A Pryktian's Pride Ch. 07

My heart beat hard against my chest as I panted to take in breaths. A heavy arm laid across my stomach. I urged myself to calm down, examine the dark around me without moving my head, trying to remember where I was.

A faint light filtered in from a window and the smell of dust hung in the air. Above me, I slowly began to make out shapes in the patchy material above us. The room wasn't familiar but I knew where I was. It would be some time before I was used to this room enough to not wake up and feel like I was backwards.

My breathing was still coming fast, raising Grysn's arm enough to worry I might wake him. It was late. Or early, I suppose. If he weren't right there, I'd get up and move around for a few hours, hoping for the sun to raise before falling back asleep.

Forced to remain in bed, whether due to my anxiety of facing him or respect for his sleep, I closed my eyes hard enough to hurt until I was asleep again.

When daylight finally woke me, Grysn was already out of bed.

He made us breakfast and gave me two pills that Lynatin had given him. Vitamins, he said. Apparently, my health wasn't up to their standards. I took it without complaint or grumble as Grysn watched. I was careful to avoid direct eye contact with him this morning. I would forget the dream enough after a few hours, I knew. Days maybe, if I was unlucky. Until then, it was just too hard.

If he noticed the avoidance, at least he didn't mention it as we sat and went over several points from last night. He pulled out a dress he'd also gotten from Lyn for me to wear and cleaned up the kitchen as I changed.

I hated being made to wear gowns, even if they were somewhat more comfortable. This one was thankfully less difficult to keep in place than the last one. The heavy beige fabric falling over me didn't hug my body as much as it blanketed it. There was a belt he left on the bed that I wrapped around my waist, and that was the only defining feature of the outfit. I had expected him to make me wear something more extravagant for such an event, but I was glad to be wrong.

I sat on his couch until he finished with his menial chores. There were boxes and an assortment of items scattered around the living quarters that I hadn't noticed yesterday which held my attention. I assumed they had something to do with his chores from last night, but I didn't ask.

I didn't ask anything, in fact. I was always quieter after dreams. That was a good thing today, and I held onto my silence in preparation for what was to come.

Once he was done, Grysn put on his shoes and his coat, and with a great, motivational sigh set us on our way.

The streets were even more crowded today than they had been the previous. I kept my head down and body close to Grysn as we had discussed in detail. He had painted an eerily vivid picture of how well I'd sell if the right people saw the opportunity to grab me.

It was all for the best. The paranoia took some time to wear off, and I'm sure constantly seeing the wary and fascinated glances coming off every gray- drygson, I mean, was enough to flame the bushels of suspicion within me without any assistance on a good day.

"Normally I would hail a cab to get downtown," Grysn said as we walked past someone getting into a sporty little carriage drawn by a single horse, "but I want you to get acquainted with being around other people."

By which he meant other grayskins. Stars above, I did it again. I sighed, frustrated at how difficult it was to stop using that name for them.

Hopefully, he was right and I wouldn't need to speak at all today.

After a little more than an hour of crossing streets and turning corners in a mostly linear fashion, we stopped in front of a large church. Gray pillars rose high above us to hold up the immense ceiling, covered in cylindrical carvings reminiscent of spider webs. Higher still, a tower rose to weaponize its giant clockface upon the city it overlooked.

I shrunk slightly as Grysn led me up the stairs and through the building.

My throat felt tight and breathing was getting difficult as he spoke with guards and workers for instructions and directions for the hearing. I kept my head down, slowing my pace until I was slightly behind Grysn so I could focus on his feet and nothing else.

I wasn't dreaming, I knew that. But it still felt like a dream. That comfortably sick heaviness upon reality bore down on me until I knew too much movement would make me wretch.

Why was I doing this? How in Shila's graces did I think this would be okay?

My hands trembled at my side. I was deliberately directed to not glare today. It would be an impossible task. I would look up at the first spoken word and immediately wish death upon the first person I see with a look so violent, so terrible that they would call for my head to be chopped off at once and I wouldn't even have meant it. I'm a natural glarer, and I'm in a position that calls on that power constantly, there was no stopping it.

Driven to death by my own eyeballs. Or perhaps the blame would fall upon my brows, eyebrows being the most crucial part of-

A tug brought me to the side of the corridor we were traveling, halting my thoughts. Grysn held both my arms tightly as he bent down close.

I was shaking to the point my head hurt, and my frantic breaths came quick and shallow through my half-open mouth.

"Take a breath," he instructed in a low voice.

I flinched away from his gaze, my eyes closing on the last scene my dream had burned into me. "I don't need your help," I hissed through clenched teeth, trying to ground myself into the sparkling, black tiling.

His grip tightened on my arms as he shook me, his expression becoming more serious. "Don't do this now. You can fight me all you want after this, but not now. You're panicking and you need to calm down. Come on." And with that, he exaggerated a large inhale and equally exuberant exhale, then repeated the process until I was breathing with him.

Once my breathing was coming in at an even, steady rate, he let me go and stood back up. "Remember what we went over. And put faith in me, however much you may bear. Everything will be fine."

He waited a few seconds until I nodded and began moving in the direction we'd started in. Keeping his pace slow to ensure I stayed with him, Grysn paved our way through the building. We traveled through halls filled with windows and scatterings of people congregating periodically near open doorways until we reached an area where a small man- for their standards, at least- behind a desk directed us to take seats in an open area facing a closed door.

We waited, listening to the murmurings on the other side of the wall. Broken rays of colored light illuminated the otherwise dim and colorless area.

I put my hands between my knees, glancing around the room without raising my head. The noises came and went, sometimes escalating to the point I could almost make them out. They sounded angry.

Deciding to move my focus to less stressful things, I admired the high vaulting ceilings above us that met at a ridge in the center. There were no alters or worshippers of any kind I'd seen, so far. None of the fancy dressed gr- drygsons were acting as priests or leaders. For such an extravagant building, I couldn't believe it would be anything other than a church. No one here was acting like they were in a church, though.

Would it make more or less sense for them to be a religious people? The lessons made it seem like they were incapable of proper government systems, much less organized religion.

Maybe unorganized religion?

I can't say what that would mean. Besides, I'd already heard them talk about churches. I knew they had more than one, more than one god also. I wonder if their's are in any way similar to ours. I wonder if they stole those from us, too.

Can you steal gods?

I jumped as the door opened, and swaths of people began ushering loudly out. They gossiped and chattered about whatever event they had just attended and its outcome. And while I didn't look up, and Grysn made no movement also, their conversations quickly quieted to whispers as they neared us. They slowed as they passed, hushed in their awe.

I gripped my hands tightly together and closed my eyes, waiting for them all to leave. I knew myself enough to not risk a single glance. One accidental glare and off with your head.

A hand patted my thigh. I knew it was Grysn even before I opened my eyes. He was trying to comfort me again, and I was still straining against it.

I trusted him enough to come all the way here into the mouth of the beast. I didn't need to trust him more than I already did. And he could keep his miserable reassurances and pep talks to himself.

I was here to survive. Not to be babied by some miserable grayskin.

Drygson.

I sighed.

Grysn rose from his seat next to me, and I did the same. He kept a hand on my back as we entered the now cleared-out room. Down the center aisle, surrounded by heavy wooden benches, we walked until we were positioned near the front where two seats awaited us, facing the stands at the other side of the small clearing.

We sat and waited some more. A few people could be heard behind us, filtering in and filling the seats. Nowhere near as many as the last event, thankfully, but I was still quite surprised that anyone would be here other than who ever were to decide my fate.

In front of us, in the stands, sat seven... drygsons. Yes, good. They sat above the room, looking down across it. If I was correct, four of them were women, and I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Women rarely if ever held positions of significance for us. I'd always hated that. When I was too young to know my place, I'd often tell people I'd eventually be a leader of the town. The position I would claim changed often, but I was always certain I'd fill one of the important roles, until I figured out how life works.

It stung to see their women had that option, that... that freedom. They were capable of forging their own fate.

And now they would decide mine.

By the time we started, the noise in the room had increased significantly to the point I was desperately forcing myself to not turn around and examine what all the commotion was.

The center of the seven in front of us stood, signaling someone to the side to call out an order of silence. Hair that fell past the curve of her waist settled against the purple robe she wore as she clasped her hands gently in front of her. The effect was all but immediate as the one who stood began. "Grysn Mulsk, please come forward," she stated. Her voice carried across the vast audience and held its weight all the way to the back walls.

I didn't realize I was meant to join him until he pulled me up and toward the center of the open space. It felt like the room was moving around me, putting me into position, and if I wasn't staring at my moving feet I might believe Grysn was carrying me.

Grysn was deliberate in standing close to me, close enough so that a comforting tap to remind me to stop holding my breath wouldn't look like anything more than an accidental brush.

Addressing the audience, the woman spoke with her head tall over her wide shoulders. "This is a preliminary hearing. We have decided against making any immediate judgments. We understand the curiosity and concern this matter brings, and all those here may stay so long as there are no disturbances to the hearing. This is not an open congress. If any disruptions occur, the meeting will proceed as officially closed to the public."

The crowded rows had been silent before, but once she was finished speaking the level of noise left suggested that no one dared to even breathe.

She turned back to us and sat down. "Grysn, this meeting has been called to discuss your procurement of a pryktian from the mountain. We have been informed you plan on keeping her as a slave," she said, lifting a paper on the stand in front of her.

I looked up and opened my mouth to correct her before Grysn spoke.

"Yes, Guardian, that is correct."

My eyes couldn't get larger, and it took a great deal of force to urge them back down to a lower position as quickly as possible, lest the glaring commence. My blood was ice in my veins as I waited for him to take back his words, but he didn't speak again.

He had never-

He hadn't said-

A pet. I clenched my teeth. How much of a fool could I be? Of course he hadn't meant that. I really left my home and walked willingly into slavery. And now I was too deep in it. Had I really not realized it until I was in the exact position where I could do nothing at all?

Actually, ma'am, I know we're here to decide whether I'm slave worthy or should just be put to death, but I've changed my mind and would kindly like to go home to where we cower from you because you're so well known for killing us. And then I'd curtsy or something I guess.

Such an incredible fool. And I deserved no less.

Another spoke before the first lady could again. This time it came from the man at the far left, his words filtered through a frizzy beard that covered most of his lower face. "We do not typically take in wild tians," he said with great thought, his fingers pulling at the tip of his beard. "We have already learned of its attacks."

There were a few gasps behind us, someone made a swooning noise that had to be fake.

Grysn answered quickly. "She was faced with what she believed to be murderous fiends and defended herself. She has only defended herself."

I restrained myself against telling them that my so-called 'beliefs' had been correct.

"Your fellow huntsman claims she attacked him without warning," a scraggly, tall women next to the bearded man said in a breathy voice. "What is your response to the accusation?"

Grysn's hand twitched at his side, but he remained otherwise unperturbed. "She has defended herself from both harm and antagonization in the first couple of days she was in my care. Never unprovoked and has not been in any way violent since."

They exchanged several glances between each other for a moment before a bald man, two from the far right, slammed his first on the stand, making me jump and look up, accidentally catching his eyes. "This is preposterous!" he yelled, fuming at me before turning to Grysn. "We will not tolerate you fostering a wild tian. You should know better than to have brought it here. There are traditions for a reason!"

Grysn reacted to this with a heavy sigh. Not of anger or worry, but what I could only call annoyance. "Father, please."

We had discussed at length that I needed to control both my curiosity and anger during this meeting. Which included speaking out without direct instruction and reacting to anything I found 'confusing or bothersome.'

But I couldn't refrain from glancing up at Grysn momentarily.

Relations to any of those on the guardship or whatever was not discussed at all in our pre-hearing preparations. Some warning would have been real nice.

Grysn had already mentioned a brother a couple of times, so I assumed they had family units of some sort. The pang of jealousy I felt over it was no more than that I had felt towards all the Families back home. But it wasn't easy to immediately conceal, mixed with my confusion and annoyance with this new development.

"We are all aware of your feelings in regard to Pryktians, Srontyn," the lady next to him said, patting his arm in a friendly but impatient manner. She turned back to us as Grysn's father turned his head to the side with a great sound of annoyance. "Have you begun to teach it our customs?" she asked.

"I have," Grysn responded simply.

"And how has it reacted thus far?" another asked.

"She has shown great progress and understanding."

"What purpose will it be given if you are to maintain ownership of this tian?"

I braced myself. Grysn had thankfully prepared me for the answer to this question. And I closed my eyes against the shame to come.

"Entertainment and companionship."

I'd told Grysn that no one in their right mind would take that as a good enough reason to keep something not typically allowed, but he assured me it wouldn't stand out and would be much better than everyone expecting me to be cleaning or cooking for him constantly. Apparently, he had been right because there wasn't even a pause before the next question.

The light-voiced woman spoke next. "You will need to formally give notice to both your landlord as well as your neighbors about the keeping of a wild tian."

"I'm not wild," I grumbled under my breath before I could stop myself.

There was a sudden, heavy pause, and I knew it was entirely directed at me, whether I'd looked up or not. I did, but still.

Grysn stood taller, as if he needed to act even more formal to cover up my ill manners. "I understand," he responded, as though I'd not said a thing. "I have already disclosed this information to the owner of my building."

We waited for another question or comment, but they looked nervously at each other. And at me. Curious whisperings rose behind us, not having heard what was said- or by who, hopefully.

Grysn didn't look down at me, but I could feel him wanting to. If I screwed up my chances, he was going to have to figure out another way to help me. Or so he said. And I hadn't meant to say anything. I was doing well, considering I had just found out my new title was slave. But it was hard to stand there, being humiliated and talked about like I was some untamed animal they'd found in the forest. There was no reason for them to call me such things when they knew everything they had, everything they were, was due to our ingenuity and hard work.

But I should've held my tongue.

The center guardian, with her long flowing hair, stood, silencing the crowd with her movement, then began making her way off the stands. The shoes she wore clicked with each step that echoed through the silence. She stood significantly taller than Grysn. She held her hands behind her as she approached us, staring at me intently enough that I could feel it without looking up. She stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I wouldn't need to raise my arm completely to touch her.

Watching her approach, you could tell she held power over everyone she needed to. I felt like a fly next to her, small enough to crush with one finger. I was shaking before her, my eyes dropping desperate anchors into the tiled floor beneath my new, slightly too-small boots.

"What is your reason for owning a mountain pryktian when there are home-bred ones available here?" she asked in a voice that felt too quiet for her.

Grysn took only a moment before answering. "I would like to study her and learn more about their natural behaviors."

I flinched as the woman lifted my newly braided hair, not pulling it but holding it firmly so that I wouldn't be able to tug it away without a great show. She made a noise of consideration. "And do you believe that to be worth the risk?"

"I do."

"Home raised tians are meant to be far less prideful, as well as less dangerous. We can not permit you to bring in a dangerous pryktian, Grysn."

"I- yes, I know." That was the first time I'd heard him stumble over his words, and I wasn't sure what the reason for it was. It worried me.

My braid slipped from her hand, falling back against my shoulder.

She took a step back, her hands once again finding their place behind her. "Will it speak when addressed, or only when it wishes?"

Grysn tensed at her question, perhaps wondering himself if I'd be able to behave after breaking one of the biggest rules he had set. "She will answer when spoken to, Guardian."

"Look at me, young one." Her voice came as loud and distinct as her first address, threatening to throw me off balance.

I was immediate to comply, though my head lifted slowly under the weight of every eye on me. Her golden amber eyes held me prisoner, daring me to glance away at my own peril. I swallowed.

"You have done surprisingly well to hold back. I commend you," she said somewhat softer. Before my mouth was open to reply, she carried on. "But it would be unreasonably fallacious to accost anyone in this circumstance, so perhaps I shouldn't so hastily commend your contingent equanimity. What is your name, girl."

My left eyebrow twitched as I urged my face to remain unchanged. I didn't need to know all of those words to recognize the insult dripping from them. My lips screwed up as I tried to open my mouth with an answer, but it took much longer than expected to manage such a feat. "Naldi," I said, hesitantly, then quickly added, "ma'am."

Her head tilted, almost imperceptibly if not for the slight movement of her hair, as she made another small sound in thought.

Someone on the front stands scoffed, and I had a hunch it was Grysn's father, but couldn't rip my eyes from where they were held hostage to confirm.

"What reasons do you have for coming here, if you indeed came by choice."

I nodded, inadvertently. This was one we had gone over and I felt a bit more confident having an answer ready. I took a breath before answering. "I came in hopes of improving my life, uh, ma'am. Life on the mountain is cruel and difficult. Ma'am." It didn't sound stupid until I said it allowed in a court deciding on my slave status. And while my cheeks burned with the embarrassment of realizing it, the words had come out rather sophisticated sounding, I thought.

This time the tilt was more noticeable, though did little to change her extremely straight posture. "Have you been informed of what kind of life to expect while living in the comfort of our city?"

The city you stole, I wanted to throw back. I took a deep breath, hopeful my face had yet to betray me, though she gave no indication one way or another. Though my eyes ever so swiftly moved over to Grysn and back, as I wondered if he had kept the whole slave thing from me on purpose. I didn't have time to dwell on it, but with the whole 'oh, you can totally trust me with your life and soul, don't worry about any minor details' act, it felt like a vital piece of information to not hold onto.

I nodded before my thoughts drove me any further from an answer. It would really not do well to immediately forget a question I'm asked here. This wasn't school.

"Do you believe this to be a fair arrangement?"

"What?" I asked, taken aback by the question. I hadn't meant to say it, it just came out. I didn't expect that question. From our rehearsal, I hadn't expected to be asked my opinion on the fairness of it.

She moved to look across the people sitting behind me, but when she spoke, her words were still clearly for me to respond to. "I want to know if you feel this is an equitable trade. If you are unsure, it is likely you will regret your choice and end up lashing out, perhaps even kill in an attempt to reclaim the life you left. If that is the case, we can not allow you to live amongst us." Her eyes came back to me suddenly, in what I would call a glare if it didn't feel so quizzical.

If I waited too long on this question, even if I gave the right answer, she would take it as uncertainty. So I nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am. This choice far outweighs the other." And the confidence in my voice was only a little faked. This had been, after all, the freest I'd felt in many years, if not ever. Even if all I had to look forward to was to be some toy for a grayskin and a quick death, it was still better than how life would've been at home in some ways. Besides, I'd come too far. What would I be if I backed out now?

"Perhaps your inherent stubbornness will benefit you in this case." I couldn't fully quirk a brow at that before she stepped to the side and turned herself halfway toward her fellow guardships. "Are there any further questions for the tian?"

Several answered with no more than indignant glances to me, while the rest remained altogether unchanged.

"Very well. The Guardianship will adjourn to discuss."

Shortly after the Guardians exited, Grysn and I were escorted to a small, private waiting room attached to the hearing hall.

I sat in one of the six seats scattered about the room as the door was shut on the two of us, bringing a hush to the crowd's growing volume.

In front of the closed door, Grysn stood, his eyes clearly on me, but I refused to make contact. Refused to acknowledge him at all.

There were so many things I could've said. So many things I wanted to say. And all of it was filling my head, brimming to the edge, threatening to drown me in my own demise if I were to let it overwhelm me.

After a few moments he took a seat next to me, without so much as a huff of exasperation or grunt of disdain.

Just silence.

The quiet between us was a bitter contrast to the cacophony that had erupted outside the humble room.

I had too many thoughts to keep track of and I was losing the ability to maintain whether I was scared or angry or guilt-ridden.

I didn't mean to mess things up so bad. I didn't mean to be in this position to begin with.

"You did well."

My face heated up as my fists tightened on my knees. There wasn't an ounce of sarcasm in his statement. I knew I hadn't done well and the fact he felt the need to patronize me was infuriating.

"Perhaps if I had known what my true purpose was here," I began in an exaggeratedly proper tone to reflect his own, "I would've been better prepared to act the way you'd prefer." I looked over at him then, hoping to seal my sarcasm with a significantly dignified look, but the confusion contorting his features made the mission falter rather immediately.

"What true purpose? We'd discussed all of this."

My respectable manners withered under his words faster than snow on a hot day. "You never said I was your slave! I can't believe I fell for all that pet crap you said."

His head shook slowly as he worked out a response. "I had not realized I'd never told you about that." He paused. "You had called yourself a pet that first night and it fit so well, I can't imagine you as anything else. It's a term they use, but you are far more a pet than a slave to me."

I folded my arms and turned away from him, not willing to give that response. At this point, I wasn't sure if I should deem that statement insulting or gratifying.

"Nal, you've been acting differently all day," he said softly. "The Guardianship has yet to give a ruling and you will need to act appropriately until we have the privacy to discuss this. You are here now, and whether it be slave or pet or anything else, I will keep my word to you."

My eyes dropped with a heavy sigh. The floor of this room held a decent layer of dust in the corners, but was otherwise remarkably clean for a space I doubt was used very often.

I closed my eyes. If he had said slave all those times we'd discussed what I was before, would my decision have been different? Perhaps it would've given me more pause, but...

"Your resentment is understandable," he went on in a softer tone. "We should have discussed the terms of your agreement in much more detail. If it is any reconciliation, I did not purposely withhold that information from you."

I clenched my eyes tighter, bringing stars to my vision for a few moments before finally opening them to refocus on the dust bunnies at the edge of the floors. I was angry. I had every right to be. But I still trusted him. How stupid is that?

I wasn't ready to face him, though. Of course I was going to be a slave. If I had actually thought about it, there would be no other word for it. What difference was there after all? A dog is nothing if not a slave to his master. And if I was to be given warm meals, a roof over my head, activities to do in the day, choices and opinions I was allowed to voice...

Swallowing roughly, I stopped the memories of home from coming too close to the surface. Slave for this grayskin was far better than bedmaiden of Thurnup. What did that say about us? About me? Elevated in status by a damned grayskin.

I put my head in my hands, sniffling but not crying. Grysn remained quiet, allowing me to absorb and feel for the short time I needed to get back into a good frame of mind.

I'm a survivor. I survive. That's all this is. Survival.

I sat up straight in my chair, exhaling long and hard before nodding to myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Grysn's lips shift into the smallest of smiles that quickly left. I glanced over at him to make certain, but he looked away, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

Leaving it at that, I returned to my position regarding the door ahead of us, and we waited together.

"Are there any colors you favor?" he eventually asked when a few minutes went by without interruption.

Through my somewhat cooled temper, the question caught me off guard. He was still turned away from me, perhaps sensing that we were not yet totally back on good terms. "Why?" I replied curtly.

He shrugged and crossed his right leg to rest on his left, in that way only men seemed to be comfortable doing. I tried doing it a few times, after seeing so many other scouts sit in that fashion. It always felt silly to me to have one foot so high off the ground. "I'd like to know so I may get you things you enjoy."

I turned to him, though he remained unmoved. I looked down at the large arms crossed over his chest, then back up at the side of his face, his profile accented by the spackle of white across his cheeks and uneven nose.

Realizing I was staring, I shifted back to face forward, then away from the grayskin. There was very little use for color back home. Dyes were unrealistic for the amount of materials required. Even the Families did not have much color in their clothes and furnishings.

Just another luxury that I now have as my freedom is at once expanded and collapsed altogether.

It was a luxury he did not have to give me, though. Perhaps it was his way of making amends.

Sometimes it felt like this grayskin- this drygson, was truly being kind.

A knock on the door let me know I was out of time.

Grysn rose and took one step before I stood in response and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. He looked down at me with those large, earnest eyes and I had to pull away, sparing myself from allowing him more trust than he deserved. "Purple," I mumbled. "The color when the sun sets."

I barely caught his smile. "But of course you do," he said almost inaudibly as the door opened to a boisterous assembly.

I kept my head down as I followed close behind him back toward our reserved place. The large hall had gone from crowded to near bursting with drygsons. The closer we got to the front, the quieter the room became.

Swallowing my indignation, I kept my head high and eyes low. The worst they could do was kill me, and I was okay with that.

I wasn't about to set this path on fire just yet, though.

We didn't even have time to take our seats before the guardian people filled into the stand and called the room to order.

"Grysn Mulsk," the head of them said, clasping her hands behind her as she remained standing.

His breath caught noticeably in his throat as we waited for her conclusion. I never did well with resigning myself to an unfavorable fate, that was the whole reason I joined the scouts. There was always some way to fight back. After calming myself from the initial shock and anger, I was realistically optimistic about their decision. And dying was better than giving birth, so this was net positive either way, in my opinion.

Grysn, though, seemed far more intent on what my fate may be. His hand clenched and unclenched at his sides as he awaited their decision.

The guardian looked to me in her lengthy pause before returning her attention to Grysn and continued. "This is not a decision to be made in haste. We will not be answering your request to keep this Pryktian at this time." She glanced left and right toward her fellow guards- which is when I noticed the one Grysn had mentioned relation to was missing from the stands.

I stared at the one empty seat, my head slowly tilting until she continued her speech and I promptly bowed my head once more.

"While a few voice valid concerns, our majority would like to see how this tian responds. It has been decades since we last saw a pryktian from the mountain, and it would be greatly fortuitous to find their kind to have grown less aggressive and supercilious. Thus we have reached the conclusion that in three weeks time we will employ an expert to assess her behavior and adjustment, and with that counsel, we will form our verdict."

Utter silence took hold of the venue as I, like every other in attendance, took a moment to fully comprehend the statements given. There was too much in her words for me to instantly find one piece to dissect. Decades? Aggressive? And expert? And had she called us silly?

To my side, Grysn's knuckles were turning white, now clenching his fists tightly to the point there was a barely visible shake to them. Surely this was good news, right? I couldn't understand why he wasn't relieved.

The quiet fell away as murmuring amongst the crowd quickly grew.

"Expect notice from us within the next few days for an assessment date."

And with that, the meeting was adjourned.