Crows of a Feather

The Conductor

Erine

Erine watched from the bed as the performer turned to look at Kaz. " This is about a job isn't it?" Poppy stated.Erine nodded while Kaz looked aside giving away the truth. "One that sends you all the way east for a million Kurge? You'll never make enough to compete with Pekka, you know? He's a king. You're just the Bastard of the Barrel and his sweet little kitty cat" they continued. Erine clenched her hands at the mention of the lion man, and being called little- even though she most certainly was. All while Poppy was talking Erine took note of the letter that laid on their bedside table with a very familiar emblem. The menagerie. Banging her foot on the ground once she signaled to dirty hands her discovery. " Tante Heleen wrote to you?" Kaz questioned. " Just this evening, yes, you snoop," Poppy answered, thinking nothing of it.

Erine stared intensely at the letter, from what little Inej had told her about Tante Heleen she knew that the woman always was tricking somebody. But so was just about anyone in the barrel. Erine listened to what Poppy had to say " She was asking about the conductor as well, probably about the same job, so I warned him to steer clear of her" The little girl smacked her palm against her head. How naive can people really be?

Kaz just as easily saw the error. "You warned him? With a note?" Poppy did not acknowledge " she wanted you to do that so she could have the messenger follow" now that got Poppy's attention. Erine stood up from the bed and walked over to stand just slightly behind Kaz. the poor girl sympathized with the concern that now showed on Poppy's face. " she wouldn't hurt him would she?" "She would if it meant hurting me. Now, if you have any loyalty to him tell me where he is. Right now".

Erine couldn't stop her shudder as she thought of what may happen should Tante Heleen beat Kaz. Inej never talked to her about the horrors of the menagerie but that didn't mean the panther didn't hear about them. What would happen should she ever lose Kaz? Would she be sold to Heleen? The thought made her want to cry.

" Erine" kaz called from the door. Erine snapped her head in his direction. " It's time for a game of hide and seek. And you're the seeker" The panther smiled. The streets were always a fun place to be for Erine, she could climb, glide and sneak to her hearts content. As soon as Kaz told her where to go she took off like a rocket.

The Conductors place was very simple, nothing really stood out about it, crawling up to the window the panther was as quiet as a mouse, at least until she saw the wraith looming over their only way to a million Kruge. quickly picking the window lock Erine sprinted to grab Inej's wrist to stop her 'WAIT' she signed. Inej looked at her. " Erine I need to do this- for my freedom please" she begged. That was one thing Inej and Erine shared was their desire for true freedom, if this man really won Inej her freedom then Erine was willing to help. ' alright, what can I do' Inej smiled " look through these papers for the name griggs". 

and the Panther went seeking.

Kaz

Kaz cursed his limp as he maneuvered through the barrel, had he not broken his leg he would've been in front of the conductor already with Erine. But instead he was hobbling through the streets like an old man. He knew the moment Erine found the menagerie logo that Tante Heleen was onto them more so than ever. She already had Inej, did she need the conductor? Yes. he thought. That was how you destroyed someone, brick by brick.

Stepping into the building Kaz heard the ruckus being caused upstairs. When he got to the doorway Kaz was met with the sight of his wraith holding a knife to the conductor's neck as Erine scoured through piles of papers on the floor. Just before the wraith to take the final blow he called out "Don't". Startled the Suli girl through the knife mere inches from the boy's face. An audible yelp of surprise coming from the little girl on the floor. Kaz took a breath before continuing " he's our way to Alina Starkov." "Him?" Inej asked not to remove her knife from his neck. Kaz knew he should word his next sentence carefully but there wasn't time to spare the girl her emotions. " Heleen knew it. She was using you to sabotage our mission ""she and I made a deal" kaz stepped towards her. " It isn't worth more than what we get with him alive" he tried to reason.

With this job, the Kruge, Kaz could buy Inej out and free her, he could invest more than enough towards freeing Erine. He could have it all and give it to them. But he needed the conductor first. The very same conductor who stood between his wraith and her freedom at this very same moment. " you choose him over my freedom?" Inej asked. Kaz wanted to slap himself for making her think that. He would never stand between her and freedom. "You assume its one or the other. And this way Erine may get hers too."

He knew it was cruel to drag Erine into the conversation, but Kaz knew it would convince the wraith. A couple months after Inej joined the dregs, Kaz explained Erine's situation. How she wasn't only 'owned' by Kaz but the merchant council too. Unlike Inej the young girl was sold at auction under the false tense that she was auctioning herself. But Kaz also explained to Inej that the cruelest trick was the insurance policy the slavers had for their auctions. The second contract to the government that was legal in all markets. It ensured that Erine would never be truly free until both contracts were nullified. Something nearly impossible.

Dirtyhands stared at the wraith anxiously waiting for her decision, the job or murder. Once he saw her lift her dagger away from his throat he relaxed a bit. Inej walked over to Erine and picked the young girl up, holding her on her hip as Erine snuggled closer. Kaz assumed it was so that she didn't have the urge to attack him next after what he did, but he couldn't ignore the pang of longing in his chest. He felt in the smallest corner of himself the desire to do the same with Erine, to hold her in his arms, safe and protected.Kaz walked over to stand in front of the conductor.

"Conductor. I have a job for you. Get us to the little palace."

Kaz sat at his desk looking for some sort of collateral to give tante Heleen so that Inej could go on the job with them. And as he opened one of the drawers a folded up paper was placed in front of him.

Looking up Kaz saw those honey brown eyes staring into his blue one. "Our payment" she said gesturing towards the paper, Kaz looked down at the paper and realized what it was. Her contract. Erine's papers. Kaz was impressed she had even found them in the first place, he made sure her papers were well hidden. But then he felt dread, a fear of losing her. "Absolutely not," he said immediately. Erine just looked at him in confusion. " why no?" she asked.

For once Kaz wanted to be completely honest. He wanted to tell her the whole truth, that he needed her by his side, to protect her, to teach her. Kaz rarely admitted it to himself but Erine was family to him. His only family, she was more than a crow to him and the thought of losing her was more terrifying than the night he spent in the harbor when he was a boy. " because I already have a plan" he lied, and he knew she knew he lied. " Well it is an option" she said without care.

Kaz was not angry, not at Erine but the fact that she didn't care to sell herself to that monster. Not when he needed her. " Katje, look at me." he demanded with sheer authority. " listen to me when I say this. You are never an option to me, Katje" Kaz could see the change in her eyes from determination to happiness. At that moment Kaz knew he would never let Erine go, because he was her family just as much as she was his. They were crows through and through, and like a crow Kaz would always look after his own,

A/N

Hey guys! Im really trying to stick to my promise of being active.

I also hope I did okay with explaining Erine situation, if not feel free to ask questions. chances are I will explain more and more as the story continues, but I needed Erine to be different than Inej in the sense that her freedom is harder to achieve.

please vote and comment!