One of the first things that Laverna had learned in this line of work was the ability to read people. A person's eyes gave away so much more than their words ever could. She had learned to see small actions, the slightest of twitches. She had learned to read the silent words written all over a person's being, from the lines of their shoulders to the slightest twitches of their fingers to the way their eyes glanced around.

It was a skill that Laverna had tuned until she could tell everything about another with just a glance. It was a skill that allowed Laverna to get what she wanted, using the very thing they were trying to hide as a weapon to twist them into compliance. It was a skill that made it so so easy to get under someone's skin and to push and prod and claw at until they were on their knees in front of her, begging.

Laverna knew how to get under someone's skin faster than a bullet could. She knew over a hundred ways to pick and prod on someone until they snap, she knew how to hit the exact spot that could make someone break, the specific thing that could make their resolve crumble and it didn't matter to her who it was.

It didn't matter if it was a soldier, looking for a new way to live life away from the blood and war and death. It didn't matter if it was a merchant, thinking that they could take advantage of Laverna because she was nothing but a pretty little thing. At the end of the day, they were all fools believing that they could play with the puppeteer and there was nothing more enjoyable than watching them crumble.

And yet, there was one boy that Laverna could wrap her claws around. He was an annoyance, a glaring reminder of the past, a remnant that she wanted gone. Gone, erased, ruined and yet she couldn't do anything against him. She couldn't do anything to him.

Kaz Brekker was an annoyance. The head of the Crow Club and the bastard of the barrel, the only person who was as infamous as Laverna. The only difference being that Dirtyhands was hated more than he was feared. To the city of Ketterdam, Laverna Atropos and Kaz Brekker were names that no one dared to utter in fear of summoning them, one the Puppeteer who controlled the people around her as if they were her marionettes and the other, a greed-filled criminal who would suck you dry before you could even blink.

To each other, however? They were reluctant partners at best and as Laverna sat across from Brekker, her legs crossed and shoulders relaxed she could see the tightness of his jaw even though every other part of his was an empty canvas, not a hint of emotion insight.

It was strange to see. Laverna allowed her thoughts to wander for a second, flashes of the past, of warm blankets and giggles, of warm tea and comforting embrace, of whispered stories and wistful thoughts. She allowed herself to think back to the past for a second, just a second because nothing good came with dwelling on the maybes and regrets.

Vera Atropos was dead and so was everything that she knew.

"Why?" Brekker asked and Laverna couldn't help but roll her eyes at the wave of annoyance that washed over her. It was strange in a way, the ease at which he ticked her off, the way the sound of his voice made her heart race and vision turn red. The way the sight of him made her ache to burn everything and anything until ruins surrounded her.

"My answer is the same as before Brekker," Laverna stated, her voice coming out even and monotone despite the fire in her veins and the ache in her bones. She could feel something curl in her chest, a knot tightening and tightening until it snapped when she reached the end of her patience. "Van Eck pulled the favour."

"He pulled a favour from you," Brekker said, his tone as insufferable as always, and pursed his lips, "not me. Why should I add you to my crew when I know that my cut will be less?

"Come on now," Laverna rolled her eyes again, leaning back against her seat. "I just want Van Eck off my ass, I don't give a shit about the cut"

"That just makes you unpredictable doesn't it?" Brekker raised an eyebrow, lips pursed and eyes staring her down. "How do I know that you won't stab me in the back?"

"As if I would betray you Brekker" Her tone was sweet, dripping with honey and the smile on her lips was one she used to lure in anyone who saw her as just a pretty face and unaware of the blood-stained fingers and teeth. She let the smile drop from her face, letting hurt bleed into her tone when she spoke again, "it's hurtful, if I am being honest, at how little trust you have in me."

"You want me dead." Brekker's tone was blunt, words holding nothing but his usual emptiness and Laverna noticed him clenching his right hand, gloves no doubt hiding bruises that came from the last... gift she had left in his club.

Admittedly it was not meant for him but hey, it got the point across.

"Well, you sometimes have to be stern," Laverna teased, lips curling into a smile. "Nothing bad happened"

Her words made his eyes flash, fury burning in the bright blue eyes. She knew that a part of the club was damaged, two of his men dying and his favourite sharpshooter injuring himself. Brekker himself was injured but the man in front of her was too proud to accept that she had done him damage.

"Nothing bad," Brekker almost sneers, lips pulled into a thin line. "You're not valuable, Atropos, I don't want you on my crew."

Laverna lets out a sigh, playing up the defeated act as she stands up. She held back an amused giggle at the way Brekker's eyes narrowed, both of them knowing that Laverna wouldn't just be giving up, certainly not against him. She stood up slowly, her hand running along the head of the chair she had been sitting in.

"Well," Laverna starts, her tone a slow drawl as looked back at Brekker. Dark brown eyes met blue and Laverna held back a sneer herself. "I know that you are taking your sharpshooter, that Grisha, Zenik if I remember her name currently and you never go anywhere without your Wraith. There is also talk of a Fredjan in Hellgate. But, do you honestly think you and your ragtag crew will be enough to go against Pekka Rollins. "

It was a low blow, she knew, to bring the bastard up after everything he was responsible for, to use the bastard against Kaz. She could physically see Brekker react to her words, jaw clenching and gloved hands forming tight white-knuckled fists, shoulders straightening and the lines of his body going taut. The fury that had been burning in his eyes was now written all over his face and for once, Laverna could understand why he was feared as well.

"Are you threatening me, Atropos?"

"No," Laverna lets a grin form on her lips as she moved to sit back down. "Just doing what a good friend should do and informing you that Rollins already knows and he is planning on sabotaging you." She let her words settle for a second, watching the way Brekker's hands tightned on the head of his cane. 

"I think..." Laverna acted as if she was having a hard time recalling what she had heard, letting the annoyance bubble further, "He might have said something along the lines of a ship and some bombs." 

"Van Eck?" Brekker asked after a few seconds of silence and Laverna shook her head leaning back on her seat and crossing her legs, purposely drawing out time to put the man in front of her on edge. It was clear to see that he was slowly running out of patience, especially after she had brought up Rollins and he could just snap anything.

But by goodness was it so much fun to tease him.

"Maybe, maybe not," Lavern shrugged, savouring the way his eyes twitch and jaw clenched. "You never know these merchants and the way their mouth runs. However, I'm the only one that Van Eck revealed details of who he hired, no one else."

She paused again, eyes never straying from his face. She waited a few seconds for Brekker to draw his own conclusions before speaking again. "Rollins found out from his men who in turn, found out about it from a certain sharpshooter. Did you know Jesper tends to have a very loose mouth after a bad gamble and few drinks?"

A silence settled between them, not tense but far from one that can be called comfortable. Brekker looked around the room for a second, his head barely moving before his eyes settled on the corner of a window which he looked at for a few seconds before looking back at Laverna.

"How do you think that you'll be able to help in this heist?" Brekker asked, mostly to agitate her but there was a small drop of genuinity in there that Laverna barely caught onto. A grin formed on her lips before she could help herself when she noticed the way his eyebrow ticked and his shoulders relaxed.

"Oh you already know my skill set darling,' Laverna answered, a teasing edge to it and she could see a corner of his lips turn up a little, barely noticeable if you weren't looking properly

"I know them and they are mediocre at best," Brekker stated and Laverna let out a laugh, a grin forming on her lips.

"You flatter me Brekker," Laverna teased before standing up and giving him a short wave, "I'll see you soon then."