Six of Crows One-shots

The actor

Inej stood quietly, watching as they lowered the dark coffin toward the dirt, its edges smoothed down and a large silver etching of a crow with wings spread and a cup fallen and spilling liquid in the middle of the smooth coffin surface lid.  It was an expensive coffin, probably from Kaz's own money but it was at least that the did something for him none the less, those little skivs only showed loyalty when he didn't need it. She thought bitterly, watching the few people that had actually been invited despite most of the Dregs chipping in. He was to be buried just beneath the ground in front of the silver crow statue, it seemed like a burial fit for a king, but with less people. Really it was one fit for Kaz, little people, lavish colors of silver and gold buried in black to make the colors pop out like all thieves saw them, colors of red splashing and tinting the colors on his gravestone, just a simple black stone, with a gargoyle perched on top, with crow wings spread like it was about to leap up and distribute chaos and a mischievous grin full of canines and smugness and gold painted eyes, like the gargoyle know something you didn't. It was the perfect kind of gravestone for him. Inej's eyes formed tears, her heart and stomach felt gutted, her skin pale and whipped at by the breezy day. Small snowflakes mixed with brown and crippled leaves, falling off the wind.

Her breath created a small puff of air, the gasps of heat being strangled from her insides with each breath, it didn't matter much though. She already felt like crap winter had taken up hold inside her hollowed soul. It's funny, how much people never care to notice in their own righteousness that they are doing the very thing that they hate. Inej decided that, there was a reason for Bravado and Arrogance, when you climb that mountain, it's not just pride that fills your soul, but a fear of falling from those heights. In their perfect talents and skills, unreachable and that's where you want to be. You want to stay there at the top, not helping the next up because you don't want to look down that cliff again. It's why they lost Matthias.... it's why they lost Kaz as well. Inej observed the small crowd, uncomfortable and unsure in their own skin. He was the best of them at all, and if his enemies caught up to him, who couldn't they? When would the monsters dig their claws in if changing your identity and becoming the strongest you can be changes nothing? What do you do to the enemy who simply won't die? You can do nothing. But hope and pray.

The stiffness of the air was that of early winter and Inej felt it stronger than anytime before. It was an undisturbed and  unbroken, it was what they hated about snow. With all it's glory and joy, the snows dampening softness drowned out all noises except your thoughts, and that's what people hated of it. It's biting cold chasing icy truths through your thoughts. It did so now and she could not ignore it. Of course she had the right to live her life, and stay that long away.  Her problem was she wanted to keep everything as it was while doing something new, and like trying to read to far away chapters at once, she had torn one of them, tearing the cherished words in her own arrogance that she could have both when she was only hurting those she wanted so badly. She saw it when rereading the letters between them, was finally able to read between the lines at his hidden messages she was always able to find before her own happiness of having everything she wanted clouded her vision. She found selectively, didn't notice the slight panic at the end, but what scared her most was when with fresh eyes, she had found the letter that had got her attention, holding so much more now. "Wraith, Nina is here. She misses you, we all do. You've been gone for a couple of years now. When will you return?" The question was blunt but the writing was calmer, he lost the panicked edge, he had to have known. It had been sent three days prior.  She blinked softly as the soft pat of feet meeting ground glumly resonated through her head. "Hey Wy..." She muttered, he stood at the edge of the grave with his eyes a sorrowful expression. "I'm sorry, it seems whenever we try to have a reunion something shows up. We should have-..." Wylan paused and swallowed before stiffening his back and looking up at her, his eyes wavering. "Kaz was acting paranoid recently, he would not come around for us. In fact, he started to act like he used to. Constantly pushing us away. We should have asked, tried to help him... I'm sorry about your loss Inej, and for Nina too. I feel guilty for still having Jes-" "Don't. You deserve someone as sweet as Jesper, and I- thanks..." she wanted to say she'd be okay, but she wouldn't. Not until she got her hands on those dirty skivs. Nobody should die alone like that, wrapped in unfinished business and ghosts of past, with cold flurries blowing through the whole room.

Jesper and Nina came and took Inej off the ground as she stared blankly at the things she passed. Kaz sat crouched with a scowl and unease rolling through his stomach. "I'm sorry. This is all for you, however, Wraith. You may not understand today, or tomorrow.... but Day will illuminate my problems and you will leave me behind, and all of you will finally be safe..." he muttered softly, watching the shadows that finally came from their hiding place. He shook sentiment off his shoulders, if he was dead then the least he could do was be a guardian angel for his family. "We are and will forever be invincible you bastards..." He snarled, softly to himself. Looking through the silenced snipers sights. He relaxed his breath and smiled as he squeezed the trigger, how come he was better off to them dead? Maybe he would stay dead after the business finished, he knew that their were things, like death, that changed people and some ghosts were better left gone that back to life, he hoped his own case wasn't like that. It hurt him to imagine Inej leave him for someone else, but it would be for the better. Love meant sacrifices, and he couldn't keep it out, so now it pain-staked him. His death may have been faked, but their feelings had not. He would hate to traumatize them as he had been.