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Carnival is Kaz and Inej’s favorite holiday, though for drastically different reasons. The pageantry reminds Inej of home and of the shows her parents used to put on. Kaz likes the influx of tourists and people from the countryside.
“Ripe for the picking, Wraith,” he says with a small smile. “The work never stops for some of us.”
Inej huffs and turns to leave.
“Wait.”
She stops immediately.
“Take Nina with you. I want to get to know our new member.”
Inej pauses. “I don’t have time to make it to West Stave and back.”
“Good thing she’s in Per Haskell’s office getting a mask. Pick a good one, Inej. I’ll find you.”
As a rule, Inej tries to avoid Per Haskell’s office, but it’s worth it for this. Every gang has a collection of masks, and the Dregs is no exception. Per Haskell is inordinately proud of them. He has the Mister Crimson mask pushed up on his head, the black feather brows sticking straight up. “You get the first pick, ladies,” he says.
Inej taps the spot where the plague doctor mask should sit.
“Well, almost first.”
“Kaz?” she guesses.
Nina is running her fingers over the only white mask in the collection; a delicate half mask with gold braid and black and gold feathers embedded in the porcelain. “This is Grisha made,” Nina says.
“With feathers from a Ravkan Eagle,” Per Haskell agrees. “Wear it. It suits you.”
Inej selects one of the full face masks, black with swirls in it that look like the night sky.
“Hope you left some for the rest of us,” Jesper drawls as they step out of the office. “I’ll see you in the square.”
“Maybe,” Inej tosses over her shoulder and Jesper grins.
Once masks have been divvied up and costumes donned, each gang gathers to process to the square by the Exchange. There they’ll join the guild parades and the party in the streets while the Merchers hold their ball on the Exchange floor. Inej takes Nina’s hand to keep them from being separated in the crowded streets of the Barrel and leads her to the spot where Kaz showed her her first Carnival.
Each guild has a float, showing off their craft, and pulled by donkeys or teams of men. The shipmakers guild is the prow of a ship, cutting through the crowd. The glassblowers guild’s is decorated with panes of colored glass that catch the light of torches. Some guilds have hired bands to proceed them, and guild members who didn’t win the honor of riding march behind. The guild members on the floats toss trinkets into the crowd - wooden coins stamped with guild logos, and hot house flowers, and strings of beads, and candies. They’re largely worthless - though the coins pass as currency among the youngest in the Barrel - but for the brief moment as they fly through the air, they’re priceless.
Inej catches her fair share - she still has the glass bead necklace that was the prized catch her first Carnival - but Nina catches a lot. Even with her face half covered, Nina’s charm shines through.
The Mercher Council has the last and grandest of the floats. It’s shaped like a ship, it’s wheels disguised by paper waves and its flags flapping merrily in the breeze off the water. Inej, Nina, and the rest of the crowd follow behind it, forming a long train that snakes through the city. Nina keeps a tight grip on Inej’s hand, her eyes wide and delighted.
The square is a cacophony of sound, with a band in each corner playing jigs and reels and waltzes. Less official musicians have staked out their own spots, trying to make a few kruge. There are countless street vendors selling souvenirs, and masks, and-
“Waffles!” Nina cries happily, pulling Inej towards the sweet smelling food cart.
Jesper and Big Bolliger find them there, hands sticky with sweet cream and syrup. “Would you favor us with a dance?” Jesper asks, bowing so low that his hat and mask threaten to fall off.
“My escort should have the first dance,” Nina says, taking Inej’s arm. “But maybe later. If you’re good.”
She grins at him, and if she’s already meeting Jesper flirt for flirt then she’ll fit into the Dregs just fine.
Jesper sighs dramatically. “I guess it’s just you and me, Bol. You wouldn’t deny me a dance, would you?”
“Buy me a waffle first and anything’s possible.”
The boys vanish in pursuit of the food cart and Inej looks down at their linked arms. “Would you like to dance?” she asks softly.
“Oh.” Nina blushes, and it’s just visible under her mask. “I don’t really know how. Never learned the steps.”
Inej smiles and squeezes Nina’s hand. “I’ll teach you.”
Nina’s dancing is, well frankly it’s awful, but she still manages to look lovely in her attempt. They’ve started with a waltz since it’s slow, but Nina is both taller and larger than Inej, so leading is proving difficult, and her toes are starting to smart. It's worth it though for the smile that spreads across Nina's face when she does her first round smoothly.
“Want to move on to something harder?” Inej asks.
Nina laughs and half collapses against her shoulder. “No! Let's stick to this; it's nice.”
She squeezes Inej's hand and moves back into position to begin.
“Not bad,” rasps a familiar voice.
“Kaz,” Inej greets.
Nina stiffens under her hands. Kaz is an eerie figure; he’s in all black as usual, but his coat is cut long and it has a high collar that covers all of his face that isn’t hidden by the plague doctor mask. The mask is Inej’s least favorite in the collection. It’s leather, and if a Fabrikator made it then they weren’t very good. The stitches that connect the beaklike nose with the face are ragged, giving the impression of teeth, and the round glass eyes stare off in different directions, though they always manage to find you. With Kaz’s ever present gloves, there isn’t anything visible to prove that he’s human.
He’s found Jesper, Big Bolliger, and a few other members of the Dregs. Inej doesn't bother to take the time to figure out who's who – she's not on the clock right now – but it's a large enough group that it raises some concerns.
“A job?” she asks. “Tonight?”
She can't read Kaz's expression beneath the mask, but his posture looks pleased. “The Merchers' Ball has locked the gates of the Exchange and the stadwatch will be preoccupied keeping order here and clearing the streets at twelve bells. They're trusting the private guards to keep order in the Geldstraat. Which makes tonight perfect for a few minor jobs. We’re heading up there now.”
Inej bristles. “I had the night off to see the parade and to dance.” She was having a lovely time with Nina, and Kaz can’t just expect her to drop everything and- but no, of course he can.
“I just saw you dancing,” Kaz says.
“Go,” Nina says, before Inej can snap back. “I should get back to the White Rose anyway.”
“I'll take you home,” Inej insists. “Even with a detour I'll still get there before them.”
Jesper laughs. “Want to wager on that, Wraith?”
“Saints,” says a mask with Dirix's voice. “No wonder you owe so much if you're always making bets you can't win.”
This comment causes a scuffle, during which Kaz says, “We'll be counting on you,” before he rounds the others up and they move away through the crowd.
“Sorry to cut your night short-” Inej starts, but Nina waves her away.
“I've had enough dancing for a lifetime. My bed is calling my name.”
“Well, let's heed its call.”
They link arms again and head towards West Stave, their bodies still moving slightly to the music that trails behind them.
“You don't need to take me all the way,” Nina says, when they've gone a few blocks. “The night doesn't hold much danger for a Corporalnik with membership in the Dregs.”
Inej hesitates. That's not strictly speaking true, but Nina is stubborn, so when she refuses Inej's first offer to take her all the way, Inej says her goodbyes.
“Thank you for tonight,” Nina says, fiddling with the feathers on her mask. “It was the first time I've had fun in Ketterdam.”
Inej opens her mouth to respond, when Nina darts in, presses a kiss to the lips of Inej's mask, and scurries away, leaving Inej stunned in her wake.
There's no one around to see the masked figure standing dumbly in the street for a long minute. Or to see it unmask and unerringly scale the nearest wall and vanish over the sloping rooftops of the city. And there's no one sober around to see the same figure drop into an alley around the corner from the White Rose.
Nina walks past the alley mere moments later, and Inej reaches out and takes her hand. Nina brings her other hand up quickly in defense, but stops when she recognizes Inej.
“What-” she starts.
Before Nina can say anything else, and before Inej can lose her nerve, Inej kisses her.
Inej doesn't have much practice with this sort of thing, and she's sure it's awful, but right as she's about to pull away, Nina kisses back.
They stop, and Inej starts to step back into the shadows. “Okay. Good night.”
Nina rolls her eyes. “Saints, Inej! You can't just- I mean. Come back, yah? Come back and we'll talk, and...” she trails off.
Inej wants to, but the Wraith has places to be. “No mourners,” she says, squeezing Nina's fingers.
Nina sighs unhappily, but squeezes back and responds, “No funerals.”
She puts her mask into Nina's hands and darts up onto the nearest roof. Inej looks back at her one last time before she disappears.