“Nice to meet you,” she said, nodding to Rickard, then looked at Sera. “And nice to see you again.”
"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]
"The feeling is mutual." Sera smiled. "I'm glad you're safe, Ky." Rickard gave a little wave and a nod.
"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 returned the smile and dipped her head, taking a step towards the hall.
"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 stepped out with her, shutting the door behind him. He hadn't expected Rickard to be in there; the man didn't look injured or sick when he met with him, just scrawny. Perhaps it was good he and Ky had met before dinner, so Rickard knew her face. He was very, very timid.
"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
“So… Pratik—?” She caught herself and shook her head. “Nevermind.”
"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]
"Pratik was told to come back with only Ada," Gaius explained. "He brought Rickard back as well. Sera told me a bit about him; he's harmless. Frightened and confused, a bit shell-shocked, but nowhere near likely to cause trouble. He's been a slave all his life."
"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’d gotten that impression as well. She was morbidly curious and wasn’t sure if it was improper to ask. She decided to risk it, but readied an apology just in case. “… can I ask from where?”
"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]
"Well, like Sera told you, he was born in Austraka. She didn't say exactly how old he was when he was taken but he was a toddler, I think. He stayed in the South during childhood, changed hands once or twice. Then he was sold to a merchant, where he stayed until about ten years ago. The next master he had kept him a little longer, then sold him to Gol Nasa, who in turn sold him to Wolf Keep." His brow furrowed. "She's taken quite a liking to 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
Ky cringed. “Ah… I didn’t realize that’s where they were… I’m glad they all made it out more or less safe.”
"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 nodded. "Sera tells me they were better off than she'd expected. Ada is..." He shook his head. "They're all fine now, physically. That's what matters."
"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, able to guess. If Tarr treated Lyra, a noble like that, she couldn’t imagine how he treated slaves. At least slave girls. She shuddered slightly, hoping that she didn’t have to deal with what she was fairly sure she did.
"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]
"The others from Gol Nasa are much the same, perhaps a little worse off." Gaius headed towards the stairs. "You'll meet them at dinner."
"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 nodded. "The little girl you met on the fifth floor was one of them. We'll be skipping that floor and the fourth and heading straight up to the orrery and the artifact gallery on the sixth floor."
"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 let out a shuddering breath. “I can’t understand.”
"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]
