“That’s awful,” Ky said genuinely, looking at her with wide eyes. No wonder Ash was so awful; he’d had it so much worse than she did.
"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]
"Mother said that Father thought it was a mercy they were both banished," Anneliese went on. "She said it was the one truly good thing my grandmother did for them, but then she and Aunt Cecily were stuck there." She shivered. "There's a statue of Michael at Serpent Keep, in the burial grounds. There are statues of everyone in the Ash family there. He looks like a hero, but there's something in his eyes, the way he was carved. He's worse to think about than the Goat Man!"
"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 have no idea. He just came out that way, I guess." Anneliese sat back. "Anyway, we're not allowed to talk about him in front of Father and Uncle Gaius unless they bring it up first. Mother said something about nightmares." She frowned. "Imagine being that afraid of your own 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
Ky cringed. “It can be hard to live with it when terrible things happen to you. It’s easier to bear it when you can make yourself forget sometimes.”
"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 so." Anneliese tilted her head. "Hm. I wonder if you can actually forget something that big."
"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,” Ky whispered, shaking her head. “No, you can’t. But it’s better when you have something else you can think of too, instead of being focused entirely on what hurt you. It helps.”
"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]
Anneliese studied her, then straightened and looked down. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring all that up. I heard you had a hard time before coming here."
Spoiler
Spoiler alert, Gaius legit completely erased his own recollection of why he hates eating
"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, it’s okay,” Ky shook her head, shaking it off. This wasn’t about her… but she was morbidly curious, now. “… what did you hear?”
"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]
"Just that you used to be a slave. I know what that means." Anneliese fiddled with her sleeve. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."
"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
“Thank you.” Ky nodded. Anneliese didn’t have the first idea what it meant. But it made more sense that she was given that version than the truth. Ky was glad to hear that. It wasn’t Anneliese’s burden to bear. She forced a smile but it was awkward. “I’m very glad to have that behind me.”
Only it wasn’t behind her. Not really. And it never would be. She’d be dealing with Aleth for the rest of her life, despite him being eaten by crows by 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]
"Me, too." Anneliese smiled hesitantly. "So we can be sisters." She paused. "Can I tell you a secret?"
"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
“Please do,” Ky said, dipping her head. Here she was. Still clawing for secrets like a starved rat.
"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 feel like the dumb one," Anneliese admitted. "Lyra always acts like she's smarter than everyone, and Mother learned to read and write in like two years. Father can talk anyone into anything. Oscar and Peter both started talking early. But I'm just the goofy one who still acts like a little kid."
"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
That wasn’t at all what Ky had been expecting. It wasn’t a juicy secret. It was just insecurity. It needed a different mindset.
“Everyone has different strengths,” Ky said gently, forcing herself to focus on Anneliese rather than herself or Aleth or Ash. Anneliese was better than all three of them combined. “You’re very kind and empathetic. And you’re very gentle. Which is honestly such a hard thing to come by — but so, so important.”
(How old is Anneliese? Like, 11ish?)
"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 sit down and write because you're a writer; sit down and write because you have something to say. And if the sea of ideas isn't flowing, well, just tell me about your day. — OrabellaAvenue
