V5 Incline 16: Nin

"Citizenry identification, please," the lead man among them asks again. His gentle, stern voice shakes me to my core more than the gun in his lowered hand. The other one holds a small device, his eyes glancing between it and me.

I look around and snap out a frustrated click of the tongue. Whatever that device is, it has to be a magic-measuring thing! My inability to control my power made us stick out this entire time... It's dragged us out into the open before armed authorities. And frankly, considering the last time I saw anyone call themselves a guard of anything... I'm a little jittery.

A jitter that these men do not like at all.

"Let's try this a different way, Thrurstradtur or Suhurlodst?" the guard asks, his tone easing up under a possible assumption I will not fit in with at all. The order to lower their weapons, however, does not come. Maybe I need to ask myself? Come off as unthreatening despite my size and power? Maybe?

"Can... Can you lower the guns...?" I cautiously ask, peeking around as I look down so many barrels. Too many barrels lined with the power to blow a burning hole through my body. My claws come up, gesturing onwards as my voice refuses to make itself heard again. I hide my claws away slowly, not eager to keep my clothed body exposed like this.

A mechanical click fills the air, locking me in place. My eyes go to the guns, but I don't see anything different about them, and yet... Those guards back at Tryhpeltzweig had weapons that could nearly kill me. A place that everyone seemed to agree was a bit backwards and out there. These guys must have weapons that are much worse, all things considered.

The lead man of the group narrows his eyes towards my claws, but he doesn't seem to catch onto anything dangerous to my safety, "Put these on."

Grass poofs with sudden weight, and I look down, eyeing the shine of brass-tinted cuffs. Thick ones at that, almost like my old anklets but distinctly more magical. I bend down and pick them up, hearing that click again. I sigh with some relief, recognising the sound from a second earlier. He was just unhooking these.

"Alright, just lock them onto my wrist?" I ask, keeping my arms in the clear as I awkwardly manage them on. The lead guard nods in acknowledgement a little late, but he's otherwise satisfied- I drop to my knees, suddenly weak. Very weak.

Ah...

My strength is still here, but I feel so nauseous, extremely so. Rose reacts instantly, her pointed tips stabbing at the ground as her posture does us more harm than good. I reach up, stopping her from taking it any further. She barely eases up, but, whatever it is they've done, they feel it necessary that only I have the cuffs.

"What did you...!" Rose-sweerui tries to growl, my firm grip doing what it can.

"It's alright, I am fine... I'm fine." I tell her, standing up despite the queasy feeling these cuffs are forcing into me. I turn towards the lead guard, looking at him as he looks at me with blatant expectation.

"Sir? Thrurstradtur or Suhurlodst," he says, repeating what I've yet to answer. Nevermind the previous question from before that.

"I am from neither. A-And I have nothing on me concerning identification." I tell him, and his answer is instant and not there at all as far as words are concerned. He gestures for the large aircraft and it comes back down to the ground, parts hissing and moving. The ramp lowers, magnetising my wide eyes to the dark interior of it.

"Both of you, please step onboard, and you will be sent off to the necessary facilities." we are told as he steps aside, waving us on in. Rose moves ahead first, her tail looping around my palm. I lock it in place with a gentle grip. My free arm keeping her upright as the ground shifts from soft dirt to impenetrable steel.

Our stuff takes up most of the space of the vehicle, keeping most of the guards out of the vehicle. Enough make it in, though. Which is still too many. Rose's tail slips away, sticking to my back, and I try to hide what I can behind the bag, hoping it keeps most of my buggish parts away. Rose leans up against me, a scowl across her face as what guns are in the vehicle rise up and point themselves at me.

The ramp door seals shut and the tapping noise that disturbs the mechanical noise is certainly not from the machine and... Oh. It's me.

It won't stop tapping against my leg, yet I can't find anything else to do. There's nothing else to vent this nerve-wracking sensation going through me. My eyes are blinking a lot more than they normally do, but it's not enough. Especially with how close to these armed men I am. Tryhpeltzweig was a scary enough experience, and I was leaps and bounds away from them.

These men are almost within arm's reach.

Even with the bag covering my lap and legs, I want to hide more than I already am. Yet I can't hide myself all that well. Bandages and cloak hide my carapace... But the distinct shape of my body can't be hidden. This slouch of mine is not the same as theirs, and they'll pick up on it.

Their quiet whispers are near-indecipherable, but topics are repeating, making it somewhat clear. They're making bets between themselves, taking it half-heartedly while I have these cuffs on. They're even debating as to what I am, with familiar and unfamiliar terms coming up.

Too burly to be a human. Too tall to be a hwardgon. Feet and not points, so I'm not an aelenvar. Aelenvari? I've no tail, so I'm not an oxfuine. Too few limbs to be a kelbalid. If I'm not a human, I'm not a clayman. And if I'm too big compared to them, I'm not a winssargu, whatever they are. I'm no dragon or wyvern, and they are baffled. There's so few things left for them to think of.

Osibindah... The one word they've yet to speak.

They don't seem to have an issue with the fact we're not humans. But they're certainly taking issue with the way I'm dressed. The word 'suspicious' and references to the concealment of items is something they're bringing up a lot. Of course, I'm not hiding anything, neither of us are. It's all in this bag, but there's no way for them to know that, and I'm doubting they'll take my word for it.

I gulp and look away for the moment, finding the journey through the air to still be ongoing. Rose-sweerui is too on edge to converse with, and as I can't speak her light tongue, we can't converse openly, yet still privately. The bag is in the way, and the only way to look is the guards and... Their guns... My eyes leap on over to their armour as the tapping gets worse.

It's a mixture of metal plate and cloth, with a general layout of it favouring the latter for the most part. Their boots have bits on top while their legs barely care for anything not called a shin, near-the-knee and a bit of outer thigh. Hands and arms reflect the state of the legs. Only the chest and shoulders really have much of anything, by far the most protected piece. Yet the back is much the same as everything else again, barely there.

I can barely get a good look at their helmets, their most important piece at their side rather than where it's ideal. But I can make some guesses from what I can barely see. Little flaps on the side for ear and neck protection, possibly some cheek protection with how wide the pieces are. I guess it doesn't matter much either way, the face is completely exposed otherwise to everything other than the largest of objects.

Their colours match the city of Thrurstradtur itself, though their earlier words were confusing. Thrurstradtur *or* Suhurlodst. Well, either way, lots of brass and copper shades with darker sections seemingly outlined with a black paint of some kind. Possibly a build-up of oil? The decals shine with a greasy coating, and some even glow a very, very soft blue. The cloth otherwise being a very work reliable brown.

The vehicle shakes, and it thuds from the ground up.

We've landed? Certainly a time convenient thing with how I've stopped looking at the guards! Thankfully, I have my mask. It hides where my eyes are going all the time. So now I can focus instead on a different problem entirely, the newest trouble to stand before me.

What is going to happen...?

"Where have you taken us?" Rose-sweerui demands to know, though in a tone far more controlled than she might speak with normally. My ears tune the noise out as she asks away, speaking to them about details. My focus otherwise going to the windows and out towards the large chamber of which we have landed. Though, I suppose this is a hangar, technically, even without the many aircraft the place is loaded with.

Few guards, though, so perhaps it's not that big of a deal where we have gone? We seem to have been dropped off in a civilian area? Yet, at the same time, I'm thinking I might be more comfortable in a military building. This escort and this vehicle as a whole seems to be making us the talk of the town from what little I can see. Or, talk of the hangar, rather.

I do not like it at all. Especially with how now the ramp is down, exposing us to the noises and business of the building. We get up and walk out, the bag quickly settling on my back rather awkwardly. Yeah... I do not like this at all, there's so much going on, and the fact I have these cuffs on is only making the hangar ring with a new kind of noise. Nosy, gossiping onlookers.

The guards come up ahead, gesturing for us to follow as if there was any choice to the matter at all. It doesn't take us long to get to a more meaningful place beyond the hangar, though I can't say either of us were expecting the attention we've got. A small group of well-dressed individuals comes up to us, ones that seem to command a degree of authority, regardless.

This entire affair seems to be over how we've illegally climbed the mountain. Perhaps they're here over that? The ones we're now to be sent off to for climbing the mountain? Gods above, doing that feat was punishment enough... Well, I assume they even know about the climb or are even going to find out about it...

"Who's this, State-Guardsman?" asks a man with greying hair and a short beard. His eyes otherwise locked on me, completely ignoring Rose otherwise. With how pretentious and entitled she is, I might have to console her about this later. Assuming I'm even guessing her response correctly but I can't be entirely focused on her right now.

"We do not know, Head of Oddity House Frihdeicalkbr. He has not produced any citizenry identification and, by his own admission, he's not of Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding, either," the lead guard explains, his overly formal way of speaking forcing a blink out of me.

Though the now named and titled man has my attention in much the same way I have his. Any other time, I might find myself amused, after all, how odd. Head of Oddity House. What kind of title even is that...?

Frihdeicalkbr approaches me directly, his unassuming build still making me flinch into a back-step, "What is your purpose for being up here?"

That inquisitive stare unnerves me even with how I tower over him. And unlike in the machine, I don't have this bag on my back to cover up my claws and brick-like feet. But some of the many features his eyes are immediately falling upon. I try to hide them, seeing where his gaze is headed, but it's not enough even with my cloak.

"To see a friend at Suhurlodst..." I answer, too meek and quiet to possibly be heard. However, it makes the man smile delightfully. The mention of my destination has him borderline ecstatic.

"Well, let's hope we can keep you around longer then. May I perhaps come along and observe the procedure, State-Guardsman? Then I can take him to the Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding?" Frihdeicalkbr asks, his position clearly enough to get something positive out of the lead guard.

The man nods in a rather withheld manner, "If that is the case, yes. It will save us some time on the tabletwork. However, if issues arise, it will be a firm no."

"Of course, I understand completely." Frihdeicalkbr insists, his hands getting a little too eager and invasive. All to see what is beyond my cloak. Thankfully, this is the kind of something that puts Rose-sweerui on a firmly planted footing. She puts a stop to it with her usual, assertive self, and I lean down to her ear, minding its length.

"Thank you." I whisper to her through the mask as both of us keep an eye on Frihdeicalkbr. A very peculiar grin growing on his face.

Perhaps I was too loud? No, that can't be it... Who in All-That-Remains puts on such an expression because of a show of gratitude...? Surely there's more to it than him simply finding the idea of me travelling with an aelenvari to be interesting?

Is this, are we all some entertaining gimmick to him?

I guess I've plenty of time to think on it later, perhaps even now. Though, for the moment, is seems to be like we're being put through some kind of test. A few prods, scans and jabs that keep coming about out of nowhere with no warning at all. All as the halls pass us and a desk of some description settles into view. One quickly occupied by the lead guard.

"Names and occupations, please," he says, a confused frown settling onto his face as he mutters away. One clear thing about it, the lack of information he has on either of us. Whoever we are to him, we're most certainly not involved with Frihdeicalkbr. Which is true.

"First name is Nin, last name is Urtuan." I tell him, minding the lessons I've had in this land about names. Futhans comes to mind, his remarks about how he thought I was a nin, rather than a man called Nin. Back home he'd be a moron thinking a first name is a job but here... It's normal. First names are the abnormality.

"First name...?" the guard repeats, only proving the point of my thoughts, and he shakes his head clean of the confusion. He goes ahead with his tablet writing, possibly putting my two names together as one. He looks on up at Rose-sweerui, his prior question repeating.

"Rose'lhia." Rose answers, her full name and its details repeating on me as those present look around and mutter. Guess this all means they know enough about aelenvari to know the value they put on a full name.

"Noted... No occupations for either of you?" the lead guard asks, looking back to us with a raised brow. Rose steps ahead, a hand coming up to her barely clothed chest, which is more than distracting enough as far as the guards are concerned.

"No, I resigned as an ivy-mother in order to travel here with my love," she answers for herself, her words only making the lot of them even noisier. Not just a full-name aelenvari, but a former ivy-mother of all things. It certainly drives a cackle out of this Frihdeicalkbr man, but his attention is still near entirely on me.

"Yeah... Yeah she gave up hers before we set off on our journey to get here. And... And I'm not too sure about the circumstances of mine in this place." I answer, Tobaballe crossing my mind as it increasingly feels all the more alien as I'm forced to get used to what actually is foreign and different.

"Circumstances?" piques the lead guard's interest.

"I am not... A wind-person, as Rose-sweerui here would put it." I say, not sure how to word it myself.

"I see, and would you... Care to explain why none of you show up on the database controlled by the Guard of the Road?" the lead guard asks, a puff of air breaking up his sentence as he gestures for the other guards in the room.

"We uh... Well, I, climbed the mountain rather than walk along the road." I answer honestly, there being no point in trying to hide the truth of the matter with how trapped we are now.

"I see," the lead guard asks, that frown of his deepening as the sound of moving weapons silences all other noises in the room-

"Up the mountain? Very impressive. Very impressive." Frihdeicalkbr goes, the stroke of his stubble disrupting the noises. But that only makes them stand out more. Guns and more, all ready to fire.

"What's going on...?" I ask, panicking ever so slightly as the guards approach us. Guns up, my magic sealed and tampered with. My eyes bounce around, mask and bag shaking violently.

"We are just going to pat you down for anything illegal," one guard explains, his weapon breaking off its aim so an open palm can present itself to me.

My haste flings my cloak up, exposing everything and anything about my body, "I haven't got anything, see!?"

All it does is make their eyes sterner and they eye the bag. However, their guns focus on my head. All on the mask. All on my head, and the mask and hat, I've done nothing about.

"Take the hat and mask off," the approaching guard says, leaving me physically cold in a room otherwise so warm. Rose-sweerui presses up against me, her tail whipping aggressively as her head bulbs burn bright. The imminent likelihood of us needing to go on the run again becoming so apparent.

"He can't! It's religious! He cannot take it off unless you want to occur the wrath of the gods!" Rose-sweerui so desperately tries to ward them off with. But her words command no respect and have no effect.

"Neither the Founding Pantheon nor the Faith under the Mighty have any documented uses of beak-like masks in their religious attire. It will be removed, or you will be under arrest, and you will face the charges you have accrued!" the lead guard explains, standing up as he draws out some kind of magic-fed pistol at me. Rose-sweerui increasingly becomes aggressive all while I can't stop myself from shaking...

No. No... No... No...

It all clicks in my head, becoming so clear to me... There's no getting out of this situation at all. All I can really do is hold Rose-sweerui tightly, turning her around to face me. The anger across her face flashes away. She stares carefully.

"Rose-sweerui... Rose, it's going to be alright. Just move over there, away from them. Keep your distance." I tell her, gently shoving her away so she can get away from me, regardless.

"No, it won't be! No... No! NO IT WON'T BE!" she says, her hysteria growing even as she goes through with what she's being told.

"Can you guys not be trigger-happy...? Please?" I ask the guards, my voice cracking and my actions awkward. However, the lead guard just gestures for me to get on with it.

He clearly indicates that so long as I don't try anything, then no shots will be fired...

I gulp, such a simple action hurting my throat too much. My claws are shaking too much. Too much... And they come up to take my hat and my... And mask.

Tightly clenching the pair of them in shame, the guards look at me in bewilderment. They all know what I am, but they don't do anything. They all know what they're trained to do. But they're not doing anything.

"Now, isn't this interesting indeed." Frihdeicalkbr says, his eyes wide and his voice empty of everything but curiosity.