“I prefer not to become a target,” Ky chipped in. Then she flushed, embarrassed that she’d said it aloud. “I mean… I’m sure you’ve got bigger things to worry about than me… and I’m sure you’re a lovely human.” She cleared her throat. She wasn't so sure about that one. She looked at Loquitur. “But yes, sir. He and Pratik are the best of the best. Aleth only pays their rates when it’s important.”
"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]
"Perhaps we should get this Pratik fellow on the payroll as well, then," Tomhas said, stroking his chin. "I could use a few more spies."
"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… have heard that he isn’t particularly fond of…” Her gaze flicked towards Isya, then back towards Loquitur. She cleared her throat. “But he’s quite good, yes. You’ll want — I mean I’d want — I mean… I certainly would want him on my side in a situation like this, yes.”
"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]
"What isn't he fond of?" Tomhas asked, following her gaze. "...or who?"
"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
“Didn’t you… stab? Pratik?” she asked, looking at Isya. She hesitated, not sure if she was supposed to say that. But. Loquitur asked. And he had her undying loyalty. So she cleared her throat and looked back at him. “I’m not quite sure what happened, sir. I just know Aleth hired Pratik for a job, and it took him a long time to come back for his payment, and when he did… he had some um… colorful things to say about Isya.”
"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]
"We were both victims of circumstance," Arthur said curtly. "I believe we had things to discuss, my lord." "So we did." Tomhas gave Ky an awkward smile. "Right. I'll, er, I'll keep that in mind, then. Thank you for telling 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
“Yes, sir,” Ky answered, dipping her head. She glanced at Isya, trying to gauge his mood. She couldn’t. “Sorry if… that’s an uncomfortable… memory. Sir. Sorry. Sir.”
"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]
"Don't worry about it." Arthur followed Tomhas away from her, though he didn't take his eyes off her until they disappeared.
"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 met his gaze. Oh, she was going to worry about it. The rest of the afternoon, probably. Still, it was nice that he didn’t seem venomous about it. She sat back down with her book.
(Do you have another scene in mind?)
"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]
(Not particularly. I don't have much planned for Arthur, honestly. Did you want to get something specific out of him?)
"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
(Nah, I think that scene was good. I just don’t have any ideas for where to go now, in general. Do you wanna skip somewhere?)
"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]
(Sure, we could skip to when Aleth is more able to move about and get to know Gaius and the Keep, if you like.)
"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
"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]
(Righto. I'll write up a starting post in about hours, maybe 4.5. I've got work in a sec)
"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
"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]
Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. — Neil Gaiman
