𝖉𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖔𝖓'𝖘 𝖑𝖊𝖌𝖆𝖈𝖞 || kaz brekker

𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. hunted for sports.

it had been going on for a while. ever since she had gone to check the stables with Inej and came back, he simply ignored her presence while keeping his attention solely on her, waiting for her to break.

and as the seconds kept ticking on the clock hung on the wall near her head, her nostril flared before she pushed her elbows against the wooden surface with a loud scraping of her chair. "what?" she snapped, frowning in annoyance.

he scoffed. "what?" he repeated, disdain lacing his word as he glared at her.

the small candle between them was flickering violently, whether it was the wind or simply the shift in their moods affecting it, neither could tell.

his gaze drifted down, hoping to calm the anger burning inside of him. it wasn't directed at her specifically, but truthfully, most of it was. "are you going to tell me how she got away yet?" his voice wavered as his eyes met her own.

she sighed, her lips puckering slightly as they pulled them to the side while hoping to avoid his glare. "I let her go."

Kaz nodded in acknowledgment. he already knew, of course, he just wanted to hear her admit it, and as his head tilted to chase her attention, his brows rose. "you and Inej were hired to do a job," he hissed through gritted teeth. "no more, no less."

"yes." she agreed. "the job I was hired for was to pick up a fake. that was what they believed, and that was what I came to fulfill." she added, lips pulled downward into a forced smile as her nose wrinkled at the top in a mix of sarcasm and disdain.

"what we found is the last piece to something far greater than you and me and any amount of kruge in the world."

the crow only scoffed, raising his hands to reveal a coin held between his fingers. "a good magician is a good con artist," he let out, "the trick..." he declared, gloved fabric gliding slowly over the nickel until his palms opened again and it had disappeared. "is to make it look real."

Aeya nodded in frustration, eyes wide with a fake smile plastered onto her face. she had seen him attempt to learn that trick far too many times. it seemed that he finally succeeded.

"she is not a con artist, Kaz," she sighed, bored of the arguing. "she has the power to end all of this. she is everything."

the man seemed almost offended, head tilting dangerously as he leaned forward, shoulders bunching up to insist on his presence. "she is nothing." he spat out, teeth bared and angry. "you are everything, you are the last piece, and they don't have you." he stated, blue eyes boring into hers in a way she had never caught on before.

it seemed to sink deeper than frustration or annoyance, and if she didn't know better, she'd take it as belief, the same that shone through Inej's eyes each time she kissed her daggers, or Jesper whenever he shot a quick prayer before finding his way into a gambling table.

she knew the look, she'd seen it on the countless of faces passing by her in the Little Palace's corridors; the old men and the young children, the guards and the nobles. but never Kaz.

he seemed to notice, back pushing against his seat as he held his cane closer to him and looked away, hoping to rebuild the walls that had slipped for those short moments. "I do." his jaw twitched.

the saint remained unmoving for a few blinks, expression softer than it had been before she sighed heavily. "you saw her." she mumbled.

"the best illusions are the most convincing." he grunted, gaze set away from her soft stare. "that's the game."

"she is a miracle," the dragon insisted, her hands reaching for the now cold beverage she had been drinking to quench her thirst before taking a sip and placing it back down. "I'm not betraying my destiny for kruge."