He nodded, looking down at the ground and blinking a few times. "You'll be alright," he said after a pause, voice thick. "At least we know where we are now, right?"
"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
Aw, nuts. Why did he have to go and get all weepy? She glanced away, unwilling to admit how tight her own throat was. How much it burned with tears she’d rather die than shed. “Right.” She nodded curtly. “It ain’t no thang.” She wasn’t quite sure what that phrase meant but she’d heard a commoner say it once and thought it was funny. It seemed useful 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]
He huffed out a small laugh and wiped his eyes again. "If you say so."
"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 hesitated, not sure what to say next. She wasn’t good at this. Wasn’t good at knowing she probably wasn’t ever going to see him again.
“…Remember me.” She sobered and very slowly pulled out a dagger that looked like it’d been made by a twelve year old. Because it had. She’d talked her way into a smithy and learned how to craft her own blade and had been carrying it ever since. She offered it to him hilt first. “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]
Rickard flinched back instinctively as she pulled out the dagger, then stood still and stared at it. He glanced up at her nervously. "...I shouldn't take that."
"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 down at it with a slight furrow in her brow then back at him. “Why? I made it. I can give it to who I want.”
"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 wrung his hands. "You're talking as if you're not going to see me again. That's nonsense. And you've had it for years."
"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
Jerica shrugged, blushing and glancing down. She couldn’t figure out anything to say that wasn’t sappy.
"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 reached out very tentatively and pushed the dagger and her hand back towards her. "Keep this," he said quietly, "and write to me. I'm not going away from here, I promise."
"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
Jerica nodded tightly and slid it back in her belt, not looking at him. He may not be leaving, but she certainly was. She was going to die and then he was going to forget her. Her throat burned with tears she had to actively fight back.
"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 took a deep breath. "...Get there safely, then. Let me know what it's like?"
"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 again then abruptly turned away. She was going to lose the battle with her tears and she needed to make sure no one saw. Every instinct in her was screaming at her to sprint.
She ran squarely into Derik.
He’d guessed something like this was possible and came over behind her to intervene if he needed to. Which it seemed he did. Jerica tried to get around him, but he gently but firmly grabbed her shoulders. “No. Finish your goodbye.”
She shook her head miserably, scrubbing at her eyes angrily as the tears came despite her best efforts. This hurt too bad to face. She didn’t want to. She couldn’t.
Derik forced her to turn back around. She looked at Rickard pitifully then looked away, scrubbing her face.
"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]
Rickard was still visibly struggling to hold back his tears. "Godspeed to you both," he said quietly, bowing his head.
"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
Jerica couldn’t get back. Which only left forward. She wrapped Rickard in a tight hug without thinking about it, tears seeping into his coat.
"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]
Rickard tensed as she hugged him, then returned it quickly, trembling as he started to cry softly.
"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
