"Depending on how detailed it is, it could be a day or two after we order 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!" Tasia perked back up, grinning. "I can wait that long -- that's not bad! I'm good at waiting when it's only a day!"
"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]
"It might be a bit more," she reminded her. "The carpenter might be very busy. But you'll get 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
Tasia squirmed but nodded, trying very, very hard not to complain.
"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]
"We can show you our boxes for inspirspation!" Mattathias added. "Me and Papa and Marcella. And Mama maybe."
"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!” Tasia lost the battle to her wiggles and stood up in her chair again, grinning. “I’ll know all of your hearts then!”
"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]
"Mine's got the most stuff!" Mattathias said eagerly. "Does that mean I have the biggest heart?"
"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
"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]
"Let's not make it a competition," Sara said as Mattathias opened his mouth to argue. "What's in the heart boxes doesn't make your heart larger or smaller than anyone else's. They only contain things that are close to your heart."
"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
She pouted, rubbing her side, and instead said, “…well… I get to have some things close to my heart too!”
"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]
"Everybody does, whether they have a heart box or not." She glanced at Tomhas as she said this; he looked a bit put-out.
"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
Tasia didn’t notice the glance or Tomhas, instead going back to her pastry happily.
Ky saw it, though. What did that mean? ‘Or not’? Did that bastard not give Tomhas one? Of course he didn’t. What a fucker. Imagine making an innocent baby grow up without a heart box — when you have literally all the resources in the territory available to your disposal — just to be a passive aggressive motherfucker.
Well, you know what? Ky was going to get Tomhas one if Septimus didn’t. Maybe she’d go take it to Septimus before she presented it to Tomhas, show him how easy it would have been to be a decent human and be kind to Tomhas.
Or maybe she wouldn’t.
Maybe she’d leave Septimus out of this entirely and just make it a special moment between her and her father. She hadn’t gotten a box from him since she didn’t spend her infancy or childhood with him; he didn’t get to wear the wooden baby he would have gotten if she were his real daughter. There was no tradition — as far as she was aware — to remediate that in the case of the adoption. So. May as well make it special the other way. Give him a heart box as she entered his family rather than vice versa.
"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]
Sara and the twins went back to eating as well. Gaius continued to feign eating. Tomhas went back for seconds with a small sigh.
"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
(Right??? Lowkey wanna make her get it with her and Bay’s outing…)
He looked like a kicked puppy. She put her juice to her mouth and took the smallest of sips, considering. It’d be simple enough to do… well… actually, no, it wouldn’t. It’d be hard. She had no money. Had no way to get money without explaining herself. Had no way to get into the village on her own to just offer to work it off via chores.
Was she even allowed to do that anymore now that she was a noble? Or did that look bad? Was that peasant-brain still? She’d need to figure this out. Maybe she could just steal some scraps of reeds and weave him one… although that made her feel… she didn’t know how that made her feel. But she wasn’t sure she liked having Tomhas in mind when she thought about weaving. That was…. Weird.
"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 say go for it If heart boxes had existed in my head back when the adoption ceremony happened he would have given her one but I didn't have them yet)
Gaius watched his brother out of the corner of his eye. He looked rather miserable now, probably because of the heart boxes. He felt much the same, though it was almost worse to have very little rather than nothing at all. In his opinion, at least. He'd have to convince Tomhas again that heart boxes weren't really a great tradition anyway.
"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
