Chapter Text
Briefly, Kaz considered escaping. But he knew he had a really slim chance of getting away from two companions Darkling had. Ivan and Fyodor. Red keftas with black embroidery and cuffs. Heartrenders. Fyodor seems to be more, how to put it, more child-friendly, while Ivan only thought Kaz was an annoyance and didn’t even try to hide it.
He was so clearly jealous Darkling took Kaz under his wing, that it was almost funny. A Pout on an adult's face is always somewhat ridiculous.
Kaz was also stuck with both of them riding to Pecu-Home. His leg hurt from having to sit for so long, and also because he just barely didn’t reach the floor of the carriage. Also he rode with his back facing the side they were riding to, so he felt nauseous.
Thankfully, neither talked, neither with each other nor with Kaz. And didn't touch him.
“We are almost here,” Fyodor announced, as they passed some sign. Kaz didn’t see what was on it. He will find it soon enough.
They also passed gates that closed behind them seemingly without anyone touching them. Kaz felt the air was much cleaner, but now the only thought on his mind was not to fall while getting from the carriage. He wasn’t used to the cane yet, and the new pain in his leg didn’t help either.
Ivan was the first who left the carriage and stepped away. Fyodor gazed at Kaz’s leg and smiled again.
“We can heal your leg later," he said.
“No need." Kaz stood up and left the carriage before Fyodor did. He pointedly ignored the pain, and just by the looks on Ivan’s face knew, his heartbeat told him everything he needed to know. Well, fuck him for listening in.
Darkling just left his carriage and briefly looked at Kaz, motioning him to follow.
“Let’s go," Ivan said and was about to put his hand on Kaz’s shoulder, but he dodged and went after Darkling anyway. Ivan’s cufflink in his hand.
Kaz will find a way to make his life difficult in other ways as well. And after hearing Fyodor’s chuckle, he decided that he would suffer as well. But maybe not too much.
The place didn’t seem like Katterdam — even unlike the richest parts of the city. So much empty space with fields and trees around, pastel colored walls, that didn’t remind of any architecture Kaz saw in Katterdam. Walls weren’t easily scalable, at least, not in his current state. He looked back. A territory was behind a tall fence. Also not easily scalable, at least, here, but maybe some other place would have a leeway. Next to the gates a man in purple kefta read a newspaper. So, durast controlled them. That’s why they closed seemingly by themselves and also didn’t have a lock on them. It wasn’t like Kaz was going to use the main exit if it came to it, but he still needed to know it all.
And, of course, there were stairs. Kaz was sort of used to buildings having the first floor at the same level as the street — or, actually, he never had to think about it. Well, he’ll become much more aware of all that now. It was warm inside, or maybe it was because of how climbing the stairs took so much of him.
Corridors seemed awfully spotless, and just as awfully having no place to hide, if he needed to. It was pretty, with all these paintings and vases and even flowers, but it was way too obvious place to steal anything from. And it only had one exit, Kaz only glanced towards windows, but didn’t notice any locks. Probably they also were fabricator made, well, he’ll see
Darkling strode like he wasn’t followed by crippled boy with a cane, and, actually, when Kaz managed to catch up with him, he seemed almost guilty and walked slower after that, especially because they reached stairs to the second floor. Ugh, of course this place — actually, places, Kaz noted at least three separated buildings, and possibly some other places behind that — would have another set of stairs with these high ceilings. Still better than whatever they had in the Slat. Saints, a mere thought of having to go up these abominations made his leg hurt. These clean and big stairs weren’t even half bad.
They didn’t say a single word to each other yet — aside from the short exchange in the courtroom. Kaz wasn’t going to be the first to speak, and he felt the gazes of rare othersthey met. A lot of students, all wearing different colored uniforms, looked at them, to the point that Kaz guessed, it was rare that Darkling brought someone himself. Even teachers — some in colorful and some in, for whatever reason, white keftas, watched over them with surprise.
Nobody approached them and just bowed to Darkling, when he was passing by.
They came to what was most likely Darkling’s office. He gestured for heartrenders to stay outside and closed the door after Kaz was inside. There were a lot of things there, some valuable enough to steal later, when Kaz would need to get out. Darkling gestured towards the armchair in front of the table, and leant on it. Kaz considered standing this whole time, but decided against it.
“So,” he started, smiling almost pleasantly — but his eyes were still far from it. “What is it about you that everyone wanted to get?”
Oh. Suddenly Kaz was aware why and how Darkling even took a shine in him — because everyone else wanted to have him. Well, Kaz already regretted his decision, but at least now he knew what sort of man Darkling was, and how to deal with him. That was like getting back on a pavement after a long walk in swamps.
Not the most straightforward pavement, but at least some pointers were here.
“Sir, I doubt my skills will be of use to you. They are only applicable in a place like a Barrel.”
Which was true. Darkling hummed and leant closer. Kaz didn’t flinch and even kept a neutrally polite face. The man smelled nice, and he doubted he was happy about a dirty urchin straight from jail sitting in his expensive armchairs.
“Then tell me what sort of skills you have. And we’ll see.” his voice was low and he probably thought it was dangerous. Maybe to someone who wasn’t surviving the Barrel for the last three years it was.
Well, fine. It was sort of like joining the Dregs, just needing to tell what he could do. While watching straight into Darkling’s dark eyes and keeping a small smile.
“I’m good with cards and other gambling. Can control the table while playing and dealing. Good with stealing, either pickpocketing or breaking in. Good with lockpicking as well. Fight well.”
“You mean you fought well?” Darkling pointedly looked at Kaz’s leg.
“No. I’ll need about a month and some different cane, the one that won’t break, and I’ll be even better.”
Darkling smiled, probably thinking Kaz bragged, and he sort of was, but these were truths. So Kaz fell silent.
“And that’s it?”
“Yes. As I said, nothing that can really interest someone like you.”
“You’re a liar, aren’t you?” Darkling straightened his back. “And no, everything you just told me is true, but that;s not all, right?”
“That’s what everyone wanted from me,” Kaz shrugged, feeling how he was getting swayed towards the shakier ground.
“How did you know the urchin law text? It was the redaction that didn’t make it.”
Ah, right. He heard that.
“I’m good at lockpicking, and people will pay to know what’s stirring in the Merchant Council. The urchin law was about me, and I needed to be prepared for it just in case.”
“Is that so,” Darkling hummed again. He didn’t know what to make of Kaz, and now Kaz knew, he won’t. Though something told Kaz, that he will find a way to use him.
They always do.
Kaz kept silent, and didn’t even feel unease from Darkling’s gaze. The man decided what to do about him, and Kaz didn’t have enough info to know what he could even go with. He won’t send him away, at least, for now, as he just got his new shiny toy, and he needed time to play with that. During that, Kaz would steal enough to get him back to Katterdam and maybe some more.
“Let’s see if you really are otkazat’sya. Give me your hand.” Darkling said, deciding to be an adult who had something other to do than having a staring contest with twenteen year old.
Kaz didn’t want that, but he knew he couldn’t just slide this topic here. So he rolled the sleeve of his a tad too long shirt and spreaded his arm towards Darkling, being acutely aware when he took it in his firm grasp.
Worst of all was that he had cold hands, oh Saints. Darkling hummed and pressed his big finger to Kaz’s skin. He wore some sort of ring with a claw on his thumb.
This whole time Kaz tried to not get under water, to push down all the phantom feelings of cold dead skin all around him, of sea water filling his lungs. Of burning that’s yet to come.
Nothing unusual happened, just some blood.
“Whatever you’re keeping, let it go,” Darkling murmured, and Kaz just managed to look at his face, seeing the dead eyes of Jordie. He physically recoiled into the armchair, but Darkling only dug deeper into his wrist, and Kaz couldn’t concentrate on what his expression was.
“If I do,” Kaz rasped, knowing that it sounded weird even though the rasp was a natural part of his voice after the plague. He meant to be polite, but at his worst moments he became way too spiteful and mean, so “I will puke all over your Shu Han carpet that costs more than whatever I owned in my whole life, and I’m sure we don’t want that.”
Darkling held his hand for a couple more seconds, then sighed in defeat — or confusion? — and leant away from Kaz, who only now remembered how to breathe, heart beating in his ears.
Somehow his pain sort of grounded him in the present. Good to remember for later.
“You’ll stay here, as one of our students. You’ll wear… black.” Somehow that sounded important, but the reason behind that eluded Kaz. Though he didn’t see anyone but Darkling wearing black, maybe, that’s why. “Now, Fyodor will take you to the healer, they’ll fix your leg.” Darkling clapped, and the door behind Kaz opened.
“Nobody is going to fix my leg, it stays that way, Sir.” Kaz even smiled a bit but even for him it was shaken at best. Darkling watched him over and shook his head.
“Fyodor,” Darkling looked at him. “Take student Brekker to Materialki, he needs a black uniform without embroidery. David will be in charge of him as well. Ask him who has a free room, they’ll share with him.”
“But their dorm is on the fourth floor,” Fyodor said. Darkling fixed him with his dark gaze. “I’m sorry, Sudar’.”
“Tell them after they make a uniform for him to show him around, to shower and for dinner. And after that — student Brekker needs to come to Mrs Zubek, let her know she needs to make a file for him and check his knowledge, so that we would know what classes he should attend. He didn’t have any formal education, so might need to create a way for him to catch up.”
Kaz didn’t say anything about it, just stood up, clearly understanding when the conversation was over. He bowed a bit, as it was a polite thing to do, and went around the armchair.
“And, Mr Brekker,” Kaz stopped and turned his head towards Darkling. “No stealing and no harming other students. There are other rules you are to abide by in this House, so after your tests with Mrs Zubek, you go to the library and read them. Is it clear?”
“Yes, Sudar’.”
Darkling raised his brow, but waved them away. He and Ivan started talking about some Merchant Council business, but for now Kaz had no interest in it. He limped after Fyodor and away from the office. Ivan’s cufflink was still in his sleeve.