She nodded, then hesitated. Hadn’t he said he was estranged from Septimus? And he didn’t like Michael, either, from the sounds of it. So how would he have met her? Did their paths cross somehow before he died? “…how do you know her?”
"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 apprenticed here while I was still alive," he replied. "Patched people up when they needed it."
"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.” Did that timeline line up? She didn’t feel like it did. Sera only came after Septimus was Lord, right? And Narfi wasn’t alive when Septimus was Lord, or he would have been Lord instead, wouldn’t he? Was Narfi a younger brother rather than older? Had she misunderstood?
She had a bad gut feeling. Stop it. Why would he lie about something like that? He’s got no reason to.
"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]
He glanced at her. "My, uh, nephews really admired her. Both of them."
"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,” she agreed with a nod. “They do… she was here when you were alive?”
"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 was alive in her time briefly," he said after a long pause.
"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.” She nodded. It didn’t. But she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. And she didn’t want to seem suspicious of him. That wouldn’t end well. “Well, in any case, she’s great. I like her quite a lot.” She turned and knocked on the door to the infirmary.
"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]
Sera opened the door, smiling. "Hello, Ky! What can I do for you?" Narfi stood back a ways watching Sera's face intently with an unreadable expression on his face.
"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 back at him. He was being weird about this. Why?
She shook herself and focused on Sera; she couldn’t know about the ghosts. That wasn’t an option. She smiled a little, sheepishly holding her hand up. “Hi! I, uh… and Captain Bay wants to make sure it doesn’t get infected, so, uh… help? Please?”
"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 took Ky's hand and looked it over briefly. "Certainly. That's a nasty scrap but not too bad; come in and I'll get it dressed. Were you training?"
"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…” she nodded and stepped inside, then admitted sheepishly, “…I fell over. But it’s not bad, like you said.”
"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]
"Still best to treat it in case there's infection." She gestured for her to sit, then bustled off to the cabinets to get supplies. Narfi stationed himself by the door with his hand on his sword.
"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 and sat, watching Narfi warily. Something was off. She wished she was smart enough to figure out what.
"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]
Sera returned with gauze and some disinfectant. "This'll sting," she warned.
"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
“Okay.” She held her hand out to Sera, finally looking at her. She braced herself.
"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]
