"A few hounds, flesh and Iron." Constance paused, thinking. "Five hunting hounds. Then we have a tiny dog from the East with more fur than I've ever seen. My ambassador says it was bred for companionship. Poor thing's terrified of the cats. Ewan got a fine hawk for his eighteenth birthday as well, but I think that's about it."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
(How old is Ewan? Idk why I'm having a hard time visualizing him)
"That's so cool," Ky said admiringly. Imagine owning a hawk... what would she even do with a hawk if she owned one? She didn't know. But it still sounded fun to have one.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
(18. He's a round dude, pretty overweight but very muscular. He's got curly black hair like his mom and blue eyes, and he has the start of a beard.)
"Did you have pets back home?" Constance asked.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"Yeah! Well, kind of. We had a plowhorse, and a goat, and three pigs, and seven chickens." Ky wasn't sure why she remembered it that distinctly. Maybe it was the only semblance of home she could keep in her memory -- a desperate attempt to remember what her life once had been. "Papa said they weren't pets and I couldn't name them." She smiled sheepishly. "But I still named them."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"Those are pets, same as dogs and cats. What was the horse called?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"Yeah... well, the pigs were just food." Ky shrugged. She'd still named them, but she'd known fully well that they were going end up on their plate eventually. "But the horse was definitely my pet -- we just had to work together a lot. His name was Prycn... super lazy but a sweetie."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Constance nodded slightly. "That's an excellent name. What sort was he?"
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
“He was an... ah... I don’t know,” she admitted sheepishly. “Very old. And brown, with some gray hairs too...” That was all she really remembered about him, aside from the emotions that hugging him had brought her. The comfort. She nodded awkwardly.
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Constance nodded slightly. "Childhood horses always hold a special connection, don't they? I had one growing up, too. So did Tomhas and Arianna."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"They make good friends." Ky smiled. Prycn heard more of her secrets than anyone else in the whole world... well, so far. She fully intended to tell Loquitur anything and everything he could possibly want to know... still, those were Aleth's secrets more than her own. "Do any of you still have your horses?"
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Constance nodded. "Tomhas still has his Iron-mare, but she's too old for riding nowadays. Mine was grabbed by spiders when I was sixteen."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
She was still so unsettled by the thought of giant spiders and hoped with everything within her that she'd never see one. A brief silence passed between them as she contemplated the thought of a whole horse getting taken by spiders. It was terrifying. What if a spider came for her? She swallowed hard. She better get a lot better with a sword if she was going to live in this region now. But, then, how was she going to manage that? Maybe Constance would know.
"Ma'am? Do you think it would be bad if I asked Lord Loquitur if he has someone who can keep teaching me how to spar? I know I'm not very good, but I think I'd be better now that I can move my shoulder and I don't have to wear a binder anymore. And I quite liked it." She flushed and continued quickly, "But I definitely don't want to be a burden! I probably sound so ungrateful, I'm sorry. I don't want to be a bother -- I just... thought it was good for me to learn." Ky looked at her timidly. "Would it be abusing his lordship's kindness to ask for more lessons? I don't want to be a bother."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
Constance shook her head. "Not a bother at all, lass! He'd be happy to help, I'm sure, as would I. General Wai's probably going to busy with war strategy and the like, but her brother might be willing to help. He's Lord Tomhas's personal blacksmith and an excellent fighter, quite versatile. Any weapon in existence, he's used."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Ky smiled, the tension in her chest releasing a bit. That was good to hear. At this point, she was quite certain that any average soldier in any of their ranks would be able to teach Ky far more than she currently knew. But she was fortunate indeed if she'd get the honor of such respectable teachers. "Then that's something else I look forward to."
"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus "From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf "A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni [they/he]
"The Wais are an excellent family. Their mother's a force to be reckoned with; she's an Akaratara chieftain down South. Sent her son and daughter up here to aid Tomhas, though she mostly deals with Lord Ash."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
