Zander eyed her. Was it better or worse to let her hold on to false hope?
"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]
"Well, while you're here you ought to visit the village! It's lovely. And the grounds of the Keep are fantastic as well." Tristan grinned. "I played here a few times when I was a little boy. Nothing compares to the farm, of course, but it was nice to be around Mother and play in the grove."
"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 mind came to a screeching halt as she finally put the pieces together. Tristan. Nephew. Sera’s son. Holy fuck did Sera have a kid with Michael? That couldn’t be true. Gaius and Tomhas wouldn’t trust her so much if she even once was attracted to Michael. So it had to be another Tristan… or… did… Michael…? Her gaze flicked to Sera.
She was being too obvious. She needed to play it cool. She looked back at Tristan, forcing a smile. “Perhaps I’ll tag along the next time Sera and Rickard go.”
"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]
"We'd have to run that by Gaius," Sera said mildly. "What with your security being in jeopardy and all that. I'm sure we can work something out." "You can visit our stall if we're there," Lily added. "Tristan and I sell eggs and dairy for my parents." "The best milk in all the territories," Tristan said proudly. "Shipped here monthly, too." "Deservedly so." Sera smiled at her son. "Now, what have you been up to today, Ky? Did you talk to some of the trainers Gaius picked out?"
"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
Right. That. Her ‘not’ captivity here. She wasn’t allowed to go to the village or anywhere else outside these walls, except for a few feet from them to see Rönn occasionally.
But before she could fully wallow in her self-pity of forfeiting her illusion of autonomy, Sera had to go and revisit the topic of the trainers. Her nightmare. “Yeah, I did. And then I wrote some letters for my family back at Caracal. And then Emery has been showing Tasia Valor and we’ve been hanging around.”
"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]
"Oh, wonderful! How'd you like them, and how did Tasia do with the horse?"
"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 did really well!” Ky said with a smile. “She fed her and even rode her a bit. Listened to directions far better than usual, too. I think she’s in love.”
"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]
"That's great!" She nodded approvingly. "I'm very glad to hear it." At that moment Sara returned with Emery, smiling as she saw Tristan and Lily. "Hello, you two!" she said, embracing both of them. "So sorry to keep you all waiting. We weren't expecting you!" Her eyes darted to Sera, who sobered as she saw her expression behind the pair's backs. "How are you?" "We're great!" Tristan replied. "Sorry to burst in; we bumped into Sera at the market and joined up with her. I hope we haven't disturbed anyone?" "Not at all, not at all." Sara shook her head, patting his shoulder. "We've got some guests and your uncle's resting, but you're perfectly welcome to stay a night or two if you like!"
"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 silently glanced between Sara and Sera. 'Resting'? Was that the same sort of code as 'I'm just tired' to mask a problem that clearly existed and you didn't want to deal with it? Probably.
Still.
Sara wouldn't have come if Gaius was actively in danger. Ky was sure of it... fairly sure of 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]
"We don't want to impose," Tristan assured her. "Maybe just for the night and then we've got to get back to the farm." "Whatever you like." She gestured toward Ky. "I see you've met your cousin, Ky, and her Uncle Zander. There are a couple more guests here--a few people freed from a slave caravan as well as Ky's friend and his family. I think you'll get along with them!" "You ought to meet Aashi," Sera added. "She likes to talk, just like you!" "That's refreshing," Tristan chuckled. "Not much talk around 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 smiled at that -- ironically, not finding much to comment on, about there not being much talk. "You'll like her and Tadaaki a lot. They're great."
"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 bet I will! When do I get to meet them?" he asked. "Well, are they busy?" Sera looked to Ky.
"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 not." Ky shrugged. "We were hanging around the stables so I'm not sure what they're up to, but they haven't been gone long, so probably not much."
"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]
"Then when we see them next. Are you four hungry? It's only a couple hours to dinner time, but I'm sure we can scrounge up something to eat." "Ooh, do you have any of those little biscuit-cakes?" Tristan asked. "With the jelly inside?" Sera smiled. "I think we can find you some of those. Tea as well?" "Yes, please!" Lily piped up.
"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 and gestured down the hall to the kitchen, taking a step in that direction. She felt like she should add something to the conversation. And yet she had no need to be charming. And therefore she should be seen and not heard -- and not even seen if she could manage it. Or something like 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]
