He stared at her a moment, surprised. "Miss you too," he said finally. "Be well."
"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 offered a little smile and wave then walked towards the door. She was most definitely going to go find Gaius, if he was still awake, and tell him that there was a troll coming. See what he thought of all this. Let him yell at her for sending Rönn to Zander. Maybe choose violence and take Rönn’s advice to make Gaius mad with questions.
"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]
Rönn stayed where he was to make sure she went through the door and locked it behind her. He could smell the creature on the wind now; it was one from the Fallen Lands, he was sure. There was blood and rot on its breath, and the smell of frost.
"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 started towards the Keep. Where would Gaius even be at this hour? Would he be awake? Probably not. He was an early riser, so she assumed the that meant he was also early to bed. But she hadn’t really been making an effort to learn anyone’s schedule; why should she, if she was just going to stay in her room for the next seven months?
"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]
Rönn, satisfied that Ky was gone, turned and retreated into the forest, pulling the carcass with him. No sense in leaving food where the troll would get it. He might bump into the walls and crumble them.
Gaius was awake and in the library reading, trying to stay awake. His leg was still paining him and he couldn't stop thinking about what Sera had said. Why was he hanging on to something that hurt him so badly? What did it matter? He could easily walk somewhat normally if he had a prosthetic, and he might have some relief. He'd been walking on a shattered leg for more than twenty years now--wasn't it time to stop? But some part of him wouldn't let go. It was a part of him, literally and figuratively. It was a part of his memory, his trauma. It was a grudge against a dead man that he carried with him, and he would keep that grudge forever. If he let the leg go, the grudge might fade. Gaius wouldn't forgive himself for 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
Ky very slowly and hesitantly knocked on his office door and quickly retreated when he didn’t answer immediately. She was still so uneasy in offices. Even Tomhas’s, though he seemed to notice how uncomfortable they made her and so she’d only been in it a couple times.
She then tried the few parlors she knew got left unlocked.
Then lastly decided to check the library. If he wasn’t there, either, then she’d assume he was either asleep or actively trying not to be found and she was going to drop the matter.
She walked in and headed straight for the back, to the infamous corner he’d disappeared into.
"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 was nestled there by the fire, the diary of one of his far-removed ancestors open on his lap. He was turning the pages with great care.
"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 stomach lurched a little, despite this being exactly what she was hoping for — that he’d be awake and alone. She hesitantly strode forward, trying to think of what she was going to say to 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]
Gaius flinched as a shadow fell over the book, and he looked up quickly before relaxing. It was just Ky. "What can I do for you?" he asked, easing the book shut. He hoped it wasn't an emergency.
"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
“Um… so…” Why hadn’t she thought of her speech beforehand? “If there… happened… to be… um… something that you need to stay inside for, but I tell you about, would you stay inside? Like… if it were to be safe to be inside, but not outside? You wouldn’t go outside?”
Couldn’t let his man-pride go get him killed, too.
"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 depends on what it is," he said warily, sitting up. "I'm not feeling particularly favorable towards walking anywhere at the moment. Why? What's outside?"
"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
“Okay, so—“ It was all she needed. She sat down on the edge of a nearby chair, leaning forward. “There’s a troll coming — it’s an hour away. He said it won’t hurt us but we have to stay inside. But he told me I’m not allowed to look out my window or I’ll never sleep but, well… I don’t know if that means we’ll be able to see it from inside or not. He said it was big. And angry.”
"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 stared at her for a moment, tapping his bad hand on the arm of the chair thoughtfully. That wasn't at all what he had expected to hear. "So they're real?" he asked at last. "And one is coming this way?" Of course he had to go look now, watch it coming, if it could be seen from the window.
"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
“Yes. But you have to stay inside,” she reiterated.
"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'm not fool enough to go ourside," he said dryly, taking his cane and pushing himself upright. "From which direction is it approaching?"
"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
