05||IT'S HEIST TIME

Anya sat on the roof of the crow club quietly overlooking the bustling area of Ketterdam that was known to all as the barrel. In but a few hours, she would step on a boat and head back for Ravka. For home. The raven-haired scoffed at the thought. Ravka is her motherland, it was her home but the place she grew up in and has known most of her life was not. So she'd need to find a new one.

The Oryalen woman's mind wandered to Alexei's last words. 'It was a sun summoner.' He mumbled. The bedtime story that many people had started to give up on, the reason why people started worshipping the very ground she walked on but uttered whispers of suspicion and distrust behind her back, was in fact very much alive. Alina Starkov, a living legend among Ravka's citizens, now under the watchful eye of the little palace and its dark ruler. "The poor girl." The young grisha woman whispered.

A figure dropped down behind the inferni, the slight dragging of her feet inaudible. "I heard that you're leaving again soon." Kesh's voice murmured as she sat down next to Anya. "I can't disclose much, it's a job. And a chance for for me to get what I want." The brunette furrowed her brow at her, giving her a side eye. "And what's that then? Revenge?" She sassed. The raven-haired narrowed her eyes before turning her head with a skeptical look on her face. "Justice." The 16 year old nodded at her duly noted words. "There's something I want to give you." The young girl said as she pulled out the dagger that the Oryalen woman had used to cut her hair and a small pouch before handing it to her.

"Don't you use that dagger?" The young grisha woman questioned. "I want you to have it. If Inej taught me anything, it's that it doesn't matter how powerful you are or someone else is, a dagger can always come in handy." She almost laughed at her words, before opening the pouch, cold and shining gold-like scales inside. "I'm not sure if you had noticed but there were scales stuck on the inside of your kefta. I figured that you somehow collected them and wanted them back. I hope you don't mind that I turned them in a necklace!" Kesh said. The inferni furrowed her brow as she looked down at them, an unknown feeling drawing her to the scales, calling her to the sea just like the many dreams she used to have as a child.

She reached a slender hand inside, grabbing ahold of one of the scales. The whispers that were inside her head felt as if they were floating all around her, surrounding her and every inch of her being. Anya felt the fire rage inside her, the flames roaring barely beneath her skin, embers as strong as forest fires raging through her veins. The air around her started to vaporize, the blazing ethereal shine of her skin illuminating the brunette's face next to her. The young girl's eyes lit up at the sight of what was happening to the raven-haired. Not because she was scared. Not because she was afraid of what the other might do. But it was a look of aw that was distilled in her eyes.

The Oryalen woman didn't understand what was happening to her as she put the scales back into the pouch. But when she closed her eyes she remembered the waves of the sea that almost swallowed her whole, when the ship capsized not to long ago. She remembered the dreams she used to have as a child, those of a monster living in sea. She remembered one of the tales she used to read, about a dragon prince that was doomed to live the rest his life as a sea creature in the bone road of the True Sea, dragging beautiful women to their death.

When the Inferni was born, a terrible storm ragged across all the seas, even reaching the land. All those things that plagued her in her dreams weren't nightmares that she had because she was scared of the monster of old. It wasn't just a piece of Ravkan folklore. Linked by birth, the creature called to her from the sea because it chose her. Anya knew these scales weren't just any amplifier. She shook her head. For an amplifier to work, it needed to be worn by the grisha that killed it. So how was it possible for them to have worked just now if the creature was still alive?

The raven-haired stood up, dismissing it as just a strong amplifier. 'It's simply impossible.' She thought, a nagging feeling lingering in the back of her mind, before turning to Kesh. "Thank you." she said curtly, mind mulling over the different possibilities. "You know,' the 16 year old started '...Should you ever need me, I would gladly serve you Sank- I mean Anya." Wind billowed in the Oryalen woman's hair as she made her way back down. "You are free to do as you please, so the choice is yours Kesh. But thank you."

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The group sat at the bar, slightly dazed by the events that occured not to long ago. "So." the young grisha woman said as she waltzed her drink before downing what was left of it. "What now?" Arkan solemly looks down at the pamflet in his hands before putting it down. "Because of the little palace winter fette, it'll be impossible to get in and get to the sun summoner without Nina's help. Especially with second army crawling all over the place." The inferni almost laughed. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." she replied with a wry smile. "We're in luck." Kaz's voice grabbed her attention as he hobbeled in the group. "We're 3 days away from the capital, that means we have to find a way into the little palace next. And as it turns out, the Kribirsk archives house its blue prints." Anya raised her brow at him. "What's the catch Brekker?"

"They're being kept under lock and key. Far away from the prying eyes of the masses." he replied with a sly smirk. It was as if the Zemeni man started grinning from ear to ear as he clapped his hands together, earning a look of confusion from the condcutor. "What does that mean?" the older man questioned. "That means it's time for a heist!"

As the group readied themselves to go to the inn and start formulating their plan, Jesper slouched over the furry goat that was being held by a barmaid, tying a cord around its neck with the raven-haired awkwardly standing by his side. "I will leave you this bullet to remember me. I hope you will never forget me. I'll leave you in the care of this lovely barmaid who needs you." the sharpshooter stated as he almost choked up, earning a comforting pat on his shoulder from the Oryalen woman as they walked away.

Arkan looked at the pair as they walked away, turning to grab his hat when the young barrel boss interrupted him. "I have a job for you." he simply stated as he pulled a few bills out of his pocket, handing them to him. "We still need to catch a ride east from the little palace. I suggest you make some friends." Dirtyhands finished, turning to walk away before Arkan opened his mouth once more. "But that's the hardest job! Why not send the Almost Sankta?" he questioned.

The bastard of the barrel swiveled on his feet, turning around so fast to face him. "That is not her name." he sneered at the other man. "As short as it might have been, I have known her longer then I have you and she has long since proven her worth so maybe it's time you start doing the same. Besides, there's no need to be afraid." he said as he started walking away again. "You managed to win us over didn't you?"

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"This is the plan we must follow to carry out the heist." Kaz's voice stated demandingly. "Watchmen are on guard around the clock so we will need to be as quick and quiet as we can getting in and out." His storming eyes darted towards Jesper, looking at him critically before the man nodded. "No revolvers then." The Zemeni man whined sadly.

The young barrel boss then directed his gaze to the two women infront of him before pointing at something on the sketch of the archives. "Inej, the blue prints are kept in the repository. The dome is directly above it." The Suli woman nodded. "So That's my way in." Dirtyhands hummed in agreement before he continued with the plan.

"I will distract the foreman by posing as a sculptor asking for the dimensions of the entrances." The inferni furrowed her brow at what he said. "There's no way he'll just show you the original thing." The bastard of the barrel's face contorted in a crooked grin when she spoke those words. 'He enjoys this way too much.' She thought. "Which is exactly why we'll force his hand in some way. After that, I'll set a trail of phosphorus that will lead Inej straight to the target."

With the sound of a slight thud, his feet landed on the cobble stone road, his trusted cane gripped in his hand as he made his way through the entrance. "My name is Ivanovski, the sculptor yes." The man behind the counter rolled his eyes at him, annoyed by his presence. "I am afraid I am in dire need of your help sir. You see, I was requested to make a grand piece for the winter fete but I would need the dimensions of the door for the little palace. If the king's grand piece had to be parked in the courtyard, the king would have my head!" He joked with a broad smile.

The curly haired man grumbled before grabbing ahold of a clerk that passed by, short dark hair framing her face as it was half covered by a mask, as if she were sick. "I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid I can't assist. It seems I have fallen ill so I'd best be on my way home." Her voice croaked slightly, coughing in her mask as she grabbed ahold of her chest. The man looked at her in horror, eager to send her off so she would not be seen. "Fine. I'll get it for you." He grumbled once more.

He looked back at the wraith once more. "Because the repository is secured with a two-lock mechanism at all times, you'll need to go back the way you came. Anya this where you come in for a bigger role." Anya leaned forward, eager to hear what Kaz had to say. "About time Brekker." She grinned. "The uniforms are kept here, in the west wing of the building. You'll be on the first floor incase we need to use our back up plan. I trust you to aquire enough uniforms for us. Take out any guard but don't kill them. Jesper, you'll go in once the sun has set for 2 hours." The sharpshooter put on his signature smile as he cleaned his revolvers. "That'll be easy."

The raven-haired dropped down from the roof of the little building, carefully eyeing the movement at the side door as she waited in the cover of darkness. Moving quickly and unseen, the young grisha woman maneuvered inside when a young guard opened the door. The hair in her neck stood up right. 'Maybe he was right. Maybe there is something to this.' She thought to herself. Slinking behind a pillar, the Oryalen woman waited until most of the guards had left, either for the start of their duty or end of it. One remained, sluggishly standing on his feet at he tried to put the key in the hole.

The inferni almost laughed. If her belief had remained strong, like a used to be, she would have thought that faith was on her side and the saints had blessed her with this drunken man. She grabbed him in a headlock before he could noticed, slowly squeezing his neck. He was someone that worked for them. For him. Even if it was indirectly. So why shouldn't she take his life? As much as she wanted to, he was just an innocent man, caught in the crossfire.

Anya remembered Kaz' words as she shook her head before he slumped into unconsciousness. 'Don't kill the guards.' She grabbed the key chain, opening the lockers that contained the uniforms before pulling three out. "That should do it." She chimed before sneaking out without a trace to meet Jesper. "Hello darling I believe you have a package for me." The Zemeni man grinned once the raven-haired had revealed herself at their meeting spot. "I think you mean for us." The young barrel boss' voice interrupted as he walked towards them. "What are you doing here?" The young grisha woman asked warily. "Keeping an eye on you. Did you think I would just let you go off on your own?" He replied.

The sharpshooter rolled his eyes at the remark of his boss. 'Here they go again.' His mind whispered. "I can I trust that you won't screw up?" Dirtyhands said once more. The Oryalen woman's nails dug into her arms as they were folded, annoyance present on her face as she almost snapped at him. "I think I've proven my worth in the fold, did I not?" She hissed. "We don't have any reference of previous jobs so whether you like it or not, this'll have to do." The inferni huffed as his words, mumbling a small 'fine', as Jesper could've sworn he saw the bastard of the barrel's mouth crank up just a mere inch.

It wasn't long before the three had spread over the building, Kaz taking the ground floor as Anya took the first and the Zemeni man headed for the light valves on the second floor. All went smoothly until a voice could be heard shooting. "Why are the light out? Where is Lev?!" In the disarray that had been caused, the raven-haired blended in with the group of guards that went of to search the archives. Out of the corner of her eye, the young grisha woman could see the wraith maneuvering herself in the unseen parts of the other guards vision fields, faking going down a few aisles as if to check things.

"Seen anything newbie?" A voice demanded. "Nothing here!" The Oryalen woman shouted back as she slowly trailed behind the others, the young barrel boss joining her. "So." He said. "So." She simply replied, brow furrowing when she saw his hand slightly rubbing his knee as he hid his cane inside his coat. "How's the leg?" Dirtyhands shot her a glare and if she wasn't who she was, it might have just killed her. "None of your business." The bastard of the barrel snapped at her.

In a split second, thee hairs in Anya's neck stood up and a chill went down her spine. Kaz dropped his cane to rest on the floor before the duo turned around, coming face to face with Inej. "A bit slow on the draw there." The Suli woman noted. "Or just in time." The young barrel boss replied. As quickly and quietly possible, the three of them slipped out into the night, meeting Jesper outside before making their way back to the inn. The heist had been a success.

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The four of them sat at the bar, solemly staring down their drinks once more. "Got any more plans up your sleeve?" The wraith wondered, fingers absent mindedly drawing patterns in the dust on the counter. The Zemeni man chimed up, sipping from his glass. "Kribirsk isn't the worst. We can always brew East-Ravkan beers for the Westerners?" The poor sharpshooter earned himself a side eye of the other three before they snapped at him. "Shut up Jesper."

The raven-haired felt the discomfort clawing up her spine. The day that they would split from and would head for the little palace was drawing near and it didn't make it any easier for her. The little palace was the general's playground, his chest board, and the young grisha woman was done following his directions, being his pawn. But deep down she wondered what would happen to her if she landed right back in his lap. What would she do?

Her train of thought was interrupted as Arkan almost split through the sharpshooter and dirtyhands, the latter quickly moving out of his way before he came to close for his liking. "Friends, this is Marko." The older man said cheerily as he gestured at a man with long curly hair, the edges of his eyes colored red as if he had been crying. "Marko here is the leader of a traveling troupe known as the Pomdrakon players. The troupe was invited to perform at the winter fete but lost their star performer due to an unfortunate...freak accident." He finished, slyly looking at his companions, hoping that they would get the message.

"They are in desperate need for some with the skills to replace their star performer." The conductor continued, putting up a sad and solem face. "I had an idea, as the premier talent manager of Ketterdam." As if on que all heads turned to Inej, the Oryalen woman's eyes locking with hers, searching for an answer to know if she would be okay with this. The Suli woman nodded at her friend before standing up, pulling out her knives and daggers one by one as she handed them to the bastard of the barrel before she spoke. "As a friend once said, if I can't crack this, none of us are going anywhere."

A few moments later, the Wraith appeared on stage, disposed of her jacket and climbing up the long, thick threads of fabric before moving around elegantly. The inferni's eyes scanned the crowd, landing on a few players of the performer's troupe. They wore a long, pale blue coat, flames badly embroidered on the shoulders. Anya's shoulders shook in disgust at the attempt to cheaply imitate a kefta, let alone her culture, as if it was just a costume for them to weak, without knowing what it meant, as if they could mock it.

The raven-haired's skin crawled at the thought. It wasn't really her culture anymore, was it? She was a failure. The Oryalen woman had left the second army, abandoned her duties and comrades when they were in dire need of her help, she failed to protect them. What would they think of her back at the little palace? Do those that pushed her away, that made her out to be an outcast, paint her as martyr or as a traitor that failed to help them when they needed her the most? The inferni's mind was spiraling, her breath quickening and hands slightly shaking as she backed down to the side, away from the crowd as she tried to calm down, Kaz' piercing gaze following her every move.

'Stop it. Come on stop it!' Her thoughts shouted inside her head as loud as an echo in a cave, nails digging into the palms of her hands to keep them from shaking as she gritted her teeth. It was like a haze glazed over her, not noticing that minutes flew by, Inej coming down from the ropes before going back up with a card between her lips for Jesper to shoot in two. Anya's heart beat rapidly in her chest, emotion almost brimming over the calm and collected facade that she was holding up. She swallowed, clenching her jaw once more before heading back into the crowd.

Oh's and ah's spread through the crowd when the Zemeni had completed his shooting trick. Of course, it was his grisha, or as the Zemeni call it zowa, powers rather then it being a trick. The raven-haired had figured out that much after his stellar and accurate shooting inside the fold. Marko turned to the young grisha woman and young barrel boss, rubbing his hands together as if he waited with baited breath to see what their talents were. "I can find another way in." Dirtyhands said coldly.

The four of them retreated from the bar and stage, heading back to the inn they were staying at. Night was falling quickly as they reached their rooms, waiting in the shared area before departing. "How will you guys find a way in?" The sharpshooter asked out loud. The Oryalen woman's head whipped around, meeting the man's eyes with a look that could kill. "You are going in. But I refuse to do so." She hissed through her teeth. "Why?" The bastard of the barrel demanded her. "None of your business." She snapped.

"If we are being realistic, it would be best for you to go in. You could help us when we find ourselves in a sitch and you returning would definitely cause some distraction from the target." Jesper continued, not noticing the scared death glare that the inferni shot him. "...fine." She almost choked on her breath, regrettably knowing that he was right and that it would present itself with favorable options. But it meant she need to go through the little palace's front gate, into the vipers nest that it was.

The conversation flowed to another subject, Anya zoning out the entire time before Inej and the Zemeni man left for their rooms. "Anya." Kaz's voice grabbed her attention and while her face was controlled, almost cold even, he could see the crack in her facade. As much as the raven-haired tried to hide it, the young barrel boss had noticed her strange behavior at the stage, the look of pain and fear in her obsidian eyes at the thought of going back there. 'Saints, what did they do to her that made her so afraid?' Dirtyhands asked himself. The Oryalen woman turned to go and before the words left his lips, stopping her dead in her tracks. "We can find another way." She clenched her hands once more, looking back over her shoulder as she locked eyes with him. "There is no other way."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Finally another chapter!
Idk why but I am not feeling
as confident about this one.
I've been quite busy seeing
as college started for me a few
weeks ago. Got a cute dude
on my floor but he's an
exchange student so he'll be gone
after January.

I tried to incorporate a little SOC
feeling, regarding Nina and Inej
and how they both noticed in the book
that their culture was seen as
a costume or something that could
be mocked. I hope you
guys liked that!

I haven't really been feeling
well this week, mentally speaking
and I don't really know why.
So if y'all could
maybe drop some
headcanons or stuff
in the comments
about Anya and what not, I'm
sure that they would
make me smile!

Also, something that might
make you guys happy is that
a new trailer has been released!
Like I literally finished it
10 minutes ago. Enjoy!

And as you guys all
know by now, memes!

I hope you guys enjoyed
this chapter!