"I'm working on changing things in my lands, and Gaius is too. Maybe we should talk to Harold and see if he'll convince the Taral..." He looked over to Harold, who was wandering the shelves.
"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
Nope. Tadaaki was staying out of this one. Absolutely not.
It took Ky a long, long time to recover after that one. It was too much. Both of them at once. Papa had done this after she got taken. At least, he hadn't given her so much as a hint he was making these before she got taken. And these had been made so especially for her. It'd have been overwhelming to get something Papa made in general -- and now she had two things he'd made for her.
She didn't trust herself to speak. Her entire body was shaking, and she felt secure in Zander's strong arms as he held her close. Eventually, her breathing evened out and her tears stopped. She slowly reached up to slip the necklace over her head. The pendant hung an inch or two below her collarbone -- close to her heart, literally and figuratively. She clung to the box in her left arm and had her right hand curled tightly around the pendant -- and Zander had his arm wrapped around her from the side, holding her tight as she leaned against him.
"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]
Tomhas glanced back at Tadaaki. "But later. We're celebrating, and Tasia's looking for that book! Politics later."
"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 FOUND IT!” Tasia shouted, running towards them. “LOOK ITS A BEAR GRRR”
Ky and Zander sat in silence. What could they say? It didn’t feel like words were needed. They loved each other and they loved Papa and he loved them both. That was enough. And now she had keepsakes from her papa. Something to remember him by. Forever.
Literally no other gift in the world could top this gift. And she was glad Zander had had the discernment to give it to her in private. It’d be humiliating to sob like this in front of — well, she supposed Tomhas had witnessed her meltdowns several times now, and even Ash had seen her in this state after the whole Aleth thing. But the king hadn’t seen it. The women. The kids. And Wick. There were people she still had face in front of and she wanted to retain it.
It was easier this way.
"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]
"Great job!" Tomhas clapped for her. "Aw, but it's a friendly bear, see? Look at it smiling!" He pointed to the cover of the book. "Want to read it?"
"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
They sat long enough for Ky to regulate her breathing and snot and mostly hide her tears. But there was nothing more to say about this. No words could come close. So she wasn’t going to try. “… we should probably go see what everyone else is up to.”
Zander hesitated a moment, then nodded. It was really up to her. “If that’s what you wish.”
Ky stayed leaning against him for another long moment, then stood up. She was ready to face the rest of this day. The memory of how very much they’d loved each other was starting to win over the pain of losing him. Now was going to be at the ceremony too, giving his blessing. A reminder that he was with her. Forever and always.
"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]
Tomhas sat down in an armchair. "Righto, let's find us a story about frogs! Do you want a happy one, a romantic one, or a scary one?'
"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
“Frogs can be scary?” Tasia asked with wide eyes. How?
“All of our sleep cycles would appreciate if we avoided a scary story,” Aashi murmured.
“Well romance is gross!” Tasia announced.
“What time is it?” Ky asked as they strode to the hall.
“Dunno.” Zander shrugged. “When’s the next thing?”
“… I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just figured someone would tell me what was going on whenever it was time.”
“I’m sure they will,” Zander said gently. “We were in the exact same place they left us. They could have found us if you were needed for something.”
"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]
"There are giant frogs in some stories that carry people around in their big, big mouths." Tomhas puffed out his cheeks. "But we won't do any scary stories, don't worry."
"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,” Aashi murmured. Tasia was wonderful — but she wasn’t a fantastic sleeper under the best of circumstances. Night scares just made it that much worse.
Ky and Zander wandered through the halls in no rush whatsoever. Ky had a strange sense of calm now. It was refreshing. It was as if Papa was giving her permission to relax. To enjoy today. To — well, she’d never move on, but to move forward. She hadn’t felt this close to him since the very last day she was with him.
"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]
Tomhas nodded. "Okay. We have the story of The Frog That Wanted to Become a Caracal, the story of The Taral's Frog Mistress, and the story of How the Frog Became a Grand Reputation."
"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 for bringing these to me," Ky said quietly. "They mean so, so much."
"I know," he murmured. It'd drawn exactly the sort of reaction he half-expected. It was such a tragic story thrust upon her all at once. But she seemed more content now. Maybe not happy -- at least not in the giddy sense. But content.
"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]
"Very well, then!" Tomhas turned to that page and began to read.
"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
"You think they're still in the library?" Zander asked.
Ky nodded. "Probably... he's very good at diverting attention when he wants to."
Zander smiled. "Seems like a good man to have rooting for you."
Ky took a deep breath, then nodded. "He's so patient. And kind."
"And he can read you."
"Like a book," she agreed. "... and so can Lo-... G...aius."
Zander started laughing at that one. "Hey, now that was funny."
"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]
Harold seated himself across from them at last with a book of his own.
"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
