Nina:
Nina Zenik knew two things the moment the corpse had moved.
Something was definitely wrong
She was hungry
Since then she had learned that for once the latter could wait, and that clearly this rabbit hole was deeper than she could possibly imagine.
So she watched from afar, feeling Inej's pity for Jesper, and sensing both Jesper and Matthias' confusion. She looked at the bulking shape of the Fjerden now. He was frozen stockstill in the doorway, two bangs of his snowy hair shielding his eyes, but he didn't bother to move them. His face was pure tiredness. Like he had finally realised that nothing could ever be slightly normal when he was around the four.
Oh how innocent he was to the world, how he looked down on Ketterdam with childlike hope, as if the bundle of cheap booze and Barrel rats could ever be fixed. She still had many things to teach him.
But even Nina was surprised when Inej spoke those words. So much so that she almost was lost for words. Almost.
"Um... why?" She stuttered.
"Are you sure?" Jesper asked, flush returning to his beautiful brown skin that Nina had always admired.
Kaz sighed. "About a week ago a man that goes by the name of Edmund Rithouse came to the Crow Club. He asked for little favours at first, probably to draw away suspicion. I sent the lower crows to do the dirty work, until he mentioned Wylan. At that point I had already observed who Wylan was and that he had left home two months prior. Rithouse tried to keep it a secret about who he was and offered the sum to kill him instead. Obviously I accepted-"
"No offence Kaz, as I know you love telling stories, but what proof is this?" Nina yawned.
Kaz looked ready to explode, so Inej took over. "I followed him around for a few days. I found and met along with other spiders along the way. They were curious to know what business he had at the Crow Club. He shimmied around for a few days before finally visiting his brother, who just so happens to be one of Van Eck's closest lawyers. And besides, where else would he get one million kruge from?"
"So this 'Van Eck' man really wants his own son dead?" Matthias asked like a wounded puppy. "And he hired the DirtyHands to do it?"
Kaz flexed his hand on his cane. "I don't judge people's decisions, Helvar, and neither should you."
"I still don't get it!" Jesper fumed. Nina sighed. Now she was really hungry. "Why would this Van Eck guy hire us for one million kruge if he could just get his men to do it for him?"
"Probably because his men can easily be traced back," Kaz snapped. "And it would be easier to feign his death for a bad experience with the Barrel rather than an assassination.
Jesper shook his head. "This doesn't feel right. I... I won't do it."
Kaz gazed at him for a moment, and Nina wondered if he would argue with him, but he shook his head and looked into the empty fireplace.
"It seems when the work gets really dirty even the worst gambler in the Dregs can't be convinced." He strode towards the doorway. "It looks like it's time for me to do what I do best." And then he was gone.
The rest of the Crows remained for a second, and Nina was so lost in thought she didn't see Inej slip out, nor did she hear Jesper stomp towards the bar, mumbling about the stress of trying to imitate the Wraith. Her stomach brought her back to the now and she was just making her way to the exit when Matthias grabbed her arm.
"Wait," he said.
"Matthias, I'm hungry! Can't we talk about Fjerden politics later?" She whined. She was about to continue when she felt his strong arms grip her back, pulling her into his chest. A hug.
"I don't feel good about this. There's something... off about him."
"Saints, you really are superstitious, aren't you?" But she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "We'll figure it out, we always do. And Kaz wouldn't have kept him alive this long if he thought he was a threat."
Matthias looked like he wanted to know more, but a low growl sounded from Nina.
"Was that your stomach?"
"Yes it was, and if that isn't a hint then I don't know what is!"
Kaz:
The Crow's Barrel was really just a nickname for the cells underground where he kept temporary prisoners, but it was also useful as it had secret tunnels leading out. Plus it was convinient as a torture chamber.
As Kaz limped down the steep stairwell leading underground he couldn't help but feel the annoying tug of curiosity forming in his mind. Wylan was a bit of a mystery to him. Being a merchant's son seemed to only present benefits. So clearly the boy was either incredibly stupid or mentally unstable for him to leave that life of luxury. Or was it something else?
Finally he reached the chamber, his leg groaning in protest as he stalked forward. Matthias had chucked Wylan in a cell further down, and Kaz ignored the other occupants of the cells next door, knowing all too well that they were in no condition to make remarks.
Not bothering to use the keys, Kaz plucked a lock pick from his pocket and twisted it a few times before the cell door creaked open, and he stepped inside.
The boy, Wylan, was shoved up against the wall, shoulders slumped, head of annoyingly messy curls tilted downwards, yet his breathing was heavier than before, and Kaz could see how his fingers twitched as he revived.
Kaz shadowed himself in a corner and waited until finally the boy groaned, rubbing his neck and the necklace of bruises Jesper had gifted him.
"W...where-"
"Save the pleasantries." Kaz stepped out of the shadows and immediately saw the fear rise up like bile in the boy. As Kaz stepped closer he shimmied away, curling up in a corner like a frightened cat. Typical.
"Let's get one thing clear, Wylan." He paused. "That is your name, isn't it?"
Wylan nodded.
"Well, Wylan, I'll tell you what I know. I know that someone has paid a large sum (one million kruge, to be exact) to have you killed viciously and brought back to that same someone as a corpse. And, as you have already guessed, I'm the one that's supposed to kill you viciously. Sound familiar?"
Wylan nodded and tried to speak, but it came out as more of a croak. "The Zemeni boy-"
"He tried and failed, so it seems it's my turn."
The boy looked terrified, then, as quickly as that fear had arrived, it dissipated. He dropped his head, allowing his eyes to rest on the floor. "Please... make it quick."
In all his time as DirtyHands Kaz had never let anything surprise him. He had never left anything to chance long enough to become a surprise. But this, the boy's sudden willingness to die, was something new entirely.
"What did you say?" Kaz rasped.
The boy looked up at him again, with eyes of pure sapphire. He saw nothing of Van Eck in those eyes. In fact, he saw quite the opposite; a gentleness that was rarely present in anyone in Ketterdam, let alone a merchant.
Kaz shook his head, shoving away his thoughts till all he saw were his gloves, his cane, both belonging to the Bastard of the Barrel. That was what he was. And that was what he would be now.
Stepping forward he unsheathed a hidden dagger from his belt, playing it around his fingers in an attempt to taunt the merchling. It failed to work, instead drawing a strange look of determination from Wylan.
Soon Kaz was standing directly above Wylan. Crouching down low, Kaz took one last look into those bright blue eyes before whispering:
"If you stay still, I'll make this easy."
Wylan nodded and, screwing up his eyes, leant forward so the dagger was directly over his heart.
Kaz didn't say a prayer for the boy. He didn't whisper his condolences, nor did he mock him. So it was no surprise when he didn't even wince when someone grasped his shoulder and tugged him back.