Chapter Text
A shooting pain.
That's the first thing I was able to make out.
A shooting pain that started on the back of my head and radiated down to my forehead, lingering behind my eyes.
Slowly, I regained consciousness over my body and senses, and yet the disorientation kept me in a dizzy haze, unable to move. Like a stone being drawn to the ground of the deepest lake, my body sunk, pressure surrounding me. Sensations, that I could not yet define just right. And there it was, the moment of realization that I was not alone: The far away tapping sounds of footsteps.
My eyelids flickered, blurry outlines pushed themselves into my view, muffled voices leaving an echo in my not fully awoken mind.
“….taking too long….wake......now.”
As if shot by an arrow, the adrenaline rushed through me.
The daze I was in, broken in seconds, making me draw in shallow breaths of panic. Eyes that were too heavy before, now wide open. Disoriented now even more, I tried to intuitively move, but to no luck. As my heart kept pounding in my chest, slamming against my rib cage, a blurry silhouette started to take solid form. Right in front of me stood a woman, rather elegant.
Still panicking, I couldn't form one clear thought. And just as it felt, like I was going to explode, she moved her hands. A calm and solid movement, that let my blood cool and the adrenaline fade.
A Heartrender.
My body relaxed a bit, with my pulse slowing down, I was falling back into a what I now realized, uncomfortable wooden chair. It made sense now; I was tied up.
“Calm now.” the young woman spoke, the tone of her voice soothing my still quivering senses. She was incredibly pretty, brown wavy hair and kind, but mistrusting eyes.
She stepped back, leaving me room to breathe. Only now I had the chance to look around where I was.
A room not big, not small, with dark brown flooring and black lacquered walls. I could not spot a window within my view, I doubted there even was one at all, there was no light but the dim light of the overhead lamp. But for all I knew, it might as well could've been the middle of the night. A big rustic-looking wooden desk stood a couple of meters in front of me, the stranger woman now leaning on it, facing me. Behind it, a big chair with dark green leather upholstery. A few bookshelves on the wall behind the desk made clear, that this was not some kind of prison, but an office.
To my left nothing but some drawers, to my right a heavy wooden door, that seemed to be shut tight. I couldn’t see behind me to observe the room in its entirety, but I knew the woman wasn’t the only one watching me. Because just as I darted my eyes back to her, she looked past me, giving a small, reassuring nod to whoever was there. Footsteps indicated motion, they were accompanied by the sound of something occasionally clonking on the floor. I tried not to hold my breath, as I watched the person walk into my sight.
It was a man. A young man, moving with a fluid grace. In one hand he held a cane, moving it alongside his body, supporting his steps. With said cane, he signaled the woman to step aside. She did, although I couldn’t help but notice that she rolled her eyes as she moved beside the table.
The man now looked at me directly, and the eye contact nearly took my breath away.
His eyes were sharp and calculating, like a predator sizing up its prey. They drew me in, dark and menacing. He stood at an imposing height, broad shoulders hinting at the strength that may lay beneath his fine tailored suit. His waistcoat was laced with subtle golden ornaments, complimenting this man’s appearance; angular features that were almost chiseled in nature. There was a dangerous energy about him that, outside this obviously unpleasant situation, would most likely make me want to keep my distance.
“Talk.” he finally spoke after staring me down for a while, arms crossed before his body, leaning against the edge of the desk.
His voice cold, demanding.
I hesitated. Now that I thought about it clearly…. I didn't know why people like this would want to interrogate me. On top of that, I didn't even know what kind of people they were, even though I had a creeping suspicion.
“I said, talk.”
I really didn't know what to say. What did he want to hear? From what I gathered, he did not just want to have a friendly round of small talk.
As I tried to speak, I just now realized, how dry and scratchy my throat was.
“I don't know what you want from me,” I managed to croak out, “but I promise I am not who you're looking f---.”
“What are you doing here?” he, oh so rudely, cut me off.
I dared to answer that question with another.
“How did I get here?”
The man seemed not impressed by my clever avoidance of a to me, unanswerable question. He tilted his head towards the woman, that looked like she was suppressing a grin.
“Nina, monitor her.”
“Already am. You just need to get her to talk about something she could lie about, you know?”
Now she definitely was desperately trying to hold back a laugh. I couldn't help but start to almost like this 'Nina'. I wasn't particularly scared of the fact that she could tell if I was lying or not, I didn't have something of interest to hide. Not for them, anyway. Heartrenders fascinated me, but I didn't really need to be this deep in one's business. I was scared, just not of her. It was an instinct. Even when she had the power to kill me within seconds.
“Two days ago, a transfer of money was scheduled to happen between my men and an Investor.” He took a step forward. “After said transfer, my men should return with our money. Turns out a third party got informed, and my men were attacked.”
That was a story I could follow, but how would I be tied to all this? He looked at me with a stabbing stare of hostility. I knew that he meant to intimidate me, and it worked.
“The hand-over was notoriously planned and handled with absolute secrecy.” He stepped even closer. “And yet we got strategically robbed. I already interrogated all my men, it wasn't one of them that spilled the information.”
I started to catch on. If this man really thought that I was part of that 'third party', I was in greater danger than I thought. He didn't seem like someone that would let himself be robbed of his business without severe consequences. I only hoped that Nina's abilities were decent, I couldn't afford to be thought of as a liar.
“Two days later, an unfamiliar face wanders around the Barrel, asking strange question and sneaking around places they should have no business at.”
He came dangerously close, too close. One hand now holding onto the chair's headrest behind me. Hovered over me, like a hawk ready to strike. And then he leaned down until his face was way too close to mine (for my own comfort anyway), his eyes a freezing shade of blue. A small strand of his neatly slicked back hair fell into his face, but he did not care. A shudder crept up my spine. Trying to avoid his gaze, I looked over to Nina. She noticed, but didn't intervene.
He leaned in, brought his lips closer to my ear, yet still holding a strange amount of distance, as he made his final statement in a menacing but calm tone,
“It would be a shame, having to ruin such a…sweet, unfamiliar face like yours.”
That, I had to digest first.
“Saints, Kaz! Stop flirting and get to the point!”
Finally, Nina broke the intense atmosphere in the room. With a very bold statement.
I would need to thank her for that later, if I would see her again, and…if there was a later.
Kaz ignored Nina's comment and stepped back.
“Alright. Answer three questions for me. If you tell the truth, I will let you go.”
I braced myself, it should be fairly easy to raise no suspicion. I was not involved, nor did i want to be.
“First question: Are you associated with any of my or the Barrels business?”
That was an easy one. If the follow-up questions stayed this easy, I would be out in no-time.
I cleared my throat.
“No, I am not involved in any business nor any party. I have nothing to do with all of this.”
He turned towards Nina, who nodded.
“Second question: Why were you sneaking around the Barrel? I have my eyes and ears in multiple corners around here, and got informed that a strange girl was snooping around.”
This one was less easy. Dammit. I did not really want to expose all my personal business to this criminal stranger, but I guessed that I really had no other option than to at least give him some crumbs to work with. Panicking now wouldn't get me far.
“I am searching for someone. I had…reasons to leave my hometown and was told that someone who could help me was located in Ketterdam. I guessed the Barrel might be the right place to start. I also guess now, that I was wrong.”
Almost monotone, those words left my mouth. I sincerely hoped that satisfied him enough to not ask about it further. Once again, Nina nodded. Kaz's expression shifted from one full of hostility, to one of mild suspicion, and he now walked around the desk to sit down. As he drew his chair back, the third question left his mouth.
“What is your name? And who were you searching for?”
“Those are two questions.” I replied, a bit fed up with the fact that he did not leave it at three.
He folded his hands in front of him, pausing. Seemingly weighing his options.
“I'm afraid you're right. Curiosity must've gotten the best of me.” He looked up at me, his eyes almost glowing with anticipation.
“Just the name, then.”
On one hand, I really did not want him to know my name, he could use it against me and that was the last thing I needed. But he seemed like a man that kept his word, and so I really hoped that my answer would finally draw an end to this.
“Y/N Y/L/N. And, yes, it is my real name, ask your friend over there.”
Nina shrugged, unimpressed, and gave one last nod in Kaz's direction.
“Can I leave now? As you can see, you definitely got the wrong person and wasted not only your, but also my time.” I now confidently claimed.
“Actually,” chimed in Nina, “I wanted to ask the same thing. You got Inej, she can untie her. I really need to go for some private matter in the washrooms. Also, I'm taking the evening off!” and with that, she stormed out of the room, closing the door behind her --- to my disappointment, a quick look outside this room maybe would've given me some more information on my surroundings.
But nevertheless, it was decided: I really liked Nina. But what she meant by 'you got Inej' left me confused.
“Alright, Inej, untie her then.”
And it struck me; a third person had been in the room the entire time. How could they've been this quiet? Even more shocked I was, when not even 2 seconds later after Kaz's demand, said 'Inej' stood directly beside me. She was moving unbelievably quiet, never before had I witnessed a human being making less sound than the wind on a windless day. It was to no wonder I hadn't even guessed another soul's presence in this room. She kneeled down, undoing the tight bonds around my wrists and ankles that tied me to the chair.
Inej was, like all the people that were in this room at one point, unbelievably beautiful. Dressed in all black and veiling her hair, she looked like a mysterious night-phantom, and I couldn't stop looking at her in awe. She looked up at me too, raising a one-sided, apologetic smile. I guessed that she had been my shadow during my stroll through the Barrel, but I couldn't really be mad at her.
If all, it was pure adoration for the skills it took to stay unnoticed, when I really tried to not be followed.
And so I smiled back at her, hoping she would understand that I didn't put this on her. The only thing I would not forget so fast was the throbbing bump on my head.
Kaz waited until I was fully freed, then turned away just to proclaim, “You may leave now.”
A true drama-queen. Just as I was up and about to do exactly that, doorknob already in hand, he made another proposal.
“Or you stay, and we talk about how we could help each other out. How does that sound for a start?”