#mine: kol and davina

[forbescaroline]

235 FAVORITE SHIPS OF ALL TIME (ranked by my followers) 42. kol mikaelson and davina claire - the originals

[mariedemedicis]

Bonnie sat in a black leather armchair, spine straight, heart pounding. In spite of her youth, she felt confident and self-assured when dealing with vampires several hundred years her elder.

Usually.

Something about this particular vampire, who anyone with any sense knew to be undeniably the most dangerous of an already very dangerous family, set her off-kilter.

"Do we have a deal?" Niklaus Mikaelson demanded, his tone that of one unused to being denied.

Bonnie's left hand reached for the amethyst ring little Davina had insisted she wear on the little finger of her left hand and fiddled with it.

She drew comfort from it and that moment of comfort allowed her to remember her friend Astrid's words.

Breathe in, breathe out, count to ten before you commit yourself to anything.

Bonnie breathed in, she counted to ten once, twice, three times.

"Well," insisted the self-proclaimed king of the city. "Do we? Or do you not think you can do it?"

Bonnie's resolve strengthened. Head held high, she responded confidently. "Oh, I can do it. There's no deal unless you agree to my terms."

The vampire's eyes flashed dangerously. For a moment Bonnie thought they were yellow but then she saw they were blue and she told herself she had imagined it.

"Perhaps it would be best if we continued this discussion another time." Klaus said, sounding both angered and grudgingly impressed by her daring. "You are dismissed."

He waved a hand to indicate she was to go.

But when Bonnie reached the threshold, fuming and ready to spill everything to Astrid, something prevented her from stepping out of the room.

Lifting her arms and pushing hard, Bonnie spoke the words of a spell.

Which did nothing.

Without looking up from his glass, the vampire repeated. "You are dismissed. I warn you, provoking me will only harm your position."

"I'm trying to leave!" Bonnie exclaimed, forgetting not to stomp her foot. "There's something wrong with this room. It won't let me out."

Before she'd registered the vampire had even left his chair, he was beside her. Extending his arm in front of him, he too felt the invisible barrier. With tremendous force, he drove his fist into the air.

He staggered back as the force reverberated back but the barrier remained solid and immovable.

"What's going on? Greta!" Klaus bellowed.

A blonde appeared seemingly out of nowhere and leaned languidly against the wall opposite - so close and yet so far away.

"I'm afraid Greta is incapacitated at the moment." She said pleasantly without a trace of regret in her voice.

"Rebekah, what have you done?" The vampire beside Bonnie spoke softly but he had never sounded so dangerous.

Rebekah tossed her head. "Kol isn't the only one who knows how to use dark objects. I'm going out to enjoy a day without you breathing down my neck."

She turned and walked away.

"REBEKAH, COME BACK HERE!" Klaus roared, losing all his remaining composure.

Bonnie, mind spinning, walked over to her chair and sat down again.

She didn't know much about dark objects; Sheila Bennett hated them; but she knew they could serve as dampeners, preventing the use of magic until they were disabled.

"Sit down." She said firmly, cutting through her companion's litany of threats. "As we're stuck in here together, we might as well continue our discussion."

So this grew out of another fic idea I had. I didn't give an exact date but this is set somewhere between Kol's daggering by Klaus in 1914 and Rebekah's summoning of Mikael in 1919. I picture Bonnie as eighteen in this scene so she'd have been born between 1897 and 1900.

I haven't decided if the Bennetts came to New Orleans from Salem (there's a ~20 year gap between leaving Salem and New Orleans' founding that I'd have to have them be somewhere in between) or if Sheila decided to leave Mystic Falls and take Bonnie to New Orleans after Abby's departure.

Klaus has told Bonnie some details about the curse he wants her to break but not all hence the reaction to the yellow eyes.

I don't think I would write this as a full fic but I would absolutely keep writing vignettes set in this verse if people are interested.

[felicitykings]

Think back to the last night we were together - our last dance.

THE ORIGINALS (2013-2018) ↳ 3.11 Wild At Heart

[dvrkestxhearts]

Kol & Davina • Maroon

[petertingle-yipyip]

STRANGER (vi) - KAZ BREKKER

tags: @beekeepingageissome @shadowzena43 @nikfigueiredo @mp-littlebit @starmansirius @hadesnumber1daughter @directioner5life @strvngestark @hostilityghost @ofmenanduhhhwellmen // previously // next

Pairing: Kaz x Davina Rollins (enemies to lovers)

Word Count: 5,786

Summary: Haunting memories and vivid hallucinations, Davina fights through the surprise takedown and the dynamic nearly shifts. Or maybe, in some sense, it still does.

Kaz dropped his cane as Davina fell against him. One of his hands held her arm still so the other caught her around her back. Her own grip fell away from his sleeve and she was completely still, completely limp.

Jesper was on her other side with panic in his eyes. Kaz knew it was reflected in his own, but when he looked to try and see what Davina was trying to tell him, he saw Per Haskell looking on with a proud smirk.

“Take her to the Slat.” Kaz told Jesper. He didn’t want to hand Davina over, but there was a new rage clawing at the inside of his chest. He heard the feral tone in his voice, felt the tension brewing in his muscles. “Tell no one who she is. Go straight to mine.”

“Kaz…” Jesper said as Kaz placed Davina in his arms.

Kaz drew her hood up, carefully shadowing her face and protecting her identity. She seemed as if she were sleeping and the softness in her features made his heart ache. ‘In another life, maybe’, he told himself. Jesper adjusted his hold on her before he nodded to Kaz.

“Send for Zenik when you get there.” Kaz instructed, Jesper nodding fervently at the tasks being laid out for him.

“What will you do?” Jesper asked. 

“I’m going to get some answers.”

He may not be able to have her in that life, but he would do everything he could to right the wrongs he could. And he would start with Haskell.

—————

“Papa, what if Kaz and Jordie can’t find our new home?” You ask as you skip beside your mother down the path away from your previous home. It was all packed up by the time you woke up and your father informed you that you’d had to move. ‘Mouse problem’ he told you. ‘Can’t have that in your little lungs, now can we?’

You didn’t question it.

“Don’t you worry about it, Davi.” He smiles and reaches down to pat your head. “I left a note for them.”

“Good.” You grin and your father takes your other hand to help your other swing you over a puddle. You land with a fit of giggles. “I like Kaz and Jordie.”

“Do you?” Your father asks but he’s not really interested.

“Yes, they’re my only real friends after all.” You nod. “I hope they find us soon.”

———————

“She didn’t come back, Kol.” Melli said anxiously. “She was only supposed to be there a few hours.”

“I agree she’s taking longer than intended.” Kol nodded. “And I don’t know Davina the same way you do, but I trust that she’ll come back. We’ll need to present that front to the rest of them in the meantime.”

“A front? You’re suggesting we lie to them?” She sounded incredulous, almost offended by the concept.

“I’m suggesting we protect what she’s built.” He put his hands up in surrender. “If something has happened and if her father finds out…”

“He’ll steamroll us.” Melli understood. “You’re right, but… What if one of us goes to the Crow Club to see if there’s anything there? We’re not as known so it wouldn’t seem suspicious.”

“I can get in and out. I don’t have my tattoo yet.”

“Alright… Let’s give it a day or two. In the meantime, see if Nina Zenik knows anything when you go for your lesson.”

———————

“Please, have you seen these boys?” You show the drawing to anyone who’d stop, but hardly anyone stops for a child with a pencil drawing in her hands and tears down her cheeks. “Won’t someone help me?”

You chase down the bodymen every morning as they’re coming off the boats. They warn you to stay back, that they might have the Plague on them, but you stick out your arms with the drawing in your hands.

“Please, Sir.” Your eyes water again but at least you could hide behind the paper. “They’re my only friends.”

“I’m sorry, little one. I think I picked them up last night.” One of the men says and you can hear the sympathy in their voice.

Your arms fall and you know your cheeks are tear-stricken, eyes red and puffy. Your lip quivers and the man can only nod sadly before he leaves.

They were dead… Kaz and Jordie were dead…

You fall to your knees as you sobbed.

—————

Your eyes opened for a moment but couldn’t focus. A sharp pain ignited behind your eyeballs and you slammed them shut. You groaned in pain, covering your face in your hands.

You realized, just barely, that you were laying in a bed. A thin blanket was laid over you and your head was on a soft pillow. Your brows furrowed beneath your hands as you tried to remember what happened.

“Is she gonna be alright?” You heard a voice far off. Maybe he was in the same room, maybe he was on the other side of the door. You had no idea. “What happened to her?”

“Haskell poisoned her.” Another voice, angrier and rougher than the first, answered. It sounded like all his focus was going into keeping himself composed. “It’s a stimulant, mental and physical. He doesn’t know the extent of the effects but he dosed her on purpose. Was damn proud of it, too.”

You knew both of those voices. How did you know those voices? They both seemed to care and that made you feel a bit safer, though the unfamiliar surroundings still left an eerie feeling around you.

“Why would he do that? She couldn’t have provoked him.”

“She could have. I’m sure she could provoke the Devil enough He’d bolt out of Hell if she wanted to, but I doubt she did…  No, he did this because he wants to prove his power.”

“Did she say why was she at the Club?” He sounded nervous.

Kaz is alive? And he was worried about you. He didn’t abandon you as kids and he didn’t die of the Plague.

“I don’t know. She collapsed before she could give a real answer.” 

You tried to sit up, to see Kaz and to talk to him, but the attempted movement caused pain to explode in your head, tightening your chest and weighing down your body. You cried out and collapsed against the mattress. You could’ve sworn you felt your heart stutter in your chest before you fell unconscious again.

—————

It’s dark. There’s seemingly nothing around you. You don’t even feel like a person, just a consciousness. An idea. Do you have a name?

Yes, of course you have a name. But what is it?

“My beautiful little girl.” A woman’s voice comes. But not just any woman, your mother.

She begins to materialize out of the darkness and you find your shape too.

Your name is Davina, Davina Rollins.

“Hello, Davi.” She smiles and cups your face in her hands.

“Hi, Mama.” You smile.

“You’ve grown so beautiful, so strong. It’s been a long time, my sweet girl.”

“Mama…” The idea of your friends wouldn’t leave you, bouncing around your thoughts like a ball of rubber in a box. “Do you remember my friends, Kaz and Jordie?”

Her hands fall away. “The farm boys your father brought in? The ones that ran off and left you in shambles? Yes.”

“They didn’t run off. They were picked up by the bodymen when I was kid.”

“The Queen’s Lady Plague got them?” Her chin turns up in disgust. “Serves them right.”

“Mama!”

“They disgraced your father.”

“Papa lied to them! He called himself Jakob. He stole their money! He left them to die, it’s all his fault!”

Her open hand strikes your cheek and you cry out.

———————

Davina cried out from the bed, twisting and turning like she was trying to get away from something. Her temperature was steady but higher than it should’ve been. Nina had drawn the blanket away and kept a wet towel on her forehead.

“You say she was poisoned?” Nina asked, her hands fluttering gently around Davina.

“Yes.” Kaz answered tightly. He was seated at the edge of the bed, chin resting on balled up fists and his elbows on his knees. “Haskell put something in a drink he gave her. A high dose stimulant, physical and mental.”

“Explains the nonsense she’s mumbling.” Nina said to herself. “She’ll be alright, but what are we to tell her Snakes?”

“They don’t know she’s here.”

“No, but her Heartrender came to the White Rose. He’s worried about her.”

“Why was he there?” Kaz knew he shouldn’t ask. When Davina was lying in the bed beside him, squirming and whimpering as if she was atop pins and needles, he should be focused on her. But of course, his need for information pushed to the forefront.

“I call on him from time to time. He makes me laugh.” She waved him off. He didn’t believe it - considering Davina gave the same reason for visiting Nina - but he had no proof otherwise, so he didn’t ask again. “I told him I hadn’t heard anything but someone should send word that she’s alive.”

“He trusts you?”

“Enough, it seems.”

“Then do it. I don’t care how. I’ll stay with her.”

———————

You’re with Kaz.

You’re sitting in the grass of the front yard of the Rollins’ house. Your brother is kicking his feet on the swing your father made for him. Your mother and your father are laughing as they push him, teasing that he’d fly off.

You look over at Kaz, he has his eyes closed as he faces the sun like a cat. You smile to yourself and as if he knows, he turns to you and returns the smile.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He laughs before dropping to his back. He folds his arms and tucked his hands neatly behind his head. The motion pulls his rolled sleeves above his elbows and you can just see his interlocked fingers behind his scattered hair.

“I’m glad you’re here.” You say honestly. You shift to lay beside him, nestling yourself in the crook of his arm. That arm comes down and drapes across your chest. You fiddle with his fingers before he takes hold of your hand.

“I’ll be here so long as you have me.”

“Kaz Rietveld. that almost sounds like a proposal.” You tease. “You know, you’ll owe my father a goat.”

“A goat?” He laughs. “Just one? That’s selling yourself short. Dear.”

“Several.” You correct yourself. “And you’ll have to see if my brother approves.”

“Really? And what of my brother?”

“Jordie adores me. I don’t think he’ll mind.”

Jordie… No, that wasn’t right. But he was coming up the path with a basket of snacks.

You look around and realize quite a few things are wrong. It wasn’t the Rollins’ house you’re in front of, but the fake home from before the Rietvelds died. Your brother doesn’t have a swing in that tree. And Kaz, well he has his bare hand in yours with his arms exposed.

That wasn’t right. None of that was right.

———————

“Why is she here, Kaz?” A girl was asking. You knew you recognized the voice, but you couldn’t imagine her face. The anger in her voice was sharp as a blade.

“Where else should I have taken her?” A boy - Kaz - answered. “Left her unconscious in an alley?”

“You could have taken her to her Snakes!”

“They could go to war with us over this. I wasn’t going to risk that.”

“If any of them want to declare war, it’s going to be her. Do you honestly think she’ll be happy to wake up here?” Her disbelief made her laugh. “Saints, Kaz, she’ll probably throw a punch at whoever she sees first.”

“Haskell did this to her, Inej. If I had her brought to the Poisoned Rook, her Heartrender would’ve ended whoever had her. I couldn’t take her to her main building because no one knows where it is. If I left her somewhere, what was to stop Pekka or one of the menagerie owners from grabbing her?”

“She won’t see it that way.”

“You don’t know her.”

“And you do?” That disbelieving laugh again.

Silence.

Your eyes hurt so you closed them again. You whined slightly and tried to rub them, but your limbs still felt too heavy.

“Do you know her?” Inej insisted. You could vaguely remember her then. The Suli girl known as the Wraith who could throw a blade with frightening skill. 

If she was upset with your presence wherever you were, you didn’t think you’d be there much longer.

———————

You feel different, like there was something calling to you in every person. Like every person has their own drumbeat that only your ears could recognize. No, not your ears, but your body. You were you, as a child, but suddenly you were Grisha. Corporalnik. A Healer.

You find two boys in an alley, afflicted by the Queen’s Lady Plague. When the younger one looks at you, you immediately recognize him.

“Kaz.” You breathe a sigh of relief.

“Vina?” He looks at you with watery eyes, a red face with flushed cheeks. “Can you help him?”

You look over and see Jordie, frighteningly still in Kaz’s arms. You gulp. You can hear the bodymen coming.

“I can try.”

———————

You sat upright in the bed, gasping for air. Your eyes adjusted to the unfamiliar setting and you scrambled back until you hit the wall. You could feel your hair stuck to your forehead and the back of your neck, your shirt sticking along the length of your spine. 

You looked all around, trying to get a grip on reality. You were just there. Jordie was right in front of you.

Instead, a hand was on either arm and someone was in front of you. You flicked your hand for your blade but nothing came out. You looked down in a panic and wondered if your cuff was broken. When your eyes finally focused on the figure in front of you, you realized it was Kaz.

Kaz, as he was. With his meticulously combed hair, dark and watchful eyes, his all black outfits. The only thing missing were his gloves and that stupid hat. Where were his gloves?

“Where is he?” You breathed. Your mind was still reeling from your latest dream but there was no imaginary thrum of power in you. You wouldn’t be able to save him even if he was there.

“Who?” Kaz asked and the worry in his tone was reflected in his eyes. “Who are you looking for, Davina?”

“Jordie.” You nearly whispered and you watched his face fall. “He was right here. I was…” You felt the tears threatening and you didn’t bother to stop them as your hands started to shake. “I couldn’t save him. I tried, Kaz, I did.”

“What do you mean?” His voice was low and he carefully brushed his thumb against your cheek. The barest of touch, hardly a gaze of skin, but you felt it like a jolt of electricity. “He’s been gone a long time.”

You took a shaky breath and nodded. You knew Kaz was right, but that didn’t make the dream any less real.

You had to sort through the memories, the hallucinations, and the truth. Talking to your mother about the boys, that never happened. Neither did that afternoon on the lawn. And you never had the chance to help Jordie.

“Is this…” You glanced around, wiping your eyes with your sleeve. You realized you were in the same clothes, despite your cloak being missing, and you didn’t feel the material of the cuffed blade either. “Is this real?”

“Yes.” He answered simply. He had leaned away and gave you a few more inches of space. “Whatever you saw, that wasn’t real. Do you remember what happened?”

“I came to the Crow Club.” You nodded, thinking of the chain of events that ended with you in an unfamiliar bed with Kaz sitting beside you. “I was looking for…”

Did Kaz know of Jesper’s debt to you? You couldn’t say for sure so you kept it to yourself for the time being.

“For someone.” You emphasized, hoping it sounded as if you just couldn’t remember. “And I was hoping for a chance to get my ring back.”

He gave a small smirk before he pulled the chain out from under his collar. Your ring was still at the end and you frowned slightly at the sight. Even if you had gotten into his office, you wouldn’t have found it. For a moment, you considered reaching for it.

“Do you always wear it?” You asked in slight annoyance.

“I know better than to leave something valuable unattended.” He answered proudly before tucking it away again. Getting that back would prove to be more difficult than you expected “What happened next, Davina?”

“I started playing cards to pass the time… I was winning, too.”

You remembered tucking your winnings into your boot, which led you to think about your boots. You kicked the blanket off and saw your feet in only your socks.

“Where are my boots?” You asked quickly.

Kaz pointed to the floor near the edge of the bed. You carefully crawled past him and picked them up. You tipped them over on the bed, seeing the folded bills fall out. You counted them quickly, knowing what was in each stack easily since you always situated your money stacks by the hundreds, and found it was all accounted for. You blew a sigh of relief before putting it all back.

“You think I’d rob you while you were unconscious? You think me so underhanded?” Kaz almost sounded offended.

“I think you’d rob the Ravkan King if he let you close enough.” Your boots hit the floor with a dull thud.

“I had Nina take your boots off because I knew you hated shoes on the bed.”

“My mother hated shoes on the bed.” You countered and he shot you an accusatory look. “But I agree she was right… Wait a minute. You called on your Heartrender?”

“Was I meant to call on yours?” He shrugged.

“You weren’t meant to call on anyone!” You yelled. “You could’ve taken me back to the Rook.”

“Well, you should’ve said that. Oh, that’s right. You collapsed in my arms before you could say anything.”

“I didn’t…” You tried to argue but you trailed off as you thought of what happened.

Haskell pulled you aside, tried to get you to sell. You denied, he gave you a drink that didn’t quite taste right. He wouldn’t let you leave until you finished it. Then you saw Kaz and then…

“What did he give me?” You asked quietly.

“Some sort of poison. He didn't say where it was from.” Kaz answered slowly. “It was stimulant-based, meant to affect your head and your body.”

“I was overwhelmed when I ran into you. It was too loud, too bright, and then I was dizzy. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t think straight.”

“That’s why I had Jesper bring you here.” He seemed to consider reaching for your hand but decided against it. You almost told him he could. “I didn’t want… I couldn’t risk bringing you there and starting a war.”

The same excuse you heard him tell Inej in one of your bouts of borderline lucidity.

“A war… Melli wouldn’t call for it.” You shook your head. “She enjoys the petty crimes of what we do but in my absence, she wouldn’t want that.”

“You’re telling me if you died, no one would want vengeance?” He challenged slightly, and you wondered if it was Dirtyhands asking for intel or if it was Kaz asking if you mattered. But then again, those were the same thing in the end.

“Has anyone come looking?” You asked instead.

“Nina said your Heartrender asked. She was supposed to send word that you were alive.”

You nodded to yourself. If Kol knew you were alive, that was something. All he and Melli had to do was manage a few more hours. However, it did strike you as odd that Kol went to Nina.

“How long have I been here?” Your brows furrowed.

“A few days.” Kaz answered carefully, hesitant for your reaction.

“Saints, I’ve been unconscious here and hallucinating for days?” You practically jumped off the bed. You shoved your hands into your hair as you paced the space. “I need to leave. Where is my hood?”

“You can’t leave yet.” Kaz stood.

“You can’t stop me, Dirtyhands.”

“Trust me, I’ll send you away as soon as it’s safe.” He spat back and the harshness of his tone made you freeze. Your head snapped towards him and his arms were folded, but you could see one of his fingers tapping against his sleeve. “Unfortunately for us both, that’s not an option.”

“And why not?”

“Because it’s broad daylight and what do you think people will think when you come out of my room in the same clothes?” Kaz said plainly. Anyone else would’ve emphasized the implications but Kaz just stared at

you expectantly.

“They’ll think I tumbled with the Bastard.” You sighed. “Great. So I’ll have to sneak out like a shameful nightcap. That’ll be wonderful for my reputation.”

He scoffed slightly and your simple gaze turned to a glare.

“Your reputation wouldn’t be the only one damaged, mind you.” He spoke. 

“Oh, of course.” You bowed sarcastically. “The Almighty, Steadfast Dirtyhands who cannot be seduced or wooed, Saints forbid any woman try. But alas, the Snake manages to bed him. How tragic that’d be.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You’re too elite a criminal to tumble with the likes of me, correct?” You continued. You didn’t know why you did, but you were just so angry. “A little girl playing dress-up, a wretched little child living off her father’s name. You’re far above that.”

“Davina.” Kaz said firmly.

“Melli would have a grand time with this one.” You muttered to yourself. 

“Alright, enough.” He said firmly and you stared at him as if he had grown an extra limb. Who was he to order you around? “I’ll bring you something to eat and find you a change of clothes. Just stay here.”

You should argue. You should say something ridiculous that’d continue to annoy him, but realistically, he was right. An unarmed Snake among angry Crows was as good as dead. As unhappy as you were, Kaz was looking out for you, and you wouldn’t admit it, but you appreciated it.

“Something with a high collar, if you can.” You said in defeat, a hand coming to your tattoo. “I’d rather not be a target while I’m captive.”

You huffed and dropped onto the bed.

“And I want my cloak and blades back!”

Kaz said something to himself before making his way across the room.

You sat cross legged on the mattress and the images from your daze came back. Young Kaz, begging for your help. Your father’s smile as he lied to you. Your mother slapping you. Laying on Kaz’s chest while he held your  hand. The last one was the illusion that hurt the most.

You pushed the image away but the ghost of a false touch lingered. Instead, you busied your fingers with counting your kruge again.

He came back in soon after. He dropped the folded clothes beside you, a fresh shirt and your cloak, and you simply glanced at them. When you didn’t hear his steps or his cane, you looked up and saw him waiting for something.

“Why did he do it?” You asked, looking for something to fill the silence. You stood and turned your back to him while you peeled your old shirt off.

“Power.” Kaz answered after a moment of silence. “He did it to show he could.”

“To show me or was it intended to be a message to my father?” You pulled your arms through the dark shirt and began buttoning it. It was too big, intended for someone taller than you, but it was clean so you couldn’t complain. “He was going to drag me to the Emerald Palace, wasn’t he?”

“I didn’t care to ask.”

“Well.” You breathed and turned back to face him. You almost laughed when you saw he was particularly interested in something on the wall to his left. “Regretfully, I have to thank you. If I had to go through that alone…”

He finally looked at you. “What did you see?”

Your brows furrowed.

“You woke up and asked about…” He trailed off.

“Right.” You nodded. You sat back on the bed, pulling your cloak into your lap, and motioned for him to come beside you. Hesitantly, he did but there was a sizeable distance between you. “It was fake. I knew it then but still…”

How were you supposed to explain what you had seen?

“I found you and Jordie before the bodymen did. I was trying to help him. I thought- I felt like I could’ve.”

He said nothing. Instead, there was a light tap of his cane against your foot.

“There were memories, too. When we left the house you knew, my father told me he left a note for you boys. I saw when the bodymen told me they had picked you both up.” You sniffled. “Could you imagine little me, in the dress my mother made, falling to my knees in tears and clutching my drawing?” You laughed sadly.

You couldn’t look over at Kaz. You focused on your hands in your lap instead. You thought again of the wretched illusion of the lawn, the brightness of Kaz’s smile, the lightness of his voice. You remembered the way the sun shined on his features and the way his hand felt in yours.

“I never blamed you.” Kaz offered suddenly. You couldn’t bring yourself to lift your eyes, knowing they were probably bloodshot and watery. You still glanced over but you kept your gaze on his knees. At some point, he had moved closer. “Davina…”

“When I could finally move, I went to my father… He told me you two betrayed him, learned what you needed and ran off. He said you never cared about being my friend, but I didn’t believe him… I started to sneak out in the mornings after that. I tried the cafe but it was gone. I went to the bank and the teller said the Rietveld account was empty. It seemed like you two were gone.”

He said nothing, but his knee brushed yours as he shifted.

“I went to talk to my mother about it. She never made me feel bad for liking you and your brother. She even encouraged my drawings, said it’d help keep your memories fresh. ‘You can keep them in your heart, always, but putting them on paper will help you to remember the little things.’ she said… But I found my father first. He was talking to the teller and told him I was there. I heard the teller say that everything went according to my father’s plan. I’ve hated him ever since.”

You finally lifted your eyes and Kaz was already studying you. One of his hands was gripping the blanket, the other holding his cane as it rested across his lap. He had replaced his gloves and his sleeves were long, his black waistcoat fitted neatly.

“You say you don’t blame me but I know you hate me.” You said plainly. “You hate that I was kind and we were friends. You hate that I didn’t give you a reason to hate me from the start. I remind you of my father and your brother…”

“Not all memories are bad.” He said quietly.

You scoffed slightly. “The way you look at your Crows, the way you look at the Wraith, you don’t look at me like that. You look at me the way you look at my father. Hatred. Contempt. Call it what you want.”

“She isn’t like you.” He gently insisted. “Vina, I-“

“All the Saints, you look horrible!” Nina’s voice cut in suddenly and you jumped. “But at least you’re lucid now.”

“Hello, Nina.” You smiled. “And thank you, for everything you did for me.”

She grinned in response and Kaz got to his feet. He nodded to you before he left. His departure left you feeling rather alone, despite Nina being in the room.

“I’ve brought you a treat.” She said happily and it dragged you from the threatening melancholy. Her hands came out from behind her back and she was holding a plate stacked high with waffles. “Obviously it’s meant for us to share.”

“Obviously.” You repeated. “I’m sorry I haven’t come by lately.”

“Don’t worry, Kol explained it.” She came and sat beside you. “Although, he did not mention that.” She nodded towards the entryway. Your brows furrowed and she rolled her eyes. “You and Brekker.”

“What?” Your eyes went wide. “No, it’s not like that. It’s just a shared past. You know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend...”

“Mhmm.” She smirked and plucked a waffle from the pile. “Your words can lie but your heartbeat doesn’t.”

“What do you mean?” You grabbed a waffle of your own.

“It was racing.” She teased. “And just know, Kaz doesn’t let just any woman in his bed. In fact, he’s never let any woman into his bed as far as I know.”

“You’re ridiculous.” You laughed.

“Says the woman wearing his shirt.”

You felt your cheeks flush. Nina noticed almost immediately and she broke out laughing. You frowned and threw a waffle piece at her.

“How is Kol doing with his lessons?” You asked, desperate to change the subject.

“He’s a prodigy.” She nodded, getting the hint. “It’s so easy to teach him. And I assured him you were well. Turns out your lieutenant has been beside herself since you disappeared.”

“Poor Melli.” You frowned. “I need to get back to them soon.”

“Do you feel well enough to leave?” She leaned in a bit to study your face. “Unfortunately, you do look as if you’ve been unconscious and miserable for several days.”

“I feel alright, I guess.” You shrugged and fiddled with the button of the sleeve cuff. “It brought up some horrid memories but physically, nothing feels wrong.”

“I’ll tell Brekker you can leave in a few hours time then.” She offered a sympathetic smile. “You do need to eat and drink some water to get some strength back. I won’t let you leave until you do. Jesper should be-“

As if on cue, Jesper came in with a tray of glasses and a full pitcher. He beamed at you and hurried to put the tray down, nearly dropping it in the process. He sat on your other side, leaned across you to grab a waffle, and put a hand on your shoulder.

“I’m so glad you’re alive.” He said, his mouth full of waffle.

“Hello to you, too.” You laughed and gestured to a water glass. “Yes, I’m alive and well. Thank you for not leaving me on the Club floor.”

“It was Kaz’s idea.” Jesper shrugged before handing you the glass. “I had no idea what to do.”

You frowned and lightly whacked his arm. “You know, I wouldn’t have been in that situation if someone remembered their debts.”

“Ah, yes, about that…” He said nervously. “You see…”

Nina giggled beside you.

“You’re coming up on a second fee, Fahey.” You warned teasingly. “You wouldn’t want this to snowball, would you?”

“Jesper.” Nina clicked her tongue in playful disappointment. “Did you borrow money from dear Davina?”

“Yes, but-“

“Shame on you!” She continued and you suppressed a smile by taking another bite of waffle.

“I’m going to pay her back!”

“That’s what you tell all your creditors.”

“I know, but I mean it this time!”

You had to laugh at that.

“Alright, how about this?” You faced Jesper with a smile. “Since you helped me, I’ll forget the first fee and the upcoming. It’s still a flat eight hundred.”

“Eight hundred?” Nina gasped.

“I was just as surprised as you are.” He laughed. “But I promise, Davina, I will pay you back.”

“I believe you.” You nodded. “If not, I’ll come back and find you. I won’t be so nice all the time.”

“You’re terrifying when you want to be. Do you know that?”

“I’ve been practicing.”

“She might be able to give Kaz a run for his money.” Jesper told Nina, leaning around you.

“Inej still has her beat.” Nina answered.

“The Wraith wasn’t very happy to know I’m here, was she?” You asked carefully. You remembered the anger in her voice, the sharpness it held. If words could cut, no doubt hers would’ve.

Neither of them said anything.

“I shall take that as my cue.” You nodded. You pushed to your feet, set down the glass, and then bent over to shove your feet into your boots. You fit your cloak around your shoulders and felt the blade still tucked into the sheath.

You thought to ask but once your quizzical expression met Nina’s, she winked. You smiled and nodded once before your hand went to where your cuff usually rested.

“Where’s my other blade?” You asked.

“Boss’s desk.” Jesper motioned to the doorway. “Saw it on my way in.”

“Last time I was in his office, he cut me.” You looked towards the doorway. You remembered when you were tied up in that room, how you could just barely see through it and into the room you were currently in.

“That’s just bad manners.” Jesper joked and you smiled slightly.

“Tell Brekker I appreciate the hospitality and, add this part reluctantly, I owe him.”

Jesper nodded and tipped his hat towards you. Nina blew you a kiss.

You took a deep breath and stepped into the office. It was empty, save for you, and you were thankful. Your blade was sitting on his desk, atop a stack of papers, and you hurried for it. You slipped it on, under the sleeve of your borrowed shirt, and glanced at the paper beneath it.

It was your drawing.

He kept it. You wondered why, but when you heard the turning of the doorknob, you moved. You hurried out the closest window and dropped onto the closest roof. You crouched under the windowsill and pulled your hood up, pressing against the Dregs’ building for a minute. When no voices came and no one crawled after you, you began making your way down to find your way back to the Poisoned Rook.

To your friends.

[madhatterbri]

Kol Mikaelson Fics

Just Hear Meow-t - I was thinking Kol Mikaleson x Reader. Where Reader was finding blood for Kol because he was hungry. She found some blood bag from the hospital and she heard a tiny meow and she found a cute small kitten. It has brown eyes and mixed tan and brown fur, and it reminds her of Kol. She brought the kitten back, and Kol was eyeing at her, looking for suspicious. When she told him what she found, she gave him the cute baby eyes to convince him that Kol and Reader could keep it. :)

Wild, Uncharted Waters - Kol wants to meet the witch that saved his life. Once he does, he meets someone willing to support him against his brother. Set during the early 1900s in New Orleans.

This Christmas - You come back to New Orleans and come face-to-face with a vampire that broke your heart.

Grateful - Kol admits he is grateful for you.

Monster - Kol tries to comfort you during transition but your emotions get in the way.

Frustrations - Kol makes up being busy with his family to you. 18+.

Live Forever - You and Kol break up. He doesn't want to live forever without you.

Unwanted Assistance - Kol isn't particularly fond of you helping an ex.

Where You Belong - Kol doesn't like the two of being broken up. He reminds you where you belong.

No One Hurts My Girl - Kol finds a way to push you to him.

New Rules - Anna has new rules and she counts them, but sometimes rules are made to be broken.

Criminal - A witch meets the devil himself.

Merry Christmas - Kol finds out he has been extra nice for Christmas this year. For my 18+ folks.

Perhaps A Visit - Liv has a bad day at work and her boyfriend suggests a fun activity for himself.

Beauty and the Beast - Kol Mikaelson being a stepfather to his girlfriend's child.

Mine - Your manipulative ex shows up at your job on Valentine's Day. Kol makes sure he shows the guy you are his.... permanently.

Advice - Y/N tells Kol to do anything he can to fix his relationship with Davina. The advice comes back to bite you in the ass.

Weary Alliance -

Kol isn't a fan of Y/N going on a mission with the werewolves, so he agrees to go.

The Secrets We Keep - Summary: Kol and Y/N have a secret of their own. Based on when they first lived in New Orleans. 18+. Smut...ish?

Deadly Secret - Summary: Kol finds himself catching feelings for Y/N, but she has a secret.

[braveclementine]

Damon X reader pt. 1

Warnings: slight angst

Copyright: I do not own any TVD/TO/Legacies characters, nor any places in New Orleans or Mystic Falls that may be mentioned.

I woke up in rather warm arms and I was confused. What in the world? I rolled over- to the best of my ability- and saw Damon's angelic sleeping face on the other side. I relaxed immediately, smiling at the sight in front of me.

He was so handsome what with those baby blue eyes and black curls, and I wished he could be mine. But he was adamant that he was bad for me because he was a Vampire. I didn't care, I wished I could be a vampire and be with him forever.

It had taken forever to convince him into the bed. But he had finally given in and here he was. Of course, he wouldn't sleep with me, but he would cuddle and I was grateful for that.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer." Damon grumbled, apparently awake as I continued to gaze at him.

I tucked some of his curly hair behind his hair. "Hmm."

I kissed his forehead before rolling out of the bed on the opposite side. I glanced out the window, seeing the ocean waves. But there was also an island that seemed very close. "We're almost at the next stop. What is it again?"

"Bahamas. Didn't you read the map? You're the one who's competing after all." Damon grumbled, but with more teasing in his voice than before.

I giggled, "No. You know I was surprised with this trip. What time it is?"

"Time for you to get a watch." Damon grumbled, rolling over in the bedsheets, wrapping his arms around one of the pillows.

"Not the dad jokes Damon." I complained.

"Sorry Y/N." He muttered.

I went to the bathroom and then looked at the clock, "It's past lunchtime." I shouted so he could hear me.

I exited the bathroom and found he'd fallen back asleep. I smiled gently.

We lived in Mystic Falls which never seemed to be a boring place to live, what with the drama with Originals and Vampires and Werewolves and Heretics and Sirens and Witches and whatever else existed. And I was a measly human who had managed to survive it through it all.

This was partly a combination because Damon and Enzo protected me, and also because all of the Originals had taken a liking to me. Well, except Finn, but he didn't really count now.

With the combined protection, I got through everything unscathed. Of course, while everyone from Bonnie and Enzo to Alaric and Jo had found a romantic love, I was stuck without love.

Klaus had Caroline, Elijah had Hayley. Kol had Davina. Rebekah had Marcel, which meant Marcel had Rebekah. Stefan had Elena- not that I would've gone for Stefan anyways. I honestly couldn't stand him or Elena. Bonnie had Enzo. Alaric had Jo.

Which had left Damon who was adamantly against dating me. Wonderful. But that was because his eyes were on Elena.

I guess if I wanted to sink lower I could date Matt or Tyler, but I really didn't.

Of course, everyone liked to tell me that Damon did like me, he just didn't want to hurt me. Well, that was just bloody wonderful, but if he could actually act on it, it would be more than wonderful.

But anyways. . . about three weeks ago, I had received a letter in the mail that claimed I had won a spot on a game show that would take place on a yacht. I was allowed to bring one friend with me and we would have shared quarters.

I hadn't been sure who I was going to take. I had thought about bringing Vincent, my witch friend from New Orleans, but somehow, Damon had been corralled into it.

Not that I minded.

So now I was here. I'd spent a week and a half on the yacht, participating in different game shows and consistently winning, although the last game had been a near miss. I'd been on the bubble with a one question difference and it just so happened I knew the question and I got pushed into the winning.

The next contest would be when we docked- the losers were always dropped off at the port location to be sent home on an airplane- and this time around, we were going to know the category ahead of time. I was really excited because if I could study something- the enormous yacht had a library- then I would probably have a better chance at winning.

Meanwhile, I got dressed out of my pajamas and into a short sleeved T-shirt and a pair of frayed jean shorts. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun, not bothering doing anything more exotic with it. Then I applied light makeup and decided that it was time to wake Damon up.

I grabbed one of the blood bags from the mini fridge in the kitchen and then poured it into a glass that he usually used for drinking bourbon or whiskey.

I carried it back to the bedroom, waving it under Damon's nose, "Damon." He grunted, but didn't move.

"C'mon baby, time to wake up." I said in a sing-songy voice that was probably only appropriate to use on a little child. But he was certainly acting like it so it probably was rather appropriate.

He mumbled something incoherent, his hand pushing the glass of blood away.

I frowned and then said in a hard voice, "Damon Salvatore I will pour this glass of blood on your head if you do not get out of bed right now."

In a flash, the glass of blood was gone from my hand, Damon was gone from the bed, leaning against the wall, downing the glass. "Happy?"

"Very, let's go down for breakfast."

He scoffed, "Or, I can cook you pancakes here and we can stay in the room."

I sighed. I did love his pancakes and if we stayed in the room, I might get a chance to cuddle with him. Maybe even get him to kiss me.

"Well, alright. But do we even have maple syrup and whip cream?"

"If not, I'll compel the chef to give me some." Damon said, pouring himself a bourbon in the same glass the blood had originally been in.

"Are you sure you want to drink so early in the day?" I questioned.

"It's one o'clock, that's early?"

"I don't know, don't normal people start drinking around. . . after work hours? Six? Maybe five at the earliest?" I questioned. I personally didn't drink [or maybe you do], so I wasn't sure the normal hours.

"Only cool people drink at this time of the day Y/N." Damon smirked.

I swung my H/L hair over my shoulder. "Come on Slytherin, get to making the pancakes."

I had taken to calling him 'Slytherin' as it was his Hogwarts house. My nickname for him, per-se. He often called me '[Your Hogwarts house]'.

Damon cooked up the pancakes, putting [your favorite fruit] as the decorations for the eyes and mouth of the happy pancakes. I smirked as he added whip cream and maple syrup to the breakfast food.

"Thanks Damon." I said, picking up my fork and digging in.

"Well it's not often I flaunt my amazing cooking skills," Damon said cockily, digging into his own pancakes.

We mostly ate in silence. I was wondering about what the category would be for the next round, knowing I only had a few hours before the actual competition to research. I had heard rumors that the library was a whole floor of the ship so finding books might be nearly impossible.

"Don't sweat it." Damon said and I looked up to see he had been observing me. His black hair was in his lovely blue eyes. He was wearing a buttoned down gray shirt and black jeans. Much to my pet peeve, he had only socks on. I preferred either bare feet or shoes. "Honestly, you either know the answers, or you don't. It's not the end of the world if you lose the competition."

I smiled at him. I just wanted to impress him. It was stupid really, I was human. If I wasn't human, I wouldn't have to impress him. He didn't want me to be a vampire and he also didn't want to be with me if I was human.

Or maybe it was just that if I stayed human, he never had to be with me whereas if I became a vampire, he might never get rid of me.

The smile slipped off my face and I quickly turned back to my pancakes. Was that it? Was it really that bad to be in my presence?

I suddenly found my appetite diminished and I pushed the plate away gently, getting to my feet and padding away to the bathroom.

I needed a bath to calm my senses.

At that moment, the intercom went off with an annoying drilling noise like back in high school. "Attention competitors. The library is now open. The category is mystical creatures. You have four hours. Good luck!"

Well there went the calming bath.

"Well you'll have this in the bag Y/N." Damon said, another glass of bourbon in his hand. I decided not to say anything. If he wanted to drink it fine, it wasn't my place to tell him not to.

"Well, I guess I should go down to the library anyways." I said awkwardly. "I'll see you after the competition."

"Don't you want help studying?" Damon asked and I did hear the surprise in his voice that I planned on going alone.

"Only if you want, but if you'd rather stay here, I don't mind at all." I replied nonchalantly, opening the door to the hotel room. I let the door close behind me, but the click didn't happen.

Damon was now standing in front of me, a bit of a frown on his face. "Y/N? Did I say something at breakfast?"

No. It's what you're not saying.

"No, just nerves." I replied with a shrug. I set off down the hallway. "But if you're coming, you have to leave the bourbon in the room!"

Good, now I'd have time alone and away from him. He'd much rather stay in his room with his bourbon-

I shrieked as strong arms scooped me up and I felt a familiar rush of vampire speed as everything rushed past me in a blur.

We stopped in front of large doors and Damon said, "The library." He put me down on his feet.

I hit his arm, "Dumbass! What if someone saw you?"

"Then I'd compel them to forget." Damon said his mouth lifting into that familiar, sexy smirk, opening the door. "After you." 

⬅️➡️

[lovely-des]

Being the daughter of Bonnie & Klaus includes

(Age: Newborn - 5)

You're a Tribrid just like your big sister, Hope

You're a year younger than Hope

Your first word was incendia, Klaus was proud, but Bonnie, not so much since you set the couch on fire

You learned magic from your mom, Freya, and Davina

You're a mommy's girl more than anything

You're sweet and kind like a Bennet when happy, but when mad you are ruthless and colded hearted like a Mikaelson

You are equal parts your mother and father

Your favorite word in incendia or motus

You grow up with your mom, Hayley, and Hope

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Age: 6 - 17)

For the first time since you were 1, you met your father, aunties, and uncle

Since you didn't like painting, you and Klaus bonded over him tell you everything you need to know about being a werewolf and vampire from his point of view

You moved back to New Orleans to be closer to family

Your mom enrolled you into the salvatore boarding school where your aunt Caroline is the headmistress when you were 6

You started making your own grimoire

You become close with Lizzie & Josie

You and Hope practically teach each other

You spent most of your time with your mom, Freya, Davina, doing magic

When you were 13, you activated your werewolf side

You and Hope made a promise to become fully activated Tribrids together

Your favorite aunt is Rebekah, and your favorite uncle is Elijah

At 14, you experienced the death of Hayley, who was a second mother to you

Still at 14, you experienced the death of your father

You and Hope grew apart from each other after your father died

You and Hope are distant from each other for 4 years

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(18-now)

Lizzie tries to convince you to talk to Hope "Oh come on, Y/n, you need to talk to Hope. We both know you miss her, she's your sister"

After talking with Lizzie, you decided to talk to Hope and walk in her room to see her painting. "Nice painting big sister of mine. "Thank you, little sister of mine".

You and Hope quickly rebuild y'all relationship

You and Hope decided to become fully activated Tribrids "Hope, we need to do this before more people get here" "I know, I'll call aunt Freya and Bonnie"

Aunt Freya and your mom arrived with Rebekah, Davina, Kol, Keelin, and Marcel

You and Hope died laying in bed holding hands

Hours later, y'all woke up first and completed your transition

[jtsblock]

⊹ THE VAMPIRE DIARIES UNIVERSE DR.𖥔 ݁ ˖ episode theme-Love like mine by stela Cole

Women of the mikaelson family, freya mikaelson wife to Keelin Mikaelson, Davina Sinclair wife to Kol mikaelson, Rebekah mikaelson wife marcel Gerard, bonnie Bennett wife to Hayley Marshall and Klaus Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall wife to Bonnie Bennett and Klaus Mikaelson, Akeza Gray wife to Elijah Mikaelson.

[fortitudina]

ripkol asked: 🔥 🔥🔥 🔥 davina claire 🥰🥰

" Has anyone told you that you're a softie lately, Kol? --- but the attraction is very much mutual. "

@ripkol SEND 🔥 IF YOUR MUSE IS ATTRACTED TO MINE / ACCEPTING.

[cfthesoul]

❗❗❗ kol @ davina. ooop.

Send “ ❗❗❗ ” for your muse to suddenly and unexpectedly kiss mine.

davina was busy reading up on a spell that she was trying to recreate and learn. deep in the book when kol comes up behind her, all he does is cup her face to get her attention. "oh hey--" her words cut off by his kiss which she gladly meets. "mhm, i can always use that distraction."

[tragcdysewn]

@drvcxrys asked:📱 hope & davina

your muse’s contact name in mine’s phone

hope 🥰

my muse’s contact photo for yours

x

how often our muses text each other

a bit more often than elijah, but not as much as she texts amara or kol. a quick check in most days, probably

a text my muse never sent

[text: hope 🥰] - you shouldn't have had to do all of this shit

the last messages my muse did send

[text: hope 🥰] - what are you doing tonight? [text: hope 🥰] - wanna go see a movie?

[felicitykings]

What you need is something to take your mind off it.

[devilsanddarlings]

@faeryworlds

“You do,” Kol lied with a fond smile in his wife’s direction. Davina was as close to Kol as anyone had been allowed to be in centuries. Even still, the little witch didn’t truly know him. For her, he made the constant effort to be better than he was. Because if she had fully known the man - the monster - she had married, the petite woman would have never agreed to marry him in the first place. Every bit of himself he shared was always meant to put the best of him forward for consideration. It was carefully curated, sanitized, and left with just enough gore to ring true without exposing the depths of his previous depravity.

For while it was true he enjoyed photography, it was also true that plenty of victims had died beneath his fangs in darkrooms all across the globe. Their lack of light and secluded locations had made them a perfect trap to lure unsuspecting souls into, and Kol had taken full advantage of that to sate all sorts of hungers. Learning that would likely only upset Davina however, so he left that particular part out. The brunette didn’t need to know about his former trysts. They were in the past; anybody he’d engaged in one with was likely to be long dead. (Possibly even at his hand, if not one of his siblings’.)

None of that mattered though. Not when compared to the question Davina asked him. Abruptly putting the knife down, Kol moved around the island to sit beside her. “I wouldn’t,” he admitted without hesitation, voice raw and honest. “I love you too much to subject you to losing your magic. I could never do to someone I loved what my mother did to me, darling,” Kol whispered, looking stricken. “It’s not…it’s taken me centuries to claw my way out of being half-mad from the loss of mine. And I still ache for it every second of every day. To lose that connection to nature, to a part of your very soul…it’s the very worst sort of agony possible, Davina Claire.”

Her old self would call her crazy for starting a relation with a Mikaelson let alone marry one. She couldn't help herself but to fall in love with him. Kol had something that drawn herself to him. Love won, she couldn't even imagine living her life without him in her life. And she had to, when he died and later on she died. They didn't had it easy, there were lots of moments that she could've break up with him and she didn't. "They don't know the real you, babe. I know you, I hope I know everything. Or well a lot, because I know with the years I keep learning new things about you." This was one of them, learning how photography has always been a hobby of his. Listening to him talk was always fascinating to her, just his stories. Davina was still looking at the photos that he took.

Then something she had meaning to ask him for a while, just didn't really know how to ask. The witch started playing with her wedding ring around her finger. "I have a question that I have been meaning to ask you for a while. Just didn't know how to word it or ask." Davina then started.

"I know this might be a little far fetched. You're immortal, you married someone who is mortal. Don't you ever think what it would be like if I actually die from old age and can't come back? I know you know that I love being a witch. Did you ever think of turning me?" Davina asked, as her curiosity was just hitting her. She never thought about it, plus she wouldn't even know what to think if she suddenly became a vampire.

[petertingle-yipyip]

STRANGER (x) - KAZ BREKKER

tags: @beekeepingageissome @shadowzena43 @nikfigueiredo @mp-littlebit @starmansirius @hadesnumber1daughter @directioner5life @strvngestark @hostilityghost @ofmenanduhhhwellmen @justnerdystuffs @faeriepigeons // previously // next

Pairing: Kaz x Davina Rollins (enemies to lovers)

Word Count: 6,837

Summary: War is brewing the Barrel. Alliances are tested, friendships threatened, and morality is pushed to its limits when the wretched Rollins Princess begins to live up to her name.

You and Kaz traded a good amount of blows. You didn’t know how long you two were fighting. 

You were lightheaded from the blood loss, fighting the pain pounding the back of your skull. Your vision was going in and out by way of huge dark spots. The cut at the back of your head had stopped bleeding, but that seemed to make little difference when the self made gash on your forearm, a wide cut on your cheekbone - originally from the Lion but widened by Kaz, your bottom lip, and now your nose were steadily spilling blood across your clothes.

Kaz wasn’t without injuries. He was holding his ribs after you had driven your knee into them several times. His jaw was blossoming with the bruise of your first punch and there was a split on his forehead where you knocked his head against his desk. You also knew his leg had to be bothering him, considering how hard you had kicked at it not long before.

You could feel your body threatening to give out. Your muscles ached, your head pounded, your lungs burned, your vision was growing fuzzy at the edges.

“What?” You panted, throwing a hand against the nearest wall to steady yourself. Kaz took advantage of your break and limped a step back. “You using this as your chance to punish me too?”

“Punish you?” He spat and he made no effort to hide his breathlessness. “What would I be punishing you for?”

“Oh, come off it.” You rolled your eyes. You regretted it, as it accentuated your dizziness. “You know exactly what I mean. My father got your brother killed so you’ll let him kill the closest thing I have to a family. Makes us about even then, doesn’t it?”

He seemed genuinely hurt by your accusation. He didn’t have the thought to hide it and if your own physical pain wasn’t weighing your muscles like lead, you might’ve regretted the words.

“I couldn’t do that to you. Anyone else but you…” He spoke lowly and the pain in his voice was hard to miss.

“But you won’t help me? I didn’t come here because I wanted the Dregs to go to war with Pekka over it. I came here, same as before I hit Dryden and after. I came for you.” You shoved off the wall and forced yourself to stand tall.

“There are some things even I can’t do without Haskell breathing down my neck, Vina.” He explained, daring a weak step closer.

“You wear my ring around your neck and yet you won’t do this for me.”

For a second, you imagined yanking the chain off his neck and reclaiming your ring. His voice cut through the thoughts almost immediately.

“You know I would help you if I could.”

“I think you can. I think you would come to me for my help if it was Jesper or Inej, Nina or even Wylan at risk. And I’d help you, because you’re you and I’m me. Because my mother’s heart lives in me and that blasted thing takes over around you. You told me that it makes me strong, that it isn’t a curse. That’s what you said, isn’t it?”

He nodded quietly, but there was a look in his eyes that you couldn’t place. Whatever you had said - the words didn’t truly process as they left your mouth - had struck some sort of chord with him.

“Well, tell that to Melli!” You shouted, pulse thrumming in your ears. “Tell that to the girl who is captive Saints know where, while Dime Lions torture her, just because she’s mine! Tell that to Kol, who is going to have to heal not only me again but her. Oh, but that’s only if we can find her!”

“Then I suggest you get on it.” He managed and you stood frozen.

“It’s so simple.” You laughed. The sound was mad and you wondered how close to delirium you were. “The Wraith probably saw what happened. She would know where they took her. I’d work the locks, unless they were too complicated, then I’d need you. Kol and Nina would take care of the Lions standing guard. Jesper would help me get her out, and then we’re all on our merry way.”

You hadn’t realized how general of a plan you had concocted on the short walk from the Palace to the Club until that moment. You knew there were a lot of things you hadn’t considered and things you didn’t even know, but plans weren’t exactly your specialty. That was also why you needed Kaz. You needed his head to fill in the gaps, but the stubborn man was refusing.

He stared at you in quiet contemplation. You wondered vaguely what he was seeing. Was he seeing you as you were, a Barrel Boss covered in her blood after fighting for her gang? Or did he see the little girl who he played silly games with, who naively believed her father could do no wrong? Did he see the scar across your cheek that he put there, the shadow of the hood across your face? Or did he see the tangled mess of hair and flushed cheeks from running around your yard together?

You wondered what you would see next time you looked in the mirror.

“Give me a reason, other than Haskell, as to why you can’t.” You dared, moving closer. You stumbled but caught yourself on the edge of the desk. From the corner of your eye, you did notice Kaz took a quick step as if he was going to help steady you.

“And if you don’t like it? Will you fight me until you collapse?” He closed the distance between you two. His hip rested against the desk and his free hand was massaging his leg. You almost felt bad about that kick right about then. “You won’t last much longer if you keep this up.”

You frowned and forced yourself upright. 

Was that a threat? Everything in your body thought so, but that look in his eyes told you otherwise. You’d seen that vulnerable look when he told you the origin of his gloves. He wasn’t threatening you. He was worried about you.

But in your pained state, the Princess of the Barrel was the side that reacted, and she did consider it a threat.

You reached up your sleeve and pulled your blade. Kaz eyed it coolly, as if he had known it was there the whole time. You spun it and offered him the handle, pressing the tip against the center of your chest. He looked at the handle for a moment then to you. You nodded to the knife expectantly but when his hand reached for it, it wasn’t to take it. He pushed your hand down instead.

“If I was easy to kill, you would’ve done it already.” You said plainly as you returned the blade to its home up your sleeve. “I’m going to do what needs to be done to get Melli back, with or without your help.”

“He’ll know you’re coming.”

“What else am I supposed to do?!” You shouted. “She was the first one to join the Snakes! I won’t abandon her to Pekka.”

“And if it kills you? What then, Davina?” He shouted back, a particular edge in his tone.

“Maybe you can take credit for it. Find a way to make Dirtyhands responsible for cutting off the head of the Snakes… Think of your reputation then.”

You turned towards the door and unsteadily made your way out. Jesper wasn’t far from the door and he stayed a few steps behind you, catching you when your feet failed. At some point during your scuffle with Kaz, Jesper had sent for Kol and he was waiting just outside the door.

You thanked Jesper and intended to ask him if he could be of any help getting Melli, but as soon as the damp Barrel air hit your skin, the heat of anger and adrenaline fueling you was sapped from your body. You basically collapsed against Kol.

The next day, you locked yourself in your office at the Rook. Kol had worked on healing you late into the night. The only visible reminder was the scar on your arm. He said a more skilled Healer could’ve done better, or a better Tailor could get rid of it completely, but you didn’t want it gone. The jagged pink line was the reminder of your failure to Melli and until you had her back, you would look at it and know what you would give.

You’d give your skin and blood, your very life if you had to, just to bring her home.

You had been compiling a list of what you knew to be Pekka’s properties. You also marked anything you knew to be unoccupied surrounding his buildings. By the time your little map was marked, you had no idea where to start looking. All you could really say was that she wouldn’t be in the Emerald Palace.

The next day, you spent in the Barrel. Your hood was drawn for most of the day and you were walking a specific path around Pekka’s properties. You kept your eyes open and found a few potential hiding places. A pub that was only open on weekends with an unnamed owner, a hostel with a full wall of keys behind the front desk, a toy shop with a suspicious amount of plush snakes in the window, and an abandoned cafe.

You noted the addresses and went back to the Rook. You started at the Emerald Palace and plotted courses to each location, marking all potential routes.

No matter how you looked at it, the cafe was the closest spot.

We’re coming for you, Melli.

A knock at the door pulled you from your planning. You didn’t look up from the map you were standing over laid out on your desk.

“What?” You called, staring at the circled building.

When you went by the cafe, something about it was familiar. It felt like you had been there before, but the place was abandoned. It seemed like it had been empty for a long time. So why did you know it?

“There’s a-“ Your snake hiccuped. You looked up, kept bothering to hide your annoyance, and stared at a glassy eyed Nik. “Some kid, asking for you.”

“A kid?” Your brows raised. “What kid?”

“I dunno.” He shrugged. “Kinda mousy hair, young, doesn’t look like he belongs here.” He snorted. “Said his name was uh… Wyatt. Or Dylan.” Another hiccup.

“Wylan?”

“Sure.”

“Saints, Nik, are you drunk already?”

“Pffffft.” He waved you off and you dropped into your seat, rubbing your eyes.

“Walk him in. Put Adrin on the door and then go sleep this off.”

He muttered something about you being a bitch and wanting Melli back, but went off to do as he was told. You weren’t disagreeing with him. You wanted Melli back, too.

A few minutes later, in walked exactly who you thought it was. Wylan Van Eck.

“For someone who I’m barely meeting now, your name has come up an awful lot.” You looked over at him. He jumped when the door shut and you almost laughed. Nik wasn’t wrong when he said Wylan didn’t seem like he belonged in the Rook, let alone the Barrel. “Why are you here, Wylan?”

“You know who I am?” He paled.

“More than you think.” You smiled. “I know you’re with the Dregs, but not quite a Dreg. You and Jesper have grown rather close, he smiles a lot when he talks about you. “ Wylan’s cheeks flushed a bright red.

You didn’t mention it. “You’re brilliant when it comes to chemicals and demo.”

“I play the flute, too.” He added shyly.

“Would you believe I draw?”

“You did the pencil sketch in Brekker’s desk drawer.”

You shrugged, not wanting to dwell on whether it was one of the first two you gave him with your ring or the sketch from your delirium. You still wanted to knock out a tooth or two of his, and maybe you would when you finally took your ring back. “There’s certain setbacks I haven’t quite pinned down, but I do know what it’s like to have a wretched father.”

He went white as a ghost and you laughed slightly.

“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.” You winked.

“I am Wylan Hendriks.” He said firmly, though his hands were shaking.

“Of course, my mistake.” You nodded slightly. “Tell me why you’re here, Wylan Hendriks.”

Your eyes went back to the map and that damned cafe.

“I was sent here.” He began.

“By who?”

“He said you would know.”

You glanced up and saw he had inched closer to peek at the map. You motioned him closer.

“Assuming we’re on the same page, why did he send you?” You asked.

You knew it was Kaz. Wylan had no reason to answer to anyone else, though you weren’t really sure he had reason to answer to Kaz to begin with. A friendship there was unlikely considering how gruff Kaz was and how kind Wylan seemed. Regardless, he had Dreg ties. Through Jesper if not Kaz, but the likelihood of Jesper sending him to your aid was unlikely.

Kaz probably even told Jesper to stay away from your fight.

“He said you needed help but wouldn’t tell me what I was supposed to do… What’s at that place?” He tapped the circled cafe.

“My lieutenant, hopefully… Pekka Rollins took her.”

He made a small noise of acknowledgment and leaned closer to the map.

“Tell me, Wylan. How do you think you can help me?” You asked honestly. “Why did Dirtyhands send you?”

“I didn’t think you’d call him that.” He looked back at you. “He made it sound… Nevermind.” He shook the thought away. “What do you need me to do, Davina?”

“I don’t know yet…” You sighed. “I need to-“

A knock at the door drew your attention again. You groaned and cursed to yourself before you made your way to the door. You swung it open and came face to face with Kol and someone with a sack over their head.

“If this is some sort of Ravkan courting gesture, I respectfully suggest you save it for Mel.” You raised a brow. You kept the door close to your body, which was pressed against the doorframe, to keep Wylan out of sight. “Who is it?”

“A Dime Lion.” Kol explained and you went rigged. “I found him lurking outside and heard him asking about you.”

You stepped aside and gestured him in. Kol dragged the man with him and shoved him into an open chair. You came in quick with the rope for his ankles and wrists. Wylan stayed pointedly out of the way while you and Kol secured the Lion, who surprisingly didn’t fight back.

“Who’s this?” Kol pointed to Wylan.

“Wylan Hendriks.” Wylan offered a small wave and you smiled to yourself.

Kol looked at you with raised brows.

“Borrowed demo expert.” You abbreviated the story. “I’ll explain later. Also, I might have an idea where to start looking.”

“Davina Rollins.” The man under the bag spoke and you tensed, reaching for the blade at your thigh. “I’m glad I’m in the right place.”

You nodded to Kol to pull the bag. When he did, you pressed the tip of your blade under the man’s jaw. He blinked at the sudden brightness and you stared at the vaguely familiar features.

“I’ve seen you before.” You admitted. You drug the tip of your blade down to the hollow of his throat. “Where?”

“We knew each other a bit as kids. My dad was Pekka’s right hand man for a while.” He glanced down at your blade then smiled to himself before looking back at you. “I didn’t think this would be the greeting I’d get.”

You put a hand on shoulder and realigned the blade over his heart.

“What about now, hmm? This feels more right to me.” You looked to Kol. “What do you think?”

He lifted his hand and you heard the man under your blade groan. “Seems right to me.”

You glanced at Wylan but he was leaning against your desk, biting at his fingernails.

“Your father served Pekka, meaning you’re a Lion by birth.” You continued, scanning his features for something familiar. As you stared into his eyes, it hit you. “You’re Filip’s son.” You realized.

“Vicente.” He beamed and you pushed off him, allowing your blade to nick the side of his neck and he hissed at the sharp slice. “On second thought, maybe this does make sense.”

“It does, considering I never liked you.” You bit out.

Both Kol and Wylan looked at you expectantly.

“His dad was Pekka’s most dependable Lion. He got in as a legacy and our fathers had plans to keep the Lions on top.” You explained quickly. “We were friends till I found out about something his father had a hand in that killed a friend of mine. I think I broke his nose when I found out.”

“Twice, actually.” Vicente corrected. “And I broke your arm.”

Wylan looked between you and Vicente a few times before settling his gaze on you.

“He looks like he uses a fork for his soup.” Wylan wrinkled his nose and you laughed at the creative insult.

“Just when I thought Pekka had reached his lowest…” Kol shook his head.

“Trust me, that rabbit hole goes very deep.” You made a face before spinning back to Vicente. “What I’m wondering is why he’s showing up now. His father died years ago.”

“Because I know where your friend is.” He smiled and you gripped your blade handle tighter.

“Tell me.” You said firmly.

“I know how many guards. I know what they plan to do to her. I know-“

You moved quickly. You threw a sharp punch to his jaw and his head snapped to the side. When he faced you again, you pressed the edge of the blade against the side of his mouth.

“If you won’t talk, I can start by cutting out your tongue, Vicente.” You warned, channeling every rumor of the Rollins Princess you could. “Then I’ll cut your lips off. Then your ears. And just before you can choke on your own blood, I’ll pluck out those darling eyes of yours and shove them so deep down your throat you’ll be able to see what you are for breakfast… Understand?” You smiled innocently.

“How can we trust him?” Wylan asked.

You turned to face him and he shrugged slightly. He was right.

“We can’t.” Kol said sharply. “None of the Dime Lions can be trusted.”

You turned to Vicente and he shifted under your gaze.

“My tattoo is on my forearm.” He nodded towards his left arm. “Cut it. Isn’t that what you like to do anyway, decapitate the tattoos?”

“And what would that mean to me?” You shrugged. “Those men still serve Pekka so it’s not really getting my point across, is it?”

“Then cut it off. Carve it out. Your Heartrender can keep me alive.”

“Davina.” Kol called and your eyes lingered on Vicente before turning towards Kol. “Can we talk for a moment?”

You nodded and Kol’s hand moved smoothly. You didn’t need to look to know he had sent Vicente unconscious. You crossed the room to stand closer to the boys. You slid your knife away before leaning on your desk beside Wylan.

“This has to be a trap.” Kol began.

“Yeah…” You nodded. “But if he can tell me where Melli is, I’ll gladly walk into it.”

“What if he can’t?”

“They don’t know where I’ve been looking.” You stood and spun around to see your map. You gently pushed Wylan out of the way and turned your map so it was right side up. You pointed at the cafe and stared at Kol.

“This is where I think we start. It’s closest, it’s empty, and something about it feels familiar.” You explained. “What if he tells me I’m right?”

“What if he doesn’t?” Kol asked sadly. “What if he doesn’t know anything and you end up dead?”

“What else am I supposed to do?” You laughed sadly. “I tried going to Dirtyhands for help, so I would have a better plan, and he told me no. I’ll do this on my own, Kol, but that leaves the Snakes with you.”

“He told you no?” Wylan chimed in.

“Why is he talking?” Kol pointed to Wylan.

“I told you, he’s a borrowed demo expert. Wherever I find Melli, that building comes down on top of whatever Lions are left in there.” You explained.

“Borrowed from who?” Kol urged.

“If it’s here-“ Wylan ignored Kol and turned back on the map, tapping the red circled building. “I can take it down without impacting the other buildings too much.”

“What about burning it?” You asked.

“Yeah, there’s a few accelerants I throw together in a day or two.”

“What about…” A wicked idea came to you. “I went to the Crow Club once and was given this hallucinogen. It

knocked me out within a few minutes. Could you manage to make it something like a gas?”

“Sure.” He shrugged.  “I’d need a good amount of the hallucinogen, and it’d take a few days.”

“Davina, slow down.” Kol urged.

You looked up and saw Kol put a hand on Wylan’s chest and pushed him back. You grabbed Wylan’s arm and tugged him to stand behind you. Kol made a face but said nothing and neither did Wylan.

“We don’t know if Vicente is telling the truth.” Kol spoke calmly. “Everything he's saying could just be planted by Pekka to get in your head.”

You knew Kol was right. He was level headed and objective, same way he always was. But the prospect of having a lead was so close, it was hard to resist.

Kol didn’t live with the guilt you did. He didn’t have Jordie’s death on his shoulders. He didn’t have Melli’s kidnapping on his shoulders. He didn’t have Kaz’s trauma on his shoulders.

But you did.

That guilt pounded inside your ribs day in and day out. It clawed at your heart and twisted your stomach into unfathomably complicated knots. It lived in your dreams, sometimes lying to you and showing you another life where everyone was happy, other times it led you to sitting up in a cold sweat as it beat on you.

You couldn’t win against it. You’d never beat it. There was no way you could see where Kaz would forgive you. But you could save Melli. You could beat that guilt.

“You have a choice, Kol.” You looked your friend in the eye. “You can stand with me, trust me to do what’s best, and help me bring Melli home. Or…” You took a step closer. “You don’t. You can stay here and do nothing.”

“Davina...” He didn’t bother hiding the hurt in his eyes. You knew there was venom in your words that you didn’t need, but you wouldn’t take it back. “I care about Melli just as much as you do.”

“Make your choice then.”

He looked over your shoulder at Wylan. You didn’t change your gaze, but you did rest your hand on the hilt of your blade. You thought about Vicente’s offer while the other two men exchanged looks. Whether or not Vicente told you anything worthwhile, you knew Pekka would see the way you would mutilate one of his Legacies by carving the tattoo out of forearm.

“I’m with you.” Kol said firmly. “But how do we know that he actually intends to help and not double cross us?”

“You keep him until you check out his information.” Wylan offered and you turned to face him. “It’s what he would do.” He offered you a pointed look. “But he’s also likely to drop him off a roof after he ran out of usefulness so…” He shrugged.

“I’ll start with the tattoo.” You drew your blade again. “You don’t have to watch this, Wylan.”

“Maybe he should.” Kol said. “That way we’ll know that he’s on our side and he’ll know what you’re capable of.”

Wylan gave Kol a sarcastic expression. You laughed to yourself and gestured for Kol to bring Vicente back. You knelt in front of him and slid your blade under sleeve to cut it apart. You saw the tattoo, the same as all the other Dime Lions, except he had extra embellishments on the crown to show he was a Legacy Lion. Your upper lip curled in disgust when you thought that it was the same tattoo you were meant to have instead of the snake winding across your collarbone.

“Why did you come here?” You asked him. Vicente was quietly looking at you.

“You said it earlier. My dad helped the con that ended with one of your friends dying. I didn’t know their names…” Vicente explained and the tip of your knife waited against his skin. “We were friends, Davina. If I had known what was going on, maybe I could’ve done something for your friends, but I can do this for you.”

You looked over towards Kol and you could see him considering Vicente’s words. He wasn’t convinced the runaway Lion was telling the truth but he was less adamant about the threat of a double cross.

“Losing this tattoo is abandoning the Lions.” You reminded him.

“I know.” Vicente nodded.

“Then you also know Pekka will come after you.”

“I’m planning to leave Ketterdam anyway.” He shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to see Fjerda.”

“It’s frozen and the people are even colder.” Kol spat. “If you wanted out of the Lions, why not come to Davina sooner?”

“I wasn’t convinced it was her. I saw her at the Emerald Palace the night of the show, when she took the stage. She seemed so powerful… Then I was sent to follow her after she left the Crow Club with her friend that night. I was told to-“ He shut his mouth quickly.

“Told to what?” Wylan asked, but all three of you knew what he was going to say.

You dug your knife tip in, starting at the crown. Vicente muffled his groans and Kol came to your side. Wylan started pacing behind the Lion.

“You took her, didn’t you?” You asked. There was an eerie calm in your voice and your eyes stayed on the task at hand. Your free hand gripped Vicente’s wrist while you slowly drug the knife along the tattoo. “You were in a Komedie Brute outfit and you dragged Melli away. Didn’t you, Vicente?”

He groaned again and threw his head back. Kol worked subtly beside you to heal some of the wound under the flap of skin you were removing. You looked up and saw Vicente started to pale. Wylan was chewing his thumbnail as he paced.

“Say it.” You hissed. “Tell me what you did.”

“I grabbed her.” He panted. “It was me. I- I’m sorry. I did it.”

Your free hand slid up and your fingers dug into the open wound. He cried out loudly and fresh blood bubbled out, spewing over your hand.

“Where is she?”

Vicente laughed slightly and you twisted the knife. The movement created a jagged line veering away from the tattoo.

“There’s a little building, not far from the Palace.” He said between heavy breaths. Kol had been healing beneath your blade the whole time so you returned your bloody fingers to his wrist so Kol could close the wound. “It’s abandoned. You’ll know it. It used to be a little cafe. Me, you, and your little friends used to go there and the owner…”

Vicente’s voice was drowned out by your thoughts. You remembered the cafe now. You remembered the owner used to talk stock and trade with Jordie. You and Kaz used to sit on the counter, sipping your drinks and kicking your feet. You drew him and his brother for the first time in that cafe.

You jumped when a hand landed on your shoulder. Looking up, you saw Wylan offering a concerned expression. You simply nodded and went back to flaying Vicente’s arm.

“How many Lions stand guard?” You asked.

“At least six. One stays in the front near the door. One stays in the alley near the back door. Two stay with the girl. Two float around the property.” Vicente rushed to explain as the next wave of pain came.

You peeled the flesh off and dropped it to the floor with a slick thud. You withdrew your blade for a moment to examine your handiwork. The crown was gone, a rough pinky scar left in its place.

You gave Kol a moment to collect his strength before working on the stupid cat.

“How often do they change out?” You asked.

“It’s supposed to be every night at ten bells.” Vicente answered easily. “I can get you in, Davi.”

You slammed the end of your blade against the back of his hand, hearing a snap of at least two of his bones.

“Call me that again and I’ll carve out your heart.” You threatened.

You noticed Wylan took a small step back.

You roughly jammed the blade back into his arm and began removing the inked cat.

“What has he done to her?” Your eyes stayed on the motion of your hands.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been there.” He shook his head quickly. “But I do know… He’s waiting for you to show.”

Your hand froze. Your eyes didn’t raise from the steady blood flow coming from Vicente’s arm.

“For what?” Your voice was a quiet rasp.

You knew. You didn’t need to ask. You didn’t want to hear it, but you needed to.

“To kill her.” Vicente almost sounded apologetic.

You yanked your blade through the rest of the skin and the flap fell to the ground. Your blade clattered beside it. You shoved yourself up and let Kol take your place. Vicente started talking again but you didn’t want to hear it. You slammed your fist against his temple once, twice, three, four times but he was unconscious before the third. You would’ve hit him more but Wylan pulled you back.

“Get what you need.” You told him. “Put everything from that desk-“ You nodded towards Melli’s desk.”- in the drawers and you can work in here. Get me a list of what you need for an accelerant. I’m burning that damned cafe to the ground when this is done.”

Wylan nodded feverently.

You went over to your chair and yanked your cloak off the back. You threw it over your shoulders before digging through your desk drawer for the knife that hid in the sheath. Once it was in place, you grabbed a shoulder bag off the floor. You threw the scraps of Vicente’s tattoo inside before dropping it over your shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Kol asked, still healing your hacking of the ex-Lion’s arm.

You grabbed the blade and replaced it at your thigh.

“I’m going to leave my father a message.” You adjusted the bag. “But I also need to get the poison for Wylan.”

“That means going to the Crow Club.”

“Yes.”

“Should you go to Brekker in this state?”

“I’m not going to Brekker.” You said flatly.

No, you didn’t expect to go to Kaz anytime soon.

“Haskell poisoned me. It’ll be in his things.” You said.

“You’re going for Per Haskell?” Wylan didn’t bother keeping the surprise out of his voice. “Jeez, Davina, are you sure?”

“Wylan, dear, do you question him like this?” You challenged lightly.

“Yes.” He nodded. “When he plans something stupid, yes, I do.”

“Then save your questions for him. Question me again and I’ll knock you on your ass.”

“He’s trying to look out for you.” Kol cut in. His work with Vicente was finished so he stood to face you. “Saints know you’re not listening to me.”

“I’m sorry. Did you want to get that tainted kvas? Did you want to throw this slab of skin at Pekka’s feet? Did you want to confirm what Vicente just told us?”

Kol only sighed.

“Exactly.” You nodded. “Keep this place running. Get Wylan what you can. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“No mourners…” Wylan mumbled.

“What?” You sighed, exasperated with the back and forth.

His eyes were wide with surprise that you had heard. “The Dregs say it. No mourners, and then the other person says no funerals. It’s a good luck thing, I guess.” He explained.

“Melli and I would tell each other to blink last and die tomorrow.”

“Same thing, I guess.” Wylan smiled nervously.

You nodded and flipped up your hood before heading out.

No one stopped you on your way out the Rook. Once outside, you fell into the shadows of the alleys. You moved with the flow of the crowds when you couldn’t avoid it and you finally stood across the way from the Emerald Palace. You scribbled a note on the paper you found in the main pocket and held it tightly in your fist.

KEEP YOUR MEN ON A LEASH OR I WONT BE SO NICE. NEXT TIME ILL BRING THEIR HEAD -D 

You read over the note and paused. What the hell were you supposed to do with Vicente now? You could see him off to Fjerda, just to make sure he didn’t double cross you. You could also just kill him, but something about killing a man just in case he was going to betray you didn’t sit right. Maybe you’d just hand him to Dirtyhands with a note saying ‘Filip’s son, enjoy!’ and be done with it.

You shrugged it off, deciding to figure it out later.

You glanced up and found the window of Pekka’s office. You could vaguely see a body moving back and forth, and you had to swallow the urge to cut every Lion’s throat until you got to him.

You pulled your hood down and went into the building across the way. It was a small, beaten down yet oddly popular inn. It had enough floors to get you even with your father’s office to either throw it through the window or even with the roof to get you space to jump. Enough of the buildings in the Barrel were crooked and practically leaning on each other that even without the Wraith’s grace, you’d manage the trip.

“Oy!” The man at the desk called. “Wha’ do you think you’re doin’?”

You forced a smile and your best Kaelish accent. “So sorry. I’ve got a cousin, said she’s stayin’ here on one of the upper floors. See, I’m visiting from the Isle and I’ve got some treats here for her.”

“Somethin’ seems to be leaking.”

You feigned confusion and glanced down. The blood was beginning to seep through. “Oh no! Must be the berry tarts I brought. Don’t worry, mister. I won’t let it stain your floors.”

He grumbled something but waved you off. You didn’t stick around and made your way up the stairs. When you got to the floor that was the same as Pekka’s office, you walked the length of the hall in either direction. There was no window. You frowned and continued up the stairs.

You replaced your hood and slid the note back to your pocket. You climbed to the next roof and slid down the angled roof until hitting the next. You had to climb a ladder for the next building then found a building slanted enough that you could get across the way. You frowned again and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Of all the times to envy the Wraith…” You murmured and glanced down.

It wasn’t necessarily a long fall, but it wouldn’t be a soft landing. The ground of the Barrel was rough stone, worn by foot traffic and jagged from the various bullets and blades it took on a nightly basis. You asked the Saints to help your jump, and prayed you had built your body up enough to survive the fall.

You sucked a deep breath and made the jump. You rolled across the roof in a clumsy landing, but once you stopped on your back, you laughed in relief. You were just glad to have made it.

You made your way back to the roof of the Emerald Palace. Carefully, you dropped to the balcony outside your father’s office. You peeked inside and saw he had left. You took the chance and pushed on the window. When it didn’t budge, you fumbled for your picks. They weren’t up your sleeve or in any pockets.

You muttered a quiet curse before drawing the smaller blade from under your cloak. You wedged it between the two panes and pressed on it until you heard the crack of the lock snapping off. You winced at the sound and froze, waiting until someone showed up. After a few moments of nothing, you kept moving.

You pushed the window open and tossed the sack onto his desk. You reached into the pocket and flung the folded note, watching it spin in the air and land a few inches to the side of the bag. Then you hung off the edge of the balcony for a second before dropping into the alley.

Next was your inspection of the cafe. The memories made you sick as you approached it. You saw a figure hunched in the alley and you thought briefly if you had noticed him your last time by. If you did, you probably brushed it off as a homeless man. Then you saw a figure pass by the window near the front counter. You also saw the old signage with fake stock prices still written on it.

The hatred burned in the pit of your stomach and you could taste bile in your mouth.

You forced yourself to stay a few moments longer, hoping to catch a glimpse of Melli. Hoping for some sign she was still alive. When one of the Lion’s almost caught you staring, you left.

Enough of Vicente’s information checked out so you assumed the rest would too. At least six Lions prowled the abandoned building, six Lions held your near-sister hostage.

Six Lions would die and six more tattoos would find your father’s desk.

Wretched little girl.

You’d show them just how wretched you could be.

Your last stop was the Crow Club. A different Dreg was on the door so you simply smiled and headed in. It was a lighter crowd during the day but still busy enough that you didn’t quite stick out. You scanned the floor and didn’t see Kaz, Jesper, or Haskell.

You made your way around, listening to chatter and hearing one of the Dregs mention that Haskell was out of the building for some card game. They nodded towards a side door as he talked and you smothered the smile.

They didn’t even realize how easy they were making it for you.

You made your way to the office and gently shook the handle. You rolled your eyes to yourself when you found it locked. You drew your small knife against and slid it between the door and the frame. It clicked open and you slipped inside unseen.

Haskell’s office was a mess.

You frowned at the unorganized stacks of papers and tipped glasses. You carefully stepped around the mess and found the shelf of liquor in the back. You passed over the ones you didn’t recognize and found two bottles of potentially kvas.

You lifted the first and used your blade to pop the top. You sniffed the contents and it seemed normal. You did the same to the second and a chill went down your spine at the familiarly sweet smell. Goosebumps erupted across both arms and you knew you found it. You snapped the top back on and slipped the blade into its sheath.

You wished you had a second bag but decided keeping both arms under your cloak was your best option. You hurried back to the door and cracked it open. No one seemed to notice so you slipped out and shut it quietly behind yourself.

You cradled the bottle in your arms and were heading out. You cradled the bottle in your arms and were heading out. You didn’t get very far when that familiar cane blocked your path. You reframed from rolling your eyes as you traced the stupid stick back to its owner.

Kaz frowned at you and nodded towards his office. You glanced at the door but Kaz grabbed your arm and dragged you with him. You yanked your arm free, nearly dropping your prize in the process, and stared daggers at his back while you followed.

“Saints help me.” You mumbled to yourself as you went up the short set of steps.

[forbescaroline]

ultimate top ten ships meme → the originals dynamics (as voted by my followers) #1. kol/davina “For a thousand years I’ve never known love or peace. Davina changed me.”