Why was he always frowning at her? Why was everyone always frowning at her? She looked him over. He seemed fine. And then she was reminded she didn’t actually have the language skills to understand him or ask if he was okay. She gestured vaguely, then looked at him and tried to inflect her voice as a question. “Good?”
"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 snorted and said, again in Nortung, "The world just shook itself. I was on my way to find May when you knocked. What do you want, child?"
"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 him, shrinking a bit. She had no idea whatsoever what he’d just said. All she knew was the snort and the fact that Nortung always felt vaguely angry and threatening.
"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]
"What do you want?" he asked again as slowly as he could, growing increasingly frustrated.
"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 was growing proportionally more intimidated the angrier he got. But she was able to understand enough words that she thought she understood the gist of what he asked that time. She hesitantly tried to link together the few words she knew. “Want… know… you and May…” She squinted for a moment, racking her brain for a word that would work. “… 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]
"I want to know the same thing. I feel fine; the earth has shaken in my lifetime. I need to find May." He eased himself past her. "Is that all?"
"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 looked at him helplessly. He didn’t seem panicked. He was probably fine. “… safe? Yes?”
"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]
"Yes." He nodded, pointing to himself. "Safe. May, not sure. What about the others?"
"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 made out ‘others’ and guessed. “Tadaaki, Aashi, Tasia. Safe. Lyra, Gaius. 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]
"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]
Imali opened the door with a sobbing Ua in her arms. She gave Ky a concerned look.
"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 quickly looked them both over trying to tell if they were hurt or just scared. “Are 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]
She nodded, patting Ua gently as the little girl slowly calmed down.
"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.” Ky nodded. “There may be an aftershock, but the worst should be over now. If you can stay low and away from things that could fall on you that’d be good. Just in case.”
"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]
