foundations of decay; k. brekker

3. babooshka.

Nastya stared at the wall blankly, combination wrench in one hand, half-empty bottle of kvas held loosely in the other. This was insanity. She took a swig as Jesper spoke, the kvas burning as it went down.

"We have to say no."

"No." said Kaz, glare focused on the table in front of him.

"'No' to the job?" Jesper asked hopefully.

"'No' to saying 'no.'"

"We can't go!"

"Can't we?"

Nastya drained the rest of the bottle, setting it down on the bartop with a thud. She glared at Kaz.

"Maybe you can," she said. "But I certainly can't."

"Nastya's right," said Inej. "I can't go either."

"You will. Both of you will. I have a plan."

"No, you don't." spat Inej. Nastya nodded, scoffing.

"I made a damn promise that I wouldn't go back." she said, dropping her wrench with a clang.

"Inej!" yelped Jesper as she stole his drink. Nastya sighed, pouring Jesper another drink and grabbing herself another bottle of kvas.

"I know by now when you're still figuring things out. You don't know how to pull off this job."

"I still have six hours, and right now, you aren't helping."

"Maybe you crack a way across, but that doesn't solve this problem!"

"If I can't crack this, no one's going." Nastya listened to the two fight, taking swigs from her bottle.

"If you do?"

"Then maybe you stay here."

"Maybe I won't be here when you get back." spat Inej, standing up and draining Jesper's drink again.

"Inej! Inej!"

Nastya laughed bitterly. "Inej is right."

"Not you too." groaned Kaz, glaring at Nastya.

"I mean it. Let's say you do somehow figure out a way to get across the Fold and back and we don't die. What next? We just so happen to be able to break into the Little Palace and steal the alleged Sun Summoner?"

She set down her bottle. "I left Ravka for a reason, Brekker. So asking me to go back to the place I barely escaped from? That's a fate worse than death."

And with one final glower, she left.

Inej found her trying not to cry on her apartment's roof. The two just sat together for a while, the only noise between them the occasional sniffle from Nastya.

"Do you want to talk about it?" said Inej, gently patting her friend's back. Nastya shook her head.

"I can't tell you all of it. I can't tell anyone all of it. But I can tell you some of it."

She sniffled again, resting her head on her knees.

"I grew up in East Ravka, close to the Fjerdan border. I was always alone, my parents dying to the Fold. I'm half-Shu. I had no one and was always treated horribly because of it. I learned I was a Fabrikator accidentally when I was examining a broken anvil 'n accidentally fixed it in the village I was staying at. I was about seven. A druskёlle heard about it and hunted me down. I was found by a patrolling team of Grisha, one of them being the Black General. I ended up at the Little Palace in the Second Army, and I eventually had enough of just being used for my Durast abilities to make shit like corecloth and Grisha steel. So I ran. I was tired of being used, and I knew it was all I would know, so I deserted."