“Me too.” Ky nodded. “Papa said Mama was the most wonderful woman in the whole world. And that she would have liked me a lot because we had a lot of similarities, apparently.” She shrugged, forcing herself to stay upbeat. “But I didn’t ever know her so it hurts a bit less, you know? I think it’s easier to not know what it feels like to have a mama at all, than it is to lose a parent you knew well enough to miss… at least that’s been my experience.”
"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]
Anneke was silent for a moment. "I suppose so. That makes sense." She held the door of the Keep open for Ky.
"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 to her and stepped inside. “Did you know both of your parents?”
"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]
"My brother and I were raised by my aunt," Anneke replied. "She's a good woman, though my brother had to care for her now since her legs went out. My parents died of consumption shortly after Wick was born."
"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 a bit. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s always so hard.”
"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 very few memories of them," Anneke said with a shrug. "And Wick has none. Auntie Ana has more than made up for our loss in love and lots of sweets." She smiled slightly. "Perhaps we should invite them both for the ceremony of rites."
"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'll talk to Tomhas about it, then!" Anneke looked pleased by her enthusiasm.
"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 bounced slightly on the balls of her feet as she walked. She bummed for a moment. “Do you think Tadaaki could come, too? Or does it have to be real family?”
"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]
"If you consider Tadaaki family, he's absolutely welcome, dear. Invite whoever you like!"
"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, pleased that she’d agreed so easily. It really was so nice to be around the Loquiturs. Aleth always told her how needy she was, if she asked for seconds at dinner time. And here the Loquiturs were — giving her every last thing she asked for, and not seeming to mind it a bit.
“I got quite close to him, you know,” she said. She hesitated a moment, furrowing her brow. “Well… I guess I never really knew much of his background or what he was like before. But… well, I guess we just understood each other, you know? He’s what I imagine a big brother would feel like, though I don’t 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]
"Familial ties are a part of human nature," she mused. "If you're alone in the world you look for someone you can form a bond with. He seems like a very big brotherly sort of person, and very gentle."
"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
“He really is,” she agreed with a nod. “He’s so big and so strong but it always hurt him so much when Aleth made him hurt someone. He’s too kind to be able to act like that and it be okay.” Ky hesitated, thinking about the first time she’d seen Tadaaki breakdown, after a night scare he’d had. She shook it off. “But I’m sure he’s an excellent father because of it. Always so nurturing to those weaker than him… which is most people.”
"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]
"Kindness is such an important thing to foster in a person. It's wonderful that he kept it through all that. It's wonderful that you did, too. That's a difficult thing--to keep your faith in goodness while ensuring cruelty."
"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, ma’am,” Ky agreed with a nod, starting up the first flight of stairs. “It certainly became harder, once I got taken— being kind, that is. I was very angry for a while.” And, she supposed, she still was. Sometimes. When she thought about what the soldiers had done to her. To Talia. When she actually thought about how truly terrible Aleth was, rather than retreating to the safety of her dissociation. “But… well, I guess it scares me to be angry. It makes me feel like Aleth.” She furrowed her brow and shook her head. “And I don’t want to be like him. Ever.”
"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]
