Tainted Opal - Kaz Brekker x Reader

2 - Hand-Stitched Crimson Roses

The clacking of my heals against the stone road echoed, shattering the ever silent corner of the city. Ketterdam was always awake, but small parts of it were hushed.

As I reached the alleyway from earlier that night, my eyes fell upon a figure. They seemed to materialize from nothing.

"Hello," I greeted her with a small smile, my eyes sultry and enticing. I made note of her features, making it easier to notice her in the future. Her eyes were dark, with flecks of deep brown, like shards of tinted glass. A deep blue cloth wrapped around her head and face, but her sleek, black hair poured down her back. Her caramel skin glinted in the moonlight, but the light reflected more off of her numerous knives that were pocketed in her clothes.

"I assumed Brekker would not come himself, smart move," I added while the woman stared at me. "I have the money, darling." With a few swipes of my hands my dress's many layers warped into a large purse, strapped to my belted waist.

"You're a tailor," the woman whispered, her gaze as piercing as her knives. I handed her the embroidered purse. Mouse skeletons and crimson roses were stitched onto the fabric.

As I began to alter my dress once more, the girl vanished. I looked up in surprise, but it was quickly replaced by appreciation. I always admire a woman of her craft. My eyes dropped to the dirty stone path under me, a paper lay where the girl had stood. My joints cracked as I kneeled down to grab the note.

The Crow Club; 2 a.m. sharp

"Well, these meeting sure are getting tiresome," I mumble, making my way back to my estate. I knew I'd need to pack, assuming my deal is accepted.

I make it to the front steps of my home where large, ornate doors greet me. I've made a name for myself, it's hard to believe that three years ago I was-

"Well, a little lady is here....all alone, missy?" My thoughts are cut off by the slurred speech of a middle-aged man. He stumbles over to me, reeking of alcohol and grease. I narrow my eyes, frustrated. Saints damn it all. My eyes become inviting, my smile sweetening the deal, I look so innocent. I look my age now.

"Oh? Well I guess I am all alone," I add in an extra laugh to really tie the act together. I saunter a bit closer to the drunken man, picking up my dress to reveal my ankles. Though I really just don't want this skirt to get wet from rain-soaked pathways. Men like this will believe anything if you play the part. I get to keep some morality, even if I live in a place like Ketterdam, so I play the age old card, "Though, sir, I am only seventeen, so I should get going-"

"Little missy, that's even better, I like my women young... and unused," his grin shows his disgusting teeth, while his hands reach out to grab my wrist. I've given up trying to reason with men like this. Attempting to give them a second chance. I unsheathe my floral umbrella from my dress, as it's a gown full of surprises, and use the sharp prod to stab the man in the upper arm. My soft expression is still plastered on my face as I smack his upside the head with it.

"You bitch," he wails as blood blots his shirt sleeve. He stumbles away quickly, cursing out my existence whist doing so.

I unlocked my front door and opened with with both hands. Antique decor was scattered in an organized manner throughout the house; books spilled out of shelves, and house plants coiled around anything the could grab ahold of.
Time to get packing.

✵ ♣ ✵

The Crow Club was loud, the stretch of liquor wafted through the air, and jukebox music mixed in with the booming voices coming from all sides.

I noticed a pair of eyes on me, belonging to a young man with dark skin and buzzed hair. Two pistols were pocketed on either side of his waist and a smirk played on his lips when I looked at him. Another man to stab with an umbrella... at least he seems to be my age. I was pretty exhausted and not in the mood for this.

He made his way towards me, and his smile grew larger when he was in speaking distance from me.

"You must be Miss l/n," his voice is springy, a sense of humor bubbling in it. My left eyebrow cocks as he says this, though I guess everyone in Ketterdam knows everyone in Ketterdam. The voices carry.

"Guilty as charged," I joke with a smirk, maintaining composure. "And you are...?"

"Jesper Fahey, one million kruge was counted, so Kaz has decided to agree to your deal," he explains. "If you follow me, I will bring you to his office." Jesper turns and begins to walk towards a hall in the back of the bar.

I follow behind him but grip the weapons stashed in the layers of my dress. We walk up a stairwell towards a wooden door. Jesper knocks and enters without waiting for a response.

The room before us is a dimly lit office, a large, open window blows in cool, night air. There is a bookcase and a shelf of rum in the right corner, behind them is peeled wallpaper, which reveals knotted wood paneling. My gaze glazes past the bags of cash haphazardly spread across the floor to  Kaz, at his makeshift desk. It seems to be a door sat atop wooden crates.

The scar-faced boy looks up from his papers, he gestures for me to come sit in the chair across from his desk, while Jesper leans against the entrance door.

"Have you accepted my deal, or was Jesper just getting my hopes up?" I ask with soft curiosity in my voice. He leans against his desk, clasping his gloved hands.

"You're known for your deception, Mrs. l/n, how can we trust you?" Kaz's voice makes me shiver, but I like the feeling it brings afterwards. I'm not sure how much information I should give up to him, but my desperation clouds my better judgement.

"That's all I have left," I blurt out. I nod at the purse overflowing with kruge on the desk, "that's the rest of my money in my bank account, and my secret stash. My well-being is on the line for this deal." I wonder if I look slightly manic; if I resemble the panic I feel. Kaz eyes me, most likely analyzing my face with a blank expression. He turns to the open window, where the girl from before separates herself from the shadows. "Inej, go to Ketterdam's bank and see if her story checks out," He instructs. As soon as the girl—Inej, -was there, she was gone again, a part of the night.

After a while of silence in the dreary office, Inej returned. She gracefully hopped down from the windowsill and whispered to Kaz. He shifted his gaze to me, nodding.

"You said you have a boat?" He asked, my eyes fixated on his scarred lips as he articulated his question.

"Yes, I just need a crew," as I said such he looked confused.

"Are you implying you will be accompanying us on the heist?"

"I will. Do you have a crew?"

Kaz thought for a moment. He nodded.

"We have a skilled spy of sorts, a gunslinger, an explosions... expert, a heartrender and a former Fjerdian Drüskelle." He lists the crew members, not breaking eye contact.

"And a tailor," I hear Inej add. I nod at her comment and smile.

"We leave tomorrow morning at Sunrise," with that Kaz gets up, gesturing for Inej and Jesper to leave.

As they slip out of the room from various entry points, kaz makes his way over to a map tacked to the wall, his cane tapping against the floorboards. I follow him and watch as he draws two black dots, one over Ketterdam, the other on the Little Palace of Ravka. He turned to me, parting his lips to speak,

"Ever charted a map before?"
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Word Count: 1385
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Prepare yourself for the hell of a heist,
-Valentine