six of crows oneshots + stories

birthday waffles

This takes place a few years after Crooked Kingdom, and does still follow the same plot line, so don't read this until you have finished. Warning: this is not happy, and the title is very misleading. 

nina pov

Nina buried her chin deeper into the thick wool collar of her coat, shivering a little. Her hands felt clammy and cold inside her pockets, and the chilly wind blew her long hair into her mouth and eyes. She walked through the quiet cobblestone street of the government district, the various embassies bordering her path. She occasionally spotted one or two ambassadors, but not as many as usual. It must have been because of the recent cold spell that has hit Ketterdam. It had been the worst winter she had ever had here, in multiple ways. She continued her trek. 

"Nina." She turned her head to where Jesper walked beside her, slowing his lanky strides to match hers. She had almost forgotten that he was there. He moved closer to her, his brows furrowed with concern. She didn't know why she ever agreed to let him come with her. It's not like they had the same path to Wylan's house. He lived there, for Ghezen's sake. He insisted, pestering her for days before she finally relented and let him come get her at her own shabby flat. 

"Yes?" she replied. 

"We passed it." Nina's head whipped up. He was right. She was now a block away from where the giant Van Eck mansion stood sentinel. She sighed, turning back the way they had came. Jesper bundled his own coat closer, the light blue material a direct contrast against his brown Zemeni skin. He didn't say anything else in a very un-Jesperlike way, and instead walked alongside her until they reached the gate. 

A guard that Nina didn't know the name of let them in, and they walked up to the immense front door. Jesper's hand reached for the large brass knocker only for his hand to come short on air. Warmth seeped from the inside of the house as Inej threw the door open wide. Inej practically barreled into Nina, her slight frame thrown onto Nina as she enveloped her into a giant hug. Nina could feel the wetness in her eyes threatening to spill over. She willed it away. They only pulled apart when Jesper stretched his arms out behind him and shoved them inside the doorframe, teasing them about his ears freezing off. 

They padded softly across the plush carpet in the foyer and past the sleek dining room before pushing through a door and emerging into the kitchen. It was the entrance for the servants back when this house was still Jan Van Eck's, but Wylan never used the dining room table anymore. The crows opted to sit at the smaller and much less ornate table tucked inside the vast kitchen. It was where Wylan and Kaz sat at the moment. 

Nina inhaled deeply, the scent of sugar and cinnamon and butter drifting through the air as the cook, an crabby old woman named Yhita, whisked away behind the counter. She grunted as they came in, so used to the sight of the six of them gathered around the table that she didn't bother to say anything. Nina has only ever heard her say "Eat the food you dumb kids." Jesper, Inej, and Nina sank into their designated seats. Inej at the seat between her and Kaz, Jesper next to Wylan, and Nina between the two. The bickering commenced almost immediately. 

"You look like a baby boy's nursery just threw up all over you," Kaz muttered to Jesper, eyeing his blue coat. Jesper slammed a hand on the table. 

"I have taste. You have ten of the same outfit in your closet, along with whatever else you keep in there. Inej, does he have the eyeballs and fingers of anyone's who's ever crossed him?" Jesper shot back. Inej turned the slightest bit of red. 

"What makes you think I've been in his closet?" 

"I don't know, maybe because you happen to know all of his secrets," Nina piped in, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly. Inej shoved her.