"Mama made us go under our beds too!" Marcella said excitedly, grasping Tasia in a tight hug. "Mattathias wet himself." "I did not!" Mattathias retorted, face going red.
"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
Tasia hugged her back just as tight. "Mama cried!"
Aashi narrowed her eyes at the back of her head. Less than Tasia had, she could add. But she didn't. She also didn't trust herself to be gentle with Tasia in this moment.
So instead she took a deep breath and looked at Sara. "Are you all okay?"
"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 nodded. "Just shaken, that's all. And you?" "Who wouldn't?!" She let go and turned to Ua, and asked in very limited Natai, "are you okay?" "I'm okay." Ua nodded.
"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
"Good! Glad to hear it." Aashi nodded. "We're fine... and...is his head okay? Did he hit it terribly hard?" It still vaguely felt criminal to call that man by his first name. She didn't know why. It was easier just not to refer to him at all.
"Otay." Tasia agreed in Natai with a nod. She wrapped Ua in a tight hug next.
"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]
"My head is fine," Gaius replied thinly. "A bit sore, that's all."
(Awwwww!!)
Ua hugged her too, and Marcella came back in for another one. Mattathias joined in. "We're gonna be okay," Marcella assured them.
"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
"Oh! Sorry! Hi!" Aashi said quickly, glancing at him. Gods, she really should start noticing her surroundings before she started running her mouth. Maybe she'd start doing that. Eventually. "I'm glad you're okay -- sorry to hear you took a tumble, that's no fun at all! We were lucky to have been seated or I'm sure it'd have been much the same for us. Well. We were seated--" She hooked her arm around Tadaaki and pulled him forward. Why did she always drag him in the middle of things? He forbearingly took it. "Tasia was acting the fool, but that's usual. I swear it seems like she falls more than she's upright, earthquake or no!"
"Yeah!" Tasia agreed. "We're downstairs now! Ky said it's safest down here!" She leaned in and whispered loudly. "But then she went upstairs! Instead of coming down here with us. I don't think she likes being safe!"
"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]
"Children tend to careen rather than walk or run, in my experience," Gaius replied. "I'm just glad everything is alright." Sara shook her head. "So far. I hope the others come down soon!"
"Yeah maybe not! Did you know she's friends with the Marrow Man??"
"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
“Oh! Right.” Tadaaki untangled himself from his wife’s grasp. “She’s starting at the top and coming down. I’m starting on the second floor and heading up to meet her. We’ll get everyone down safe.”
“Be safe!” Aashi said, turning to grab his hand.
“I will. You too. If anything happens… just… do what they are doing.” He gestured at Gaius and Sara, but kept his gaze on his wife. “Even if others aren’t.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead, then turned and started up the stairs.
Aashi watched him, anxiety creeping up in her. She turned back towards the Ashes. “Things will be fine, though, right? There usually are only mild aftershocks if anything at all, right? So the worst of it should be over. I think. I don’t actually know. I’ve never experienced anything like that before! It was terrifying. I hated it a lot. Was a little too shaken to really listen to Tadaaki when he was explaining. Thankfully he’s big enough to handle the two of us even when we’re too shocked to help much. Got us safe in no time flat.”
“Yeah!” Tasia gasped. “She makes friends with everyone! She’s so nice, that’s why everyone likes her so much! Even a monster can’t not like her!”
"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]
"Let's hope this doesn't happen again." Sara looked toward her children. "I expect it will become more frequent as the gods wake." Gaius glanced toward the stairs. "I wonder if this has affected Ada." "I hope not. The poor girl has been through enough already."
"She says he's not a monster!" Marcella pointed out. "She says he's friendly."
"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
“Papa says I can’t meet him!” Tasia jutted her lip out. “Mama says Ky’s shpecial and she hates the gods but that they protect her anyway and that’s why she can have so many scary things happen but still be okay but I may not be lucky like her and can’t meet Rnonin.”
Aashi cringed. They really needed to stop talking about Ky in front of Tasia.
"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 gods suck," Marcella said. Sara flinched, glancing at Gaius, who said nothing.
"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
“Yeah!” Tasia agreed eagerly. “Papa says they’re not real—“
“Oookay.” She’d officially crossed the line. Aashi clamped her hand over Tasia’s mouth to stop her before she could say anything that would embarrass Tadaaki… anything else. “That’s enough.”
Tasia squirmed free and looked up at Gaius. “Do you think they’re real Mr. 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]
"I do." Gaius nodded, looking down at the young girl. "They're very real, little one. And they're going to be able to listen soon, instead of just dreaming. We'll have to start being careful what we say." He looked over at Marcella. "That goes for all of us."
"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 gonna tell Papa he’s wrong!” Tasia said eagerly, delighted at the idea.
“You’re gonna practice being quiet,” Aashi chided. “…I suppose we both should.”
"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]
"Everyone ought to. And we should continue to the dining hall in the meantime."
"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
The simple truth is that authors like making people squirm. If this weren't the case, all novels would be filled completely with cute bunnies having birthday parties. — Brandon Sanderson, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians
