's no time of day that Kaz isn't hanging on Inej's voice, even when he's annoyed at what she's saying.]

Oh, no, no I don’t think I’d be very good at that. My songs aren’t that good. I could, um. I could ask around Ketterdam, though. There are some very talented musicians and artists in the city.

[Wylan sidles up closer to Kaz, respectfully not touching, and whispers.] Watch your fingers. That latch is so small it might be tricky even for y-

[A click is heard, cutting through his warning. Seeing Kaz's face he adds wryly.] You don't have to look so smug about it.

I can't help always being right.

Edited (Home sick and felt like adding details. YOLO.) 2023-04-24 18:25 (UTC)

Your songs are good, Wylan. We'd love it if you'd do it for us. Otherwise, it's just going to be some song where we sing "Aye" over and over, and that's not very good.

[ Take pity on them, Wylan.

It's a little difficult to hear them over the noise of her crew, which has grown louder since she'd first heard them singing in her quarters, but Inej stays outside, liking the light breeze against her face. She likes that there's a possibility Wylan's lab's window is open, and they're glancing at the same night sky as she is.

Inej sighs heavily, although when she speaks, her voice is fond. ]

He's away from the food, isn't he?

You’re very sweet. … let me see if I can put something together that’s worth singing. [He’s very hard on himself so it will likely take many comforting words and cuddles from Jesper and others for him to not throw every version into the fire.]

Ah, yeah… he’s, um… helping me. He’s being very helpful? [Wylan is a terrible liar but he’s trying not to get his boss in trouble with his… Inej.]

I’m not fiddling with potions.

... chemicals. [Technically.]

Formulas. [Kaz shoots that back with such spite after the correction that Wylan has to laugh.]

You two teaming up together is a menace, you know.

It's not teaming up if we're asking for two different things!

[ Although, she supposes Wylan's right. He's so fun to tease, too. He takes it in stride and seems to enjoy it, even if she suspects he's blushing. ]

Although, Kaz, you really shouldn't be touching the potions and chemicals. What if you actually do lose your eyebrows?

[ Knowing Kaz, he hardly cares about that. ]

I’m not touching any potions, chemicals, or formulas. I’m touching my requested prototype to make sure it’s working. [The lock mechanism, he’s not going to specify it though when there are other people around who might hear him. Even if they are busy drunk singing in the back.] I do need to test it to ensure it’s functioning to my standards.

And is it?

There’s no such thing as perfect Wylan, which means there can always be improvements. … it’s not bad, though.

That means it's good, Wylan.

[ Not perfect, even though Inej suspects it's close to being as much. Kaz has never been one for encouraging words. Tough love is his way, and it'd taken Inej a long time to begin to understand he layered his softer declarations amongst the prickliness. ]

Not to speak for Kaz, obviously. I know nothing about locks.

[ Of all the things she can break into, a lock still holds her up. ]

Thank you. Even if you don't know anything about locks. [ Wylan's quick to add, clearly to Kaz: ] And you... knowing about locks. Uh, if there's anything I can do to change it to better meet your standards...

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