Chapter Text
Inej was in a port along the coast of Shu Han when she heard the news. She had just captured a slave ship and brought its captives back home, leaving the crew members that survived tied up for the authorities to find. She had been looking forward to taking a few days to rest at this quiet, secluded little town near the coast. She loved her work, she needed it, but she could spend some time sleeping in at the nice little inn she spotted and going for walks around the countryside, taking in the fresh air, while they resupplied. However, she had more pressing matters to attend to now. Another plague had struck Ketterdam and she needed to get back to Kaz and the others and make sure that they were okay.
After what Kaz had told Inej that night after meeting her parents, she didn’t want him to be alone for this. He had confided in her about what happened to him in another plague years ago. It had taken both his brother and his security away from him, leaving him alone with a broken heart and an aversion to touch. He would’ve never admitted it, but this event made him vulnerable and he might need his original second there. Kaz had a long way to go, but he had trusted her with his story and she would do what she could with that information. Whether it was telling him stories about Jesper to keep him present, threatening Pekka Rollins or sneaking into a guarded city to make sure that he was okay.
Inej had been meaning to visit them for weeks anyway. It was very difficult to correspond at sea, and even more so with how secretive her work was. She had received one letter from Kaz, mostly cordial and containing veiled information she could use to hunt down slavers, and three from Jesper and Wylan, who put their thoughts together in the same letters. There wouldn’t be a way to send a letter into a city shut down by plague and Kaz would tell her not to if he knew she was coming. But she was the Wraith and she could sneak in. She could go where she pleased.
Rather than making port in Fifth Harbor as she usually would, Inej dropped anchor a little further out and took a small rowboat in. Inej prepared for the worst, covering both her face and hands as a safety measure. She didn’t know how this plague spread, but she had noticed that during her early days with the Dregs, she seemed to get sick less than the others when something was going around. Back then she had covered up more to try and hide her identity, before the Wraith was known across the barrel. The cloth she used wasn’t much, but it wouldn’t get in her way so there was no harm in trying.
When she got to the docks, though, she saw that the city was as bustling and busy as ever. Ships were crammed into berths in the harbor and people unloaded fish from smaller vessels. Food vendors shouted out prices and some boys decked out in barrel flash waved towards tourists who were disembarking, undoubtedly trying to lure fresh pigeons. No plague precautions in sight. That was odd.
As she climbed up onto the dock, she saw a familiar face at the edge of the crowd. He leaned on his cane, both his stance and reputation keeping him at a distance from the people surrounding him. He was wearing an elegant black suit, but had left his usual tailored jacket behind due to the heat. His hair was neater than it was when she last saw him, as if he’d just trimmed it for this occasion or maybe even gotten someone else to help. He somehow looked both more well rested and filled with nervous, restless energy that she wasn’t used to seeing in him. Kaz had come to meet her. But how? She hadn’t let anyone know she was even coming.
“Kaz! What are you doing here?” She asked, still a little surprised. Though at this point, she probably shouldn’t be. Kaz was still Kaz. He always seemed to know everything.
“I was just about to ask you the same question,” Kaz’s lips quirked up in a slight smile at her. It was incredible how she missed him so much when he could be so impossibly aggravating. He got under her skin in every way that he could, both good and bad.
“I heard there was a plague and I got worried,” she admitted, starting to walk in the direction of the Geldstraat
“So you came all the way here when you thought there was a plague? You can’t do things like that, you’re going to get killed” he said, sounding a little surprised and worried, “Some tourists went to Sten’s Stockpot and caused an alarm. It got the entire city shut down for a couple of days but it was all over quick. I think they were trigger happy after the last ‘plague’ scare we caused.”
“Oh,” Inej replied, feeling a little silly for coming all this way for nothing. But at least her friends were safe. Kaz was safe. And she had been meaning to visit Ketterdam for a long time anyway. It’d been months since she last stopped here and she hadn’t seen her friends in so long. She wanted to catch up with everyone and see how they were doing.
“So what’s new in the barrel? What have I missed these past couple of months?” She asked. The city probably hadn’t changed much, but it somehow looked both smaller and busier than she remembered. She wasn’t used to the sounds and smells and crowds after being at sea for so long. Despite missing Kaz and her friends, she wasn’t sure she missed this city nearly as much.
Kaz was vague, likely due to the potential for being overheard in such a busy place, but explained an overview of the recent goings on of the barrel gangs. The Dregs were doing well, but there was still a lot of fighting going on to maintain their place. Pekka Rollins thankfully hadn’t made an appearance yet, but Kaz was still on the lookout for him or any of his underlings. It seemed like he was holding something back, though. Kaz was a good liar and usually hard to read, but she could sense in his anxiety that he wasn’t telling her everything. The way his eyes narrowed and the way that he gripped his cane like a lifeline gave it away.
“There is one other thing I have to tell you,” he said, as if sensing that she picked up on his unease. What could this be about? Was it good news or bad news? Was it another one of his schemes?
“What is it, Kaz?” she asked, brows furrowing at his comment.
“It’ll have to wait until we get to Jesper and Wylan’s,” Kaz looked around warily, taking stock of the crowd around them even more than usual. Was he really going to Jesper and Wylan’s with her? He had always been so reluctant to stop by before she left. What had changed? And why was this all such a secret?
They continued their walk in comfortable silence. She had almost forgotten how easy it was to just be with him. The quiet felt comfortable, not like there was pressure for her to speak if she didn’t have anything to say. And sometimes it was like she could read right through him, and him through her, without speaking a word. They fell into step with no difficulty, despite Inej’s light and nimble stride and Kaz’s heavy and uneven gait. Their hands just barely brushed at one moment when turning a corner. Kaz’s fingers were still gloved, but when she looked over she saw a faint blush on his cheeks that warmed her heart.
When they got to the mansion, Kaz seemed a little reluctant to go in the front door. Inej raised an eyebrow at that. Did he really want to break into their closest friends’ house? For Saints sake, Kaz , she thought. Wylan had given them both keys for a reason. However, Inej rang the doorbell so they’d at least know that someone was coming.
Jesper answered the door wearing a garish, shimmering gold and purple suit with velvet lapels. His waistcoat had embroidered floral details in matching colors. Since the Ice Court he had apparently done a lot of shopping, but he hadn’t grown out of his Barrel Flash days entirely. His clothing was still bright and flashy, with loud patterns, vibrant colors and interesting fabrics that glittered or shined. However, his new clothing was all well made and more tailored to him.
Before she left on her ship, he had taken her to shop for some new outfits. Inej had wanted something more loose fitting and practical for her journey at sea. Jesper had instead been fixated on what he called “pirate hats”. He excitedly showed them to her, telling her about how every sailor in the underworld of Ketterdam wore them. However, to Inej they looked more like parts of costumes for the Komedie Brute. She did end up buying one, though, if only because of her friend’s excitement over it.
“Inej! I didn’t know you were coming!” Jesper exclaimed, taking a step closer to her but avoiding contact with Kaz. Inej hugged him, taking in his warm embrace. She had her own anxieties about touch but she felt safe with Jesper.. She had really missed him while she was at sea. His humor and energy was unmatched by anyone on her crew. He was truly like a brother to her, a best friend.
“Kaz did you tell her about… you know?” Jesper asked after letting go, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers on his sleeve.
“No I—” Kaz was cut off when he noticed another man enter the room behind Jesper. Inej saw him too. He was tall and slim and had dark, slightly wavy hair that fell across his forehead. He wore what looked to be clothes straight out of Jesper’s closet— a vibrant red button down with a pair of silvery black pants that almost sparkled. She looked closer and saw freckles strewn across his lightly tanned nose and soft brown eyes, like tea in the light of a summer’s day. She was sure she’d never seen this man in her life but he was all too familiar. She would’ve thought he was Kaz, tailored to look just different enough to not be recognized for a big job, but the real Kaz was standing nearby looking exactly how he always did. What was this?
“Inej, this is Jordie,” Jesper introduced him. Jordie? But wait, hadn’t Kaz said that his brother had died during the plague several years before? How could he be standing in the Van Eck mansion looking alive and perfectly healthy?
“Kaz, what is going on?” she asked warily, looking around at the others for an explanation.
“We have a lot to discuss,” Kaz stated.
“No shit,” Jesper remarked as they all walked to the living room. Inej guessed that she really had missed something important in the months that she was gone.
They explained it to her in the best way that they could, with Jordie apologetic, Jesper interjecting with quips about funny things that happened and Kaz staying mostly silent except for to correct them when he thought they were getting it wrong. The gist of it was that Jordie was alive and had come back to Ketterdam, actually thinking that Kaz was the one who was dead the whole time. They had been stuck in this house during the lockdown and had fought but worked things out. Now Jordie was living here and trying to find his footing in the city. And, it went unsaid but she knew it to be true, he was trying to reconnect with Kaz.
Inej told Jordie a little about what she did at sea, keeping it vague and mostly impersonal but trying to explain. After a while, Kaz had to leave to take care of some business at the Slat and Jesper left to go meet with Wylan, leaving Inej and Jordie alone.
“He’ll be back,” Jordie said, which Kaz hadn’t admitted himself, “He’s always leaving to go do something or another but he comes back later. I think he sometimes uses it as an excuse to get out of these kinds of talks, if you ask me.”
Inej smiled at that, both sad and strangely fond of the memories she had with Kaz where he tried to avoid talking about his feelings in any way possible. She still wasn’t sure what to make of this man who looked so much like Kaz and yet was so different. One thing she couldn’t deny about him, though, was that he had gone to great lengths for his brother and seemed to have a kind heart that wasn’t suited for this city.
“If you wanted to join my crew, you’d be welcome on the Wraith,” she offered, already knowing what the answer would be, “Specht could train you on how to sail and maintain a ship.”
“What you do is incredible, but I think I’m needed here right now,” Jordie looked out the window at the water of the canal, glittering in the early evening moonlight, “I just got Kaz back, I can let him go just yet.”
Inej understood, it was what she expected. She had mostly offered to give him an option if he thought he was lost here. Inej was glad that Kaz wouldn’t be alone, though. Of course, he hadn’t really been before. He’d always had Jesper and Wylan just across the city, but with Jordie back he had even more of a home to come to if he needed. And more people to keep him in check if he was trying to work day and night with no respite.
“Besides, some things really need to change in this city and I doubt the council is going to be able to do anything, even with someone like your friend Wylan around,” Jordie added, fire in his voice, “I don’t want what happened to us to happen to anyone else.”
“That’s why I do what I do,” Inej said quietly, looking at the fireplace instead of at Jordie, not wanting to get into detail or risk vanishing, “I don’t know exactly what you’re planning, but I hope you can do something. This city needs more people who actually care about other people's lives.”
“Thanks,” Jordie replied, softly smiling. Maybe they could all change the world together. Her with her ship, Kaz with the underworld of Ketterdam, Wylan and Jesper with the council and Jordie with his determination to do better. She knew who Kaz really was even though he would continue to hide behind his monstrous image and never admit to such idealism. It’d be hard and there would always be work to do, but they could make things better, bit by bit.