noreasonneeded (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
noreasonneeded) wrote2024-12-23 06:23 am
noreasonneeded) wrote2024-12-23 06:23 am
IC/Overflow Post Part III
Starters, thread continuations, texts, and PSL tags welcome here!
I'll have some popcorn and peanuts on hand when the time comes.
If you're also in the mood to be entertained, Poppy's premiering a new show next week.
Stories sank below the surface at Ketterdam’s harbor. Voiceless bodies cast overboard, burying the truth in bones at the bottom after fish picked the flesh apart. The dock was always wet from rain and work, footsteps blending into the dirty streets as merchant and menace alike entered the vast port city. Languages written on ships and spoken off tongues traded and bargained from the moment they docked, with large storage facilities set up to hold accounted for goods - and those that slid past customs. Just past the docks were the street markets and fish mongers, the shrimpers and the craftsmen shilling their wares. The air was always thick with the scent of salt and sweat, glossed over with perfumes and oils.
The water rolled heavier than normal right now against the wooden and metal fixtures holding the dock aloft. Heavier than the night bearing just light rain should cause. The water called to Kesh as it did to other Suli people, but even she could not make out what it was trying to say. It troubled her as she made her rounds, silent as a shadow past Dregs territory. Past 5th Harbor.
Kesh’s hair had been cut short, one of the ways she was shedding the Menagerie. She was wearing a high-collared shirt that covered her chest and neck, hiding a scar she’d gotten during her time there, but the blouse had short sleeves to combat the heat of summer coming.
The Dregs tattoo was visible on her arm, but wrapped around the goblet was a ribbon with a single word written in her native tongue. Uncaged. She’d made it her own. She was here by her choice. Her knees had trembled when she’d said what she wanted to do to the tattoo to Kaz, and she remembered staring in disbelief at his dark head of hair. He didn’t even bother to lift his head from his work behind his desk as he just told her the name of the tattoo artist to see for it. It was hard to tell if he didn’t care because his pride wasn’t attached to owning people, or because he thought so little of those around him they weren’t worth his ire. She was still figuring out this strange new boss of hers, but she was grateful to be here all the same.
They weren’t expecting trouble at the harbor, but Kaz was nothing if not a man with a million contingency plans. It was also sending a message after one of the ships under Kaz’s protection hadn’t returned whole last time. She remembered watching what remained of the crew disembark, seeing the state of the ship upon entry with widened eyes. Leaning in towards Kaz, she had asked then in a low voice, “Will they suffer?” The Tidemakers.
His eyes didn’t leave the ship, his voice like a rusty blade scraping against rock. There was nothing soft about him, especially not right then. Standing near Kaz Brekker was somehow like standing right beside a raging fire and being chilled down to her very bones because of it. It terrified her sometimes, but right then, she relished when he replied with, “Greatly.”
Kesh remembered the night that the raging storm at sea had stopped. She’d waited on the stoop of the Slat for him to return, thinking it was what Inej would have wanted. She had anticipated him appearing bathed in blood, some of it his own. She’d anticipated a roughing up reckoning, where a bruised and battered but victorious Brekker was still standing.
Kaz had returned that night without a single visible blood stain or scratch on him. His blue eyes were eerily calm as they latched onto hers, unfathomable pools where, should she tread in too deep, sharks would be swimming at the bottom lying in wait. There were inner demons lurking at that depth that had fed well this evening. It was in his eyes that she could see the blood spilled in the water. “I took care of it,” he’d said, his voice a crooning caress that made her spine shiver.
That night, Kesh felt for the first time she truly met Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel. That night she learned his worst punches never needed actual fists.
“It’s not enough,” she said now quietly to herself, because no pain sufficed when their people were at risk. She knew what his answer would have been.
’It never is.’
The water rolled. Kesh felt the boards beneath her feet rattling. A warning. Something was coming. It wasn’t here, though. Turning, she began to sprint for the nearest building, using the rooftops to get her back towards the Barrel.
~*~
A truce.
That was what had been decided between Kaz and the Tidemakers, when really, it was a temporary stalemate. The Council of Tides was the shadowy protection that allowed Ketterdam its isolationary practices. Nobody from other parts of New York could touch what went on in that area, from the official businesses the Merchants Council ran to the debaucherous revelry of the Barrel. Why a group of ancient, powerful Grisha tied themselves to a largely human oligarchy was a mystery Kaz hadn’t even solved, but it was a pact that dated back hundreds of years.
He was the man standing between both Councils and them getting access to the maker of jurda parem, as well as the remaining stash of it that already existed. Him, and his Crows working alongside him.
They’d already ransacked what information they could from all the libraries - both open and not - in New York. Perhaps Ravka might have better luck in revealing those secrets. At the very least, he was learning how to fly a plane out of it. And possibly helping Lantsov, once they landed and got the full scope of what was going on from Zoya.
Along on the trip were Kate, Jesper, Wylan, and Nina. For the moment though he was sitting up front with Nikolai, looking over the controls.
“Don’t touch that,” Nikolai warned when Kaz reached out to rest a finger on a button.
“I’m not pressing it.” Kaz simply tapped it while thinking. “This control should be higher to the left.”
“Well, it isn’t.”
“It would make more sense if it was.”
“Are you questioning my designs before I teach you how to do an emergency landing?”
“Given the state of the button’s location, I’m not sure I shouldn’t be teaching myself from now on.”
Nikolai sighed. “Kate, your boyfriend is insulting my buttons. I know he’s likely jealous because his buttons can’t compare, because he hasn’t got any bu-”
“Shut up.” Kaz’s voice broke through as his eyes narrowed straight ahead. Gathering clouds. The plane began to shake a little. “You did reinforce it like I told you to before you came, didn’t you?”
Nikolai just gave him an insulted look that said yes, of course he did. “It’s just a storm. … it is just a storm, isn’t it? Fuck, Brekker, only you could turn mother nature into a literal enemy.” He reached up to make an adjustment to the controllers. “Everyone strap in. This might get interesting.”
The water rolled heavier than normal right now against the wooden and metal fixtures holding the dock aloft. Heavier than the night bearing just light rain should cause. The water called to Kesh as it did to other Suli people, but even she could not make out what it was trying to say. It troubled her as she made her rounds, silent as a shadow past Dregs territory. Past 5th Harbor.
Kesh’s hair had been cut short, one of the ways she was shedding the Menagerie. She was wearing a high-collared shirt that covered her chest and neck, hiding a scar she’d gotten during her time there, but the blouse had short sleeves to combat the heat of summer coming.
The Dregs tattoo was visible on her arm, but wrapped around the goblet was a ribbon with a single word written in her native tongue. Uncaged. She’d made it her own. She was here by her choice. Her knees had trembled when she’d said what she wanted to do to the tattoo to Kaz, and she remembered staring in disbelief at his dark head of hair. He didn’t even bother to lift his head from his work behind his desk as he just told her the name of the tattoo artist to see for it. It was hard to tell if he didn’t care because his pride wasn’t attached to owning people, or because he thought so little of those around him they weren’t worth his ire. She was still figuring out this strange new boss of hers, but she was grateful to be here all the same.
They weren’t expecting trouble at the harbor, but Kaz was nothing if not a man with a million contingency plans. It was also sending a message after one of the ships under Kaz’s protection hadn’t returned whole last time. She remembered watching what remained of the crew disembark, seeing the state of the ship upon entry with widened eyes. Leaning in towards Kaz, she had asked then in a low voice, “Will they suffer?” The Tidemakers.
His eyes didn’t leave the ship, his voice like a rusty blade scraping against rock. There was nothing soft about him, especially not right then. Standing near Kaz Brekker was somehow like standing right beside a raging fire and being chilled down to her very bones because of it. It terrified her sometimes, but right then, she relished when he replied with, “Greatly.”
Kesh remembered the night that the raging storm at sea had stopped. She’d waited on the stoop of the Slat for him to return, thinking it was what Inej would have wanted. She had anticipated him appearing bathed in blood, some of it his own. She’d anticipated a roughing up reckoning, where a bruised and battered but victorious Brekker was still standing.
Kaz had returned that night without a single visible blood stain or scratch on him. His blue eyes were eerily calm as they latched onto hers, unfathomable pools where, should she tread in too deep, sharks would be swimming at the bottom lying in wait. There were inner demons lurking at that depth that had fed well this evening. It was in his eyes that she could see the blood spilled in the water. “I took care of it,” he’d said, his voice a crooning caress that made her spine shiver.
That night, Kesh felt for the first time she truly met Dirtyhands, the Bastard of the Barrel. That night she learned his worst punches never needed actual fists.
“It’s not enough,” she said now quietly to herself, because no pain sufficed when their people were at risk. She knew what his answer would have been.
’It never is.’
The water rolled. Kesh felt the boards beneath her feet rattling. A warning. Something was coming. It wasn’t here, though. Turning, she began to sprint for the nearest building, using the rooftops to get her back towards the Barrel.
~*~
A truce.
That was what had been decided between Kaz and the Tidemakers, when really, it was a temporary stalemate. The Council of Tides was the shadowy protection that allowed Ketterdam its isolationary practices. Nobody from other parts of New York could touch what went on in that area, from the official businesses the Merchants Council ran to the debaucherous revelry of the Barrel. Why a group of ancient, powerful Grisha tied themselves to a largely human oligarchy was a mystery Kaz hadn’t even solved, but it was a pact that dated back hundreds of years.
He was the man standing between both Councils and them getting access to the maker of jurda parem, as well as the remaining stash of it that already existed. Him, and his Crows working alongside him.
They’d already ransacked what information they could from all the libraries - both open and not - in New York. Perhaps Ravka might have better luck in revealing those secrets. At the very least, he was learning how to fly a plane out of it. And possibly helping Lantsov, once they landed and got the full scope of what was going on from Zoya.
Along on the trip were Kate, Jesper, Wylan, and Nina. For the moment though he was sitting up front with Nikolai, looking over the controls.
“Don’t touch that,” Nikolai warned when Kaz reached out to rest a finger on a button.
“I’m not pressing it.” Kaz simply tapped it while thinking. “This control should be higher to the left.”
“Well, it isn’t.”
“It would make more sense if it was.”
“Are you questioning my designs before I teach you how to do an emergency landing?”
“Given the state of the button’s location, I’m not sure I shouldn’t be teaching myself from now on.”
Nikolai sighed. “Kate, your boyfriend is insulting my buttons. I know he’s likely jealous because his buttons can’t compare, because he hasn’t got any bu-”
“Shut up.” Kaz’s voice broke through as his eyes narrowed straight ahead. Gathering clouds. The plane began to shake a little. “You did reinforce it like I told you to before you came, didn’t you?”
Nikolai just gave him an insulted look that said yes, of course he did. “It’s just a storm. … it is just a storm, isn’t it? Fuck, Brekker, only you could turn mother nature into a literal enemy.” He reached up to make an adjustment to the controllers. “Everyone strap in. This might get interesting.”
Edited 2025-04-27 14:30 (UTC)
It had been fun for a while.
Because, honestly. As much as Kaz seemed to despise Lantsov, Kate himself had to admit to Nina that she saw it. Nothing to worry her boyfriend about, but she did see the appeal in Nikolai. The guy was shameless. Stepping at the very thin line between being charming and incredibly annoying. Some men clearly would rather endure the plague, like Kaz proved. Some women would consider showeing him with pepper spray. But Kate did see the appeal on his shameless sense of humor. That was all.
Or at least, she did. Because right now? She was ready to ask if anyone else knew how to pilot a freaking plane after asking Nina to knock out both the men at the controllers.
The turbulence had started as a mild thing, making Kate spill a little of her drink and have no choice but to scroll the lid back on her bottle. She handed it back at Jesper as she wondered, honestly, why couldn't they just take the Bishop's private jet? Right. Being stealthy and the boys fighting over the big toy.
But the storm was proving that sometimes you got to be careful about what you wish for, as the plane started shaking more violently. Maybe that death-wish to shut up anyone with testicles was suddenly becoming a reality. Kate didn't hesitate, following instructions and buckling herself up.
"When you say interesting you mean we are going to die and you guys will finally stop bitching at each other?"
Because, honestly. As much as Kaz seemed to despise Lantsov, Kate himself had to admit to Nina that she saw it. Nothing to worry her boyfriend about, but she did see the appeal in Nikolai. The guy was shameless. Stepping at the very thin line between being charming and incredibly annoying. Some men clearly would rather endure the plague, like Kaz proved. Some women would consider showeing him with pepper spray. But Kate did see the appeal on his shameless sense of humor. That was all.
Or at least, she did. Because right now? She was ready to ask if anyone else knew how to pilot a freaking plane after asking Nina to knock out both the men at the controllers.
The turbulence had started as a mild thing, making Kate spill a little of her drink and have no choice but to scroll the lid back on her bottle. She handed it back at Jesper as she wondered, honestly, why couldn't they just take the Bishop's private jet? Right. Being stealthy and the boys fighting over the big toy.
But the storm was proving that sometimes you got to be careful about what you wish for, as the plane started shaking more violently. Maybe that death-wish to shut up anyone with testicles was suddenly becoming a reality. Kate didn't hesitate, following instructions and buckling herself up.
"When you say interesting you mean we are going to die and you guys will finally stop bitching at each other?"
"I was teaching," Nikolai protested at the same moment that Kaz replied with, "I was correcting him." Both men found common ground in their certainty that each individually, at least, had not been bitching. If any bitching had been being done, it was someone else, not them.
Clearly that took priority over the inquiry about death. To be fair, both Kaz and Lantsov were also too confident to ever really let themselves think they would die. Both men were too much alike to ever truly get along, even if it did bring them moments of profound understanding. Like right now, neither of them planned on going down easily. Kaz did buckle himself in but he leaned forward to stare out the window with narrowed eyes.
He really needed to recruit a Grisha that manipulated the weather, like Nikolai had at home. Oh, he doubted anyone could combat single-handedly the ancient strength of the Council of Tides, but they might have more inherent knowledge than Kaz did about the situation.
"Nobody's dying on my plane, do you know how annoying the coverup for that would be? Zoya would bring me back from the dead just to kill me again for having to deal with that mess." The plane shook and Nikolai grunted, aiming to keep it as straight as he could. "Although we might have to do an emergency landing if things get too..."
BAM.
One of the plane's wings were singed, one of the engine's failing. They began a descent more rapidly than Nikolai would have liked.
There absolutely was an emergency landing, the plane careening down into the water far south of where they wanted to be. From the mountainous range that rose up to the right of them, Nikolai guessed they were right at the border between the southern tip of Ravka and the realm of Shu-Han. A friend on one side of that range, brewing enemies on the other.
He looked over at Kaz, who looked a little dazed but snapped too swiftly, a gash on his head. Nikolai felt like his whole body was a bruise as he looked behind him at the rest. "Everyone alive? 'cause we need to move fast to stay that way." The ship would float for awhile, but that wasn't the problem if they were spotted.
Kaz already had his buckle off and he was moving toward Kate and the rest. "Are there any rafts on board or are we supposed to swim to shore?" Neither option was great, given the water was an enemy right now.
Clearly that took priority over the inquiry about death. To be fair, both Kaz and Lantsov were also too confident to ever really let themselves think they would die. Both men were too much alike to ever truly get along, even if it did bring them moments of profound understanding. Like right now, neither of them planned on going down easily. Kaz did buckle himself in but he leaned forward to stare out the window with narrowed eyes.
He really needed to recruit a Grisha that manipulated the weather, like Nikolai had at home. Oh, he doubted anyone could combat single-handedly the ancient strength of the Council of Tides, but they might have more inherent knowledge than Kaz did about the situation.
"Nobody's dying on my plane, do you know how annoying the coverup for that would be? Zoya would bring me back from the dead just to kill me again for having to deal with that mess." The plane shook and Nikolai grunted, aiming to keep it as straight as he could. "Although we might have to do an emergency landing if things get too..."
BAM.
One of the plane's wings were singed, one of the engine's failing. They began a descent more rapidly than Nikolai would have liked.
There absolutely was an emergency landing, the plane careening down into the water far south of where they wanted to be. From the mountainous range that rose up to the right of them, Nikolai guessed they were right at the border between the southern tip of Ravka and the realm of Shu-Han. A friend on one side of that range, brewing enemies on the other.
He looked over at Kaz, who looked a little dazed but snapped too swiftly, a gash on his head. Nikolai felt like his whole body was a bruise as he looked behind him at the rest. "Everyone alive? 'cause we need to move fast to stay that way." The ship would float for awhile, but that wasn't the problem if they were spotted.
Kaz already had his buckle off and he was moving toward Kate and the rest. "Are there any rafts on board or are we supposed to swim to shore?" Neither option was great, given the water was an enemy right now.
There was no time to think. Kate was glad that they had insisted to carry their equipment in the cabin, fearing a hotter than warm welcome if things went wrong. Of course and as always, Kaz had been right over a suggestion most had shrugged off. Lantsov being the very first one to insist on how smooth their arrival would be.
Yes. Smoothly downwards.
Securing Lucky's travel harness to the seatbelt on his seat, Kate tried her best to pet and ruffle the nervous dog, letting him half climb on her lap as much as the belt would allow it. She hugged him, burying her face in his fur.
"If anyone of us dies in this plane I'm coming back to haunt the fuck out of--!"
Despite on how strongly she had been holding onto Lucky, she heard his whimper as they crashed into the surface of the water. The strong pull, like a whip, before her head practically bounced against the back of her seat. If the retriever had not been buckled, her would have been stolen right off her arms, Lucky kicking his hind legs as he was turned on his back.
"Kaz?!" For a moment it felt as if they were still on the air. Except the remains of the plane seemed to be groaning even louder than its passengers. The second she saw her partner was moving and turning his attention towards them, Kate reached on her side, grabbing Nina's hand in her own. Asking if she and Jesper and Wylan were fine.
There was no time to waste. Faster than a bunch of tourists that cannot wait for the buckle signal to become green, everyone undid their belts and started gathering their equipment.
Alarm bells started ringing in her head. Kaz hated water. She had always suspected that maybe he didn't know how to swim, even though he had survived when a job kept them close to the water. This was different though. She was gonna have to carry him while trusting that Lucky would follow them and be fine too. And her bow? Her arrows?
"Guys, what's the plan now?!"
There was a big pull. The water was starting to call the plane towards its depths.
Yes. Smoothly downwards.
Securing Lucky's travel harness to the seatbelt on his seat, Kate tried her best to pet and ruffle the nervous dog, letting him half climb on her lap as much as the belt would allow it. She hugged him, burying her face in his fur.
"If anyone of us dies in this plane I'm coming back to haunt the fuck out of--!"
Despite on how strongly she had been holding onto Lucky, she heard his whimper as they crashed into the surface of the water. The strong pull, like a whip, before her head practically bounced against the back of her seat. If the retriever had not been buckled, her would have been stolen right off her arms, Lucky kicking his hind legs as he was turned on his back.
"Kaz?!" For a moment it felt as if they were still on the air. Except the remains of the plane seemed to be groaning even louder than its passengers. The second she saw her partner was moving and turning his attention towards them, Kate reached on her side, grabbing Nina's hand in her own. Asking if she and Jesper and Wylan were fine.
There was no time to waste. Faster than a bunch of tourists that cannot wait for the buckle signal to become green, everyone undid their belts and started gathering their equipment.
Alarm bells started ringing in her head. Kaz hated water. She had always suspected that maybe he didn't know how to swim, even though he had survived when a job kept them close to the water. This was different though. She was gonna have to carry him while trusting that Lucky would follow them and be fine too. And her bow? Her arrows?
"Guys, what's the plan now?!"
There was a big pull. The water was starting to call the plane towards its depths.
Kaz could swim. He hated the ocean and avoided it whenever possible, but right now was a trauma resurgence he'd compartmentalize and deal with later. Much like Kaz having moments where he could wrap his arms around a loved one and carry them despite his touch-aversion, the adrenaline pumping right now propelled him to survive first and suffer later. It wasn't rational, but what phobia was? At his very core and heart Kaz was a survivor. He might move more clumsily right now, with less precision than normal, but there was a sharp target that drove him onward.
His family was at risk.
Nothing made Kaz act swifter than that - not even his own survival.
Reaching Kate, he gave her a silent question in his gaze. 'Good enough?' None of them were great right now, but he was asking if she was good enough to do what was needed. To move as was needed. Kaz's second point of assessment was Jesper, followed by Wylan and then Nina. An order that he'd say was for practical reasons, but also held some personal ones.
"Land." That was the plan. Kaz's raspy voice remained calm, if tight. "We need to say on the left side of the range. That's Ravkan territory. Getting from here to there, Jesper and Kate, we need long-range cover. Wylan, make sure any raft's motor still works along with Lantsov."
Nina gave Kaz a look. "Let me guess, you and I are drawing attention?"
"You make anyone who gets close love us, Nina Dear," Kaz said with a smirk. "And I'll drive a blade or a bullet between their ribs for it."
"You're one sick bastard, Kaz." Nina shook her head as Nikolai prepared the emergency raft for them.
At the moment, she didn't sound unhappy about it.
His family was at risk.
Nothing made Kaz act swifter than that - not even his own survival.
Reaching Kate, he gave her a silent question in his gaze. 'Good enough?' None of them were great right now, but he was asking if she was good enough to do what was needed. To move as was needed. Kaz's second point of assessment was Jesper, followed by Wylan and then Nina. An order that he'd say was for practical reasons, but also held some personal ones.
"Land." That was the plan. Kaz's raspy voice remained calm, if tight. "We need to say on the left side of the range. That's Ravkan territory. Getting from here to there, Jesper and Kate, we need long-range cover. Wylan, make sure any raft's motor still works along with Lantsov."
Nina gave Kaz a look. "Let me guess, you and I are drawing attention?"
"You make anyone who gets close love us, Nina Dear," Kaz said with a smirk. "And I'll drive a blade or a bullet between their ribs for it."
"You're one sick bastard, Kaz." Nina shook her head as Nikolai prepared the emergency raft for them.
At the moment, she didn't sound unhappy about it.
Edited 2025-05-03 14:12 (UTC)
There wasn't much more time to think, to check on each other, and so the fact that Kaz had saved a moment to come back to her in that silent exchange was noted. Kate nodded sharply in response before she finished gathering her things. Her quiver and bow were soon on her back, along with a rolled up bag of throwing knives she stuffed into her thigh bag. She wouldn't be able to take any extra arrows, but there was nothing irreplaceable in her duffel bag.
Every shot she and Jesper took would have to count.
"Got it!" Was her quick response to Kaz's orders. She was soon on the move, noticing that Nikolai was searching for something. After a quick exchange, they were both pulling the emergency raft and a bag with supplies that would help them survive out in open waters.
The plane groaned again as it was rocked violently by this supposed storm that had already won it's first battle. The waves crashed against theis metallic fortress, tilting slightly towards the back as it seemed to be struggling to keep its 'head' out of its wet deathbed. Water begun invading it, reaching to feet of those down at the back.
Lucky was nervous, heading up and down and whimpering before Nina grabbed his leash and kept him in place. Jesper, Wyland and Kate headed towards one of the emergency exits at the top, the one that would grant them more time before the water caught up. It took their strenght combined with Jesper's Grisha abilities for the metal to give up and obey them.
Every shot she and Jesper took would have to count.
"Got it!" Was her quick response to Kaz's orders. She was soon on the move, noticing that Nikolai was searching for something. After a quick exchange, they were both pulling the emergency raft and a bag with supplies that would help them survive out in open waters.
The plane groaned again as it was rocked violently by this supposed storm that had already won it's first battle. The waves crashed against theis metallic fortress, tilting slightly towards the back as it seemed to be struggling to keep its 'head' out of its wet deathbed. Water begun invading it, reaching to feet of those down at the back.
Lucky was nervous, heading up and down and whimpering before Nina grabbed his leash and kept him in place. Jesper, Wyland and Kate headed towards one of the emergency exits at the top, the one that would grant them more time before the water caught up. It took their strenght combined with Jesper's Grisha abilities for the metal to give up and obey them.
A rock and a hard place.
Kaz wasn't one to bother with idle turns of phrase, but he could appreciate the momentary literary irony of their situation. After all, he knew the power of words and visuals. He knew that right now, a literal mountain range divided them between safety and the enemy, and that the ships heading their way would want to sway them on the wrong side of that equation.
Numbers and angles. Those he felt more solid when working with, because wasn't even poetry a type of math when one got down to it?
Kaz couldn't keep the little raft afloat, and he couldn't keep the farthest away at bay. He could however maneuver his friends and family into the position to where they could best show their talents and keep everyone alive. He worked best from that position, the man behind a massive array of talent that everyone else underestimated. He simply put proverbial and literal knives in their hands and told them they were dangerous until they believed it.
Or, like Kate, he convinced to work alongside them. Just as she'd convinced him to work alongside her.
He tasted the bitter salt of the water, felt the waves rapidly throwing them as they made their way to shore. Lucky snarled and bit the arm of someone who tried to get too close, with Kaz taking care of the rest of them. Nina lulled people who veered near into a stupor as their long-range fighters held back the massive army.
Then the water fought back.
A man that Kaz had just stabbed, about to sink under, looked at him with a terrible blue smile. Eyes bled red with watery rage filling his veins, and the voice of ancient Tides said through his puppet mouth, "We are owed what was stolen from us."
The raft then capsized.
Kaz was thrown. Owed? Did they mean the drugs? Did they mean the man Kaz had stashed and proclaimed dead who had made the jurda parem? Did they mean the grave he should have joined Jordie in?
Did they mean something he didn't even know?
Kaz grasped Wylan, thrusting him towards Jesper. He then reached out to Kate, trying to tug them both along, with her doing plenty of the heavy lifting, to shore.
Almost there.
Nina behind them with terrible power cast the dead who tried to rise in the waves back against them. A bit of necromancy she hated to show and didn't want to talk about when they all were washed to shore, bedraggled, bloodied, and without any way home.
Kaz forced himself to his feet, stumbled as the watery edges tried to pull him back. "Northeast," he rasped hoarsely, like a destination was both the question and the answer needed right now.
Kaz wasn't one to bother with idle turns of phrase, but he could appreciate the momentary literary irony of their situation. After all, he knew the power of words and visuals. He knew that right now, a literal mountain range divided them between safety and the enemy, and that the ships heading their way would want to sway them on the wrong side of that equation.
Numbers and angles. Those he felt more solid when working with, because wasn't even poetry a type of math when one got down to it?
Kaz couldn't keep the little raft afloat, and he couldn't keep the farthest away at bay. He could however maneuver his friends and family into the position to where they could best show their talents and keep everyone alive. He worked best from that position, the man behind a massive array of talent that everyone else underestimated. He simply put proverbial and literal knives in their hands and told them they were dangerous until they believed it.
Or, like Kate, he convinced to work alongside them. Just as she'd convinced him to work alongside her.
He tasted the bitter salt of the water, felt the waves rapidly throwing them as they made their way to shore. Lucky snarled and bit the arm of someone who tried to get too close, with Kaz taking care of the rest of them. Nina lulled people who veered near into a stupor as their long-range fighters held back the massive army.
Then the water fought back.
A man that Kaz had just stabbed, about to sink under, looked at him with a terrible blue smile. Eyes bled red with watery rage filling his veins, and the voice of ancient Tides said through his puppet mouth, "We are owed what was stolen from us."
The raft then capsized.
Kaz was thrown. Owed? Did they mean the drugs? Did they mean the man Kaz had stashed and proclaimed dead who had made the jurda parem? Did they mean the grave he should have joined Jordie in?
Did they mean something he didn't even know?
Kaz grasped Wylan, thrusting him towards Jesper. He then reached out to Kate, trying to tug them both along, with her doing plenty of the heavy lifting, to shore.
Almost there.
Nina behind them with terrible power cast the dead who tried to rise in the waves back against them. A bit of necromancy she hated to show and didn't want to talk about when they all were washed to shore, bedraggled, bloodied, and without any way home.
Kaz forced himself to his feet, stumbled as the watery edges tried to pull him back. "Northeast," he rasped hoarsely, like a destination was both the question and the answer needed right now.
[OOC: Continued from here.]
The bathing I get as a form of revenge. That's just him being petty, we love to see it.
Unless he thinks the fountain accident was my attempt at bathing him.
The bathing I get as a form of revenge. That's just him being petty, we love to see it.
Unless he thinks the fountain accident was my attempt at bathing him.
[OOC: Continued from here.]
I keep my promises, even if not everyone outside the Dregs appreciates how that pans out for them.
Are you worried I've gotten her something explosive?
I keep my promises, even if not everyone outside the Dregs appreciates how that pans out for them.
Are you worried I've gotten her something explosive?
[OOC: Continued from here.]
Never let it be said that a shame scam is done half-assed.
I think the cat likes when you wear bells in your hair like she does around her neck.
Never let it be said that a shame scam is done half-assed.
I think the cat likes when you wear bells in your hair like she does around her neck.
[OOC: Continued from here.]
Are you asking whether the stages of the plan include mobsters and Grisha?
Are you asking whether the stages of the plan include mobsters and Grisha?
[OOC: Continued from here.]
You're allowed to have an opinion on our wedding and the shenanigans involved.
You're allowed to have an opinion on our wedding and the shenanigans involved.
[OOC: Continued from here.]
Why would your talents put me off? It isn't as if you've used them against me.
Why would your talents put me off? It isn't as if you've used them against me.
[OOC: Continued from here.]
Interesting. I always imagined that snakes took their time to eat. Perhaps that's more the venomous ones. Or it just depends on the snake itself.
Interesting. I always imagined that snakes took their time to eat. Perhaps that's more the venomous ones. Or it just depends on the snake itself.
I know. And I’m sure I can reign in any shenanigans that I think are a bit too far.
A half-assed shame scam only brings shame to the half-assed scammer.
Aw. She likes when we match.
Aw. She likes when we match.
Shall I add 'memory keeper' to my resume for our relationship?
I don’t know if I like that line of questioning
I haven't, and I wouldn't. But I've been told that since you can't tell much from the other end when they're used, makes anything else questionable.
Probably the snake itself? I know it takes a while for them to digest... But Angel Hair is little. Doesn't take her long to gulp a worm. Would probably take a lot longer if she went after anything bigger, and she's only a little venomous.
I'm sure in her mind, you're showing what an adoring fan you are by dressing like her.
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