#** knife wife pirate climbing-inej

[multistoty]

@climb-inej

#climb-inej - ❝ This is an open plot call for the canon character Inej Ghafa from The Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo, an interpretation based on  the Six of Crows duology and, partially, Netflix's Shadow and Bone.Please note that this account comes with the following trigger warnings: graphic violence, themes of sexual trauma, assault and sex trafficking, history of forced underaged sex work, murder & does not interact with those under the age of 18.Written by Evelyn, 21.Writers and grishaverse fans feel free to message me in regards to plotlines, ideas for interactions or just general friendly conversation.No Mourners. 🗡

Promo made by @multistoty

[multistoty]

“And here I thought it was kruge,” Kaz teased with usual deadpan nature. He knew Inej would understand. Nothing had been safe even in his own careful curated factory of human emotions since he laid eyes on her. Yet, the farm boy from Lij and the barrel boss couldn’t look away. His eyes could react more than his hands could. give her some of what he waned too. Some of what she deserves.The air was full of salt and secrets. The moon is a loyal companion.It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections. But there’s something about the darkness, the stillness of this hour that creates a language of its own. There’s a strange kind of freedom in the dark; a terrifying vulnerability we allow ourselves at exactly the wrong moment, tricked by the darkness into thinking it will keep our secrets. We forget that the blackness is not a blanket; we forget that the sun will soon rise. But in the moment, at least, we feel brave enough to say things we’d never say in the light. After all, the kiss of shadow had always been the realm with which they walked in. Gold shimmered no matter what, but few could make darkness look as good as she did. His avenging angel with silky hair sun stained, ocean flooded cheeks, a constellation of freckles, and a smile that cracked apart his spine. She seemed so unburdened and it warred inside of him. Love didn’t end all at once, no matter how much you needed it to or how inconvenient it was. You couldn’t command love to stop any more than a marriage document could order it to appear. Maybe love had to bleed away a drop at a time until your heart was numb and cold and mostly dead. She'd disappeared like a broken star, leaving the world untouched, save for the bits of missing light that no one would ever see again. Kaz prefered to ask his questions of his crows directly for truth too late was as useless as a meal to a dead man. And maybe a certain amount of anger had plucked dirty hands out when he had been hoping to be merely her Kaz. His dearest Inej. The only saint he’d believe in or altar that he’d pray too. Looking into her eyes, it was like she was oxegyn and he was dying to breathe. Yet, he was Kaz Brekker. Snarling and shark like, beautiful in ways that only broken things could be. Every good story needs a villain. But the best villains are the ones you secretly like. Dirty Hands wasn't dangerous because he was evil; the barrel boss was dangerous because he couldn't tell the difference between evil and good. Yet, she was the starlight to his darkness. And he was eclipsed by fury and concern seeing her painted and crimson. Sticky copper smell something he was familiar with. But this was his crow, his inej, his responsibility. He hadn’t wanted to cave Specht’s head in. Hopefully, they’d make it into his office. He’d been trying. Something he hadn’t gone out of his way to do for years. Numbers, schemes, heists were all less stressful than touching the soft olive skin of the woman with which he loved. The ghosts, they never go away. They call to you in unexpected moments, their hands lacing with yours and pulling you down paths that lead nowhere. “ There are no rules when it comes to survival, you should know I wouldn’t fault you for that, wraith,” his voice is wetstone rasp though with the softness only Inej recieved. An upturn of his snarling lip. She was one of a kind. His head nudged towards the office. A tap of his cane against the floor as the roaring club assaulated his senses. Brick by brick. This was his investment. His closest friend. “The rest of ketterdam is not you. You know that.” 

(It’s five am here but I am absolutely excited book or otherwise, from Kaz @multistoty ) ❛ is that blood? is it yours? ❜

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄: 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬. @multistoty

🗡 Had it not been for that one brief moment of eye contact they shared after each of Inej's returns, it would have barely been evident that Kaz Brekker and his Wraith had any concern to spare on each other.

The overseas journeys had grown longer, more dangerous, but so had the sense of freedom.

Freedom; It was more seasalt sensation than sweet liberation, comforting enough to make all fear fade, to shift her focus almost entirely on the blade in her hand and the promise of justice so close within her reach. No strangeness of foreign grounds could rattle her. No bloodied wound could knock her off her feet, not quite as hard as the recollection of someone waiting; waiting for her, draped in familiar shadows.

Ketterdam had not changed, but the Crow Club seemed to stand taller, echoing with laughter and a sense of mania.

Inej had not noticed the dried blood on her shirt, the bruises on her shoulders and arms. The adrenaline of a victorious battle had yet to fade. If anything, it was only fueled by the fire of Kaz's eyes, the absence of audible concern in his question.

Is that blood? Is it yours?

Inej took one steady step closer as they stood amidst the chaos of foul music and ecstatic bets and loud laughter; she gave him one long look of suppressed amusement, like he should know better than to immediately assume danger against her.

When she answered, she did so slowly, purposely, so that he would hear her voice over the Dregs' singing.

"Not entirely," she said, "But would it matter? It remains Ketterdam's form of currency. As long as you pay with it, there is no care on whether it is stolen, or sacrificed, or both. It may very well be mine, even if it was shed by a punished target rather than my own wounds. Would it matter ?"

An obscene sort of humor, one that she had studied in him.

Inej breathed in, averting her gaze for just a moment and hoping that she had made it clear that she was mostly unharmed.

Silence settled between them, even in this centre of mayhem.

"Good to be back, Kaz," she muttered, her heart racing, the same way it did when she stared at the sea from the very edge of the ship.

[multistoty]

@climbing-inej

He supposed it was not the most romantic thing in the world to say that every time he saw the captain of the Wraith he felt as if he'd been attcked by a waterfowl, but it was true. He’d heard many men say that women who they can save were alluring, but the quiet power of Inej told him otherwise.They wwould once again suffer, but they suffer because the are worth it. It was odd, he thought—almost as if he had forgotten what a steady light her presence could be when the world went dark. Sure, he worried for her. Yet sometimes, you have to stand back and let people do what they're good at, even if it seems like madness at the time. Had she always had such nice shoulders? Saints, who was he? Freedom looked good on her. One of the few good things with which he had actually done. All he ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with his hands but with his heart. But his body and mind did not often yeild to his soul. Words are such unpredictable creatures. No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh. And yet, they had always been a comfort for him, but Inej- she made everything different. Despite it all and his better knowledge, Hope is hugging me, holding him in its arms, wiping away his tears and telling him that today and tomorrow and two days from now he will be just fine and he’s so delirious he actually dares to believe it. Can you hear my heart? he wants to ask her. I want you to make a list of all your favorite things, and I want to be on it. People seldom realize that they tell lies with their lips and truths with their eyes all the time. Most people’s eyes were mirrors showing you only what you wanted or nothing at all, but her’s were windows to the soul. Clear and honest with depths you only saw if you look close enough. Every butterfly in the world migrated to the monster’s stomach. His mind created all kinds of day dreams and nightmares for Inej. “Vegeance is a currency all it’s own. And I would bet on you in every game,” kaz agrees with the slightest upturn to his snarl. As close to a smile as he ever got. Shee looks immaculate. Flawless, especially as she stands here among the dirt and destruction, surrounded by the bleakest colors this landscape has to offer. She's a vision of emerald and olive, silhouetted in the sunlight as if she were merely an angel when a closer look at her wings made her a crow. “Only those who look close enough, my dearest wraith.” His mouth stopped slightly watching her hand closely not allowing the waters to rise. The only one who had ever gave him gifts was Inej. It was an odd thing. Something to remind him of the piece of his soul taking down the seas demons far away. His gloved hand running slightly along her fingers before accepting the sun stained package and hiding it in one of the pockets of his coat. The blood had gone unnoticed after she had said it wasn’t hers though he was fond that she understood what it might remind him of. “ Well, wouldn’t want to keep the bastard of the barrel waiting. You do smell of sea. It’s - it’s good to see you, wraith.”

[multistoty]

They had been close to figuring out who the mole was, they had to have been. By now, Kaz had managed to uncover several leads. None of them concrete, none of them definitive; but, one by one, Inej and he were eliminating them until they'd hopefully find the right one.

 But, apparently, whoever the mole was was feeling the heat, too. There was no other explanation for why they were being ambushed in the middle of Dregs territory and in broad daylight for no apparent reason. That definitely took a certain kind of boldness that Kaz hadn't expected. Worse yet, they seemed to be smart enough to know to split up between him on the streets, and Inej above on the roofs.

 Knowing and trusting that Inej could handle herself, his entire focus was on the men honing in on him. He was trying his best not to be backed into a corner so there'd be an escape route if he needed it, but it proved difficult with how many there were. He had to admit that he was absolutely furious at someone being able to get the drop on him like that. So the first guy to come just a little too close got to feel his anger when Kaz's cane shattered his kneecaps in one well-aimed swing. The next one takes it to his ribs, most likely leaving him to deal with the pain of several broken ribs at once. Two down, several more to go.

 Kaz had just turned his attention to a guy approaching from the right, when he heard a body thud down in front of him, a knife sticking out from the back of his head. He didn't have to look up to know he had Inej to thank for that one. And he would've simply continued to focus on his own fight, had he not seen Inej out of the corner of his eye. Not balancing on top of the roofs, but falling down. The Wraith didn't fall. Gravity would give way to her before she would.

 Dodging a knife just in time, he swung his cane and hit the wielder in the back of his legs; a sloppy hit, but it had enough force to bring him to his knees regardless. Sprinting past him, Kaz made his way over to his Wraith, sinking to his knees beside her. "Inej," he said breathlessly, trying to hide his own panic at the sight of her blood. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and pressed it to her wound, applying as much pressure as he could.

 Briefly turning his attention back to their ambushers, Kaz knew he couldn't stay here to look after her. Not until he'd taken them down, anyway. So he grabbed her opposite hand and placed it on top of the handkerchief. "Here. Put as much pressure on it as you can. Don't ease up, you hear me?"

@therooftopsofketterdam

[multistoty]

The wraith. That’s the name his brother had called her. He had only seen Kaz from far away. The brother he thought dead for years now. Grisha had done a pretty good job, but some of the plague marks still lingered on his skin. He couldn’t help the pain of guilt in him that his brother was limping and been forced into becoming some sort of barrel boss in the absence of his brother. The brunette couldn’t know for certain though it seemed like those dark eyes took him in shark like nature. The gloves tightening almost imperceptibly against the cane. His brother lacked his warmth, but he knew him. This girl. This suli girl cloaked in shadow was the every way to get to him. He’d heard the stories, but he’d seen the looks on both their faces. Besotted even if their badass nature hid it. There was no denying who it was once dirty hands spoke. His voice deeper and weathered though clearly his Kaz.  What had happened? Ivory fingers brushed back slightly longer than necessary onyx curls from his face. The beautiful brunette felt like a cool breeze. Comforting and endorphin rushing with its danger. She could lift you or throw you in her gust. He was not a many of frenzy, but he needed her to understand. Needed her to see. Sure, his harsh and angular lines were reminiscent of the boy king of Ketterdam including the dark nature of his eyes, but she needed to listen to him. Let him in as if he wasn’t some con. “Wraith, I- I’m Jordie rietveld. And I need to speak to my brother. My brother, Kaz. He will listen to you.”

@climbing-inej

[multistoty]

@climb-inej

[multistoty]

Liked for a starter

‘    you   seem   well.    ’

he   doesn’t   have   to   look   to   know   that    it’s   her.   there   are   the   familiar   signs   of   her   presence   :   a   gentle   breeze   from  a   previous   un  -  opened   window   ruffling   the   paperwork   stacked   neatly   at   his   desk,   sending   a    chill   through   the   room   despite   the   humidity   that   hangs   heavy   in   the   air;   the   soft   pad   of    her   feet   against   hardwood,    soundless   to   anyone   not   listening   for   it,    anyone   except   for   him,   who   would   know   her   anywhere.        

                                it   scares   him   how   easily   he   falls   into   their   old   routine.    there   has   always   been   some   soft,   unspoken   thing   between   them.    it  bubbled   in   kaz’s   chest,    a    demanding    thing    begging   to   be   seen,   aching   to   be   near   her,    to   touch   her,    to   find   solace   in   her   [    .    .    .    ]   it   was   the   sort   of   feeling   he’d   learned   to   ignore   [   feelings   like   these   got   you   killed   in   the   barrel   ],   &   he’d   thought   time   away   would   do   him   well,   would   squash   these   feelings   of   greed    towards   her,    yet   he   finds   the   familiar   signs   of   her   entrance   still   leave   him   feeling   as   if   there   are   sparks   igniting   in    his   chest.  

❝   i   wasn’t   sure   if   you   –––    ❞  something   between   greed   &   accusation   coats   his   tone.    he   pauses,    tries   again    [    .  .   .   ]  something   softer,    barely   noticed.    ❝  i   sent   letters.❞

@climbing-inej

[multistoty]

“   let   them   live   in   shame   instead.   ”- @climb-inej​

 base  of  the  cane pressed  down  on  the  man’s  sternum,  threatening  to  cave  in  his  chest  with  the  right  amount  of  pressure.  he  was  going  to  BREAK  HIM  apart,  piece  by  piece,  cracking  each  rib  individually  and  if  he  lived  through  the  pain  of  it,  kaz  was  going  to  slice  him  open  and  finish  the  job  for  THINKING  that  he  had  a  chance  at  remaining  unnoticed.  he  had  made  the  grave  mistake  of  trying  to  follow  them  and  listen  in  on  their  conversation.  a  pity  he  couldn’t  do  his  job  right.  cane  lifted  and  came  down,  meeting  the  man’s  side  with  a  sickening  CRUNCH.  one  down.  the  man  let  out  a  howl  of  pain,  shrieking  and  blubbering  for  help.  kaz  ignored  it.  another  thwack,  another  crunch.

    he  lifted  the  cane  once  more,  FREEZING  when  inej’s  voice  filled  the  alley.  his  shoulders  tightened  and  he  lowered  the  cane,  slowly  pushing  the  dirtied  base  of  it  into  the  man’s  left  eye.  kaz  stared  down  at  him  without  even  an  ounce  of  REMORSE  in  his  gaze  as  their  would-be-attacker  shook  beneath  him,  eyelid  swelling  and  red  consuming  the  iris,  “  wraith,  do  you  know  what  SHAME  TEACHES  MEN  ?  ”  it  was  rhetorical  and  he  was  quick  to  raise  his  voice  so  he  could  be  heard  over  the  fool’s  begging, “  it  tells  them  that  the  world  CARES  about  their  pride.  ”  wrist  twists  the  cane,  stirring  the  bloodied  whites  of  his  eyes  until  the  outer  layer  RUPTURED  and  fluid  began  to  dribble  out.  only  then  did  he  lift  the  weapon,  flipping  it  and  swinging  it  hard  into  the  man’s  skull,  ending  his  life  and  silencing  his  screams  of  suffering. “  it  doesn’t.  ”

[multistoty]

Her first return

@climb-inej​

The way I always do. She did have an affinity for finding him, no matter where he was, just as he had an affinity for sensing her whenever she was near. How the two of them — broken and damaged as they were — had managed to forge a bond like theirs was still beyond him. It was one of a kind, in countless tangles and knots, yet still remained unbroken. It was the only thing he had to cling to while he felt lost and aimless in a city that had finally given him everything he'd ever wanted: revenge.

 Too bad it couldn't bring his brother back.  

He didn't hear her approach — of course, he didn't; she was soundless, a ghost, the Wraith — but he knew when she sat down next to him. Anyone else, and a body this close to his own would've prompted him to move away; to put at least a foot between them. But not with her. Not with Inej. Her presence brought along with it an odd sense of calm and peace he hadn't felt since she'd left those many months ago. For a moment, Kaz closed his eyes and let himself feel, his body relaxing instead of becoming a bundle of nerves and tense muscles.

Her soft voice nearly startled him, and he turned his head to meet her gaze. Then he turned his attention back to the gravestone and let his eyes rest on the name as if it could give him answers. “Naive, foolish, stupid? Full of unachievable dreams and unfounded hopes, just like any other pigeon that arrives in Ketterdam's harbour, ripe for the plucking.”  

Then he dropped his gaze, and let out a deep sigh, his hands picking up his cane and turning it over and over again. "But he was also a big brother forced to look after his younger brother while he himself was little more than a boy. He tried his best. Made sure I had everything I needed, and then some. He'd hold me close and calm me down when I woke up screaming after nightmares." No matter how much time passed, Kaz still remembered his father's body in the fields, dismembered and strewn about like seeds. The nightmares had passed, though; instead replaced with others, new ones. “He'd tell me stories when I couldn't fall back asleep, sometimes for hours. And when I wasn't feeling well he'd do something stupid, but funny, to distract me.” He let the cane rest back against his shoulder, and turned his head to meet her gaze yet again. “He wasn't perfect, but he was the best big brother I could've asked for.”

[multistoty]

Her name rang in Will's mind like the chime of a bell; he wondered if any other name on earth had such an inescapable resonance to it. She couldn't have been named something awful, could she, like Mildred. He couldn't imagine lying awake at night, staring up at the ceiling while invisible voices whispered 'Mildred' in his ears. Kaz Brekker so often dealt in fear. Yet, fear was a poison that people mistook as protection. He knew she was aware of his fear and his aversions even if he would never admit it. There is more to living than not dying.Somehow, she chose a demon. And he wouldn't look to closely at such a miracle. Kaz didn't believe in saints, but he believed in her. It was the goodness of Inej to take up on his offer of lack of armor by slowly using the fabric to get to his hand. His demons could stop her and understand her descent if they wanted. But he wanted differently. He wanted her. The touch was like white fire through his veins.The captain of the wraith had taken the smolders that he was and made a fire. He had wondered once why love was always phrased in terms of burning. The conflagration in his own veins, now, gave the answer. The water's threatened to rise as her hand threaded with his, but they were burned away in her. The warmth of her eyes and her skin. The safety of this discomfort merely a dream only months ago. She was not the last dream of his soul.She was the first dream, the only dream Kaz ever was unable to stop himself from dreaming. and from that dream he hoped will come all other dreams, a lifetime’s worth. He was gazing at her, the way one did when one felt one was unobserved.  "Ketterdam is always blind. That's why she becomes peril to the bastards that live here. People will believe what you sell if they don't look close enough. Your wounds might just show up as my winning, dearest." he agreed with the usual wet flint stone nature.“and when the last star of the universe blinks silent, I will still be yours.” Sometimes he gazed at her as if he wanted to be her undoing, but just then it was as if he wanted her to undo him. " I suppose I deserve such an insult." Kaz breathed. A hand darting to play with one of her knives at the appex of her shoulder. Her claws. He had given the lynx her claws. He hadn't looked up any of the names she called him for want of the intimacy of her teaching and world. But he absolutely had gotten his hands on a few novels about her culture. The onyx haired boy with shark like eyes wanted to understand her completely. "But your crew would never see it."

@climbing-inej

He supposed it was not the most romantic thing in the world to say that every time he saw the captain of the Wraith he felt as if he’d been attcked by a waterfowl, but it was true. He’d heard many men say that women who they can save were alluring, but the quiet power of Inej told him otherwise.They wwould once again suffer, but they suffer because the are worth it. It was odd, he thought—almost as if he had forgotten what a steady light her presence could be when the world went dark. Sure, he worried for her. Yet sometimes, you have to stand back and let people do what they’re good at, even if it seems like madness at the time. Had she always had such nice shoulders? Saints, who was he? Freedom looked good on her. One of the few good things with which he had actually done. All he ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with his hands but with his heart. But his body and mind did not often yeild to his soul. Words are such unpredictable creatures. No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh. And yet, they had always been a comfort for him, but Inej- she made everything different. Despite it all and his better knowledge, Hope is hugging me, holding him in its arms, wiping away his tears and telling him that today and tomorrow and two days from now he will be just fine and he’s so delirious he actually dares to believe it. Can you hear my heart? he wants to ask her. I want you to make a list of all your favorite things, and I want to be on it. People seldom realize that they tell lies with their lips and truths with their eyes all the time. Most people’s eyes were mirrors showing you only what you wanted or nothing at all, but her’s were windows to the soul. Clear and honest with depths you only saw if you look close enough. Every butterfly in the world migrated to the monster’s stomach. His mind created all kinds of day dreams and nightmares for Inej. “Vegeance is a currency all it’s own. And I would bet on you in every game,” kaz agrees with the slightest upturn to his snarl. As close to a smile as he ever got. Shee looks immaculate. Flawless, especially as she stands here among the dirt and destruction, surrounded by the bleakest colors this landscape has to offer. She’s a vision of emerald and olive, silhouetted in the sunlight as if she were merely an angel when a closer look at her wings made her a crow. “Only those who look close enough, my dearest wraith.” His mouth stopped slightly watching her hand closely not allowing the waters to rise. The only one who had ever gave him gifts was Inej. It was an odd thing. Something to remind him of the piece of his soul taking down the seas demons far away. His gloved hand running slightly along her fingers before accepting the sun stained package and hiding it in one of the pockets of his coat. The blood had gone unnoticed after she had said it wasn’t hers though he was fond that she understood what it might remind him of. “ Well, wouldn’t want to keep the bastard of the barrel waiting. You do smell of sea. It’s - it’s good to see you, wraith.”