Kaz lets Jesper lead the way, staying just slightly behind the pair. It takes everything in him not to glance back directly, instead using windows and other surfaces to ensure there's no one following them. He won't let them take Mat back, not when he's this close, and if it comes to it he knows Jesper will handle them with the right call.
And Kaz would deal with anyone that might follow them.
Yet no one did, and that alone felt suspicious to him. Enough so that he locked the door behind them, then propped his cane not by the door but under the handle. Crossing to the windows, doing the same there, showing more of his paranoia than he lets most see from him. He didn't want others to know how prepared they can be, but then Mat is one of theirs.
Then he moves to pour them all a drink.
"From what I can tell, so long as you can avoid the military and their greedy hands for able bodied men," he says, giving a quick look at Jesper, not hiding that concern he's held for as long as he's been there. "Then it's much easier than the others. Reminds me a lot of home, honestly," he admits, bringing glasses to them both.
Mat tries not to gawk. But the city here is so different than what he's used to. The buildings, the clothes, even the colors. It's all new to him, and he can't stop looking around as he hustled away from where the authorities are.
But he flops gratefully in a chair when they've made it to the rooms Kaz and Jesper call their own.
"I've got Thorne convinced I'm a silly, shallow fellow who's only good for music and laughs. Shouldn't be too hard to convince the folks here of the same." It's an easy role for him to play. And a safe one.
"And I've no information that'd be interested in, I've never even stepped foot inside the court of the current regime. I certainly have knowledge of the people, but I doubt they have much use for knowing what Thornian housewives are in open marriages or who tips their musicians the best."
Jesper doesn't bother to show the same paranoia because he knows automatically that Kaz will do it. He's always got his eye on their backs so he knows without watching him that Kaz is making certain they're not followed, he's unsurprised when he handling the windows and put his cane at the door. Jesper agrees with him. This seems too good to be true and he wonders if in a few hours the army will be banging on their door saying they've decided to lock them in the barracks for now. It won't go well for them if they do.
"Not as many thieves and troublemakers as in Ketterdam, unfortunately." This to Kaz. It's probably his least favorite part of Cadens. Too much army, not enough criminals with their own code, like the Dregs. For now they can focus on Mat though, not on the problems that could come with him. Jesper is determined to be happy.
He takes the drink offered and sits on a chair next to Mat, leaning into him automatically, putting an arm around his shoulders. He kisses his cheek and then leans his head against him, apparently unhappy unless they are touching in various ways. He's starving for the concept of Mat safe and sound in his arms where Thorne can't get him. He's only been dreaming of this for years.
"I was playing the fashion fool for a time but unfortunately blowing up a base put me a bit in their crosshairs, so spend more time with Kaz in public, perhaps, in these first few days." Kaz isn't the one who decided to get on the military's radar with both his actions and his abilities. It wasn't a happy set of consequences, but in typical Jesper form, he regrets nothing.
"Can't wait to show you Aquila and Libertas though, maybe we should have a beach day, mmm?" He waggles his eyebrows playfully at Kaz. Who stays in his black no matter where they go.
A life of being three steps ahead of paranoia means that Kaz usually has six plans in place at any given time. None of that could prepare him for what was essentially a breakdown of the entire system here. At least from what he heard on the streets. It wasn't just Mat. The army would have their hands full for a time, and that he was used to; taking advantage of what little time they have to plan.
But while the wheels may be turning, he knows now isn't the time for planning. Not between them. Jesper and Mat needed this time.
Mention of blowing up the base though got Jesper a sour look.
"Some of us know the value of playing a role and seeing the long term pictures," he points out, as if they haven't had this talk before. "For now though, it's likely we need to consider our options both while they're distracted and before they can regroup."
He holds up one hand as soon as he says it. "That is not this moment. Just bringing it up before you plan more vacations of sitting in the sun." He says it like he proposed diving with sharks perhaps.
"Kaz gets it!" Mat turns a grin to the most somber of their little trio. "But I do concede that sometimes circumstances force one to reveal one's true nature."
A nod to Jesper, as he simply sinks comfortably against him.
"Anyhow, I'm not too worried." He does still have his letter. Granted it was issued by the former government, but still. He's not above making a great grand fuss if need be. And besides. He's an entertainer. He's loud and publicly known, if not as well as some others. He could be a real pain in their arse, if he wants to be.
"Honestly? The current king's a lot less scary than the old queen. And the folks in charge here want Summoned just as badly, yeah? I were them, I wouldn't be too keen to make anyone go back that wanted to stay...."
Jesper sticks his tongue out at Kaz, mostly because he has no verbal argument he can make for his behavior. Something that wasn't surprising to any of them given his general everything, but he did end up learning a lesson from it. He'll be more careful now. Kaz has said what he needed about the situation and they don't need to rehash, but he gets to take his verbal snaps about it any time he wants.
"Alright we can wait a week before going to the beach." He kicks out the nearest chair to encourage Kaz to sit in it, and once he does he'll lean forward to snag it closer to them. So what if he wants both of them near him within easy grabbing distance, he's allowed. They're his partners for life, Jesper is going to take advantage of every opportunity to lean into this lucky twist.
"They'll take you back over my dead body," Jesper says, cheerfully. And sincerely. "But they did say you could leave the last time I made a scene. We'll just all make a scene this time, they'll have thrice the reason to let it go." The point was that Mat wasn't going to pick Thorne this time. He was exactly where he needed to be. Jesper has no doubt they'll manage to make this work, now that the three of them were in sync with each other.
"My men are both here, I'm going to burst." He grins. "I'm not sorry for the level of snuggly I'm about to get, my loves."
"Mmm, less scary royalty. Means they're likely just better at hiding things and not into bluster. I've only met one I didn't despise."
He wouldn't say he entirely liked him but it wasn't despising him. He'd come around a bit more to him in this place.
Much as there might have been in the past, there is little hesitation as he moves to settle in beside Jesper. For a moment he seems distant though, his mind going to another time and place when the three of them had sat together. How different things had been then, but enough to put Kaz on a path in this place that he had no desire to give up. Some might not have believed it was real. He refused to believe anything but, especially with their shapeshifted forms.
He gives a snort at Jesper's cheerful murder plans, shaking his head. "You know, it's always amazing to me that as the Bastard of the Barrel, you're the one that just guns them all down. At least I have the decency to torture some first," he says, as if that's entirely normal and sane.
"Whatever they try, we'll figure it out. Sorry to say, Mat. You made a choice once. You're ours now. I'm bad about giving things back once they're mine."
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And Kaz would deal with anyone that might follow them.
Yet no one did, and that alone felt suspicious to him. Enough so that he locked the door behind them, then propped his cane not by the door but under the handle. Crossing to the windows, doing the same there, showing more of his paranoia than he lets most see from him. He didn't want others to know how prepared they can be, but then Mat is one of theirs.
Then he moves to pour them all a drink.
"From what I can tell, so long as you can avoid the military and their greedy hands for able bodied men," he says, giving a quick look at Jesper, not hiding that concern he's held for as long as he's been there. "Then it's much easier than the others. Reminds me a lot of home, honestly," he admits, bringing glasses to them both.
no subject
Mat tries not to gawk. But the city here is so different than what he's used to. The buildings, the clothes, even the colors. It's all new to him, and he can't stop looking around as he hustled away from where the authorities are.
But he flops gratefully in a chair when they've made it to the rooms Kaz and Jesper call their own.
"I've got Thorne convinced I'm a silly, shallow fellow who's only good for music and laughs. Shouldn't be too hard to convince the folks here of the same." It's an easy role for him to play. And a safe one.
"And I've no information that'd be interested in, I've never even stepped foot inside the court of the current regime. I certainly have knowledge of the people, but I doubt they have much use for knowing what Thornian housewives are in open marriages or who tips their musicians the best."
no subject
"Not as many thieves and troublemakers as in Ketterdam, unfortunately." This to Kaz. It's probably his least favorite part of Cadens. Too much army, not enough criminals with their own code, like the Dregs. For now they can focus on Mat though, not on the problems that could come with him. Jesper is determined to be happy.
He takes the drink offered and sits on a chair next to Mat, leaning into him automatically, putting an arm around his shoulders. He kisses his cheek and then leans his head against him, apparently unhappy unless they are touching in various ways. He's starving for the concept of Mat safe and sound in his arms where Thorne can't get him. He's only been dreaming of this for years.
"I was playing the fashion fool for a time but unfortunately blowing up a base put me a bit in their crosshairs, so spend more time with Kaz in public, perhaps, in these first few days." Kaz isn't the one who decided to get on the military's radar with both his actions and his abilities. It wasn't a happy set of consequences, but in typical Jesper form, he regrets nothing.
"Can't wait to show you Aquila and Libertas though, maybe we should have a beach day, mmm?" He waggles his eyebrows playfully at Kaz. Who stays in his black no matter where they go.
no subject
But while the wheels may be turning, he knows now isn't the time for planning. Not between them. Jesper and Mat needed this time.
Mention of blowing up the base though got Jesper a sour look.
"Some of us know the value of playing a role and seeing the long term pictures," he points out, as if they haven't had this talk before. "For now though, it's likely we need to consider our options both while they're distracted and before they can regroup."
He holds up one hand as soon as he says it. "That is not this moment. Just bringing it up before you plan more vacations of sitting in the sun." He says it like he proposed diving with sharks perhaps.
no subject
A nod to Jesper, as he simply sinks comfortably against him.
"Anyhow, I'm not too worried." He does still have his letter. Granted it was issued by the former government, but still. He's not above making a great grand fuss if need be. And besides. He's an entertainer. He's loud and publicly known, if not as well as some others. He could be a real pain in their arse, if he wants to be.
"Honestly? The current king's a lot less scary than the old queen. And the folks in charge here want Summoned just as badly, yeah? I were them, I wouldn't be too keen to make anyone go back that wanted to stay...."
no subject
"Alright we can wait a week before going to the beach." He kicks out the nearest chair to encourage Kaz to sit in it, and once he does he'll lean forward to snag it closer to them. So what if he wants both of them near him within easy grabbing distance, he's allowed. They're his partners for life, Jesper is going to take advantage of every opportunity to lean into this lucky twist.
"They'll take you back over my dead body," Jesper says, cheerfully. And sincerely. "But they did say you could leave the last time I made a scene. We'll just all make a scene this time, they'll have thrice the reason to let it go." The point was that Mat wasn't going to pick Thorne this time. He was exactly where he needed to be. Jesper has no doubt they'll manage to make this work, now that the three of them were in sync with each other.
"My men are both here, I'm going to burst." He grins. "I'm not sorry for the level of snuggly I'm about to get, my loves."
no subject
He wouldn't say he entirely liked him but it wasn't despising him. He'd come around a bit more to him in this place.
Much as there might have been in the past, there is little hesitation as he moves to settle in beside Jesper. For a moment he seems distant though, his mind going to another time and place when the three of them had sat together. How different things had been then, but enough to put Kaz on a path in this place that he had no desire to give up. Some might not have believed it was real. He refused to believe anything but, especially with their shapeshifted forms.
He gives a snort at Jesper's cheerful murder plans, shaking his head. "You know, it's always amazing to me that as the Bastard of the Barrel, you're the one that just guns them all down. At least I have the decency to torture some first," he says, as if that's entirely normal and sane.
"Whatever they try, we'll figure it out. Sorry to say, Mat. You made a choice once. You're ours now. I'm bad about giving things back once they're mine."
Totally not a threat, right?