"Nobody has that kind of thing coming except for people who dish it out," Emery said firmly. "Nobody, Ky. You were innocent."
"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 embarrassed him,” she said very, very quietly, blushing and looking away. “I knew what happens when I embarrass him… I just… I couldn’t. I couldn’t.”
"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]
"People don't beat up kids when they're embarrassed," Emery replied. "That is not how the world is supposed to work!"
"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 nodded slowly. She wasn’t a kid. But. Well. She supposed it wasn’t fair. Especially considering what he’d gotten embarrassed about. It’s not like that was her fault… well… it was. But it wasn’t. She wasn’t sorry.
"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 sorry it happened," Emery said again. "When is Gaius going to lock him up?"
"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 don’t know,” she admitted, glancing away again. “He said once he healed… but then I told him…uh…” gods. It was hard to talk about. Emery wouldn’t understand anyway.
"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
“…Aleth took me because he mistook me as a little boy,” she said very quietly, face burning so hot she was certain she matched a tomato. “…he only did it once, since… well… he’s only interested in little boys, which I’m not. But… there are little boys here.”
"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]
Emery paled visibly, and he looked away from her. "He...he's one of those?" he asked softly.
"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 him then away again and nodded. “… turns out being safe from Makata makes you unsafe from Aleth.” She shrugged, though was still clearly uncomfortable talking about it. “… it was worse than this beating. It… I guess it didn’t hurt as bad. And didn’t last long. But… it still felt worse. Made me feel worse for far longer than these ribs are going to take. It…” she shook her head. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be burdening you with this.”
"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 glanced at her, then quickly looked away and shrugged. "You're not the only one who's had it happen," he said haltingly.
"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’s gaze snapped to him, then she looked away again, considering it for a moment. She knew she wasn’t the only one. It’d happened to Tadaaki. It still happened to Tadaaki sometimes. But… it sounded like Emery was speaking from experience, even if it wasn’t Aleth’s dick that had been inside him like her and Tadaaki. “… I’m very sorry to hear that. It shouldn’t have happened to you.”
"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 nodded and tugged down the collar of his jacket to reveal the spiral tattoo of the Ess pleasure tents. "Shouldn't have happened to you, either."
"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
Gods. That was… that was even worse. It must have happened to him so, so many times. Gods. She blushed a bit more and glanced away again. What did you even say to something like that?
“I… don’t understand how they can live with themselves,” she said quietly, looking down the hall again. “That’s how I embarrassed Aleth… I… I always posed as an employee, not a slave, so that I’d have a spot at negotiation tables. So…” She swallowed hard, remembering it. She shook her head slightly, actively not looking at him. “…Lord Tarr… brought out girls… and… I… I wouldn’t. I wouldn't.” She glanced at him very quickly. She assumed it was safe to take a strong stance on this to him. But. Well. She still wasn’t sorry. She’d taken her beating and she’d take the dungeon if she must. She wasn’t going to change her mind on this. “I…I didn’t know what to do. So… I just sat there. But… but I wouldn’t touch them… wouldn’t let them touch me… it offended him… and embarrassed Aleth that I offended his lordship…” she shook her head again, remembering the moment she made eye contact with the girl assigned to her. The sheer terror in the girl’s eyes. She didn’t seem much older than Ky was herself. She felt sick. “I won’t… and I don’t understand how anyone could. It… how would you even live with yourself?”
(I am 1000% down to edit this if it’s out of character — just lemme know! Don’t wanna overstep ^^)
"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]
Emery gave a small nod and let out a breath. "I stopped trying to understand years ago. It just upset me. Best not to think about it, right? Move on with our lives and try not to remember. But you're brave to have refused. Lord Tarr is..." He shivered. "He's one of the worst monsters."
"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
Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. — H. Jackson Brown
