Ky glared at her. “You present yourself different to children than you do other adults. It’s not my fault he and I didn’t get to have that transition of me growing into a proper relationship with 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]
Ada glanced over at her, surprised by the anger in her tone. It had been an innocent question; why was she offended? "I was just asking," she retorted. "Sorry if I touched a nerve."
"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
Was she overreacting? She was probably overreacting. She took a deep breath and forced her expression back to neutral. “Sorry… I have a lot of very complicated emotions about Zander right now. I didn’t mean to lash out… it feels like a lifetime passed between the last time I saw him in Austraka and the first time I saw him at Tomhas’s.” And they were creeping up on another lifetime in the time between the attack and now.
"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 just seems a weird thing to not know about someone you're close to," Ada said with a frown.
"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 saw him maybe a week or two, once or twice per year,” Ky said, getting defensive even though she was actively trying not to. “And I did a solid ninety percent of the talking when he was there. He told me fantastic stories, but had very little reason to flaunt however many languages he knows to his eleven year old bilingual niece.”
"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." Ada kicked absently at the snow in front of her, which made a satisfyingly wet crunch. "You us ed to talk a lot, then?"
"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, letting out a little sigh. “I used to never shut up.”
"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]
"Wow." Ada couldn't imagine it, but Ky was telling the truth. "Do you miss that?"
"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 don’t know.” She took a deep breath and sighed, contemplating the question. “I guess I miss my naivety from back then… but I don’t like talking now, so… I don’t know.”
"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 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]
Ada frowned again, looking down at the ground "I'm sorry to hear that." Would she have ended up thaf way if she'd stayed with Tarr too long? She liked to think she wouldn't let herself, but she wasn't sure now.
"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’s whatever.” Ky shrugged. “It’s not like I added anything when I inflicted my every thought upon the world… it’s not bad to be quiet.”
If only she could become okay with silence — or find herself surrounded constantly by people who talked so she didn’t have to. That would be ideal.
"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]
"Something is always added when someone talks," Ada pointed out. "It means something to somebody, somewhere."
"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
“Maybe so,” Ky agreed lamely. It wasn’t true, though. In fact, most talk was just mindless drivel. Talking about the weather or a meal or other trivialities meant nothing to anyone. And her prattling on about anything and everything didn’t, either.
"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]
