"I suppose we could move her here after the ceremony," Sera mused. "We'd need a swift rider. Is there only one assassin?" They went up another flight of stairs.
"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 know," Pratik admitted. "Aleth was a paranoid bastard. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a failsafe in place -- probably could afford two assassins if Isya and I both turned him down. But I don't know the plan."
"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 send out a rider just in case," Sera decided. "Once I've taken care of you three." They reached the infirmary, and she opened the door.
"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 could maybe go,” Pratik said, stepping into the infirmary. He wasn’t particularly thrilled at the idea of being off in the cold again. Or of intentionally going up against an assassin or two. But maybe it would ease his guilt a bit about not protecting Ky from this mess in the first place. “Then they’d get help, not just a message.”
"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]
"You just got here," Sera said with a shake of her head. "You won't be able to do much even if you do go." She gestured for them all to sit on the beds. Ada did so, and Rickard shuffled over to one of the beds as well. He tested the narrow pallet warily before sitting down.
"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 hesitated, then nodded with a sigh. “You’re probably right.”
He sat down on the empty cot and shrugged his coat off, figuring Sera was probably about to demand it anyway.
"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]
"Who wants to start?" Sera stoked up the fire before turning to face them. Rickard said nothing, glancing between Ada and Pratik to see what they would say. Ada looked to Pratik for translation.
(I'm gonna hop off for the night. See you!)
"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
"She's the apothecary," Pratik explained. "She's going to examine us and wants to know who wants to go first... what would you prefer?"
"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]
"You should go first so we see what happens and know what to expect," Ada said.
"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
So, a Guinea pig. Oh well. He shrugged. “Very well.” He turned back to Sera. “I’ll go first.”
"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]
Sera nodded. "Do you want some privacy? We can go into my office so I can check you over."
"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
“Um…” Pratik hesitated, glancing back at the others. He would like some privacy. He didn’t know what clothes she might or might not want him to remove, and he wasn’t a fan of people seeing all his scars. If it wasn’t already apparent that he was a mercenary, the state of his torso proved the truth. Still. He turned back to Sera. “No, that’s okay. I think they’re a little nervous and want to see what will happen… I don’t mind.”
He did mind. But he’d deal with his discomfort. For them. Since, despite Ada’s continued suspicion, he did care and wanted the best for both of them. He could suck it 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]
Sera gave a nod. "Shirt off, then. Were you wounded in any way besides the obvious, any concerns you might have that I should take into account?"
"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
“Honestly, the collar is my only complaint.” Sure, he’d been battered and knocked around and malnourished. But it wasn’t the worst he’d had. “I’m pretty hardy, otherwise.”
He took a deep breath, ego bucking against what he was about to do, and pulled his shirt off. He still had the huge scar across his abdomen as a souvenir of the time he went up against Isya. He had dozens of smaller scars littering his abdomen and back, including a healed arrow wound on his left shoulder. It’d gone all the way through and scarred on both sides.
"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]
Ada gave no visible reaction, nor did Rickard. They'd both seen scars before.
"We'll get that off in no time." Sera ran her hands gently up his torso, prodding for any abnormalities. "For the moment it looks like all you need is a decent meal. Breathe in for me, please."
"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
