⭒ DEATH ― kaz brekker ⭒

40 - Azalea

I practically force Kaz to limp on me on the way back, through the beautiful purple hallways scented wisteria and lavender, fittingly so. I'm so furious I can't even think, and I'm so surprised that he managed to get Anika and Pim to come with us that my mind is just muddled. I'm impressed, and I'm also ranting to Kaz about his stupidity, idiocy, rashness, expanding ego, pride, and how ruined his face looks. We near Colm's door and I knock on it aggressively, eliciting a smirk from Kaz. I roll my eyes and ignore him as Jesper answers the door. Kaz coughs into his handkerchief, drawing blood. Jesper's eyes widen upon seeing us, followed by Anika and Pim. He stands in the doorway for a moment before stepping aside to let us in.

"All Saints," Jesper mutters. "So I guess that went well?"

"About as well as expected," Kaz rasps, the scratch in his throat worse than ever.

Matthias shakes his head, looking impressed. "How many lives do you have, demjin?"

"One more, I hope."

I help Kaz shuck off his coat and usher him into the bathroom before turning to glance at Nina. "Let Inej know I must deal with Kaz's stupidity and she will have to deliver the message to the Ravkan embassy," I grumble.

Nina gives me a two-fingered salute and I smile before shutting the bathroom door. Fuming, I turn to face Kaz. He's already dripping blood on the tiles and I release an annoyed breath as I grab a fresh towel and make him stand by the sink counter.

I walk over and dampen the towel with antiseptic before dabbing it on the gash on his eyebrow and the split in his lip. "You are stupid," I murmur as I examine his eye that's been swollen shut.

"I got us the Dregs back," He counters as I place the towel on the counter and prepare to use my ability.

"You are still stupid."

I send a wave of calm and tranquility blooming inside his chest as I place my hands over the cuts on his face, watching the skin seal itself and leave only the ghost of a scar. I let my fingers trail down his face to his bottom lip, where the split lies, and use my thumb to rub it away. My hands linger for a moment too long and I see Kaz's throat bob as I tend to his swollen eye. I take away the angry red tinge to his eyelid as the eye itself flutters open, looking slightly red, if anything. I consider setting his nose, then decide against it.

The memory of standing in this bathroom with his lips on mine and his bare fingertips brushing over my skin makes me lose focus and I swallow, my palms warming slightly. "Remove your shirt, Kaz," I say.

He raises his eyebrows. "What?"

I sigh. "You have two broken ribs. Remove your shirt."

Kaz reluctantly unbuttons his vest, then his button-down, revealing his surprisingly toned core, skin paler than it is on his hands due to less sun exposure. I place a hand over where his left-side ribs are and feel the bone beneath, sealing it back into place as easily as connecting two wires. I  give him a nod, signalling that my work is finished. He begins buttoning up his clothes as I throw out the bloodied disinfecting towel. 

Then I turn to look at him, folding my arms with a slight smile.

"A thank you would be in order, now."

---

After Inej returns with word from the Grisha Triumvirate, telling us that they've agreed to meet near the pool of the hotel, we all prepare to leave. I'm excited to meet other talented zowa. Kaz forbids Matthias and Nina from coming along, telling them that it would only make things harder for a Fjerdan and Nina, who knows them quite personally, to be there during negotiations. Nina asks Inej to go in her stead, but the latter declines, due to Ravka's poor relationship with the Suli. I understand her reasoning, but walking into this with only Kaz, Wylan, and Jesper isn't exactly how I envisioned this going. Now we all stand in the lift, the gears creaking as they always do and occasionally clicking as we pass a floor until we get to our destination. I release a sigh of relief, having survived another day in that metal box of death before we follow the sound of running water into a room with a large, circular pool in the center, surrounded by arches leading to waterfalls and more pools. The floor is tiled with beautiful indigo and the water in the pools seems to glow as if incandescent.