"Please let me know if you think of any other precautions I should take."
"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
“Will do.” She nodded, hesitating in the doorway. “Um… it’s… not about the ghosts but… um…” She blushed and shook her head. “Nevermind. Sorry.”
"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]
"Yes? What is it?" He sat up slightly. Narfi tutted at 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
She glanced at him, then back at Gaius. “Um…” she was blushing worse now. But. Well. “…one of Tomhas’s friends was here a few minutes ago.”
"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]
"Viol Jansdottir," he said with a nod. "I'm aware."
"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 nodded. “…well… now he’s really upset. And… I don’t think he’d appreciate me right now. But thought maybe you should know. She stepped out into the hall, embarrassed, but didn’t close the door yet.
"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]
Gaius sighed and rose, grabbing his crutch and limping after her. "Great work," Narfi said dryly. "What did she say to him?" Gaius asked.
"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 blushed even more and ducked her head, embarrassed. But. Well. She’d clearly tried not to let Narfi come in here; he shouldn’t have heard her in the first place. “Um… I only heard part of it. But… it was about Lyra… and she said something about a dead boy when Tomhas was young?”
"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]
Oh, gods. "She brought that up?" Gaius asked, stepping out and closing the door. "Why would she bring that up?" Viol had been Tomhas's friend for ages. She knew how that would affect him. No matter how angry she was with Tomhas she should never have brought up Liam.
"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
“You know what she’s talking about?” Ky asked, stepping backward to be out of the way.
"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 nodded. "It's probably the worst thing Michael ever did to him." He headed for the stairs. "I'll sit with him; he needs grounding."
"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
“What is?” She was so confused. “Michael… killed one of his friends?”
"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]
Gaius took a deep breath. "I'm not going to go into much detail. But Liam was...more than just a friend to Tomhas." He kept walking. "Michael didn't approve of their relationship. When Tomhas and Liam were fourteen he decided it had gone too far and too long." Gaius closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling shakily. He gave an involuntary shudder as he remembered what he and his father had walked in on after hearing the screams from Tomhas's room. "That was one of the few times Father actually punished Michael for something he did. Liam was a Reeve's son, you see. Compensation and consequences had to be given."
"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 gaped for a moment. How horrifying. “My gods.” She shook her head slightly trying to clear it, but she couldn’t. She imagined what it’d be like if she had to walk in on Aleth killing Tadaaki. It’d been one of her worst fears. And her father had had to deal with it first hand. “That’s awful.”
"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]
"Mm." He nodded slightly, focusing on walking for a little bit. "Viol shouldn't have said that to him," he said after a moment. "I don't care how she feels about his decisions; that's not a line any of us cross."
"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
