"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]
Ewan reached the top of the stairs. "Right, so this is the second level, which consists of an armory and barracks."
"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
"Why would you put the armory on the second story?" she asked.
"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]
"Great question! I have no earthly idea." Ewan grinned. "Like I said before, my ancestors didn't keep very good records. It's a nice armory, though!"
"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
Rana chuckled. "Fair enough. I'm sure it is." She doubted that would be part of the tour, though. That didn't seem like good strategy.
"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]
"And there are closets as well, all down this hall, and stairs leading down to the dungeon." He gestured forward. "Heavily guarded."
"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
"Naturally." She sent a nervous glance towards where he'd gestured. Dungeons were nasty things. They gave her anxiety to even go near.
"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]
Ewan glanced at her, noting the discomfort. "We have very few prisoners, don't worry. And none of them are dangerous anymore."
"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
Rana winced and nodded. That was even worse. She wasn't typically scared of prisoners, but rather for them.
(Did I ever tell you about what happens to her in canon? lol)
"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]
"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
"Quite." She shook herself, and managed a smile. "Sorry, got lost in my own thoughts for a moment. So armory, dungeon, and closets up here on the second floor, then?"
(I'm still working on getting the plot sorted out, it's changed a lot of times so I might not keep this part in the final cut. But basically her father is an abusive fuck that only cares about money and is a noble. A neighboring crown prince wants to marry Rana and offers her father a handsome dowry, which he's planning to accept even though she's only like 16 and the prince is in his 40s. They go up for a daddy-daughter trip to see his Palace and all that and her father the whole time is just falling all over himself to compliment the Prince. Rana is being really stand offish and faking food poisoning to get to sulk in her guest room. After a couple days of it the prince decides to take her down to the dungeon to flex his "authority" and force her to watch him torturing a peasant)
"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]
"Then there are bedchambers." He led her up another set of stairs. "This is the floor you're sleeping in, I think? There are also studies in here, and a little archive."
"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
(Yeahhh, that's why it might or might not stay xD when I was an Edgy Teenager that scene involved a hand getting severed and then the Prince just taking a bite out of the raw flesh to traumatize her further and at some point there was a threat to throw her in the dungeon too and she threatened to tell her father and the prince is like pft at this point I'm pretty sure I could throw your father himself in my dungeon and he'd just compliment me for how very dungeon-ish it is)
"Like a library?" she asked, interest piqued.
"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]
(Hoooly cow That sounds like Michael Who is also a product of Edgy Teen Brain)
"Kind of? Not exactly. It's a combination of records and some books, yes, but not big enough to be a library. You'll see."
"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... you're not wrong xD Just slightly different flavor because he only appears for a few chapters as a massive antagonist, but doesn't actually inflict lasting trauma like Michael haha but yeah similar vibes for sure) (actually, you know what, I forgot but you got the retrofitted version of him in Rainwater. Esmond Synakrein)
"I look forward to it." Rana nodded with a smile.
"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]
Remember: the plot is nothing more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations. — Ray Bradbury
