Once again Vim was doing something incredible.

I walked a little behind him and Fly, watching them silently. Vim was walking slowly, and held Fly’s hand with a gentle surety. The type that would almost make one see a father, or older brother… A man who cherished the one next to him.

A protector.

How did he do that for someone he didn’t know? How did he so purely exude that aura of a guardian for her… even when she wasn’t a member just yet?

Did he look like this with me? With the others? Somehow I was sure he did, and should… but…

“What are those?” Fly asked as she stopped walking. She pointed upward, to one of the colorful lamps.

“A lamp… To illuminate the hallway as to see better,” Vim explained calmly.

“It burns but doesn’t,” Fly said as she looked away from the lamp and to Vim.

I watched as Vim turned to study the young girl. I felt my ears twitch as I watched the man who rarely showed too much vivid emotion suddenly get rather concerned.

I stepped forward, as to find out why Vim looked like he did, but there was no reason to.

Vim knelt down a little, causing Fly to step backward. Their hands still remained connected, so she wasn’t able to get too far away… but her arm was now outstretched and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’re very observant. How did you notice?” Vim asked her.

“Huh…? Well… I don’t smell anything burning…” Fly glanced around, to me and then to the lanterns again.

“I see… Here, let me show you,” Vim reached over, and the girl yelped as he lifted her up by the waist.

Fly struggled for a small moment, her feathers making odd sounds as her many layers of coats fluttered. “Wait…” she complained, but Vim ignored her.

Her struggling ceased as Vim lifted her up high enough to let her see the lantern up close. She went still as she stared down, into the opening of the top of the lamp.

I stepped forward, and watched in awe as I watched utter shock and bewilderment covered her face.

What did she see?

“How…?” She whispered.

“A forgotten secret. Kind of like us,” Vim said.

Tearing my eyes away from Fly’s face as she reached over to touch the lamp, I looked at Vim. He was holding her up with a strange smile on his face. A smile of…

Happiness? Was that what that expression meant? It was gentle. Yet there was a smirk in there too and…

“Like us…” Fly whispered.

He let her study it for a few moments longer, and then finally lowered her back to the ground.

When her feet returned to the ground, I was half tempted to step up for my turn. I now wanted to see inside them too.

Yet I couldn’t… since Fly grabbed his hand again and nodded.

Vim nodded back but before returning to walking down the hallway he glanced at me. He gave me a smile, one similar to the one he had just given her.

I gulped at the sight of it, and then watched as Vim and Fly turned as to head deeper into the Society Housing.

I wanted to grumble a complaint, but knew better than to actually do so.

While I waited for Vim and Fly to gain a little more distance between us, I glanced up at the lantern that Fly had studied.

It was weird. I had noticed such a thing before too… but I hadn’t realized they were so special.

She had noticed immediately. By smell alone…

Closing my eyes, I took a small breath.

I smelled the Society. This building. It smelled of cold stone.

There was the hint of metal too… the gold and silver kind. From the bank, and those who worked within it.

Then there was the scent of food, of course… and burning wood and coal…

I could smell the others too. Some of our members, like Merit, had unique scents. Ones I’d never smelled before coming here. They were noticeable because of how unique they were, and I knew I'd forever be able to recognize them anywhere.

Yet not the smell of burning oil or a candle.

Opening my eyes, I glared at the lantern.

How had I not noticed before? Sure there were lots of smells here, and some stronger than others… but the lack of oil or a candle burning should have been something I noticed earlier than now.

Deciding to put the thoughts away, I went to follow Vim and Fly, they were getting ready to round a corner and into one of the main hallways of bedrooms.

They rounded the corner first, thanks to the distance I had allowed to grow between us.

As I rounded the corner, I found the two standing still again.

They were standing before a door. An open one. With shadows dancing from the flickering lights within.

Fly was staring wide-eyed into the room, and my heart thumped as my own eyes began to blur.

Taking a small breath I stood patiently, in silence, as did the whole world… as Fly studied the bedroom, and what was within it.

After a very long moment, Fly glanced at Vim, who smiled and nodded… and then the two stepped forward. Heading deeper.

I hurried a little to see into the room. What had caught her eye in such a way and…?

Pausing before the room, I hesitated as I stared at Wynn.

He was sitting on a chair, in the center of the room… smiling gently.

He nodded at me, but said nothing else… nor did he stand from his seat.

I was about to say something, but before I could I turned and saw a similar scene.

Fly and Vim were in front of another door… Was that Sofia’s room?

Gulping, I impatiently waited for Fly to nod and Vim guide her to the next room.

Reaching Sofia’s room, sure enough, I found Sofia sitting on a chair in the center of the room… sitting at just the right angle for anyone looking into the room to see her.

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She smiled and tilted her head at me, as if surprised to see me.

Sofia’s room, unlike Wynn’s, was cluttered. It was full of plants and trees… and…

“She’s adorable, isn’t she?” Sofia whispered to me. Just barely audible, even to my own ears.

I gulped and nodded… but wasn’t able to trust my own voice just yet. I was still in the hallway after all, Vim and Fly might hear me.

Looking down the hall, I studied Fly who was now staring into another room. One that made her frown oddly, yet not in fear or worry. Whose room was it?

They were letting her meet them. In a way that was as non-threatening as possible…

Feeling a little overwhelmed, I went to follow in Vim’s shadow. To keep with them. To burn this moment into my memories and heart, forever.

Would he take her to every room? To meet every single one of us? What of Lamp, who now lived on the first floor?

And how did everyone know? No one had said anything. No one had even known if we would have been able to get her inside the building or not…

While I followed the two, my eyes watered and I grew strangely somber as I watched Fly stare into everyone’s rooms.

Everyone sat in their rooms, on chairs. Sitting quietly, and patiently.

Fly held Vim’s hand as they walked. They walked in silence. No one said anything to her. No one left their rooms as she walked around the hallways, and up and down stairs.

It was… strangely peaceful. Yet different.

Everyone had been noisy when I had arrived. They had wanted to meet me. They had sat with me, smiled and asked me questions.

For her though they were being as passive and gentle as possible.

Was it because she was completely new to the Society? After all although I was in a way new, I had arrived hand in hand with Vim.

She was not just a new member; she was also someone who needed to be saved.

Maybe this was the more natural way to introduce someone to the society…

When I had found the Sleepy Artist it had been a somber moment too… but they had sat with me and asked questions. Lughes had even gone straight to painting me.

Heading downstairs to the ground floor, where the kitchens and sitting rooms were located… I took a moment to stand on the stairs alone as Vim took Fly to one of the eating areas.

I used the moment alone to wipe my face clean of tears. Neither Vim nor Fly had glanced back at me in a while, but I didn’t want either of them seeing my tear stained face.

Vim would understand… but Fly might not. And I didn’t want her doubting any of us just because I was crying.

Especially since the tears were because I had found the moment beautiful, not horrible.

Once I was sure my face was presentable I left the stairwell and went to follow Vim and Fly. The two were had turned into the largest eatery area, the one next to the largest kitchen and pantries.

“Food…?” Fly whispered a question as Vim took her to one of the tables.

He gestured for her to take a seat, and although she stepped forward… she had to come to a stop.

She hadn’t let go of his hand.

She glanced at their hands, then up at him.

“It’ll be hard to eat with one hand, you know,” he said gently.

She frowned, and then I noticed her fingers twitch a little… until they let go.

Their hands separated, and Vim nodded and stepped away, to step around the table as to sit across from her.

Wasn’t he going to go make her food…?

Right before I looked towards the kitchens, as to head in there, I paused.

Fly hadn’t sat yet.

She was standing next to the chair, the one she was about to use… and was…

Staring at her hand.

I frowned and wondered what had happened. Surely Vim hadn’t hurt her? I knew from when I myself had held his hand that Vim was able to be gentle… and odds were Vim had been as careful as possible with her.

After a moment she took a small breath and then went to sit down.

Smiling gently at her, I glanced to Vim who was watching her climb into her seat. It was a little tall… he should have taken her to one of the shorter tables.

Before I could turn away, as to head into the kitchen to make her something to eat, Vim gestured for me to sit down.

I glared at him for a moment, but he nodded and gestured for me to sit once again. In the chair right next to Fly.

Hm…

Glancing at the kitchen, I realized there was likely someone in it. I could just barely hear them, thanks to the fact that my ears were now pointed towards them.

Ah. Vim had known already.

I nodded and went to sit.

Fly stared at me as I sat down next to her.

“You won’t cook me, right?” Fly asked me.

I couldn’t help it, I smiled at her. “Why am I the one you think will eat you? I’ve never liked plucking feathers off my food,” I told her.

Fly’s face at first contorted into worry and shock… but then she broke out into a huge smile and broke out into laughter.

Her laugh was pure, and sounded as young as she looked. The young bird’s feathers danced on her head, seemingly going up and down as she laughed.

“Now that’s a hearty laugh! Good enough to fill a stomach, without a meal, I’m sure!” Brandy exited from the kitchen, and her abrupt appearance and loud voice quickly silenced Fly’s laughing.

Fly went still, going wide-eyed as Brandy approached our table. She was carrying two bowls, both steaming. Merit emerged a moment later from behind her, carrying cups and spoons.

As Brandy and Merit placed the stuff they carried onto the table we sat at, I realized they hadn’t brought anything out for Vim. Maybe it was on purpose.

“Now there’s plenty more! Need to eat right to keep your feathers shiny you know!” Brandy laughed as she stepped away, heading back to the kitchens. Merit placed one last spoon next to me, smiled at me gently, then turned and left too.

Fly didn’t even breathe as she stared at Brandy and Merit, watching them go.

“Should be tasty, Fly. Merit is surprisingly good at making soups,” Vim leaned forward across the table a little, as to look into the bowls sitting before the two of us.

The young bird shifted in her chair as she glanced at me, to Vim, then to the bowls.

“Soup…” she whispered.

“Do you not like soup?” I asked her as I studied the way she stared at the dark red liquid within her bowl. It was some kind of meaty soup.

Fly shook her head quickly. “No! I do…!” Fly gulped and glanced past me, to the kitchens. To where Brandy and Merit could be heard making light talk from beyond the walls.

“That was Brandy and Merit,” Vim introduced them.

“The small one was Merit,” I said. Usually I’d tease Brandy by saying she had been the loud one, but…

Fly frowned and then looked at me. “Are… are they all like me?” Fly asked me gently.

“We are,” I nodded gently at her.

“Renn’s a cat. Brandy, the loud one just now, is an otter. The tiny speck of a woman is Merit, a fish,” Vim explained.

I pointed at the top of my head, as my ears flicked. She smiled a little as she stared at the pair of ears on my head.

After she stared at my ears for a moment, she turned to look at Vim with watery eyes.

He sat in silence for a moment, and I was about to speak up but he beat me to it.

“I’m a protector,” was all he said.

Fly frowned in a way that told me she didn’t fully understand him. She maybe thought he was speaking about an actual animal of some kind, based off the way she tilted her head.

“And a mighty damn good one!” Brandy returned, startling Fly. Brandy and Merit didn’t even bother with acknowledging the way Fly nearly jumped out of her chair as they both came over to sit down with us.

They carried more bowls and drinks, for themselves. Brandy and Merit sat on either side of Vim, taking their places at the table.

“He’s a Vim. Be thankful there’s only one of him,” Merit said as she hopped onto her chair.

“A Vim…” Fly whispered.

“Hey now, get to eating! It’ll get cold if you don’t hurry,” Brandy tapped her own bowl with her spoon, to usher Fly into action.

The bird startled and looked down before her, to the bowl and utensils.

She gulped, and right as she reached out for her own spoon… she hesitated. With a small look around, we all watched as her feathers ruffled and then lowered as to hug her body closer.

“What’s wrong? Need some spices? I told her she didn’t put enough pepper in it,” Merit asked her.

“You won’t eat me…?” Fly asked once more.

“Ha!” Brandy chuckled, but didn’t answer her.

“We’re all friends here, Fly. We protect and love one another. No one here eats anyone else, nor ever will,” I told her.

Fly’s eyes widened as she stared into my own… and my own eyes began to blur as I noticed her own grow more watery.

“Speak for yourself, Renn. I’d be absolutely delicious you know!” Brandy teased.

I turned to glare at her, and say something, but Merit laughed and nodded. “I’d be all bones!” she said.

Smiling at the two, I grinned at Fly who was now looking around in awe. “And I’d probably cry. Whether I was the one eating or being eaten, all I’d do is sob,” I said honestly.

Fly smiled as Merit and Brandy giggled, and then…

Fly glanced at Vim, waiting for him to say something.

He nodded, and laid his head on a balled fist… seemingly suddenly tired.

“No point, Fly. None of them would be tasty, trust me,” was all he said.

Although Fly seemed uneasy, she still smiled and nodded… and then went to eating.