Ikubi

Ikubi's azure blue cap is a defiant speck of sky in a city of blinding gold spires. It was a gift, woven from river reeds and dyed with crushed berries by a street artisan's child. Ikubi, a palace guard, had simply returned a dropped wooden doll, expecting nothing in return. But the next day, the child presented the cap. Their superiors scoffed at the unprofessional attire, a childish smudge against the polished crimson and white marble of the capital. Ikubi just smiled their poker-faced smile and kept wearing it. Now, their patrol route is the safest in the city, not because of their spear, but because a network of children watch for them, eager to see the flash of blue and share a secret wave.