"Do you want anything sent up here? Books, entertainment, anything like 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’m okay.” Ky shook her head. She actually managed to force the smile this time, though it looked as strained as it was. “Thank you.”
Reading took too much effort in this state. Talking did, too. It was easier to just stare at a wall until someone ordered her to do something. And that probably was going to take a while for any of them to get pissed off at her enough to tell her to stop being useless.
"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]
"Okay." Sara glanced over at the bear skin rug that was still folded in one corner. "Wow...where did that come from?"
"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’s eyes went wide as she stared at it in horrified silence for a moment. What was she supposed to say to that? She couldn’t lie to Sara. “Uh… not sure. Maybe you could ask Gaius?”
"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]
She shrugged. "It's just very interesting. Is it bear, do you suppose?"
"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Ky took a deep breath, forcing her calm, withdrawn demeanor to return. Maybe she wouldn’t keep digging after all.
Ky needed to hide it as soon as Sara left.
That, or not let anyone in her room again.
So, hide it it was. Ky had the sneaking suspicion that this was one of the many wellness checks that would be happening. Sara or someone coming to verify proof of life and attempt to convince Ky that the world wasn’t as terrible and bleak as it was.
“Probably,” she said. “…what other animals are there up here that are that big and white?”
"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]
"Hm...well, there are the woolly horses. But the texture is all wrong." She got to her feet and bent beside the fur, running her hands along it. "That's bear fur, definitely. Whoever killed it would have had to have gone pretty far north to get this..."
"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 pulled her arms around her legs tighter. “There aren’t white bears around here?”
"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]
She shook her head. "Brown bears, but no white bears. The white ones stick to the coastline where the ice is thick enough to walk on." She rose, looking over at Ky. "This is a very nice pelt. Probably perfect to curl up in, right?" She smiled slightly.
"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
"Probably," Ky agreed with a small, forced smile. "At least it will be once it's cured."
Rönn must have chased it far indeed. She hadn't realized that.
"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]
She nodded. "That comes first, certainly. I bet it'll be great for long, cold nights when the winter really kicks in, hm?"
"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 imagine so," Ky agreed, voice very quiet. Right. That hell hadn't gone away just because Zander did. "Though I wouldn't know." Yet.
Spoiler
Bro I am trying to milk Ky for one more NaPo poem bc I need to at least submit something to April Madness this week even though there is a 100% certainty that I will lose this round lol and I am thinking I will make another dark and broody one about the winter/seasonal depression.
So. I was looking for inspo
And this one romanticizes the heck out of it and actually took me out of the right mood rather than put me into it haha but it was a neat video I thought you might enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zTR4ayDG38
"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 you're gonna see me using a lot of those Jonna strategies if Ky ever asks someone how to cope. Those were great videos!!)
"You will eventually." She studied Ky. "It isn't as bad as all that, I promise. It's a good time for self reflection and catching up on sleep. The whole Realm shuts down to a certain extent so we also have the advantage of having time to plan for war without worrying about any attacks."
"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
(Haha glad you enjoyed! I was envisioning how utterly miserable Ky is going to be if someone forced her to take an ice bath hahaha)
Ky nodded sullenly, shrinking even more. Was that supposed to make her feel better? The reminder that there was a war going on on top of all this? Or the knowledge that there may be an attack the instant the sun came back, since Tarr would also be planning his war strategies during this? She felt like she shouldn’t argue. That she should pretend that she believed her. And yet. Her voice was barely audible as she worked up the courage to murmur, “Very little sounds good about thinking about war for four months of night.”
"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]
(No way is anyone in this Keep taking an ice bath XD that's so very not an Ash thing to do That's a Loquitur thing to do)
Sara nodded. "I wish it wasn't happening. Spirits will be low this winter, I think. But we've got to try to keep our heads up. Worrying never helped anyone, right?"
"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
