Ky nodded, satisfied with this answer. “Then I’ll tell you… thank you.”
"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 dipped his head. "I want you to feel safe here." He opened the door to the barracks. It led to a narrow hallway, which he headed down.
"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
“I appreciate it.” She meant it. She also wanted to feel safe here. And she was grateful that he planned to keep her safe from threats within the Keep as well as without. She hesitated for a moment before feeling uncomfortable with half a beat of silence. “Which floor is the practice room on?”
"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]
"Their second floor," Gaius responded. "It's a good size, perfect for sparring."
"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. "I'd like to see it at some point, if that's okay?"
"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]
"We can go there before or after meeting the candidates, if you like." The longer it took for Gaius to get back to his desk and the war documents, the happier he was.
"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
"Sounds perfect," Ky said with a smile, hoping he wasn't going to make her decide. How was she supposed to know whether it'd be more helpful to see the space before or after she met the candidates? And how was she supposed to know what floor they'd be on? There was no point in dragging Gaius up and down flights of stairs if it wasn't necessary.
"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]
They came out of the hallway to a room with a flight of stairs leading up and a flight of stairs leading town. Gaius took the one leading down. It opened out to a hallway with a door at one end and an open area at the other, where soldiers were meandering or coming in and out of a large set of double doors that led outside. A pair of guards stood at either end of the other door.
"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 was silent as she took it in. Was this the common area, then? A place where they hung out when they weren't on duty? She glanced around, wondering if there were any familiar faces here.
"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]
Five or six of the soldiers who had escorted the family here were present, as were some of the Loquitur soldiers, who seemed a bit uneasy. "Good morning, Robin," Gaius said to one of the guards at the door. "Do you know if General Xander, Kazhra, or Captain Bay might be about?" The guard thought for a moment. "The General's in his office, sir," they replied. "And I think Kazhra's in the practice room sparring with Gisli." "Perfect. Thank you." Gaius dipped his head to the guard and gestured for Ky to follow him to the open area. Most of the soldiers and guards gave him a respectful nod or a short bow as he passed them.
"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 also nodded her thanks to Robin and obediently followed Gaius towards the open area, feeling slightly like a lost puppy heeling to him. But she was grateful to be able to latch on to him. There were so many soldiers here. She forced herself to keep her gaze either straight ahead or on the floor, not looking at any of them and hoping they were too focused on Gaius to notice her at all.
"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]
Several of them gave her curious looks as she passed but there was no hostility or danger in their gaze. Gaius started up another flight of stairs. "Any preference as to which we visit first?" he asked.
"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
"No, sir," Ky murmured, the discomfort forcing her back to old habits, no matter how hard she tried to fight it. "Whatever makes the most sense."
"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 caught that. She was afraid, definitely. All the more reason to force her to make a decision. "Why don't you choose? They're both on the same hall, quite near."
"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 much for her 'I don't know the layout' excuse she'd been planning to use if he forced it. Great. So now she had to make a decision. In addition to being around soldiers. She hated this. Didn't he realize how uncomfortable she was? Why would he punish her with choices when she was already having to try so hard to be brave just being here as it was.
"Um..." She hesitated a long moment, trying to think through the logistics of each. It might be nice to see Kazhra in action -- but at the same time, she didn't want to bother her, when she was clearly in the middle of something. So Xander, maybe? But then what if Kazhra left by the time they were done talking to him and then they had to track her down again? She let out a little squeak of intimidation before she could bite it off. "...Maybe we could watch Kazhra for a minute, then come back when she's less busy?"
"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]
Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. — H. Jackson Brown
