“We’ve all been through a lot,” he muttered, but forced some of the tension out of his shoulders. Both of them had probably been through far worse than him. Rickard dealing with a boot on his neck his whole life; Ada being raped, multiple times. He supposed he should stop feeling sorry for himself — but, then, there was a certain kind of hell to knowing he could have done something about Tarr — but instead just kept his mouth shut and dealt with the disrespect. “And we’re not done yet.”
"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]
"How many days to Serpent's Keep?" Rickard asked. "I heard something about provisions."
"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
“We’re heading to the nearest town for the night,” Pratik answered. He didn’t have any idea how long it was going to take, now that he couldn’t move at his own speed. “That’s all we need to worry about for now. We’ll get fresh supplies there.”
(It was two weeks, yeah? And they’ll probably move a bit quicker, now that it’s just them and not a cart filled with slaves?)
"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]
(Yep, two weeks. So quicker on two horses but a bit longer than a straight shot because they have to go around the Barren Plains.)
"Who was the man you spoke with? I remember him from the first day."
"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
"The less you know, the safer we all are," Pratik said gruffly. Was he being a bit of an asshole? Maybe. But it was his and Roland's necks on the line if Rickard ran his mouth, and he wasn't willing to risk it. Not for a man he barely knew. "You can consider him your guardian angel."
"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]
"That I will," Rickard replied, deciding Pratik wasn't going to say any more willingly. "I'm sorry for asking so many questions; I've never escaped before and I'm a bit new to this."
"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
"It's alright." Pratik sighed. He needed to stop being so short-tempered. He would probably also have this many questions if he wasn't the one with the plan. It was hard to trust a stranger to save you. Especially when the stakes were this high. "But you can't speak of this a single bit, when we're around anyone else. You understand me? Not a single word about Tarr or Ash or slavery or masters or anything else. We're slaves until we get to Serpent Keep -- and the hardest part may well lie before us. Don't forget that."
"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]
"Of course!" Rickard nodded quickly. "I know how to keep my mouth shut, I promise you that. That's one of the first things I learned."
"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
Pratik took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. "Good."
He was silent for a moment, looking over at Ada. Was she going to cause them problems? He honestly wouldn't be surprised, at this point. Rickard was a broken man -- a man who was used to doing exactly as he was told, the moment he was told to do it. He'd be more likely to obey Pratik's every command. It was the prideful Akarataran girl that would get them in trouble, if anyone did.
"I'll apologize in advance," Pratik said finally. "Because I am going to be short-tempered these next few days. It's not easy to save your own ass, never mind bringing two others with you. We all have to work together."
At least, they had to not work against him. He'd settle for that.
"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]
"Of course. And again, Aren, I'm completely in your debt for this. I can't thank you enough." His voice shook slightly. "I still can't believe I'm doing this."
"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 debt to be had," Pratik answered, smiling a little, despite his ill-ease. This was why he'd rescued so many slaves -- and why he'd continue to rescue even more. To give a human back their autonomy. "I'm just glad you were in the right place at the right 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]
"I'd been watching the other man for a few days," he admitted. "He was preparing for something. I wanted to see what it might be, hoped it would benefit me in some way depending on if I took part or kept quiet. I'm glad I saw what happened."
"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
Uneasiness slammed down in Pratik's gut in an instant, and he looked over his shoulder in alarm. "Did anyone else see either of 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]
"No, no!" Rickard almost let go to make a disarming gesture but quickly remembered to hang on. "No, I made sure I wasn't seen and the other man was very careful as well. It was done entirely in secret, I can swear to 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
Pratik let out a sharp breath, turning back around in the saddle. He couldn't make that promise, though. Roland clearly hadn't realized Rickard was watching him. How could either of them know if someone else had been watching what was going on?
He forced himself to take a deep breath. There was no point in assuming the worst. They were committed now -- come hell or high water, there was no taking back what they'd done. He could only hope Rickard was right.
"Gods above, I'll never sleep again," Pratik muttered. Not that he usually got much sleep as it was. He didn't have the luxury of being able to sleep in ease.
"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]
