Shady

“Yes ma’am.” Ky nodded. “…what do you suppose leads to the disparity?” Was Tomhas a shitty Lord?

Ky smiled and nodded. She knew. She let silence pass between them before, “do you have much problem with crime?”

“It matters,” Ky said quietly. “Some people don’t try.”

“Ah. That… makes sense.” Ky nodded. She still couldn’t really fathom ever doing something like that. “I’m… sure that they appreciate that. You seem like a good ruler.”

“Does that… make you more lenient?” Ky couldn’t imagine. Forcing yourself to kill someone because they broke the law.

Ky glanced at her, then at Tadaaki, then back again and quietly nodded in agreement.

Aashi sighed softly and nodded. “I hope so. It just hurts to watch him hurt. He doesn’t deserve it.”

Ky looked at her, surprised. “You can’t just… order it done?”

“…he needs to forget first,” Aashi said quietly. “At least enough for him to remember.”

“Yes ma’am.” Ky nodded, also watching her tea. What an interesting woman. Both kind and harsh. “That’s… fair.”

“I know,” Aashi said quietly, nodding. “It just crushes me how much he doubts himself now. He wasn’t like this with Tasia. I’ve never seen a happier man than when ...

“Have you… used anything else on people?”

Tadaaki looked up at his name. “Mm?” “You get to watch this baby grow up from the start,” Aashi said gently. “Mm.” He furrowed his brow slightly and looked away. ...

Ky looked at her in horror, imagining someone’s head just exploding upon impact.

“Otay!” Tasia went sprinting off. Aashi smiled at the thought. “Can’t wait!” She looked across and down the table at Tadaaki, who didn’t notice. “Can’t wait to experience it together.�