Chapter Text
Inej docked the Wraith in the early evening, taking the empty berth left for her in the fifth harbor. She fought the urge to seem impatient as she and Specht issued their last orders before dismissing the crew for shore leave. Nina, picked up fresh from a stay in Ravka, made no such efforts. The two women stepped onto the docks, and Inej looked at Ketterdam before her. The city that once knew her as 'Wraith' felt almost foreign to her. The tightness of the alleys and streets was so different from the open sea, and she paced hurriedly through the streets, unchanged in her time away. She would visit Jesper and Wylan first, she thought. They'd promised her and Nina that they would always have a place to sleep, and she had no doubt Kaz had sold off her berth in the Slat.
"Ugh we're back in this hellhole. At least I can finally eat something that wasn't salted and dry," said Nina, breaking the tension in her usual way. Inej could tell she still wasn't completely recovered since the Ice Castle and then Matthias's death, but she was improved since she'd spent time again in her home country. Inej had been surprised when she'd asked to return with Inej, but has acquiesced to the request nonetheless.
"Not to insult your boat, of course!" Continued Nina, "there was just a sore lack of cake. Or waffles. Or anything that really, you know. Tasted good."
Inej smiled wryly, "I don't think much of the food you prefer would last long on a sea journey. You only had to spend two weeks with it, you get used to it."
"I don't know how you do it, Inej! I think I'd wither away and die if I spent as long on that boat as you do. I for one, am looking forward to eating all of Wylan and Jesper's food."
Nina skipped as she walked, and looped her arm through Inej's but the two of them kept a wary eye out. Ketterdam was never a safe place to walk, and Inej had more enemies now than when she had left. She hoped perhaps in her time here, Kaz might help her to eliminate some. Many were his market competitors anyways.
They knocked on the door to the Van Eck house, a foreign feeling for Inej, who had broken into most of the wealthy houses in this area, including this one. Wylan opened the door, and Inej glimpsed Jesper behind him before Nina threw herself into greeting Wylan gleefully.
"Wylan!! I missed you!" She chirped, muffled through the tight hug. She pulled back a little to press a kiss to his cheek. "How's domestic bliss treating you?"
Jesper had slunk up to them, and swung his arms around Wylan after Nina released him, tugging him close, and Wylan turned pink. "Well, thanks for asking," he said, grinning in a lazy satisfied way.
"You guys are in earlier than expected," said Wylan, red cheeked and eager to change the subject.
"We had unexpectedly good weather," responded Inej. Her seafaring skills were not yet perfect, but under Specht and other members of the crew, she improved every day. As she spoke, Jesper seemed to focus on her for the first time, and sobered a little.
"You haven't been to the Slat or the Crow Club yet have you? Haven't looked for Kaz?" He asked, and Wylan glanced back at him, before focusing on Inej as well.
"Why would we? That sourpuss kills any and all fun, and I know for a fact that I'm going to have at least one good meal in me before he's there to gloom it up," said Nina indignantly, though none of her comments really held any real venom.
"We haven't, we came straight here. why?" Inej asked, more seriously. Jesper was acting off.
"We'll tell you at dinner. C'mon you've gotta be hungry," beckoned Jesper, grin returning, but the odd look in his eyes still remained.
"The chef will be thrilled to have Inej back, she loves you for some reason," added Wylan.
"I expect excellent food and a full explanation for what all this cryptic nonsense is," said Nina in a tone that brooked no argument, flouncing after them with Inej in tow.
They all sat down and were served food, but Inej was curious and worried all at once, and too tense to think about touching the rich food at the moment. Nina had no such hangups, digging in and speaking around a mouthful of food.
"Well, here we are. You might as well tell us what mess Brekker got himself into this time."
"Well... none of you guys were in the city for the plague, years back were you?" Asked Wylan, to a chorus of shaken heads.
"Some sicknesses don't... completely leave the body, even when symptoms are gone. I remember studying it a little, but a couple years back, people who had the plague before started getting sortof... relapses, I guess?" He continued, garnering blank stares from Nina and Inej. Inej, of course, had known about these. She and Kaz had taken advantage of some of the panic that the little isolated cases has caused to rob or swindle the victims or those close to them.
"We don't need lessons on the plague Wylan, get to the point," said Nina.
"Well... Kaz must have had the plague at some point," said Wylan, said, pausing as the reality sunk in and he was met by two shocked stares.
"He turned up here a couple days ago and scared the shit out of us. He'd let it get way worse than it had too, and we had to drug him up for him to sleep properly." Jesper added.
"Kaz is sick?" Inej asked, not entirely believing her ears.
"I didn't think he even got sick," said Nina.
"I'll be honest, neither did I. I don't think I've ever seen him even cough."
Nina glanced at her and then back at Jesper, "will he be okay?" She asked?
Everyone there knew about how deadly the plague had been when it struck Ketterdam, and the thought of Kaz dying of a sickness he'd beaten once before didn't sit well with anyone.
"The medik said he should be fine. He's just gonna be miserable for a while, especially since he overexerted himself for the entire first stage of it," responded Jesper.
Inej nodded. Only one of the cases she'd heard about had ended in death, and that had been an old man who was already sick. Still, the affirmation set her breathing at ease. The atmosphere in the room lightened some with the assertion that he would almost certainly be fine.
"The visit with the medik was fun. Kaz almost punched her and she looked scared out of her wits," said Jesper, smiling now. Inej could only imagine what it must have been like for some random hospital medik, even one not aware of who Kaz was, to have to deal with him in a bad mood. Her thoughts were interrupted by the telltale rhythm of Kaz's walking stick as he entered the room.
"I'm glad to hear you're finding this entertaining, Jesper," he grumbled, the rasp in his voice more pronounced than usual. He muffled a cough in a handkerchief and sank into a chair at the table, but made no move to take any food. Though his mannerisms were the same, Inej could easily pick out the signs of illness in his unusually rumpled hair and clothes, and the darker than usual rings under his eyes. He glared at Jesper, but it was clear that the sickness made his gaze far hazier than usual. After a moment, he turned away.
"Inej, Nina. Welcome back," he said, voice softening imperceptibly.
"You always did have a flair for dramatic entrances, didn't you Brekker," said Nina coyly.
"Kaz, that medic gave you a double dose of sleeping tonic why in hell are you awake?" Said Wylan incredulously.
"I actually have a seventh sense for knowing when people are talking about me."
"... seventh?" That was Jesper, a half smile on his lips, while Kaz remained deadpan.
"Yes."
"Who's running the Dregs at the moment? It's not like you to give up control," asked Inej. She could admit to herself that she had wanted to see Kaz. Real Kaz, not Dirtyhands the barrel lord. This Kaz was closer, in a way, but not quite right. He still had his gloves on, even in an uncharacteristically rumpled shirt, collar undone, and he'd deliberately sat a space away from anyone else. Even not quite in his right mind, his soft greeting had shot warmth through her.
"Roetter. I can't very well run the Dregs or be seen around the Barrel looking ready to keel over from sickness," he said, making it clear his confession was reluctant.
"So instead he came over here, climbed in a window and asked for help before passing out in our living room," finished Jesper. Kaz didn't look wholly satisfied with the explanation but he didn't seem to want to argue it.
"Kaz Brekker showed up and asked for help? The same Kaz Brekker who once decided to get in a brawl with the entirety of the dregs? That one? It's a literal miracle. We should commission a painting of the occasion and host reenactments," giggled Nina, a grin on her face. Kaz arched an eyebrow and looked at her impassively, before turning away, seeming to deign that as unworthy of response. Kaz stood, drawing the gaze of the entire room, and limped towards the doorway.
"I'll leave you guys to it," he said, pausing in the doorway, "Inej, you and I can talk business later."
There was silence for a moment as they all listened to him make his slow way down the hall, and then Jesper spoke again.
"Inej thank god you are here we have no idea how to deal with that," he said quietly, as if Kaz could still be listening. Wylan nodded along emphatically.
"Wait what? What do you mean?" Inej was startled by how suddenly scared Wylan and Jesper seemed. She didn't know how much they understood about Kaz, or how the sickness might be affecting his behavior, but his mood couldn't be that bad, could it?
"It's weird Inej. He's called me Jordie twice and hasn't taken his gloves off in three days." Said Jesper, looking thoroughly terrified. Inej tried to rationalize the behavior in her response.
"The glove thing is normal, isn't it?" She asked.
"He stopped wearing them as much right after you left. It had gotten to where he only really wore them out on jobs," said Jesper.
"Jes almost cried the first time Kaz patted his shoulder," interjected Wylan playfully.
"I did not!" Jesper responded, distracted.
"Right after Inej left, hmm?" Said Nina, eying Inej. Inej, for her part, tried to avoid getting her hopes up, and kept her face carefully blank.
"Yeah, it's actually pretty impressive considering... Anyways! He has nightmares. Or hallucinations. Or something, and he gets kinda weird in the head sometimes. The medik said it was because of the fever, but it's just... really weird to see Kaz like this. He talks in his sleep and... stuff. We've been ignoring it and so has he," continued Jesper.
Inej could understand their discomfort. Kaz so carefully cultivated his image of cold heartlessness, that even to those closest to him it was hard to think of him as anything but indomitable and unchangeable as marble. This would be an uncomfortable few days for both sides of this, and it seemed that Kaz had already inadvertently given away more of himself than he meant to.