CHAPTER ONE
vol i — bloody fjerdans!

KAZ BREKKER DIDN'T NEED A REASON, everyone knew that, yet everything he did was for a specific reason — her. The name Dirtyhands was whispered among the streets of Ketterdam, scaring people with the stories it was attached to. Dinara was glued to Kaz's side on the walk through Ketterdam, eyes peeled for anything that could cause trouble. The menageries and clubs became blurred due to the many that lined the streets, few of them gaining such large reputation that even Dinara was shivering at the thought of having to enter one. The crew Kaz had put together was starting to get on Dinara's nerves, her hands itching to throw one of her daggers into their eye.

Their laughs were shaking the houses on the streets, boisterous and never ending. The fact that they were covering up the sounds that lingered on the cobblestone was starting to worry Dinara, her heart beating faster than usual, anticipating the worst. The back of her head itched, a sign that she was being watched, but she knew that it was the eyes of the Wraith. The crew continued walking, only stopping when they reached the stone arch that marked the eastern entrance to the exchange. Her eyes traced over each delicate design of the arch, happily taking in each detail that was meticulously placed.

"Three ships!" Jesper said, effectively taking Dinara out of her daydream. "The Shu sent them. They were just sitting in the first harbor, cannons out, red flags flying, stuffed to the sails with gold." Dinara had no idea what brought on this topic, but hummed along all the same.

"Would have liked to see that."
"Would have liked to steal that."
"We know Jesper. Anything shiny and it must be in your pocket."

Jesper let out a disgruntled noise, sending a glare towards her. She just let out a small chuckle, one that reached Kaz's ears, turning them a small pink color. "Di, you love shiny things. Anyone who has seen your closet can see that."

"Well I don't steal them. Kaz buys them for me. It's a very different idea," Dinara snapped back. The banter between then two was never ending, always squabbling like siblings. Dinara always won though, Jesper being too afraid to threaten her.

"Don't they want the Shu paying their debts?" Big Bolliger questioned. His voice was trying to stay quiet, but it was so deep that it echoed without meaning too.

Dinara watched as Kaz shook his head, dark hair that was once splayed across his forehead, now moving with his head. "Yes and no. It's always good to have a country in debt to you. makes for friendlier negotiations."

"Maybe the Shu are done being friendly, they didn't have to send all that treasure at once. You think they stuck that trade ambassador?" Jesper questioned.

Dinara stayed in the trance of watching Kaz's hair, unknowingly catching the attention of Jesper, causing him to write down the mental note to ask Inej about it later. She watched as her searched the rooftops for the Wraith, sparks of jealousy igniting inside her of her soul. Dinara shook of the feeling as fast as it came, knowing it was not the place to be question the feelings that had been sprung on her. Kaz turned around, signaling to Dinara, Jesper, and Big Bolliger, wanting them to dispose of their weapons. Dinara sent him a questioning look, one that he just responded to with a raised eyebrow. She let out a huff, getting to work on removing each of the weapons she had placed along her body.

Each weapon was placed in its perfect position, easy to grab in case she got into another brawl. It was a common thing for Dinara — getting into fights that is, it's one of the things that made her feel alive, and she always won. As she removed each of her weapons, placing them into Dirix's awaiting palm, she send the man a glare, making him break eye contact. A sad sigh escaped her lips as she held onto the last two daggers she had, holding onto them with such a tight grip that her knuckles were turning white. Her mind wasn't paying attention to Jesper threatening Dirix not to hurt his babies, instead thinking about the fear in the man's eyes before she killed them, and the joy it brought to kill them slowly.

"Come on Dinara, hand over the knives." She let out a sigh, sending a pointed glare at the man, silently daring him to mess up her babies. "Don't worry, no harm will come to them."

"What about that?" Jesper asked as he pointed towards Kaz's cane, not noticing the hat that was tilted on top of Dinara's head, the shiny edgy of the blade sewed into the rim sticking out.

Kaz let out a laugh that was low and humorless, sending shivers down Dinara's spine. "Who'd deny a poor cripple his cane?"

"If the cripple is you, then any man with sense." Dinara snorted at Jesper's comment, getting a smile out of Jesper.

"Then it's a good thing we are meeting with Geels." Dinara watched as Kaz pulled a pocket watch out his pocket. She was always transfixed with the item, but never had the nerve to ask about it. "It's almost midnight."

Dinara had felt the presence of Inej behind her before she heard her speak, "This is a mistake. Geels is up to something." Big Bolliger jumped at her voice, Dinara pushed down a chuckle.

"Of course he is, why do you think Dinara is here?"
"Then why come here tonight?"
"Because this is how Per Haskell wants it."
"He's going to get us killed."
"He'll probably only get some of us killed."
"Ever the optimistic, Jesper."
"I try, Di."

"It's not something to joke about," Inej's stern voice breaks through. Dinara couldn't help but roll her eyes at the comment, not understanding the way Inej's mind works.

"Jesper isn't making a joke, Inej. He's figuring the odds," Kaz explained.

Big Bol cracked his knuckles, trying to seem intimidating, before rambling on about the food he has been thinking about nonstop. Dinara can't help but crack a smile — not at the food, but at the plan that had been in the works since the beginning. Even Inej is in the dark, the two of them working on this plan in silence, silently laughing at the odds of the man ever getting his eggs.

"Care to place a wager?"
"You'd lose anway, Jes."
"I'm not king to bet on my own death."

"Why not Bolliger? We do it everyday." Dinara watched as Kaz flipped his hat onto his head, her eyes watching as his slim fingers that were hidden under the rough leather of his gloves, run along the brim. What a sight. She knew what he was saying, they were never confirmed to live, fighting the call of the grim reaper. Kaz's cane hit the ground hard, the clank echoing across the deserted alley. "Geels isn't smart, but he may be bright enough to be trouble. No matter what you hear, you don't join the trouble unless I give the command. Stay sharp and stay hidden."

"No mourners," Jesper said, flinging his rifle to Rotty to hold.

"No funerals," left everyone's lips, but Dinara whispered it. She had a bad feeling about this, and wasn't planning on dying tonight, but sometimes fate had a different plan.

( ...⛓... )

DINARA HAD DROWNED OUT THE VOICE OF Kaz, focusing on walking forward. Her mind was swirling with all the possible outcomes of this night, each one ending with her blood painting the cobblestone streets of Ketterdam. I'm all honesty, it was a very artistic way to go, her blood staining the ground, only washing out after a couple rains. Her nerves were tingling due to being defenseless, her ears ringing with each clank of Kaz's cane hitting the ground. The square was a wide open area, perfect for ambushes, so Dinara kept her eyes open, watching for any potential threats. Without her weapons she had to be careful, but with her hat, she should be fine until she could get her hands on actual weapons.

Under the sun lighting the street lamps gave off, she noticed figures standing across the way — the Black Tips. When they crossed, Jesper moved forward, checking the Black Tips for weapons. The word naughty left his lips each time her removed even the smallest of weapons from their frames. When Big Bol was done with his person, he let out clear, and stepped back as Kaz and Geels talked about the weather. Sure the topic was odd, but if you knew Kaz well enough, nothing he did was odd. As she stared at each of them, her eyes landed on Kaz's hat, wondering how it stayed perfect on his head and not lopsided like her own.

"Let's be fair, ja? All we want is more scrub," Geels said. His fingers were anxiously tapping at the mirrored buttons on his hideous lime-green waistcoat. "It's not fair for you to cull every spend-hapoy tourist stepping off of a pleasure boat at Fifth Harbor."

"Fifth Harbor is ours geels, incase you forgot," Kaz snarked. "The dregs get first crack at the pigeons who come looking for a little fun."

"You're a young one Brekker," Geels said, shaking his head with a laugh. He found this whole thing hilarous, but one look at Kaz's face would tell you that he planned to kill you. "Maybe you don't understand how these things work yet. The harbors belong to the city and we have just as much a right to them as everyone. We've all got a living to make here."

"Fifth harbor is ours," Kaz said again. His voice was clipped, getting annoyed with the idiot that stood in front of him. "It's not up for negotiation. You're cutting into our traffic from the docks and you intercepted a shipment of jurda that should have docked two nights ago."

"Don't know what you're talking about." Geels took a step forward, Dinara copying his action. "Quit flexing boy...we all know the old man doesn't have the stomach for a real brawl."

Kaz let out a dry life — so dry thag it reminded Dinara of leaves in the fall, crunching under your feet. "Then when is she here." He pointed towards Dinara who raised her eyebrow at Geels, trying to seem intimidating despite her height of 5'4. "You want a war, I'll make sure you eat your fill."

"And what if you're not around, Brekker? everyone knows you're the spine of Haskell's operation — snap it and the dregs collapse."

Jesper let out a snort. "Stomach, spine. what's next spleen?" Dinara jabbed Jesper in the stomach, causing him to let out a grunt. He waved her off with his hand that wasn't covering his stomach, letting her know that he got the message.

"Shut it," Ooman snarked. Parley, how could she forget. It was her favorite rule, honestly, only allowing the 'Lieutenants' to speak. She held her tongue, wishing she could do nothing more than spit out an insult that would set his head on fire. Jesper mouthed sorry, locking his lips like a zipper and throwing away the key.

"I'm fairly sure you're threatening me, Geels. But I wasn't to be certain before I decide what to do about it." As Kaz spoke, his hands found themselves overlapping each other on the crow's head of his cane, putting most of his weight on it.

"Sure of yourself, aren't you Brekker?" Geels asked, a grin playing at his lips.

"Myself and nothing else." Dinara rolled her eyes at that. Kaz Brekker, the narcissist, always at their service. He wasn't lying, which was a good thing she guessed, but with how big his ego is, she's just waiting. Not very patiently, but waiting for the day he gets his ass jumped for being a pompous prick.

Geels found that hilarious, as he burst out laughing he elbowed Ooman, who let out a grunt of pain. "Listen to this cocky little piece of crap. Brekker, you don't own these streets, you never will. Kids like you are fleas...a new crop of you turns up every few years to annoy your betters until a big dog decides to scratch. Let me tell you, I'm about to itch." The amount of pleasure rolling off of his body was enough to make Dinara gag ag the nonexistent stench. "What if I told you there are two guards with city-issue rifles pointed at you, your boys, and your girl."

Dinara's body stiffened, her eyes scanning over the area, looking for even the smallest glint. She watched as Kaz's eyes grew dark at the mention of her being threatened, yet he maintains a calm facade, looking up at the roof. "Hiring city guards to do your killing? I'd say that's an expensive proposition for the black tips. I'm not sure I believe your coffers could support it."

"Took some doing," Geels admitted. "We're a small operation right now and city guards don't come cheep, but it'll be worth it for the prize."

"That being me?"
"That being you."
"Im flattered, truly."
"The dregs won't last a week without you."
"I'd give them a month in sheer momentum."

"Smug little slum rat. I can't wait to wipe that look off your face," Geels said through his laughing fit. He had no idea what was coming for him, and that made this whole interaction all that much better for Dinara.

"So do it," Kaz challenged. The humor in his voice was gone, a dark tone settling in. Dinara found it oddly attractive, tilting her head at the man who was changing with every minute in front of her.

"Should I have them put a bullet in your good leg, Brekker?"
"Stop talking Geels, tell them to shoot."
"Kaz—"
"Go on. Find your balls and give the order."

Geels took a deep breath, puffing out his chest. "Fire!" A gunshot went through the air, echoing around the square. A thump was heard, causing Dinara to look over. Big Bolliger laid on the ground, blood oozing out of him. She thought it was poetic, the bastard deserved it in her opinion.

Kaz remained unfazed with the whole situation, while Jesper leaned down next him."Damn it!" Jesper shouted. "You worthless podge!" He yelled at Geels. "You just violated neutral territory."

"Nothing to say you didn't shoot first," Geels said, but Dinara could tell that his voice had risen an octave. "And who's going to know? None of you are walking out of here."

"You don't look well, Geels," Kaz taunted.

"I'm just fine," Geels replied, but he looked the opposite of his claim. His skin was paling, sweat had shown up on his brow line — the poor thing was nervous. His eyes darted over their surroundings, looking for something to save him from the mess that was his 'trap'. Dinara's face held a smirk, knowing that he was going to walk out of her a loser and that was everything to her.

"Are you? Things aren't going quite as planned, are they?" Kaz asked and Dinara's smirk grew bigger, happy with the sweating man in front of them.

dinara and kaz are my babies and i decided to give them a big revamp. also 35k?!??? thank you so much!!