"Mm." Gaius still didn't take his gaze away. "I'm surprised you went out while you were still so weak. You'd lost a lot of blood." He wasn't surprised at all; he knew the mindset she was in right now. He knew it quite well, in fact, and it often set in at the worst of times, when you were physically weak and completely exhausted.
"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 squirmed under his gaze, not meeting his eyes. “…I thought it’d help.”
"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 thought the cold would help you recover?" There was an unspoken "or" at the end of the sentence, and he waited to see if she'd spot 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 looked up at him guiltily, meeting his gaze for a beat before she dropped her eyes again. She heard it. But she didn’t know how to answer it. “I don’t know.”
"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 amount of cold without a coat on can only result in one thing," he said gravely. "And that sort of thing doesn't help anybody at all."
"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 does when that's what ends this." There was an edge to her voice. She hadn't meant for there to be, but there was.
"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]
"In my opinion, it causes more problems than it solves. Think about it; an entire family would be grieving and blame would be passed around. Tomhas would be absolutely miserable." He paused. "It's not a selfish wish, per se. I can see where you're coming from. It's not an unfamiliar concept to me. Very neat and tidy on your end, plus there's the added benefit of no guilt afterward. But the way I see it, then the tormentors win."
"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 looked at him for a long moment, not quite sure what her emotions were doing. Somehow, that was one of the most comforting things that she felt like he could have said. Discouraging her from actually doing it, but not talking down to her. Not acting like she was ridiculous. It was nice to be treated with respect.
She took a deep breath, trying to figure out what she was even supposed to say to that. "... they win even more if they hurt someone else in their attempts to get to me. It'd just add to the emotional burden and lead to the same result -- a worse result, even... it doesn't bother me to do it, to keep all of you safe. I don't mind."
"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]
"Everybody else minds very much. Do you really want to give those people the satisfaction of having beaten you? It's your family's choice if they try to defend you or not; you can't be blamed for anyone who comes to harm while protecting you. And besides," his voice dropped slightly. "Don't you want to see how the story ends? Learn how it all works out? It's not like a reader to drop out less than halfway through."
"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 furrowed her brow, considering this. He was pulling the bookworm card, eh? She kind of hated that he was right about it. She supposed she'd find this tale riveting if she was reading about it rather than living it.
But reading about it didn't put the onus on her -- living it, did.
"No one believed me when I said this was going to happen." Her voice was very, very quiet and she finally looked up at him, letting her eyes be far more vulnerable than she meant. "And now no one's believing me that it's going to be worse for everyone if I stay here... I don't want to be right again. Not like this."
"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]
"People did believe you," he corrected. "Tomhas just hoped we had some time. Nobody expected them to come so quickly." His brow furrowed; he kept forgetting that fifteen wasn't that old. She was still a kid. A badly damaged kid, just like he and Tomhas had been, but a kid nonetheless. "We'll be more careful this time. Whether you stay here or come to Serpent Keep, I can guarantee there will be much more care taken with you than before."
"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 nodded. She wanted so badly to believe that he was right. Wanted to let her guard lower and let someone else take responsibility for her emotions like Papa used to do when she was a child. But it was her burden to bear. "... you're sure they won't be able to get to one of you if I stay?"
"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 never said that. One can never be sure, but one can always be cautious. And so long as we're cautious, we lower the chance of harm coming to anyone at all." Gaius offered her a small, out-of-practice smile.
"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 tried to return the smile, but it was more of a grimace than anything. Somehow he was reassuring her more than she'd known he was capable of. Maybe Anneliese had been right about him being compassionate underneath all of his grouchiness. She was silent for a long moment, thinking. "I hope you're right."
"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]
"So do I." He settled again, turning his gaze back to the snow. He'd gotten through, he supposed, though it was hard to tell how much of it would stick. He'd only ever had practice talking himself and his siblings out of it--never his nieces or nephews.
"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
