Inej heard the sound of familiar footsteps approaching her, the click of cane on the hardwood floor and instantly, it was clear. He was back. He was approaching.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and wiped her sweaty hands on her pants. To say she was just nervous would be an understatement. As the footsteps came closer, something twisted inside her, as if her stomach was doing somersaults.
"It's just Kaz," she told herself, in an effort to calm that strange feeling. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and then, her eyes and the door opened simultaneously.
Kaz paused, frozen when he saw Inej for a moment. He slowly closed the door behind him and locked it, then turned around to her. His eyes quickly scanned over her for new scars or extreme changes.
"Evening, Captain Ghafa, what business?" Kaz rasped, the faintest smirk pulling at his lips.
Thankfully, his voice did not betray his heart which was thudding almost painfully in his chest, nor did it reveal how his mind raced with all the questions he wanted to ask, the things he wanted to tell her. He slowly started towards the desk, but his eyes did not leave Inej. As if looking away may cause her to disappear.
She was the Wraith, after all.
Kwet waited like an animal stalking its prey, peeking over at the sisters as she watched them talk about this Inej. She wondered why they were so keen on killing her, seemed to be someone close to Kaz. Maybe Sybia was set to kill Kaz, while the other, Inej. She still kept silent, still kept her scarred hands on her axes. She had unwrapped the bandages a few days ago; the burns were finally healed enough for her to wield her deadly weapons.
"Evening, Captain Ghafa, what business?" Kaz said with an all too familiar rasp. Inej took a sharp breath and hopped down.
"Evening, Mr. Brekker."
He was here, he was standing in front of her. After six months, he was finally-
Careful not to show more, she tried her best to keep the tornado of emotions to herself. She took a few steps forward, carefully observing him from head to toe. When no new injury came to her notice, her shoulders finally relaxed a bit. She walked up untill they were only few inches away from each other.
Looking into his deep, dark brown eyes, she asked, "How are you?" finally giving in to her emotions.
His smirk grew into a faint smile. "I'm alright." Better now.
He tilted his head, looking down into her eyes. She was close, and Kaz's heart briefly faltered when she stopped only a few inches away from him.
"What about you? How have the seas treated you?" he asked, his low rasp taking on a quieter edge, watching her face for any insight into her thoughts, her feelings.
It had been so long since he had seen her, he felt somewhat at a loss. He'd already discarded his gloves when he entered the room, and the extra vulnerability did nothing to help his nerves. He allowed himself to feel the warmth radiating off Inej, to take in a couple of deep breaths that helped stabilize him in reality. To help him focus on the present. His eyes trailed her silky, ink black hair coiled into its usual tight braid.
Inej noticed how Kaz's face softened, it had been so long since she had stared at that pale face, trying to read the thoughts, trying to understand the things he never said. She noticed how he took off his gloves and left them at the table near the door.
"I'm good, too. My Saints were with me all this while." That line did manage to steal a fine smile from him.
Not knowing what do to or what to say anymore, she just stayed there, looking up at him. His hands were so close and she so wanted to hold them. But would that be right? Did he change? Was he ready to let her in?
Taking a deep breath, she moved her fingers towards him, hoping to find his reaching towards her as well.
His eyes flickered to Inej's hand, stretching out towards his own. His heart stopped, he wasn't sure if he could do this... but he had to try.
With some hesitation, Kaz reached out to Inej with his free hand, the other still on his cane. His long, thin lockpick fingers moved smoothly, unhindered even as Kaz himself shook ever so slightly, and he gently intertwined their hands together. He kept his eyes on their clasped hands for a bit, focusing on breathing, on the present. The waves remained absent.
Kaz slowly glanced up at Inej, tilting his head subtly in faint question.
"How long are you staying?" He finally managed to ask, although he was a little disappointed at breaking the silence and peace of the moment. The small swell of triumph in his heart.
It wouldn't seem like much to anyone else, even to himself, but it proved he was getting better, and he allowed himself to briefly marvel in the simple touch he had been deprived of for so long. Inej's hands were calloused from the sea, but Kaz didn't mind. They were dry, and warm, and alive. That was more than enough.
Kaz's question brought her back to reality, she wasn't here to stay. She was supposed to leave as soon as the ship was ready again.
But...their hands, it felt so good. When Kaz's fingers met hers, every doubt, every question vanished as if they had never existed.
But she would have to leave, again leave this hand behind and go on back to the sea. She wanted to stay, but she'll still leave soon and now, after this... the best would be to leave as soon as she had the chance, or she'd not be able to leave.
She opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on the door broke their trance. She saw Kaz's gaze turning towards it, irritation was clear in those shark eyes as his jaw flexed in annoyance. Inej chuckled lightly, watching Kaz limping towards the door like a grumpy old cat.
Kaz glared accusingly at the door, his jaw clenching. He let go of Inej's hand, and stalked towards it. In those steps, his walls came back up, and he pulled his gloves on, tugging open the door.
Anika startled away from the door at the dark look in Kaz's eyes.
"What now?" Kaz growled, and the Dreg took a second to calm herself.
"Er... Pim is allergic to dogs, and he isn't too pleased about the Slat's newest four-legged member."
"I could care less what Pim wants. If he's so miserable, he can buy medicine, live somewhere else, or suffer in silence." Kaz's eyes moved over Anika's shoulder, at Pim who was trying to disappear into the wall. "Is that all?"
"No, Kwet hasn't returned yet."
Kaz's eyes darkened even further, he leaned harder on his cane. "Alright, send Roeder out along the path to the Crow Club," he rasped, feeling a headache coming on.
He lifted his gaze to watch Anika and Pim walk down the stairs and closed the door. His eyes felt strained, as if the sleepless nights had been catching up to him. He turned to look at Inej, his fierce eyes clouded with thoughts and worries.
"Bossing around is making you harsher, Kaz," Inej said, suppressing her laugher, though a part of her felt bad for Anika.
Saints truly gave that girl some real tolerance, she thought as she sighed a little.
Kaz just raised his brow, as if challenging her to say whatever was going on inside her head. "I'm not sure how long I'm here for, but I'm definitely not leaving today."
At this, a dark shadow passed over his face his face, the light in his eyes dimmed a little. But Inej was happy; that moment—however short it might have been—was enough for now.
But will it be enough for the next six months? Something said inside her.
Kaz walked towards her and much as she'd have loved to forget the world and stay in that one room, watching the dying sun play with Dirtyhands' dark hair, she couldn't. There were so many depending on her to save them. She couldn't give up on them; not even for this broken, armored boy she'd come to love.
She needed to check on Caden and the others, get updated on their current situation.
She looked up at Kaz and said, "You look like you can definitely use a good meal." His face twisted a little as if not understanding what she said. "At eight bells, Wylan's mansion."
Kaz huffed, he hardly considered that harsh. "I'm training them to only bother me when necessary," he mutters to himself.
Coming over to Inej, he heard her say she wasn't leaving today, but her voice gave her away. She was leaving soon. Very soon. It had been what he was expecting, but it still hurt to hear. He paused, the distance between them greater than where they were moments before.
Inej pulled him out of his thoughts by the sudden statement about a good meal. He scowled; it wasn't like he never ate, and he was just about to argue when Inej cut him off before he could start. "At eight bells, Wylan's mansion."
Kaz shifted his weight, his gloved hand clenching his cane.
"I need to... find my missing spider first."
Kaz couldn't help but linger on Jinx, and her most recent kill. He needed Kwet's skill, and having her die would be quite the setback.
"If I can still make it in time, I'll come," he relented, a hesitant promise, his eyes moving over Inej's face, as if he wanted to remember this moment, solidify what she looked like in his mind's eye. Just in case—
He stepped back, beginning towards the door once more. He paused as he took hold of the knob and looked over his shoulder.
"I missed you, Inej."
Those words were not even close to covering what he wanted to say and felt stiff and awkward on his tongue. But they were a start.
He stepped out of the door, closing it behind him and limping down the stairs, his cane clicking and the stairs creaking under his feet.