𝕬𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖘 𝕷𝖚𝖑𝖑𝖆𝖇𝖞 - [𝗞𝗮𝘇 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗿]

𝐱𝐥𝐢𝐱. 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄 — sea shanties

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 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐊𝐒𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 the one to tell Jesper that Inej had awoken the next morning. The Sharpshooter always had jittering fingers and a pulsating heart. He always had tapping toes that simply couldn't stay still... but with Inej under, and having seen Aleksa smothered in her own blood, he had lost all the little resolve he once had.

 Jesper Fahey kept an air of aloofness about him. He always slapped on that dazzling smile that seemed to fit so perfectly on his face. His widening grin always spouted humour, as though he couldn't be serious a day in his life... but when Aleksa approached him as his fingers drummed along the sips railings, and told him that Inej was awake... The gangly Zemeni boy crumbled.

 He toppled forth, long and spindly arms curling around his dearest little bug. They had stayed there for a moment, rocking back and forth in sync with the waves, neither quite aware of the hawk-like stare glaring at them from the mast.

 The salted breeze tickled their faces, cooling the little tears that had squeezed through their cracks. Aleksa had taken Jesper's hand moments later, tugging him towards the cabin in which their Wraith rested.

 He'd made Inej Ghafa laugh, and that was what mattered most. The Crows found it easy to slip into the guise of hardened criminals, sticky-handed thieves, and those who expected the worst. But when they could laugh and let their cheeks redden in the most delightful of ways... that was how you knew they were alright. That things would be okay.

 Inej had almost demanded to leave the cramp and damp-smelling cabin she'd been cooped within. Nina and Jesper had managed to wrestle her rubber-soled shoes back onto her toes, and the moment inej slipped her feet to the ground, she looped an arm through Aleksa's, another through Jespers... and off they went to swallow more salted air.

 Once they were on the deck, Inej halted and tipped her head back. Her ink-coloured braid tumbled down her back, whipping to and fro in the air as she inhaled ever so deeply. It was a bland old day, the horizon almost a remnant of Ketterdam itself; a bleak and grey sky broken by white-capped mountains. There were ripples of clouds drowning out the sunlight and floating by as the wind howled and carried the little boat further and further over the ocean waves.

 Aleksa watched her. The Wraith was free once more, she never did quite take to staying cooped within a room for longer than she had to. Her hair was slithering free from her coil, and Aleksa was practically itching to fiddle with it and wrangle it back into a perfectly sleek plait.

 "It feels good to be this kind of cold," Inej murmured, voice almost swallowed by the whistling wind.

 Jesper cocked his head, a light shiver gracing his skin. He'd much rather the sunlight spring free and warm him once more, "This kind?"