My Dearest Inej

Chapter Two: Burn Before Reading

Chapter Two: Burn Before Reading

My dearest Inej,

I'm trying to respond to your last letter, but I am stuck on the fact that you began it with the greeting, "My Devastation." Dear Ghezen, woman. Is this what it feels like to blush? I despise it. This must never happen again. This is also the only greeting I will accept from now on.

Changing the subject. If I keep thinking about you calling me that, I will get nothing done at all.

You've asked for longer letters, more details about the happenings here. To that I say, why not just stay longer next time? And then you won't have to settle for reading about it.

But since there's still one month, two weeks, and three days left until you dock again, I'll try to entertain you. I write these at the end of the day, and I'm finding it's a pleasant way to unravel the mess in my mind a little anyway. So, here are three things which occurred this past week:

Rotty accidentally stepped on a cat in an alley and needed twelve stitches afterwards. He's telling everyone it was a knife fight. It doesn't matter to me what he tells them. I still get to laugh about it either way. I think Jesper and Wylan are having an argument. Jesper's worn the same clothes for three days. I'm oddly preoccupied with whether or not I should say something. Or maybe buy him a drink. Look what you've done to me.I dreamt of you this week. And that is all I'm saying about that. Because, unlike some people, I don't have a sick fascination with making other people blush. I much prefer screaming and cowering and sniveling. It's far less cruel.

That is your entertainment for the night. As I am writing this, I'm also examining the blueprints of a certain mercher's townhome. There's a strange looking void in the plans that I suspect is a hidden vault. I'm probably not going to sleep until I've worked out how to get to it.

Devastatingly yours,

K. Brekker

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Inej, darling,

I'm very sorry Jesper's letter disturbed you. I'm all right. It was just a little arrest and very minor concussion. No, you don't need to hurry home. I made bail, made all the appropriate bribes – this will all blow over in a month. Well in time for your arrival.

In the meantime, I'm enclosing the blueprints. Maybe you can have a look and tell me how you would have broken in. Be aware – this one's a light sleeper and has a very good aim.

Of course I'm resting. Of course.

(in the margins, in Inej's handwriting: Lies.)

Yours,

Kaz

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Inej. Inej Inej Inej.

You'll be here tomorrow. I wasn't going to write again until after. But I took Jesper out for the drink like you said. Drinks. Plural. And it's interacting strangely with the pain pills the medik offered for the concussion. This has not been my smartest evening.

Inej. I hope someone stops me before I drop this off at the post tomorrow. I feel very much like I'm about to say things I'm going to regret.

Listen. Between you and me. Wylan has every right to be angry with Jesper. His spending habits are abysmal, and his cleanliness even worse. He's a grown man who doesn't even know how to scrub a dish. They had better not ask us to take sides. Who would you pick? I'd have to pick Jesper. That's strange. Why do I feel like I have to pick Jesper?