“I appreciate it,” Ky said politely, nodding to 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]
"I'd like to speak to you after lunch, if you have the time," Gaius said to Xander. "Certainly, sir." Xander nodded. "I'll send for you; I'll be in my study." Xander nodded again. Gaius turned toward the door. "I'll see you, then. Bring anything you need to discuss; I've cleared two hours."
"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 limped out of the office. "Oh, and Xander, have you seen Terran anywhere?" "Captain Bay is down in the prison," Xander replied. "Interrogating that slaver we picked up. Might want to wait on him." Gaius glanced at Ky. "I could fetch him, if you like. Nothing that can't be picked up later, I'm sure."
"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 with wide eyes, before she returned to a neutral expression. But she couldn’t hide the way her cheeks were still flushed. Did that mean he was torturing him? Gods. “Um… I don’t want to be a bother. It’s okay.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to cross paths with anyone in that mindset
"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'll talk to him," he decided. "Are you alright if I leave you in the barracks dining hall or would you prefer to come with me?" He had a feeling he knew the answer.
"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 mean, either way,” Ky said quickly, not wanting to sound like the coward that she was. But there was no non-scary option here. Either prison with an anchor to cling to, or all alone surrounded by soldiers. She supposed she should get used to being around the soldiers by herself if she was to train daily here. And yet. It was another decision, this one worse than most she’d been faced with so far.
"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 looked hard at her. "I know neither is ideal for you. But I want you to feel secure. Would you prefer to stay with me or stay upstairs?"
"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
That did not, in fact, make her feel better whatsoever. She flushed and dropped her gaze. “Upstairs.”
"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. "Certainly. Follow me, please." He led her out of the office, back toward the stairs. "I would hesitate to take you down there, anyway. It's perfectly safe, but there are some men down there I would rather not have you 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
Then why had he made her make the decision? It was so frustrating. He could have just told her to wait in the dining room and not forced her to make a choice.
Ky nodded. “I’m not particularly… interested… to see it. Or them.”
"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]
"Understandably. I thought I ought to consider your own feelings on prisoners versus soldiers and leave it up to you, even so." He opened the door. "We have a larger cafeteria and a smaller one. I'm guessing you prefer the smaller?"
"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
“Yes, s-please.” Ky nodded. She supposed that was thoughtful after all. Had she mentioned her arrest before? She didn’t think so. He couldn’t have known she was terrified of both at baseline, much less know how much she desperately wanted to avoid all hints of torture altogether. Was it possible to interrogate someone without torturing them? Did she want a teacher who tortured people? Did Xander torture people? Maybe lessons were a bad idea. She shouldn’t have brought them up. Should have just waited for Ka’Nor. She didn’t have many skills to be lost anyhow — he could just start from the top again when she returned. Perhaps she’d back out of this altogether.
"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 her head and led her back through the common area toward a small wooden door, which opened into a stone room with a hearth and several heavy tables ranging from six seats to two seats. Gaius led Ky to one of the empty two seaters against the wall. Four soldiers were playing cards at another table, and two others were simply reclining and chatting. All of them looked up as Gaius brought Ky in. "This is my niece, Ky," Gaius said after exchanging greetings. "She'll be sitting here for a moment; please go about your business."
"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]
The thing about plummeting downhill at fifty miles an hour on a snack platter - if you realize it's a bad idea when you're halfway down, it's too late. — Rick Riordan, The Son of Neptune
