"You're not the only one who lied. Thank you for cooperating, by the way."
"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
“You—?” Lied to him. Tricked him. It— pieces finally fell together belatedly. “… they never said Vosroy at all did they?”
"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]
"No. I did tell Al you said Vosroy, however. He stuck quite adamantly to Neff."
"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.” He let out a shaky breath and sank down on the floor close to his footboard. He rubbed his face, talking into his hands as he muttered, “I’m an idiot.”
"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 wouldn't go that far." Gaius tapped his cane again. "But I'll promise you this; you're not going to suffer consequences for lying. Not from me, not from Aleth." He rose and went to the door. "I'll be back with Ky in a moment. Take some time to think this over."
"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 pushed himself to his feet and nodded. “Yessir.”
"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
Gods. He was so stupid. Why had he done that? Gods. Now Aashi— gods. Had he just picked Ky over Aashi? Gods.
Ky had settled into one of the chairs by the fire, wrapped up in a blanket even though she really didn’t need one from how close she was to the hearth. Still. It made he feel cozy. Safe…r. It was nice that her interview was done. She’d done well despite it all. Hopefully he’d gone easy on Tadaaki. Poor guy was probably sweating bullets. But he’d be fine. He just had to stick to his cover story. Easy as that. They’d given it to him a silver platter.
"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]
Gaius reached her door in about ten minutes and knocked.
"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
Emery back so soon? Good. That must mean the interviews were complete. Ash was satisfied. Was she going to be let out now? That was nice. She smiled a little and turned towards the door. “Come 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]
Gaius opened the door. "Sorry to bother you again so soon," he said. "Would you mind following me?"
"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 wouldn’t be Ky if not for naive wholesomeness lol)
She sobered instantly, jumping to her feet so fast the blanket sprawled across the floor. The bottom dropped out of her stomach. What did this mean? Ash wasn’t going to personally babysit her himself. No. If he was back, it only meant bad news.
What had happened?
Was she less convincing than she’d thought?
Was she on her way to be punished? She looked past him. He didn’t bring anyone to drag her to the dungeon. Unless he was banking on her obediently following. Because. Goddamn. That was exactly what she was about to do.
She dipped her head. “Yessir.”
Every single muscle in her body was fighting her, but she forced herself to square her shoulders and join him by the door, heart racing.
"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]
Gaius stepped out, glancing at her as he tried to gauge her feelings. "You aren't in trouble."
"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. “I’m… very glad to hear that, sir.” She hesitated. Would it be too forward to ask him what the fuck this was? Probably. Her anxiety was still palatable, despite the assurance. There was usually a ‘yet’ after a statement like that. You aren’t in trouble yet.
"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
'They are afraid of nothing,' I grumbled, watching their approach through the window. 'Together, they would brave Satan and all his legions.' — Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights
