"Thank you." Akeno dipped his head to him and took a step backward. He wasn't certain that a parlor actually narrowed things down all that much -- seemed like there were literal dozens of those. He hesitated. "...Do you know which uncle?"
"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]
"Zander," he replied. "Ky is there, too. If you've met 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
"No sir." Akeno shook his head. "But... um... Jer--Lieutenant Ainsley mentioned her... I think I'll give them some time, then. I'm sure they have a lot to talk about."
"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]
"They certainly do. Did she tell you what's going on, then?"
"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
"Um... a little bit." He nodded. "I... admit I only understood part of it... but..." He nodded again.
"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's a bit of a mess," he said grimly. "Hopefully they work it 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
Akeno nodded. "...You're... familiar with the situation?"
"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 am now, yes. I noticed Derik looked similar to Zander when we met."
"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
"Yes, sir." Akeno nodded, hesitating. "...And... Ky... is... also related to them, then? To J-" He didn't even know why he kept stopping himself from calling her Jerica at this point. "The Ainsleys?"
"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
Akeno nodded slowly. This was where things stopped making sense to him. How had one of the Ainsley girls made it all the way up here? Why?
"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
"...Not much," Akeno admitted. "She... wasn't making... she was... making a lot of mental jumps and not taking us along with her."
"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. He'd have to be careful what he said around Akeno, then. "She and Ky were certainly upset. It's a difficult revelation to make."
"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
"Yes sir." He nodded. "I... can't imagine I'd take it well, either. To learn I had a secret twin at our age."
"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]