Ky nodded. “… I still don’t quite understand how it’s possible to know more than that.”
"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 sure Head Primary Astronomy Organizer Elise can explain it better than I can, but the ground we're standing on is actually round, and it's floating in the sky, if that makes sense. The sky is all around us, though we can't see it. And there are other worlds that are in the sky too, and they all circle the sun, which is actually a star. That's how I understand 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
People in this Keep were officially insane. Us floating around up in the sky. Mind readers eavesdropping on the dreams of the gods. Believing in gods in the first place. She hesitated. Well, she supposed that she had to believe in the gods, now that she’d met Ruh. And then it struck her that she was just as insane as the rest of them. If the Marrow Man existed, then all bets were off. Sure. Why not. Maybe she’d learn to fly while she was at it.
“That’s a lot,” Ky said. “Sounds very interesting!”
"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 admit I still struggle to understand it all." Ingrid smiled. "Not my area of expertise. I study people's handwriting and the contents of journals, not star charts and planets."
"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
“Are you able to tell much about a person from their handwriting?”
"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]
"Absolutely. Sometimes." Ingrid started to say something else, then paused. "May I tangent?"
"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
“Please do!” Ky said with a grin. Tangents tended to be more interesting than baseline conversation anyhow.
"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]
"Lord Gaius used to be right handed," Ingrid began. "He didn't keep many diaries before the incident, but we have some writing from back then. It's a childish script but very neat. After he was injured, he was forced to relearn writing with his left, and Sera the apothecary encouraged him to start keeping a journal. You can see in the early ones how careful he is, even when he makes mistakes, and how the pen presses into the paper so the letters appear on the next page as well from the pressure. He was frustrated, you can tell, and rightfully so. As the years go by his script grows more refined and evolves into elegant, angular handwriting of a man who seems to know his own mind. There's personality all over the page."
"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, that’s interesting,” Ky said, genuinely interested. Writing with your non dominant hand was incredibly difficult. Aleth had forced her to learn after she’d broken her hand fighting with Radoj. Those letters were very wobbly at best. “How old was he when that happened?”
"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]
"About fourteen or fifteen, maybe?" Ingrid frowned.
"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
“Oh, wow.” Ky involuntarily flexed her right hand, imagining a sword splitting it wide open. Imagining losing almost all use of it altogether for the rest of her life. She’d rather be stabbed monthly than have that happen. “…my age…”
"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]
"Lord Septimus was furious," Ingrid murmured. "He didn't beat Michael often, but that day..." She shuddered.
"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 eyebrows rose. She hadn’t heard that part of the story. “… he disciplined Michael—“ It still felt like a dirty word to say his name. “Appropriately?”
"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]
"It's never appropriate to beat a child," Ingrid said reluctantly. "And I didn't see any of the three that day. But his diary..." She shivered again. "I'm sorry. We kept Lord Gaius from burning it, but I sometimes wonder why."
"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 sympathetically. But she wasn’t sure she agreed — which was a horrifying thought to her. To think child abuse was ever okay. But, fuck, if the gods thought it was okay for her be beaten silly and then carved like a roasted goose for the transgression of merely punching Aleth a single time, then surely Michael deserved their hellfire rained down upon him for trying to kill his little brother. Not that they’d do that, of course. They were too busy punishing good men for being hungry. Couldn’t be bothered to do anything about Michael. Or Septimus. Or Aleth. Or Brogan? (Tomhas’s father, I’m doubting myself). Honestly, fuck the gods. And fuck all the men that would have been better off drying on a sock.
Besides, Michael hadn’t been a child. Gaius was her age, and she wasn’t a child. And Michael was even older. Old enough to be held accountable for his actions. And she hoped to god someone — not Tomhas, she was pretty sure he’d rather die than lay a finger on her — but someone would beat the ever loving fuck out of her if she attacked an innocent unarmed boy with a sword for no reason whatsoever.
“Septimus’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]
