The door shut behind them. Gaius took another bite of food.
"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 glanced around and quietly went back to his meal.
Ky glanced over at him. He seemed to be doing okay, if not a little melancholy. Bringing up Tasia was as painful for him as bringing up Papa was for her. It was hard to love someone so, so, so much and yet have them taken from 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]
"Children lack filters," Gaius said after a moment. "I apologize for them; they meant no harm."
"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
“Quite alright, sir,” Tadaaki said, blushing once again. Why were they getting so many apologies? This… didn’t make sense. They were nobles. Nobles weren’t supposed to apologize to slaves. And yet now their entire family had. Multiple times. “Their questions were reasonable.”
Ky nodded in agreement. Painful, but they couldn’t have known that. It was easier to forgive, knowing there was no malice behind 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]
"Even so, they asked them without sensitivity or attention to your feelings. I should have explained to them how to speak to you, what not to ask."
"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 was getting even more uncomfortable. Why wouldn’t he just let them shrug off his apology? It was very kind of him, but not something that they wanted to accept at all. Tadaaki hesitated a long moment, not sure of what if anything to say, then dipped his head. “…thank you.” He wasn’t at all sure that that was the right thing to say. But. Well. He’d somehow ended up being the talker in this moment so he had to say something.
"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
So, Ky decided it was up to her to fill it. But she wasn’t sure how. All the low-hanging fruit were things she already knew from being prepped. And she sure as hell didn’t want to admit that she’d thoroughly studied their family before they got here. So. A neutral comment instead of a question. “… they’re very cute.”
She considered adding a ‘you must be very proud’ or a ‘it was nice to meet them’ and then decided that’d be pushing it. Who was she, to tell Ash how to feel about his children? And she certainly didn’t want to come across as cheeky when referring to them. She still had to be very, very careful about them.
"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]
"Thank you." He dipped his head. "I'm quite proud of them, and Regulus as well. He's got a bit of a cold so we thought it best to let him rest."
"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
“Makes sense.” Ky inclined her head. “I hope he feels better soon. Never fun to be ill; especially so when you’re young.”
"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]
"Certainly. I'm sure he'll be fine in a few days; children get sick all the time at this age."
"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 in agreement. “Little immune systems, still figuring things out.”
"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
Ky nodded again, glancing around for a new topic of conversation. “… thank you for dinner. It's delicious.”
"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]
"Our cook is a master of concoctions," Sera said with a small smile. "I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear you're enjoying!"
"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
