"Well, it gets boring having a perfectly tame horse. And they don't love you as much--you don't bond as much if you don't train them yourself. My father gave me a filly of my own when I was a girl and helped me train her."
"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 vigorously in agreement. “He was so boring. I didn’t even have to hold his halter I’d just drape his lead over my shoulder and he’d walk along with me. No will of his own whatsoever.”
"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's ridiculous." She shook her head. "Just nonsense."
"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. “I didn’t even feel pride for maintaining his training. It was…” she wrinkled her nose. “He was very pretty, at least. And sweet. Just boring.”
"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]
"Maybe he needed a little spice in his life. Mayne he needed to be released into the wild to gallop about and meet a fine mare."
"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 smiled. “Maybe so.” She thought back to her childhood. “My horse — my father's horse — was the complete opposite. Soooooo stubborn. It took months every single time I tried to teach him a new trick. And he threw me probably at least a dozen or so times when it was all said and done.”
"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]
"Hey, but that's good practice!" She grinned. "Best to start with the rude ones."
"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
“Absolutely.” She nodded with a smile. “It’s more gratifying that way, when they finally comply.”
"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. "... it's been a while since I trained a horse, come to think of it. I normally have--had to ride in the carriage so I could read while we traveled."
"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]
"Ah. Carriages never agreed with me; they're too cramped and bumpy."
"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're terrible," she agreed. "I mean... better to be in them than tied behind. But... I do prefer horseback, when given the option."
"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]
"What, you were tied behind one?" she asked in shock.
"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
"Just for a day." Ky shrugged. "And we were only trotting. But... got tiresome after a while, you know? 'Cause you have to keep up or you get dragged." She shrugged again, subconsciously laying her forearm over her abdomen, remembering the 'discipline' that had followed shortly after that. And the fire in her abdomen the next day, when she tripped and got dragged with the wounds still open on her abdomen. That was much, much, much worse than just having to jog the majority of the first day. "And... I learned my lesson early the next day. So..." She shrugged again, feeling awkward. "It was only the one time."
"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]
She was silent for a long moment, horrified. "That...I'm sorry, Ky. That you had to go through any of that," she said finally.
"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
