"You are, in some ways," Gaius mused. Regulus spat out his cloak and grabbed at his father's maimed hand. Gaius shifted him back to his left arm and took the cane to the right, relaxing his weight. "It's not a bad thing to be." He glanced at Ky, hoping that hadn't sounded too bitter. It wasn't meant to be.
"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 nodded, offering a small smile when she noticed he was looking at her. She couldn't get a read on this man to save her life. And she also couldn't think of how to respond to that comment, either. Every option that came to mind was either blatant flattery or complete trite nonsense. Neither felt appropriate. So she, for once in her life, didn't say anything.
"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]
"Habits are hard to break." They reached the steps of the Keep and Gaius began to work his way up the short stairs. "You're going to be a Lord's daughter soon; you won't need to be "sirring" any longer. Perhaps out of politeness, I suppose, but I know very few nobles who tack that word onto anything anymore." "Tak!" Regulus announced, in his serious way.
"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 slightly at the boy, finding that easier to focus on than her initial gut reaction to say 'yes, sir' to acknowledge him. What was she even supposed to say, if she wasn't supposed to use honorifics?
"That makes sense," she said at last. "I have been finding it challenging to change my speaking patterns... but I'll keep working on it."
"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]
"Practice," Gaius said with a nod. "Good." He reached the top of the stairs. "Are you more eager for the ceremony to happen or for it to be over?" He'd never been good at talking with teenagers; there was a simple acceptance from small children like his sons and daughter and even Cecily's daughter, and adults were liars who nodded and obeyed, but teenagers were wild things, completely foreign to Gaius. He remembered being one--remembered hating being one--and speaking to others, but now that he was grown he could only look at them with utter confusion. They judged and snickered and hated with a hate that he'd never seen in such a large group of people. It was unnerving, but Ky didn't seem like that at all and this was equally confusing to Gaius. What was he to say to this half-grown girl that was his kin but wasn't? He had enough trouble figuring out what to say to Lyra and Anneliese.
"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 guess a bit of both," Ky admitted, stepping forward to get the door for him. "I'm very nervous. But excited! ... but very nervous."
"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 dipped his head in acknowledgment of her opening the door and stepped inside, welcoming the warmth of the Keep. "Understandably. Familial rites don't happen every day. I certainly haven't attended one. Regulus wriggled in his arms, and Gaius set him down at last. The toddler took off after his mother, leaping on her from behind and stuffing the hem of her skirt into his mouth. "That one's going to be trouble," Gaius mused, half to himself.
"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]
"I can't argue with that." Gaius moved a bit quicker now that he was unencumbered. "Until he chews up my letter to the king again. Which, inevitably, he will."
"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 giggled despite herself, but stopped it quickly. Still, she was having a hard time imagining what it would like to truly be a Lord's daughter. Or, at least, to have been born one. She felt horribly disrespectful for even teasing Lord Tomhas or Lady Anneke or, well, any of their children really. Nobles were To Be Respected. And here were these children, giving no fucks at all that their parents were nobility. Just kids. Just parents.
But she wasn't sure if he'd intended to be funny with his comment, and was afraid she might have offended him if he hadn't. So she answered carefully, "That sounds frustrating."
"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 strangest thing about it," he continued, "is that the boy's not even teething anymore. He's got a perfect set of teeth and he still chews on everything." He watched as Sara patiently took her skirt from Regulus's mouth and lifted him into her arms, prompting jealous protests from her elder children. "The twins were never that difficult."
(Gonna hit the hay. Goodnight!)
"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
"Mm... I imagine it's difficult, with multiple children," Ky said thoughtfully. "Having to manage them all being different little humans and figuring out what they're like and what they need." She hesitated. Was she really mansplaining having kids to a father, when she had no children of her own? She flushed a little. "That's the impression I get, anyway. I don't pretend 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]
"I believe it will be worth it, in the end." He hoped. He didn't say anymore, relaxing into the ambient chatter coming from up ahead as his wife and brother got themselves caught up with each other.
"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, s-“ Ky caught herself at the last moment. She also hesitated, tuning into the conversation ahead.
"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]
Tomhas and Sara were discussing, unsurprisingly the war. Sara was decrying Gaius's foolishness while the children looked on, mimicking her. Tomhas wasn't coming to his defense, exactly, but he was trying to reason it out. Gaius grimaced and turned his attention to walking instead.
"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
These were autumn mornings, the time of year when kings of old went forth to conquest; and I, never stirring from my little corner in Calcutta, would let my mind wander over the whole world. — Rabindranath Tagore, The Cabuliwallah
