“He’s still there,” the woman giggled to her friend as they headed away from me and down the hallway.

I ignored the two, not just because they were harmless… but because I was in no mood to even glance at the human women who kept walking past me, in an attempt to get me to talk to them.

“Wonder why Herra said he’s taken?” the one not giggling asked.

“She’s just trying to claim him,” the giggling one whispered.

The two continued their gossip as they headed farther down the hallway, heading towards the bank. I was just barely able to block out their opinions of my face, and body. I wasn’t in the mood to hear their compliments, nor their minor insults.

No mood at all.

Across from the hall the gossiping humans were heading down, was another. One that led to the depot. Behind me, somewhat smaller and plainer without rugs or paintings, was the hallway that led to one of the Society Doors. They all met together, here where I sat, and before me was the biggest of them. The hallway that led to Gerald’s office.

I could just barely make out his office down the hall. Thanks to the lanterns and the way the hallway angled just a tad, I was able to tell where it was simply because I knew where it was. The door opened inward into the office, so I wasn’t able to see the door nor the door frame around it… thanks to us having built it recessed into the wall a little.

Such doors looked fancier, and was something not seen in this part of the world.

Taking a small breath, I ignored the scent of the one approaching behind me. Pierre walked up behind me slowly, and rounded me a little more than he really needed to. He nodded at me, and waited until I nodded back before he smiled and spoke, “It’s been a long while since I’ve seen you on guard like this,” he said.

“Hm… when was the last time?” I asked him.

Pierre frowned, as if surprised I couldn’t remember. “Forty odd years ago, I suppose. When you brought Sally here,” he said.

Ah. Yes.

“Sally,” I nodded.

“Sally. Though… that is why I came to find you,” Pierre coughed a little, and glanced around. Once he was sure no one else was nearby, or even within earshot, he stepped a little closer and lowered his voice. “Monroe passed away this morning.”

I blinked, and although wasn’t surprised at all to hear the news… I was still a little shocked.

Surprised because I had completely forgotten about that human, since so much had been happening lately.

“I see. Does he have anyone to handle his remains?” I asked. If not I would handle it.

“We can’t leave, of course, so Lawrence has gotten a group of humans we can trust to handle it. He’ll be buried next to Sally,” Pierre said.

I nodded; glad… yet not, to hear it. He deserved to be buried by one of us, not people who didn’t or couldn’t understand what he had sacrificed. Let alone what his wife had given up, for him and all of us.

But it wasn’t Pierre’s fault, or anyone else’s. They had voted, and that vote still stood as law.

No one was allowed to leave.

Well, technically I could. I was not bound by such laws… but…

That would defeat the whole purpose.

“Just figured you should know,” Pierre said as he nodded.

“Yes. Thank you. I had said goodbye to him, not long ago. He paid his dues,” I said.

Pierre nodded in agreement. “Him and Sally both.”

Yes. They both had.

Pierre turned and left, heading back down the hallway he had come from. He really had come just to tell me the news.

As he left an older woman approached from the depot. She was carrying a small binder, probably ledgers headed to Lawrence’s office. “Oh? Still sitting Mr. Vim?” she asked.

I nodded. “I make a good statue,” I said.

She laughed at me as she passed me by, and headed towards the bank. I knew she’d not reach the bank however, and instead take a right not too far from here. To head down the stairs to reach Lawrence’s office.

As she left, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. An odd kind of movement, which drew my eyes to it.

I found Renn, just a small part of her face at least, as she peered at me from around a corner not too far down the hallway that led to the depot. She stared at me for a moment, and I noticed she was now wearing the leather hat Lellip had made her. Not a hat of the Animalia Company.

She didn’t stare at me long, and turned away. She didn’t step out into the hallway, which told me she had left.

That hadn’t been the first time she had peered at me, but it was becoming more common.

I had been sitting here for a few days. Today was the third. She started staring at me from the end of the first.

Although she hadn’t said it, nor had anyone else told me… I knew she was frustrated.

Renn most likely wanted to suggest to me that she wanted to be used as bait. To lure out the predator who was stalking her.

I couldn’t however, even if I wanted to do so as well. I couldn’t since they had all voted against it. No one here had been willing to endanger or sacrifice Renn for their own safety.

She hopefully didn’t take it the wrong way, since it did not mean they didn’t trust her. Far from it. It meant the opposite. It meant she was seen as a genuine, in full, member of the Society. She was as cherished as the rest.

Some time went by without anyone else walking down the hallways, and I watched a few people come and go from Gerald’s office. Brom entered, and then left. He like his sister were now carrying their spears around at all times. It gleamed a little as he headed out of Gerald’s office, heading back towards the main entrance lobby. The gleam told me he had been keeping it clean and possibly even polished.

He was odd like that.

A depot worker walked by, only nodding at me as he did so. I recognized him from the previous days I’d been sitting here. Out of all the humans who walked past me, he’d been one of the very few who didn’t seem bothered or concerned over me at all. He either didn’t care at all about what I was doing, or believed I was doing something particular. Maybe he thought I was being punished, or committing some strange audit.

“Want a real chair, Vim?” Brandy asked as she walked up to me. She had been walking with a pair of human women, but those two left us alone as they hurried to the bank.

“Why would I?” I asked. The small chair I sat on was more than fine.

“That’s a footstool, not a real chair,” she noted.

“It’s working,” I said.

“You look uncomfortable,” she said.

Stolen story; please report.

“You’re making me feel uncomfortable, if anything,” I said to her. I felt fine. It was just a stool, but it wasn’t a very low one. My knees weren’t too oddly pointed while I sat, nor was it too small for me. I honestly felt fine sitting on it.

Brandy shrugged at me. “Fine. Gerald received a formal letter from a small guild of southern merchants declaring economic war. They plan to outbid our guild in any and all opportunities on shipping spices or ores from the south dunes,” Brandy said.

“Those people will pour out their treasuries to win such a war,” I told her.

She nodded. “They would. And will. I plan to intentionally ship as much ores as I can to force their bankruptcy,” she said.

I wanted to glare at her, but instead stared down the hall that she had come from. To Gerald’s office. Renn had walked into the hallway for a moment, but then hurried into Gerald’s office.

“Did we not a few years ago eliminate a few merchant families from the dune kingdom?” I asked her.

She nodded and frowned. “We did. About… well, almost twenty years ago I guess. Why?”

“They remember that stuff, Brandy. Those people down there have long memories. If you destroy too many families, rightfully or not, the kings and lords of that nation will begin to notice. They won’t wage war with coins,” I warned her.

Brandy smirked at me, and shifted a little. For a tiny moment my eyes left the hallway in front of me, to her. I didn’t like that smirk on her face, it only meant trouble. For me, mostly.

“What?” I asked her. Nothing I had said had been wrong.

“You’re right. Like always. I just wish sometimes you wouldn’t be so…” she shrugged, as if not wanting or sure on how to finish her statement.

“I wasn’t saying not to do so, Brandy. Just a level headed warning, was all,” I said.

She nodded. “I know. I’ll bring your warning up to Gerald and the rest. You are right… We also destroyed a few others not too long after we made this place, too. Remember those ships? The red ones?” she asked.

Yes. I did now. “Even more reason to solve this war peacefully,” I said.

“Possibly. I’ll sit with them and we’ll talk about it. Though… you had done most of that one, Vim. What had it been? Five ships?” She asked.

Seven. “Who can remember?” I lied.

“Sure, sure… Also, not to change the subject too much, but did you know Renn and Merit have become close with one another?” Brandy asked.

“I have. Or well, I suspected as much. Merit’s seemed oddly protective of Renn,” I said.

Brandy nodded as she crossed her arms. A feat, considering her chest. “Indeed. Wonder how she did it. Merit still won’t talk to me unless needed.”

“You tried to sell her to a king, Brandy. You can do such things with me, but most others would find that very troubling,” I said.

She smirked and waved at me, as if I had said something silly. “Please Vim! I’d not get anything for you, so why bother trying!”

I smiled and nodded, though I had somewhat hoped to have finally heard an apology from her instead. Should have known.

“Hm… Well, I’ll go back to work. Don’t collect too much dust, Vim, else the humans will start dusting you too,” Brandy said as she stepped away.

“Dust. Sure.”

As if.

After Brandy left, I noticed Renn peering at me from Gerald’s office. She frowned at me, and before I could smile back at her she stopped leaning out into the hallway and went back into Gerald’s office.

I huffed, and wondered what she was doing. It was adorable, and made me want to go up to her… but I couldn’t. I’d not leave this seat until…

Well…

“Thirsty?”

I blinked and turned my head. A young woman, in the black attire of a banker, was holding out a small cup to me. She had a tinge of a red blush on her dark skinned face, and I gently smiled and took the offered cup. “Thanks,” I said as I took what seemed to be fresh juice.

Her blush deepened, and before I could say or do anything more she turned and ran off. Her flat shoes sounded odd on the rug she ran down, as she headed back to the bank.

Watching her go, I wondered why humans were so odd sometimes.

Looking into the cup, I took a small sniff before drinking it. Not that I really doubted the woman, but…

“She’s a newer hire. A family hire. Her mother had worked under Sofia for many years.”

As I took a drink, I turned to Lawrence. He had a familiar binder tucked under his arm, and was standing next to me with a frown.

“Hard to hide our people, Lawrence, when you allow multiple generations to work amongst us,” I warned him.

“She’s one of the good ones. You very likely don’t remember, but you and Sally had saved her mother. When she had first joined us. Likely the reason she uh… well,” Lawrence shrugged, but I knew what he was implying.

“I see…” I tried to remember who he was talking about, but couldn’t. Sally and I had saved her mother? Likely. Sally saved a lot of humans… and I had been alongside her on a few of those instances.

It wasn’t often our kind actively tried to save and help humans. It was why I tried to support those who did, since it was rare.

“Renn reminds me of her. Though, not as pretty. But that might just be my own opinion,” Lawrence said.

Raising an eyebrow at that, I wondered what he found unpleasing about Renn. Sally had been beautiful, but I’d not put her above Renn in any fashion.

“Rather than wanting to save all humans, I’d more so say Renn likes to simply help those she can when she can,” I said.

Lawrence nodded. “Definitely. Part of the reason I came to find you. All of the eastern women are now at the Eastern Embassy,” he said.

The little cup in my hand made a weird noise as I squeezed it a little too tightly. Thankfully it didn’t break or shatter. It was just a common cup, found in any of the break rooms inside the company, but it was still half full.

“Already?” I asked. Had it not just been a few days ago the small group had left?

Lawrence nodded. “Lamp and the rest came back this morning, they were very adamant that the embassy was safe. Lamp however, made it very clear to me and Renn that she’ll be back. As soon as the rest of the girls are situated, she will return. She might also bring a few others with her, by the sounds of it,” Lawrence said.

I sighed.

“Oh? I thought you’d be glad to hear it,” Lawrence said.

“I should be, shouldn’t I?” I wondered.

“Yet not. Why?”

“Humans are heavy baggage. Especially for those like Renn. Like Sally,” I said.

“Ah…” Lawrence nodded, fully understanding.

Staring at the liquid in my little cup, I wondered what I could do or say to Renn to keep her from becoming too attached to Lamp and her people.

Maybe that was why Renn was staring at me lately. Maybe she wanted to come up and talk to me about Lamp and the rest.

“We need those kinds of humans, Vim. Especially here,” Lawrence said softly.

I nodded. “I know. How could I be upset over finding those we can call friends?” I asked him.

“Upset? You? Vim… please, don’t insult yourself. When’s the last time you actually got upset at humans?” he asked.

“Just now?”

Lawrence scoffed. “Sure. Even though they still live, and my shoes aren’t soaked with blood. Sure, I believe you.”

I rolled my eyes as I took another drink. Did he think I hated humans that much? Sometimes I did, but lately not.

“Honestly I have more pressing concerns,” I said after I drank the rest of my cup.

“Yet, Vim, the world goes on. Danger or not,” he said, and then held out his hand.

Staring at his open palm, I sighed and then handed him my empty cup. He took it carefully, as if it was precious.

“Thanks, I suppose,” I told him.

“Hm.” Lawrence nodded, and then turned and headed down the main hall.

While Lawrence left, Tosh walked up to me. I sat up a little straighter as he walked towards me, and I wondered if…

He stepped up to my left, and with his blank eyes… while staring lifelessly at the floor before him, he reached over and patted me on my shoulder.

Staring at his blank expression, Tosh’s hand slowly left my shoulder… falling limply to his side, and then he walked onward. Heading behind me, down the hall towards the society door.

As he walked away, I couldn’t help but smile.

So he was making progress.

Good.

Even if it would take hundreds of years, I’d be more than willing to wait to talk to my old friend.

Feeling a little happy over Tosh’s little act of compassion, I sat alone and without a word as the world continued on around me. People came and went. Workers hurried past. Some tried to talk to me, others ignored me. A few Society members went by, smiling or nodding at me, while others stopped for a moment to tell me about stuff that had happened. Things like the king of Lumen coming into the bank again, asking about Renn. Or the depot having to shut down because a horse actually went limp, and had to be hauled away.

The day continued in such a fashion until the dreary, dark world outside became even darker. The rain had stopped, but the thunder clouds still remained. Looming over the city threateningly. But the night was here. The wind was picking up, and the hallways were starting to darken.

As workers entered the hallways, to light the lamps and lanterns, Merit walked out of Gerald’s office. She headed straight for me, and I frowned as she approached.

She looked upset…

And Renn was now staring at me again, as she peered out of Gerald’s office at us.

They had all been in there? All this time? Merit too?

Merit really had taken a liking to Renn.

As Merit got closer, I realized she was glaring and frowning at me. She really was upset.

Brandy had wanted to know how Renn had done it… well…

Me too.