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As soon as Inej left the room she quickly picked up on footsteps running in the opposite direction and down the stairs. Listening closely, she figured out that the person was wearing boots with a slightly thicker heel than average. Inej could tell by the way the sound resonated on the back part of the shoe, rather than the front like a sneaker.

And the thicker heel was obvious because the thud was heavier than average. The person was going for quick rather than quiet. Because if she didn't catch them, then were they really there? But to be honest it was probably Jesper trying to listen in so he could gossip about it to Wylan later.

So she made her way downstairs, as quietly as she could; So basically just normal walking for her. When she got to the bottom the room was dead silent. Even the New recruits were silent, Even though they didn't even know her.

Nodding her head slightly she walked over to Jesper who was looking slightly guilty but trying to act casual. She looked down at the ground and sure enough he had boots with a thicker heel on his feet. She grabbed some food in the kitchen and came back to stand in front of Jesper. Smirking, she just looked at him, wondering if he would crack before she had to broach the subject. When he said nothing, she smiled even wider at him.

"Don't you think it's a little rude to eavesdrop on a private conversation?" She asked him. And everybody took a inhale in, as they understood what exactly Jesper had done.

Looking guilty, he apologized quietly. "Please, don't tell Kaz. He'll hit me so hard with the crow cane, that I won't have cheekbones. And my cheekbones are my best feature! Without them, I'm just slightly better looking than everyone else." He pleaded with her. She didn't know whether to laugh or slap him.

"You do know it's said that modesty is the best quality?" She asked him, knowing she wouldn't tell Kaz, just because Jesper was right. And she would not let her best friend have cheekbones that were Concaved into his face.

"Modesty is for fools that have no business having pride in the first place." Jesper told her, making a obvious glance at Wylan, who made a offended noise in the back of his throat. She finally laughed and agreed that Kaz would hear nothing from her.

"So how's our little Criminal Mastermind?" Jesper said sarcastically. And if she hadn't know him as well as she did, she never would have picked up on the genuine concern and worry that laced his question.

But she heard it, so she said with the most sincerity that she could muster,"Better. I think. He's sleeping, so I would say that's improvement." Jespers eyes widened a fraction.

"How did you manage that?" He asked seemingly impressed.

"Well considering that he was fighting to keep his eyes open, I think it was fairly easy." Inej replied, rolling her eyes. Honestly, they act like Kaz was a machine rather than a human being.

Jesper suddenly smirked and asked,"So did he actually get Jealous, or did I just imagine that?"

Inej couldn't help it she, she started laughing. Jesper soon joined her while Wylan just stood there staring off into space. As Inej nodded about Jesper's question, she studied Wylan more closely.

He had bloodshot eyes, his hair was greasy and he looked like one wrong move and he would have a breakdown. Kaz was kind of a douchebag. Look what he did to poor Wylan.

She reached for Wylan's arm when all of a sudden Pim broke into a fight with one of the new recruits. Surprisingly the recruit was keeping up quite well, which made Inej feel a sense of pride about her gang. They knew how to pick 'em. Wylan started walking towards the fight, and to Inej's utter surprise the crowd parted so he could get to the dueling pair.

Wylan grabbed the recruit by the back of his shirt and pulled him off of Pim. They got a good look of who stopped the fight, and Inej expected that they would push Wylan and start again, so she started striding over to where they were. But before she could get there they both put their heads down in shame and mumbled a sorry, without Wylan having to say a word.

"If you both wanna fight you can leave. There are places in the Barrel where you can fight people for fun so go there. But Gang is like blood. So don't ever let me catch you guys fighting a fellow dreg." Wylan stopped to turn to the recruit which he still had by the shirt,"I didn't bring you into this to be brawler. I brought you in because you were fast and knew how to handle yourself in case of capture."

He turned to Pim,"and I didn't even bring you into this but I can be damn sure this isn't what Kaz wanted you to be. Fighting your own family. That's petty and you know it."

He threw the recruit away from him and drew himself up taller.

"I'm not Kaz. I don't have a cane to bust skulls. But I do have my smarts and if I catch you fighting again, I will shove a firework so far up your ass, you will feel the fuse in your throat. Have I made myself clear?"

They both nodded quickly and went their separate ways. Inej was in shock. Wylan the Flautist just made 2 dregs feel shameful and afraid. What kind of upside down world is this? He walked up to her and grimaced.

"It's been a long two weeks." Wylan stated as a way of explanation. She silently hugged him, knowing how hard this was taking a toll on him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and a moment later she felt Jesper come up behind them and give them both a hug. Who knew that she would be giving a group hug in a corner of the slat. That sounded bad. But oh well.

Wylan was just a kid. He was the same age as she was but he was just a kid. He shouldn't have been forced into this role with no way out. She didn't really have a solution to his problem though so she just hugged him tighter.

When he released her, he quietly whispered, "it's good to have you back Inej." She took a step back and turned around to hug Jesper.

"I missed you Jes. We need to catch up soon. But I honestly don't think Kaz is gonna be asleep much longer."

Jesper grasped her tighter to him and said,"I missed you too Inej. The slat wasn't the same without you here. It never is."

Suddenly she heard the room get quiet again. Not a peep could be heard. So she looked up to see Kaz standing at the stairs. And he was staring at Her and Jesper. Damnit not again.

Jesper looked behind him and she didn't need Nina she to feel his heartbeat spike. Because now there was no desk standing between them. But Jesper didn't back down. He was letting her decide what to do. This was why Jesper was the bestest friend ever.

As soon as she saw Kaz's eyes flash and saw his foot start to move, she released Jesper and smiled softly at Kaz. Noticing this, Kaz hesitantly smiled back. She bounded over to where he was standing.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked him wondering whether she should force him back to sleep.

"I slept fine. It made me feel a lot better." Kaz whispered to her,"can we continue our talk now?"

She answered in affirmative as she nodded her head to his office in the back. Kaz started walking towards the office as he clapped Wylan on the shoulder. Inej followed silently behind him.

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