A Study in Music Theory (Wesper AU)

Thirteen: The Blue Suit

A/N: Not gonna lie, this chapter's kinda stale but it's important for setting up the next few chapters to come along. Because of this, I'm posting it as an "extra" chapter for the week. You're welcome.

There's a fine and dangerous line between black-out drunk and almost-blackout-drunk-but-not-quite. And just like everything Jesper did, he walked on that line with a thick blindfold twelve feet up in the air on in a windy day. There were many nights where he would wake up not knowing how he managed to get home, but there were even more nights where the events that had happened the night before were on the tip of his tongue.

Last night felt like something he should remember. It felt so important, and yet his memory stayed foggy. Someone was in his room, and they were talking to him about... something. They grabbed him from that Kaelish pub a few streets over, and they basically had to carry him all the way home. But who was it? Certainly not Nina — she had been working all night and they weren't exactly on speaking terms — but he also couldn't imagine it being Inej, either. As kind and loving as she was, she would have just left him there.

So who brought him home? And what did they tell him that was so important?

Jesper pondered this as he went downstairs to grab some coffee. It was already mid-afternoon, and he had a terrible hangover to nurse. Thinking was already a difficult task for him, and he couldn't imagine doing it with this awful headache. Hopefully Anika would be up and brewing something. She'd been sleeping in late too, thanks to Per Haskell asking her to take some of his enemies out in the night. An easy job, really, but one that could drain your battery in a snap.

Still in his clothes from yesterday, Jesper straggled onto the main floor barefoot and nauseous. It was fairly empty this morning, which also meant the usual noise had disappeared with it. Sunlight flooded in through stained windows, casting a soft white glow on the grimy floors and tables. The Slat looked more like an empty saloon now than a hub for crime.

"Someone must have been partying hard last night," Anika croaked from the bar.

She grabbed a second mug from underneath the table and began to pour Jesper a hot cup of black coffee. Even several feet away, he grimaced at the bitter smell. No one knew how to brew coffee to its bare essentials like Anika. It was no wonder she was devoid of humor when she drank that awful stuff straight from the pot.

"Thanks," Jesper said as he grabbed the cup from her. He sat across from her at the bar, cradling it in his hands. He loved how the warmth felt on his tired fingers.

"Had any fun?" Anika asked.

"I think so," Jesper said as he reached over her for the sugar. "I can't remember shit though, and my head feels like it's about to burst. Do we have any milk?"

"Maybe. Why don't you go check the icebox?"

Jesper grunted and forced himself off his stool. He hobbled over to the icebox in the corner where they kept all of their pricier items. He rummaged through and pulled out a small glass bottle of milk. Jesper popped the top off and gave it a big sniff. Smelled alright to him. He brought it over to the counter with him.

"Do you ever wake up after a night out drinking and just know you did something stupid?" Jesper asked as he poured the milk into his cup. Anika handed him a small spoon and he began to stir his fixed concoction. "Milk?"

"No thank you," she said before taking a sip of her horrid creation. "What did you do this time?"

"That's the thing: I don't know."

"Okay, so what do you think you did?"

Jesper shrugged. "I don't know, maybe got in a fight? Accidentally flirted with Inej in front of Kaz? It could be literally anything."