Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 15)

(On the plus side I just got to borrow male privilege and it was absolutely glorious lol I am with 4 guys on a work trip out of town. I don’t super enjoy being the only afab person in a room but they’re actually making it really chill so I don’t mind it. But they are Behaving Like Men and like cut across a dark lot and I just walked in the midst of them and no one batted an eye at us. It was incredible)

“Um… no ma’am.” This was awkward. “He… um… adopted me, ma’am. He and Anneke, that is.”

(Oh wow)

"Oh!" Her eyebrows shot up. "Isn't that fortunate; that's very kind of them. How do you like them? That young lady's very sweet."

(Men aren’t scared of Men ™️ More breaking news at 11)

“They’re very, very kind ma’am. I care for them all a lot.” She was doing her best not to hover but also adamantly refusing to pick a seat herself. She didn’t want to sit near any of them. Not today.

(I would love them to walk a mile in my shoes sometime where just walking to my apartment from the parking lot a hundred feet away scares me)

"You like your new father, then?"

(I feel youuuu ;-; <3 like I was so tense watching around us in all directions walking as quickly and quietly as possible and then I realize they’re all laughing and joking around and playing on their phones and it’s like wait a minute they don’t expect to get stalked??? Does this mean… that I will not get stalked if I am with them? Does their privilege extend to me if I am in the same vicinity????)

“Yes ma’am.” Ky nodded. She felt a little uneasy, half-expecting D’Ara to lay into her since she was still pissed at Tomhas. But. Well. She supposed Tomhas had made her problems his own, so it was only fair to make his her own.

(That's so, so weird
Like I sometimes trick myself into believing not every afab person worries about this but then I see dudes doing that and compared to women and afab people I know, it's completely different.

I had to walk a college freshman back from our trivia night last week because they were afraid to go through the alleyways between the building we were in and their dorm.
And then I went back to my car, which was kind of far away but I had pepper spray and a confident walk)


"And how do you feel about what he and your new uncle have been up to lately, hm? What about all the bloodshed?"

(Omg yes it’s so terrifying to exist as an afab person especially after dark. Last night I was joking with myself that I was channeling my inner Jerica lol because I had to walk across a dark parking lot and the instant I lay eyes on a man my shoulders square and my chin raises and I immediately began to Take Up Space that I generally do not because I didn’t want him thinking I was an easy target. Plus pepper spray emboldens me)
(I think I’ve told you who it my hyper realistic dreaming before tho and my brain has started giving me nightmares in which creepy men are able to build up a tolerance to pepper spray since they’ve been maced so many times before me they they can just walk through my spray and hurt me anyway and it’s horrifying lol)

“It’d not my place to have feelings about that, ma’am,” Ky said non-committally.

(Yeah you've mentioned that
I freaking hate that)

"It certainly is, if you're his daughter."

(Same lol let’s see if my brain runs with it tonight since I’m thinking about it now)

“…No ma’am,” Ky disagreed hesitantly. “They’ve authority over me, not vice versa. It’s not my place to critique their decisions… if it doesn’t directly affect me.” She’d absolutely critique the bull shit they were pulling on her today.

(Oh god quick think about mushrooms)

D'Ara narrowed her eyes. "Hmf. Well, a lot of people are dead because of their idiocy. That's why I'm here in the first place."

(Haha I had already passed out. Thankfully no rapist dreams but I did dream about a hotel (I am staying in one so that part makes sense lol) but it shared a building with the CIA and I had someone be a dick to me because I got lost and I was a ThReAt To NaTiOnAl SeCuRiTy and then I couldn’t find my government ID to prove I have security clearance and so then he tossed me out of the hotel but then I just walked around the building and found a side door and came back in and went upstairs and promptly witnessed a crime and then was in trouble for being inside but still had to help the cops since I saw whatever it was that happened I don’t remember what it was at this point lol)(best guess is we are federal employees and so we are tax exempt and usually the hotel is chill about it but the lady yesterday demanded to see my federal ID even tho I was in uniform and already gave her my drivers license and the tax exempt form which was fine I had it in my wallet but it was weird and ig stuck in my brain lol)

“Yes ma’am.” Ky dipped her head, glancing toward the door again. This felt like dangerous territory. Either having to disagree with D’Ara or slander her own father. She didn’t want to do either.

(Oof yikes
That's a weird one to be sure)

She looked around. "So where the devil is ever-"
"D'Ara. Gaius nodded to her as he and Tomhas entered. Tomhas nodded as well and tried to look as confident as possible.

Oh thank gods.

She ducked her head, grateful the attention would be off her now. Important people had arrived.

D'Ara got to her feet. "Well, there you are, gentlemen. I was beginning to think the girl and I were going to have to cook dinner ourselves. That we'd gotten the time wrong." Her eyes lingered on Gaius's missing leg, and he grimaced.

Ky grimaced a little too and dropped her gaze, standing very still and trying to be forgotten.