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visd3stele · 1 year

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The child of moon and stars

please read the notes here before proceeding

tw: barely implied SA

Chapter 1: One awfully typical wednesday

We are all villains in someone else's stories. Hard to digest, this one piece of truth. But I can't exactly complain. I bet my blood those slavers who just crossed the veil between our world and the next did so not believing me a saint. Shadows still lurked over their bodies when one of the Dreg's man called for me.

"Schatten!" Shadow. The name the town has given me what seemed like ages ago. "Boss wants you in his office. Now."

"Tell him to wait, I've got one more stop for the night," I throw over my shoulder. Kaz sent me to fetch the new weapons and my quick, unplanned fight with a crew of human's sellers already slowed me down. Not enough to be a problem yet, but I had no time to spare for Per Haskell and his crap.

Before the guy could comment on my statement, I curled and flicked my fingers. The shadows wrapped around me, shielding me from prying eyes and I vanished down the street, right past my collegue. The angry grunt he let out, paired with the cursing of my name in both Kerch and Shu brought a smirk to my face. The man is a good gambler, strong in street fights, quick at pocketing the pigeons. Hell! He even stepped in and replaced Rojakke after Inej fired him. But the man was loyal to Pekka. Old generation, following the old idiot out of some sense of honor. In Ketterdam? Delusional.

When I joined the Dregs, however, it was made clear who runs the reins. And even if I didn't have to stick around the better, bigger, brighter guy to survive, I'd still be loyal to Kaz over anyone else. The devilish boy earned my loyalty as I earned his. But that's old news and if I drift down the memory lane I risk too much. Always keep your focus in the Barrel; permit no distraction on a job were the first things I learned in here. And after five years, I cannot allow such stupid mistakes on my part.

I let go of the armour of darkness and lose myself in the crowded street. Until I reached my destination, my fingers fished some wallets out of ignorants' pockets. I took the kruge out and tossed the wallets in other pigeons' coats. By the time they realized they've been robbed, I'd be far and the incriminatory proof someone else's concern.

"Good evening, mister Haal." I mock a military salute as soon as I see my supplier outside a deserted bar. The man sneered in his wrinkled Stadwatch uniform. Everyone has a price, was the second thing I learned, you just need to find it and use it. Poor mister Haal here, for example, has a thing going on with his commander's son. Seeing the modest situation of the Stadwatch officer – a nickle of sand compared to his commander's – the latter wouldn't be too happy to hear about such a sickly sweet rendezvous. Hence the agreement mister Haal had to sign with me.

"Coming from your prince, I take it?" My tease only made him grunt some more. "I'm terribly sorry I had to take you from him. But business is business."

"That's all what this Saints forsaken town is about," Haal mumbled bitterly. My nostrils flared and I felt the muscles in my tight jaws flex involuntarily.

"Yeah," I breathed heavily. "It is. Either adapt or perish, so –" I stretched my arms. An inovensive geture, to be honest. I had no other motive behind it than express the hopelessness of the situation. It is how it is and unfortunately there's nothing to be done. "Which one shall it be tonight?"

Haal stumbled backwards, eyeing my hands in desperate worry. He's right to be cautious, of course. But fear usualy makes people work slower when they have time to think about it. "I'm in a bit of a hurry, actually."

He gulped and nodded, leading me away from the ruined building. The streets in these part are worse than the rest. Defected lamps give way for crimes after crimes, misery and decay. Good people lock themselves in their shacky homes since hours before sundown. Better safe than sorry, because if not, the price is too high.

My breath gets blocked in my throat as my heart fasten its beat. Irregular pulsations either numb my limbs or sent them in a unstoppable trembling. I try to blink away the tears, shake off the dread, the panic and the shame. Nausea makes its way in my mouth along with the same menacing voice chanting in the back of my mind. Should've fight harder. Surrounded by darkness and still failed to protect yourself.

"You coming?"

I called and the darkness answered. I felt each shadow readying for my command. The power under my skin, the feeling in my blood, uniting my being with something so close to nature and its creation. The waves of the shadows, that only I could tell apart from the darkness of the night, gave me a strong sense of comfort. Now I had access to my gift. Now I wasn't defenseless. Haven't been so in years and won't be ever again.

"Yes. Of course." I followed him after a corner, acknowledging the dead end, the leaking pipes I could use to climb up and run if need be and the narrow door at the farther end of the wall on my left.

Haal fumbled with a ring of keys until he found the one he needed and opened the door. "Ladies first," he tried to be a gentleman. In Ketterdam? Useless.

I arched a raven eyebrow, fixing him with two mercury flames guarded by long lashes. "You're stupider than I thought if you imagine I'd step in there before you."

Fear took over his features again. As soon as the door opened I extended the tendrils of my Grisha power, searching the dark room for any threat or trap. None found, hence Haal still breathed fine, if a bit exctatic, next to me. But he didn't need to know exactly what I can do with my shadows.

I think, however, that his thought process didn't differ mine too much. As a Stadwatch, he too would have been instructed. And wouldn't turn his back to a potential enemy. Despite trading weapons for months, at the end of the day I was still Dirtyhands' right hand and he, an officer.

Seeing I don't yield, and no doubt eager to return to his boyfriend before the commander comes home, Haal led the way.

"Where's my stash?"

"These boxes here," the officer was quick to point out when my eyes darted around the room. When I caught wind of his role in the arms importing departament of the Stadwatch, I knew Haal would be perfect to assist the Dregs. Every time a new ship came to shore, loaded with all sorts of weapons, the young officer was to make sure I get my hands on some of each the first.

"You picked them for me?" I asked increduloues.

"I thought it'd save us some time. They're the best, I swear on my life."

A humph left my mouth as I looked inside the boxes set aside. I couldn't be sure until I have a look at the rest as well, obviously, but these seemed to be in the best shape indeed. "What about your boyfriend's?"

"What?"

"You're so willing to swear on your life, but what about your boyfriend's life? Would you swear on that too?"

"Leave hin out of this, Schatten!"

"Sorry, dearest mister Haal. I can't, you see," I turn to look at him, a fake apology in my voice. "Because if you trick me, then I'd have to settle the score. And I can't harm you, it'd create the trouble of finding another one to do your job, so..."

I trailled my voice, giving him the chance to catch on what I meant. To his credit, Haal did. His eyes widened, his fists bowled and he set his burning eyes on me. But as no one dies from a glare, I only bit out a swift laugh.

"Anger doesn't suit you. Now get to work and open the other boxes. I'm not dealing in half done jobs."

#shadow and bone fanfiction #the child of moon and stars #female oc #original characters #my fic #my writing #darkling daughter #shadow and bone fic #grishaverse fanfiction #female!oc #oc x oc #six of crows #timeline #slow burn

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serpentorslair · 9 months

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hanakogames · 1 year

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(okay the actual scene as filmed is ridiculous and the voicing is weird and all, but the sheer frustration of THIS FUCKING GUY)

iirc it is a little clearer in the novelisation (can I find my copy? although, if you’re not aware, the old trek novelisations had loads of stuff in them that were not in the films at all. sometimes things that were intended but got cut, sometimes just the author running with it and inventing whole backstories and plotlines for characters who were only in the film for ten seconds and then died. ah, here’s the book)

"Don't be a fool!" Kirk cried. "Give me your hand -- and live!"

The commander lunged toward Kirk. Kirk jerked back. Kruge's fingers grazed his throat, then slipped away. He started to fall, but with a supernatural effort he vaulted upwards again and grabbed Kirk's leg.

Kruge abandoned his hold on the cliff and clenched both hands like claws around Kirk's ankle.

Jim Kirk felt himself sliding along the rough surface of the cliff, off-balance, only a handsbreadth from the edge. He struggled back, digging his fingers between the hexagonal patterns where the basalt continued to fragment. His fingernails ripped, and he left streaks of blood on the dark stone as he slipped further and further over the edge. The fierce heat of the magma gusted up around him.

He heard Kruge laughing again, laughing with contempt and victory, laughing at the death of Kirk's son, at Kirk's determination to save his friends, at Kirk's defeat, and at Kirk himself.

"Damn you!" Kirk cried in a rage. "I have had -- enough -- of you!" He kicked out angrily, and again, desperately.

Kruge's grip loosened, faltered, and broke.

Kirk scrambled back onto the cliff.

Kruge tumbled down, with nothing to break his fall but the glowing magma.

#also mood #star trek #kirk #i have had enough of you

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atomic-chronoscaph · 3 years

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Christopher Lloyd as Commander Kruge - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

#christopher lloyd #star trek iii: the search for spock #commander kruge #klingon #80s movies #80s sci-fi #1980s #1984

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light-yaers · 3 years

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Fools in the Darkness: Chapter One

Darkling x Reader

Warnings: Death, violence, drugs (Parem), NSFW and sexual content. This content is explicit and 18+ at some points.

A/N: I caved. I am a wildly stupid individual who has no control over her actions. I know I might come to regret posting this so fast and thus forcing myself into my third ongoing x reader fic, but I also just generally don’t care. I’m still working on No Saints and Sweet Esacpe, just as a slower pace due to my mental health, but this baby here floated out of me like melted butter. I’ll be alternating between uploading this fic and my currently ongoing others! I just had to get this shit out of my system about Shadow and Bone, fr.

Fic Masterpost

Word Count - 3.4k

Chapter One

Ketterdam covered up your secrets perfectly. It’d only been a matter of weeks since you’d fled there, after travelling the exhausting journey across East Ravka until the Fold had stood before you; brooding, dangerous, a death-wish just to look at, let alone enter it.

Maybe you had to thank him for one thing, General Kirigan, because without him—

You never would have crossed the Fold on your own.

Maybe Ketterdam was made for a person such as yourself. Dark, danger around every corner, full to the brim with power-hungry men and women trapped behind silks. You’d never warmed to anyone yet, but that wasn’t a surprise—it was easy to hate people in the Barrel, but even easier to take their kruge and send them sailing upon the True Sea without another glance.

Kerch was a merchant port, stuffed with expensive clubs and those with no money troubles, armed and ready to open their pockets if they so wished. There were two sides of the docks—Fifth Harbour; the lavishly bright sector for the rich and wealthy—and the Barrel; a breeding ground for crime, killings and losing all of your kruge in one night.

You’d made acquaintances with the Barrel rats from the very beginning, hearing stories about the destruction they caused. You’d much rather not be on the side of the wealth, but the side of fear.

“I found her wandering the harbour, Kaz,” A petite lady in dark clothes spoke to her boss. She’d dragged you from the bustling harbour, flying you through the dark streets of Ketterdam. You tried to hear her footsteps across the cobblestones, but she left no footprints, like a Wraith in the night.

Kaz approached his desk then, stepping into the small lamp light of his office in the Slat. Kaz Brekker was a man that no one wanted to cross. With his clenched jaw and unforgiving stares, the Bastard of the Barrel was cut-throat in every sense of the description.

“She’s a rat, Inej. Not our responsibility—,”

“Do you see the clothes she’s wearing?” Inej cut over Kaz, stepping towards him abruptly. He stayed in place, looking at his Wraith in the eyes, unwaveringly. He regarded her for a moment, taking all of her in, before turning back to you.

His eyes skimmed you up and down, traversing the darkened and muddied fabrics on your body.

“A Kefta,” He whispered it, his eyes widening. “It doesn’t look like the usual Second Army attire,” He added. You perked up, trying to keep your expression as blunt as possible. After your journey, it wasn’t hard not to show anything—you’d been forced to endure a quiet and agonising journey for a month, while trying to stay in the shadows at the same time.

“Because it’s not,” You spoke up, for the first time since entering Brekker’s office. Kaz turned his attention to your face, stepping forward menacingly. His crow-headed cane slammed the wooden floorboards threateningly, but you weren’t scared—

You’d crossed the fucking Fold on your own. Nothing scared you anymore.

“Who are you?” He questioned, trying to keep his voice steady. Men like Kaz tried not to show off what they felt either, but the curiosity in his tone was undeniable. You cleared your throat.

“How much time have you got?”

Fjerda, 1 Year Ago

It was a risk to take, that was for sure. But choosing whether to go through the Fold or around it was a no brainer. Evidently, it had paid off so far, as you and your sister travelled through the barren coldness of Fjerda, headed for the Ravkan border.

“How much farther?” Your sister chided. She was older than you by a year, but on this mission, you’d taken charge. You shuffled into your pack, pulling out a tattered map and a compass. You set the point to North, calculating the miles you had left to trudge to safety.

Your sister wasn’t Grisha, no—you were. A Squaller; untrained, unenthusiastic about your power and utterly afraid of the Druskelle. But you’d had no choice in getting you and your sister safely around the Fold. There was no other way to go from where you’d first found asylum in Novyi Zem; going through Fjerda was the safest route to the Ravkan army.

You smiled at the map. “Five miles. Then we’ll be in Ravka,” An exhausted but relief filled scoff fell from your lips. You locked eyes with your sister, before the two of you embraced tightly. “We’ll be safe soon,” You whispered in her ear, enjoying the small warmth you got from her bare cheek pressing against your jaw.

“You’ll be safe soon,” She replied, bringing a hand to rest on the back of your neck. She pulled away then, as the tears began to well in her crystalline eyes. “You put yourself in this danger to keep me safe. I’m the older sister—I should be keeping you safe,”

“It was this, or through the Fold,” You spoke, furrowing your brows at her. “I’d rather take on twenty druskelle than step foot in that heaping mound of darkness,” Laughter trickled from both sisters, floating over the snow-covered trees and giving you hope.

You both continued forward tirelessly, mercilessly, trudging through inches of untouched snow and praying to whichever god out there who was listening. You prayed for your sister’s safety, for a safe life for her in the First Army. You prayed that you could stay with her—

A Squaller you were, yes, but over your dead body would you be taken to the Little Palace. You knew that’s where Grisha were trained for the King, you knew it was different. Your abilities didn’t define you; Saints, you barely even used them.

They were unpredictable. And you were scared of hurting those around you without meaning to. Ever since an incident when you were younger, you’d almost been afraid of your own power. You kept it hidden from those who you didn’t know closely.

Those who knew you were Grisha in Novyi Zem called you zowa—blessed, in Zemeni. It also meant Grisha, so you didn’t know if they were simply calling you what you were, or if they were commenting upon how strong your Squaller abilities were.

You’d never even met another Sqauller. You had nothing to compare yourself off of.

With a mile until you hit the Ravkan border, you stopped abruptly. Plumes of smoke rose high above the skies, coming from somewhere further on before you. You stuck your hand out, halting your sister from walking any further.

You were silent, listening for any signs of breakings twigs, compacted snow, or other indications of druskelle being near.

“Saints, you look like a fentomen,” Your sister scoffed beside you.

“Quiet,” You hit back with.

“What is it?” She spoke again, quieter this time, but not by much.

“Quiet,” You hissed.

You both waited another few minutes, silently standing like statues in the garden of the Grand Palace. You let out shaky breaths as you eventually straightened yourself once more, clutching onto your sister’s forearm for dear life.

“It’s okay. We just need to be wary,” You whispered. She nodded in response.

You both set off once more through countless trees and untouched snow. But you didn’t get far—until two druskelle spotted you. Neither of you could speak Fjerdan, and you were a fucking Grisha. This couldn’t have been any worse, when you were so close to being free.

“Hje marden,” One of them spoke. They were both tall, with broad shoulders and the white hair and blue eyes of Fjerda. Neither had beards—they were in training to being full druskelle. The trainees were always worse than their commanders, you thought. They would do anything to prove themselves to their superiors.

You tried not to shake as they circled you and your sister.

“I’m sorry, we don’t speak Fjerdan,” You said honestly. The druskelle immediately changed. Their hands rested upon their guns, ready to fire if need be. You raised your hands to the sky as your expression dropped. “Please! Please, we are just travellers—uh—we are perjenger—,”

“Perjenger? Travellers? To where?” The second druskelle spat.

You glanced at your sister quickly, knowing that if you answered Ravka, you’d both be shot immediately. Ravka was at war with Fjerda—Grisha were at war with Druskelle.

“Kerch,” You said strongly. “We have to go through Ravka and Shu Han. We can’t cross the Fold,”

For a moment, you thought it had worked. The druskelle looked at each other gruffly, muttering some words in Fjerdan. You clutched onto your sister’s arm tightly, not planning on letting her go now until you’d both crossed the border.

“Wait here,” One of the men said, as he began trudging back through the snow. He disappeared in the white landscape, leaving you with one druskelle.

You stayed quiet, feeling the warmth of your sister next to you. You glanced at her then, traversing your gaze over her side profile. Her nose, which was the same as yours; her eyes, brighter and more beautiful than your own, mimicking your mother; her hair, lighter and softer than yours. She was shorter than you, smaller than you, getting a lot of genetics from your mother, while you took from your father greatly. His height, his broad shoulders, his darker hair.

But she was your only family left, your only love and focus and everything.

And you were less than a mile from getting her to safety. You were less than a mile from being free of this Saint forsaken country, full of killers and fascists and men who only cared about power.

It was one druskelle against a Squaller. One against one. You could do that. You could beat him.

That’s what made you push your sister back, falling into the snow slowly as you brought your hands together. The druskelle yelled as he saw your movements, trying to aim his gun at you between your eyes, but it was too late—

In a flash, you summoned a storm that whipped him off of his feet. It circled him, gliding him backwards through the trees as you kept pushing and pushing, ignoring the raging winds as they whipped your hair from your face and agitated the snow on the trees.

“Come on!” You yelled behind you, as your sister scrambled up from the floor to stand beside you. She held your arm sturdily, watching fearfully as the druskelle struggled against the rapid winds that you wielded.

You thought that was it—you could both run with the time you’d bought—but that’s when the entire druskelle camp rocketed through the tree line. They yelled and boomed as they came to aid their brother, pushing back against the furious winds you were trying desperately to wield.

“Drüsje!” The commander yelled, storming through the group as he set up the largest of their guns—a machine gun, aimed and ready fire. You gasped, and for a second the winds wavered—they wavered long enough for the machine gun round to penetrate the small snow snuffed tornado that you’d created—

Until those bullets trickled over the blanketed ground, moving steadily closer and closer—

Until one landed straight through the heart of your sister.

All you remembered was that time slowed, then, as you saw the bullet exit her shoulder blade. She fell to the floor, unclasping her hands from your forearm and collapsing into a shocked heap on the floor. You remembered the way her blood dyed the snow. You remembered the way her eyes stayed open—

And then you remembered screaming.

It was a blur, as you tensed all of your limbs to the point where they yelled beneath your skin. You mustered all of your strength into this one storm; one that was merciless and unforgiving, circling all the druskelle in the clearing around you. You knew that soon all of the air would fade from within the eye of the storm that whipped devilishly around them.

You knew that soon they’d all begin to run out of oxygen and pass out, or better yet—maybe their hearts would stop. Cease to beat, drained of any energy to fire more rounds of bullets or kill Grisha for no fucking reason.

The storm was the largest you’d ever summoned, engulfing the entire druskelle camp and uprooting trees from their homes in the cold, hard Fjerdan ground. You saw them get sucked into your whirlwind, flying high, high, high until they eventually slipped out of the storms’ gusts; then they fell back down to earth, landing aggressively and dangerously on the ground below and being spat out at any random location.

You didn’t stop the storm, not even when you saw a tree fall atop a druskelle, crushing him where he’d stood moments before. The commander was the last one standing, rising above his suffocating men to look at you, face on, menacingly.

“Drüsje like you deserve to lose that which you love,” He boomed, using his remaining energy to cast you to Hell.

You wasted no time when you adjusted your stance, focusing the brunt force of the storm onto him—you decreased the eye of the storm until it flowed over him, and only him, grunting all of your strength into the circling winds that now surrounded him utterly and completely.

You collapsed at the same time that the commander did, falling into inches of snow and crawling exhaustedly to your sister. She was motionless, cold, her lips turning blue by the second as her blood continued to flow on Fjerdan soil. Dead. Gone.

Tears cascaded down your cheeks without any indication of stopping, but you couldn’t sob. It was impossible when you were already holding your breath, too afraid that if you were to breathe, only screams would pour from your coarse lungs.

The clearing was deserted, now, as druskelle bodies laid motionless on the snow-covered ground, their camp up ahead completely destroyed. Broken branches, twigs, tree trunks were dotted around, acting as just another indication of the destruction that you were truly capable of. Saints, you wanted to know if you were a normal Grisha, a normal Squaller, since those old women on Novyi Zem had looked at you like a weapon from the first day you could summon and control hurricanes and tornados at will.

Your fingers found your sister’s forehead then, swiping the hair off of her face. You cupped her cheek, laying your other hand upon her stomach. “Vaarwell,” You whispered shakily. “I’m sorry—I’m so sorry—,”

“Who’s there?” A voice spoke up from just beyond the clearing. You got up from the floor immediately, feeling a strange sense of power surrounding you. You waited silently, until First Army soldiers made their way to the clearing. A few stopped and checked the pulses of the druskelle upon the floor, before continuing forward until you were finally spotted.

A young man approached you slowly, holding his gun tightly, draped against his shoulder. “Was this... you?” He asked, looking you in the eye. His gaze dropped to the ground by your feet, seeing the blood-stained snow where your sister lay dead, before he looked back up to you.

He was joined by the rest of his crew. They slowly approached you, almost as if they were trapping you within a circle of their bodies. You stepped back once then, keeping your chin high and proud. The young man at the front was trying everything to keep you calm, you could see it in his eyes, but what he didn’t know was that you were seething—

And nothing would stop that.

Without your sister, you’d be taken to the Little Palace. Without knowing she was safe in the First Army, nothing would get you through the rest of your life—

You were dead. Inside and out. Nothing would change that.

Without a word, you brought your hands together, far too quickly for any of the soldiers to raise their weapons in defence. You ignored their begs and pleads as you circled them within in your storm, slowly suffocating the air out of their lungs and seeing the way their eyes bulged uncomfortably in their skulls.

“General!” The young man shouted, clutching at his throat as he tried desperately to suck air into his lungs. His voice echoed throughout the clearing, travelling through the trees slowly, until an eery type of silence settled into the air around you.

That’s when he arrived—his horse just as black at the Kefta on his frame, the stubble on his chin and the irises of his eyes. He dismounted, ignoring the cries from the soldiers within your raging storm as he began to approach you, step by step by step, crunching through the snow broodingly.

You knew who this man was; General Kirigan of the Second Army.

The Darkling.

He got ever closer, walking around the circular storm. The gap was beginning to bridge, and the more it did, the more you faltered. He took one more step, and you lost it.

“Stop!” You yelled. “Don’t come any closer, Darkling,” He stopped on command, keeping his arms by his sides, but the corners of his mouth upturned into a smile. “You find me amusing?” You spat.

“By the looks of this,” He gestured to the druskelle. “You were trying to get to Ravka. We’re here to help, yet you’re trying to suffocate my men,” You ignored his words, but you found your energy waning slightly—or maybe your heart was finally giving in. It didn’t really want to hurt anyone else, didn’t want to cause more damage than was already on your hands. “You’re a Squaller?” Kirigan asked, and that surprised you.

“Isn’t this how all Squaller’s are?” You asked in reply. Kirigin raised a brow at you.

“Not usually,” He said honestly. “You’ve never met another Grisha before?”

“I know what you’re doing,” You furrowed your brows at him. “You’re trying to distract me, to make me let my guard down and go with you willingly. I’d rather die than work for the King at the Little Palace,” Your breaths were getting more laborious the longer you held on to the storm. You were losing energy rapidly.

“Interesting,” The Darkling muttered.

There were a few moments then, where he was simply staring at you. Regarding you, analysing you, or perhaps— waiting for you to lose all of your energy. You were in a somewhat sticky situation, losing a grasp on your power with every passing second and feeling the intense gaze of Kirigan to your left.

“Let go,” He spoke softly. “I can see you’re tired, you don’t truly want to kill these men,”

“You don’t know anything about me,” You forced your eyelids to stay open as a wave of exhaustion flowed through you.

“And you know me?” He chided. You moved your gaze to him then, as your limbs finally lost momentum. Your hands dropped to your sides, your storm dissipating into the cold air at the Fjerdan border. Soldiers sucked in breaths noisily, gaining back their vision.

You stumbled back once, forcing yourself to stay standing despite the immense urge to pass the fuck out. Kirigan stayed still the entire time, a softness on his jaw that you hadn’t been expecting.

“Everyone knows you,” You mumbled. “I never wanted to meet you, though,”

Your heart jolted then, when the General let out a scoff. You forced yourself to move. Step by step through disturbed snow, until you were back where your sister lay on the floor. You collapsed to your knees unwillingly, as your body threatened to blackout at any moment.

You laid a shaky hand on her collarbone, curling your fingers up to her jaw. Kirigan moved slowly in your peripheral, turning towards you but staying at the distance he’d always been.

“Don’t take me to Os Alta,” You muttered. “Please, don’t take me,” You looked up at the General with pleading eyes.

“Why?” Kirigan whispered with furrowed brows, as if he was trying to work out why on earth you didn’t want a life within the royal Ravkan walls, living in luxury, fighting with other Grisha and honing your power.

Your vision began to blur then, as black spots dotted the white snow that surrounded you.

You never answered the General, your body gave up before you could—

And all you saw was black.

Tag list of those who were interested from my earlier post (tell me if you want off/on the list): @notawritergettingtherethough @rbg1993 @mayallyourbaconburn @luminous-99

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southslates · 3 years

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full in all your veins

@kanejweek day one: mythology (soulmates) / kanej / one-shot - rated T / read on ao3! / 1545 words

Kaz teaches Inej how to read Kerch uncharacteristically, patiently. She sits at his window, on his floor, and he tosses books at her. Between doing the Crow Club’s numbers and dreaming of revenge, he listens to her speak his language and make it her own, like so much more. On her tongue, the dreary words he’s spent his whole life fitting into his mouth flow like water down the mouth of the Beurscanal.

He tells himself that he does this because it is what makes sense. Inej is always in his rooms, and it is necessary that his best spider read Kerch. She’s a quick study, a quick study with the knives, with the letters, with hearts. She’s been with the Dregs for barely a month and she has their respect; she is like him, who knows that’s enough. He’s seen the brass knuckles she keeps in her pocket, stained at the tips. He’d told her he couldn’t promise her safety. He told the truth. He doesn’t know why there’s an ache in his chest which contests that.

One day, she sits on his desk as he’s filing papers. She’s feet away from him—he couldn’t reach out and touch her. It’s closer than he lets most people get, but he knows she will not touch him. She will not even try. He doesn’t want her to try.

He doesn’t.

“Kaz,” Inej asks, “can you . . . can you read my mark?”

“You have a mark?” he asks, without calculation, in surprise. There is something cold creeping down his spine, Jordie’s voice whispering in his ear, asking him what exactly he’d thought of in the dredges of his mind, what he’d dared hope for. She is good, the voice says, have you looked at yourself in the mirror, monster?

Kaz shoves it down into a box he doesn’t want to open. Inej is barely a friend. She’s pretty, but he can take his eyes off her. This kind of desire is the one thing he cannot conquer, and he is not one to abet his weaknesses. He will ignore this, and he will best it.

“I got it in the Menagerie,” she says quietly, and he suddenly regrets his snapping. That can only mean so much. “I don’t want to know who, if it’s terrible. And I don’t—I don’t know who came there. Could you tell me?”

Kaz Brekker has no room for weakness, no room for soulmarks and the tales his father had spoken into existence on cold Lij nights. His father and his mother had not shared the mark, never had letters carved into their skins. Few did—there were far too many people in the world, from Fjerda to Ravka to Novyi Zem, for most to meet theirs.

He knows the world is cruel, but his opinion of it sinks lower and he finds himself needing to hold his breath as he considers that Inej—who he can admit is fundamentally good—was cursed with the mark of someone who came to the Menagerie. At best, the name will be that of a married Kerch man—at worst, a rapist.

“Kaz?” Inej asks again. She seems vulnerable, and Kaz allows himself this concession. He breathes out as though he’s exhausted, as though his heart is not beating through his chest, and nods at her with a scowl.

“Show me,” he says gruffly. He can’t hold in his shiver as she lifts up her leg and shows him the side of it. She is feet away, he thinks, looking at her skin, smooth and brown and gorgeous and disgusting, and you are weak. It’s just flesh.

He focuses on the letter and the word carved into her skin. He wonders if it would be Charles Loeder or Petjer Sasker—he will tell her the truth.

But the mark tattooed into Inej in glaring white, in Kerch, is not the name of a rich mercher, a slaver, a man meant for hell. It’s a silent name, and it makes Kaz reach for the gun beside him.

“Is it that bad?” Inej asks.

Kaz looks away from it as quickly as he can, sees the tears welling in her eyes. “It’s . . .”

One pushes over. She will eventually be able to read it as he can, so he tells as much of the truth as he can muster. “I’ve never heard of them, so they can’t be the worst of the lot.”

“Kaz,” she shudders out. “What does it say?”

“K Rietveld,” he breathes out. “This is a waste of time. Go get Jesper.”

He turns back to his papers as she turns with a small sniffle and leaves out the window. There is a single tear where she sat on his desk, and he stares at it for a long moment before grabbing his cane and stalking out of the attic. Surely there’s someone in the club who needs to be roughed up tonight.

Kaz searches his body for words, words in places he might have missed. He twists in the mirror, his shirt off, so close to drowning for so long, until he notices the white letters written in an unfamiliar script at the small of his back.

He goes to the university library and steals a global translator’s book, and then he spends hours trying to read the letters. He knows what they will say, but he needs confirmation. He needs—

When the club’s latest dealer skims thousands of kruge out from under Jesper’s unwatchful eyes, Kaz takes him to the Dregs’ backroom and breaks his wrists. He means to rough up the Suli man and then let him go—Kaz Brekker always has a reason—but a little boy dancing in rain puddles in Lij dances in front of his consciousness, hurts his heart. He takes off his shirt and stands with his back to the man, his skin crawling with insects, dead hands in every crevice of the pale flesh which hasn’t seen the sun in years. “Read that,” he commands.

“I,” the man stutters out the first letter. He’s lost teeth, and his mouth is a bloody mess. “Ghafa.”

The man works—worked for the Dregs, so he’s well aware of who the Wraith is. His eyes grow large before Kaz takes his cane and shoves the end of it into his mouth, and then quickly shoots what’s left of his face. He crumbles to the floor, a mess of blood and gore, and Kaz stalks back to his room. On his way, he tells Pim to take the body out.

“Why did you kill Saran?” Inej asks at night in his window. He can hear the heart-hurt in her voice, so he ignores her. She jumps off in a huff, and he doesn’t care.

He doesn’t care.

“Johannes Rietveld,” Inej repeats the name he’d given Colm Fahey to him slowly, like an incantation. “Rietveld.”

“Yes.” Kaz doesn’t look at her. He looks at the bandages, at the wound at her shoulder. That fucking net.

“Tell me,” Inej asks him. Her breath catches, and he feels himself move in-synch with her, the same souls, the same heartbeat. He wants to let this go, he wants to let her go, he never wants to let her go.

He doesn’t say anything. He leans back and takes off his shirt, his undershirt, the layers of cloth he uses to armor himself, and then he takes in a deep breath and lets the rest of the gold shake off too.

She is sitting on the bathroom sink, so he turns to her. He can hear her gasp when she sees the white etched into his back, in swirling Suli script. It’s a quiet sound, but to him, it’s a melody. He feels it reverberate in his chest. It pains, it feels like death, it feels like salvation.

“Okay,” Inej says simply, and he turns around to face her. He is vulnerable like this, so vulnerable, planes of scarred skin in front of her eyes. He has trusted Inej with his pride, but never his shame. But he has faith in her convictions. “Why?”

She is looking at him, he is not looking at her. He thinks the world has stopped spinning, that it could end like this, him just steps away from the circle of her arms. He is so close and yet he is eons away. To move closer, he needs to admit a weakness.

“You deserve him,” he says simply. “And he’s dead.”

It happens slowly, the pressure against his face. He’s looking down, and Inej wraps her fingers in bandages, ripped from his shirt, and places them against his face. The fabric is crisp, and cool, and he finds himself wanting more, wanting nothing.

She’d told him she wanted him without armor.

He raises his eyes to her, because he is Kaz Brekker, and he is going to fight for her—for him—for them.

“I think you’re worth saving, Kaz,” Inej says quietly, tracing his cheekbones. She is bleeding out on the sink, and he thinks this is what religion must feel like. “Kaz Rietveld.”

He looks into her eyes, puts down her hand, grabs her bandages and decides he is going to finish the story written into his soul.

#kanej #kanej week #day one: mythology #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #six of crows #crooked kingdom #kanej fic #dee writes

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defconprime · 7 months

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Commander Kruge

#star trek tos #star trek cards #Kruge #star trek iii: the search for spock

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lostysworld · 3 years

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One and the same – Kaz Brekker x reader

Part 1 / 2 / 3

Pairing: Kaz Brekker x reader

Warning: swearing

Summary: You are Inej's friend, and once the Crows need your help with a heist, you meet at the Slat for planning. Little does everyone know, how hard it will be for you and Kaz to negotiate and get along. Fortunately, the heist brings you together.

A/N: The heist description will be in the second part, so enjoy, guys!)

– I've told you this would be a bad idea.

The Crows are sitting at the first floor of the empty Slat, waiting for Saints know what. The heist they are planning seems like an impossible task, but it hardly makes Kaz stop. A big sum of kruge and jewelry are everything that is on his mind now.

Inej is nervous. She asked you for help, and now you are nowhere to be found even with her skills. You are the best archer she knows, and they can use a bit of your help here.

But Jesper with his constant reminders doesn't help her to calm down.

– Jes, stop! She will be here at any-

– Hey, I'm sorry, guys!

You run into the house, panting like from a long run, and Kaz only rolls his eyes in irritation. He doesn't know you, but already realizes, that he doesn't want such irresponsible member in his group.

He stands up from his place, coming up to a big round table in the middle.

– I'm Y/N, - she extends her hand for a handshake to Kaz, who only scans her with an arched brow.

– Nice of you to finally join us, Y/N, - you don't like how he stresses your name. – But sadly, the fun is already over.

Your gaze doesn't leave him. You've never seen Kaz Brekker before, but heard a lot. You would gladly work under his command one day, even his grumbling would not scare you off.

You chuckle lightly, looking at Inej.

– You didn't say, you had jokers here. A lot of funny guys, actually.

Fahey rises from his seat and comes up to you.

– I'm Jesper. Shell we start, or what?

Brekker switches his grim glance, that every second was on you only, to the map of a building on the table.

– And you, Y/N, - Kaz points at the place on the map. – Should be here.

The whole plan looks quite questionable even for you, who don't have much of experience. You furrow and turn to Brekker, who seems to be not in the mood at all.

– I don't think, I will be useful here. Don't you have other options?

Kaz wants to swear. Hard and long. You somehow find a way to irritate him with your only presence and every word coming out of your mouth. Needless to say, everyone knows, that it's not safe to question Kaz Brekker's plan.

The man just tries to be patient with you.

– I do have other options, and I know, that I can't use them in this situation!

– You know, - Jesper starts distracting you two not to have a fight before the heist. – This will go a lot quicker, if we do things my way-

– Since your way, probably involves a lot of noise, Jesper, I think it is safer if we don't.

Brekker is on his top pressure point. They must be there tomorrow, and the plan is still no good. Not at all.

It feels like all of them pull in different directions, trying to prove something to each other. And it's not how the team works.

– Now what? - Fahey throws his arms up, surrendering to two people in charge here. But he gets only silence in response.

– Now what?

– I am thinking, - Brekker starts getting more and more nervous, and it switches on you too.

There is a good chance for all of you to escape safely, and, if you are lucky, then with everything that the vault holds. Otherwise, you pray only for staying alive in the end of the job.

You hear Jes tapping the table's leg with his feet, and it may mean only one thing. When Inej starts talking, you shut your eyes close, rubbing your face in exhaustion.

– I don't like the plan, Kaz, - her friend's worries are clear to you, but you still can't come up with something better.

– But at least, if you stuck there, you will stuck with friends, and-

– Shut the hell up, Jesper!

You and Kaz both share the same glance of annoyance, as you shared the same phrase a second ago. Brekker finally takes it out on Fahey, shouting so unexpectedly, that the boy just jerks from him.

Two hours of heated conversation passes and you are completely worn out.

– What the hell are you doing?! - you roll the map up, putting it aside.

– We all need to calm down, guys-

– I will calm down, when I get what I want, - Kaz is still grumbling, and it drives you mad.

– You will lead them to their death! - you point at Inej and Jesper, who don't even say a word. – It is not only kruge, that you need, right? What do you want to prove, Kaz?

The man freezes and swallows hard, turning back to the bar. There is no need to argue or deny. Surprisingly, you are right. He wants to prove the whole Ketterdam, that he is worth being called a leader. Not only a criminal.

But his desire may indeed have a cost.

– Saints, Jes, did you see it?

Inej shoves him slightly drawing his attention to what happened some minutes ago.

– You mean, they are one and the same? Like we are trapped with two Kazs at the same time? - he casts a displeased glance at Inej, if that's her fault for bringing you here.

– What have I done. Nobody agrued with him that much until this moment.

Kaz doesn't notice, when all talks behind his back end, and you join him at the counter, putting a hot mug next to him.

He casts a grim glance at your side, but you smile tiredly and nod to the cup.

– Cocoa for your troubles? – his lips slightly twitch in a kind of grin. You are so young, though so reasonable sometimes. He would even agree with some of your ideas about the heist.

– I was thinking a couple of shots would be more like this.

– Well, I already made the cocoa, so...

Finally all the Crows gather around two of you, and it feels like the pressure slowly goes down. After some silent minutes, all of you go back to the map.

– So? - Jesper is afraid of offering any idea, because of Kaz's temper and you, who he doesn't fully know.

– You are going with Inej, - Brekker points at Jesper. – And Y/N is going with me.

– No guns, Jesper, - you look at the boy. – We don't need unnecessary attention there.

– There are to be no unnecessary deaths too, - Kaz adresses to all of you, but knowing Inej, this won't happen with her. You take a second to think and switch your attention on Brekker.

– How exactly are we defining necessary then?

He arches a brow at you, but without previous irritation or anger. He just wonders, how this question comes to your mind at all.

– We should stuck to the plan, clear? - Kaz is serious, and you always used to take the pressure off. – Nina and Matthias will wait for us here in the Slat.

Everybody nods in agreement, and Kaz looks at you, who still seem to hesitate. Honestly, he feels your worries and understands them as well as his own. The plan isn't brilliant, and any other time he wouldn't trust a stranger. But this time something has changed.

Getting this intense gaze from him, you only shrug your shoulders.

– If you die, Brekker, I'm keeping your cane, - the corner of his lips twitches slightly.

– Glad to know you care so much, Y/N.

Inej supresses the smile. Maybe it's not that bad for you two to be alike and getting along. In the end, Kaz needs a person to fully understand him.

#shadow and bone fanfiction #shadow and bone fanfic #shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone x you #kaz brekker fanfiction #kaz brekker fanfic #kaz brekker x reader #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker #kaz brekker x you #six of crows x you #six of crows x reader #six of crows imagine #six of crows

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heavenboy09 · 6 months

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Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You, 1 Of The Most Legendary Funniest American Actor Of The 1960s In Cinema 🎥 & Tv 📺 & More Of The Century

Lloyd was born on October 22, 1938, in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Ruth Lloyd (née Lapham; 1896–1984), a singer and sister of San Francisco mayor Roger Lapham, and her lawyer husband Samuel R. Lloyd Jr. (1897–1959). He is the youngest of three boys and four girls, one of whom, Samuel Lloyd, was an actor in the 1950s and 1960s. Lloyd's maternal grandfather, Lewis Henry Lapham, was one of the founders of the Texaco oil company and Lloyd is also a descendant of Mayflower passengers, including John Howland. Lloyd was raised in Westport, Connecticut, where he attended Staples High School and was involved in founding the high school's theater company, the Staples Players.

He is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990) and Jim Ignatowski in the comedy series Taxi (1978–1983), for which he won two Emmy Awards.

Lloyd came to public attention in Northeastern theater productions during the 1960s and early 1970s, earning Drama Desk and Obie awards for his work. He made his cinematic debut in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and went on to star as Commander Kruge in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Professor Plum in Clue (1985), Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (1991) and its sequel Addams Family Values (1993), Switchblade Sam in Dennis the Menace (1993), Mr. Goodman in Piranha 3D (2010), Bill Crowley in I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016) and David Mansell in Nobody (2021).

Lloyd earned a third Emmy for his 1992 guest appearance as Alistair Dimple in Road to Avonlea (1992), and won an Independent Spirit Award for his performance in Twenty Bucks (1993). He has done extensive voice work, including Merlock in DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Grigori Rasputin in Anastasia (1997), the Hacker in the PBS Kids series Cyberchase (2002–present), which earned him Daytime Emmy nominations, and the Woodsman in the Cartoon Network miniseries Over the Garden Wall (2014).

Please Wish This Legendary Funny Actor Of The 1960s Of Cinema 🎥 & Tv 📺 & Other Forms Of Entertainment A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU KNOW HIM

YOU LOVE HIM

& HIS VOICE IS ICONIC THROUGHOUT THE WORLD 🌎

THE 1 & ONLY

MR. CHRISTOPHER ALLEN LLYOD👴 AKA DOCTOR EMMETT BROWN OF THE BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY 👴🚗🕐⏩

HAPPY 85TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MR. LLYOD & HERES TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME #ChristopherLlyod #DocEmmettBrown #Taxi #BackToTheFuture #TheAddamsFamily #Anastasia #WhoFramedRogerRabbit #Cyberchase #SpiritHalloweenTheMovie

#Christopher Llyod #Doc Emmett Brown #Taxi #Back To The Future #The Addams Family #Anastasia #Who Framed Roger Rabbit #CyberChase #Spirit Halloween The Movie #Spotify

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writtenfangirl · 3 years

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Simple Jobs and Pretty Things

A Kaz Brekker story (3k+ words)

My first ever fic! I recently just finished watching Shadow and Bone and Freddy Carter made me love Kaz even more.

Requests are open! I’ll write for any fandom I know and I’m a part of a lot of them.

The job was simple. At least, that’s how Kaz always managed to make every job seem like. He explained his plans with confidence and dexterity, like a general commanding an army. He only really had six soldiers and most would have said that was a pitiful number but no one would dare say that in Ketterdam.

The Crows were, after all, the greatest gang in city. Led by ruthless Dirtyhands, how could they not be? Each of them had their own abilities; talents that they used to be of service to Kaz. His little investments as he liked to call them.

Y/N was no different. She was an investment, just like the rest of them. A Corporalnik who was not only a skilled Tailor but an even better Healer who had been favored by the Darkling himself when he was still alive.

Of course, that was a different time. One that Y/N would sooner forget. She has a new family now. A better one. This one had a blazing gunslinger, a silent Wraith, a quirky demolitions expert, a stoic Drüskelle and another grisha, a Corporalnik like her. Their gang of misfits wouldn’t be complete without their dark and mysterious, albeit prickly leader.

A leader who, unfortunately, had noticed her blank, dazed stare.

“Am I boring you, Y/N?” Kaz asked in his deep, gravelly voice, his teeth gnashed in annoyance.

The attention of the other five went straight to her and she fought the rising blush on her cheek. “Uh no. Sorry. I was just thinking about the plan. I understand, don’t worry. I’m suppose to tailor everyone’s features and then acquire costumes for the ball. I’ll be the distraction by acting like some important rich lady with Kaz acting as my husband while the rest of you go after the safe. Our getaway ride will be found by Jesper and, assuming that everything goes to plan, we come back to the Crow Club in celebration with a necklace worth 500,000 thousand kruge in our hands. Did I miss anything?”

“Sounds about right, yeah,” Jesper agreed with a cheeky smile.

Kaz narrowed his eyes at the both of them. Y/N sent him a grin.

It was always like this between them. He was cold and aloof while she was all sunshine and heat. Y/N suspected that Kaz hated her but she couldn’t be too sure. After all, he did save her life from the Menagerie.

The Menagerie.

Another dark memory.

She would honestly prefer to remember her time with the Darkling than the time she spent at the Menagerie.

Of course, she ought to be grateful. Her experience at the Menagerie was a lot different than Inej’s. Sure she was still an indentured slave, starved and beaten, locked up in a windowless room by Heleen to keep her submissive and to use her tailoring abilities to make her boys and girls pretty enough to attract more customers but she would have preferred that over Inej’s story.

Even now, she felt a prickle of shame at her weakness. At her inability to escape. At the memory of her locked hands and mangled wrists. She knew it wasn’t her fault. She was reassured that by the Crows plenty of times but still. She had been the Darkling’s favorite. One of his prized grisha. And she couldn’t even escape one handcuff.

She supposes that’s why she’ll always be grateful to Kaz. He had saved her life after all. Paid for her indenture and made sure that she stayed in a room with a window. Those dark days was the only time in her life that she hated being a Corporalnik. If she had been a Summoner, an Inferni specifically, she could have made fire. Or, even better, had she been the Sun Summoner, she wouldn’t have been caught in the first place.

Perhaps it was her imagination but she almost saw Kaz’s hard gaze soften. Y/N was sure that no person could read minds but when it came to Kaz, she couldn’t ever be sure. Had he realize what was approaching?

“On second thought, change of plans,” Kaz said, folding up the map of the rich merchant’s sprawling estate. “Y/N stays at the club. Nina will be my pretend wife and everything else stays the same.”

“What?!” Y/N protested. “Why?! You can’t do that! You need me!”

“No. I don’t,” Kaz said his dark eyes trained at her. “There’s too many people. You stay here. Nina can take your job.”

Nina sent her a sorry look but Y/N couldn’t care about that. She wasn’t mad at Nina. She was mad at Kaz.

“It’s a stealth mission,” Y/N insisted. “Why would you need Wylan for the job? He’s a demolitions expert!”

“She has a point,” Wylan quipped.

Kaz’s withering look snapped to Wylan and Y/N watched the red head wilt like a flower.

“Wylan stays where he is and you stay here. No buts. Now all of you, get out.”

As the rest of the team filed out of the room, each of them shooting her their own rendition of a piteous look, Y/N stayed where she sat, her glare even fiercer than Kaz’s look.

“You can’t make me stay here, Kaz. The team needs me. I’m as much a Crow as any of them.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t,” Kaz said with gritted teeth. “You’ve been distracted lately and before you say you aren’t, I know you are and I know why. I can’t have a distracted Corporalnik on an important job. So you stay here until you figure yourself out. I can’t have my investments damaged on account of their stupidity. Now if you’re not leaving, I am.”

Kaz rose from his chair and schooled his features into his normal, expressionless face. He took one last glance at her as he grabbed his cane and walked out of his office, his cane hitting against the hardwood floor the only sound in the room.

So he had noticed. He knew why she was distracted. Y/N almost wanted to kick herself. She thought she was careful. None of the others even noticed she was distracted let alone know why. Except for Kaz Brekker. Had he been watching her closely? Did he remember one tiny detail about her that she had told him in confidence?

Somehow, all the terrible things that have happened to me all coincide on the day of my birth. Makes it easy for me to remember what day to hate, you know.

The words echoed in her head, a reminder of the conversation she once had with Kaz when, in a rare moment of vulnerability, he had told her about Jordie and his aversion to touch. She had told him about her birthday once but he didn’t even seem to acknowledge her, too busy being back in his horrible memories about the river and the terrible things Pekka Rollins had done to him and his family. How did he even know her birthday? She was sure she didn’t tell him that particular piece of information.

As the day of the heist approached, Y/N’s mood darkened. It did fall on her birthday, after all. She witnessed her family killed on her birthday; captured by the Darkling on her birthday; escaped the Little Palace on her birthday; was captured and enslaved, once again, on her birthday and was purchased by Heleen on her birthday. Some terrible, pessimistic part of her, was worried that the heist would go wrong and that she would lose another important person to her. If she had lost any of the other Crows, she didn’t know if she’d survive.

“You are distracted,” Nina remarked as Y/N used her tailoring abilities to change her appearance.

“I’m not,” Y/N muttered as she continued working. “The disguise will only last until the end of the night. When morning comes, you should be back to normal. And no, I’m not distracted. Just worried about the Heist.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Nina replied. “If anyone gets hurt, I’m there. I’m not as good as you when it comes to healing but I think my abilities will suffice. You shouldn’t worry.”

Y/N sent Nina a tight smile but continued her work.

“Hey,” Nina placed her hands on top of Y/N’s and sent her a reassuring smile. “I know you didn’t want any of us to know but it’s your birthday, right? The Darkling threw a feast for you once in the Little Palace. I remember that day because of the food. You didn’t seem very happy though.”

“The Darkling…” Y/N trailed off, unsure if she should continue. But seeing Nina’s earnest smile and comforting look, Y/N relaxed. Nina was like a sister to her. A fellow grisha who understood what it felt like to persecuted for being born.

Y/N sighed. “The Darkling… being his favorite wasn’t a good thing, y’know. Ivan and Zoya would disagree but they didn’t go through what I went through. The Darkling, he liked pretty things. And me? Well I was the prettiest of them all.” She scoffed bitterly. “Let’s just say that being a soldier in the Second Army is a lot better than being a slave in the Little Palace. It would have been a lot better if I had a position like Genya. She worked for the queen but me? I was enslaved to the Darkling.”

The Amplifier that Y/N wore seemed to warm up around her wrist in response. It always seemed to do that when she spoke of the Darkling.

“I’m sorry,” Nina whispered, her face a mask of horror and pity.

“Are you done?”

Y/N and Nina’s attention snapped towards the door where Kaz Brekker stood. Y/N hadn’t realized that she was crying as she remembered the horrors she faced. She swiped at her eyes hastily but it was too late, Kaz had seen. He didn’t say anything though but Y/N felt his heavy stare on her skin, a lingering pressure she didn’t know if she liked or not.

“Yes,” Y/N replied as she stepped away from Nina who looked like an entirely different person with her fiery red hair, wider dark blue eyes, and thinner lips.

“I’ll go get ready then,” Nina said as she hopped off the table and scurried out the door before Kaz or Y/N could react.

The silence that followed hung heavy in the air.

Y/N had refused to speak to Kaz directly after he dismissed her last week and, if she was being perfectly honest with herself, Kaz’s words had hurt her. But she would sooner stab herself than admit that to Kaz.

“Do you have the costumes like we discussed?” Kaz asked.

“Yes.”

“Everything is prepared?”

“Yes.”

“Matthias, Jesper and Wylan are disguised too?”

A prickle of annoyance shot through her. “Kaz I may be upset with you but I would never do anything to jeopardies a mission. I may be – what was it you called me again? Oh that’s right stupid. I may be stupid but I’m not incompetent. I am doing my part to make sure that my friends are safe. You better make sure you don’t need a Healer on standby.”

Kaz didn’t even seem fazed by her words and that only angered Y/N even more.

He walked towards her while Y/N packed her kit. It wasn’t as luxurious as the kit that she and Genya had used in the Little Palace but it did the job very well.

Kaz’s heavy footfalls seemed to stop before her.

She whirled around and found that Kaz was close enough for her to touch if she wanted to.

A dark thought crossed her mind. Would she get the reaction she wanted if she were to touch his face?

That was enough to convince Y/N to lock her hands together and keep it behind her. She may be petty and spiteful but she wasn’t so horrible that she would willingly act on her violent thoughts.

“What do you want, Brekker? Here to hurt me some more?”

Kaz’s heavy gaze felt like a living being settling on her skin. “I’m sorry.”

At that, Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise. Kaz Brekker was apologizing. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Kaz Brekker didn’t apologize, not to anyone or for anything.

“What?” Y/N said, a little dumbfounded. A flush of heat rode down her spine at their shortening distance.

“Don’t make me say it again,” Kaz said with a slight roll of his eyes. He seemed to lean closer to her and Y/N held her breath, almost like she was afraid that one tiny breath would be enough to startle Kaz like a wide eyed doe.

“We’ll be back before morning. Don’t wait up,” Kaz muttered.

Just like that, he pulled away from her and a feeling of coldness seemed to wash away the heat that crept down Y/N’s spine.

Kaz walked towards the door. Before he could cross the threshold, he stopped and said, “Happy birthday, Y/N,” and he walked out, leaving Y/N a little bit more dumbfounded than before.

She had been told not to wait up but she did it anyway. The knot in her stomach had appeared when the Crows left and she knew it wouldn’t go away until she saw them safe and sound.

Dawn was beginning to approach the city of Ketterdam, its warm golden fingers reaching out and clearing the fog, lightening the sky until it became a hazy purple. An opulent carriage rolled through the empty cobblestone streets. It clearly didn’t belong in the streets of Ketterdam and that was enough for Y/N to know that her friends have come home.

She leapt off her bed and shut her window, elation washing away her sleepiness and the knot in her stomach.

She rushed down, ignoring the fact that she wore nothing but a simple shift dress to keep away the biting cold.

She had opened the front door just as Jesper and Inej had leapt off the driver seat, panic clearly written in their faces.

Something had gone wrong.

The knot in her stomach returned.

“Y/N, quick, it’s Kaz,” Inej said hurriedly as Jesper threw open the carriage’s door and saw Matthias, Nina and Wylan holding up an unconscious Kaz Brekker. There was a wide gash across his forehead and his stomach–

Oh Saints his stomach.

An even bigger gash was present on his stomach, red and bleeding. It was deep enough that if Matthias hadn’t been applying pressure, Y/N was sure Kaz’s guts would spill out on the streets.

Kaz’s face was pale and Y/N had a deep and terrible thought that he was probably dead. His small, fluttering heartbeat was the only thing powerful enough to convince Y/N that he was still alive.

“He’s alive,” Nina panted as she continued to use her abilities to keep Kaz’s heart beating. “But barely.”

And just like that, Y/N’s focus snapped. “Matthias, keep applying pressure on the wound. Jesper, Wylan, get the stretcher. Inej, prepare the kitchen table, we’ll put Kaz there and make sure that my kit is ready and Nina keep doing what you’re doing. Kaz Brekker is not dying tonight.”

Her friends sprang into action as Y/N approached the carriage and felt around Kaz’s body. She concentrated and felt for other injuries. When she found that there was none, she focused all her energy towards the biggest problem.

“What the hell happened?” Y/N asked furiously as she began working on the wound.

“Everything was going fine but something tripped up the alarm. We managed to snag the necklace but Kaz had ran into one of the guards and suddenly there were a lot of them. Oh, Saints, Y/N please tell me he’ll be alright.” Nina panted, panic rising in her voice.

“Don’t talk to me like that, Nina,” as Y/N’s finger flitted over the open wound. The three Crows watched as the wound sealed itself up, slowly but surely. “No mention of anyone dying okay. Kaz is going to be fine.”

By the time Jesper, Wylan and Inej emerged from inside the Crow Club, the wound was but a tiny pink scar.

“Now we worry about his blood loss,” Y/N said as she watched Matthias lift Kaz from inside the carriage and into the waiting stretcher.

They brought Kaz in the kitchen where Inej had prepared basins of warm water and clean towels.

“Is anyone else seriously injured?” Y/N asked her friends when they managed to get Kaz settled on the kitchen table.

Aside from the minor scrapes and bruises that was easy enough for Y/N to heal none of her other friends had injuries that needed her full attention and so they left her alone with the Bastard of the Barrel to wash up.

Y/N focused on keeping Kaz’s heart beating and his lungs breathing. When she was sure that his body wasn’t going to shut down any time soon from the blood loss, she got to work cleaning the blood out of his body.

Y/N had managed to find the gloves that she kept hidden in a kitchen drawer for reasons exactly like this.

As she worked on getting the blood and dirt cleaned from Kaz’s face, she heard his shallow breathing deepen.

His eyes snapped open in panic at her touch but before he could react, Y/N pushed him down, her hands careful to only hit the fabric of his clothes.

“Don’t you’ll get dizzy if you move too fast and you might faint,” Y/N said gently. Their faces were close enough to touch. Y/N could feel Kaz’s breath on her face. “I’m wearing gloves, I promise.”

She pulled away from him and showed him her gloved hands.

“I’ll be careful. If you want me to stop, just say so and I will. But we need to clean you up. You’re covered in blood.”

“So are you,” Kaz replied as his eyes roamed and settled on her white shift dress. Well, it was white once upon a time. Now it was soaked in Kaz’s blood. Her feet and her brown leather boots were covered in blood too. Great. Guess she’ll have to go shopping again.

“I’m fine. We worry about you first,” Y/N said. “May I?”

There was a silent beat before Kaz nodded his head and settled back down the table.

Y/N hands cleaned the blood around Kaz’s face. Kaz seemed to study every crevice of her face and she fought the urge to blush. When her fingers reached the gaping wound on Kaz’s forehead, she brushed her gloved thumb over the slice and watched it seal itself shut until it became a faded scar. With enough concentration, even the scar disappeared.

“If I was there,” Y/N whispered, “You wouldn’t be laying on this table.”

“Or you could be the one on this table,” Kaz muttered back.

Y/N’s eyes met his. Saints those eyes. If she was being honest with herself, Y/N always loved it when Kaz looked at her. Every time he looked at her, it always made Y/N feel like he looked at her for the very first time and saw her not for her beauty but because he really saw her. Saw who she really was beneath all her beauty and power. Like he only saw her.

She cleared her throat and pulled away.

Of all the people in the Barrel to develop feelings for, Kaz should probably be the last person her list. He reminded her so much of the Darkling sometimes. They had the same disposition, the same cruel streak. Ambitious and power hungry, they may as well have been two sides of the same coin.

But two sides of the same coin still had differences, however minor they may seem.

Kaz may have been power hungry like the Darkling was but deep down, Y/N knew that Kaz would never do anything to hurt her. If she was sure of anything, it’s that Kaz Brekker had feelings for her. Perhaps not in the same way she had feelings for him, but she knew that Kaz at least cared about her. He cared about all of the Crows and she was no exception.

Kaz would do anything for power but he would never sacrifice his friends.

Unbeknownst to both Kaz and Y/N, Jesper, Inej, Wylan, Matthias and Nina were watching them from the kitchen’s doorway.

“Do you think they’ll realize they’re no longer alone?” Jesper whispered with smirk.

“Oh let them be,” Inej smiled. “The Saints may grant us a miracle and finally allow Kaz and Y/N to admit their feelings to each other.”

“Mama and Papa Crow will finally be together,” Nina teased.

“They would look good together, I think,” Matthias commented in his thick Fjerdan accent.

“Look they’re close enough to kiss,” Wylan said, his voice laced with excitement.

The five Crows watched in anticipation as Kaz reached his glove hand and toyed with a strand of Y/N’s hair that managed to escape her usually meticulous bun. Y/N’s breath hitched as Kaz reached in his pocket and produced a beautiful glittering necklace.

Y/N’s eyes widened. “Is that–“

“No,” Kaz replied softly. “That necklace is with Inej. I gave her strict orders to keep it safe. This one I happen to find on the neck of a noblewoman. I thought it would look better on you than on her.”

“This necklace is worth a least another few thousand kruge. Are you sure you want to give it to me?”

Kaz seemed stiffened at her words. “If you don’t want it—“

“No I do. It’s beautiful. Thank you. Can you?”

Y/N leaned down to give Kaz better access to her neck and, with difficulty, Kaz managed to clasp the beautiful necklace around her neck. Y/N marveled at its glittering form. Clusters of large rubies, sapphires and emeralds were formed in the shape of a bird in flight. The chain looked expensive too, probably Fabrikator made. Y/N suspected that one of stones would be enough to pay for the indenture of at least 10 girls in the Menagerie.

“It’s beautiful,” Y/N muttered with a soft smile.

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” was Kaz’s only reply. His voice was soft, almost like he was afraid that one loud sound, one wrong word, would be enough to shatter their little bubble of peace.

“That was so sweet,” Nina whispered to Matthias as she watched the two.

“Who knew the Bastard of the Barrel had it in him to give the girl he has feelings for extravagant gifts?” Jesper said with a cheeky smile.

“Who knew the Demon could even have feelings,” Matthias muttered.

“We should go before they notice we’re here,” Inej whispered. “Give them some peace and quiet before the Club opens.”

Inej ushered her friends out. With their backs turned, they hadn’t seen as Y/N, with Kaz’s permission, had placed a soft, feather like kiss on his cheek. The glowing blush that colored the cheeks of the two Crows was enough to light all of Ketterdam for weeks.

#shadow and bone x reader #shadow and bone imagine #shadow and bone #kaz brekker #six of crows #nina zenik #inej ghafa #crooked kingdom #matthias helvar #jesper faheh #wylan van eck #grisha #grishaverse

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klbwriting · 3 years

Text

Unexpected Allies - Chapter 9

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: Kaz/female!Reader

Summary: The Dregs finally have some bonding time but its ruined

Note: So complete honesty, the second song that inspired this fic makes an appearance in this chapter and its uh ‘I2I’ from A Goofy Movie so yes, you can all imagine my surprise when I heard this play for my kids and instantly said ‘the Dregs would love this shit’ and well, I went with it, also I think I used this gif already but I love it so its appearing again

Taglist: @amwitherspoon @mcntsee

Y/N spent the next day trying to catch up with everyone from her past, seeing old friends and even training the new Grisha that were volunteering for the army. It was refreshing after being forced to play a role she hated for so many years. She felt freer than she had in a long time and she felt herself coming out of her shell more. She struck up an instant friendship with Nina as the women trained the up and coming Grisha and she finally asked about Kaz's time in Ketterdam more. "So in Ketterdam you were a servant?" Y/N asked, staring at Nina surprised. "And I knew Kaz was in the Dregs but he wasn't the actual leader?" "I was an indenture," Nina corrected. "And no, Kaz was second in command to Per Haskell and well, I guess since Per didn't survive the assault Kaz is sort of in charge now. He probably said he was in charge to impress you." Y/N blushed and tried to brush it off. "I don't think Kaz goes around thinking about how to impress me," she said, sitting down at the dinner table with her plate of food. Nina smiled and shook her head. "Look, we all know that you and Kaz have a thing, Jesper can't keep his mouth shut, but we've all agreed that we don't want to say anything because no one wants to die by caning," she said. "So yes, Kaz Brekker thinks about impressing you, and apparently stalks you since that's about the 6th time I've seen him looking at you since lunch." She nodded her head towards the line for food where Kaz was standing. When Y/N looked and saw him he looked at Matthias as if he had been listening to what the giant was saying. Y/N shook her head and looked back at Nina. "I'm impressed that you somehow broke through that icy wall he has around him." "I don't think I broke it, feels kind of like I just found a small door and crawled through," she said. "I mostly just want him to be happy, well as close to happy as Kaz Brekker gets. Though I'm not made of kruge so I doubt he's that happy." "Who knows, maybe he likes you more than kruge," Nina said. Both women started laughing, drawing some attention to themselves. Jesper and Inej soon joined them with Wylan coming soon after. Matthias was next and finally Kaz. He approached the table and cleared his throat. Wylan looked up from his spot next to Y/N. "What?" he asked, noticing the murderous look on Kaz's face. Y/N rolled her eyes but smiled. "Move merchling before he gets angry," Jesper said, pulling Wylan closer to him. "I don't know how you tell...he always looks angry," the boy grumbled as he started eating. Y/N saw Kaz throw him a look before he started eating himself.

A few minutes into the conversation about the possible job that was going to be given to the Dregs Wylan threw a hand up and it smacked Kaz's shoulder. Kaz had let down his guard some, not really paying attention and didn't expect the interaction. He paled and felt a little dizzy for a moment, the world going a little fuzzy. He hadn't had an incident like this in a long time. He had come to expect the small bumps and touches from others and braced himself all the time for them. Now however, after the journey and him having held hands with Y/N last night, he had let down that guard thinking he was getting better, but this proved him wrong. No one else seemed to notice that he was struggling and he was glad, he didn't want them to see his weakness so clearly on display. He had to recover quick but at the moment he didn't know how, his vision wasn't refocusing and he could feel his chest closing, feeling sickness rising in him. "Kaz, listen to me." Her voice, he heard it in his head. At least he thought that's where it was. "Breathe. Breathe again. One more time. Now close your eyes and open them. Look at me." He did as she said and when he opened his eyes and looked at her he saw they were alone at the table. She smiled at him. "I told them you were still tired from the journey, they went to set up a fire circle for tonight, asked for us newcomers to join them." "Alright," Kaz said. He was still focusing on her voice, letting her talk and letting the sound ground him. From the way she was looking at him he thought that she knew what he was thinking so she kept on the conversation for them both. They wanted her to bring her guitar, wanted to hear her sing something. She hoped she didn't embarrass him with her song choice, it was going to be a silly thing she had written while in school. "Do you think you can stand and walk, they're waving us over now," she said. He hadn't realized it had gotten truly dark already. He was going to need to be better about keeping his guard up, he couldn't let something like that happen again. He nodded and stood, leaning more on his cane then normal. Y/N rose and kept a good distance between them, giving him space that he desperately needed and he appreciated her for it. They worked their way to the other Dregs and sat on seats around a roaring fire.

"Could have used your help with this thing Miss Inferni" Matthias said, giving her an annoyed look. Nina elbowed him in the ribs. "I could light your coat on fire if you really want to use my powers like I'm a trained dog," Y/N shot back, sitting down. Jesper had run to her tent and gotten her guitar. He sat down and handed it to her. Kaz sat down next to her and she felt his mood shift, his panic attack was over and he was back. He looked at her and nodded, confirming he was alright and she nodded back. "Play the song, I think we all want to hear it," Wylan said. The others murmured agreement and Y/N blushed. This song was so dumb and she was going to be mortified but she had promised. "Alright so remember I wrote this when I was around 14 so its going to sound like silly fantasy nonsense," she said. She tuned the guitar a little bit to make it sound brighter and started playing. It was more upbeat than anything she had played recently and she was really struggling with getting the rhythm down until she heard someone playing what sounded like drums near her. She looked up and Wylan had a bowl and some spoons and was making a beat for her to play too. 'Thank you' she mouthed to him and he smiled brightly back as he kept playing. She finally found the beat and started to sing.

"I got myself a notion, one I know that you'll understand To set the world in motion by reaching out for each other's hand"

She teasingly reached out to Kaz, a smile on her face so he knew she was playing. She expected him to blow her off, roll his eyes and look away, but to her surprise he actually squeezed her hand for just a moment before pulling back. She felt her heart do a little leap in her chest. It was one thing for him to touch her in private, where no one could see, but out here with friends was another story, he was comfortable with her and was showing it around others. The others didn't seem to notice as they were having fun moving in their seats, sometimes making wooping noises to the music as she kept singing about love saving the world. It was silly but it made everyone smile and that was what she was hoping to do. They deserved this time to bond as friends again. As the song ended they heard a mocking clapping from nearby. Y/N turned to look at who was ruining this moment and saw an older man who looked rough, and well, his eyes held evil in them, covered in a thin layer of cruelty. "That was lovely, just so sweet to see the Dregs back together," he said, voice light, like he was talking to old friends. Inej stood up, folding her arms. "Not now Rollins, we will speak later," she said. It clicked for Y/N who this was. Pekka Rollins. The man who had nearly destroyed Kaz. Rage roared inside her and she stood abruptly. She could feel the anger radiating off of Kaz next to her but he was controlling himself, biding his time.

"O, want to give me a private show little lady?" Pekka said. This brought Kaz to his feet. He had felt more then seen the rage that had filled Y/N when she realized who this was. He was practiced at containing his malice for Rollins but she wasn't. When she stood he stayed seated, hoping that Rollins would just finish whatever business he came here for and then leave. Apparently that wasn't going to happen. "What business?" Kaz asked like they were in Ketterdam again. He figured that's not how things worked around here but it would hopefully remind Rollins of whatever he came here to do. Rollins laughed. "Living in the past my friend, time to catch up. I just came to thank you Brekker, breaking me out of that Fjerda prison saved my life. If I hadn't be escaping I wouldn't have heard those Second Army shits talking about demolishing Ketterdam. Thanks to you I got most of my crew out, sorry about yours though, shame you couldn't get them out," he said. Kaz took a deep breath, remembering that his time to kill Rollins was fast approaching. He would do it in secret of course, take his time in the night and make sure that by morning the body would be unrecognizable. This mantra kept Kaz from striking the bastard right here. But it didn't keep Y/N at bay. Before anyone could react she threw a large rock right at Rollins's face, cracking him in the nose. Blood poured and he cried out in anger and pain. "You bitch!" he said. Y/N had a fireball in her hand ready to fire. "Leave now, your business here is finished," she said, becoming every inch the Darkling's second in that moment. Kaz could see her where someone evil, someone like him, could trust her, deep inside she was the same, she just worked to suppress those traits while he relished in them. Rollins took the hint and walked away, some of his crewmates coming over to help, glaring at Y/N as they left. Kaz and Y/N sat down again and they looked at each other. He was asking her to help him kill Pekka Rollins, tonight, without saying a word. She understood him completely and nodded. "Tonight," she said. He wished she hadn't spoken it aloud but it didn't really matter. "You can't kill him Kaz," Inej said. He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "His death is mine to collect," he said. "I call the shots for the Dregs and I saw when I take a life." Inej took a breath and he saw her change, her demeanor becoming one of a leader, ready to compete with him instead of work under him. "It doesn't work like that here Brekker," she said. "Pekka Rollins did get most of his crew out so our people from Ketterdam joined together, everyone was a Dime Lion or a Dreg and we were forced to become partners. If you kill Pekka Rollins then those sides will start infighting and this resistance already has enough of that. Leave him be, a Dreg cannot kill a Dime Lion." Kaz gripped his cane tight and stood, turning and walking a few steps. He stopped and glanced back, knowing that Y/N was following him. He let her catch up to him and they walked back to his tent. "I have a plan," she said as they entered. Kaz looked at her a little surprised and a little proud. "Let's hear it," he said. He knew they probably were thinking of the same plan but he would let her have the credit for it. "I'll get Rollins, if I had to subdue him I will but with how he looked at me I think he'll come willingly. We got out of camp and then you can have your revenge. I'll burn the body after. If he's found everyone will think I did it and after my display tonight I'm sure no one would be surprised. I'll make sure to distance myself from you and the Dregs out there, make sure they can't pin it on you guys," she said. Kaz smirked and nodded. Well, think you can work your magic in about an hour? Head out of the camp and go east, I heard there's a hut there for skinning animals, I think I'll borrow it," Kaz said, feeling the sick thrill of knowing he was going to do something truly horrifying.

#six of crows #kaz #kazbrekker #kaz brekker #kaz x reader #kaz brekker x reader #unexpected allies series

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