"Certainly." Sara nodded. "Especially once she's been introduced to the other teenagers here. There just hasn't been much opportunity--she's been up in her room most of the past few weeks."
"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
Aashi cringed and nodded. “…wonder if all this—“ she gestured vaguely. “Will draw her out or push her further in.”
"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 hope the former," Gaius replied. "She excels in research; this might prove interesting to her. On the other hand, I know she's frightened. Who wouldn't be?"
"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
(Gaius, to her face: you complete buffoon get out of the way Gaius, behind her back: she’s very smart)
Aashi nodded, considering. “… suppose she’s got to pick between her own brain and the gods, as to who will torment 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]
"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
Aashi grimaced. "Then we've got to get..." She huffed a sigh. She didn't even know what she wanted to say. She wanted to rescue Ky. They had to get her out and moving and talking and being social again. They had to fix her. But Tadaaki had told Aashi many times by now that he didn't want her to fix him; that Ky didn't want to be a project, either, no matter how sincere. That she had to be patient. "Well... I hope... that this resolves as painlessly as possible. I don't envy 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]
"Hopefully," Sara agreed, glancing toward the door.
"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 had gone to the top floor as planned and knocked on every. single. door. on all of the hallways. Then down to the next. Then the next. She got impatient after the first few doors and started rapidly walking down the hall knocking on each door and then listening hard to see if any opened behind her, rather than waiting at every single door.
Her knuckles were beyond sore at this point and she'd switched to knocking with her palm. The panic was slowly starting to wear off. But that left her with exhaustion instead, which wasn't really better, if she was being honest. Neither was the idea of having to spend however long it was going to be trapped in a room with the entire Keep. Perhaps she should slow down.
(Did you have anything in particular in mind for Ivar/May? Or ig any of them? She is quite literally mobile atm and can go anywhere you're feeling lol)
"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]
(May and Ivar will be on their way downstairs now. Rickard will be on his way to the third floor.)
Rickard was dashing to the infirmary from his bedroom. He'd stumbled and fallen when the earthquake hit but he was unharmed except for a few scrapes.
"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
Tadaaki had been making slower progress than Ky since her knock and keep walking strategy hadn't occurred to him, but he was still zipping along fairly quickly. He made it to the third floor before Ky did and resumed his trek, heading towards the infirmary but knocking on each and every room between them and 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]
Rickard got to the third floor shortly after Tadaaki and hurried past him with hardly a glance.
"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
Tadaaki didn’t know what had happened but a hurried pace like that usually meant something bad so he followed close behind.
"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]
Rickard reached the infirmary door, which was open, and ran inside. "Sera?!" "Right here." Sera looked up. She was back to tending Patrick now, while Ada lay on a cot with the ice pressed to her head. "Are you alright, Rickard?" "Are you?" he panted, chest heaving. "The--the earthquake."
"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
Tadaaki ran in moment later. His stomach sank when he saw Ada. The poor girl looked absolutely dreadful. And Pratik was sitting by her bed, leaning forward with his hands clasped tightly between his man-spread knees, intensely watching her with an expression that looked like he thought she was on her death bed. He glanced up as the two of them ran in, then went back to intently watching Ada. As if he could bring her back to health through the force of his attention alone. It’d been a long time since he felt like this. Years, even.
He knew better than this. Knew better than to get attached. It wasn’t safe in his line of work, for either party. So why had he?
Attachments were liabilities. Things best to be avoided. Sure, it was sad when innocent people got hurt. And he did everything he could to protect them and help them, when he had the time and resources to do so. But. Well. People died sometimes. It was what people did. But not Ada. Not Ada.
"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 fine." She looked him over from where she sat. "There's disinfectant on my desk. I'm nearly finished here. Tadaaki, what can I do for you? Are you alright?"
"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
