The Phoenix and the Crow

Dirtyhands

Y/N tripped on the silk skirt of her dress causing her to groan and pull it up to her calves. "How long do we have to be in these?"
Inej sighed and fixed the large collar of her costume, "Till the end of the night I assume. At least you look beautiful."
"Look who's talking," Y/N said with a kind smile on her lips. She did have to admit the dress fit her perfectly, large strips of purple silk and chiffon overlapped each other and swayed with each step. The top of her dress was completely silk, hugging her stomach up to her shoulders with a deep neckline that stopped at her midsection. It was by far the most revealing outfit she's ever worn, given the fact that she typically wore clothes fit for physical combat and training.
Jesper and Wylan stood around a table with their costumes in hand. "Hey," Jesper smiled at the two girls.
"These smell like they haven't been washed since last year," Inej complained. Jesper only shrugged in response. He handed Y/N a black cape and mask with silver embroidery and details, she thanked him and threw it over her shoulders.
Kaz walked toward the group and saw the wooden crates on the table. He lifted the lid and let out a breath through his nose, "It'll mimic it in every way?" Wylan hummed in confirmation. "Good," He turned to Jesper who stood beside him, his expression never relaxing.
"You're gonna say you can't do this without me, yeah?" Jesper's voice was expectant as he spoke. "And that you hate it when we're angry at each other, but sometimes brothers fight." He moved his hand in gesture between the two of them. "And when all this is over,  you're gonna open a tab for me at a club of my choosing," His eyes widened in faux surprise. "'Cause when Pekka's gone, you'll take it all." He held Kaz's stare for a moment before speaking again with a smile, "That's what you were gonna say. Yes?"
"There's a cap on the tab. But otherwise, yes. To all of that." Kaz nodded his head stiffly.
"Then let's go take down the King."
Y/N smiled softly between the two, 'Found family. They really are brothers.'
"The plan is this," Kaz glanced at the inferni briefly before turning his attention away. "Jesper and Wylan, you're gonna hand out Komedie Brute costumes and vials of the compound to all of the Dregs."
"Per Haskell's gang?" Jesper asked.
"Our gang now." Kaz's lips settled into a small smirk. "By sunset, the streets will be crawling with Sankt Emerens revelers. They'll provide us with the cover we need. Hit all of Pekka's business, the clubs, the brothels. All to destroy Pekka's reputation. Inej and Y/N will cover Fifth Harbor, and when the chaos begins, they'll hand the note to Pekka's driver. Nina and I will handle the Emerald Palace." He looked at the five Crows around him. "See you there."
Jesper cleared his throat, "No mourners."
"No funerals," Everone responded.
Y/N, Inej, Wylan, and Jesper all moved to take their leave. "Why do you guys say that? Why isn't it just 'good luck' or 'be safe'?" Wylan asked.
"We like to keep our expectations low." Inej answered earning a laugh from Y/N.
~
Y/N grunted as she jumped onto another roof, following and trying to keep up with the Wraith in front of her. She stumbled on the uneven roofing and threw her arms out to keep her balance, "I wasn't made for this." She huffed as she made another leap to another building.
Inej turned around, "This is it." She jumped off the roof and landed on her feet with the agility of a cat.
Y/N looked down and scoffed to herself, "Yeah that's not happening." She motioned for the suli girl to give her a moment. She lowered herself down to the balcony and spun around in surprise when she heard a muffled scream from behind her. She raised her hands in surrender and mouthed 'I'm sorry' before lowering herself down to the next window, slowly making her way down to where Inej waited.
The pair walked to the docs, agreeing to split up and cover more ships at once. As Y/N walked on to her second ship she heard screams and the siren from deeper inside the city, that was their queue. She made quick work of spraying the top deck of the ship before rushing over to Inej. "We have to go deliver..." Y/N trailed off and stared at a small group of children and women who sat curled on the floor in front of Inej. The latter turned to the inferni, "I have to help them." Her voice was almost pleading. The y/e/c-eyed girl nodded, "Yes, of course. I'll deliver the note and I'll meet you with the others."
~
Y/N kept her hood up as she walked through the alleys and streets of Ketterdam. She found Pekka's driver and handed him the slip of paper that Kaz had written. "A note from the boss." She kept he voice low and with that, she slipped back down the streets. Making her way to the Emerald Palace where the others were waiting.
She pulled up her skirts as she walked through the frazzled crowd running out of the gambling den. She kept her shoulders pulled back and her head held high, her face still covered by her mask but her hood was pulled down to show off her braided updo. She spotted Jesper waiting for her by the stairs, he walked in front of her leading them up the stairs into the large room where Kaz and Nina were supposed to be.
He pushed the door open quietly and held it open for Y/N to slip through and wait by the bar in the corner behind everyone else.
Pekka cocked his gun and pointed it at Kaz, the latter's back was facing the main door.
"I'd reconsider." Kaz's voice didn't waver as he spoke, "If you want to see your Kaelish prince again."
"Oh. What are you gonna do?" The older man's voice held amusement, "You gonna blow it up again? You need to learn some new tricks, boy."
"Your other Kaelish prince." These words caught Pekka's attention. "Fond of sweet. Blond hair... Alby."
Horror settled into the old man as the room grew tense. "I will kill everything you love, Brekker."
"The trick is not to love anything. Your mistake was that you let someone get in. Someone you'd sacrifice everything for and it makes you weak." Dirtyhands spat.
"Then I'll just kill you."
"Do that and you'll never find your son in time."
Pekka shifted on his feet, "What did you do?"
"I buried him." His voice was laced with cold-hearted pleasure. "Six feet deep. He went into that box so easily. Didn't even cry. Until I took this from him." He pulled out a toy train from his coat pocket and held it out for the distressed father to see.
"Where's my son?"
"Make smart choices and you might just reach him in time before the air runs out."
Pekka gritted his teeth, "You trifling piece of Barrel trash. What the hell do you want?"
"I want you to remember."
"Remember what!"
"A con you ran... on two farm boys. Orphans. A promise to replace the family that they'd lost. And then you duped them out of everything."
Jesper, Nina, and Y/N all shared a vaguely worried look.
"They ended up on the streets and they both died. But one of us was reborn."
Pekka wracked his brain in search of any memories relating to Kaz's description but shook his head in frustration, fear still paralyzing his body.
"Too many pigeons to remember?" He scoffed, "Let me help you. Jakob Hertzoon."
Realization flashed in the old man's eyes, "That was a long time ago. So that's what this is all about? Why you look at me with murder in those shark's eyes of yours? You were just two pigeons who I happened to have plucked, and if it hadn't been me, it would've been somebody else."
"Bad luck for Alby that it was you." Frustration was clear in Kaz's voice.
Pekka yelled and grabbed the collar of Kaz's suit, holding him up against the wall while holding his gun to his neck. "You.. you tell me where to find my son!"
Y/N looked to Nina and back to Jesper all ready to step in if needed.
"It's a simple trade, Rollins. Speak my brother's name and your son lives." At this point Kaz's breathing was heavy and all the surrounding dime lions stood as still as statues. Nina walked back to the other two Crows by the bar. Pekka let go of Kaz grunting in exasperation.
"How 'bout another hint?" Kaz clenched and unclenched his fists as he walked away from the wall he was just pinned against. "You called your daughter Saskia. She wore red ribbons in her hair."
Agony and desperation were painted across Pekka's face, "Okay, two b... Two boys from Lij. You had a piddling little fortune." He took a deep breath through his nose, "Your brother, he fancied himself as a trader, wanted to get rich quick like every other nub who steps foot into the Barrel."
Kaz nearly growled, "I want you to say his name."
Pekka shifted on his feet again anxiously. Kaz's frustration got the better of him as he shouted at the old man to remember.
"I... I don't remember his name! I just want my son. He's all I have. I'll give you whatever you want, Brekker." Pekka let out shaky breaths through his teeth, "I'm begging you."
"Are you?" Kaz's voice was quiet but dripping in malice. The whole atmosphere of the room shifted as the dime lions finally realized who really had the upper hand. Dirtyhands, Bastard of the Barrel had outsmarted Pekka Rollins, King of the Barrel.
Pekka looked around at his men before turning his gaze to the floor as he slowly lowered himself to kneel in front of the younger gang leader. Every dime lion in the room looked away from their boss in shame and Jesper and Nina took a breath in astonishment while Y/N only smirked to herself at the scene before them. Kaz Brekker, standing with his head held high while the most powerful man in the Barrel knelt before him.
Kaz took out two sheets of paper from his coat, "A confession for the murders of Tante Heleen and Constable Sem." He looked at the room around him before finding his Crows in the back corner. "And a quitclaim deed for Inej Ghafa." He handed the papers to the man on his knees and pulled out a pen. "Sign both... if you want your son alive."
Pekka signed the papers and handed them back before slowly rising to his feet again. "Where's my son?"
Dirtyhands had his head down, looking over the papers before bringing his eyes only to look at the man before him. "Black Veil Cemetry. You'll need all your men digging to find him in time."
Pekka marched out of the room, his men following quickly.
Y/N stared at Kaz, he seemed unrecognizable as he stood there, his cold glare trained on the door while it swung close. His shoulders tensed, his hand clenched, and blood ran down the side of his face and from his nose. His eye would surely bruise and the side of his face would swell, but other than that Y/N could see no reason that he wouldn't be alright. His plan went just as he thought out and he got what he came for.
The three Crows at the bar were all a bit surprised to have seen the lengths to which their boss would go to get his revenge. But they shouldn't be, after all, he was Dirtyhands.