For a moment, Kidu's attention is fixated on the door, ver mouth quivering as ve chokes on the words of a response. Taking advantage of this lapse in attention, Shibi pours the remaining disinfectant into the now empty cup and sets it a short distance away.
Kidu's fear of the door is soon overridden by the fear of refusing to answer it, and ve shakily opens the door to come face to face with the last thing ve likely wants to see right now.
A Rirmevu duo stands at the door, flanked by what appears to be a mage and a Rirkase duo. Rirkase is a form of law enforcement wherein an atu or bitu teams up with a notu.
While Rirmevu tend to work as solitary pairs, this sort of grouping is not uncommon when confronting a criminal on their home turf, especially under the gaze of maybe four dozen or more people peering out of their huts to spectate the drama.
However, most residents of the slum only look long enough to figure out what is happening, and the moment they do, they avert their eyes. I had always wondered why people would avoid watching, given that spectators keep us law enforcement accountable, but in the time I have been living down here, I have heard the advice parents give to their children: Stay out of trouble. If you think someone is about to commit a crime, look away so that you don't become a target.
Very few want to risk bearing witness to potential foul play on behalf of law enforcement, so the glowing eyes peering out of the surrounding shadows vanish almost as quickly as they appear.
The bipedal uniform of a Rirkase duo is mid-grey with the iconic purple slotted seams of the ministry and features a golden metal pin in the shape of a circle vertically bisected by gold sculpted to resemble a notu gemstone. In a Rirkase duo, the notu works as a sort of living, self-healing armor that is useful for absorbing and deflecting blows while their colleague is the damage dealer.
The mage wears the same style uniform as the officers who debriefed me. Though ver uniform brandishes a gold circle horizontally bisected by an eye that is open and looking upwards instead of closed, the mage's actual eyes are closed. Ver hand is extended towards the Rirmevu duo, while the other hand clutches a rock, likely granting the officer at the door the durability of the stone as a measure of precaution.
Of all those standing at the door, the Rirmevu duo feels closest to us, not just because they are at the front of the group, but also because the biped is half the stature of everyone else.
The Rirmevu biped is the only one to adorn a mask in an attempt to hide ver identity, though ver species betrays ver. Two objects under ver knit cap create subtle mounds, and ver mask doesn't rest flat against ver face like it would on the flat face of an atu. Additionally, one leg looks slightly bigger than the other as the pant leg attempts to hide the presence of a tail. That uniform cannot be comfortable for ver. It is obvious that ve is a bitu, and that means ve is most likely Fami, and the yetu on ver back is likely Buso.
Fami is a dark-red furred bitu whose family was exalted while ve was still a pup, and ve was quickly entered into Rirmevu training once it was clear ve would be of small stature. Many people wonder if ver role as a Rirmevu was a good idea, calling into question ver ability to enact justice on members of ver own dark-furred race. Others suggest that having more dark-furred bitu officers will help ensure enforcement is carried out righteously, while also serving as a symbol of hope for dark-furred bitu who do not believe in exaltation.
The last I heard, Fami was not yet actively serving in ver role. Ve was shadowing other officers first, and ve even shadowed me during a patrol... The more I think about that patrol, the sicker to my stomach it makes me feel...
~~~
Fami's words from back then echo through my memory.
"I know protocol dictates that punishment be dealt no matter the age, but ve is just a child. How was ve supposed to know any better? If we punished every child for theft, there would be no one left with thumbs! Children take things that are not theirs all the time. It's a natural part of growing up. This isn't right!"
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Disarm Evil
Ficção Científica**Story complete!** Dima, the disowned heir of a nobel family, and Miya the pious legacy of a family of peacekeeping giant moths, are your standard white saviors sent by god to save the people of lower society from themselves. They start their mis...
