"Well, I guess we'd better find something else to do...keep up the great work, you lot!" Tomhas waved to the people occupying the kitchen.
"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
"Smells delightful," Zander complimented, taking a step down the hall. Ky followed close by his side, definitely in his personal bubble -- but she wasn't retreating this time. Just getting snuggly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"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]
(Wanna skip ahead to gift giving or dinner or something else? I feel like there isn't much to do for this group that would be great to roleplay unless you wanna do more getting to know you stuff. Wick has been having a shitty sorta day unfortunately so we could play around with that or do something else?)
"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
(Aww poor Wick :c But I don't really have a strong preference! Gift giving could be fun since it'd add more action for them to do rather than just talking, but I'm really down for whatever you're feeling!)
"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]
Dinner was a resounding success. Sebastian put together an assortment of Ky's favorite foods from her time here, and Ana and Gaius made four pies: apple cinnamon, boar, pigeon, and raspberry-blueberry-strawberry. Everyone except Gaius had stuffed themselves, though Gaius did eat substantially more than he normally did in an attempt to sample Ana's work. Her pies were very good. Now they had all retreated to a sitting room, where a stack of wrapped and bagged gifts were sitting on the table. Tomhas's leg was bouncing nervously.
"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's was, too. But she was resisting the urge to stand up to start pacing anxiously again -- there was far too large of an audience for that just then. She needed to at least pretend to have her shit together.
She'd carried her box around for multiple hours, but had eventually let the shock of it wear off enough that she stashed it in her room to keep it safe. The same couldn't be said of the necklace, however, and her anxious hand was subconsciously rubbing the pendant as she looked around the room.
"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 just realized that we never developed her relationship with her sword trainer but rest assured Ka'Nor Wai is a badass blacksmith and very nice and patient)
"What do you wanna open first?" Anneliese asked eagerly, grinning. "I bet all of it's good."
"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
(ahah sweet! I'm sure they're getting along swimmingly then :') )
Ky grinned back at her. Yet another choice. Unless -- "How about you pick for me?"
"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]
"Oof." Anneliese looked over at the gifts. "Are you sure you don't wanna pick for yourself?"
"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
Zander had taken a nearby seat and watched her in silence. He was trying to get to know this new-Ky. She was the same intelligent, kind, thoughtful, wonderful human she always had been. But this hesitation and anxiety broke his heart over and over again.
Ky's gaze flicked around the room nervously. These odds were stacked firmly against her. She could only pick one gift first. Which meant what if every other person in the room got mad that she hadn't picked theirs first?
"You've got to open them all eventually," Zander murmured, guessing her hesitation. "And you don't know who any of them are from so you're not playing favorites. Just pick one."
Ky hesitated another moment and took a deep breath, then nodded. "Right."
She stood up and walked over to the gift table.
"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'm not gonna describe every shape but there are a lot of boxes and a few very oddly shaped packages. One might guess that one of these packages is a saddle)
"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 made the choice easier; but also, somehow, not. There were so many to pick from. It was all so overwhelming. She'd never faced something like this before. It was daunting.
She picked up a mid-sized box and sat down with it, looking to Tomhas to see if she was supposed to start opening it 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]
Tomhas nodded to her. "Sera asked that we bring that to you," Gaius told her. "She sends along her best wishes."
"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's very kind of her," Ky said with a smile. She really was just getting presents from every person around, wasn't she?
Ky very carefully opened the box, being sure not to rip anything, and then peered down into the box.
"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]
Inside was a small, thick book and a neat set of compartments full of pouches, bottles, folded paper packets, and flowers. The book read, "The Medicinal Value of Herbs and Tea." "Sera finds that a good cup of tea can be one of the most relaxing things in the world," Sara said helpfully. "She Hope's you'll find the same to be true."
"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
