#Jesper cuts fruits for his friends like i cut fruit for mine and i will not hear any criticism

[icecourt-crows]

Welcome Home

I just really liked the art by @paintsandquests so much that I started writing for this blog again (after...years?).

Summary: Kaz settles the books with Jesper keeping him company and Inej is back from her travels.

Unlike people, the numbers never lied to Kaz. Each row of ink on lined parchment paper detailed exactly how much kruge passed through the holy halls of his Crow Club whether lawfully or unlawfully. It was a little miracle that the Crow Club still generated business; ever the cynic at heart, he truly believed this ramshackle hut would come crashing down at the next strong breeze blowing in from the harbor or the countless gangs that rose and fell with the swell of business. Yet, despite the aggravatingly endless task of keeping the Crow Club operational and structurally sound, he was beginning to enjoy himself.

Many nights were spent at his desk, tallying up the winnings and distributing them accordingly to the dealers. Each paycheck squared away, each page on the ledger filled, each coffer locked in its corresponding safe in the many hiding places around the gambling hall. Just watching the numbers steadily raise over the course of years of reforms after Haskell's departure tilted his perpetual scowl into something less severe. The harsh lines carved into his stony façade smoothed ever so slightly.

"Someone's in a good mood," Jesper commented as he finished peeling an apple with a knife on the opposite side of the desk. It was a standard arrangement for them; Kaz devoted his attention to the numbers and Jesper devoted his attention to keeping watch to make sure no miscreant got too cocky and tried to overthrow Kaz's iron-clad grip on the Dregs.

Not that he would know what a coup would look like considering he wasn't in the room when Kaz overthrew Haskell.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kaz replied, writing the date on the last line of the page. Leaning back from the book, he waited for the ink to dry. With no preamble, he said, "the numbers are looking good this week."

Jesper cut a slice of the apple and put it in a little bowl on the corner of Kaz's desk. "They've been looking better and better," Jesper responded as he ate a slice of his apple, "almost good enough to fix the roof again."

"Let's not get too carried away."

That earned him a laugh and Kaz felt his lips form a small smile. "I'll look into re-tarring the roof next week," he said, writing a note to himself on a separate piece of paper, "right before the storms roll in."

"You mean right before Inej comes back," Jesper wiggled his fingers at Kaz teasingly, "want to make the place nice and pretty for her."

"Weren't you the one that suggested the roof gets fixed?" Kaz countered. His keen eye assured him the ink in the ledger was dry, so he closed it and put it into a drawer in his desk.

"Yep," Jesper answered, "because I, for one, want her to come back to a nice, not-wet club."

"Should I come back later then?" a voice said behind them.

They both turned towards the window and watched as Inej landed silently in the room, one hand still on the ledge as if ready to take flight at a moment's notice.

As always, what struck Kaz first was how radiant she is. Somehow, every time he saw her, it's like he'd never seen the sun in his life. The dying light of the afternoon glanced off the tiles of the surrounding rooftops and bathed her in a warm glow. For a moment, he wasn't Dirtyhands or the Bastard of the Barrel; he was just Kaz Rietveld staring at the sunset over his family's farm. "You're early," he said neutrally.

"Inej!" Jesper said, getting up from his chair to pull her into a hug, "welcome back!"

"Jes," Inej said with as much enthusiasm, dropping her bag to hug him back. Easily plucking the knife from his hands, she set it on Kaz's desk before pulling away. "We were in need of a restock, and I was so close to Ketterdam anyway, so I decided to cut the voyage early this year."

Nodding in agreement, Kaz murmured, "good business practice; you wouldn't want to be caught in the seasonal storms without supplies."

Inej smiled to herself; this was as close as she could get to Kaz saying he was worried about her. Yet, through all the years that have passed since the events at the Ice Court, she pushed him a little more. "I think the roof could be repaired earlier," she said with a knowing look.

"I suppose it could," Kaz allowed. Reading her expression, he quietly added, "welcome home."