“Ah.” Pratik was silent as he, once again, cursed himself for agreeing to a plan this abysmally stupid. Ash wasn't paying nearly enough for Pratik to subject himself to this kind of abuse on his behalf. And for what? The off hope that Tarr would be careless around his slaves? He sighed.
"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]
"I hope this was worth it for your daughter," Rickard said after a long silence. "Does she have a mother or father to go home to?"
"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
“I just hope they can get her back,” Pratik said, forcing a slight somber tone into his voice. “She’s the only family I have, but a friend promised to care for her… I know I’ll never see her again. But I have to rest in the hope of her safety and health with my friend.”
"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]
Rickard gave a small nod and said no more. The door opened shortly after to admit the seventeen years old girl, who seated herself in the corner without a word.
"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
Pratik glanced at her, then looked at the floor, not wanting to contribute to her discomfort. He couldn’t even imagine how vulnerable she must be feeling after Tarr’s assault. And now here she was — sitting in a tiny room with two strange men. He let the silence linger a beat longer than comfortable and then, softly, “Did you get your assignment?”
He wasn’t sure he even wanted to know.
"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 girl flinched at the sound of his voice and looked up. She said something timidly in Taralli, then rested her chin on her knees and looked away.
(Does Pratik speak any of the Southern dialects?)
"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
(Umm... I imagine he would, yes. I'll follow your lead on what's realistic for him to know, but in cannon he's very good at languages and is multi-lingual so I figure he'd probably know a bit of several different regions if that's realistic)
"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]
(Awesome! So she speaks Akarataran dialect, and what she said was "I don't understand you, please leave me alone.")
"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
Pratik considered her a moment, trying to decide whether to drop the issue or tell her that he understood her. He decided on a compromise between the two and switched to Akarataran to answer, "Apologies, I didn't mean 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]
The girl glanced up, blinking in surprise. She looked away again after a moment. "I didn't know you spoke my language."
"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
"Probably not well," Pratik answered. "But enough to understand those who wish to be understood."
"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]
She gave a small nod. "Your accent is strange." Rickard looked between them, brow furrowed.
"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
"I'm sorry," Pratik murmured. "It's not my native tongue... is Akarataran the only language you speak?"
"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]
"Yes." The girl rested her head against the wall, bringing a hand up to pull at the chain around her neck.
"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
“Do you know what your assignment is going to be?” Pratik asked.
"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]
