ŷ������

“Where do you think the money went?�� he repeated.
“Guns?�� asked Jesper.
“Ships?�� queried Inej.
“Bombs?�� suggested Wylan.
“Political bribes?�� offered Nina. They all looked at Matthias. “This is where you tell us how awful we are,�� she whispered.
He shrugged. “They all seem like practical choices.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“You’re stupid about a lot of things, Wylan, but you are not stupid. And if I ever hear you call yourself a moron again, I’m going to tell Matthias you tried to kiss Nina. With tongue.��
Wylan wiped his nose on his sleeve. “He’ll never believe it.��
“Then I’ll tell Nina you tried to kiss Matthias. With tongue.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Nina might not be able to put you back, you know. Not without another dose of parem. You could be stuck like this.��
“Why does it matter?��
“I don’t know!�� Jesper said angrily. “Maybe I liked your stupid face.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Why do you guys say that, anyway? No mourners, no funerals? Why not just say good luck or be safe?��
“We like to keep our expectations low.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Until this moment, Wylan hadn't quite understood how much they meant to him. His father would have sneered at these thugs and thieves, a disgraced soldier, a gambler who couldn't keep out of the red. But they were his first friends, his only friends, and Wylan knew that even if he'd had his pick of a thousand companions, these would have been the people he chose.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“If only you could talk to girls in equations.��
There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they’d created in the link, Wylan said, “Just girls?��
Jesper restrained a grin. “No. Not just girls.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Wylan,�� Jesper said, giving him a little shake. “Maybe your tutors didn’t cover this lesson, but you do not argue with a man covered in blood and a knife up his sleeve.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Jes, I've thought about this-"
"Thought of me? Late at night? What was I wearing?"
"I've thought about your powers," Wylan said, cheeks flushing pinker.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“You’re our chemist, Wylan,�� said Nina hopefully. “What do you think?��
Wylan shrugged. “Maybe. Not all poisons have an antidote.��
Jesper snorted. “That’s why we call him Wylan Van Sunshine.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Anything else?�� asked Matthias.
“I like singing,�� said Alys.
Wylan shook his head frantically, mouthing, No, no, no.
“Shall I sing?�� Alys asked hopefully. “Bajan says that I’m good enough to be on the stage.��
“Maybe we save that for later—�� suggested Jesper.
Alys�� lower lip began to wobble like a plate about to break.
“Sing,�� Matthias blurted, “by all means, sing.��
And then the real nightmare began.
It wasn’t that Alys was so bad, she just never stopped. She sang between bites of food. She sang while she was walking through the graves. She sang from behind a bush when she needed to relieve herself. When she finally dozed off, she hummed in her sleep.
“Maybe this was Van Eck’s plan all along,�� Kaz said glumly when they’d assembled outside the tomb again.
“To drive us mad?�� said Nina. “It’s working.��
Jesper shut his eyes and groaned. “Diabolical.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Pick up the pace,�� Kaz said, eyeing his watch.
“If I spill a single drop of this, it will burn straight through the floor onto my father’s dinner guests.��
“Take your time.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Pull your shirt up over your mouth,�� he told Wylan.
“W�󲹳�?��
“Stop being dense. You’re cuter when you’re smart.��
Wylan’s cheeks went pink. He scowled and pulled his collar up.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“The shout came from far below, and it took a moment for Jesper to realize it was Wylan calling to him. He tried to ignore him, taking aim again.
“J�������!��
I’m going to kill that little idiot. “What do you want?�� he shouted down.
“Close your eyes!��
“You can’t kiss me from down there, Wylan.��
“Just do it!��
“This better be good!�� He shut his eyes.
“Are they closed?��
“Damn it, Wylan, yes, they’re—��
There was a shrill, shrieking howl, and then bright light bloomed behind Jesper’s lids.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“What do you like?"
"Music. Numbers. Equations. They're not like words. They ... they don't get mixed up."
"If only you could talk to girls in equations."
There was a long silence, and then, eyes trained on the notch they'd created in the link, Wylan said, "Just girls?"
Jesper restrained a grin. "No. Not just girls."
It really was a shame they were all probably going to die tonight.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“You’re not weak because you can’t read. You’re weak because you’re afraid of people seeing your weakness. You’re letting shame decide who you are.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Kaz can pick the locks,�� said Wylan.

“No,�� said Kaz, “I can’t.��

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard those words leave your lips,�� said Nina. “Say it again, nice and slow.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Wylan summoned every bit of bravado he'd learned from Nina, the will he'd learned from Matthias, the focus he'd studied in Kaz, the courage he'd learned from Inej, and the wild, reckless hope he'd learned from Jesper, the belief that no matter the odds, somehow they would win. 'I won't talk,' he said.

(...)

In the end, he was not Nina or Matthias or Kaz or Inej or Jesper. He was just Wylan Van Eck. He told them everything.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“It was a calculated risk.��
“It was cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best. Believe me, I know the difference.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Help me,�� said Jesper. “We need to barricade the entrance.��

The man behind the desk wore gray scholar’s robes. His nostrils were flared so wide in effrontery that Jesper feared being sucked up one of them.

“Young man—��

Jesper pointed his gun at the scholar’s chest. “Move.��

“J�������!�� his father said.

“Don’t worry, Da. People point guns at each other all the time in Ketterdam. It’s basically a handshake.��

“Is that true?�� his father asked as the scholar grudgingly moved aside and they shoved the heavy desk in front of the door.

“Absolutely,�� said Wylan.

“C����ٲ����Ա��� not,�� said the scholar.

Jesper waved them on. “Depends on the neighborhood. Let’s go.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“You’re the fool,�� Jesper snarled. “He’s smarter than most of us put together, and he deserves a better father than you.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Matthias joined them at the table. “The Shu woman we faced was stronger than me, Jesper, and Wylan put together.��
“You heard right,�� said Jesper. “Stronger than Wylan.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Jesper’s mind emptied. He wasn’t thinking of what had happened before or what might happen next. There was only the reality of Wylan’s mouth, the press of his lips, then the fine bones of his neck, the silky feel of his curls as Jesper cupped his nape and drew him nearer.
This was the kiss he’d been waiting for. It was a gunshot. It was prairie fire. It was the spin of Makker’s Wheel. Jesper felt the pounding of his heart—or was it Wylan’s?—like a stampede in his chest, and the only thought in his head was a happy, startled, Oh.
Slowly, inevitably, they broke apart. “Wylan,�� Jesper said, looking into the wide blue sky of his eyes, “I really hope we don’t die.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Inej,�� Wylan called from one of the rolling bins. “These are our clothes.��

He reached in and, one after the other, pulled out Inej’s little leather slippers.

Her face broke into a dazzling smile. Finally, a bit of luck. Kaz didn’t have his cane. Jesper didn’t have his guns. And Inej didn’t have her knives. But at least she had those magic slippers.

“What do you say, Wraith? Can you make the climb?��

“I can.��

Jesper took the shoes from Wylan. “If I didn’t think these might be crawling with disease, I would kiss them and then you.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Close your eyes!"
"You can't kiss me from down there, Wylan."
"Just do it!”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Let's let the Ice Court know the Dregs have come to call.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Wylan ran his tongue over his lips and spat in his father's face.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“This was the kiss he'd been waiting for. It was a gunshot. It was prairie fire. It was the spin of Makker's Wheel. Jesper felt the pounding of his heart - or was it Wylan's? - like a stampede in his chest.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“He dared a glance at Jesper now. The sharpshooter was seated at the table, hunched over his cards. He wore a battered navy waistcoat embroidered with small gold stars, and his rumpled shirt shone white against his dark brown skin.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows

“Jesper's mind emptied. He wasn't thinking of what had happened before or what might happen next. There was only the reality of Wylan's mouth, the press of his lips, then the fine bones of his neck, the silky feel of his curls as Jesper cupped his nape and drew him nearer. This was the kiss he'd been waiting for. It was a gunshot. It was a prairie fire. It was the spin of Makker's Wheel. Jesper felt the pounding of his heart--or was it Wylan's?--like a stampede in his chest, and the only thought in his head was a happy, startled, Oh.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom

“Jesper leaned in and said, quietly enough that no one else could hear, "I can read to him."
"He has a very soothing baritone," added Wylan, and then the guards were hauling his father down the aisle.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Crooked Kingdom