* DIRTYHANDS.

kaz brekker didn’t need a reason.   independent, private, & selective kaz brekker from leigh bardugo’s six of crows / crooked kingdom duology. extremely slow & super low activity, canon compliant, and predominantly book based with show & headcanon influences. written by juli (she/her, 28).   icon art.

the smile that played on his lips was thin, barely a lift of the corner, gone just as quick as it had flickered across his features as his favoured and inscrutable expression once again returned. gloved hands are clasped over the top of his cane, thumb brushing over the top of the crow’s beak as he surveyed the courtyard beneath them.       ❝   then perhaps you are not as observant as i thought you to be.   ❞       he spared one more glance at the unsuspecting marks wondering the grounds below, and as he turned to face nina, one hand reached into the pocket of his coat to pull out the pocket watch that never strayed far from him.

he doesn’t so much as flinch when   @wraithstill   appears beside him. the only acknowledgement he offers her presence is a subtle glance sideways before he returns it back to the ocean. the silence that falls between them is almost comforting   ( it always has been ),   but kaz knows she hasn’t come down just to stand in silence.       ❝   what is it, inej?   ❞

he notices every movement she makes, no matter how minute. curiosity gets the better of him, and he turns to face her, the question repeating on his features.

❝   what was it you were going to say that night at the ice court? after i returned your gloves. i never did let you finish   . . .   ❞

the ice court.   kaz blinks once, like somehow that act will make her change the question. it doesn’t, of course, and he though his lips part, not a single sound escapes him. he should answer her. after all, she will leave this wretched city behind soon, and though she had told him she wasn’t done with ketterdam, he doesn’t believe her. she is too good for this crooked kingdom of his, and it would do them both some good if she realised that herself.

he’s standing in the gallery room, one hand firmly clasped on the crow head of his cane while the other pinches the stem of his empty champagne glass. he takes in the paintings with far more interest than most of the other guests that are spread out across the room, and it’s almost flattering the way the guards seem to follow his every movement. as if they would be able to stop the infamous kaz brekker from stealing a painting if he wanted to. 

the sound of heels against the tiled floors does not make him tear his eyes away from the painting he stands in front of, nor does his attention waver when he hears the familiar voice of @fallsurvived.

❝   i  strongly  encourage  you  to  return  that.   ❞

her words do the trick for him to turn his head to the side. features pull into one of innocence, brows drawing together in confusion as he looks at her   —   and maybe, if he pulled this expression on anyone but zoya nazyalensky, they might’ve bought his act.       ❝   do you still think so little of me to think i’d steal something when i was invited as an esteemed guest?   ❞       except his name was nowhere on the invitation   —   the envelope was addressed to captain inej ghafa, as was the letter of invitation. he was only here to accompany her over the long journey from kerch to ravka.       ❝   and really, why would i spare time and resources trying to steal anything when we have equally as fine glassware back in ketterdam?  ❞

the smile that curves upon his lips is a little thing, barely a lift in the corner, and it disappears just as quickly as it appears, leaving him with a look that matches the persona he wears. if one knew what to look for in that fleeting crack in his armour, they would see a semblance of amusement. he gives her a once over, blue eyes searching for any signs that her choice of weaponry proved to be insufficient in a fight, and when he finds not even a single tear in the fabric of her shirt, his attention drops to the papers in front of him. 

so he persists. another ring, and then it’s silence, and kaz half expects her to hang up on him. instead,   @fallsurvived‘s   voice cuts through the quiet. despite his annoyance at the situation, her own is enough to make the corner of his lip quirk upwards. good, she hates this as much as he does.       ❝   calling  me  now ?   ❞