For the first time in a long time, Inej Ghafa allowed herself to let go. The weight of the current job was getting to her and she needed any easy way to get her mind off of things. Unfortunately, Jesper Fahey wanted to be the individual to help her out. That was the precise reason that Inej was stumbling around the Crow Club, trying her hardest not to appear like she was going to black out.

Jesper and Inej had drank at the bar for over an hour, the pair finding themselves completely wasted. It was really fun at first, then it had turned to competitively taking shots with one another. And that was why Jesper was now unconscious on the ground, a sober Wylan Van Eck and Matthias Helvar attempting to get him up and take him to his room. But, Inej had won the drinking match.

Inej was looking for Kaz Brekker. She wasn't exactly sure why, but she thought she had a reason. But she wasn't even able to cross the room towards the stairs before she stumbled, holding herself up on one of the tables. Loud barks of laughter followed her misstep.

She turned an angered glare in the direction of the laughter, finding three drunken Fjerdans. When they realized they had her attention, they were quick to circle her like sharks.

"Well, look at this, boys," One of them muttered as she began grabbing at one of her knives. But it wasn't there. Where would she have put it? She didn't typically leave her stuff laying around; especially not her knives.

"Looking for this, sunshine?" A different man asked, dangling her knives in between his fingers. If Inej had the ability to stand up straight, she'd wring this man's neck. Unfortunately, she knew that she didn't have the current capability to perform such an action.

"Is that the mark of the Menagerie?" The third spoke up, his eyes locked on the dark marking that Tante Heleen had forced onto Inej's skin a few years ago. Instinctively, Inej covered up the marking.

"It is! Great eye, Bjorn!" The first man congratulated the last. Inej felt her insides roil, understanding dawning upon her. She wasn't safe.

"Leave me alone..." Inej muttered between gritted teeth, attempting to exit the center of the circle. But that only ended with one of them grabbing onto her arm and refusing to let go.

Inej was unable to defend herself due to how intoxicated she was. Not only that, but she was small and thought to be an easier target. She understood that this wasn't going to be pleasant. She took a helpless glance around the room, hoping to spot a Crow. None of them were out. Kaz was probably in his office, Nina was off scouting some ground in the University District, and the other three were preoccupied with Jesper's unconscious drunken state.

"Why don't you show us some of the tricks that they taught you while you were there?" The second Fjerdan suggested as she shook her head, trying desperately to come up with a solution. But every thought in her mind seemed slowed by the alcohol.

"No," Inej replied in a sharp tone, wanting to sound far beyond deadly. Her voice were a bit slurred, therefore the weight of her command had been lost.

"Got quite the mouth on you, don't you, Miss?" Bjorn shot back, the three of them getting closer to her. One of them caressed her cheek, her vision swimming. She couldn't pass out here. Who knew what these men would do to her.

"Perhaps we could give her mouth something else to do," Another one of them suggested, causing the other two to laugh at the implication. But they had all been thinking about it.

"I'd leave while you still have the chance, if I were you..." Inej seethed, strictly focusing on not slurring her words. The men all blinked before looking between one another, amused smiles on their lips.

"And why is that?" Bjorn asked, tilting his head to the side as Inej shoved out of their hold. She didn't want any of these men touching her.

"Because I kill people for a living... So do my friends... So does my boyfriend... So piss off before you lose your lives," Inej sneered, looking between the three of them. And she wasn't a fool. They clearly didn't believe her.

"You don't have a boyfriend or friends. Otherwise they'd be here, watching out for you. Is your boyfriend off with another lady? Or is he off killing people?" One of them joked, resulting in the three of them all laughing like hyenas.

"I doubt he even exists. She seems like the type to make that shit up in order to get us to leave her alone," Bjorn explained as he grabbed at her wrist. He grinned sickeningly, his thumb rubbing over the inside of her wrist, feeling her pulse.

"Get off of me!" Inej snapped, finally having enough. She attempting to pull herself away from them, but it still didn't quite work. She truly wasn't herself while this drunk.

"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" A voice boomed, silencing the three of them along with half of the bar. People turned to stare, wanting to see what was going on. Others quickly lost interest, wanting to get back to their own business.

Inej blinked a few times before recognizing the individual who had been standing there. Kaz Brekker. Well, that was who she saw at first glance. Then she took in the expression on his face and understood. He wasn't Kaz at the moment; he was Dirtyhands. And he'd clearly come in towards the end of the conversation, hearing a few things the men had said and Inej's cry for help.

"No. There's no problem. He just got into a little argument with his girlfriend. Isn't that right, Finn?" Bjorn asked as Finn smiled at Kaz and nodded, tightening his hold on Inej's wrist. She visibly flinched.

Kaz leaned heavily against his cane, his eyes fixed on Inej. He could practically smell the alcohol in her breath, making him mentally swear at Jesper, fully knowing that this was entirely his fault. Then Kaz turned his attention to the three Fjerdans. Kaz already knew what he was going to say, but he was still on the fence as to whether or not it was a good idea. But he was going to go along with Inej's story.

"Oh really? That's funny, because last I checked, she was my girlfriend," Kaz explained, eyes shifting between the three men. They all laughed; Kaz and Inej didn't join them.

"Oh, come off it, mate. I think I'd know my girlfriend when I see her," Finn input as Kaz arched a dark eyebrow.

"What's her name?" Kaz asked as panic washed over the other man's face momentarily before he shook his head, smiling placidly and wrapping an arm around Inej. Kaz tightened his hold on his cane, calming himself down by thinking of how he was going to kill this man.

"Jane," Finn replied as Kaz slowly nodded, finally deciding that he'd humored these men for long enough. Carefully, he extended his free hand towards Inej.

"Come on, Inej. You're drunk. Let's get you to bed," Kaz decided, feeling Inej grasp tightly onto his leather-clad hand. Kaz yanked her out of the men's hold, keeping his eyes trained on them.

"Gentlemen, if you would, could you please give me just a moment? Drinks on me," Kaz explained as the three men nodded, going back towards their table as Kaz scooped up Inej's small body, carrying her up to his office.

There was a couch pushed up against one of the walls, which is where Kaz had spent many nights while working out jobs. It was black and crafted out of leather, some rips and holes in the material from where Jesper had shot it and Inej had stabbed a knife into it. There were a couple pillows propped up against the sides, which were made of a silver silk. He laid Inej down, grabbing her some blankets made of soft cotton and draping them around her. She yawned, curling up on her side and tightening one of the blankets around her.

"Thank you, Kaz..." Inej muttered, looking at him with a warm smile on her lips. Kaz looked away, feeling like he didn't deserve to see this gentle side of her. Not right now, anyways.

"Don't thank me for this," He requested, standing up and looking down at her. Everything about her seemed so meek and timid that it physically took Kaz's breath away. He needed to get ahold of himself.

"Try to get some rest. I'll come back up and bring you some water, okay?" He explained as she nodded, laying her head down on the pillow and placing her nose against the blanket that smelled like him.

Meanwhile Kaz headed back downstairs, grabbing three tankards of ale from the bartender and bringing them over to the Fjerdans. He sat at their table, laying his cane across his lap as the men began downing their alcohol. They laughed and talked amongst themselves for a while, Kaz just observing how they interacted.

"You're a true brother! What did you say your name was?" One of them asked as Kaz smiled, looking at each one of them, assessing what he believed their strengths and weaknesses to be.

"Jesper Fahey," Kaz replied without hesitation, having mastered the skill of lying directly through his teeth. The other men completely believed him, too. Then again, they had no reason to doubt him.

"Well, Jesper, you're truly a saint," Bjorn deemed, raising his tankard as Kaz forced a laugh. Meanwhile his mind was plotting where he would leave their corpses.

"I know," Kaz replied with a grin, rubbing a gloved thumb over the elaborately crafted crow head on the end of his cane.

"What is it you do for a living then, Jesper? Your girl claimed that you kill people," Bjorn spoke as the other two snickered, Kaz raising his chin a bit in a defiant manner.

"Ah, she would say that. In truth... Well, you probably won't believe me, but I'm actually the assistant of Jan Van Eck's heir; Wylan. He actually has me going on a secret exchange at the moment... Would you three like to join me?" Kaz asked, glancing around in what appeared to be an anxious manner. And the other three bought into this. Eagerness filled their eyes, each one of them nodding at the idea of being let in on secret merchant business.

"Then let's go," Kaz spoke, rising to his feet as the other three men followed suit. He was quick to lead them outside, beginning to wind down the busy streets of Ketterdam.

The Barrel was alive at night: lights flowing from every window, music escaping every casino, laughs echoing throughout the streets, people moving every which direction, and the distinct scent of alcohol present in the air. It was both comforting and completely terrifying. To Kaz, however, it felt like home. After all, he was the scariest monster that was currently prowling the streets. The three Fjerdans following him just weren't aware of that quite yet, even though they'd already walked past three discolored sheets of paper with his face and a large reward number on them. They were equally as unobservant as they were chauvinistic.

Eventually, Kaz led the group into a darkened alleyway, which reeked of death and seemed rather distant from the loud noises from the Barrel. But the three men mindlessly following the Bastard of the Barrel didn't seem concerned in the least bit. As if Kaz had told them the truth. As if they hadn't been harassing the Wraith. As if they hadn't been intending to take advantage of a wasted Inej Ghafa. And Kaz wasn't about to let them get away with that. A Crow never forgets.

"Are we receiving a package or meeting someone?" Bjorn asked as Kaz threw his cane upwards, catching it in the center and instantly turning and smacking one of the men upside the head. The silver crow head imbedded itself into the man's skull, killing him almost immediately and splattering blood all over the other three individuals.

The other two men blinked in surprise, their eyes wide with alarm. But Kaz was just getting started; Finn and Bjorn still standing before the one and only Dirtyhands. Finn turned to duck and sprint out of the alley, Kaz grabbing onto the back of the man's shirt collar and yanking him back towards him. Kaz slammed the man's head against the brick wall, resulting in him collapsing and holding his head in pain as he bled. Finally, Kaz swung at the last man, his cane landing a blow against the man's ribs, causing him to yelp in pain and fall, coughing up blood. Kaz looked down at the men, one of which was dead and the other two who were in sheer agony.

"What the hell...? Who the hell are you?" Bjorn muttered, grasping at his side, which was just a mass of splintered rib fragments. Kaz wiped some of the blood off his face, darkened eyes glaring at the two of them.

"I go by many names. The Bastard of the Barrel. Demon. Dirtyhands. Kaz. I would answer to all of them," Kaz muttered, watching as understanding flooded into one of the men's eyes. He recognized Kaz. And he knew that meant he was in trouble; he knew he was now at the end of his life.

"Why are you doing this then...?" Bjorn questioned, wincing as Finn fought so hard to keep himself conscious. Kaz lifted his cane up, inspecting the crow head which was now coated in a thick layer of human blood.

"Because you interfered with something of mine. Typically, I wouldn't mind. But you chose the one thing that I cling onto and can't live without. The most valuable thing that I've ever laid my eyes on. And you elected to place your disgusting hands on her and, unfortunately, you won't live long enough to regret it..." Kaz growled, hatred fueling his intentions. He wanted blood. He wanted these men to feel pain. He wanted the remainder to beg for him to kill them. He wanted to skin them like pigs.

"This is about that? We were just messing around..." Finn muttered as fury struck deep within Kaz's chest.

"Is that so? Do I sound like I fucking care?" Kaz seethed; the idea of these men playing that off as nothing only made Kaz more eager to murder them. Inej was the individual who would typically stop him from performing such violent actions, but she wasn't in any state to be here. Therefore, Kaz wasn't going to stop himself.

Kaz's hands moved quickly, grabbing out one of the knives that he kept on his person at all times. He approached Bjorn, allowing his imagination to run wild. He really did skin this man, peeling the flesh that covered his shattered ribs off. The screams of agony filled Kaz's ears, but he interpreted it as something good. This man deserved this. He deserved so much worse than this. His hands were on Inej Ghafa when she didn't want them there. Kaz cut so deep to the point that he was seeing the white bone fragments, picking them out and tossing them onto the street. The screams grew louder. Kaz followed this up by grabbing onto the man's hands, slicing slits all along the sensitive skin of his palms and watching blood rush out of the body. But that wasn't good enough for the Bastard of the Barrel. Kaz gritted his teeth, gripping tightly onto the man's wrist and using the knife to cut off each and every one of the man's fingers, feeling the resistance as he cut through bone, muscles, and flesh. The cries of pain grew more urgent; Dirtyhands didn't care. Kaz stabbed the knife through Bjorn's wrist, the end of the blade breaking through to the other side. Dirtyhands sawed at the tug of the bones, cutting directly through the man's arm from the wrist up to the elbow. Bjorn was losing far too much blood to be saved anymore. Kaz removed the knife and rose to his feet, allowing the Fjerdan to bleed out in complete and utter agony. Then he shifted his attention to Finn, who seemed completely terrified of the blood-covered Bastard of the Barrel.

Kaz gritted his teeth and glared down at the man, knowing full well that he would paint the streets of Ketterdam with this man's blood and entrails. He'd gut him. Not only did he grab at Inej, but he lied about it directly to Kaz's face. And Kaz did exactly as he intended, getting right to work with his bloodied knife. Finn couldn't even scream, the sounds of pain and terror caught in his throat as Kaz disemboweled him, ripping intestines from the still-breathing body. Finn died before Kaz was even finished with him, meanwhile Bjorn was still suffering, watching the scene with horror in his eyes. Kaz stood up straight, leaning against his cane. The whole alleyway reeked of fresh blood, two bodies dead and one dying in slow agony. Before he left, Dirtyhands severed all ten fingers off each corpse. Then he limped away, blood soaked into his clothing and running down his cane.

When he re-entered the Crow Club, Matthias and Wylan were sitting at a table with Nina, the three of them casually drinking and talking. Wylan was laughing at a joke Nina had made while Matthias rolled his eyes in exasperation with his girlfriend's sense of humor. However, when their eyes landed on Kaz, horror clouded all of their expressions.

"Holy shit, Brekker. What the hell happened? Are you okay?" Nina asked, the three of them rising to their feet and ushering him up the stairs before anyone else noticed all the blood; however, it would be impossible for anyone to miss the scent.

"I'm fine," Kaz explained as Matthias sighed, knowing what that meant.

"What did they do, demjin?" Matthias asked as Wylan stopped walking, the whole group halting in order to speak with one another. The three other Crows were staring at Kaz with expectant eyes.

"Let's just say, they'll never make the same mistake again," Kaz ominously muttered as Nina blinked at him. Matthias and Wylan shared a nervous expression, displaying that they were uncertain as to what they should say.

"You know what, Brekker? It's not my place to tell you what to do. But, I am going to tell you that you need to change if you're going to go back to the bar," Nina explained before turning her heel and heading back downstairs, gesturing for Matthias and Wylan to follow after her. Without having much else to do, the two boys followed her back down to their table in the bar.

Kaz went into Jesper's room, finding the boy completely passed out. However, on his bedside table was a metal tankard filled with water, which was clearly untouched. Kaz grabbed it, knowing that it wasn't much use to Jesper right now. With the cup in hand, Kaz headed up the last flight of stairs and opened the door to his office, eyes instantly going to Inej. She was staring at the ceiling, anxiously fiddling with one of her knives. When the door opened, she immediately looked up in alert. And the alarm never left her face as she took in Kaz's current state, seeming to think he was fatally wounded. After realizing the blood wasn't his, she relaxed, but only a little bit.

"Who does that belong to?" She demanded as he turned to a wooden trunk, grabbing out some of his spare clothing and swiftly changing into them.

"I think you already know," He replied as she sighed, picking up the cup of water that he'd retrieved for her. She sipped on the liquid, then placed the cup back on the end table. Kaz had finished changing by the time she'd quit drinking the liquid.

"I was just hoping that I was wrong," She muttered as he shook his head, looking at himself in the mirror and attempting to wipe most of the blood splatters off of his face. Once he got the majority of it, he turned back to her, placing his blood-soaked leather gloves on his desk.

"You had to have known that I wasn't going to let them get away with that," Kaz muttered as the Suli girl sighed, not nearly sober enough to be having this intense of a conversation.