Sara smiled. "I'm surprised! That's a genuinely good reaction from Gaius, Ky, honestly. What did you say to 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
"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]
She nodded. "To get him to acknowledge an apology beyond a sigh is a great feat already. But the fact that he actually appreciated it is monumental."
"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 stared at her for a moment, then nodded. “Oh… well… that’s good, then.” Apparently someone did speak Gaius fluently.
"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]
"So congratulations to you." She smiled again. "You've gotten through and hopefully repaired a bit of that rift."
"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
“Hopefully.” Ky buried her hands in her pockets. Sara seemed more optimistic than she was. Gaius wasn’t ever going to forgive her. Especially not after she called him stupid for being stupid about tempting the gods.
"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]
She glanced at her. "And I'm sure this whole gods thing will turn out okay. Gaius has already written letters to every Lord and Lady and the King as well, plus his Counts. People will be ready."
"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
“Mm.” Great. So Ky really was fighting an uphill battle here with her parents, thanks 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]
Sara entered the kitchen. "Is there anything I can do to help you, Ky?"
"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 glanced at her, then into the kitchen. “Not unless you can convince my parents to take us all South.”
"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 sighed. "They wouldn't go permanently. You know that, Ky. Tomhas has people to look after in Clawholm."
"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
“It’s stupid to wait around for the gods to kill us,” Ky said bluntly. “No one can look after anyone when the adversaries are the gods.” They didn’t even feel confident that they could protect her from human assassins; that was literally why she was here right now. They really thought they’d have a better chance against the gods? Stupid.
"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 don't care about us," Sara told her. "That's the safest we can be. And you have a god in the South, don't you? Has she ever directly harmed you?"
"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 never sent trolls after me or cursed a good man to be a goat for six-hundred years,” Ky said. “Your gods are toddlers and it’s not safe to be around them when they wake up.”
"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]
"Not all of them are like that," Sara said patiently. "Ada told us about her dream; the gods that stayed back are known to be merciful."
"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
