But you still have gold

It had been a few weeks now since that godawful meeting in Valyria. If it wasn't his mind that reminded him of it, his body would do the trick. The headache had passed but occasionally returned, sometimes worse than before and Kaz was almost certain he had broken a rib, maybe two. His body was stiffer than usual and while he rather wanted to just sit somewhere and let it pass, it was his restlessness and paranoia that made him get up and walk. Maybe that was why it took so long for him to heal, because he was almost certain any doctor would tell him to take rest and let it pass. But Kaz was stubborn and occasionally stupid and even with a small voice in the back of his head telling him to stop, he continued.

Brightwater Keep was familiar terrain and Kaz knew a few hide out spots he could stay at while he slowly started getting back to work. The days hadn't been easy, no, they had been goddamn hard. He was running low on cash but he was in no shape to run from any possible guards that would come after him if he managed to sneak a few golden coins in his pocket. That didn't withhold him from roaming the busy streets of the port. The smell of the sea made him nauseous and the people clammered together making their way through the streets claustrophobic, but Kaz continued. His limp was mroe visible than before and he could feel his leg ache with every step, but still he went on, determined to stop pitying himself and just get on with it. Maybe his body would listen.
Even from afar, he saw the crowd parting, screams filling his ears. Kaz came to a halt, a little confused. It wasn't until he heard the familiar word ''Thief!'' multiple times, he knew what was going on. Today was not a day to get involved with the authorities. Kaz wanted to step asside, letting the turmoil pass, but he miscalculated the time he had and someone already bumped into him. After a short stumble his annoyed eyes found the other. His facial features looked even grimmer after that. ''Are you kidding me.'' he muttered. He eyed the guards and an entire mob, wow they really hated tieves around these parts didn't they, coming their way and Kaz decided to make a decision. ''My turn.'' He spoke with a sly smile while he grabbed her hand, turned around and started to run, tugging her with him. This was such a a bad idea. Nothing he was about to do, had a positive outlook and there was a great chance that they would be caught.

Kaz made a few turns, leaving the busy streets behind and invading the small, narrow alleyways Brightwater Keep had so many of. He didn't look back once. Eventually they ended up at a dead end and for a few moments, they seemed to be trapped. Kaz walkted towards the wall and cupped his hands, gesturing that Aella could use it as a headsup to climb over it. He would think later of looking for a way to climb over it himself. Kaz felt his entire body hurting and for a moment questioned himself if it maybe just hadn't been better to leave her there. Hadn't he said he never wanted to meet her again? To never cross paths with her again? Well, he surely liked to never to himself, didn't he?

It was a miracle they had gotten so far and that no one had stopped them yet. It was also a miracle Aella hadn't gotten her hand loose, knocked him out cold and left on her own. If the situation would have let it, Kaz would have been surprised. But all he felt now was the fast beating of his heart in his chest en the aching pain that seemed to pulse through his body. He had the feeling that if he sat down later today, he would probably not get back up until his body had fully healed. Goddamn why didn't he just listen to himself and take some time off. Simply because he only knew work and had no idea how one could relax. Besides, Zanna depended on him, he had taken her under his care and promised to protect her. He couldn't just end up in jail now, could he? There was no soft spot for the little girl, but Kaz mainly acted out of instict. If he ended up in jail, she would end up on the streets again with a lot more knowledge than before and maybe one day she would best him. And Kaz didn't want that happening.

He felt her weight pressing down on him when she stepped on his cupped hands. With some effort he pushed her upwards so she had better access to the roof. In the distance the yelling grew louder and it wasn't until much longer after that, the guards ran down the corner. Kaz glanced over his shoulder and saw how quick they were nearing. He was going to get stuck here, there was no way in hell he could-  ”Grab my hand!” Immediately, Kaz head snapped towards Aella, saw her hand and without thinking, grabbed it, pulling himself up. He threw his cane on the roof, almost scared it would fall over the edge, and got on his knees. He was out of breath but there was no time to waste. One gloved hand grabbed the cane, the other reached out to Aella to pull her back up so they could continue this crazy escape plan. ''Thanks.'' He said quickly and without any meaning, before starting to run again. It was only a short distance before they would be on the ground.
Kaz jumped over a chimney and came quickly to a halt, as the roof ended there. With his cane he pointed to a place in the distance. The gate of Brightwater Keep, their way out. ''There.'' He only said, before looking down and making the jump.

It had been one of the worst mistakes he could have made. The pain that went through his body as soon as he landed, was excruciating. Kaz bit his lip hard to not to scream. The blood he tasted after he let go, didn't make it any better. A thousand cursewords escaped his mouth when he got up again, knowing full well he wouldn't be running like earlier any time soon. Nevertheless, he went on, trying to keep up the same pace. Somewhere, he expected Aella to just leave him behind. Now he only was a thing holding her up, an object that was better left in the trash. And honestly, Kaz wouldn't mind being left behind at the moment, if it meant he was saved from the pain. Even if it was just a short moment.

By the Gods or whoever else was up there, how persistent could people be? What exactly had she stolen to incur the wrath of, what seemed to be, whole Brightwater Keep? A part of him just wanted to stop her right there and ask about it, clarify it. Kaz wanted to know what he was up to, since his stupid mind thought it was a great idea to help her escape. Hell, maybe she even stole some ancient relic from the ruler of Brightwater Keep himself when that poor sod was asleep or something. He could see her do that.
They followed their path, Kaz obviously getting behind since his whole body started to scream it couldn't take a single step anymore, and, to his surprise, made it out the gate. Maybe her theft hadn't been that bad, then? Or the guards here were just lazy asses. You had too many of those anyway. For Kaz it was only a convenience. Lazy guards paid no attention so he could easily slip past or get the locked jailcell open. He had only been locked up here once, and even though it had been years ago Kaz still had the memory fresh in his mind.

Out in the forest everything seemed to darken. Maybe because they were underneath the leaves? But as a thunder rolled in and Kaz could feel small rainddrops hitting his head, he knew it was different. The young man glanced over his shoulder and saw the path behind hem empty. ''Stop.'' He said while coming to a halt. Kaz leaned with his hands on his knees,
panting and very much out of breath. ''I think we've lost them.'' A flash, a few moments later, another sound of thunder. Somewhere in the back of his head, he realised that Aella might not be the fondest of thunderstorms. And even he had to admit that walking in a dense forest with a thunderstorm above his head, wasn't exactly something he was comfortable with. Kaz got up, his right hand supporting his left ribs, his face clearly showing he was in a lot of pain. ''Theres a cave nearby. We can hide there until this storm passes.'' He said we, but wanted Aella him along or would she just leave him here? He expected both to happen, knowing full well how unpredictable she could be and what kind of an ass he had been the past meeting. Maybe he deserved it to be electrocuted by this storm.

Everyone had weaknesses. It was just a matter of time before you discovered and exploited them. Kaz had learned that at an early age. You could only hide it for so long before someone would notice it. Kaz' weakness was an easy guess, the fact that he wore gloves everywhere he went, no matter the circumstances, would say enough. The gloves were made especially for him, tailored to his fingers and stitched in a way that he could feel everything he touched like there was nothing between him and the surface. Kaz was in no way proud of it, but had grown used to wearing them. There was probably no day in the near future he was going to take them off, let alone ever.

Sure, a cave to some might sound cozy. To him it sounded more like a nightmare. Who knew how long this storm would go on? Maybe they would be stuck for the night as well. The only good thing he could think of, was that in that cave he had hidden a stash of gold, for emergencies and since he was running low on cash and would probably not be fully healthy any time soon, it would be a good idea to just get them out there and use them. They were no use if they just laid under a rock for eternity. Kaz stretched and without a word, turned around to walk into a different direction, into the dense forest. Meanwhile, the thunder got louder and the rain got heavier. Goddammit, this was his favorite coat. Kaz didn't mind getting wet, but the fact that he had to spend the rest of the hours in a humid cave, didn't exactly make him smile.

It took them about twenty minutes before they stopped. It would've taken a shorter time if he wasn't held back by the pain in his leg and ribs. At a first glance it just looked like he stopped for a break, which he gladly would have, but after a few moments of catching his breath and ignoring whatever words Aella would throw at him because he was done with her shit anyway, he walked further and pushed away a few bushes. They showed a small entrance one could only enter crouched, but once inside, the cave was massive and open. There was a small opening where water trickled down, forming a pool of fresh water on the ground. The cave even seemed to have been lived in for a while. ''Used to be a bandit hideout.'' Kaz said while he limped towards one of the corners. He kneeled, pushed away a few rocks and smiled when he saw the pouches laying there, still waiting for him. He tucked them on the inside of his coat, getting up again. There were a few hies on the ground, mostly used for sleeping, but right now, Kaz rather stayed where he was, having no idea what Aella had up her sleeve. Hell, this could even mean his impeding doom. ''Have you gone so bad at stealing an entire town is after you now?'' He asked after a few silent moments, his voice softly echoing around the stones. He might as well start insulting her if this was his last day alive.

It had been a miracle he hadn't tripped over anything and broken his neck yet. It had been months since he had been here, but the cave was familiar. It wasn't the first time he stashed gold here and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Even though the opening in the ceiling of the cave gave a little bit of light, they were dependent on the lightning of the thunderstorm, which came at the most unpredicted moments. Kaz let out a sigh while he leaned on his cane. Maybe it was for the best if he just sat down, even for just a minute. He made his way towards the center of the room again, carefully placing his cane before setting a step, to ensure he wouldn't trip over anything.

In the meantime, Aella also made his way to him, presumably to scoff at him or tell him to shut up before she would tear his head apart or something. The old stuff. Kaz was too tired to give a fuck. He rolled his eyes at her answer. Every thief was in a hurry, he had never seen one taking his time with picking a lock or counting the gold he could manage to get away with. He bit his lip to stop himself from making another useless and infuriating remark. ”I could’ve handled this on my own perfectly, you know? You just had to move out of my way-” Her words halted as she seemed to fall over and take him down with her. Kaz was only surprised and groaned when he hit the floor and something hard pressed against his back. Of course, add that to the list of ever growing injuries. ''Just like you could've handled this on your own if I wasn't in the way?'' The flash of lightning that followed showed his amused face, that turned into one of pain when he got up. Yeah, he wasn't getting back up soon. Kaz managed to drag himself towards a few of the hides and sat down, with his back against the sturdy wall. He let out a relieved sigh, laying down his cane next to him. ''Maybe next time you should just watch where your going. A thief always knows his way out, remember?'' This absolutely not the time for lessons, but Kaz couldn't stop himself from being the one on top for once, even though he was down on the ground at the moment. He managed to get a flask out of his coat and took a few gulps of the liquid inside, feeling the alcohol burn down his throat, hoping this would numb the pain for a while. If it didn't, he might as well just get drunk for the fun of it.

The darkness felt comfortable and like an old friend. Though his surroundings weren't that familiar, he was already happy he could sit down and rest his leg. Kaz closed his eyes for a short moment, but almost immedaitely opened them again when he felt how comfortable that was. This was no time to fall asleep or doze off. He put the flask away, determinded to stop drinking for tonight, knowing it would only make him more sleepier. He should've known before he took those big gulps, but the situation hadn't been there to think clearly. All his head could have thought of was escaping and making it out alive. And now that they had indeed escaped and were somewhat safe, Kaz had no idea what to think now.

His eyes tried to find her, his ears tried to locate her and eventually he noticed her shadow at the small pool, washing her hands. It looked like he hadn't been the only one who took some damage from the fall. Somewhere, that righted some things. Kaz faintly smiled and shrugged, not even sure if she could see his movements in this darkness. ''I made you not die today. It's something.'' He retored dryly, though the tone of her voice didn't go past him. ''If you rather want to go outside in that thunderstorm, by all means, be my guest.'' He hadn't forgotten her fear, or weakness however you looked at it, but that didn't stop him from using it against her. Kaz leaned with his head against the wall, feeling his eyelids droop, but he managed to keep them open, determined to do anything but fall asleep. For all he knew, he would wake up with a slit throat, or just not wake up at all.

''How wonderful.'' He mumbled not sounding happy at all. He rather just got up and leave, but the fact that he was finally sitting down and his body made itself clear it really needed to rest right now. He too rather did't want to be here right now, but what choice did he have? It was this or get soaking wet outside in a forest where people were probably on the lookout for him. It had been a bad choice of him to help her escape, he was an acomplice now, his face would probably be plastered on a wall with a reward written underneath it. The fact that he didn't look like an average Joe, wouldn't help much. He had to lay low now, maybe it was for the best.

Kaz could hear Aella's movements in the dark, only seeing her silhouette when lightning struck. In a way, it looked menacing, the way she was getting towards her. Maybe she was truly plotting to kill him. At least he would die with some gold in his pocket. He didn't like her attitude one bit, but swallowed his annoyance. ''What do you want, princess.'' He said with a bored tone, though the annoyance was hearable in his voice. ''If you want to kill me, just get on with it then.'' He sat himself a little more straight, one of his hands resting wearily on his cane, Ready to get out of here if he had to. But he rather now just wanted her to shut up and leave him alone. He managed to keep her out of jail goddamit, a little grattitude would be nice.