★𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝑭𝒍𝒚 ༄ 𝑲𝒂𝒛 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒌𝒌𝒆𝒓★

6: Disguise

"Ask me once, I'll answer twice
'Cause all I know I'll tell
Because I wanna"
-The Hives-

Finally, decent alcohol.

I had been quite unwell after our departure off the train, but thankfully some food and a good beer had helped.

"So... that went well," Jesper broke the silence that hung around us, clatter of the pub white noise.

"Debatable..." I replied, running my fingers through my hair.

I slipped off my glove to massage my knuckles, revealing the small tattoo on my middle finger. An arrow pointing downward.

I finished my beer, sliding the glass across the counter for a refill.

The bartender's eyes lit up. He began to whisper. "Mortality, immorality, and~"

I cut him off as he raised his hand to show the matching tattoo. Crash. I slid the glass off the table.

"Oh sorry," I apologised through gritted teeth, slipping my glove back on.

The barman rushed away to find a brush to clean up the mess.

Kaz looked at me, confused. Sighing, I turned away.

Arken returned from gathering information. "The Little Palace Winter Fete. There's just no way we can find a way to the Sun Summoner without Nina, especially during this ridiculous party," he glanced at the throng of people in the tavern. "The place will be crawling with Second Army,"

Kaz took a sip of his drink. "We're in luck, there's a good chance we can crack on; now that we're only a couple hours away from the capital, the next play is finding a way inside the Little Palace."

A smile played on my lips. The Little Palace.

"It turns out the Kribirsk Archives house the Little Palace blueprints," he began to smirk. "They're kept under lock and key- far from the prying eyes of the masses..."

"Yes!" Jesper lit up.

I took a cigarette from my pocket, lighting it on a candle.

Arken grew perplexed. "What does that mean?"

"Time for a heist," Jesper replied with a grin.

Whilst the others went executing their own tasks, Kaz and I headed into the market of Kribirsk.

"Feeling better?" Kaz asked as we walked along an alleyway.

I pulled my hat lower over my head. "What?" I said, glancing at him.

He looked back, tilting his head to the side. "The whisky."

"Oh. Right, yeah, I'm feeling better." I nodded. Saint, why was I being so awkward?

"You mentioned Theo, who's he?" Kaz questioned.

I looked at the paved street below me. "Irrelevant. A friend from Ketterdam."

"But he gave you that whisky?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. He works at a distillery."

"Maybe don't accept any more drinks from him," Kaz's cane tapped loudly on the paving stones.

I paused, scrunching up my face. "Are you making small talk?"

He didn't look at me, but I could tell he had gone red. "Yes..."

"Hold on," I laughed. "I know this. You're beginning to wonder who the hell I am, aren't you? Have you only realised now that you know little to nothing about me?"