"Stay." Tarr pointed to the corner behind him. He crumpled up the drawing and took out a new sheet of parchment, then dipped his quill into the inkwell and began a letter.
"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
"Sir." Pratik dipped his head and obediently took his spot in the corner, keeping his head bowed but eyes taking in as much of the study as he could, discretely.
"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 study was covered almost completely in animal skins and taxidermied beasts, as was Tarr's desk and chair. A poorly stocked bookshelf sat in one neglected corner, and a large chest was positioned to the left of it. Tarr downed the mead and tapped the glass again, still writing.
"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 stepped forward and uncorked the bottle again, risking a quick glance towards the paper, before focusing his gaze back on the glass. Trying to gather information without pushing his luck too much.
"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 briefest of glances revealed the addressee and the first three words: Lord Bledroe, and "I must inform." Tarr paused in his writing. "You talk a lot for a slave," he told Pratik.
"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 hesitated for the briefest, not sure how to answer that. Should he answer that? All he'd done so far was acknowledge he'd heard his orders. Was that not the typical expectation?
He clearly still had plenty to learn about this new assignment.
"Apologies," Pratik murmured, still not quite sure whether he was supposed to answer that comment or not.
"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]
"Most slaves keep their mouths shut and do as they're told, no conversation needed." Tarr leaned back, looking Pratik full in the face. "Are you new to this, boy?"
"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 was fairly confident that he was older than Tarr, but the cockiness didn't particularly surprise him, given the whispers he'd heard from the other slaves so far. Pratik glanced at him and then quickly averted his gaze when he realized Tarr was looking at him. His voice was quiet when he answered, "Yessir."
"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]
"This is your first and only warning." Tarr pointed to a coiled whip hanging on the wall, also near the bookshelf. "Nobody wants to hear a slave's voice unless they explicitly say so. Do you understand me?"
"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
It felt like a trick question. And Pratik wasn't going to take it, if Tarr was laying out bait for him. So instead of an answer, Pratik simply inclined his head.
"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]
"That's what I like to see." Tarr nodded to himself and took a sip of the mead.
"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 wasn't sure why Tarr would want an existence where he only heard his own voice -- but he certainly wasn't going to challenge it. So instead he merely stood still and held on to the bottle of mead.
"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]
Tarr wrote for several more minutes, then took out another sheet of parchment to continue the letter there. He finished his mead about halfway through that page and tapped the glass a third time.
"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 obediently filled the glass, carefully taking a fraction-of-a-second glance towards the paper. He couldn't make out much, just a few isolated words. But he was getting uneasy at how quickly Tarr was making it through his mead. Men who acted like Tarr did sober generally got much, much worse when drunk. And it seemed like Tarr was intent on heading that way.
"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]
"More." Tarr glanced at the glass. "It's only halfway full."
"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
