Ingrid nodded. "We'll get the others downstairs. Thank you."
"Go," Sera said firmly. "I'll see to it Ada doesn't fall and shatter, I promise."
"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
“Thank you.” Tadaaki nodded and went back to the hall to continue his trek.
Pratik looked at her a moment longer. Was she in charge of him, now that Gaius was back? Probably. If Gaius left the Keep in her care it probably meant he had to obey her at all times. He huffed and went out.
"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]
"He's like a fluttery husband after a woman gives birth," Ada said with a shake of her head. "I was about to say the same thing," Sera chuckled. "He's worried about you, is all. And he has a right to be. But he ought to know not to hover about like that, making everybody else anxious."
"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
Fine. He’d go downstairs. Like he was told. But he wasn’t told where he had to go. So he paced by the stairs, technically obeying. He was good at technicalities.
"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]
Sera, Patrick, Ada, and Rickard started down the hallway, with Ada sticking close to Sera and Rickard doing the same.
"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
Pratik continued pacing, listening as hard as he could in case someone needed help. Gods. What was wrong with him? He needed to snap out of this. He needed to.
Tadaaki and Ky ran into each other by the stairs.
“Good?” He asked.
“Good.” She nodded. “Let’s… go down I guess?”
He nodded. “Let’s 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]
They reached the end of the hall without trouble and went down the stairs.
"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
Pratik had concluded that he got sent away because he was annoying them. So he decided to make an active effort to stop and buried his hands in his pockets as they came into view, forcing himself to stop pacing, but he still looked them over closely.
“I don’t want to…” Ky sighed. “There are going to be too many people. I want to go to my room.”
“No.” Tadaaki stepped to the side to block the path up the stairs. “Your anxiety has less of a chance of doing you in than getting your head knocked in by the roof.”
“You underestimate my anxiety.”
"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
"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 think you know what I meant by that." She continued on her way. Ada moved past him, but Rickard fell back to walk along side him.
"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
He let them pass. It hardly bothered him to piss people off. He was a mercenary after all — that generally wasn’t well received. He glanced at Rickard. “You 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]
"I'm fine. You look a bit flustered, though." He glanced ahead. "You know she can take care of herself, 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
Pratik glanced ahead too, then looked back at Rickard. He didn’t see her almost passed out on the floor bleeding from all orfices like he had. But he didn’t want to potentially embarrass her. “If the gods were personally bullying you, I’d stick up for you, 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's very kind of you." He smiled slightly. "And a good point. But she seems to think you're smothering her."
"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
