No Mourners, No Funerals

20.✓

After Inej and Caden left the Slat she motioned Caden to meet her on the docks, they would leave shortly, and still, there was a lot to be done. Food and water supplies are to be stored carefully, the basic necessities are to be taken into account. Inej was grateful to her crew for their work but it's her duty to do a double-take.

After everything was set up properly she told Caden to go and rest, he protested that she should take a good long nap too, but dropped it after he realizes he couldn't win against her. She went into her room and sat with some paperwork. 

Her instincts were saying something was wrong, she could hear someone walking on the decks, the man was careful to avoid the creaking wood but not enough to go unnoticed by her ears. When the noise came closer she gripped Sankta Alina's bone handle with force while a giving glance to Sankt Petyr hidden in her left forearm. As the knock came Inej readied herself.

Jason knocked again. "Hello? Is Ms. Ghafa here? I would like to speak with her."

***

Sybia would sit up straight, she'd scan the ground below her. She thought she saw someone in the shadows. She'd narrow her eyes as she saw a glint of metal. 'Someone's definitely following me. I have to find out why.' 

She'd climb down and watch the merchants talk amongst themselves. Her sleight of hand made it easy to grab a knife from some passerby. She'd look at her 'new' knife, its snake carved handle, the way it'd catch the light. 'Beautiful.' 

A flashback would occur in her head. She'd be in her old house, with its beautiful interior. The walls would be exquisitely designed, the painting would seem to reflect the life of the house. The edges of the house would always be dark, no light would get in. Sybia would climb the stairwell. Her toes softly stepping on each step. She'd hear her parents yelling at each other.

"Don't you dare talk about your daughter like that." Her mom would yell. "I can talk about her however I want. You are not the boss of me." She'd hear a thud. She'd rush to her room down the hall. 

Jinx would be lying on her bed, feet crossed holding her whip in her hand. "They're fighting again." Jinx would wipe one of her tears away. "We have to get out of here. Follow me." Jinx would climb out the window. 

"Don't be afraid, Little one." Sybia's grip would harden on the knife. She hated herself for that day. It was the day she and her sister left. The day she found out the truth.

Kwet followed carefully, being sure she wasn't seen as she stayed in the shadows. She saw the girl grasp a knife and quickly place a hand at her axe, just in case.  

She was careful to stay out of the crowd, stayed in the shadows of the roofs as she monitored her movements carefully.

Kaz watched as Sybia left the roof, jumping back into his playground. Foolish. He watched the passing merch and pigeons, so oblivious. His eyes scanned over them, weighing his options before he shrugged and started toward Sybia. 

He wouldn't leave such a threat to slip through his fingers. The merch already had stories to fear, and this deep in the barrel, the stadwatch didn't bother to venture here. Nothing to stop him, he moved without his cane, masking his approach as he began slipping through the crowds, he shifted his grip on his cane, the merch and pigeons scrambled out of his way, fear giving him the space he required.

 He hefted up his cane, swinging it through the air and bringing its arc down low, the sharp beak hooking around her ankles as the rest of his momentum tugged her feet from under her.  

Kwet froze when she spotted Kaz and he tripped up the girl. Instead of jumping down and meeting him, she decided to stay on the roof, eyes searching just in case Jinx made an appearance. Her falcon carefully circled above as Kwet focused on the rooftops.