The large city was finally in front of us… and to be honest, as excited as I should be to finally get to rest and relax… I was anything but.

I was now worrisomely nervous.

My stomach knotted and complained, and not because of a lack of food. Vim had let us stop this morning at one of the small inns along the road, and so I knew my stomach ache wasn’t from hunger.

“Don’t stress,” Vim said.

We were walking side by side, and I was glad that the road had gotten a little larger. We were now just two of many on the road. Carts, horses, and people came and went. If the road had been the same size as the one we were on a day ago, I’d not be able to walk next to Vim as I was.

“How can I not?” I asked.

“Do you have something to stress about?” he asked me.

“That’s the problem, I don’t know,” I said honestly.

Vim raised an eyebrow and nodded, as if he somehow understood my meaning.

I wanted to voice more complaints, but decided against it. Vim already knew full well what I was worrying about, and at this point didn’t seem to be wasting any time worrying about it.

Either he’d find I was innocent, or I’d die.

To him it was that simple.

Just as simple as killing those men.

I flinched and closed my eyes as an odd ache ran throughout my body… sourced from my stomach. It even gurgled a little, as if hungry.

“Need to relieve yourself?” Vim asked, a little too naturally.

“No,” I said simply. This wasn’t that kind of issue.

“Hm…” Vim didn’t seem convinced, but said nothing more.

Groaning a little, I wondered why this was bothering me so much.

Even when I had taken the letters to Vim I hadn’t felt this bad. Worried, yes. Scared, sure… but this…

This felt as if I was not only going to die or get hurt, but that something horrible was going to happen.

Something unfix-able. Something wrong.

Glancing at the one who was most likely the main cause of these strange emotions and feelings, I tried to focus on his hands.

They looked normal. A little calloused, which was normal for men. Especially since most worked hard labor. If anything they looked a little… too untouched. Most men in today’s age didn’t just have calluses, but had old injuries. Missing fingers, or scars from chunks of skin being torn or scraped off. Fishermen especially had such hands.

Yet he had no such scars or wounds. At least, none I could see from just a glance.

Which when I took into account his true age, and his true profession…

Gulping a dry mouth, I looked away from his hands when he glanced at me. He said nothing, but I knew he had noticed.

He always noticed such things.

Blinking heavy eyes, I for a moment saw the scene again.

Men charging at us. Naked men, on top of it.

Then I saw them dying. One by one.

I could kill a man. I have. But I wasn’t proficient at it.

Nor was I used to it.

Vim hadn’t just killed those men; he had done so with precision and… surety.

After seeing him kill those men, I knew now that his title wasn’t just for show.

The man next to me was as deadly as could be.

“What’s wrong?” Vim asked.

Without turning my head, I looked at him. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the odd look on his face. It was worry.

Worry for me.

Somehow that made me worry for myself even more.

“You’re terrifying,” I said honestly.

For a small moment Vim didn’t say anything, but then he smirked. “I know,” he said plainly.

“Guh,” I made an odd noise as I looked away from him.

Ruvindale was nearby. I could almost smell the fish already… and the pigs.

This side was where that supposed butcher house was. The one that supplied the whole town.

How many pigs did that take? For it to smell so strong? To feed this many people?

How many a day?

It was an odd thought. A distracting thought. A thought that I focused on, in hopes of distracting me from the terror filled ones lingering at the corners of my mind.

It almost worked.

“I’ll take you to an inn. Then I’ll go to the Sleepy Artist,” Vim then said as we neared the large gate of Ruvindale. It was one of only two gates I knew of. And this side had more walls than the other did. Some parts, like the section to the west, didn't have a wall at all yet. Though I had heard they were planned to be built soon.

“Okay,” I said, unable to say anything else.

“You’ve been banished, Renn. So you can’t go near that building anymore. If you leave the inn, you’re free to venture throughout the town but you need to stay away from there. Just don’t go near that road at all, okay?” Vim’s voice was low, but firm.

He wasn’t asking.

“Okay,” I said with a nod.

As we got closer to the gate, I heard the sound of the city begin to grow stronger. The sounds were muffled, thanks to the great walls around it… and the gate was surprisingly not busy.

Two guards stood at attention as we neared, and I wondered if I’d be forced to pay a fee again.

It had cost me a single renk to leave Ruvindale, on my departure a week ago.

“Greetings,” one of the guards nodded his head as we drew near.

“May the Lord bless you,” Vim said to him.

“And you also!” the guard said as we passed.

I nodded my head at the two guards, who nodded back with smiles… neither of them impeded us as we entered Ruvindale.

Staying close to Vim, I frowned and wondered why we hadn’t been stopped. Not only had they wanted a fee to leave last time, they had wanted to see the inside of my bag.

“You alright?” Vim asked, slowing his pace as he noticed my stare.

“They didn’t charge us to enter,” I said.

“Ah. Yes it’s free to enter, but you must pay to leave,” he said.

“Really…? Why to leave?” I asked.

“Because they hope you can’t afford to leave, of course,” Vim said.

I didn’t like that at all.

“What inn did you stay in when you came here last time?” Vim then asked.

“I stayed at the Harbor Inn,” I said.

“Of course you did,” Vim said.

“It wasn’t that bad,” I said.

“No. But it’s also the most expensive. That’s a merchant’s inn,” he said.

“Oh… I see,” I said. Merchant inns were more expensive? Wouldn’t a merchant stay where it was the cheapest, to save the most money?

“Not everything is profit and loss,” he said, most likely noticing my thoughts.

“Ah…” I nodded, a little disturbed over the fact that he could read me so easily.

Following Vim down the road, I somehow felt a little… happy, to see the town again.

The familiar black stone everywhere was… calming. Even if the town seemed to stink a little more than I remembered it being.

“This way,” Vim guided me down a street I didn’t recognize, and I wondered if he was going to take me to that inn that was near the butcher’s house. The one I had been told stank.

If it smelled worse than this, than I now understood why that was so.

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As we walked, I noticed the many people out and about. Most were working, as usual here in Ruvindale… but a few were just leisurely strolling around. Some kids were running around too, chasing one another.

While passing people, I nearly panicked each time I saw someone new.

After all, this was Ruvindale.

Lughes or Crane could be anywhere.

I really, really, didn’t want to run into them here and now…

Rounding a corner, we came to a street that was a little cleaner than most. It still stunk, but this road had a strong smell of burning wood and ash. Fireplaces.

These buildings were homes, mostly.

Not too far down the road was a medium sized sign. The only letters upon it spelled out our destination, “Inn,” and nothing else.

This inn wasn’t the one I had thought it was going to be. It was only two stories, and… kind of small looking.

None of the buildings around us looked to be a slaughterhouse… plus, although I still smelled the pigs nearby, the stank wasn’t as strong. So this wasn’t the one I had been told about.

Walking into the building behind Vim, the first thing I noticed was the warm air. I was a little shocked as I tried to control my breathing. The air didn’t stink, but it was warm. A little too warm.

Two large fireplaces were the cause, and they were roaring. By the look and sound of the flames, they had just fed the fire with logs.

A pair of women sat in front of the fireplace, talking to one another. Another table was nearby, where a man and woman sat. They stared at us as we entered. Other than them, the only other person here was an old man behind a counter.

While I followed Vim to a small counter in a corner, I watched as he approached the older man who sat behind it.

He looked calm. I had honestly expected Vim to want to go to the Sleepy Artist right away.

I had expected him to tell me to go find an inn, and he’d be off.

“Only room left is in the corner. Single bed,” the old man said, his eyes lingered on me.

“How much for a week?” Vim asked the old man.

“Ten renk,” the old man barely moved as he took the coins from Vim.

Once the coins disappeared into the old man’s pocket, a flat key was tossed onto the counter. Vim took it with a nod, and then turned and headed for the nearby stairs.

Heading upstairs with Vim, I noticed the steps were a little worn down. Half of them were angular, because of the wear.

Looking away from the worn floorboards that the stairs led to, I studied the hallway as we headed to the last door on the right. It honestly didn’t look much different than the one in the Harbor Inn. A little older, maybe… but it wasn’t worse enough to justify the difference in price.

If I remembered correctly it had been twenty five for five days… but that had also included meals.

Standing still as Vim opened the door, I was about to follow him into the room… but instead he turned to look at me.

I stepped back a step, simply because it looked like he was going to talk to me… and I didn’t want to stand too close as he did. It felt weird to be so close to him when we spoke to one another.

“Here,” he held out a cupped hand, and I noticed the coins within.

I accepted the handful of coins, mixed of renk and penk, and then looked up at him.

“I’m going to check on everyone. You can get food either here or elsewhere if you’d like. I’m sure you know most of this town well enough to not get lost,” Vim said.

Gulping, I glanced into the room. It looked dark inside, for some reason… even though the shutters on the window were open wide and it was sunny. “Uhm…” I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Remember. Don’t go near the Sleepy Artist,” Vim said.

I nodded.

“But also don’t leave. I’ll come back once I can,” he said.

I nodded again.

He began to step around me, as to leave… obviously feeling like all that needed to be said had been… but then he stopped.

Thanks to his movement, we were close to one another again. But this time I had no more room to back up. I’d walk into the wall if I tried again.

“Do not worry, Renn. I believe in your innocence,” he said to me.

Blinking at his… oddly sudden offer of comforting words, I wondered what to say to him.

He nodded, as if to tell me he was being genuine. But he didn’t need to. I could tell he was.

Not only had his tone been gentle, so had his eyes. They were looking at me like…

Well… like he had looked at Lomi.

“Okay,” I said softly.

He nodded again, and then glanced into the room. “Seems dreary, but it is fine. I’ve stayed here many times. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said.

Then with that he stepped around me and left.

Watching him go, I watched as he became… blurry.

I allowed my eyes to fill with tears, especially since I knew he’d not turn around and see me allowing it to happen.

Once he stepped into the stairwell and disappeared, I stepped into the room.

The air inside the room wasn’t as hot, which I was somewhat thankful for. Warmth was precious, but sometimes hot was too hot.

Closing the door behind me, I was glad to find that just like the Harbor Inn, there was a large wooden beam that I could use to lock the door.

This one though, was a little thicker, and not sanded down. I put it on the metal latches that had been nailed to the wall.

It clunked, and I realized it wasn’t hollow. Chances were it was quite heavy. Something that other women of my size, or rather human women, would have struggled with.

Once the door was handled I went to checking the rest of the room. I had somewhat been hoping that a painting, from the Sleepy Artist, would have been here… but there wasn’t. The walls weren’t bare however.

A giant rug had been hung on the eastern wall. Over the large bed. The tapestry had an odd design on it, one I didn’t recognize at all… but it was pretty. The rug was made out of some kind of thick wool and was dyed reds and yellows.

Studying it for a moment, I was glad for the distraction. My stomach wasn’t knotting as bad as it was earlier, but I still felt… a little…

While thinking of my aching stomach, I realized I should probably check to make sure where the bathroom was. Just in case my stress turned into an actual issue later.

About to leave the room to go find it, I paused right before lifting the wooden bar off the door.

There was no need to go check. Right next to the bedroom door, was another door. And within it was a…

“Of course,” I said, staring down at a large empty bucket. Another bucket, a little smaller, was next to it. Full of water.

Closing the door to the small bathroom, I sighed and hoped my issues would remain simple stress.

Although the buckets were clean, I could tell by the sight of them that they were old. They’ve been used here for years.

That was a nasty thought.

There had been only one bathroom at the Harbor Inn, but at least it had been an actual bathroom.

“No complaining,” I told myself.

Walking the room, I checked the drawers and dressers. They were all empty, of course, but luckily were also empty of bugs and rodents.

The bed too, seemed clean. It felt like it was just many large pelts sewn together, but I neither saw nor smelled anything wrong with it. No bugs, or… gross stuff.

Old. Worn… but clean.

“Ho!” a loud voice drew my attention to the window. Glancing at the window, I was surprised to see the familiar brown brick that most of the buildings here were made of. The sight made my heart hurt, since…

“The same view, yet not,” I said. Peering out it, I found that the window opened to a back alley. One where workers were carrying boxes of goods. I wasn’t able to tell which building they were carrying them to, but wherever it was… was definitely busy. More than a dozen men were in a line, hauling items.

I retreated from the window, and closed the shutters. Although interesting, and a good distraction… I really wasn’t in the mood to watch men hauling boxes.

Walking back towards the other side of the room, I realized I was going to have to calm myself down. Even if forcefully.

With a huff, I decided to just take a nap. For all I knew Vim would be hours, if not the whole night. He might not even return for a day or two. After all he had paid for a week here.

I’d not be allowed back into the Sleepy Artist. Vim made it very clear I wasn’t to even go near it.

He didn’t say anything about me not being allowed to walk around the city, but…

The mere thought of seeing Crane or Lughes out and about was enough to devastate me.

If I saw them… even at a distance… I’d probably break. Then I’d spend the next few nights crying myself to sleep.

Because of that I decided long before we got here that I’d just stay in the inn. In the room.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and be able to sleep through this whole event, and leave before I knew it. So this could all just become a… distant memory.

Untying the little strap on my pants, to let my tail have enough room to come free… I stretched it out. Shivering at the relief, I sighed and wished I didn’t have to hide it so painfully all the time.

Taking my hat off, I scratched behind my right ear. My ears weren’t as strained when hidden under the hat, thanks to how much room I had inside the hat, but they too were still… stiff and ached a little.

While scratching my ears, I heard an odd sound. I stopped scratching, since I could have sworn it had sounded like something had fallen right outside the room and…

Yes something heavy was bouncing down the hall.

Frowning, I wondered what happened. I didn’t hear anyone in the hallway, nor had I heard any doors open. Maybe something had fallen? But from my memory I couldn’t think of anything big enough to sound that heavy being in the hallway. In fact, there hadn’t even been anything in the hallway to fall like so. No tables or fixtures or…

Then something hit the bedroom door.

Jumping back, I focused entirely on the door as it rammed against the wooden beam.

With my heart in my throat, I watched it burst open. Sending wooden splinters, and metal fragments into the room.

A man stepped in, and I felt the hairs all over my body stand up as blood began to pump through my veins.

I stepped forward. To face the attacker. To stand my ground and defend myself. I couldn’t understand how they had broken into the room so easily, but there was no way I’d just let them do as they pleased.

But the attacker didn’t charge at me. The man instead turned and closed the door behind him, closing it almost as loudly as it had sounded when he broke through it. Once the door was closed, I hurriedly glanced to the ground. To where the wooden bar had flown to.

Maybe I’d be able to use that as a weapon.

Holding the hat in my hand, I stared at the wooden bar. It hadn’t snapped, but the iron clasps that had held it in place had. The door he had nearly slammed behind him was closed, but there was now a visible gap between it and the frame. He had torqued the door… and… he…

“Vim…?” I was barely able to ask.

It was Vim. He was back already. It had only been a few minutes!

Somehow though, even though it should have calmed me down to realize it was him… I didn’t feel any relief yet.

Was this it?

“We have a problem,” Vim said.

The seriousness of his tone, and the very obvious rage hiding beneath this calm face made my heart nearly stop.

I instinctively stepped backward, and my leg hit the edge of the bed. With a somewhat blank mind, I fell back and sat down on the bed. My hat which I had been clinging to flew off, landing a few feet from him.

Feeling a little dumb, I remained seated in case I fell forward or back onto the bed.

Was it my entire fault in the end? Was I really going to die after all this? Or get banished entirely from the Society?

Tears welled up as Vim reached up and rubbed his forehead, and for the first time I saw not just anger…

But actual exhaustion.

“What happened?” I asked. There was no way he’d be this distraught over having to banish or kill me.

“The building has been seized by the Lord’s Office,” Vim said.

“Building… the Sleepy Artist?” I asked.

He nodded, and stepped towards me. I sat up even straighter, which I hadn’t thought possible, and went completely still. Instead of approaching me, or killing me, Vim instead stepped to the right… and began to pace.

Watching him step towards the wall, turn and step to head to the door… I watched the protector of the Society slowly grow upset as he began to pace around in the small room.

If I wasn’t the cause, then I pitied whoever was.

“The building’s been condemned. Boarded up. Seized. The note on the door says because of criminal activity,” Vim said, speaking lowly. Not because he wanted to whisper, and keep it quiet… but…

“What… where’s everyone else?” I asked.

Vim came to a sudden stop, and my tail went still.

“Let’s go,” he then said, turning to look at me.

“H…huh?” I shivered, since his eyes were cold.

“Come on,” he ordered.

Hurrying to obey, I inwardly groaned as my stomach began to hurt again.

I knew something bad was going to happen!