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Shipmates and Stalemates

Summary:

In the midst of rehearsals, set building, and prop procurement for a stormbound romance, numerous smaller—but equally important—elements unfold. Unexpected connections, tragedies, secrets, and chaos. Careful dances between alliances and mysteries, leaving you to anticipate the next turn of the tide. As the storm gathers, the question is whether Nikolai can maintain the balances between his friendships, budding feelings, and the stress of putting on a mask and facing the potential for everything to unravel around him?

or,

Nikolai has a show to perform about the exploits of Captain Sturmhond, an age-old pirate—sorry, privateer. Kaz doesn’t know who that is. Time for some education! (and other plot lines, but it’s a Kazolai fic of course they’re what the summary talks about)

Chapter Text


[Crow Club]

(Jesper, Nina, Kaz, Inej, Wylan)

 

bangbangbi: oh saints

 

Inej fan club founder: what did you do?

 

bangbangbi: …

bangbangbi: i can only say if everyone gets real cool with a bunch of stuff really quickly.

 

nightmare fuel: No.

 

bangbangbi: i’ll say anyway.

bangbangbi: alexei is officially done with me lmao

bangbangbi: you know nikolai lantsov’s ex, amanda?

bangbangbi: alexei’s dating her now and i said some things

bangbangbi: not nice things

 

Inej fan club founder: JESPER

 

bangbangbi: THAT IS MY NAME

 

knife wife: what sort of not nice things?

 

bangbangbi: well it wasn’t THAT bad

 

merchling: I was there

merchling: Alexei was talking about the fire again :(

merchling: Which was not Jesper’s fault. The fire was Kuwei

 

nightmare fuel: The fire’s source was undetermined.

 

inej fan club founder: HERE we go again

 

knife wife: someone please remind me when my english project is due?

 

nightmare fuel: Two weeks from today.

 

knife wife: thank you ☺️

 

nightmare fuel: You’re welcome.

 

 

 


[este + taylor]

(Nina, Inej)

 

este: smooth subject change

 

taylor: me? subject change? never.

 

este: LMAO

 

 


[Crow Club]

 

bangbangbi: i just got a text.

 

merchling: Oh no. Not a text.

 

bangbangbi: loving the sarcasm 🥰🥰

bangbangbi: no its from nikolai actually

 

nightmare fuel: Use the correct form of “it’s”.

 

bangbangbi: never 😈

 

knife wife: what does he want?

knife wife: did he get his shirt messed up at the cleaner’s again?

 

bangbangbi: keep TRACK of my FRIENDS PLEASE inej that wasn’t nikolai that was mal

 

knife wife: oh.

 

inej fan club founder: jesper i will fight you

 

bangbangbi: and you’ll win, nina dear

bangbangbi: no he wants to go over lines

bangbangbi: he got the lead

bangbangbi: again 🙄

bangbangbi: @nightmare fuel 👀

 

nightmare fuel: I am not going to edit the cast list for you, Jesper.

 

bangbangbi: damn 🖕

 

nightmare fuel: No.

 

bangbangbi: worth a shot

bangbangbi: TIME TO GO REHEARSE WITH THE GREAT CAPTAIN STURMHOND

bangbangbi: since all i get to be cast as is Neyali 🙄🙄

 

merchling: Isn’t that a good part? Isn’t Neyali the villain?

 

bangbangbi: he dies at the end lmao

 

merchling: At the end. Which means that you get the best stage time of all the characters. And you get a dramatic death scene. Congratulations, Jesper!

 

bangbangbi: …

bangbangbi: when you put it that way

 

knife wife: just thank him, dude

 

bangbangbi: thank you, wy

 

merchling: You’re welcome!

 

bangbangbi: ANYWAY

bangbangbi: oh nikolai says hi (because i’m texting instead of talking to him)

bangbangbi: the passive aggression is real 🫶

 

knife wife: that’s encouragement to practice, not passive aggression. hi, Nikolai!

 

inej fan club founder: hey!

 

merchling: Hello!

 

bangbangbi: ok bye

 

 

bangbangbi added Nikolai Lantsov to the chat

 

nightmare fuel: No.

 

nightmare fuel removed Nikolai Lantsov from the chat

 

bangbangbi added Nikolai Lantsov to the chat

 

nightmare fuel removed Nikolai Lantsov from the chat

 

bangbangbi added Nikolai Lantsov to the chat

 

nightmare fuel removed Nikolai Lantsov from the chat

 

bangbangbi added Nikolai Lantsov to the chat

 

nightmare fuel: Make your own group chat.

 

nightmare fuel removed Nikolai Lantsov from the chat

 

bangbangbi added Nikolai Lantsov to the chat

 

bangbangbi: BUT THIS ONE IS SO CONVENIENT

 

knife wife: why don’t we consult Nikolai on whether he wants to be in the chat or not?

 

nightmare fuel: No.

 

bangbangbi: YES

 

Nikolai Lantsov: may i present my case?

 

nightmare fuel: No.

 

nightmare fuel removed Nikolai Lantsov from the chat

 

bangbangbi added Nikolai Lantsov to the chat

 

Nikolai Lantsov replied to “may i present my case?”: i’m rich.

 

nightmare fuel: …

 

bangbangbi: for the record i did NOT tell him to say that

 

nightmare fuel: You can stay.

 

bangbangbi changed Nikolai Lantsov ’s name to second coolest pirate

 

second coolest pirate: excuse you.

 

second coolest pirate changed their name to coolest pirate

 

bangbangbi: I HAVE A DEATH SCENE

 

coolest pirate: I HAVE AN ALMOST DEATH SCENE

 

bangbangbi: AND?

 

coolest pirate: AND STURMHOND GETS THE GIRL

 

nightmare fuel: Spoiler alert.

 

coolest pirate: you’re telling me you don’t know Sturmhond’s story.

 

nightmare fuel: That is beside the point.

 

coolest pirate: jesper, he doesn’t know Sturmhond’s story.

 

inej fan club founder: obv a crime

 

bangbangbi: the REAL crime here is capitalizing a pirate’s name and not mine 😠

 

coolest pirate: Sturmhond is cooler than you

 

nightmare fuel: Noted. Keep Lantsov in the chat.

 

bangbangbi: FAVORITISM

 

coolest pirate: HE DOESNT EVEN KNOW ME HOW IS IT FAVORITISM

 

bangbangbi: ITS BECAUSE YOURE RICH

 

coolest pirate: THIS AGAIN

 

bangbangbi: ITS UPPER CLASS PRIVILEGE THAT HAS YOU STAYING IN THE CHAT ANYWAY

 

nightmare fuel left the chat

 

bangbangbi added nightmare fuel to the chat

 

nightmare fuel left the chat

 

bangbangbi added nightmare fuel to the chat

 

nightmare fuel left the chat

 

bangbangbi added nightmare fuel to the chat

 

merchling: All of you slow down my phone isn’t keeping up

merchling: Kaz you don’t know Sturmhond?

merchling: We’re all watching that movie they did about him

 

nightmare fuel: If you make me watch a movie, I will rip your eyes from your skull and feed them to your goldfish, Wylan.

 

merchling: I was just queried as to why I had such a look of shock on my face.

merchling: I am also curious to know the answer.

 

bangbangbi: who asked?

 

merchling: On break right now, eating a sandwich at the shop. One of the customers. You don’t know her

 

bangbangbi: oh

 

inej fan club founder: i’m with wylan

 

bangbangbi: i thought he said i didn’t know her???

 

merchling: She means about Kaz watching the Sturmhond movie.

merchling: I think.

 

inej fan club founder: yes

 

bangbangbi: i agree

 

nightmare fuel: All of you are going on the list.

 

coolest pirate: what list

 

knife wife: you don’t want to know

 

coolest pirate: i’m reading the script rn

coolest pirate: one moment

 

coolest pirate changed their name to coolest privateer

 

bangbangbi: OH my SAINTS you don’t have to make the show your entire PERSONALITY

 

coolest privateer: says the one who hasn’t even read the whole script yet

 

bangbangbi: …

bangbangbi: i’ve been busy

 

nightmare fuel: Complaining about Alexei being happy.

 

bangbangbi: INCORRECT

 

knife wife: don’t be mean, Kaz

 

nightmare fuel: I am not mean. I am factual. There is a difference.

 

bangbangbi: YOU ARE MEAN AND SOMETIMES FACTUAL

 

coolest privateer: kaz could just see the show when we perform

 

bangbangbi: but that’s not the same

 

nightmare fuel: It is good enough.

 

merchling: Movie night?

 

coolest privateer: i could host

 

inej fan club founder: do you have a waffle iron?

 

coolest privateer: my roommate does!

 

inej fan club founder: SOLD

 

coolest privateer: he hates me and might not let me use it though lmao

 

bangbangbi: then why is he your roommate???

 

coolest privateer: reasons

 

bangbangbi: v specific buddy

 

coolest privateer: right?? anyway i promise he’s not horrible

coolest privateer: just a bit old fashioned

coolest privateer: don’t let him get on your nerves too much

 

nightmare fuel: I will not hesitate to knock him out, if the need arises.

 

bangbangbi: SO YOU ARE COMING

 

nightmare fuel: I did not say that.

 

merchling: No but my phone did

 

knife wife: i could be there :) just depends on work

 

coolest privateer: tomorrow night, i’ll send the address at some point if i remember

coolest privateer: matthias might be here

coolest privateer: i’m gonna ask him about the waffle iron wish me luckkkkkkk

 

inej fan club founder: we don’t do that, love

 

knife wife: no mourners <3

 

coolest privateer: no mourners?

 

nightmare fuel: …

 

bangbangbi: NO FUNERALSSSSSSSSSS

 


[M&NS]

(Matthias, Nikolai)

 

N: question

N: can i borrow your waffle iron tomorrow?

N: you never use it

N: i’m having friends over to watch a movie

N: i won’t break it 🫡

 

M:

Nikolai,

You said that about Trassel’s leash. And then broke it.

Matthias Benedik Helvar

 

N: yes

N: and then i replaced it

N: like a good roommate should do

 

M:

Nikolai,

Fine. But only if you make enough for me to reheat them in two days’ time before work.

Matthias Benedik Helvar

 

N: THANK YOU

N: REHEATING WAFFLES IS HEATHENISTIC OF YOU TO DO

N: I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THIS

N: BUT YOU ARE THE BEST ROOMMATE

 

M:

Nikolai,

You are welcome.

And exaggerating.

Goodnight.

Do not make too much noise.

Matthias Benedik Helvar

 

N: I WONT

 

 


[Crow Club]

 

coolest privateer: Attachment: 1 Image

coolest privateer: ^directions + address

 

 


[Slat]

(Kaz, Jesper, Inej, Anika, Pim, Roeder)

 

Wraith: are we working tomorrow?

 

Dirtyhands: Pim and Roeder have a job. Landlord’s inspection is in four days. Haskell might be a drunkard but he still has standards he needs to keep up with. Jesper, Inej, if your spaces are clean, you are not confined to the Slat.

 

Sharpshooter: so basically the answer is i’m cinderella 😌

 

P-I: minus the looks, plus better kicks 😘

 

what’s an Ika?: stawppppp FLIRTING WITH OTHER GUYS PIM

 

Sharpshooter: it’s the jes effect

 

roeder=rider: uhhhhh

roeder=rider: ok

 

what’s an Ika?: dead & gone & buried

 

Dirtyhands: One more reference to Ms. Swift and you will all be blocked and kicked to the curb.

 

Wraith: look at how my tears ricochet :(

 

Dirtyhands: 🚫

Dirtyhands: You’re all gone.

 

Sharpshooter: cold

 

P-I: I DIDN’T EVEN SAY ANYTHING

 

Dirtyhands: Guilty by association.

 

P-I: 🙄

 

Dirtyhands: Get your shit cleaned up before Haskell is here.

 

 


[Crow Club]

 

bangbangbi: WE’LL BE THERE

bangbangbi: unrelatedly, who wants to be my fairy godmother?

 

inej fan club founder: no 🫶

 

knife wife: mine? 🥺

 

inej fan club founder: yes bbg anything for you 🥺🥺

 

knife wife: thank you 🥺🥺🥺

 

inej fan club founder: i love you 🥺🥺🥺🥺

 

knife wife: i love you more 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

 

nightmare fuel left the chat

 

inej fan club founder added nightmare fuel to the chat

 

coolest privateer: is anyone bringing anything tomorrow?

 

bangbangbi: we are broke babe 😭😭

 

coolest privateer: budget is fifteen kruge each. you’ll be reimbursed at the door

 

bangbangbi: LIVING UP TO THE NAME @coolest privateer

 

coolest privateer: :)

 

merchling: I think Jesper is a cooler pirate. But for a privateer, yes. You are cool

 

coolest privateer: privateers are COOLER i don’t know what you mean

 

knife wife: you are actually so wonderful Nikolai. Jesper, why hasn’t he been in the chat longer?

 

bangbangbi: ask kaz idk

 

inej fan club founder: inej you should pick me up and we should go SHOPPING

 

knife wife: my car’s in the shop :(

knife wife: …

knife wife: @nightmare fuel?

 

nightmare fuel: You may not borrow my car.

 

knife wife: i wasn’t going to ask something as drastic as that, don’t worry :)

knife wife: could you drive us to the store, please?

 

bangbangbi: I’M GOING TOO

 

nightmare fuel: Inej is in the front. Jesper, behind her. Nina, we will be there in five minutes. Which store?

 

knife wife: YES

knife wife: i’ll dm you <3

 

nightmare fuel: Okay.