"I agree." Ky nodded. "I wish he hadn't existed. Or Aleth. Or Tarr. I can't think of a single benefit any of them brought to the world." Ky hesitated. "I mean... I guess I only know so many languages because of Aleth. But... I was happier before I knew them, so I don't know that that could be counted as a benefit proper."
"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]
"A trade, maybe," Ada suggested. "Happiness for knowledge? And I met Pratik and Rickard and the others because I was captured. Hurrah."
"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 glanced at her, trying to gauge if she was being as sarcastic as her words suggested. "... I suppose the same is true of me. And I never would have met Tomhas or Anneke if I hadn't."
Ky tried not to think about that too much. Because it invariably led to her mind hurting itself as it tried to figure out which way she would have preferred if she had the choice. On one hand, it felt obvious that she'd rather still be in Austraka with her Papa, happily naive. On the other, that made her feel terribly ungrateful to think that she'd be content not knowing her current family existed at all. She didn't want to think of them as being an option she was stuck with since she couldn't have what she wanted: her Papa.
It was a weird place to be.
Both Tomhas and Anneke had assured her time and time again that they didn't expect nor want to take Papa's place in her heart. That she could keep her name and she could keep calling them by their names rather than having to switch to calling them Mama and Papa.
They were thoroughly wonderful.
Which made her feel all the worse that she was so ungrateful.
"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 world's a silly place full of all this confusion and emotion," Ada sighed. "I can't wait to go home."
"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 take it things are simpler with your people?”
"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]
"Not really." Come to think of it, it was very complicated back home, with all the lost women trickling in, staying, going, or staying longer, all carrying scars and horror stories of their own. "But it's familiar."
"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 couldn’t really relate. Things were simpler in her township. And nothing about any of this was familiar. It was worth it to figure it all out, since it meant she could be with the Loquiturs. But it wasn’t even a little bit intuitive about how to be a noble.
"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 guess you don't have a lot that you know here," she said thoughtfully. "You're from the South, right? You only really know what you've read in books?"
"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
“Austraka, yeah,” Ky agreed with a nod. “It’s… very different, yes. I traveled a lot with Aleth. But not much in the North. So it’s still very new.”
"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'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. You've just got month-long culture shock."
"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
“Exactly.” Ky nodded. “It’ll be good. Eventually. I will it.”
"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]
"Will is one of the most important things a human has." Ada nodded approvingly. "I bet you'll do just fine. You just have to be more confident. Your master's not hovering over you anymore, and you're a noble. You can do as you please."
"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 flushed a bit and nodded, embarrassed that she was calling out her lack of confidence. “It’s a process.”
"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 know." Ada dipped her head. "The Isi have a lot of people like you."
"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]
“And how shall I think of you?' He considered a moment and then laughed. 'Think of me with my nose in a book!” — Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
