"Be very, very gentle," Ky reminded her, setting Petrir on her lap. He stretched and mewed in protest, but settled down quickly.
"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]
Marcella stared down at Petrir, very gently stroking his head. "He's so sweet!" "I'm gonna go see what Mother and Father are doing. Oscar got to his feet and ran off.
"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--" she wasn't sure if she should be letting a child run off on his own, but also, he was gone before she could do much to stop it. She certainly wasn't going to leave Petrir unattended around children; and, somehow, going sprinting through the Keep chasing Oscar while holding Petrir and having the twins in tow just was not appealing to her. She sighed and looked back at Marcella. "He is very sweet, isn't he? I think he likes you."
"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]
"He does?" she gasped, and she made a movement to hug the cat before she stopped herself and looked bashfully up at Ky. "Sorry. He's really, really cute."
"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 at her, glad that she'd caught herself so that Ky wouldn't have to scold her. "He really is. I like him a lot." She looked up at Mattathias. "Would you like a turn?"
"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!" Mattathias crossed his legs and held out his arms. Marcella wrinkled her nose at him but made no protest.
"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 gently scooped Petrir up and set him in Mattathias's lap instead. She glanced down the hall. Had Oscar gotten back to his parents okay? She hoped so. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken responsibility for three children all at once.
"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]
(Ky: I sure hope that child didn't get lost, one flight of stairs away from his family, in his own house)
Mattathias pet the cat gently. "Where'd you get him?" he asked.
"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
(hahaha Ky: I took RESPONSIBILITY for a CHILD that isn't MY child and which IS a NOBLE child and--)
"From Wolf Keep," Ky said, hoping it wouldn't prompt unwanted questions. "The apothecary there is very nice and gave me one from a recent litter."
"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]
"Wolf Keep? Where's Wolf Keep?" "Who's the apothecary?" Marcella asked. "Is she as good as Sera?"
"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
"His name is Alexander," Ky answered, again deciding to hope that their lack of short-term memory would work in her favor of not having to answer difficult questions. "And they both seem quite good. Very kind people, both of them."
(also super subtle but I really love that Marcella defaulted to assuming a female doctor :') )
"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]
(Aw thanks She's only ever known Sera really and maybe Tomhas's apothecary (a guy) as well but Sera's really close to the family)
"That's nice. How many kittens did he have? Could you ask if I can have one if you went back?"
"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 didn't ask how many there were," Ky said, honestly, then decided to be diplomatic with her next answer. "I don't know when I'll be back that way; perhaps there are other kittens nearer by?"
"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]
"Maybe," she sighed. "Uncle Tomhas has some around here but I never see them. They always hide."
"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
"Yeah, it takes a lot of handling them for them to be like this." She gestured at the kitten. "I play with him a lot so that's why he likes being pet."
"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's only ever known Sera really and maybe Tomhas's apothecary (a guy) as well but Sera's really close to the family)
