REAPER ─ kaz brekker

two; candid conversation

The last thing Onyx wanted was a bit of idle chatter with a few people she'd didn't really know. And, she was curious to know of this supposed plan Kaz Brekker had probably spent the whole night mulling over to ensure he got his pay out. And if Wylan Van Eck was any indication, Kaz already had their insurance on board. 

With that little prompting, Kaz went about explaining in greater detail a few of the things that the two of them touched on in her home the day prior-- jurda parem in all of its dangerous glory,  the fairly impossible task of breaking into the Ice Court, and the large sum of money waiting for them if they succeeded, provided to them by one Jan Van Eck. And throughout the entirety of the explanation, the Fjerdan -- who Onyx learned was the same Matthias Helvar that Nina once mentioned to her -- swiveled his gaze back and forth, back and forth between Nina and Kaz, looking as though nothing but their utter demise would've made him happier. 

And at the end of it all, the first thing out of Matthias' mouth was a resounding, "No." 

Kaz crossed an arm over his chest, appearing more unamused than before. "Believe me when I say this, Helvar: I know getting knocked out and waking up in strange surroundings isn't the friendliest way to start a partnership, but you didn't give us many options, so try to open your mind to the possibilities." 

Knowing what little details she did about Matthias Helvar didn't exactly make Onyx keen on working with him. He was Druskelle. A witch-hunter. Someone who captured and murdered people like Nina. 

People like you. 

"You could have come to me on your knees, and my answer would be the same." 

"You do understand I can have you back at Hellgate in a matter of hours?" Kaz retorted. "Once poor Muzzen is in the infirmary, the switch will be easy." 

"Do it," Matthias challenged. "I can't wait to tell the warden your ridiculous plans." 

"What makes you think you'll be going back with a tongue?" Onyx asked, carefully tipping her chair back on its legs. She shrugged. "Or your dead body could be thrown in the canal. And that, my dear, is a very tempting alternative." 

"Do what you want," he responded, unbothered by the slew of suggestions Onyx had ready on the tip of her tongue. 

Nina sighed through her nose. "I told you--"

"Don't pretend to know me, witch," he sneered, his gaze shifting between her and Nina, then back to Kaz, as if letting any one of them out of his line of sight would mean his demise. 

Onyx didn't know the full history of what went on between Matthias and Nina. Her and Nina's conversations were few and far between, but meaningful all the same. But she knew enough to know that his druskelle didn't have the authority or the right to look at any of them the way he was. He looked upon them like they were beneath him, nothing more than a spec of mud on a once pristine uniform. A uniform that was shot through with the stain of treason. 

"Do we really need him?" Onyx scoffed, absentmindedly tracing over the sharpened tip of the knife hiding beneath the cover of her sleeve. "There's plenty of canals to throw his body in." 

"Without him, there's no job," Jesper cut in. He unfolded himself from the corner he'd put himself up in and strode out into the warmer light of the room, where his incongruous grey eyes swept over them all. "We can't break into the Ice Court blind." 

"You can't break into the Ice Court at all." 

"Come now, Helvar. Surely there's something you want," Kaz spoke. "The cause is righteous enough for a zealot like you. Fjerda may think they've caught a dragon by the tail, but they won't be able to hold on. Once Bo Yul-Bayur replicates his process, jurda parem will enter the market, and its only a matter of time before others learn to manufacture it, too."