"As you wish," Aleth answered, hesitating at the end of the hall. Well, he'd fucked this one up. But it was just as well, not trying to perform while under this level of pain. With any luck, Sera would let him have another dose of pain medicine when they got back.
"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]
"Come, let's go back, then." Gaius turned around. How disappointing; it seemed a proper observation would have to wait. No matter. He'd gotten plenty out of these few minutes. "Or should I ask Sera to come to you?"
"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
"No, sir, I can make it," Aleth answered quickly. "It's starting to feel better already."
A slight truth -- even though 'better' was certainly relative, and generous. So much for the tour.
"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]
Somehow Gaius doubted that, but he nodded anyway and started back. "I can't imagine losing two toes is an easy thing," he mused. He himself had lost so much more--his hand and leg were basically useless, not to mention other injuries Michael and others had inflicted on him--but he needed to get this newcomer to open up a bit more, to feel more comfortable and liable to make a slip.
"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
Aleth walked next to him, thinking for a moment to find the way he wanted to phrase his response. "I'm sure you can understand better than most."
"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]
Gaius cocked his head thoughtfully. "Perhaps so, perhaps so. Though I've never had the misfortune of requiring amputation, thank the gods." Amputation might have been a mercy, in all honesty.
"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 hope you never do, my lord," Aleth answered. Niceties. He was getting his wits about him once again. He didn't have much empathy for people in general. What did he care if Ash kept his toes or not? He didn't. As long as Loquitur's money stayed good, Aleth couldn't care less what state Ash may or may not be in.
His mind briefly flicked back to the situation he'd left.
That had been humiliating. He never should have agreed to let Ky stay behind. She was skittish. And that made her dangerous. At least, dangerous for him now that he wasn't there to be the one in control of her fear. Who knew what damage she may have already caused? For all he knew, Tarr had started on Ky the instant the gate was shut on him, and Loquitur already knew all of the secrets that Ky kept. At least, that she was supposed to keep.
He forced himself back to the present. "I can't say that it's pleasant."
"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 expect not." Gaius kept walking, staying a bit behind Al. "Bones tend to hang on til the very end, and taking them away before they've had a chance to finish their job isn't particularly desirable."
"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
"Oof." Aleth cringed at the mental image that Ash's words brought. "You're quite right, I'm sure."
"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]
Gaius knew he was, though he didn't care to say so. "Are you one to be restless when confined to his bed, or are you more inclined to listen to the apothecary when she tells you to stay put?"
"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 was a clever question. Aleth couldn't very well say that he wouldn't listen to what Sera told him -- and now he couldn't get away with wandering about, if he told Ash he planned to stay put.
"Both," Aleth said. "I feel restless, but I do as I'm told."
"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]
"Ah." Ash offered what could very well pass for a smile. "You and I are not nearly alike, then." He had a constant wanderlust when confined to bed; that was how he'd ended up with his leg as badly damaged as it was. Not that it would have been much better if he'd stayed in bed. "I have to be on the move at all times, I'm afraid. There's not a stone in this Keep my feet haven't touched."
(I just realized that makes it sound like he's been walking on the walls and ceiling as well)
"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
"Sounds tiring," Aleth noted with an awkward smile. He'd had enough moving about running from his father as a child. He liked staying put now. Settling down and dealing with his problems rather than wandering away from them. "What's your favorite part of the Keep?"
"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 library, without a doubt." The largest room in the Keep and by far the most interesting, in Gaius's opinion. Many of the books were stuck full of loose papers, notes, and poems decades or centuries old.
"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]
)
