(I think that's right. I think we said they stole horses and maybe ate them along the way?)
"Walking that long?" Her eyebrows shot up. "In autumn?"
"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
“We had a horse,” Aleth said. “For part of it. But it got a lame foot and we… well… we hadn’t eaten since the escape… but… we’ve been on foot since then. The past… several days at least. I don’t know. They’re all running together… ma’am.”
"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 dipped her head. "I'm sure Lord Ash will ask again; take some time to breathe for now. Ky, how are you feeling now?"
"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 wasn’t sure what the right answer was. The cloth had at least cooled now so that it no longer felt like a flame against her skin. But now her fingers and toes felt like they were being sawed off, long ways. “…good? Ma’am?”
"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]
"Any pains right now? Are your bruises or bones causing pain?"
"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…” Ky hesitated. She wasn’t used to telling the truth. But, then, she wasn’t used to being asked how she felt. She was used to just shutting up about it. “…everything that I can feel hurts… but it’s not a big deal! I’m… I’m fine.” She forced a pained smile that was barely more than a grimace. “I’m 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]
"Evidently not, if everything hurts, but again--I suppose I expected that. We'll have you resting for awhile. It looks like your arm is fractured, among other things."
(Is Pratik in this one? I know he left for Tarr's Keep shortly before Aleth actually arrived in the other one)
"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
(Yeah, I’m good for that if you want! He definitely can’t be here until we are ready for an explosion haha but it could be fun to have him in this one too ^^)
Ky looked down dumbly at both arms and realized the left one was rather swollen and somehow even darker bruised. She supposed that’s what she got for trying to block Tarr’s first blow. It was probably good she had, so he missed her head and then settled for the rest of her after she collapsed from this one. But. Well… She couldn’t help but wonder how many ribs he’d fractured after her arm.
"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 let them sit for a little while, then rose. "Right then, who wants to get it over with first?" she asked, setting a tray full of instruments down on the counter of her work station.
"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
Terror surged through Tadaaki and Ky at the same time, making their insides hurt. Get what over with first? What was she going to do to them? What were all these tools? What was happening? Could they opt out entirely? Not even to last… just not go at all.
Aleth was also wary, and damn sure not going first until he saw what she had in mind. That’s what he had slaves for — to do the things he didn’t want to risk doing himself.
“Ky?” he said when neither of them moved at all, drawing her gaze to himself. “You’re adventurous, right?”
Ky looked at him for a long moment, careful to keep the anguish off her expression, even as her stomach sank. God damn. He couldn’t even order her around and yet was still ordering her around.
“…yes,” she said quietly, looking back at the woman. “I… can… go first.”
She wanted absolutely nothing less in the world than to do that.
"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 glanced at Aleth, frowning. "If you wish." She came forward and the assistants brought her supplies. "Where are you hurting most, dear?"
"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 auto saved half of my last message even tho I didn’t close the tab??? Go home YWS you’re drunk)
Ky involuntarily squirmed despite herself, pressing herself more firmly against the headboard since it was the limit of how far she could retreat. She didn’t know the answer to that question. She took a moment to consider. “…my feet, I think. Ma’am.”
"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
“Yes’m.” Anxiety wrapped around her gut and pulled it up into a coil deep in her chest. It was hard to draw a breath. But she swallowed past her tight throat and obediently pulled her knees towards herself far enough to get them free as the woman folded the blankets backward. They were a fiery red and ice cold to the touch, but not necropsied.
"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]
"You've got a very mild case of frostbite," Sera told her. "I'm going to wrap them in warm, wet cloths and we'll see how they do, alright? Keep them under the blankets as well."
"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
