Kaz Brekker does not make deals for more than he can reasonably bring to the table. He manages himself and his people in such a way to best try to ensure he accrues no debt for another to hang over his head, but when he does, he clears those debts as efficiently and immediately as is possible.
Jesper Fahey, it seems, is not a man of as much control. Two nights ago, Kaz was on his way back to The Slat when he came across what is not in unusual sight in the bottom of The Barrel: A man, clearly well over his head in debts he has no way to pay about to get what’s owed beaten out of him. Not as good as getting the money, but it sends a message, and it makes sure people who play in the gambling halls less likely to cross the owners and gang leaders that pull the strings in them.
There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the sounds of a scuffle, or the pleas of the desperate in these streets. But nonetheless something, and Kaz is still uncertain what it was, made him pause. Further than that, made him step in, and even further still, made him drag the boy along with him to sell the rouse he’d just laid out.
The guy that had been in the process of beating the life— possibly literally, only time would have told if this might have been another in a long line of tragic young deaths— out of the tall, lanky boy didn’t question the story. Most people wouldn’t. Questioning the The Bastard of the Barrel himself was not particularly wise and even the boldest of men were not usually that stupid.
Kaz has kept a close eye on the Zemeni boy since that night. He’s a smooth-talker, a charmer in ways Kaz truly would not have believed if he hadn’t witnessed it himself. But he is also reckless and noisy and incessant.
Which is probably what’s led him to being sat across from him on the other side of the desk in Kaz’s office. “…You want to join The Dregs?” He echoes the idea like it’s the most preposterous thing he’s ever heard. Maybe it is. “Why?” not an unreasonable question, though it absolutely comes out in an unreasonable way, sharp and heavy with doubt.
Why. It's a good question, a sound one. Honestly, it's a question that Jesper had been asking to come sooner, well before he had made his intents to permanently join the Dregs known. Kaz, in the times Jesper had taken to observing him beyond a glance, was not a man to take in others on a whim. He was even less likely to put himself out for someone on the streets--unless there was something to be gained, of course. Kaz Brekker had his reasons, whatever they may be, for every action and reaction he placed on the board.
So Jesper had his own selection of whys to ask, in the long scheme of things. And every one of them came back around to the boy on the other side of the desk.
Why me? Why save me? Why go out of your way--what made me stand out?
An endless, reverberating list of questions he's likely to never voice. Not unless Kaz forced his hand in one way or another. And goodness knows he's racked up more debt in the Crow Club's hall to give Kaz leverage if he wanted or needed it.
The question continues to hang, as Jesper considers how best to answer it. He fidgets, fingers tapping out a beat on his thigh as he looks around the office. He'd be better off dropping the thought, walking out the door and heading back up to the college. His father would want it that way. The problem with that idea was how much he hated it--not necessarily the offer of education and opportunity, but the stifling walls that held it firmly in strict rote and rule. That was part of the draw of the Dregs, the excitement of it. The unpredictability. The danger and andrenaline.
There was the protection that came with it too. The Dregs had a reputation, one that was building and becoming a threat on the streets of the Barrel and Ketterdam at large. There was a security in that, one that Jesper couldn't blink at. Between his well-known habit of building up debt quicker than he could make a kruge and his relatively unknown status as a Grisha, Jesper needed that promise of having some muscle on his side.
Then there was the matter of Kaz himself. Outside of wanting to know the whys surrounding their meeting, Kaz was a draw himself. A reason probably best kept to himself, once he got into it. Best not to think on it long as it was.
"Does it matter?" A non-answer, given with a shrug as he brings his attention back to Kaz. "I can be useful. We both know some of your bruisers don't know their way around a gun like I do."
Kaz doesn’t mind the stretch of silence. He does fine with them, though he isn’t sure the boy in front of him does. The fidgeting doesn’t go unnoticed. Nerves or something else? It’s smart to be at least a little uneasy around someone with a reputation like Kaz has, he supposes. That has been the point all along, after all. To be so dangerous no one would ever dare cross him again.
It’s smart to consider an answer such as this, rather than casting the first line brought to mind. Kaz likes it, even though there is an impatience in the moment as well. His is hidden, inside the absolute stillness of him, a stark contrast to Jesper’s fingers tapping an unknown rhythm.
And then that first remark seems to throw out every point of appreciation Kaz might have considered for the other boy— Does it matter?
Idiot. Careless.
Irritation rests behind his eyes, but nothing on the outside shifts in the features of his face. Except the tiniest lift at the corner of his mouth. A dangerous thing that says Jesper has just walked perfectly into some trap he wasn’t even aware had existed.
“Of course it matters.” Everything did, when you were in a constant state of perpetual scheming. “You’ve taken on jobs with more than one gang in the city, opportunistic loyalty isn’t exactly something I keep an eye out for new recruits.” He knows the jobs had nothing to do with loyalty or even consideration into joining. Until now. Curiouser and curiouser. “So, you see…your motivations are very important and could make or break my decision, Mr. Fahey.”
“You are not the only competent gunslinger in all of Ketterdam.” Said like he’s bored (he’s not). Like he’s seen better (he hasn’t). Like he’s not interested (he is).
Jesper recognized his misstep before Kaz bothered to call him out on it. He had made a habit of trying to read Kaz. And while most of his ticks and tells were still a mystery, noticing his displeasure with an answer or an action had been far too easy to catch on to. Kaz's irritation and disappointment were the easiest of tells for someone like Jesper to pick up on.
And Jesper had stepped into it, fell for it like a sap. Idiot..
"Competent is one thing. Accurate on every count is another." There was being cocky, there was being arrogant--and then there was speaking with the air of confidence only Jesper could have. But there were those points about loyalty. And the jobs he's taken. Fair enough doubts to have, much as Jesper would loathe to admit it. "I wouldn't even call those jobs opportunistic loyalty. I had debts, I paid them with work." Until he couldn't. Until work wasn't enough when it came to what he owed and they wanted their pound of flesh too.
"You're about more than money, Brekker." Oh, Kaz could count the fat stacks and coin with the best of them, but Jesper could see something else at work. The other bosses in the barrel were content to sit back and let the money stroll in and have their men handle it. Kaz was in the thick of it--and no amount of Per Haskell claiming charge would make it less obvious that Kaz was the one running the show. And perhaps that's the biggest question--what made Kaz tick, and what made him need to be in the thick of it all? "If I'm putting my loyalty anywhere, it's going to be with someone that has more in the game than money and greed."
A beat, two, three. And then Jesper's easing back in his chair, settling in as if he belonged there. Amongst Kaz's people and plans and things.
"And it's Jesper. Not Mr. Fahey, thanks." He'd already misstepped once in this conversation, might as well have it out for all he can while he's still breathing.
“Every is a bold word. Even the best marksman misses once in awhile.” He perks an eyebrow at him, half-curious, half-doubtful. He’d like a demonstration once all the talk is over.
He shrugs. “Perhaps. But that’s a lot of bad blood for me to take into my hands. Your enemies become ours, your debts, too. And I assure you, if it’s asylum from your debts you seek here, The Dregs won’t be bailing you out every time you get in over your head.” Just to make that known, clear.
“You think yourself in a position to tell me about myself, do you, Jesper?” Another shark’s smirk touches his lips. “I’d love to hear your theories.” There were so many stories attached to him, and many painted him a devil or demon, the true spawn of evil in some manner or another. A cautionary tale to keep small children in their beds late at night, only in this story the monster was a boy, and he was as real as the threat of him. And for some reason, this brazen sharpshooter thought himself bold enough to step into his space.
Both eyebrows arch ever upward as he watches Jesper settle into his spot like it was already his. Like he already belonged here. In the gang, and further than that, in this space specifically. This is a confidence unmatched by anyone else that ever sets foot in this room, and that alone intrigues him.
"I never miss. Not unless I'm meant to, told to." And even then, his 'near-misses' still had their targets. A place to hit just right to send a message. The point is, Jesper's confident because he has every reason to be.
And fidgety as he may be, he's observant when a subject interests him enough. Kaz Brekker was plenty interesting on his own, even before you started to wade into rumor and legend--the those only serves to up the intrigue. When it came right down to it, Jesper made his claims because he paid attention where Kaz was concerned. Because past the sharp edges and threats there was something he couldn't quite look away from. And whatever nerve his observations made have hit, he knew he had Kaz's interest--or at least enough of it to keep him from being offed.
"I think I have enough room to make an observation." The grin he bore was sharp, that confidence turning the easy expression closer to a smirk than anything else. "If it was just money you were after, you leave the muscling up to the others and keep to running things from this high ground. Nah, you're after something more than that I think. Money's the bonus, right?"
If it was all about the scratch, he wouldn't even consider someone with the likes to run up debt the way Jesper has. He knows it. It's the only reason the mention of what he's owed, can owe, may owe in the future, has him wondering if he might fail at this after all. "Haven't run it up past what I can manage since--" Since Kaz saved his sorry ass and set him on a trajectory that landed him in this office in the first place. "It's not the debtors I'm worried about. I wouldn't expect the Dregs to pull me out of that kind of mess if I landed there again."
Words like every and never make inklings of doubt rise. Hard not to let it, perfection is easy to boast about in theory. “I want to see it. I’ll have something set up for tomorrow afternoon.” Sometimes, it’s easier to let the actions speak for themselves, after all.
“Every leader of every gang in this city got their hands dirty to get where they are now. I’m not the one they’re bound to,” he gestures, a vague wave of his hand toward the door, to indicate the masses of The Dregs sprawled across the various floors of The Slat. The noise of it, though a bit muffled, could still heard even from all the way upstairs. Not yet. He does have aims for it, but the timing hasn’t been right, so he continues to bide it all the same.
He scoffs softly. “Am I meant to be impressed? A few days debt free isn’t anything to go boasting about, Jesper.” The name comes easier this time, not the stressed point it was before. Exhausted. Exasperated. Almost like this is the sort of back-and-forth they’ve had for years. Kaz doesn’t remember the last time dealing with another person was so… easy?
Jesper almost laughs, because whatever Kaz has planned? He's certain he'll ace it. "Fine by me. I can take on whatever test you have planned."
The mention of the others, of how causally Kaz thinks of their loyalty, something easily flipped--which means there's no level of real trust there. No one Kaz would say he relies on is beyond that door. It's be sad if it wasn't clear to almost anyone that Kaz liked his walls up and defensible. "I don't throw loyalty around like that." A serious note, conviction. It's rare enough from Jesper that it means just a little more.
"Could be the start of change. Turning over a new leaf and all that." He grins, easy as anything. This is how Jesper drew everyone else in, with casual ease. "Point being, I've been keeping out of trouble--money trouble. And if I'm in it again, I'm not expecting a bail out just because I'm one of yours."
“I hope you do.” He means that, more than he might like to admit. There’s something about the idea of being the one to bring in someone that was that good of a shot. That and… he’d be able to lay claim to those skills for himself. If he was Haskell’s right hand, Jesper would be Kaz’s, if all this cocky attitude paid off.
He doesn’t respond to that, beyond a soft, noncommittal hum. He doesn’t have any reason not to believe him, but equally so, he has no reason to take his word for truth, either. He’ll judge the loyalty for himself, through time and action and consequence.
Kaz barely contains an amused glance at those words. He doesn’t buy it, but Jesper isn’t actually selling it, either. “Good,” he says, his tone sharp and brusque. “because if you’re brought on, that will never happen again. Next time I’ll just let your debtors kill you.”
"Hope," Jesper snorts. He may play at confidence in most everything, but his skills are the one thing where that confidence is sold, true, and earned. He was cocky because he knows he has reason to be. And Kaz would see that for himself. If nothing else would earn him a place in the ranks, he's certain that would do it. "You'll see for yourself tomorrow."
He doesn't miss that Kaz doesn't challenge him on his claims of loyalty. But he'd hazard a bet that it's more due to faith being something earned from him--something that was forged in blood and sweat, time and circumstance. His claims meant little without evidence. There'd be time enough for that once he was brought on.
"You're already considering it. Bringing me on." He leans forward, weight balanced with elbows on knees and a wide grin breaking across his features. "Next time--told you already, if there is one I'll be the one to handle it. That's a kind of debt I don't like repeating."
He nods, a confirmation that needs no further words, and Kaz is a man of few of them unless necessary in almost every case.
Kaz barely keeps a groan contained and can’t stop the roll of his eyes at the eager way he leans in with that declaration. “Good,” he says of the debt issue and then adds, “and there’s a long way between considering and actively pursuing.”
Jesper snickers, if only because he caught the eye roll and he's certain that he's at the very least made some headway in gaining Kaz's favor. No matter how little he wants to admit it. "We'll see how long that road actually is."
And that's another note of confidence. "I think you're thinking about it. You like me more than you want to admit." He doesn't wait for the confirmation though, shifting to rise from the chair.
It’s midway through the afternoon when Kaz sends for Jesper and a couple of the other men under his employee bring him to the location of a rather impressive, and at first glance, impossible-looking obstacle course of targets.
Some will be easy things anyone who could shoot a gun could make, some are so far off in the distance no one could catch a bullseye from there. There are points where mirrors are hung up and tilted in such a way that no matter where he stands there will be a glare in his eyes, and there’s even a portion of the course toward the end which Kaz will insist he be blindfolded for.
The guys who set it up had exchanged wild looks when Kaz had given them directions. They’re here heard them muttering things about Kaz wasting this kid’s time and putting an impossible course together to make him fail. They’re not wrong, not completely, at least. He did construct it purposely in such a way that it would seem impossible. But it would also bring more evidence to him about that inkling he’s had about Jesper all along: More confirmation to the theory that he’s Grisha.
Kaz sends the others away when everything is set. He’s standing at the start of the target course when Jesper arrives. “Ready to prove your worth?”
Jesper has a surprisingly good read on Kaz and his habits, for someone that isn't fully initiated into the inner circle of The Dregs. But he's hardly surprised when several of his men are tasked with bringing him to the location rather than being brought up by Kaz himself.
The first glance he gets at the setup has him impressed, enough that it earns a raised eyebrow and a low, appreciative whistle. Anyone else would think Kaz insane, he's sure but this was the kind of challenge Jesper liked. There was no fun in trying something that looked possible--he preferred the impractical. It let him show off.
And wasn't that why they were here in the first place?
"All of this for me?" He replies with a grin, hands already itching to go for his guns and give this a run. "You really know how to make a guy feel special, Kaz."
He rolls his eyes at the commentary from the other boy, “You wanted a challenge,” he says easily, perking a brow at him curiously. “Too much?”
It isn’t and he knows it, but there is a banter between the two of them that is so easy to slip into. Effortless. Like he’s already know Jesper for years.
It makes him wary of the boy, but intrigued by him as well.
"Too much?" He parrots, following it up with a laugh. "Hardly, boss. I'm looking forward to this."
And as a show of it all, those guns are free and in Jesper's hands in a matter of seconds and not without a deliberate, elaborate twirl. A spin, two, three, in his hands before they settle properly and he's lining up a shot. It's one he doesn't take, not yet, not without Kaz's word to start, but it does let him feel what this arena of sorts is like--the energy, the lay of things--and what he can use to help him hit his targets in earnest.
Boss. Said as though he’s already got the job. It’s arrogant and cocky— Kaz can relate, if he’s honest, but it’s a strange sort of boasting that many would never dare to do in front of him.
“Whenever you’re ready.” He says, hiding the amused smirk that wants to slip out at the showmanship. Best to just judge him on his actual skill, anyone can look like they know what they’re doing, after all.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
{Debts piled a mile high
Date: 2022-04-15 02:00 am (UTC)Jesper Fahey, it seems, is not a man of as much control. Two nights ago, Kaz was on his way back to The Slat when he came across what is not in unusual sight in the bottom of The Barrel: A man, clearly well over his head in debts he has no way to pay about to get what’s owed beaten out of him. Not as good as getting the money, but it sends a message, and it makes sure people who play in the gambling halls less likely to cross the owners and gang leaders that pull the strings in them.
There was nothing particularly extraordinary about the sounds of a scuffle, or the pleas of the desperate in these streets. But nonetheless something, and Kaz is still uncertain what it was, made him pause. Further than that, made him step in, and even further still, made him drag the boy along with him to sell the rouse he’d just laid out.
The guy that had been in the process of beating the life— possibly literally, only time would have told if this might have been another in a long line of tragic young deaths— out of the tall, lanky boy didn’t question the story. Most people wouldn’t. Questioning the The Bastard of the Barrel himself was not particularly wise and even the boldest of men were not usually that stupid.
Kaz has kept a close eye on the Zemeni boy since that night. He’s a smooth-talker, a charmer in ways Kaz truly would not have believed if he hadn’t witnessed it himself. But he is also reckless and noisy and incessant.
Which is probably what’s led him to being sat across from him on the other side of the desk in Kaz’s office. “…You want to join The Dregs?” He echoes the idea like it’s the most preposterous thing he’s ever heard. Maybe it is. “Why?” not an unreasonable question, though it absolutely comes out in an unreasonable way, sharp and heavy with doubt.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 12:08 am (UTC)So Jesper had his own selection of whys to ask, in the long scheme of things. And every one of them came back around to the boy on the other side of the desk.
Why me? Why save me? Why go out of your way--what made me stand out?
An endless, reverberating list of questions he's likely to never voice. Not unless Kaz forced his hand in one way or another. And goodness knows he's racked up more debt in the Crow Club's hall to give Kaz leverage if he wanted or needed it.
The question continues to hang, as Jesper considers how best to answer it. He fidgets, fingers tapping out a beat on his thigh as he looks around the office. He'd be better off dropping the thought, walking out the door and heading back up to the college. His father would want it that way. The problem with that idea was how much he hated it--not necessarily the offer of education and opportunity, but the stifling walls that held it firmly in strict rote and rule. That was part of the draw of the Dregs, the excitement of it. The unpredictability. The danger and andrenaline.
There was the protection that came with it too. The Dregs had a reputation, one that was building and becoming a threat on the streets of the Barrel and Ketterdam at large. There was a security in that, one that Jesper couldn't blink at. Between his well-known habit of building up debt quicker than he could make a kruge and his relatively unknown status as a Grisha, Jesper needed that promise of having some muscle on his side.
Then there was the matter of Kaz himself. Outside of wanting to know the whys surrounding their meeting, Kaz was a draw himself. A reason probably best kept to himself, once he got into it. Best not to think on it long as it was.
"Does it matter?" A non-answer, given with a shrug as he brings his attention back to Kaz. "I can be useful. We both know some of your bruisers don't know their way around a gun like I do."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 12:48 am (UTC)It’s smart to consider an answer such as this, rather than casting the first line brought to mind. Kaz likes it, even though there is an impatience in the moment as well. His is hidden, inside the absolute stillness of him, a stark contrast to Jesper’s fingers tapping an unknown rhythm.
And then that first remark seems to throw out every point of appreciation Kaz might have considered for the other boy— Does it matter?
Idiot.
Careless.
Irritation rests behind his eyes, but nothing on the outside shifts in the features of his face. Except the tiniest lift at the corner of his mouth. A dangerous thing that says Jesper has just walked perfectly into some trap he wasn’t even aware had existed.
“Of course it matters.” Everything did, when you were in a constant state of perpetual scheming. “You’ve taken on jobs with more than one gang in the city, opportunistic loyalty isn’t exactly something I keep an eye out for new recruits.” He knows the jobs had nothing to do with loyalty or even consideration into joining. Until now. Curiouser and curiouser. “So, you see…your motivations are very important and could make or break my decision, Mr. Fahey.”
“You are not the only competent gunslinger in all of Ketterdam.” Said like he’s bored (he’s not). Like he’s seen better (he hasn’t). Like he’s not interested (he is).
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 01:15 am (UTC)And Jesper had stepped into it, fell for it like a sap. Idiot..
"Competent is one thing. Accurate on every count is another." There was being cocky, there was being arrogant--and then there was speaking with the air of confidence only Jesper could have. But there were those points about loyalty. And the jobs he's taken. Fair enough doubts to have, much as Jesper would loathe to admit it. "I wouldn't even call those jobs opportunistic loyalty. I had debts, I paid them with work." Until he couldn't. Until work wasn't enough when it came to what he owed and they wanted their pound of flesh too.
"You're about more than money, Brekker." Oh, Kaz could count the fat stacks and coin with the best of them, but Jesper could see something else at work. The other bosses in the barrel were content to sit back and let the money stroll in and have their men handle it. Kaz was in the thick of it--and no amount of Per Haskell claiming charge would make it less obvious that Kaz was the one running the show. And perhaps that's the biggest question--what made Kaz tick, and what made him need to be in the thick of it all? "If I'm putting my loyalty anywhere, it's going to be with someone that has more in the game than money and greed."
A beat, two, three. And then Jesper's easing back in his chair, settling in as if he belonged there. Amongst Kaz's people and plans and things.
"And it's Jesper. Not Mr. Fahey, thanks." He'd already misstepped once in this conversation, might as well have it out for all he can while he's still breathing.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-17 12:32 am (UTC)He shrugs. “Perhaps. But that’s a lot of bad blood for me to take into my hands. Your enemies become ours, your debts, too. And I assure you, if it’s asylum from your debts you seek here, The Dregs won’t be bailing you out every time you get in over your head.” Just to make that known, clear.
“You think yourself in a position to tell me about myself, do you, Jesper?” Another shark’s smirk touches his lips. “I’d love to hear your theories.” There were so many stories attached to him, and many painted him a devil or demon, the true spawn of evil in some manner or another. A cautionary tale to keep small children in their beds late at night, only in this story the monster was a boy, and he was as real as the threat of him. And for some reason, this brazen sharpshooter thought himself bold enough to step into his space.
Both eyebrows arch ever upward as he watches Jesper settle into his spot like it was already his. Like he already belonged here. In the gang, and further than that, in this space specifically. This is a confidence unmatched by anyone else that ever sets foot in this room, and that alone intrigues him.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-17 12:51 am (UTC)And fidgety as he may be, he's observant when a subject interests him enough. Kaz Brekker was plenty interesting on his own, even before you started to wade into rumor and legend--the those only serves to up the intrigue. When it came right down to it, Jesper made his claims because he paid attention where Kaz was concerned. Because past the sharp edges and threats there was something he couldn't quite look away from. And whatever nerve his observations made have hit, he knew he had Kaz's interest--or at least enough of it to keep him from being offed.
"I think I have enough room to make an observation." The grin he bore was sharp, that confidence turning the easy expression closer to a smirk than anything else. "If it was just money you were after, you leave the muscling up to the others and keep to running things from this high ground. Nah, you're after something more than that I think. Money's the bonus, right?"
If it was all about the scratch, he wouldn't even consider someone with the likes to run up debt the way Jesper has. He knows it. It's the only reason the mention of what he's owed, can owe, may owe in the future, has him wondering if he might fail at this after all. "Haven't run it up past what I can manage since--" Since Kaz saved his sorry ass and set him on a trajectory that landed him in this office in the first place. "It's not the debtors I'm worried about. I wouldn't expect the Dregs to pull me out of that kind of mess if I landed there again."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-17 01:10 am (UTC)“Every leader of every gang in this city got their hands dirty to get where they are now. I’m not the one they’re bound to,” he gestures, a vague wave of his hand toward the door, to indicate the masses of The Dregs sprawled across the various floors of The Slat. The noise of it, though a bit muffled, could still heard even from all the way upstairs. Not yet. He does have aims for it, but the timing hasn’t been right, so he continues to bide it all the same.
He scoffs softly. “Am I meant to be impressed? A few days debt free isn’t anything to go boasting about, Jesper.” The name comes easier this time, not the stressed point it was before. Exhausted. Exasperated. Almost like this is the sort of back-and-forth they’ve had for years. Kaz doesn’t remember the last time dealing with another person was so… easy?
no subject
Date: 2022-04-17 01:20 am (UTC)The mention of the others, of how causally Kaz thinks of their loyalty, something easily flipped--which means there's no level of real trust there. No one Kaz would say he relies on is beyond that door. It's be sad if it wasn't clear to almost anyone that Kaz liked his walls up and defensible. "I don't throw loyalty around like that." A serious note, conviction. It's rare enough from Jesper that it means just a little more.
"Could be the start of change. Turning over a new leaf and all that." He grins, easy as anything. This is how Jesper drew everyone else in, with casual ease. "Point being, I've been keeping out of trouble--money trouble. And if I'm in it again, I'm not expecting a bail out just because I'm one of yours."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-17 01:37 am (UTC)He doesn’t respond to that, beyond a soft, noncommittal hum. He doesn’t have any reason not to believe him, but equally so, he has no reason to take his word for truth, either. He’ll judge the loyalty for himself, through time and action and consequence.
Kaz barely contains an amused glance at those words. He doesn’t buy it, but Jesper isn’t actually selling it, either. “Good,” he says, his tone sharp and brusque. “because if you’re brought on, that will never happen again. Next time I’ll just let your debtors kill you.”
no subject
Date: 2022-04-17 11:51 pm (UTC)He doesn't miss that Kaz doesn't challenge him on his claims of loyalty. But he'd hazard a bet that it's more due to faith being something earned from him--something that was forged in blood and sweat, time and circumstance. His claims meant little without evidence. There'd be time enough for that once he was brought on.
"You're already considering it. Bringing me on." He leans forward, weight balanced with elbows on knees and a wide grin breaking across his features. "Next time--told you already, if there is one I'll be the one to handle it. That's a kind of debt I don't like repeating."
no subject
Date: 2022-04-18 12:09 am (UTC)Kaz barely keeps a groan contained and can’t stop the roll of his eyes at the eager way he leans in with that declaration. “Good,” he says of the debt issue and then adds, “and there’s a long way between considering and actively pursuing.”
no subject
Date: 2022-04-18 12:33 am (UTC)And that's another note of confidence. "I think you're thinking about it. You like me more than you want to admit." He doesn't wait for the confirmation though, shifting to rise from the chair.
"If that's all, boss?"
no subject
Date: 2022-04-18 12:40 am (UTC)A beat.
“And I’m not your boss.”
no subject
Date: 2022-04-18 12:44 am (UTC){Time for a trick shot
Date: 2022-04-21 02:05 am (UTC)Some will be easy things anyone who could shoot a gun could make, some are so far off in the distance no one could catch a bullseye from there. There are points where mirrors are hung up and tilted in such a way that no matter where he stands there will be a glare in his eyes, and there’s even a portion of the course toward the end which Kaz will insist he be blindfolded for.
The guys who set it up had exchanged wild looks when Kaz had given them directions. They’re here heard them muttering things about Kaz wasting this kid’s time and putting an impossible course together to make him fail. They’re not wrong, not completely, at least. He did construct it purposely in such a way that it would seem impossible. But it would also bring more evidence to him about that inkling he’s had about Jesper all along: More confirmation to the theory that he’s Grisha.
Kaz sends the others away when everything is set. He’s standing at the start of the target course when Jesper arrives. “Ready to prove your worth?”
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Date: 2022-10-01 11:21 pm (UTC)The first glance he gets at the setup has him impressed, enough that it earns a raised eyebrow and a low, appreciative whistle. Anyone else would think Kaz insane, he's sure but this was the kind of challenge Jesper liked. There was no fun in trying something that looked possible--he preferred the impractical. It let him show off.
And wasn't that why they were here in the first place?
"All of this for me?" He replies with a grin, hands already itching to go for his guns and give this a run. "You really know how to make a guy feel special, Kaz."
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Date: 2022-10-05 11:09 pm (UTC)It isn’t and he knows it, but there is a banter between the two of them that is so easy to slip into. Effortless. Like he’s already know Jesper for years.
It makes him wary of the boy, but intrigued by him as well.
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Date: 2023-07-21 01:03 am (UTC)And as a show of it all, those guns are free and in Jesper's hands in a matter of seconds and not without a deliberate, elaborate twirl. A spin, two, three, in his hands before they settle properly and he's lining up a shot. It's one he doesn't take, not yet, not without Kaz's word to start, but it does let him feel what this arena of sorts is like--the energy, the lay of things--and what he can use to help him hit his targets in earnest.
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Date: 2023-08-18 07:19 pm (UTC)“Whenever you’re ready.” He says, hiding the amused smirk that wants to slip out at the showmanship. Best to just judge him on his actual skill, anyone can look like they know what they’re doing, after all.