Six Of Crows imagines

Tess-Kaz POV

When Kaz opened his eyes, he turned to see Inej sitting in a chair next to him, reading a scrap of paper. "Your awake. How do you feel." Kaz sat up, grunting with the pain that shot through his ribs. "Delightful" he huffed. He went to stand up but Inej shot out her chair and pushed him back onto the cot. "Your not going anywhere, you look horrid." He glared at her. "Inej. I have to see to the plan." He went to stand up again when Inej blurted, "who is Tess?"
Kaz's head shot up from his gaze on the far wall, "how do you know about Tess?" He growled. She put the piece of paper she had been reading on the table. It was old, two years to be exact. Kaz read it.

Sorry about your nuts. Never sneak up on a comedian. We're deadlier than our jokes
Tess

Kaz remembered receiving the note clearly. Her messy handwriting was faded but looked more or less the same. "An old friend" he said simply but it was a lie, Tess had been more than his friend, she had been his sister. Inej dragged the chair over so it faced him and sank into it. "Tell me about her." It hurt to remember. He had met her when he was fifteen. She had been working at a club along East Stave as a comedian and Kaz had to admit, she had been very funny. "She was my first companion since Jordie" he said. Flashes of their first conversation ran though his mind.
"You look like an interesting pice of work"
"I'm quite interesting"
"I'm sure, what's your name Gloves?"
"Kaz"
"Kaz what?"
"Kaz Brekker"
"Oh Saints"
She had laughed, and so did the audience at her show. Kaz had let her poke fun at him for the rest of the night, linking him to depression and what a mid life crisis looked like in a fifteen year old. He had come back the next night and the next. Eventually she had gotten sick of seeing him and told him to leave, right in the middle of her show.
"You can't tell your audience to leave"
He had said, a grin sliding into place over his mouth.
"I can if they don't pay"
With that, the bouncer had escorted him out of the club and dumped him on the street. Kaz had waited for the show to finish and cornered her in an alleyway. "She worked at a club as a comedian. I went to see her shows and she got me kicked out."
Kaz had made the mistake of sneaking up behind her and got a knee to the groin as punishment.
"Gloves. What a coincidence"
"Well I had to pay the best comedian in the Staves" he had groaned. He handed her 10 Kruge and she took it.
"20 Kruge, thanks Gloves"
"20? I only gave you 10"
She had smirked and waved another 10 in his face.
"You gave me 10. I stole the other"
She had said it as if it had been obvious.
"Tess" she had said with a smirk so mischievous that it had made him concerned,
"Let me buy you something to eat. You look like you could blow over in a stiff breeze"

Inej laughed, "she sounds like a Barrel girl." Kaz nodded and Inej spoke again. "So what happened to her?"
"She became my first Dregs. And she died, to protect me." Memories hit Kaz harder than any fist ever had.
"Say goodbye Brekker"
Kaz had had a plan, he had made a way out. It was all set out in his head. But as he was about to run one of the Ravens had grabbed his shoulders and held him in place. The gun was loaded. Kaz closed his eyes, felt the Raven behind him let go as the shot was taken. He had been readying himself for the pain. But it had never come. When he had opened his eyes, tears immediately filled them. The Raven who had the gun was on the ground, blood pouring from his chest, as was the one behind him. But so was Tess. Kaz had sunk to the concrete and pulled her head into his lap, pressed a hand over the bullet wound in her stomach.
"What did you do?"
He had cried
"I saved your sorry ass"
"Why?"
"Because you can make something of yourself here. I never could, just...do me a favour"
He'd nodded
"Don't make me regret this"
"I'm not worth it, I only cause grief, you should have let me die Tess"
"You're a good person Kaz, even if you don't act like it, something inside you is worth saving. Don't go kill it"
Kaz had watched as the light faded from her green eyes.
"Tess"
"Mmm"
she had hummed, then as if she had read his mind she said,
"Love you to Gloves"
Then, she was gone
"Come back, please, come back Tess"
But it didn't work. His right hand girl, his companion, his best friend, his sister, was gone. Kaz had stayed there for hours until her body went cold.
"I dragged her to the gardens next to the docks" Kaz said, not looking at Inej. "It was her favourite place to go. She said it was to relax but whenever we were there she would judge the people coming of the ships"
After Kaz had buried her, rage consumed him. He gathered the biggest Dregs he could find and wiped out the gang known as The Ravens. He remembered holding the knife over the gang leaders chest.
"This is for you, Tess"
He had whispered to himself, then he had dropped the knife.
He looked up at Inej, she was whispering something. "She wouldn't want your prayers" he growled. Inej shrugged "too late." Kaz glared at his spider. But a little part of him hoped that Tess was right, that part of him was saving. He would preserve that part of himself. For her.