Merit was a very small girl… or well, woman.

She sat across the oddly shaped table from me, and was just barely able to put her arms onto the table. The chair was too small for her, and even though there was a taller one a few feet away… she hadn’t seemed willing to go get it.

“I’m telling you, she’d be perfect for the bank, look at her! She’d make all those perverted old merchants salivate, especially if she wore this stuff!” Sofia said. She reached over to lift one of the little hooks on my left shoulder, where my backpack could attach to if I wanted it to rest on my left shoulder and not my right.

“And that’s why you want to stay out of the bank, Renn. You’ll become a product to be sold,” Merit said. My ears twitched because of her voice. It was so… childlike. I heard a young girl speaking, yet she spoke with the monotone of a tired old woman. It made my senses go haywire.

“Please. She’s just saying no because she’s not tall enough to see over the counters,” Sofia said. Sofia looked like a middle-aged woman, but had a beautiful smile. The kind that drew eyes. She also seemed able to look in different directions with her eyes without issue, which was really odd and off putting… but I didn’t want to say that out loud.

Merit glared at Sofia, but only for a moment. “You’re a predator Renn, be a guard. You get to stab people,” Merit said.

I laughed a little, but was starting to realize that Merit was being completely serious.

She was supposedly a guard after all… even though she looked just like a little girl.

“Just don’t work the depot, Renn… really. The people there are boring,” Sofia said with a sigh.

“She’d distract the human workers. She’s too pretty,” Merit said with her emotionless tone.

“Where does Brandy work?” I asked.

The two went quiet and looked at one another. Sofia leaned closer to me, to rest her shoulder onto my own. “Brandy’s a boss, Renn. She’s the bookkeeper. She works wherever she wants to,” she told me.

“I see.”

“Is that who you’re here to see?” Merit asked.

“Vim wants me to meet her,” I admitted.

“Hm…” The two hummed as they thought about it.

Sofia turned to look at me, and I had to focus on the eye that stared at me. The other was looking at Merit. “Maybe she’s not going to stay here?” Sofia asked.

“Who knows? Vim’s always scheming stuff,” Merit said.

I glanced at the white haired Merit, and wondered why she’d say that. Vim? Scheming? Honestly he hadn’t seemed like such a man, from my experience. He had plans, sure… but it seemed he never really tried to put them into motion. Or if he did, he did so very slowly over the course of years and years.

“Speaking of schemes, did you see the way Herra glared at her?” Sofia leaned forward onto the table to whisper to her friend.

Merit nodded, and tried to lean forward too… but wasn’t able to get very far. She was just too short. “I did,” she said.

“What was that about you think?” Sofia asked.

“I’d like to know too,” I said as I leaned forward to whisper with them.

Merit scooted upward, and I watched as she pulled her legs up under her as to kneel on the chair instead of sit. She was now able to lean across the table, to get close like Sofia and I. She glanced around for a moment before speaking.

As she looked around, I noticed her white hair flopped around in flocks… as if some parts of her hair were thicker and heavier than others. Yet they didn’t look braided or bound by anything, like pins or ribbons… though maybe it had something to do with her bloodline. After all, her hair was a silver-white color. It was honestly pretty, even though strange. I'd never seen such a color of hair before on anyone, even the oldest didn't have such a pure white.

“Herra likes Vim,” Merit whispered.

Sofia nodded, and I became far more focused on our conversation.

“Has for years. She’s even tried sneaking into his bed,” Sofia said.

“What?” I asked loudly, but flinched when they both shushed me. I nodded an apology.

Herra had been here but had left after the introductions. She had work to do, it had seemed. I had honestly expected more people here, but only Merit and Sofia had been waiting for me. Supposedly I’d meet the rest later, as their shifts ended and the day came to a close.

Yet even though alone, the two women seemed very worried as they lowered their voices even more. “Did you two enter the lobby holding hands or something?” Merit asked. Her voice sounded… very strange with her whispering. Either her lower volume made her sound more childish, or she was now actually interested in our conversation… because she no longer sounded monotonous. She now sounded excited. Childishly excited.

“No? I had been carrying bread, even,” I said.

“Huh…” Merit frowned as she tried to think what could have happened.

“And they just got here, so it’s not like she could have heard about anything, either,” Sofia suggested.

“Whispering and scheming already?”

The three of us startled, to the point that Merit actually flew back so quickly in her chair she lost her balance.

Luckily Vim was already next to our table. With a steady arm he reached out and steadied both Merit’s chair, and her herself. She blinked wildly in shock as she quickly regained her balance and sat back down, no longer sitting on knees. “Thanks,” she said kindly.

“Jeez Vim! You know I don’t like it when you do that!” Sofia complained. She sounded out of breath, as if she had screamed.

“I was being quiet, since you all seemed to be doing the same,” Vim defended himself.

“Geh… I think I peed myself a little,” Sofia groaned.

“That’s disgusting,” Merit coldly said.

It was, but it was understandable. I hadn’t even noticed him entering the room either… and this room was big. There were half a dozen large tables, and thrice as many chairs. There were also two fireplaces, and neither was lit right now so…

I should have noticed his appearance and his approach. How was he so sneaky sometimes? I glanced over to the nearby entrance to the room, and figured he had entered from there... but... How had no one noticed? Both Sofia and I had that door in our line of sight. I should have noticed him walking over to us, even if just out of the corner of my eye.

“How’ve you two been? Other than your pants, Sofia… I apologize,” Vim spoke softly, and gently, as he asked his question.

“Uh… rather well. It’s nice to see you too, Vim… but I uh need to go now. We’ll talk later, okay? I have a request for you, actually, if you’d listen,” Sofia said as she slowly got off her chair. I tried not to look at her bottom, since it was rude.

“Well… I guess I owe you now, so sure,” Vim nodded.

Sofia smiled warmly and nodded. “Thanks! See you later Renn, we’ll talk again! Remember, pick the bank!” she seemed far too happy for someone who had just tinkled from shock. I waved at her as she hurried away to one of the nearby stairwells.

“Such an old woman, pissing herself from something like that,” Merit said with a huff.

“You’d know,” Vim said with a poke. She made an odd noise as he poked her in the forehead, causing her thick hair to dance as she shook her head.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Right before Vim’s finger left her forehead, something sparked between it and her hair. It looked like static, and even came and went with a strange sounding popping sound.

“Jeez, you’re such a tyrant,” Merit groaned as she rubbed her head, but had a smile hidden beneath her arm.

“I do my best. And I apologize, but I need to borrow Renn from you,” Vim said.

“Oh? So maybe Herra should be worried…” Merit said with a smirk.

Vim tilted his head and glanced at me, as if to find out what she meant… but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give him the answer. Even if it would make him smirk.

“Mind coming with me for a bit Renn? We have something we need to do before dinner,” he said, ignoring Merit’s smirk.

“Sure,” I nodded as I stood from my chair. I pushed it back under the oddly shaped table, and was about to push the other chair that Sofia had left… but realized it was a little wet.

“I’ll clean that up Renn. You just met her. Let her spoil her integrity with you later, if you’d kindly allow it,” Merit said with a kind smile.

“Ah…” I awkwardly glanced at Vim who nodded at me, as if he agreed with her.

Merit slowly got off her chair. Once she was off it, I realized once again how small she was. She looked like a genuine child. “She’s a gentle one, Vim. Look at her, she had actually been willing to clean up after Sofia,” Merit said as she rounded the table.

“Sofia is… an odd one Renn, don’t feel bad about it,” Vim said.

“She won’t be embarrassed either, Renn. Trust me,” Merit added.

“Are… are you sure?” I asked as I looked between the two. They both nodded, seemingly in agreement.

With a sigh I nodded. “Alright. Thank you for meeting with me Merit, I enjoyed our conversation,” I told her.

“Same. Now get going, before Vim just picks you up and carries you off,” Merit said with a wave.

“I only do that to small people,” Vim said.

Merit’s waiving came to an immediate stop, and then she glowered at Vim. “I’m going to steal your shoes when you’re not looking,” she threatened.

“Please do. They’ll remind you how tiny you actually are,” Vim said as he turned and stepped away.

The child-looking woman groaned and her shoulders rose up. She then made a gesture at Vim with both her hands, which I didn’t recognize but it was obvious that it was ill-meaning.

“See you later Merit,” I said as I went to follow Vim.

Her angry demeanor immediately transitioned into a happy one and she waved me away. “Later.”

Following Vim down a hallway, to another stairwell, I wondered why he acted certain ways with certain members and not with others.

“Will she be okay? Honestly?” I asked.

“Merit? She can reach the chair if she tries, yes,” Vim said.

I scoffed, and felt horrible. I had almost laughed. “I meant Sofia,” I said with clenched teeth.

“Oh. Yes. Sofia is… well, she’s older and timid. Sometimes things like that happen. She’ll not avoid you or anything because of what happened, in fact she’ll just forget all about it soon enough,” he said.

“Hm… is she older than me?” I asked.

We reached the second floor, and Vim paused for a moment. “Yes. But not by much,” he said as he thought about it.

“Great… does that mean I’ll start doing that too?” I asked.

“Have you had dozens of children yet?” Vim asked as he headed for another stairwell.

“Huh…? No…” I was a little upset he’d even ask that. He knew I hadn’t given birth yet… but then I realized what he meant.

For a few moments I followed Vim in silence.

Dozens of children. Yet she was here alone, it seemed.

“Are any of them still alive?” I asked Vim softly as we ascended another flight of stairs.

“No. Sadly no,” Vim said gently.

I see. “Most of our members are like that, aren’t they?” I asked.

“More than you’d think, yes,” he admitted.

That was sad. Very sad.

Reaching the third floor, I paused at the end of the stairs to look down the hallway. Vim kept walking, but I waited a moment to take the place in. I hadn’t been up here yet.

“It’s one color here,” I said. The second floor had different colored lamps… here it was all orange.

“Hm,” Vim was already half way down the hallway.

Hurrying to follow after him, I studied the doors I passed. Some weren’t just wooden or metal doors… some had designs on them. Some were painted, and others had plaques on them.

Pausing in front of a double-door, I stared at a mural. The doors were painted in full, and every few inches of the door had different designs. There were hundreds of smaller paintings, somehow painted in a way that the whole door looked like one singular painting.

The name Liina was painted amidst the many different scenes, seamlessly a part of the whole design.

“Liina?” I asked Vim as I hurried to catch up with him.

Vim paused to look around, as if to find whoever it was. Once he realized I was talking about the door with that name on it, he nodded at me. “A woman. She’s actually… well… I’ll let her introduce herself. She’s about your height, but a little scrawny,” he said.

Oh? Hopefully I could meet her soon. I liked her artwork. I especially liked the fact she was someone who would draw and paint on her bedroom door. She was probably someone I’d get along with well.

We rounded a corner and then another. After entering a rather… bland hallway, since all the doors suddenly became normal and without character, Vim pointed to a large door at the end of the hall. “That’s your room. And for the foreseeable future, your home,” he said.

I wanted to complain at his wording, since I knew he was internally hoping I’d actually let it indeed become my home… but I kept my mouth shut as I walked up to the door.

It was a wooden one, but it had metal plates securing the wooden panels. Either for support or decoration, I couldn’t tell.

Opening the door, I hesitated right before I was able to look into it. I glanced back at Vim who was waiting patiently for me to open the door.

“Where’s your room?” I asked him.

“Hm? Why?”

“To make sure no one sneaks into it for you, of course,” I teased.

Vim frowned for just a moment, and then smiled softly. “Ah. Yes… Herra and Magda do both try occasionally. But don’t worry, I have a wonderful repellent this time,” he said as he crossed his arms and nodded.

Wait… Magda? Another woman! Really?!

“Repellent?” I asked. That word was one I hadn’t heard often.

“Hm… I’m thinking maybe your clothes, might be good enough if I leave’em in front of my door,” he said as he stared at me.

My… “My clothes…?” I glanced down at myself and wondered how to interpret that.

Did he mean to say if he left my clothes visible, people would think I was in his bed? Or was it some play of words that I wasn’t understanding?

A long, weird, awkward moment passed… and then Vim sighed. “That went better in my head,” he said.

“Oh… it was a joke?” I asked.

“Well, kind of… You see… uh…” Vim sighed as he glanced me up and down.

“What?” I asked. Why was he being so weird all of a sudden?

“Did you notice an odd stink at the sanctuary?” Vim then gently asked.

I gulped as I stood up straight. “Wait…”

Vim nodded without a word.

Lifting my shirt, and the leather that held it in place, I did my best to try and smell myself.

Per usual I smelled my own scent. The smell of my body. There was a smell of hair that was nearly fur, thanks my tail and ears. I could smell a little dirt too… but…

Looking at Vim, he nodded again. “The Clothed Woman has a unique scent… it is uh… well, it’s lingering on you Renn. You need a bath,” he said honestly.

I groaned as I let my shirt fall. “Really…! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I hadn’t noticed!” Vim said.

“How could you not!”

“How didn’t you? Your nose is as good as mine,” Vim defended himself.

“I…” that was right… why hadn’t I noticed? It was a horrible smell. Now that I was thinking about it, I really could smell it. Though I wasn’t sure if I really stunk of it, or if I was just smelling it because he had brought it up.

“Yeah… So uh, take a bath. Toss your leather and clothes out for me, I’ll get you something fresh to wear and will get these cleaned,” Vim said.

“You’re going to wash my clothes for me?” I asked him.

He nodded with a look that told me he wasn’t sure why I’d even ask him that.

“Vim…” I groaned.

“What? Don’t be prudish, do you know how old I am?” he asked.

“It’s not that! I mean… I appreciate it but…” I wasn’t sure what to say to him. I didn’t want Herra or the others to get the wrong idea, thus ruining our potential friendship… yet at the same time…

Honestly I kind of liked the idea.

“You’re making an odd face right now,” Vim warned.

“I’m sure. Tell me, is it bad? Why didn’t anyone say anything? What if they think I’m weird?” I asked him.

“You’re fine. Everyone knows what that scent is, Renn,” Vim said.

“Oh… so they know,” I said as I realized it.

He nodded. “They’d not tell you that you stink, both because they’d worry they would offend you… but also because it would be rude to her as well,” Vim said gently.

“Right…” I nodded. That was true. I’d hate to be that rude to her too.

“Now come on, I need to show you how to work the bath,” Vim pushed me into the room, uncaring for my emotions. I resisted a little, so he actually lifted me... but did so by lifting me with his hands under my armpits. As if I was a child. Likely because of what Merit had said earlier.

“I wanted you to carry me into the bedroom, Vim, but not like this!” I said as we entered the room. As I said it I felt silly, and went a little red in the face… but…

Vim actually laughed.