Gaius raised his head and pushed himself off the wall, straightening as she approached. He waited until she got near enough, then pushed the door open.
"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
"Thanks," she murmured, stepping outside. The cold air assaulted her instantly, and it was all she could do to merely blink in response rather than flinch like she wanted to. She hated how cold it was up here. And her misery was only made that much worse for it. And yet that was hardly the hardest thing she needed to navigate just then.
"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]
Gaius stepped out after her, inhaling the sharp air deeply and exhaling it into a warm cloud. He started down the steps, still not entirely sure where he was going. He wished he could go riding instead--it would hurt less--but he had a feeling Ky wouldn't appreciate horses right 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
Ky buried her hands in her pockets, stepping to the side and then following him down the stairs. She tried not to cower. And yet didn't have the foggiest idea what she was supposed to do. Should she offer the apology now? Or would that upset him? Maybe she should just wait to be addressed?
"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]
Gaius kept his head up and his eyes forward as he walked, surveying the courtyard. Maybe they'd swing near the graveyard and then head to the Grove. She did need to meet Oscar at some point; he was her uncle too. A better uncle than Michael would have ever been, Gaius was sure.
"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 was feeling increasingly more awkward and anxious as they walked. Was this her punishment for ruining breakfast? Awkward silence? Gaius knew how much she hated this.
"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]
They were nearing the graveyard now. Gaius took a deep breath. "I want you to meet someone," he said finally. "If you wish. Think of it as a distraction."
"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
"O...kay." Ky dipped her head, glancing around. There was no one around to meet. Just the grave--
Ky's stomach sank and she was glad she was behind Gaius enough that he wouldn't be able to see it on her face for half a moment before she recovered her mask. Gods was he going to make her 'meet' one of his dead relatives? In her current state? The man was begging her to piss him off. How could he possibly think this was a good idea?
"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]
"Yes?" He glanced over his shoulder. Was she panicking, was this not what he should be doing right now? Oscar wasn't going anywhere; perhaps he should introduce them another 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
What did he expect her to say? Of course she was going to do whatever she thought he wanted. They both knew it. "Yes."
"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]
Gaius wasn't sure she was completely on board. He wanted to make sure. "It's important to me that you're not just saying that because you think it's what I want," he said coolly, stopping outside the graveyard. "Speak your mind, please. Your true mind."
"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..." Ky looked inside. He was definitely going to drag her in there. And it was going to be so, so much worse for her if she confirmed-- twice -- that she wanted this. Because she didn't want it. Ever, really. But certainly not now. She wasn't in the right headspace for the emotional intelligence and finesse it would take to navigate a topic that was no doubt sensitive to Gaius. "Um..."
How could she express that?
Because she had to, now.
Aleth would do this sometimes, too. Force her to be honest with her emotions, which was always significantly worse than being able to hide behind obedience. But, then, she was punished less for being honest with whatever negative emotion she was feeling than she was for lying about it. She'd told him she hated him once -- he said she was welcome to hate him all she wanted, as long as she obeyed perfectly and instantly.
But she didn't want to hate Gaius. Nor did she want to disappoint him. But he hadn't left her with many options here.
"I don't know..." She glanced back at him tensely. Was he going to be offended that she didn't want to 'meet' his loved ones? Gods. Why wasn't he giving her an out? "That it's, um... that I'm able to... that...uh..."
"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]
Gaius waited, standing perfectly still. Part of him wanted to get this done. The other part wanted nothing more than to take one lap around the Grove and call it a day. He wasn't feeling like having emotions today, but Ky did need something to keep her mind off Zander. Or she needed to worn through it with someone more suited to opening up. Gaius wasn't the person for that. Ada or Rickard were, probably. Gaius could only distract--talking through things had proven less than fruitful on the trip here.
"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 shrank. The man really was giving her no out whatsoever. No gracious offer to redirect, since she clearly didn't want to say yes. She felt like it should be obvious to him. Obvious to anyone. But certainly to someone who could see straight through her even when she was trying to lie to him. Which meant that he was enjoying watching her squirm. She dropped her gaze. "No, 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]
Gaius dipped his head. Another time, then. "To the Grove then," he said. "Oscar can wait." He started off toward the Grove without another word.
"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
