𝖉𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖔𝖓'𝖘 𝖑𝖊𝖌𝖆𝖈𝖞 || kaz brekker

𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐢. god help us all.

❝and how odd it is to be haunted by someone that is still alive.❞

¤

the Targaryen lets her gaze drift along the streets of Bhez Ju, her posture casual even with the caution behind each of her steps. merchants called out around her, and people seemed to be flocking from corner to corner, some Shu born, some only passing by, much like herself.

her brown eyes trail along the sky for a moment, taking in the grayness mixed with the light hues of blues. it was rather colder without the burning heat of the sun, but she could see the end of the large cloud slowly drifting by.

she exhales and hums to herself before focusing back on the path the group was taking. they seemed to be straying apart and unconsciously, the other half stills, only watching in confusion.

Inej, Nina, Zoya, and Tamar had drifted towards the makeshift altar built like a roundabout in the middle of the street while the rest stood further aside.

her teeth gently nibble against her lower lip as she unsurely stands aside, brows furrowed with uncertainty and fingers lightly twitching at her sides. she could feel the tug in her chest, the shadow of guilt making itself known along her heart. she had long since strayed from the Valyrian Gods, their names but a distant buzz at the back of her mind.

watching in silence, her head tilts as she takes in the sight before her, her figure close enough to Kaz, Jesper, and Wylan's for it to be clear that she was with them, but far enough to underline the longing she felt for what she was watching; the closed eyes, the open hearts, the devoted stances. and even the simplicity of lit candles and essence sticks crackling almost soundlessly under the indistinct chatter and birds squeaking above their heads.

her tongue pokes at the inside of her cheek pensively for a second before she lets her feet lead her forward. "we need all the luck we can get," is the only response she utters at the crow man's squinted eyes. his lids fall shut, and he inhales deeply with building irritation. he wasn't one to dictate on religions, but he believed it to be clear that any higher power above their team had long since given up on humanity.

Aeya swallows as she reaches the pillar surrounded by flowers, decorative trinkets, and offerings, her pulse picking up slightly before she lets herself sink to her knees, the flowy part of her skirt slightly pushed above her ankles to avoid it pulling down. she doesn't notice the set of piercing eyes stalking her figure from afar, jaw tense, and nerves alight.

he hadn't meant to stare, a part of him insisted it was only a protective gesture, a sign of care at most, but the slow trail of his gaze along her form had his own heart picking up in speed until it was hammering against his ribcage.

Kaz was a man of many sins; he'd killed and stolen, he'd drunk his fill and some, then emptied it all in the darkness of his room. he was not without his flaws, nor was he a stranger to guilt either. what he was a stranger to was the snake coiling along his ribs and twisting at his stomach, the heat crawling along his neck, and the thirst suffocating him ever so slowly.

his breathing deepens, but he watches on in silence, his gloves crumpling ever so slightly along the handle of his cane. he watches the flow of her golden-brown curls and the rise of her chest, zeroes in on the hint of silver that stands out stubbornly under the bright sunlight. he watches the curve of her throat as she looks up to the clear blue sky and the light shine of humidity on her skin. and he watches her expression with a mirroring devotion.

he couldn't voice out what he was feeling if he'd been asked at gunpoint, for even he, himself, couldn't identify it. he'd seen her at her most vulnerable before, sweaty, bleeding, and clinging to him; he'd seen her at her most prideful, high of the rush of a job well done, drowning in the winnings of their heist. he'd seen her in every imaginable state except for this, on her knees in submission to an unseen force, gratification set aside, no crown on her head and no hood either. her.