Rickard smiled despite himself, face reddening again. "I'll do my best to learn," he promised. "And Sera said she would help me practice." Sera nodded in confirmation. "I can't thank you enough for this opprtunity," he went on. "I'm in your debt."
"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
"Not at all." Ky shook her head, still smiling. "No debt to be hard -- just knowledge to be shared, in both directions."
(I love how Sera is basically Rickard's security blanket at this point xD)
"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]
(Sera has been a security blanket for a long time; she's quite good at it.)
Rickard nodded uncertainly. "If you wish."
"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 again and buried her hands in her pockets, insecure that she was making Rickard insecure. "It'll be good. 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]
He smiled again. "You're very kind. Thank you. For everything."
"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 smiled, actively resisting the urge to shoo away his thanks. That was a Gaius move -- to reject compliments and somehow make you feel worse when you attempt to compliment him. She'd have to learn to accept undeserved gratitude -- for Rickard's sake. She could do it to help 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]
Sera came to stand beside Rickard, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. She could see how tense he still was, but he relaxed slightly at her touch. She was glad; he had stopped flinching around her in such a short time.
"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 smiled a little. Did all recently freed slaves do this? Find someone to bond to tightly? Not that Sera ever had been a slave, but she was still very clearly good for Rickard. Then there was Ivar and May. Imani and Ua. She and Tadaaki. A singular person you could let your guard down around. At least a little.
Should she say something? Or should she just rest in having a moment of silence in which she wasn't fucking something 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]
"I'll bring you back some sticky cakes as well," Sera assured her. "I expect we'll be back around dinnertime, alright?"
"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 cleared her throat, realizing she was being awkward. "Oh, uh, yeah, sure! If you want! No worries either way, though. It's no big deal if they don't have enough left for me."
"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 think they will," Sera said with a little smile. "I'll make sure of it."
"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 smiled back, still feeling awkward. "Right, well, uh." She awkwardly held her arm up. "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]
"My pleasure." Sera smiled. "And thank you again, from both of us, for offering to teach Rickard to read." "It means a lot to me," Rickard agreed timidly. "Thank 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
"Sure thing." Ky smiled and dipped her head. She took a step towards the door and put her hand on the knob, hesitating to see if it was socially acceptable to leave, or if either of them had anything further to add.
"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]
Sera dipped her head, seeming to understand Ky's hesitation. "Go ahead if you like, dear."
"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
