Ilithyia sat high on her Chrove, one hand held to her brow to shelter sensitive eyes from the sun. It was entirely too hard to concentrate on her job right now, she was still wrapped up in thinking about last night… It didn't help that she hated what she was doing now more than she hated any other duty, ever. Shaking her head, she decided to watch the other officers doing their job and try to steel herself to do her own.

Swinging herself off her mount, she scanned the street, eyes narrowed for testing fields. She was learning quickly how to tell a wick from a human; before, she'd never really noticed. Now she had to. It made her skin crawl, even under her warm sleeves. This is not what we're supposed to do. Her hair done up in a severe bun, Ilyia hadn't her normal nervous tic of playing with it, so she twisted her snap instead.

Looking over at her partner and instructor, Ilithyia sighed and sauntered downt he street, where some wicks were playing cards on a corner. They seemed oblivious, however Ilyia knew that they must have heard something of the rumors on the streets. Pulling herself to her full, lofty height, she adressed them, feeling her associates eyes on her back.

"We're here to carry out order for the throne; Please clear the city limits at once." Her voice was rock hard, yet she had to spit out the words, making her sound disgusted at the world rather than herself. This is wrong.

((Hi Illy, at the moment the Seventen only have orders to pull wicks off the street, they don't have to door knock ))

((Thanks for the edit!))

Celi looked up Ilithyia, resignation in her eyes. She'd promised Ceres that she was going to leave quietly but the decision grated. The other two wicks around her had made similar promises but the youngest had not been happy about it.

The woman stood, sighing quietly. "Aye ma'am, come on kovs, we'd best be off."

The boy stood, mouth twisted into a childish display of anger.

"Yer ma was a whore!" The boy shouted at Ilthyia, before Celi had a chance to wrap her hand around his mouth.

"Be quiet, you halfwit!" She hissed, looking fearfully at the galdor in front of her.

A red blush rose on Ilyia's cheeks, however, she fought her anger and shame down. These people were being evicted from their home, leaving their lives behind. What, really, would anyone do in their position? I'd likely throw a punch and get myself killed. No one should have to have their home ripped away like this.

Ilithyia sighed internally, knowing that she was expected to retaliate and not having the slightest inclination. Looming over the woman and child like the rising fist of the law, Ilithyia spoke quietly but with steel.

"Watch the young one's mouth, some would harm him for his outburst." She cast a surreptitious look behind her, seeing if her partner was looking, before turning back to the trio of wicks. "Not all of us are out for blood." If she could have, she would have turned away and left them there, but some other patrol would find them, and she'd be penalized. I have to follow orders.

"You are ordered to leave the city by order of the crown." She clung to protocol; it was all her honor would allow her.

Celi clamped her hand over the boys' mouth, looking deserately at their partner, a man she knew only as Hinge.

"Help me out here!" She mouthed at him.

Hinge blanched and bowed deeply at Ilithyia. "Of course, ma'am, our apologies. He is very young."

The boy bucked and flinched in Celi's grasp, pulling free for long enough to speak again.

"Like hell! I know your lot, you'll kill me soon as look at me. Can't stand to be called what you are, you poxy tumble! Oes, I know your kind, if you really cared you'd be putting a stop to this." He glared at Ilithyia, eyes full of ugly hate. "Well one of your ancestors loved a woman that wasn't clean or I wouldn't be here!"

Hinge slapped the boy across the face.

"Silence, you stupid boy!" He cried, looking up fearfully as Ilithyia's partner finally took notice.

The boy had gone too far; wicks were unhappily permitted, but no one spoke of their ancient heritage. Ilithyia had always prided herself on her open-minded acceptance of other races, yet this child had totally stripped her of that veneer.

Lunging forward, she grabbed the boy by his collar, glaring into him, yellow shards in her eyes expanding, overcoming the blue.

"Quiet, you clocking fool. You have no idea what a galdor can do to you." Her mind ran through every spell the academy had taught her, Pain, Nausea. How the Seventen had instructed her in how to abuse and cast to the optimum torture and efficiency. "I could cast Sting and Skin Crawl, make you tear off your own skin, or Melt your bones from the inside out." She dropped him, normally soft face clouded with rage. She glared at the older wicks.

"Watch the child, Or I will. Not. Hold. Back. I am to escort you out of the city, that is all." I don't care to hurt him, her eyes said, but I will.

The boy laughed as Celi held him closer to her.

"I knew... I knew. You're all the same, so much for not wanting blood." His eyes flashed like diamonds, though had Ilithyia looked she would have seen that they were as golden as a true galdor's.

He let Celi turn him and the three wicks began walking towards the gates. Celi did not let him go.

Ilithyia's partner caught up with her. "What was that all about?" She asked, eyebrow quirked.

"You are lucky, she could have killed you." Whispered Celi to the boy.

Ilithyia watched them leave, and she felt the sudden desire to kill the boy, to strike him down for his insolence, damn dirty wick, ought to know better than to speak... to... her rage left her, in it's wake the shell of anger and horror.

I could have killed him, that young boy, just because he insulted me. It was like red hot pokers had been shoved into her belly and stirred up her guts.


"Damn clocking boy couldn't hold his tongue." She said it with enough venom that it was believable, but the cut of her tone was directed in instead of out. "Refused to move. Uh-" She shook her head violently, trying to rid herself of the boy's twisted face, his glitteringly gold eyes. "Tough orders." She couldn't say she hated them, but it was evident.

Crawling onto the Chrove, Ilithyia dried her damp eyes with a knuckle, teeth gritted at the internal raw sore the encounter had left in her. This is why I'm for Alstair's revolution; this cannot stand.

Ilithyia's partner sighed. "I don't know... They obviously need us to keep them in line but I hate kicking them out. Half the stores are closed now and most of the humans hate us."

She flicked her short back, mildly annoyed.

"I don't think they thought this through."

The three wicks kept walking.

"I hate this." The boy said, now wet-eyed.

Celi shushed him. "I know you do, I do too."