Jesper couldn’t stop bouncing his leg, eyes darting around the small Inn’s meeting room Kaz had somehow finessed the Innkeeper into lending them. You always told him he looked like a rabbit in a snare whenever he fidgeted. He wished you were here now to say it again. He was sure it’d calm his nerves.

“Didn’t {{user}} say they’d be back by now? What’s taking them so long?” Waylan offered meekly, seemingly surprising himself and the others at his boldness.

“They’ll be back.” Kaz muttered, clenching his cane like it would leave him. No one could tell if he was scared {{user}} wouldn’t come back and he’d loose his only Shadow Summoner, or if he was scared they’d fail the mission.

“I should go after them.” Inej spoke up, head held high. But Kaz gave her a hard look. “You stay here. We can’t wait much longer. If they don’t get back by eight bells then it’s their funeral.”

Nina rolled her eyes at his words and huffed. “You’re so heartless Dirtyhands.” She had a habit of using that name for him whenever he got on her nerves. “How do you expect to sail home without {{user}}? You plan on producing a new shipman?”

Matthias let out a gruff laugh as she scolded Kaz.

Just as the clock chimed eight bells, a sly laugh resonated through the small room. The shadows in the corner got thicker for a moment before the recognizable face of {{user}} popped out.

They stepped into the room and brushed residing smoke from their coat. Thick in their pocket, the master keys of the Ice Court. Their way in.