Dirty Hands (Kaz Brekker One Shots)

Children

"Inej said I would find you here."

His voice broke the peaceful steadiness of the silent night, the quietness that had only previously been disturbed by the joyful welcoming of the dogs gathering near the docks and the occasional buzz of the fireflies flying by the closest street lamps. There was something about his tone, something about the hoarseness always accompanying his words, though, that you found extremely fitting for his nightly visits. A narrator of a horror story always present in the shadows of that forsaken town.

A soft smile took over your lips as the echo of his cane came to a stop, and your gaze travelled from the animals eating on the street up towards him.

"What are you doing so far from your nest?" you wondered in a humorous mock as you dangled your feet in the air, away from the edge of the stone bridge you had decided to claim as your seat.

Kaz rolled his eyes, but allowed his lips to crook sideways in the shadow of a smirk. "Looking for a heart to steal."

"What an evil crow," you uttered, bringing a hand to your chest in fake astonishment.

Kaz shrugged softly, then took a hold of his cane and let out a quiet groan of discomfort as he sat down next to you. "What a naive woman."

You hummed in acknowledgement. "Perhaps."

Your shoulders rose and sank as you exhaled a short puff of air through your nose. You could feel his clear irises observing you with muted curiosity, but you chose to return your attention to the animals beneath you two instead, even though you could see his head tilting to the side from the corner of your eye. You didn't have to look at him to picture one of his perfect eyebrows quirked up in a silent question, his usual stoic expression awaiting an update on your mind's events.

With a quick motion of your head, you pointed forward as your smile subsided into a thin line.

"More people are losing their jobs these days. They can barely take care of their children, so they end up getting rid of their pets." You threw onto the street the last pieces of meat that had been resting on your lap on a piece of leather, and watched the dogs as they rapidly took a hold of them. "I try to feed them as often as I can, but I don't know how long I'll be able to keep it up at this point."

Being a heartrender had its perks in a city where there was much suffering and not many Grisha, but even your income had taken a toll with the newest dismissals in the harbour and farms. The only places that didn't seem to notice the disturbances were the taverns and clubs, where the people went to drown their sorrows and distract their tormented minds with colourful games.

"They are smart, they'll survive," Kaz offered.

You glanced at him with pursed lips, then let your attention drift towards the starry sky above. "I hope you're right."

"I'm always right," he corrected.

Your smile returned for a brief second —like a shooting star—, and he caught himself almost making a wish on it.

"That doesn't make me feel better, though," you muttered, then shook your head to get rid of the dark thoughts you had no control over. "What do you need me for?"

Kaz didn't blink, but it took him a heartbeat to process the harsh change of topic. Truth be told, he had come looking for you because he hadn't seen you in his club the last few days and he wanted to know that you were... alright, but he would never tell you that.

Business talk, however, that he could do with his eyes closed. In his mind, there was always a deal to be cut, and he did in fact require your services for the biggest gig of his career.

"What, you don't think I came here just to see you?" he questioned.

You smirked, but didn't look at him. Not at first anyway, but you raised an eyebrow, and placed the piece of leather on your lap to show him your freed open palm. It was then, and only then that your stares met and, with a soft snort, he took a neatly folded paper out of the inner pocket of his coat and handed it to you.

"How about a quarter of a million kruge?" he proposed, lulling his head to the side, "Would that help you feed your children?"