"My brother and I made a fire each night when we were out on our own a few decades ago," Gaius said. "We were attacked five times in the first two weeks, fire be damned."
"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
Tadaaki blinked at him. What answer was he going for here, exactly? He didn’t want to start making things up. But. Well. Holy hell Bay was on his way, wasn’t he? Fuck… fuck.
"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]
"And yet you were an unarmed group of three and were never attacked. You understand how that looks odd, 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
“… now that you’ve said it… yes sir.” He closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed hard, then opened them again. “It looks very, very bad.”
"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
“I don’t know, sir,” he said weakly. Was Bay outside the door yet? He would be soon. Gods. “I recognize how improbable it sounds… but it’s the truth. And…” He bit his lip and sighed. “And I wish the truth was more exciting so it’d be obvious I’m not lying… but it’s not.”
"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 had no others with you, correct? No other escaped slaves?"
"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 sir.” Another one he wasn’t sure whether was a yes or no to agree with him. “That’s correct.”
"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
"... no sir." Would Bay start with the fingernails or the eyes? Or was he a fan of sheer quantity over efficiency? His ribs, then? They were low-hanging fruit. "... you mean... like... signs? Or something?" He hoped with everything in him that 'banners' were a type of animal or plant up here, or maybe he meant beggar? or... or... something he could say yes to. But he hadn't seen anything recognizable as a banner as he knew it.
"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]
"Banners, signs, sigils. Something to signify a Lord's territory. Did you see wolves, bears, or hawks?"
"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
(heh, not me, still not having a solid grasp of the lore a year and a half in... lemme know if this is out of the alibi, he'd get it right lol)
Thank fuck. Something he'd been prepped on.
"Oh!" he nodded vigorously, grateful there was something he could say. "Bears, sir. There were bears. On..." He gestured vaguely. "...There were bears. I'm sure of it."
"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 matched up with the story, at least. "Ky said she couldn't remember."
"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 almost dead, sir," Tadaaki said. "I'm surprised if she remembered anything after the escape -- they almost caved her head in."
"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]
"Mm." He moved on. "What do you know about Ky and Al? Leave nothing out."
"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
