root path

Athens. [Clary] hacker, hardware aficionado, information hoarder. busy not being arrested for stealing government intel.

[zargeb]

the girlfriend

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  During their first day in the house right outside of Parma, Jace had been watching Rome closely. They met the new additions to their group: Bern, who would be staying outside of the bank to keep the police occupied with the phone signal, Jakarta, who would have a similar role to Beirut’s, and Pristina, who would be working alongside Riga. His first impressions of the three were good, but his gaze had never stayed at them long and always strayed back to Rome. He found himself worried, not only about Rome but also about Kiev. It had taken them weeks by boat to get to Portugal and the real heist planning was only starting that day. Even if Rome had contacted the Professor the moment that she knew Kiev had been arrested, a lot of time had passed and even more time was going to pass them by.   He took his worries out on some targets during target practice alongside Meliorn, who they were meant to refer to as Cairo now, and Bern, the latter complimenting him on his aim. They had two more planned target practices later that week, but that would mostly involve him instructing Riga, Athens and Pristina. Once he got back he took a shower and headed into the room he shared with Athens, to find that she was already there. He kissed her and sat down on his side of the bed. “Come and lay with me?” he asked softly.   When Athens had joined him and they curled up on the bed together, he did something that was very uncharacteristic of him: he shared how he was feelings. “I’m worried about Rome,” he said. “I can’t imagine the kind of pressure she’s under. That’s the kind you crack under and don’t come back from. She’s not a criminal like any of us. She’s the wrong time, wrong moment girl that ended up with a criminal.” He paused to kiss Athens and sighed then, closing his eyes. “She’s a criminal’s girlfriend. The type that sees him leave the home and says a prayer that he’ll come back to her, aware that there’s nothing she can do. And now she has to. What if she’s not cut out for this, like she seems to think? We can’t have that on our hands in the bank.”

   Time was passing too quickly. Weeks had slipped away and Clary was feeling every single one of them whenever she thought about Kiev. Weeks where he must be wondering if he’d been left there, wherever he was, and if anyone was ever going to come and get him. It didn’t change the fact that in order to get him back, they had to stay focused on the heist. The first day at the new location was evenly divided between supporting Rome wherever possible with Riga, and figuring out what sort of people they would now be working with. As it turned out, the concerns she and Zagreb had expressed to one another about Riga and men didn’t look to be a problem just yet, since she and Jakarta got along very well so far. Instead, the primary concern was transferred to Rome, who obviously hadn’t been sleeping well on the boat and looked like she was struggling. They needed her to hold it together, and that meant keeping her occupied and lending a shoulder where needed.

   When Clary had gone back to the room that she shared with Zagreb at their new location, it became evident she’d beaten him back. Knowing he was still most likely at the target range with Cairo and Bern where he’d been earlier, she sat on the edge of the bed, proceeding braid her hair back from her face. That was where he found her when he arrived back, just done with braiding, towel hung outside to dry out. It was all too easy to kiss him back and wrap him close, curl into his arms in return. “Me too,” she admitted, looked at him and ran fingers gently through his still-damp hair, a soothing thing. “But the thing we both need to remember is that she made the choice on her own to stop Lorenzo from shooting Kiev before. She’s done some surprising things under insane pressure inside the Mint, so we shouldn’t underestimate her. You chose her for a reason and I don’t think you made a bad judgement call.”

   Despite that, Clary exhaled a little, because having your own life at risk was very different to knowing that someone Rome loved was being tortured illegally. “But she doesn’t seem to be sleeping enough, and she’s picking at her food unless Riga and I eat with her. Then she forgets and eats properly. I don’t think she or Kiev were made for this kind of life. Not when they have their son to think about as well.” In a way, it was doubly unfair that it was Kiev that had been caught, because the money they had was enough to give them the out they’d needed. He never had to commit another crime. They could have lived in peace for the rest of their days. That was what made Clary angry about it. “I think the best we can do for Rome is support her as much as possible and make sure she isn’t alone.” Then, more quietly, “I think when she’s alone and has nothing to distract her, Kiev is all she can think about. You know?” That was the risk of loving someone who had actively chosen to be part of a heist. They would know, after all, wouldn’t they? “You sound like you’re finding it hard seeing her go through it.”

[zargeb]

the hacker

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  The crash course in hacking was going to have to get done as soon as possible, but they also needed tech for it and right now they didn’t have enough of it. It meant that it was going to have to be done as soon as they arrived in Parma. Similarly, both Athens and him had some work to do. He was going to have to teach her some martial arts and she was going to teach him how to work with tech. Adding to that, Jace also intended to attempt to rewire her brain a little to think without tech, but that they could do on the boat and start right away on if they wanted to. They were going to have to discuss about potential dissociation issues as well, but Jace had to keep that for later because once he started going down that road he may be useless for a good night and day and he needed himself sharp right now. They were only going to be adding to the list of things, since they were going over the others as well.   Riga’s feminism was a point to concern. While it wasn’t a bad thing and while Jace considered himself a feminist, he too had noticed that Riga sometimes had been none too eager to listen to Warsaw. “Riga’s already my right hand, but I think I’ll have to stick to asking her things instead of telling her what to do, how I would go about it with Beirut,” he said. “She’ll be in charge of the harvest to begin with and I expect her to handle the others. The new ones may have issues with a woman in charge as well, so that’s something to keep an eye on too.” That idea made him very tired, but they had to move on. Inflexible, indeed, more training with firearms (they were going to have to do a few drills, Jace concluded) and Beirut. That was a list, too, and Beirut was likely to have one as well. “He’s too inclined to follow instructions,” Jace said. “He doesn’t have an inquisitive bone in his body. That makes him easy to manipulate. He tends to go for drastic measures too easily and has some sort of emotional connection to Riga in return.” He wrote all of those down as well before he looked up at Athens. “What else?”

   Hearing that anyone new might have problems with a woman in charge made Clary’s lips quirk humourlessly. “They’re in for a shock when they meet the Professor, then, aren’t they?” Because whether they approved of a woman in charge of not, they would be listening to the Professor and following her plan, and that was pretty much the end of it. With that said, tensions could run high once locked in with people somewhere, and that meant that Zagreb’s remark about keeping an eye on the new intake was smart. “Anything from the Professor on who’s going to be joining us yet?”

   Once they moved on to discussing Beirut, Clary listened carefully. “He may have some issues being in a space that reminds him of the Mint again, given what happened with Monaco,” she said, considering it. “He had to make a hard call there and I think that contributes to why he doesn’t like being the one to make the decisions. He has to live with the consequences.” Pausing before she continued, Clary shifted in her seat. “He may feel conflicted about whose orders to follow due to that attachment to Riga, if the two of you ever disagree on how to approach something. He does best in a structured environment because of his background, and things may not stay structured if something goes wrong. Because of his previous exposure to combat, we don’t know what he went through or might act as a trigger.” Ending there, she exhaled. “Last but never least, Rome?”

[zargeb]

the hacker

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  It was interesting to hear Athens’ version of whether Beirut or Rome was a better fit for learning the basics of hacking. “Rome,” he corrected Athens softly when she called Maureen by that name aloud instead of her city name. There was time to get used to it, but they were going to have to be as consistent as possible about it. Maureen wasn’t Maureen any more. He agreed that Rome was more of a liability than Beirut was, but Jace found himself doubting that she would use the information she got her hands on. Beirut, on the other hand, he was sure would thrive in conditions where he needed to follow instructions to the latter. “I stand by my earlier conclusions,” he said. “Teach them both, and the others can make the call about who is more suitable in the situation to work with the tech.” If they already had Kiev back, it would most likely be Rome. But if they didn’t, it would be Beirut. Jace didn’t like to chance it.   Jace didn’t do so much as look up at Athens when she continued the list of his weaknesses, focusing on writing them down so he could assess them on his own later and see what he could still work on in the time before the heist started. He grimaced briefly when she mentioned the dissociating, but didn’t comment, and in a contrast chuckled briefly when she mentioned tech. When Athens moved on so did he, starting to write down what she said about her weaknesses in a quick pace, nodding alone at one or two points, and he looked up at her briefly when she made her remark about the heist leader. ‘When she asked him, he paused briefly and looked up at her. “You’re too reliant on tech,” he said. “It limits your thinking. And you have your mom, which I’m sure the Madrid police enforcement would love to use against you again.” He penned both of those down without comment.   They had to move on to the more difficult ones, now. “Riga is volatile,” he said. “She’s too goal-oriented. She wants to get something done even when she’s told not to. She’s a pacifist.” He didn’t know Riga as well as Athens did, though, so he looked over at her. 

   Being corrected on the city name was enough to make Clary realise she needed to get that into her head. She couldn’t chance slipping up. “Rome,” she confirmed, knowing that the acceptance was clear. On hearing that she should teach them both, Clary’s brow furrowed as she considered whether three was too many people aware of how their security worked. Then again, if they get even one of us, we’ve got bigger problems on our hands. “I’ll get started as soon as possible. Let me know when you want me to do it and I will.” She trusted Zagreb’s judgement, and he clearly wasn’t taking any chances.

   Clary hadn’t liked bringing up the dissociation at all, but she wasn’t going to say anything further on it. The point of the exercise was to identify risk factors, maybe to figure out who would work best with who, and that was crucial to the operation. When Zagreb proceeded to point out that she was too reliant on tech, that was a point that she definitely had to concede, because it was what she knew and she leaned on it. The mention of her mother inspired an altogether different reaction, a grimace of disgust. “I guess we get to find out whether she learned,” she said after a moment. Her last conversation with her mother had hammered home a few things, but Clary wasn’t going to hang hope on it. Once Zagreb moved onto Riga, Clary pursed her lips and considered it. “I think she’ll listen to you, but if we throw another man into the equation we might have a clash there dependent upon personality types involved. In general, she does not like men telling her what to do,” she said, tilting her head at him. They’d seen that much with her reactions to some of Warsaw’s orders. “She likes things done a specific way once she’s overseeing her part of an operation, and doesn’t appreciate any deviation from her instructions, so not very flexible there. She may need some more firearm training, and she’s very protective of Beirut.” That was when she paused and asked, “Speaking of which. Beirut’s weak points?”

[zargeb]

the hacker

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  Apparently, Athens had been thinking the same thing as he had. Since they had as little time as they did, Jace wasn’t going to run everything past the Professor. The Professor’s job was to focus on the plan and made sure it was working and running accordingly. His plan was to take care of his people, and that was exactly what he was doing. “For the record: I’m not counting on you not getting it done,” he said. “But we need to rule out everything. I have a second in command, but you should have one too.” In fact, everyone should have a person that could take over their job if something went down, but currently Athens, Riga and him were the most important pawns in this game of chess due to their specific skills. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to pick Maureen or Beirut, since Athens was right: they were both suitable. “Both,” he said in the end. “I don’t have a preference. Do you have a preference?”   That wasn’t all that needed to be fixed and done, though. “I want to discuss every person in the group to figure out what their weaknesses are,” he said as he started to write down every person’s name. “We can start with me, because I hope that makes it less uncomfortable.” He didn’t like discussing the other’s weaknesses at all, but it may be easier after pointing out his own. “Let’s see. I can’t follow rules, I can’t stand authority figures, I’m a bit trigger happy, my grandmother is on the police force, my wife is the hacker on the case and I force down emotions which probably makes me less bearable by the day. What have you got?”

   Hearing that Zagreb was making plans based on hypothetical what if scenarios made Clary feel steadier, for simple fact that he was trying to cover as many eventualities as possible. “Makes sense to me,” she said. It was like if she were to run a system update: she would always back up the original data first in case something went wrong. The difference was that in this instance, the back-up would be human. “I can make a case for both of them too,” Clary said with a faint sigh. “Beirut follows orders to the letter, so instructions will be no issue to him. He’ll be able to memorise different sets of instructions in sequence, and because he’s used to dangerous situations, he should retain it under pressure as well. What he won’t be able to do is improvise on the spot, since it’s not his usual, and he might need to.” Pressing her lips together, she considered their next candidate. “Maureen was working as a director’s assistant in the Royal Mint of Spain, and she definitely didn’t get to that level by coincidence. She’ll know computers well already, and she’ll pick it up quickly. We’ve got evidence that she also copes under pressure far better than any average civilian. With her, my question is whether it’s safe to hand her information that valuable when it’s a possible bargaining chip to get Kiev back from the police.” It was a harsh conclusion, but it was the same that she would have given on anyone else in the same situation, and it was clear from her expression that she didn’t like asking the question at all.

   Clary wasn’t expecting to be asked straight out what Zagreb’s weaknesses were, may have stared at him for a few seconds after he listed some. All were accurate in one way or another, and Clary distanced herself to view the situation objectively. “You’re unpredictable when it comes to reacting to a hostile situation, which might unnerve the new people more than the old crowd,” she began, a very vivid incident with a machine gun in mind that he’d pulled off like a miracle. “There’s a possibility you could be triggered into dissociating and there’s no certainty of what might cause it, and you could do with getting more familiar with tech.” Tilting her head, she added, “I think you covered the key ones.” 

   Pulling a face, Clary sat up a little. “My turn. I’m physically slighter than anyone else on the team and I don’t have enough combat training to do damage without a gun, so maybe more easily overpowered. I have issues with authority, the less I sleep the worse my focus gets, I’m married to the leader of the heist who will be law enforcement’s primary target...” That one meant she needed a breather, it was difficult to deal with and she knew it showed. “If anything happens to said leader, previous evidence shows that my mental health suffers considerably. I’m also emotionally compromised because I care about every single member of the team.” Then she added, reluctantly, “And I have some problems with being locked into a contained space and being unable to get out, albeit the situation likely to trigger that issue is quite specific.” Solitary confinement had that effect. “What did I miss?”

[zargeb]

the hacker

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  A couple of days into their voyage back to Europe, Beirut approached him. He was, as ever, just reading a book with his feet up on the edge of the boat and a glass of water beside him. When the other man sat down in front of him Jace lowered his book slowly. For some reason he doubted that Beirut was going to ask him for the sex talk like the last time he was disturbed while reading on this ship. As it turned out, he was correct about that. Beirut wanted to make sure there was no bad blood between the two of them because he aided Warsaw in throwing Jace out of the Mint. Jace was fast to reassure him that there was not, that Beirut was only following orders and that this was his duty, before he realized something. “Beirut, you wonderful man, I could kiss you,” he declared. The Serb laughed, which got people to look at them curiously. “I am beyond serious,” Jace told him. “You just pointed out something really important. I trust that you got my back, always, just like you can trust I got yours.” He settled for a soft pat on the other’s back as he got up. “Thank you,” he told the other before looking to see where Athens was. She was talking to the Professor. “Ath!” he called over. “I need you for something.”

  The both of them headed towards the cabin and Jace made sure the door was closed before he turned to look at her. “Have a seat,” he told her formally, nodding towards the two chairs standing in their cabin on both sides of a small table. He got an empty journal from his bag and a pen from his nightstand before sitting down on the other chair. “We have to discuss something. I want to assess everyone’s weaknesses so we know what we can fix before going into the next heist. I already did some with Rome and Beirut, but there’s so much more to tackle still. Starting with - ” Instead of finishing the sentence, he pointed at her with the pen. “You. Not your weaknesses, but your skill set. You’re the only one of us that can hack, and that’s a problem.”

   Clary hadn’t talked to the Professor this much in quite a while; that the other woman had seemingly relaxed a few degrees with a few years of no heists and Meliorn by her side was evident. However, it didn’t change the fact that she’d lost none of her edge, and Clary took note of that as she leaned back in her chair. “Seems like our resident ex-inspector has done you good, Professor,” she said with a bit of a grin on her face. It was by far preferable to tease the other woman a bit about Meliorn, make things lighter, than to discuss Kiev (the main person on all of their minds) or, for that matter, Warsaw, whose absence by the Professor’s side was still unnerving. The Professor chuckled slightly this time, less apt to react to the teasing after a few days of it. “He’ll be useful in the coming days, I think,” she said. “He knows how the other side thinks, and he has just about every law in the book and their loopholes memorised.” Clary shook her head. “Guess I never thought he’d be using it to our benefit. Things really do change.” That was the moment that Zagreb called her over, and Clary excused herself.

   Upon arriving at their cabin and the door being closed behind them, Clary studied her husband with an enquiring expression at first, but it was one that quickly cleared as he got straight to business. Stretching her legs out in her chair as Zagreb pointed his pen at her, Clary nodded in agreement as he outlined the problem he’d identified. “I’ve been thinking about that too,” she said, pressing her lips together. “As much as I used to like a lack of competition back in the day, this isn’t a normal operation. We need to make sure that we still have a shot if for some reason I can’t get it done.” Or, well, if I get shot, more accurately. Studying him, Clary proceeded to pull a hair tie from around her wrist and pull her hair up into a ponytail. “The way I see it, it can’t be you because you’ll be the primary target as leader. Riga needs to be able to step in immediately if something happens to you and handle the money side, so she’s out. That leaves Maureen or Beirut, who both have skills to recommend them. Who would you choose?”

[codingathens]

here’s to us, z

at the beginning of everything and to the end of the line. from A.

teenage dirtbag, thom cooper » dreams - piano version, lissie » she will be loved, kind of a two » billie jean, the civil wars » lost in japan - acoustic, amber leigh irish » bad guy - acoustic, dan berk & lance allen » god is a woman (615 sessions), jamie mcdell » sorry, colin & caroline » starving, emma heesters » all of me, sofia karlberg » wicked game - acoustic; live, stone sour » don’t let me down, conor maynard » running up that hill, first aid kit » high hopes, the mayries » shallow - acoustic, daniel robinson » iris, kina grannis » dancing in the dark - acoustic, john adam » get lucky - acoustic, linn brikell » symphony - acoustic, thomas daniel » demons, tyler ward & kina grannis » human nature, taylor henderson » i’ll stand by you - acoustic version, kaiak

[codingathens]

spill

After returning indoors from her conversation with Zagreb, Riga made a beeline for Clary, Meliorn apparently quietly speaking to the Professor. “Please tell me I can persuade you into wine?” the other woman begged, holding up her glass. “Don’t make me drink this entire bottle by myself, sea sickness and a hangover aren’t exactly what I had in mind.”

Clary raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t get seasick.” She’d spent a month on a boat with everyone on board, she’d know by now if any of them suffered from it.

“If I have a hangover I will,” Riga said, brandished the bottle that was on the nearby table with just a bit too much enthusiasm. “This stuff is good.” In an attempt to persuade her further, Riga pouted. “Come on Athens. I know it’s bad circumstances. But I think we need this.” Before we go back into another heist so we can save our friend and we might not be able to was unspoken, but it was there just the same.

“One glass,” she surrendered, holding her hands up. “One.”

Riga’s grin was a bit too impish then for Clary not to be at least a little suspicious when the other woman managed to have an empty wine glass conveniently nearby. The wine, as it turned out, was a red, and Clary’s expression must have spoken volumes when she sipped it.

“Rich, right?” Riga shook her head, took another appreciative sip of her own. “I told you, the finer things in life, Athens. Though I wish I could buy the Prof’s expensive taste, I’ve got a peasant’s taste-buds comparatively. I know it’s good but couldn’t tell you why.”

Clary chuckled. “Me either. Wasn’t exactly raised on expensive anything.”

In silent unison, they raised their glasses and clinked them.

“So what’s going on with you and tall, blond and brooding nowadays?” Riga asked, dark eyes mischievous and curls still as wavy as ever, framing her face as she attended to her wine with apparent enjoyment.

That was when Clary chuckled against the rim of her glass. “We ran away to paradise and came back when the Professor got in touch. What more do you want to know?”

Riga scowled at her, playful. “There are some aspects of your smartass mouth I didn’t miss, you know.”

“Nonsense,” Clary replied absently, took another sip and hummed a little. “You missed me loads. Unless…I knew it. Who else’s hair have you been braiding, traitor?”

A smirk followed. “Well, I have a go at Beirut’s once or twice but it just didn’t work for him. Besides, sugar, it suits you much better.”

Clary smiled, reached up a hand to mess with the chain at her neck out of habit, as she always did when she wore it. “Was glad to go back to red, blonde really only does something for me on Zagreb.”

The other woman rolled her eyes then. “The two of you disgust me. You’re like teenagers still, and God help me it’s actually vaguely sweet.”

Clary grimaced and took a rather larger gulp of wine. “We’re not that bad. You should just count yourself lucky you didn’t walk in on the Professor and Meliorn mid make-out session.”

Riga’s eyes went wide, for a few seconds easily distracted. “Seriously?”

She tilted her head, took another sip. “Let’s just say when the Prof told us to be on time, she didn’t count on us arriving at seven instead of eight.”

For a few seconds, Riga wrinkled her nose in sympathy, but then proceeded to point with the hand that held her wine. “You. You don’t get to do this to me any more. You change the subject to distract me or you avoid answering. Not today. It’s been three years and we have catching up to do. Spill.”

When Riga looked as though she was going to lean over and forcibly top up her wine as well, Clary deliberately moved her glass out of reach. “I did say one, Riga, and it’s not my fault if you’re not asking the right questions,” she teased, amused. “But I’m not going to wake up with a headache tomorrow just because you can’t handle your wine.”

Riga eyed her then, took in Clary’s apparent comfort. “Alright. Is everything good with you and our favourite trigger-happy blond?”

Clary smiled then, and it was genuine. “Really good. Took us work to get there, but it was worth all of it.”

Her friend (still a surprising thought whenever it occurred, for some reason) nodded, apparently satisfied. “Are you treating him good? He watches you like you’re water and he’s thirsty.” A devilish wiggle of her eyebrows that reminded Clary of old cartoon villains followed. “If you know what I mean.”

A snort escaped Clary before she could stop it, but it was refreshing that for a change she was the one being asked about that. Bless Riga’s feminist sensibilities and ridiculous innuendos, she’d missed them, because most people would have asked Zagreb and not her. Nonetheless, she waited to time her reply, because this had been a while coming. It was right when Riga was taking a sip of wine that she chose to answer. “Of course I’m treating him well, he deserves it. Plus, you know, I think it kind of comes with the whole for better and for worse part of the wedding vows.”

The second after she’d said it, Clary moved because Riga came a hair’s breadth from spitting out her wine, to the point where the Professor actually looked up from her conversation with Meliorn in vague concern. “Riga?”

“I’m fine. Wine went down the wrong way.” Riga glared mutinously at Clary, who blinked innocently and merely took another sip. “I always said you were a little shit,” she muttered, wiped the edge of her glass with her fingers, the Professor apparently satisfied and having returned to her conversation. “Nearly making me waste precious liquor.” Then she grinned, leaned in. “However, never mind the liquor, let’s get to the tea. Were you bullshitting me for the shock factor just now? Be serious. Did you actually get married?”

Clary shook her head. “I’m good at bluffing but not about that,” she answered, drawing the chain up around her neck just a bit. “Not practical to wear a ring in the obvious place all of the time, though.”

Her friend shook her head and let out a low whistle. “I am impressed that the two of you went for it. How long did it take you?”

That was the moment that Clary chuckled. “Six months after it was all done with and we’d settled down a bit. Wasn’t all smooth sailing, but we had each other and that was what mattered.”

Riga glanced off towards the doorway then, searching for Maureen, and Clary sighed, a very different thought occurring to her. “They got married too, didn’t they? Maureen and Kiev, I mean.”

That was when Riga’s smile turned into something more serious. “Yeah, seems that way. Apparently their little man’s been left with his grandpa until all of this is fixed. Can’t imagine how Maureen’s doing.”

An exchanged glance between them, and Clary felt the need to break the silence that hung there briefly; she had had a taste of something similar to what Maureen was going through, but at least Meliorn had been operating under the law. “Zagreb will talk to her, I think,” she said softly, careful not to give it away. “But we should look out for her too, right?”

A decisive nod from Riga, another sip of wine. “For sure. She’s one of us too.” Pausing, she added, “For Kiev.”

For the second and final time that night, they raised their glasses, but this time it was in a toast that was a silent promise to bring Kiev home.

[zargeb]

the heist leader

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  Jace needed for Athens to see the same things that he was seeing in this situation. They agreed they weren’t going to let the puppy suffer any more than he according to the Spain law enforcement had to, and the group that was going to help the puppy needed a leader. He would be the first one to agree that Riga was suitable as well, but they only had very little time to prepare for the heist this time and it had become clear that the Professor wanted Riga to busy herself with other things that leading the heist, so that left him. “You have more faith in my abilities than I do,” he observed softly. “I just think I have the most experience with heists in this group, perhaps other than Beirut.” But Beirut wasn’t cut out to lead. The other man would probably agree with that as a fact. “And I think that Beirut, Riga, Maureen and yourself would accept me, which is just as important.”   Athens’ words about Maureen made him nod a little. He picked her for her skillset and not to give her something to do, but he liked that she saw it that way. “I may have to go talk to her later,” he said. “Riga will agree and say something like ‘but of course, darling, I got your back’ and then go on drinking wine, but with Maureen it may be a conversation.” He felt that if he was going to be the leader, he may well start the moment it was announced. Not obnoxiously so, but subtly, in a way to let the others know he practiced what he preached. “The Professor knows what she’s doing, and we’ll have time to get to know the others,” he observed before making his way over to Athens, right when she wrapped her arms around herself uncomfortably. He pulled her into his arms instead. “I promise,” he told her softly. “For better or for worse. You’ll have to promise me something else, soon.” Soon but not yet. “Do you promise you won’t forget that -” He swallowed then, well aware he was going to say something he never had, “that I love you, even if I’m not showing it, even if I’m being an asshole?” The heist was absolutely going to bring out his worst side, and it wouldn’t do to let Athens forget. 

   Kiev was theirs and they were going to go and get him. It sounded simple. It wasn’t. It meant that if anyone had to be in charge, Clary didn’t disagree that Zagreb was the best candidate from an objective viewpoint. It was the part of her that was afraid for him, afraid in the same sensation that had tightened her chest when she’d learned the police had him, that didn’t want to hear sense in that moment. It meant that she pushed it down and looked at him. “You do, but you called it right on Beirut. He does best given orders to carry out.” It was the soldier mentality, in the same way that she did best when she was given a security system to crack open like an egg and put under their command. “No one is going to argue with you as leader from the old crowd,” she stated, a small but genuine smile on her lips then. “We’ll accept you. No questions needed there.”

   Clary couldn’t help but chuckle a little at Zagreb’s statement concerning Riga, which as far as she was concerned was about as accurate as it got. “Maureen will listen to you,” she said, meeting his eyes. “You’re going to be leading the offensive to get the love of her life and her kid’s adopted father out of illegal custody. She’s not going to argue with you.” The woman was too intelligent for that, that much Clary knew from last time around. When Zagreb approached and wrapped his arms around her, her immediate reaction was to reach out for him in return, to hold him right back just a little tighter than usual. The softly spoken promise reassured her, but it was what came next that made her expression soften when she looked at him. “I love you,” she answered, a little emphasis on the last word. “At your best, at your worst. You might have to operate at peak asshole for some of what we’re about to do. I realise that. It’s about getting the job done.” She leaned up then, and kissed him softly. “Whatever happens, we get Kiev, and we make it out. Together.” Pausing, she added, a little humour at her own expense, “Also, let’s see how much you like your wife after I’ve been staring at multiple screens for twenty-four hours or more. I’m sure it won’t be pretty.”

   They stayed up on deck a little while longer, in each other’s arms and watching the ocean. It was a far cry from their island, but it was the closest thing to it that they’d see until the second heist was over.

[zargeb]

the heist leader

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  The first question that came out of Athens’ mouth made Jace shake his head at her, albeit briefly. He felt like that wasn’t fair to him, because he was a very specific person and this wasn’t just about him. This was about Kiev first and all of the other heist members second and not just him. “You can’t ask me that,” he said. “I have issues following orders. I could only listen to Warsaw until a certain point either.” Warsaw had been a good leader, but also an asshole, and Jace with his issues with authority figures was going to turn on him sometime. The only reason he listened to the Professor most of the time was because she saved him two times and had proven she was reliable. “Not better than me. But similarly to me, maybe Riga?” he offered. Riga and him would have different leadership styles, that was for sure, but Jace believed that Riga could be every bit as effective as him.    Jace didn’t like the wry face expression on Athens when she asked who he had in mind, but he didn’t comment on the fact. Instead, he pressed his lips together briefly, studied her face and sighed then before replying. “Riga, as my second in command,” he said then. “From what I got from the Professor, we’ll also need her helping to get our loot out, so it’d be like in the Mint where she was responsible for the presses. It’s good to have people in charge in different places. And since I’ll mostly be minding the hostages, my left hand would be Maureen. She’s kinder than I am.” Than most of them were, for that matter of fact. People took to Maureen. Beirut was a soldier and Athens a hacker, so Maureen was most suitable. “Whatever new people we’ll have coming in doesn’t change it, because we don’t know them as well. What do you think?”

   The reminder that Zagreb had issues with authority figures meant that it was twice as important that he chose someone he trusted. When Warsaw was mentioned, Clary nodded in silent agreement, because they’d both had their run-ins with Warsaw, but had gone back to get him regardless in the end. Now that he wasn’t here any more, Clary understood why the Professor had looked to Zagreb as the next option. When he confirmed Riga, she visibly relaxed. “Better, no, but good, yes,” she agreed. It wasn’t that she thought Riga would go easy, but she trusted the other woman’s judgement under pressure. “I don’t doubt you, Zagreb. Or the fact that you can lead and the rest of us will follow, which is even more important than it was last time. If anyone can keep us together, it’s you.”

   Hearing Riga and Maureen as Zagreb’s choices was further proof that he’d already thought this through, especially after he gave the reasons why. “It’s good that Maureen will have something specific to focus on as a task.” Because thinking about what Kiev might be going through could motivate or break a person, and they needed it to be motivation. Thoughtfully, Clary pursed her lips, and it was the mention of involving new people that she was concerned about. It was the thing that had been troubling her since their arrival. “I’ll be interested to see who the Professor brings in, because they’ll have to fall in line. But your planning is solid, and we’re all doing what we should be. I trust you and your calls,” she said. “The only thing I really don’t like is that it has the potential to make you more of a target.” That was when Clary folded her arms around herself, because it was a piece of vulnerability laid out on show. “But no matter what, I’ve got your back until the end of the line. Promise me you’ll remember that?”

[zargeb]

the heist leader

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  Shortly after they all agreed to do a new heist just to get Kiev back, the Professor called him aside. Athens and Riga were talking, so he merely winked at her before following the Professor into the kitchen. She closed the door behind him after checking if anyone followed them there and stood still against the door then to stop anyone from coming in. She studied him up and down, eyebrows raising as though she saw something she couldn’t interpret, and spoke at last. “I have a proposition for you,” she said. “The heist needs a leader on the inside, and since the core group of heist members is going to be this group, it has to be someone from all of you. You’re the most experienced in heists and the least likely to fall for any of the police’s ploys.” No, because the police had absolutely nothing to use against him and they already knew it from last time. “What do you say?”

  What did he say, indeed. They stayed inside of the kitchen for ten minutes longer, discussing details, before Jace returned to the others with some more snacks and the Professors stayed, apparently to be a good host and make even more food. He put the plate with snacks on the table and made his way over to Athens. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed a kiss to her cheek from there. “Can we talk?” he asked softly.

This time, Jace chose the deck of the ship as location to talk to, since all the others were still talking to each other inside. He sat down and looked over the sea briefly before he turned to look at Athens. “The Professor asked me if I wanted to run the heist,” he said. “And I’m not saying ‘yes’ until you agree, because it isn’t just my decision.”  He wanted to touch her, to hold her, and he wasn’t going to let himself, because they needed to have this conversation first.   “The way I see it, we would all have very specific tasks within this operation. You already have one. You’re the hacker. It’s so important that you shouldn’t be burdened with much else. Beirut, for another example, is a soldier. We leave the dirtier jobs to him, because that’s what he’s good at.” Beirut could follow others in a way that none of them could, after all. “The Professor also asked me to appoint a right and a left hand man if I took the job. I want us both to do what we’re good at, and what you’re good at is hacking. It’d be a complete waste if I let you take on leadership responsibilities, with that in mind.”

   Clary had noticed when Zagreb was called away. Of course she had, even without the wink before he disappeared, the type of attention she paid when in the company of those from the heist was at a higher level. Even while talking to Riga, she’d been aware of his absence, but when he emerged again and wrapped arms around her waist, the other woman had shaken her head. “So married,” she said with a put-upon sigh, laughed immediately afterwards. “I’ll go and have a talk with Maureen while you’re gone, Athens, the Professor provided wine and it’s going to get drank. Zagreb.” She acknowledged him with a nod and a grin before they left, heading for the upper deck.

   Once they got there, Clary studied him curiously, right up until the moment that Zagreb mentioned what the Professor had asked of him. It isn’t just my decision. It was yet another thing that they had to process, and more burden upon Zagreb, enough to make Clary lift a hand to press at her temples, a gesture of unmistakable stress. She kept distance between them, because this was too serious for anything else to get tangled up in it right now. “Can you think of anyone who would do the job better than you can, who you would actually follow orders from?” Bringing in someone new and placing them in charge of the established crew could only end in disaster, and Zagreb had been Warsaw’s second for a good part of the heist last time. Evidently, the Professor had considered her options before asking.

   What came next was the rundown of how Zagreb saw the operation, and Clary listened carefully. Hearing that it was important she not be burdened with anything in addition to her hacking responsibilities made her consider him in confusion, but she got it as he proceeded to outline the fact that he had to choose his right and left hand people. It was very clear that she wasn’t going to be either one. “I don’t disagree with your reasoning,” she said, tilting her head at him. “We’ve all got our specific skillsets and I need to be watching our security and maintaining our connection to the Professor, amongst other things. They have an idea of what to look for this time, so our approach will need to change.” Then, her lips twisted wryly. “I assume you have your people in mind?” Because the Professor clearly wasn’t the only one who had considered their options.

[zargeb]

the puppy

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  This, precisely this, was the information that people like Jocelyn Fray were missing when it came to law enforcement. Firstly, the law only counted when it was useful to those working in law enforcement, which was often. But second, the law didn’t count when those in law enforcement were the one to break it. They would sweep it under the rug and no one would find out. People may said that they broke the law first, but there were degrees of breaking the law and whoever was torturing Kiev was taking a step that they never had. They attempted to treat their hostages the best they could, with the exception of those that didn’t listen (also known as Lorenzo). They didn’t kill any of the men that tried to get into the Mint, even if they were probably shooting to kill. Now it was official: the heist members were the better part of the equation, and it was terrible.   Jace didn’t make the remark that he wanted to: that he would have loved to see Jocelyn Fray’s face if they lied to her and told her it was Clary that had been arrested and was being tortured. They could have done it with anyone of them, after all. But it was the puppy they arrested, and he was the most harmless out of all of them. “They can do it to anyone,” Jace pointed out. “They’re the law. Most people have blind faith in them, and even those who don’t couldn’t imagine this is what they do.” He got up from the bed then, pushing himself up with his arms, and started to pace up and down the cabin, passing by Athens.   He disagreed that it wasn’t about what Athens wanted. It was, because if she didn’t want to it wasn’t going to happen. But on the other hand: did they have a choice? “It could have been either one of us just as easily,” he pointed out. “We went to see Imogen and video called your mother. If we’d been any less thorough it would have been us. And I would want the Professor to pull this off for you, as well. I would want the others to start a heist to get you out. So based on that, I can’t say no to this.” Pacing back, he eventually stood still to face her. “We did it once. It’ll be easier the second time. But what do you think?” 

   Watching Zagreb pace up and down, Clary just about checked herself from doing the same, because his movements captured perfectly how she felt. That they were both angry and upset was obvious, there in both of their reactions for the other to see, and neither of them were hiding it well. On the remark that most people have blind faith in them, Clary inhaled sharply, because it reminded her more of her mother than she wanted it to. “The average person won’t want to imagine it, because it upends their ordered, safe little world into something that they don’t recognise,” she said, feeling unbelievably tired by the thought. “If this gets out, it won’t just be a Spanish incident. It’ll be international because it concerns the rights of prisoners to fair treatment under international law. The Professor will be putting Spain’s government right under the microscope, and they’ll have to handle that and us at the same time.” Shaking her head, she considered something else. “What do you think the Professor has in mind to get Kiev back? Do you trust Meliorn to be on our side?” Zagreb’s judgement was incredibly important to her, and he was the only one present who had actually met the man in person before.

   On hearing her husband point out that it could have just as easily been either of them, Clary nodded in agreement. “I would want the same for you. I couldn’t and wouldn’t leave you there. I understand why Maureen must have contacted the Professor.” That Maureen had also left their son behind with Wellington, who was in no condition to do another heist, was something they’d found out afterwards as well. When she had confirmation that Zagreb couldn’t say no, Clary met his eyes. “If you’re in, I’m in,” she said simply. “We get him back, and we make them rue the day they took our puppy. The only one who gets to give him shit is you, and this is so far beyond the limit my mind can’t even fully wrap around it.” Reaching out for Zagreb, Clary touched fingertips gently to his cheek. “It comes to something when we’re the lesser evil, doesn’t it?” Letting her hand fall, she thought it through, knowing that there were further conversations they would need to have the closer they got to the new heist, but not now. “Current problem is that we’re down four people. Do you think the Professor’s got that covered yet?”

[zargeb]

the puppy

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  Athens and him arrived at Guanabara Bay too early. The Professor had asked them to be there at precisely 20.00 hours, but they weren’t the kind of people who would go to a destination once at the established time and not check it out beforehand. They’d checked the Bay a day prior and there was no sight of the Professor or the boat, so they left early for the next day. It had just passed seven pm when they passed through the entrance, and soon enough they spotted the boat, the same one that they arrived at two and a half years ago. Jace got on the ship, helped Athens up there as well and made their way inside, only to walk in at the scene of the Professor and Meliorn making out in the living room.

  Jace looked aside at Athens. “That’s disgusting,” he declared at the top of his voice. Athens agreed.

  It was enough to get the Professor’s attention. “You’re early!” she proclaimed, hastily checking her watch. “I see the two of you have gotten the message, at least.” That was when she had the common courtesy to get up and greet them. Jace greeted her with a hug and turned to look at Meliorn then, eyebrows raising as he offered to shake hands. He didn’t say much. He shouldn’t, Jace thought.

  As the clock got towards eight pm more of the former heist members started coming in. Maureen first, who seemed oddly at ease at the ship, then Riga and Beirut. It was easy to identify who were missing: Warsaw, who must have died years ago, Wellington and Kiev. The absence of the latter two was odd to Jace, seeing as Maureen was around. They all sat down around the table and the Professor got out some drinks and snacks. Just as Jace felt like he settled in for the evening and was ready for a reunion, the Professor stood at the end of the table and cleared her throat.

  “As happy as I am to see you all back and in good health at that, I’m afraid this isn’t a meeting to celebrate our earlier successes and catch up.” She cut right through the chase the way they were used to from her. “Kiev has been arrested. The Spanish government is currently unlawfully torturing him somewhere. My suspicions are that he’s been taken to Northern Africa. He didn’t get a lawyer or a trial and they are ignoring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” She paused then, as though waiting to see the impact of the news on the group. Jace didn’t show any sign of emotion on his face. He merely looked aside at Athens briefly, who was sitting next to him.

  “Since they won’t let him have a lawyer or a trial, there’s only one thing I can think to do for him,” the Professor continued. “Set up another heist, bring out the news and force the Madrid police force to release Kiev and give him back to us. But I can’t do this alone, which is why I called you here.”   The group had been quiet since then, and Jace had been fast to retreat to an empty cabin with Athens. Their cabin, to be precise, where he’d once attempted to give Kiev the sex talk. He let himself fall down on the bed on his back and closed his eyes, hands coming up to touch his face. “That explains everything,” he said. “I can’t believe it. They’re torturing our puppy.” Actually, he could believe it, because that sounded exactly like something the Spanish police force would do: torture someone that was a part of the biggest heist in history for information he didn’t have. “What do you want to do?” he asked as he looked aside to look at Athens.

   Walking in on the Professor kissing anyone hadn’t particularly been on Clary’s to do list when they arrived at the ship in Guanabara Bay, but that was exactly what they’d walked in on. When Zagreb declared his disgust, she lifted an eyebrow at him in amusement and added with a wrinkled nose, “Seconding that opinion. Please tell me we weren’t that gross and obvious.” It wasn’t until the Professor got up and Clary got a glimpse of exactly who she’d been kissing that she narrowed her eyes and took a slight step back. Talk about sleeping with the enemy. “Something you’d like to fill us in on, Professor?” she asked, corners of her lips quirking up as she proceeded to hug the other woman hello. “I didn’t realise you were on such friendly terms with local law enforcement.” Isabelle Lightwood at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed, even if they’d shown up earlier than expected. “Later, when the others have arrived,” she said, but Clary couldn’t resist smirking at her just a little. Now who was breaking the rules?

   As everyone arrived, Clary couldn’t conceal the fact that it was good to see everyone again. Riga had grinned the moment she saw her. “How’s domestic bliss suiting you, sugar?” had been the playful question, and Clary rolled her eyes. “Hug now, girl talk later. Missed you too.” She proceeded to do exactly that, grinned back at the other woman, proceeded to do the same with Maureen and Beirut both. As it got far closer to eight, though, the absences were glaring, and an exchanged glance with her husband told her that she wasn’t the only one who had noticed. What’s going on?

   The news that followed was like a punch to the gut, and it showed in the sudden silence of the group as they registered the shock. The only one who didn’t look like that was Maureen, who had obviously been the first to know. If the Spanish government was ignoring human rights conventions to torture Kiev, it had gone beyond the limits of the law, and the Professor wanted to fight fire with fire to get him back. 

   The complete lack of emotion on Zagreb’s face told her that there needed to be a conversation, and upon disappearing to their old cabin, the one they’d spent a month in previously, Clary watched the way he fell back on the bed. “I can’t believe it either,” she said, voice subdued. “Except I can. Law enforcement only uphold the law when it suits them.” It had always been a corrupt system, and now Kiev was at the mercy of it. The thought of their smiling, always upbeat Kiev imprisoned and in pain left Clary furious, but it was cold and clear like ice. “They’ll kill him if he’s of no value after they torture him. For all we know they’re using him as bait to draw us out. He’ll disappear and no one will ever know besides us. He deserves better, and if they can do it to him, they can do it to anyone,” she said after a long pause, meeting his eyes. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d taken a massive risk, but it was bigger this time. “It’s not about what I want. Can we do this again and come out the other side?” That they wouldn’t come out the same was a given, and they had to be prepared to risk that too. “He’s one of us. What do you think our chances are of pulling this off a second time?”

[zargeb]

change

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

  The letter was, incredibly clearly, from the Professor. Jace imagined that she had handwritten the letter at whatever place she was with the utmost care and handed it off to the first messenger, who reached the second messenger, and he didn’t know how much more hands the letter went through before it got to Panama City and subsequently to their island. Regardless of how she went about it, though, Jace was confused and he wasn’t the only one. Beside him, Athens wasn’t doing much better guessing what was going on. “So does that also mean she would contact us if there was an emergency?” he questioned, his eyebrows frowning. “There’s nothing in the letter. Which, you’re right, is true to her style, but it also very annoying.” The Professor was not the type of person to get in trouble, and even if she was in trouble she wouldn’t be asking them for anything. She probably knew she had asked too much of them already with the first heist, something that Jace agreed with completely.   That left one question, and it was a question that Athens asked aloud. Last time, it was a decision the both of them had to make separately, both on the run from the cops and with nowhere else to go. Now they had a home and a family. They had money aplenty and no real reason to help the Professor again, if help was what she wanted at all. “I’m assuming this isn’t just a fun reunion,” he said after a short silence. “I like it here. I don’t want to leave. But we should at least show up to see what’s going on. If we don’t like, we can always leave. What do you think, Ath?” He turned to look at her, arms folding over each other.

   Annoying was definitely an appropriate description for the way that the Professor had opted to go about communicating. “I see she’s as trusting as ever,” Clary said, arching an eyebrow at Zagreb. “Apparently three years don’t change that.” What it did change, though, was that Warsaw was more than likely no longer with her, and she didn’t have someone to watch her back any more. The thought was a sobering one, and it meant that Clary took a moment to consider it. “Not in trouble, maybe, but she wants us for something, and if she’s sent a similar message to the others, we won’t be the only ones around. She wouldn’t risk making targets of us all, she was the one who advised caution and no contact.” There was absolutely no way for them to figure out exactly what the Professor’s deal was from a distance, though. “Maybe she thought curiosity would help motivate us to meet her as well?” After all, the first time any of them had been in communication with the Professor, she’d either been saving their asses, offering the job of a lifetime, or both. Difficult, if not impossible to refuse. It wasn’t that way any more.

   Neither of them thought that it was just about a reunion, that much was clear, and Clary nodded briefly in response. “I don’t want to leave either,” she said, perhaps a little relieved that he’d voiced the same thought. “But I agree. I don’t want to be working blind.” Taking a deep breath, watching the familiar posture of folded arms, Clary could almost feel their mindsets shifting even as they considered it. It was like waking a sleeping tiger: potentially dangerous, and they’d thrived on that challenge until the heist. “We go, we hear the Professor out. If we don’t like what we’re hearing, we walk and stay off the grid the way we have been. If it risks what we’ve built, we discuss it. Whatever is decided, I’ll have your back, okay?” Pausing, she tilted her head at him. “Are we going armed, in case?” Because from her point of view, cosy reunion like a nineties sitcom or not? Never hurt to be prepared, and her discomfort with handling a gun was long since gone.

[zargeb]

change

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

   It started as an ordinary day at Olympus. Athens and him had breakfast together and Jace sat down at the desk with one of his mother’s journals to do a reread after breakfast. Afterwards he updated his own journal with that week’s events – blissfully ordinary – and went to make lunch then. Right after lunch he headed outside with the intention to clean their boat and see if the latest storm did any damage, but was stopped in his tracks by another boat approaching their island. Jace promptly went back inside. “There’s a boat coming,” he informed Athens. “I’m just going to get a gun just in case.” He pulled out their secret case with guns from underneath the couch and picked a model just big enough to hide in the sweatpants he was wearing. When he headed outside again, the man he saw on the boat had just jumped out of the boat and approached him, addressing him as Zagreb. He said he had a letter from the Professor. Jace thanked the man, watched how he left and turned straight back to the house for the second time in five minutes.

“It’s a letter from the Professor,” he announced as he made his way towards the kitchen table. He opened the envelope, pulled out the letter and put the letter down on the table for both of them to read simultaneously.

To Zagreb and Athens,

I would love to welcome you at Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, at April seventh at precisely 20.00 hours. You know the location. See you there,

The Professor

The moment Jace was done reading he looked aside at Athens, eyebrows frowning. “Did she say anything about checking up on us? I’m pretty sure she didn’t,” he said. They didn’t need checking up on, thank you very much. They didn’t keep in touch for a reason and the only reason they had to contact the Professor herself was an emergency. But what kind of emergency could there be almost three years down the line since their first meeting? “What do you think is going on?”

   Things on Olympus continued at a surprisingly steady pace; it was incredible that a heist expert and a hacker for hire had managed to find anything like marital bliss, but that was what had happened. It hadn’t necessarily been an easy road to reaching it, but more than worthwhile, confirmed in how Clary and Zagreb shared and wove in and out of one another’s days like a pattern of code, connecting in all the right places. One thing no one ever mentioned about living on an island, however, was the practicalities of handling a tropical storm or indeed, a standard storm. Zagreb had gone to check the boat, but the minute he reappeared and said a boat was approaching, Clary got out of his way so he could get the gun case out. It wasn’t until he returned that her tense posture eased, only to frown at the words he spoke. “From the Professor?” Then she paused, sighed. “Of course, who else would have known where to send someone to find us?” 

   Apparently, the Professor’s habit of knowing everything that most people didn’t hadn’t changed with time. By the tone of the letter, neither had her incredibly healthy sense of paranoia. “She definitely said nothing about that, only for us to contact the details she left if there was an emergency,” Clary confirmed, brows knit together. “The handwriting is definitely hers, and so is the style. Bare minimum information, time and place in case it was tracked.” Pressing her lips together, she studied her husband. “Do you think the Professor might be in trouble?” It seemed unlikely, given the composed nature of the words in the letter. It was the air of someone who was making a plan, and that they’d seen before. “It doesn’t make sense, she’s never asked for anything before. Why now?” But the letter had no more secrets to divulge, nothing hidden about it. “Are we going to show?” It seemed unlikely that it was a trap, the proof in the letter, but they hadn’t evaded imprisonment this long by being careless. Against the odds, they’d managed to build a life together, and it showed in the use of we rather than you.

[codingathens]

stripped bare

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

 On some days and on some subjects, he could compromise. Other times Athens was completely right and he was just seeing things wrongly. But this wasn’t either one of those situations. “You can’t decide what your mother decides to do or say,” he reminded her. “That’s what she’s been trying to do to you for the past couple of years whatever chance she got. You didn’t know what she was going to say to me, so you’re not in any way responsible for this. Okay?” To punctuate the words, and make it more than ever clear that he didn’t blame her and wasn’t mad at her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Want to go for a swim or a run tomorrow to get some of that anger out?” he offered. “I’m not actually fine, but in no state of mind to discuss the not being fine.” He was glad she asked for clarity because she must have needed it, and he was glad to be able to give it to her so they both knew where they were standing. That he also stood by the idea that talking about how fine he wasn’t wouldn’t change anything didn’t have to be discussed in that moment, so he didn’t say it.   Jace didn’t want Athens to ruin whatever chance she had at a relationship with her mother because her mother was incredible disrespectful towards him, but if he put it that way Athens would disagree, tell him as much and tell him to drop it. He had to be more subtle about it. His current tactic hadn’t worked either, so he changed approaches. “I think she’s scared,” he tried. “Maybe she still thinks I’m manipulating you and that’s why I was there for the conversation. That’s why we got married, too: so it was easier for me to keep you close to me.” It was twisting the situation upside down, but Jocelyn had no way of knowing that. She just didn’t listen or interpret correctly what she saw. “We can’t compare her to Imogen,” he said, words still soft. “Imogen knows how I am, but she’d never met you until that day. She got to see first-hand without any preconceived notions how much we love each other. I doubt your mother’s love is conditional, as you put it. She just doesn’t know how to respond to what she’s dealing with.” He paused then, bringing up a hand to touch her cheek briefly. “Are you really going to give up on her, Ath?”

   The reminder that Clary couldn’t decide what her mother said or did was enough to calm her down a little, and hearing that Zagreb didn’t hold her responsible did further work on that score as well. When his lips pressed to her forehead, her posture against him loosened and her eyes closed briefly, body leaning into his in a familiar shape, as though they were made to fit. “Either sounds really good,” she admitted. “Tomorrow morning?” That was one of the advantages of their own private island: space to exercise, to run without interruption, to swim through the waters surrounding it without any outside observation. Having the confirmation that he didn’t want to discuss it right then was enough; he’d communicated and she would listen.

   Hearing Zagreb trying to talk about her mother even after she’d treated him badly caused Clary to watch him, to register yet again that as husbands went? She’d definitely married up. It said more about him than it did about her mother, as far as she was concerned. But, she’d learned that Zagreb never spoke without a purpose to it, so she listened. “That’s a really twisted way to think,” she said, meeting his gaze. “I’d say I hope she doesn’t think that, but I really don’t know at this point.” There was something a little helpless about that, and Clary didn’t like feeling helpless even on a good day, and this was a bad day. “I’m still angry with her for not trusting me and for behaving that way towards you,” she said softly. “For believing so blindly in the law as this flawless system, I guess. Am I wrong to be angry?” 

   Hearing Zagreb talk about Imogen softened her further, and she exhaled a sigh. “You’re probably right. Plus Imogen’s pretty exceptional.” So it wasn’t fair to hold others to that standard, really, even if she’d expected better. “I’m just so tired of being the one who has to understand. Understand why she handed me over to the police, understand why she’s awful to the man I love. Where’s her understanding in return? It’s supposed to go both ways.” If her mother hadn’t let the police into their home, hadn’t been so obedient to the law even knowing the probable consequences for her daughter, she may never have left. If she hadn’t done that, she would never have met Zagreb or pulled off the heist. “I’m sorry for whining, but it feels like the effort is one-sided.” She brought her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. “I’m not ready to give up on her,” she admitted. “But I’m not in the mood to just forgive her either. Is that cold?”

[codingathens]

stripped bare

[codingathens]

Zagreb‌:

 After about an hour in the sea, until Jace was officially exhausted, he went back to the island. He took a quick shower before heading outside again, to the hammocks this time, and took a warmed up dinner and a book to go. Athens seemed to recognize that he needed his space and that she shouldn’t try to talk to him now, something that Jace was thankful for. After that hour he tried not to think about it any more, even if it was everything that was on his mind. Concentrating on the book was difficult and he hardly made any progress reading. The sun was going down by the time Athens approached, and Jace put the book aside as she made her way towards him. “Hey,” he greeted her in return, a little smile on his face. “You don’t have to apologize, Athens. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen.” That Jocelyn crossed a line was obvious, he felt. “I’m fine,” he said, the words dismissive. “How are you holding up?”   He wasn’t sure what was to follow when Athens took a seemingly deep breath and then continued to talk. He watched her, lips pressed together. When she declared that she ended the call and told her mother that she would never hear from Clary again, his eyebrows rose momentarily, but he waited with commenting until she was done. She still seemed agitated, but it was another form than what he’d seen from her during the conversation. When she was done talking, Jace gestured towards her and drew her into his arms the moment she was nearby enough to do so. He had her sit down at his lap sideways and studied her from there. “I’ve been thinking,” he told her softly, two fingertips following a strand of her hair, “and maybe I did some overreacting in there. Your mother didn’t mean for me to feel the way I did. She had no idea about the way I was raised and how Val treated me. It wouldn’t have set off anyone else this way. So maybe you shouldn’t be so harsh on her and try it again, sometime.” He shrugged a little. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do, Ath, but I don’t want your relationship with your mother ending this way. Maybe you should talk to her without me there?”

   His smile brought the kind of relief it always had, but far more intense this time. It was the indication that while what had just passed hadn’t done either of them any good, it wasn’t going to take anything more away. Do I deserve him? That was the question that her mother hadn’t asked, but it was sometimes the question that Clary asked herself. “No, but I do know what she’s like, and you told me about what she said to you before,” she said, rueful and not a little sad. “I could have kept you out of it, at least.” When he dismissed how he was doing with I’m fine, she studied him closely, clearly evaluating whether now was the moment to press the matter. It wasn’t fine. No part of it was. “Angry, mostly. That might take some time to wear off.” Hurt too, but she guessed that was why people got angry sometimes, because whatever else they felt hurt too much. “When you say fine, do you actually mean fine, or do you mean you don’t want to talk about it?” It was a tentative question, Clary opting to tread carefully.

   Being pulled into his arms made all the chaos inside her still, as though his touch calmed everything. Maybe it did. When Zagreb’s fingers captured a strand of her hair, Clary looked at him, eyes filled with gratitude and tiredness both. “Maybe not,” she conceded after a moment, but then shook her head. “But she’s still gotten far too used to behaving the way she does without someone calling her on it. She didn’t even listen to you the first time when I wasn’t there, and she was awful to you the second time. I don’t think you overreacted. I think she changed tactic when she realised lecturing me wasn’t getting her anywhere.” In contrast to the softness of his voice, hers was harder around the edges, heavier somehow. “I really don’t want to talk to her right now, because she’ll think I’m not willing to follow through when I make that kind of threat. I need her to take it seriously and to understand that you aren’t something I’m going to compromise on.” Exhaling slowly, Clary shook her head. “Honestly, thinking about how kind Imogen was when she was in Brazil with us, I’m ashamed of how she just behaved. We’ve got a family member who cares and that’s not conditional. Why should my effort go to someone who will never be in our corner?”

[codingathens]

stripped bare

   The only thing that could be done for the two of them was to take space, wait for the anger to fade out. It wasn’t until it was almost time for them to go to bed that Clary made her approach, wrung out and still feeling sick to the pit of her stomach. She stood in the doorway to the living room, took a deep breath, and then proceeded to head outside. The soft sand beneath her bare feet was grounding, and it took her across to where Zagreb was, settled in the hammock with a book. “Hi,” she said softly, knowing that it was quite ridiculous, but ultimately unsure of what was and wasn’t acceptable. “I’m sorry that she talked to you the way she did, but I’m not going to apologise for her because what she did was inexcusable.” Actually, the words that had been in her head for a good few hours were along the lines of horrendous bitch, but giving full show of her temper wasn’t useful. “How are you doing?” That, by contrast, was the most important question to ask.

   Taking another slow breath, Clary didn’t invite herself to sit beside him the way that she usually would have, easy in his space, probably followed by a kiss. Instead she watched him, and opted to unfold what she’d done. “I told her very clearly that if she didn’t show you the respect that you deserved, there would be consequences. She had her warning, and she still did it. So I told her that she wasn’t going to hear from me again and ended the call a couple of minutes after you left the room. I should never have let it get that far.” She swallowed hard. “I destroyed the phone,” she said, and that she was still angry must have shown just from that. “No one talks to you like that. No one gets to make you feel the way Valentine did. Never again.” Lacing her fingers together, anxious, Clary looked at him. “I should never have put you in that situation. I love you so much and I’m not going to stand for her treating you like that.”