"That's so cool!" Ky grinned, delighted. "Please tell her thank you 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]
Sara and Gaius both dipped their heads. Tomhas was also pleased; he knew Sera would pick something nice but sensible, and combating anxiety with tea seemed like the perfect thing 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
Ky set it gently to the side, and picked up a small box next -- opening just as carefully as she had Sera's.
"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]
(Ah good, getting the non familial ones out of the way first)
"That one's from me," Harold volunteered. Inside the box was a gorgeous but not too flashy necklace of gold set with pinky nail sized topaz stones. Tomhas's eyebrows shot up; that was a very, very expensive gift.
(Oh yeah and Wick is here this time)
"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
(ooh good to know! So the whole family plus the general -- and I'm assuming Tadaaki/Aashi/Tasia -- anyone else?)
Ky gaped at it for a long moment, too stunned to respond. This was too expensive. It was unreasonable for him to be giving it to her. She could probably buy her entire township where she grew up with this. Including all the businesses. And all the livestock.
Zander smiled at her response. Or, lack of response. It was like her brain got stuck.
Ky snapped her mouth shut a few moments later and looked up with wide eyes and a nervous smile. Everything within her was screaming to refuse. This was too much. And if he didn't recognize that, then she needed to tell him that because who in the world would give her something this expensive?
"Thank you, sir," she said. "This is very, very generous. And beautiful!"
Should she put it on? Would it be weird to double up on necklaces?
"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]
(Nope, that's it! And yes, Tadaaki, Aashi, and Tasia are there)
Harold dipped his head. "I figured something in the Loquitur colors--or close to them--would be appropriate. I'm glad you like 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
She was afraid of it. But, then, she supposed the necklace from Papa was equally valuable to her. It held no monetary value unlike this, but there wasn't a price you could put on it.
It felt like she should put it on. Fine. She'd just take off the pendant--
She couldn't bring herself to do that.
The one Harold got her was a bit shorter, so she decided it wouldn't be horrifically awkward to wear them both. She slipped it on, still brushing her fingers across it in wonder, afraid that it'd shatter just by being near her.
"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 was still reeling from the sheer value of the thing, not to mention how much the craftsmanship must have cost. Gods, Harold shouldn't have spent that much. Though he was the king, Tomhas supposed, so he had a lot of money.
"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 was making her anxious to have it on. It cost more than she did. Literally and figuratively. Her face was getting warm. She needed to move on. But she was stuck in place again, hand on the necklace resting against her collarbone.
She glanced at Zander.
He nodded encouragingly. He understood. He would also be anxious to have a present that expensive given to him. But Harold knew what he was doing -- if he gave it, then there was no reason to refuse it. He was a big boy. He knew what he could afford.
Ky nodded back, forcing a deep breath. She needed to keep going. But the table was so full and she didn't know if she was going to be able to handle it if this sort of thing kept happening to her.
She hesitantly stood up and walked back to the table, feeling very overwhelmed, and decided to pick up one of the oddly-shaped packages.
"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]
"From me," Anneke said. Tomhas had carried her and Raina down from the bedroom to be here. Inside was a beautifully crafted leather saddle embroidered with Southern folk tale creatures.
"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
“Ohhhh….” Ky smiled, rubbing her fingers across the embroidery as she took it all in. Was she taking too long per present? Maybe. She didn’t know. But she was too impressed with all of them to make it through quickly. This was such a thoughtful gift and made her remember aspects of her childhood where these had been talked about in stories and nursery rhymes. “Thank you!” Her smile widened as she looked up at Anneke. “This gives me so much nostalgia. It’s very thoughtful and I like it a lot.”
"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 grinned at her. "Hopefully you'll be able to train your goal with that once the birthing season starts! I know you've been wanting one of your own for awhile."
"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 hesitated. What did she mean ‘one of her own’ — she just wanted to train not have one. Imagine being so cocky as to ask for a whole horse. That was far too expensive. She would never. But she dipped her head, still smiling. “It will be an honor to us both to have a saddle this fine.”
She set it carefully to the side and picked up another mid-sized box and sat down and opened it just as gently as all the rest.
"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]
"This is from me," Sara volunteered. This one held two gorgeous, thick blankets of fur and cloth. One was a cozy chocolatey brown, and the other was of the deepest red. "I thought you might like something of your own to keep you warm on the colder nights, when you're trying to read by firelight."
(There are a couple more middle sized boxes, some large boxes including a very flat one amd a flattish thick one, another oddly shaped ones, and a bunch of book shaped packages)
"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 grinned at her, rubbing her fingers across the blankets. “They’re so soft! I’m sure they’ll be very cozy to snuggle up under.”
"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]
