Decaf Etherealki

Kaz: I don’t want another Wylan on my hands.

Wylan: Excuse me? I didn’t just join your gang to upset my father. He literally tried to kill me. Pekka loves his kid. We are not the same.

Kaz: Technicalities aside, I have another rich brat with daddy issues on my hands.

Wylan: attempted murder would be a technicality with you.

Jesper: I can talk to the kid and try to get him to go back home.

Kaz: Right. Your daddy issues are more relevant here. That could work.

Jesper: I keep thinking you might outgrow this audacity but alas. You just keep saying shit to me.

Wylan: out of curiosity, why haven’t you killed him? Not saying you should - just wondering.

Kaz: I don’t know. I just got used to him after all these years, I suppose.

Wylan: ……Alby, Kaz. Not Jesper.

Jesper: I’m telling Alby that you used to unironically tell people that Ketterdam birthed you in a harbor when you were his age.

Kaz: No, you’re not.

*one week later*

Alby: my mother is the Barrel and my father is kruge.

What if.... After Matthias’ cellmate died he got a new roommate (and more screentime for this plot). It is some guy from Shu Han who can’t speak Kerch or Fjerdan. Even though they can't communicate, they still become friends. This guy has some quirks, but whatever. Matthias vibes with him. In fact, this kid reminds Matthias a little bit of his sister in some ways.

BUT THEN. *Gasp* This guy is an inferni *cue flashbacks of Matthias’ village being burned and family killed*

Matthias goes to tell the guards they have a grisha in here and the boy shoves him against the wall and says in perfect Kerch:

“Please, I'm just trying to find my father.”

And Matthias hesitates. He thinks of Nina and her perfect Fjerdan, but he doesn't move and this boy explains his father was taken to Fjerda. HOWEVER there is a rumor that Pekka Rollins can break into Ice Court and so this boy literally got himself thrown into Hellgate to broker a deal.

This boy, who says his name is Kuwei, speaks to Rollins, who calmly says that this is all interesting but he’s stuck in Hellgate - and how much money is Kuwei willing to pay for his father anyway?

Kuwei explains he knows a merchant named Jan Van Eck who was willing to pay a lot of money to bring his father to Kerch. That was the man who brought him here to meet Rollins, who is, as they say, the best of the best. Except. Maybe Brekker is now - if you believe the rumors that he’s the reason Rollins is in here.

Matthias is ready to nope out of this overhears Rollins plotting away. You see, Rollins isn't sure he’s able to break into Ice Court right now....but. If he sells Kuwei out to Fjerdans he might get some handsome money to pay off the guards to escape. Then he can skip right down to Van Eck and take the job himself.

This doesn't seem like a feasible plan. How is Rollins going to contact Fjerda from Hellgate? Sure, he’s got the entire prison under his thumb, but there's no way he can have that much power-

Wrong. Enter: Dunyasha (yes, her again. She just fits in so nicely with all these potential plotlines!)

Dunyasha is currently being considered as a contender to the Ravkan throne by Fjerda since Nikolai pissed the Fjerdans off with his coronation. However, as we all know, the Fjerdans think she's a smidge unstable. She plans to win them over by bringing Kuwei to them.

Her and Rollins make a deal and Matthias now has to consider if he's going to warn Kuwei or not. He comes to conclusion he is and just as he goes to do so, Dunyasha is there to escort Kuwei out of Hellgate. Matthias tries to yell out and warn him, but Kuwei hesitates and says he shouldn't trust a druskelle anyways before disappearing. Matthias now has to live with the guilt of not helping Kuwei sooner.

Later, when Kaz comes to get him to join the Ice Court heist, he offers something else for Matthias' cooperation (because Nikolai can 100% issue another pardon, smh): Rescuing Kuwei.