“I’m sure that was hard for both of them.” Ky nodded. “…it must be odd growing up knowing your mom isn’t actually your mom.”
"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
Ky hesitated a moment, working up the courage to ask her question. It wasn’t her business whatsoever. She shouldn't ask it. And yet she was curious. And felt like she was woefully far behind on all the things she should know about her new family, but didn’t. She blushed before she could even get the words out, but once she finally did, they were quiet and hesitant. “… did he keep her as a slave?”
"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]
Sara's jaw tightened, and she looked down. She was silent for a very long moment. "No," she said finally. "That wouldn't have been any fun for him. Slaves were for making money." Her hands bunched in her dress. "Ky, please feel like you can ask me anything. I'll do my best to answer; you deserve to know your family history. But that....that is a very personal subject for Sera and Tristan. It isn't talked about the way we talk about other things Michael has done, okay?"
"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 knew better than to have asked. And she certainly wasn’t going to ask any of her follow ups. Why had Sera stayed after Gaius and Tomhas left? Why had she stayed after Michael raped her? Why hadn’t she gone to live with the brothers on the farm and raised Tristan there herself?
It wasn’t her fault, obviously. It wasn’t ever the victim's fault. Except for Ky’s situation, but that was another matter entirely. Sera didn’t deserve mistreatment like Ky did.
"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]
Sara dipped her head. "I'll let you know if anything else is off limits." They reached the office and she opened the door, stepping inside. The wax melter sat neatly on the left hand side of the desk, as did the candle and a little tinderbox.
"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 stepped in after her and let the door close behind them, but stayed glued to the wall, feeling like an intruder that was not, in fact, actually allowed to be in 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]
Sara, on the other hand, strode straight into the study, opened a drawer to take out a little bit of flint and steel, and struck it over the tinder box. "Come on, bring your letters and wax over here," she said.
"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 trotted after her obediently, still shooting anxious gazes around the room. It felt like they were commuting the worlds largest crime. Was this a test? Was she failing it?
She carefully set the letter and wax and seal down on the edge of the desk.
"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]
Sara scraped off some of the green residue sitting in the melter, then cut off a chunk of the Loquitur wax with a letter opener and placed it in. She took a stick from the tinder box and lit the candle underneath. "Then I'll have you pour out a little circle and you can stamp the seal."
"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, carefully sliding Oscar’s letter onto the desk to be by itself so that she could stamp it without it sliding around. She was going to work up by ages and do Tomhas and Anneke’s last — in hopes that by the time she got to her fourth letter, she’d be able to do it perfectly.
"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]
Sara watched her with little smile. "You said you've sealed letters before, 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
“Only, like, maybe three…” Ky looked up at her, hands hovering over the letter hesitantly. “Ever.”
And she definitely wasn’t certain that she’d be able to do it without making a massive mess. What if she wasted the wax?
"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. Do you want to practice on a blank sheet first? Tomhas gave you plenty of work 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
“…maybe,” Ky agreed. Wasting the wax seemed better than wasting the wax and the letters. Though she wished she had some generic wax, rather than having to waste any of the official wax of either Keep.
"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]
