Gaius saw his hesitation. "Wait here," he told him. "I'll be sending Emery up to you in about twenty minutes."
"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 anxiously, still not sure why Gaius was doing this. Was Zander in trouble? What had he ever done wrong? He'd been nice this whole time. He'd been nicer than she'd been being. Why didn't Gaius like 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]
"Once Emery has arrived you may move freely," Gaius told him. "See you at dinner." He gestured for the others to follow him.
"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 nodded to him. Tadaaki and his family started after Gaius, but Ky waited anxiously by Zander's door. She knew better than to argue. But she didn't understand. And it made her stomach feel bad to leave Zander locked in away while she went wandering off.
"Go see your room," Zander said with a grin, nodding down the hall. "You know where to find me -- I'm not going anywhere."
Ky took a deep breath, not liking that answer whatsoever, but she nodded and belatedly started after the group, a bad feeling in her gut.
"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]
"Tadaaki, would you and your family prefer to have your own rooms close by or to share one altogether?" Gaius asked, conscious of the fact that they had shared one at Caracal Keep. He suspected the same would be true here.
"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
"We'd like to share one, please," Tadaaki answered.
Pratik was paying more attention to Ky now. She was doing a good job of masking how she felt -- on the surface, nothing seemed wrong at all -- but her energy had changed. Was it because she thought Pratik was going to hurt her if Zander wasn't there to stop him? Or was she just anxious without Zander in general? It was hard to say. Pratik had never interacted with her outside of the context of her being with Aleth, and she was always exactly what he expected her to be. Maybe she missed that sort of framework? It was hard to say. But it was clear -- to him -- that she was anxious all the same, and he hoped, for her sake, that she'd feel better once Emery came up to retrieve Zander.
"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]
"Certainly." Gaius dipped his head and moved to the end of the hall. A door creaked open as they passed and a small, dark head peeked out. Ada recognized Ua, the little girl that had been rescued from Gol Nasa's cages. She peered anxiously at the large party but smiled shyly when she saw Gaius was back.
"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 smiled down at her as they passed, giving a nod.
"Wait who's that?!" Tasia demanded, turning around in Tadaaki's arms to look at the girl.
"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]
Ua paused as she saw Tasia, wide-eyed, then slid out of the room. "That's Ua," Gaius informed her. "She's been staying here for a couple weeks while we try to find her home."
"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
"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]
Gaius paused. Probably not, but possibly so. It depended on if she still had a family, and if she even wanted to stay in the north. "We'll see," he said finally. "She was stolen from her family, so the first step is tracking them down." Ua approached Tasia warily, clutching a colorful patchwork stuffed dog to her chest as her black eyes darted nervously between the adults. Mattathias had generously donated it to her, stating magnanimously that she needed it more than he did. She and the toy had been inseparable ever since.
"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
"Like Ky," Tasia repeated firmly, wiggling down out of Tadaaki's arms as she turned back towards Ua and gave her a broad grin."Hi! My name's Tasia!"
"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]
Ua looked to Ada, then to Pratik. "She says hello," Gaius said in Natai. "Her name is Tasia." "Ua." Ua pointed to herself and waved by opening and closing her hand, turning her face into the dog's shoulder bashfully.
"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
Tasia grinned even broader, waving back, and clumsily tripped over the 'nice to meet you' in Akarataran that Gaius had taught Aashi. She had no concept of how languages worked, but if Ua didn't speak her language, then she must speak the other one. The one Ada spoke.
"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 means 'nice to meet you,'" Gaius informed Ua. Ua waved again, then hid behind Ada.
"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
One of the things I love about YWS is the quote generator. For example, I'm reading a really serious work, and then I see "Moo. - cow" at the bottom of the page. — Darlet
