𝕾𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖉𝖘 - 𝙺𝚊𝚣 𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚔𝚔𝚎𝚛

XIII

Two days after Inej wakes up, Nina says Mira is cleared to move to her own cabin. It's smaller than her room above the bar, but it fits her, her weapons, and her clothes. It's also closer to the stairs, so she's less likely to wake anyone with her midnight rambles around the deck, which she does almost every night. Old habits are hard to break, and she's been patrolling the streets for over two years. The bow of the ship becomes her space at night. Sometimes she'll draw water up to herself, imagining herself fighting; not for her life, but for someone else's.

The first time the person she's protecting becomes one of her new crewmates, she avoids them all the next day. It's not that she doesn't like them—discounting Brekker and Matthias—she just can't worry about them when it comes time for a firefight again. She has to get back alive.

Jesper makes it a habit to see her at least once a day, when Specht doesn't have him working. The next time he finds her awake and practicing, he steps up beside her. He opens his mouth, but the words never come.

She feeds her stream back to the ocean, trying her best not to make a loud splash and wake Inej. "I do what I must to survive."

He nods and they leave it at that. "So, Coronach. What's the history behind that?" He sits, his lanky legs crossing at the ankles as he leans back.

She snorts and sits in front of him at the base of the bow, one leg on each side. "The Kaelish name for a funeral song, either sung or shrieked by women."

"A little on the nose, no?"

"Would you prefer 'Bastard of the Barrel' then?" She lifts an eyebrow and smiles.

"Saints, no," he laughs. "One surly crow is enough for me."

"I'm not a crow, Jesper."

He doesn't miss a beat, his smile blinding even at night. "Of course not, you're a hawk. Violent little birds, those."

Mira rolls her eyes and flicks some water at his chest. "Really?"

"Really!" His laugh is infectious and she can't help but giggle a little. "And seriously, six days on here. Well, five, technically. Can you make it go any faster?"

She gasps and pretends to faint backwards. "I'd hate to mess with Kaz's meticulously crafted plan."

"I swear, he can't function without a plan."

"I'm sure he's planned for that eventuality."

They laugh into the silence, but it presses down on them after some time. Jesper stands and wishes her good night. "Get some sleep, we need you at your best."

She waves his concerns away. "If I wanted a mother hen I'd find Nina and tell her what I've been doing."

He playfully flips her off and she matches him, sticking her tongue out. His laugh fades as he ducks back belowdecks.

The silence is deafening until the sound of the waves against the hull fills her mind. As has become her nightly ritual, she lets the noise drown any thoughts of Oomen and how much she wants him dead again. Gone. Any fears about the upcoming job. Gone. Any worries about getting home alive. Not gone—that fear is rooted too deep in her bones—but it is pushed down. Any dwellings on names. Gone.

~̴~̴~̴~̴~̴~̴~̴

When they have two days left aboard the Ferolind she seeks out Kaz. She finds him in his room, barely larger than her own, and she closes the door behind her, leaning against it as he doesn't look at her. His eyes are on the map Wylan made of the Ice Court. "Did Ran not teach you how to knock?"