"I thought we were friends," Loren growled. "But you're over there insulting me?"
(If Michael is a sea otter then Loren is a hyena)
"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
“Oh, come off it,” Aleth muttered. “‘Friends’ don’t giggle about me getting tortured.”
"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]
"This friend does. Come on, it's prisoner solidarity!"
(Michael at least thinks about things before he does them. Loren's a genuinely loose cannon)
"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
Aleth scoffed, cracking an eye. “Then keep it. All you’re doing is mocking my plight.”
"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]
(Of course Michael usually does whatever he's thinking about, he just needs a second to make it as creative and shitty as possible)
Loren spat and turned away, bunching himself against the wall.
"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 that’s fair. two sides of the same shitty, shitty coin)
Aleth closed his eyes again. What a shithead. He didn’t have energy to humor him.
"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
Talia didn’t really understand what was going on, and she’d learned well before now to keep questions to herself. Especially when Makata was in a mood like this. She’d thought the worst of it was over after he knocked her around a bit and had his way with her, but then he told her she had better be on her best behavior and sent her off with two of the other girls and a messenger and a ton of soldiers as an escort.
It took a solid two weeks before she could piece together that the plan was that she was to be a gift of peace offering for a Mr. Lord Ash. No one knew anything about him other than he was making a pest of himself and needed to stop. Her job was to convince him that Makata was wonderful and treated them well and make him… forget to cause trouble. She wasn’t eager. But there were hopes that maybe — maybe — he may be better than Makata. So she was willing to try her best. She was generally pretty good at earning favor.
They stopped a few miles from the Keep and made the girls strip down and change into very revealing dresses, though thankfully let them put a coat back on over top.
She was still cold.
But they got there not long after.
(Not me, almost wanting one of the soldiers to be the one that took Ky lol)(or perhaps I’ll bring in her soldier bud instead) (or both)
"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 that'd be rad He'd kill or reward whichever one you bring in)
The gates were closed when they arrived, and Captain Bay stepped up onto the wall. "Who goes there?" he demanded.
(Do the girls speak any Upper Tongue?)
"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
(that seems therapeutic let's do it lol to be fair her soldier bud was also present during the kidnapping but he was strictly Just Following Orders and disapproved of it but had to obey but was very kind and gentle with the girls. Hopefully Gaius is understanding lol)
"A messenger from Governor Makata," the messenger called back. "I bring a message and a peace offering for Lord Ash."
(Heh good question. Honestly probably not, but I'm going to say yes just so that they're actually able to interact with people here lol we'll fudge and say they were picked because they picked up some language of their abusers as men passed through the palace)(also just sporadically decided that Talia's brothers is going to be one of the soldiers escorting them. He also got kidnapped at the same time as them and forced into the military as a boy soldier but he'd be more or less grown by now)
"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, maybe not. Just following orders is a common excuse)
(Okie dokie)
"What is the peace offering?" Bay asked warily.
"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've got spices, jewels, girls -- whatever his lordship desires is his!"
Talia closed her eyes from within the carriage and took a deep breath. This was it. Would she be allowed to say goodbye to Kaelan before they left? She hoped so. It was almost more painful that he'd been sent as an escort up here with them. It was bittersweet, getting to see her big bubby one more time. It'd been years since they'd seen each other last.
"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
"One of peace," the messenger called back. "May we come in, please? I'd like to better understand your master's perspectives so I can report accurately to my own."
"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]
"Wait here," Bay decided. "I'll be back." He disappeared.
"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
