w0z walks down a hallway, passing by very few others.
it's not too busy here.
it's nice.
they give a small wave to someone who passed by and offered a casual smile, but beside that, they had been left alone all day.
today is a special day.
they don't want anything to ruin it.
they made an appointment here weeks in advance, managing to squeeze it in between a political trip to Arcus and a bunch of business meetings back home in Talsam.
having just returned home, w0z was ready to relax. no posturing for uppity folk or putting on fake smiles for seedy business ventures, it was time for something they wanted.
today was for them.
this place is so
normal
just offices belonging to all sorts of folk doing their own personal businesses. therapy, accounting, yoga, there was also a big cooking class on the bottom floor they passed by that looked like fun.
fun.
the hall curves around a corner, and w0z finds themself at the door they were looking for. a name plate on the door reads, "Amna."
w0z mutters the name quietly, practicing saying it. it feels nice to say, but w0z thinks it's also sort of a mouthful for such a short name. the kanooki inhales, and exhales as they shake out their arms along with their worries. what is there to worry about? they don't need to worry about who they are. here, they aren't Talsam's ambassador for Arcus, mor leader of the greed district, nor are they in charge of designing the city's infrastructural artificial intelligence systems.
no. today they are normal. just your average everyday nobody.
"nobody" arrives at Amna's room. She is a Baku mixed with a Clover Lamb. The room is cloudy and full of an aroma that - while pleasant - stings the senses a bit. w0z's eye blinks a few times as their face scrunches up. they feel as though they are about to sneeze...
...
... but the moment passes. it actually feels nice, like a little shock to their olfactory senses to flush through them, clearing them out and making way for fresher breaths of air.
Amna stares at w0z for a moment. "Right on time."
w0z slowly nods, entering and closing the door behind them.
"Before we start, we should talk." Amna was looking w0z over, taking their appearance in.
"yeah, sure thing!" w0z smiles.
w0z began to talk.
and talk
and talk
and talk
they talk about their dreams they've been having, talking about how abnormal they have been and how they usually involve being chased or hunted, and sometimes even eaten by some big monster, or someone they know.
there are more dreams, some nightmares. it becomes readily apparent that w0z had been looking forward this with all these thoughts they've been having about their dreams.
"Pardon me," Amna interjects. "I feel your enthusiasm, but I require we take things slowly."
w0z pauses for a moment and nods. "of course, no, yeah. sorry about that." they rub their arm, looking about the room.
Amna just continues to glance over w0z. she is silent otherwise. she continues peering for some time.
for w0z it feels like an eternity. they fidget, they become aware of their own breathing. and soon they cannot stand it any longer. "...sorry- can i help you? is something wrong?" w0z asks with a bit of a chuckle to calm their nerves.
"Why are you glamoured?" Amna asks calmly.
"wha?" w0z blinks. "glamoured??"
Amna points to w0z's ears. "Your appearance is altered. In the contract you agreed that you would not be in a disguise."
w0z blinked again, looking up at their screws that in truth held their appearance in place. "oh. no, see, this is how i always look. yeah, i'm altering it with magic but this is how i choose to look."