Sara nodded. "I'm glad he spoke, at least. Nothing terrible must have happened, then." She paused. "Did he tell you anything about those two before?"
"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, ma’am.” Ky shook her head. She probably shouldn’t mention that Ingrid had mentioned them; she didn’t want her to get in trouble. “Are they… prisoners?”
"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]
"Loren was Michael's right hand man and his only real friend," Sara explained. "I pushed for his execution when Gaius took power, but Gaius wanted him to die...slowly." She grimaced. "General Nox served under both Lord Septimus and Michael. He was a warmonger, always pushing for harsh punishments and letting his soldiers do whatever they pleased in poor villages. Gaius gave him the same fate but let him keep his manhood. I expect they've both gone mad after being down there so long, but they know him. They've got a grudge, I'm positive."
"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]
"I expect so." Sara glared at the floor. "One of them must have done something. Carthe, probably."
"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 suppose I wouldn’t be surprised, if he… was 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]
"He was, from what I've heard. I never had the misfortune of meeting Michael, but I know plenty."
"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’m sure.” Ky nodded. Now wasn’t the time to push for information — that would be an infinitely shitty thing to do. Using a crisis to be nosy. “I… am glad you’re able to be there for Gaius. I’m worried about 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]
"It's not the first time he's had an episode, and it won't be the last," Sara said with a sigh. "And it sounds like this isn't the worst, either. So that's good. Thank you again for coming to get me; it was good of you. He might have shut down if you'd stayed."
"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
“Of course.” Ky nodded. “I’m happy to help however I can… I could stay out in the hall a few minutes after you go in in case you need me to fetch anything, if you like?”
"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]
"You can go when we get there, if you want. I don't think he'll need anything else. It's a matter of talking him down and getting him to feel safe in his own house again." She sighed. "Moving Loren Carthe and Nox somewhere else would certainly help. Or executing 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 nodded. She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. It wasn’t her place to decide what Gaius should or should not do with his own trauma. It was cruel to keep them imprisoned this long. But they were cruel first. And she had the sneaking suspicion that Gaius would make an execution be as long and as painful as humanly possible, which didn’t seem any more humane. All she knew from her own experience that having Aleth off the face of the earth made her rest easier — well. That wasn’t true. She had trouble fully relaxing and she doubted she’d ever manage it again. But it helped. “It does.”
"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]
Sara walked in silence for a moment more before sighing and asking, "How did your talk with Captain Bay go?"
"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
“It went well.” She hesitated. “I wish we would have had it later, now. So he didn’t have to be fetched from the prison… but it was a good talk all the same. He seems very reasonable.”
"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]
"He's a very good man," Sara said with a small smile. "Clever, too. Gaius and General Xander both want him to be the next general."
"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
