"Oh. I'll pet my cat a lot when I get one, too!" "You'll never get a cat," Mattathias snorted. "We have a brother!"
"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
"Hey, you never know!" Ky said. "Maybe once you're bigger and can take of one on your own?"
"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'll get one myself!" "And I'll get a big dog," Mattathias added. "A really, really big one that I can ride on!"
"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 don't think a dog would like that very much," she laughed.
"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 guess not, if I'm gonna be big and tall like Papa one day." Mattathias looked disappointed. "Probably a lot, a lot, a lot heavier too."
"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 sobered slightly. "You'll be a big strong man in no time!"
"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]
Mattathias stuck his arms up to flex, mimicking Tomhas's gesture earlier. "I bet I can lift the big sword in my Uncle Michael's room, too!" "Matt!" Marcella hissed, and Mattathias's eyes widened. He dropped his arms and went back to petting the cat.
"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 looked between them, no idea what to say to that. That was a topic she wanted to stay way, way away from. "What's the heaviest thing you've ever picked up?"
"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]
"A big rock in the river," Mattathias said, looking up. His face was bright red. "It was this big." He held out his arms to about half his size. "No you didn't, you liar!" Marcella smacked him, and Mattathias's face reddened further. "Don't hit me, Marcella!"
"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
"Hey, hey now, play nice," Ky chided. "You'll scare Petrir if you keep it up and then we'll have to put him down."
"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 settled, but Mattathias was still glaring at her. "Father says to come back!" Oscar yelled, sprinting back into view. "Uncle Wick and Auntie Ana are here!"
"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 sprang to her feet in an instant. She closed her eyes for a moment, silently chastising herself. She needed to stop being jumpy all the time. It was alright to take a whole second to respond. It didn't need to be visceral like this. She looked down at Petrir. "How about we let him go off to play now?"
"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]
"Okay!" Marcella got up, and Mattathias followed. His face was more excited than anything now, though for a moment he'd looked positively enraged by his sister's harrassment. "Follow me!" Oscar ran off again.
"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 shooed Marcella and Mattathias forward, her own stomach fluttering now that she fully processed what Oscar had said. More people to meet and charm. Here's hoping they were warmer than Gaius. That seemed like a low enough bar to be reasonable.
"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]
When they arrived back in the parlor, there were two more people inside. One was a very short, roundish man in his early thirties with a round face and choppy hair even redder than Anneke's. He was completely covered in freckles and wore a plain set of peasant clothes. He had a wide mouth that was turned up into a brilliant smile as he spoke with Anneke. The other was a small woman with grayish-red hair pulled back into a bun. She looked to be in her sixties and had a face that wrinkled in all the right places. A pair of twinkling green eyes peered out from it, complemented by a kind mouth. She sat in a homemade wooden wheelchair and was speaking with Gaius, who remained seated on the couch so he could talk to her at eye level.
"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 always knew that deep down in every human heart, there is mercy and generosity. No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite. — Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom
