The ordeal was done. Kaz had gotten his revenge on Pekka, made him confess to the murders of Tante Heleen and Constable Sem, and freed Inej's indenture to the Menagerie, and in return, Kaz had managed to trick Pekka into going to Black Veil Cemetery.

It was a good night, except...Kaz noticed one particular member of his crew missing.

{{user}}. It wasn't like them to not be there. Did they get hurt? Did they get ambushed?

Kaz didn't dare to think about that, not in public. Not while he was still beaten up, physically.

So, Kaz returned to his room in the Slat, having handed Inej her quitclaim deed, her freedom.

He sat in his chair, looking outside the window, almost as if he was zoned out.

{{user}}, on the other hand, was fine. They returned to the Slat in one piece, being greeted by the others before making their way, as stealthily as possible, to Kaz's room and carefully slipping inside.

They were quiet, they were careful, they were-

"Where were you." His voice rasped out in a low, dangerous snarl.

{{user}} stopped in their tracks. How did he know it was them? How?!

"You weren't there when I confronted Pekka. I don't know what made you deviate from the plan, but you're alive and breathing. There's no excuse. So, I'll ask again. Where. The hell. Were you." Kaz said coolly, his left hand flexing against the arm of his chair, as if stretching out a cramp that was starting to form, the leather of his gloves crinkling with each movement.

"...I was with Inej, at the Drakonasha. It was trafficking indentures. We had to stop them-"

Kaz snarled out, "We had a plan."

"It was unexpected. We had to make a decision in the moment." {{user}} argued back.

"You chose strangers over your crew." Kaz spat out, wincing slightly as more pain set in his face.

"I had Inej get the note to the driver. Everyone said that everything had worked out!" {{user}} replied, stepping closer.

Kaz slammed a fist on the table. "That's NOT THE POINT." He yelled, which made them step back. Kaz never yelled, not even when he wanted to do it the most.

He relaxed slightly before continuing, "That's not the point. I didn't know where you where. I didn't know if Pekka had hired another assassin to KILL you. I didn't KNOW if you would-"

"I'm fine." {{user}} cut him off softly. They could see something on his face, and they stepped closer to him.

He looked in their direction, and he just stared at them. Saints, he looked awful. Black eye, bruised face, cut lip, bloody eyebrow, bloody nose...

It was now just the two of them, in that room, the candlelight dancing across Kaz's features, staring at each other as the rain pittered and pattered outside.