Something woke me by tickling my face.

I couldn’t help but smile, since in my half awake mind I for a tiny moment thought it was Vim.

But Vim wouldn’t do such a thing. Not yet, anyway.

Opening my eyes to the small creature, I couldn’t help but grin at it.

It really was adorable.

The little white monarch made a chirping sound at me, and bounced around the bed a little. As if excited to see that I was finally awake.

Sitting up, I let a huge yawn as I felt the little weasel thing bounce around near my legs. As I stretched, I strained my ears to listen to the world around me.

I was alone in the room, but that wasn’t too much of a surprise. Based off the bright sunlight sneaking into the room through the heavy curtains it was the middle of the day. Vim was likely busy, having returned finally. There was likely a lot he had to do. A lot of people he had to meet and speak with.

So him not being next to me in bed upon my waking, and I not hearing his voice amongst the chatter coming from the floor below…

Although disappointing, was understandable.

“Yes, yes, good morning to you too,” I said to the tiny monarch that bounced over to my lap, almost as if it was dancing around.

It was a monarch… right? Was it able to talk, I wonder? Or at least understand people?

Sometimes it acted as if it did, then other times it acted like the basic little animal it seemed to be.

Petting the small thing, I basked in its fluffy cuteness for a moment. It didn’t purr, but it did wiggle its little whiskers something fierce as if in joy.

As I petted the monarch, I yawned again. I didn’t feel tired anymore, having gotten the first good night of sleep in a long time, but I almost felt like not getting up out of bed. Not because I wanted to go back to sleep… but simply because I wanted to lay down and just enjoy the moment.

But I knew if I did I’d miss out on the people here.

After all now that Vim was back… there was no telling when we’d leave again. For all I knew we’d be setting off today or tomorrow, so I really shouldn’t waste any more time.

“Come on. Let’s stop being lazy,” I said to the little creature as I rolled off the bed.

As I did I realized I was almost naked. Either Vim had helped me undress, or I had done it while asleep. Considering the way the clothes were neatly folded on a nearby chair… something told me it had been Vim. Usually I just tossed them mindlessly when half-asleep, and they ended up all over the place.

Getting dressed, I made sure to grab my hat. Just in case.

Upon opening the door, I had expected the little monarch to run off… but instead it clambered up my leg, up my side and back and onto my shoulder. It nuzzled against my cheek for a moment, and I couldn’t help but giggle at it.

It really was adorable. Even if it had tried to nibble on my heart.

Wait…

Pausing a moment, I frowned as I realized the heart was gone. I stepped back over to the bed and patted all around, in and under the covers and pillows, and groaned upon realizing it really was gone.

Had it fell off the bed and rolled somewhere…? Or…

“Vim…” I whispered, and hoped, it was his doing and not something worse.

“You didn’t eat it did you?” I asked the tiny creature on my shoulder.

It chirped at me and tilted its head, as if to play innocent.

Surely not… right? It had nibbled on the heart, but it had been unable to actually put it into its mouth. The heart was bigger than its head. So I had not thought it possible for it to eat or swallow it. Maybe I had been wrong…

It was a monarch after all… maybe it had methods…

In fact maybe the idea of eating a heart wasn’t how I thought it to be. What if the phrase was more figurative than literal…?

Huffing, I decided to just find Vim. He likely had it.

He had carried me to bed last night. I had been absolutely exhausted, and barely remembered it, but I knew it hadn’t been a dream. I had felt his touch. His warmth. Heard his voice.

Not even my dreams were that real.

Walking downstairs, I was a little surprised to find Sillti and Jelti and no one else.

“Oh! Morning sleepy head!” Jelti greeted me with a smile.

“Morning… where’s Angie?” I asked. The young bison was usually up by now, and I could have sworn her bedroom door had been left open and she hadn’t been in it.

“She went with Vim to meet Link. Link knew her parents, they were friends,” Jelti said.

Oh…! I smiled at that. “That’s good,” I said.

“The human is with them too,” Sillti told me.

“Human…?” I wondered what she meant. What human…?

“The one Vim brought home. Supposedly she knows you?” Jelti said.

Wait…

Right. He had indeed brought someone home. I had thought it had been one of us. A bison, maybe, or someone else who had been displaced by those fires… but a human…?

“Who was she?” Sillti asked.

“I don’t know?” I answered.

“Oh…? So you didn’t know her? Did Vim make a mistake?” Jelti asked, surprised.

“I’m not sure, I’ve not met her yet,” I said.

“Then how do you know you don’t know her?” Sillti asked.

“She was asleep, and then I fell asleep shortly after so…” I said with a huff.

Stillti shook her head at me. “I swear you old ladies are hopeless. Between her and Oplar what will become of the Society?” Sillti wondered.

Frowning at her as Jelti chuckled softly, she nodded in agreement. “I still can’t believe Oplar never realized. I thought maybe she had been keeping quiet about it, as a joke or something silly, but for her to genuinely not have noticed Angie was one of us…? She’s even met the girl for crying out loud,” Jelti said with a sigh.

“She had…?” I asked. That was worrisome. I wanted to defend my friend but if she had…

“When she was a baby, I guess,” Jelti nodded.

“I don’t think that’s the same, Jelti. Babies are ugly so you’d never expect something like that to end up cute like Angie,” Sillti said.

I laughed at her as I stepped over to the table. The little monarch squeaked at the two, and Jelti noticed it.

“Oh my. Took a liking to you did it? That’s rare,” Jelti said.

“Is it…? Seems friendly enough,” I said as I reached up to pet it again.

It had showed up the other day. I couldn’t admit aloud the reason it had shown up had likely been the heart, and not me, but it was the truth. Odds are it only liked me because I had been carrying around the heart this last week.

“It is cute…” Sillti mumbled while staring at it.

“It usually runs off if anyone tries to touch it,” Jelti told her.

“Want to try?” I asked as I bent forward a little.

Sillti perked up and did indeed do so. She reached out to pet the creature on my shoulder, but before her hand reached it the thing had leapt from me and to the table. Then without stopping it jumped off the table and darted to a nearby window. One that had been left cracked open.

“Aww…” Sillti sadly watched the cute thing jump out the window, escaping.

“See? Told you. I’ve only got to pet it a few times in my life, and it’s usually when I catch it sleeping somewhere,” Jelti said.

“You’d think it’d be scared of her. Being a cat and all,” Sillti said as she frowned.

“That’s true…” Jelti frowned as well as she studied me.

“Maybe it’s because I smell like Vim?” I wondered.

The two paused a moment, and then Jelti bellowed a laugh. “Don’t joke like that!” she said happily.

I smiled at her and nodded. Yes. I had thought my joke had been good too.

“That is funny. I have noticed Vim has no smell, I had expected him to be stinking something fierce this morning when I saw him all tattered like he is,” Sillti commented on the man I claimed as my husband.

“He had looked rough,” I admitted. Last night’s memories had been more about simply basking in his presence, but I too also remembered his appearance. He had looked dirty. Filthy. And his clothes had been horribly shabby and destroyed, looking as if he had just been burnt alive or something.

Odds are he had been. He had likely entered those fires.

“Vim’s never cared for his appearance. Supposedly back in the day he’d return all the time as filthy as a mutt who just found a nasty gutter. It got so bad for a while there he hadn’t been allowed to enter the Cathedral unless he took a bath first,” Jelti said.

I frowned. “He was that bad?” I asked.

“Well… I don’t know honestly. It might have just been a few times it happened and so stories spread because of it. For as long as I’ve known and seen him, although he sometimes shows up with tattered clothes and stuff it’s usually not too bad. It’s not like he intentionally tries to get nasty I think,” Jelti said as she thought about it.

“Hm…” I wondered if it was just his old age that made him so uncaring. It was undoubtedly mostly thanks to his lack of smell, bad or good, but you’d think he’d still at least try to be representable and clean.

“That being said!” Jelti then leaned forward, growing serious.

Nodding, I held her gaze as she glared at me. What was wrong?

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“You sure you didn’t hear anything?” Jelti asked.

“Huh…?” I frowned at her. Heard what?

“Yes. I woke up a few times to pee, once I even snuck a glance. He had just been sitting next to the bed holding her hand in the dark,” Sillti answered.

My shoulders slumped as I realized what Jelti was being so serious about. There had been nothing wrong, at least not in the grand scheme of things.

“You can’t be serious,” I said with a smile.

“I am! You’ve been on edge this whole time, not sleeping a wink, and you just sleep half the day away after Vim’s back? How could I not expect something to have happened!” Jelti defended her interested loudly, and with a huge grin.

Sillti sighed as she leaned forward to rest her head on her hand against the table. “I like gossip, but I’m going to be rather honest watching them be so lovely just makes me jealous and my heart hurt,” she said softly.

Hearing that made my own heart hurt. I felt like I should apologize for some reason.

“I’m telling you Sillti, if you really want to find a new lover just stay here. You’re cute so you’d have your pick of men,” Jelti said with a smirk.

“Human men,” Sillti said stiffly.

Jelti shifted a little and her smirk softened, but she said nothing to counter Sillti’s statement.

Had she taken offense, I wonder? Being with a human herself.

“Has she met Link or Hands yet?” I asked.

Jelti giggled. “No. But I mean… well… hm… I guess I shouldn’t use my own preference here… I’ll take you to see them, if you’d like,” Jelti offered to Sillti.

Sillti seemed to like the idea for she smiled and nodded quickly. “Oh. Yes. Please.”

I was half tempted to join them. It’d be interesting to see and watch Sillti meet men as she looked for someone. Especially since I planned to help her, and many like her, do that very thing.

“Well… you never know I guess…” Jelti said with a sigh.

“Are they that bad?” Sillti asked me worriedly.

“Not sure. I think Jelti’s just biased though, remember who she’s married to,” I said.

“Says you…? You married Vim of all people,” Jelti said in defense.

“Don’t even start. I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Sillti said.

Jelti laughed. “Right! What’s she even see in him?” she happily joined Sillti in teasing me.

Shaking my head at them, I wondered why it was so strange to some people that I’d chosen Vim. Didn’t Sillti always complain that watching the two of us made her heart hurt? How could he be so bad if just seeing us together made her that melancholic?

“Marrying a god shouldn’t be possible anyway,” Sillti said with a sigh.

I shifted as Jelti also glanced at me with a look.

Right. She was one of those.

Speaking of that I’d not really asked Jelti or anyone else yet what they thought of the vote. I had meant to speak with Randle about it too, since he seemed to be someone important in the Society and well respected… but the few times I’d been able to talk to him we’d not spoken of it. Either we had spoken of Celine’s letters, the heart, or just the world in general since he didn’t like talking of secretive stuff out in the open.

I didn’t want to ask about it in front of Sillti though. Even though she knew of it, and had even told me she thought it was stupid we would try to get rid of Vim, it still felt odd to do so.

It felt like it should be a private thing to talk about, for some reason… even though it was in fact supposed to be something openly discussed.

“Oh. Vim did ask me to let you know to go see Randle,” Sillti then remembered.

“Hm…?”

“Trek,” Jelti stated.

Oh.

Oh no…

“Already?” I asked.

I had not met Trek yet. Though I had known he was here… and I knew why he was here too.

Oplar had told me. He wanted Vim to perform his last request. To end his life.

I had honestly been hoping that it wouldn’t happen, so had been trying to not bring it up… as if my lack of mentioning it would ensure it’d not happen, somehow.

“Don’t cry, Renn. The man’s old and tired. I’ve seen it before. Even if Vim didn’t do it he’d just… wander away and disappear, never to be seen again. At least this way we know he ended his life peacefully and we can lay him to rest,” Jelti said gently.

“I uh… don’t want to talk about this either, honestly,” Sillti whispered.

Jelti glanced at her, and I flinched.

Right. Rollo. Her husband.

“I uh… will go see Randle then…” I said as I stepped away from the table.

“Later Renn!” Jelti waved me goodbye, not bothered by Sillti’s suddenly sullen look.

“Let me know how meeting the men go,” I said, hoping to brighten Sillti’s mood.

Jelti laughed. “I bet it’ll go horribly!” she said.

Sillti huffed at her as I opened the door and left the house. The two went to teasing each other, with Sillti bringing up Jelti’s lack of taste since she didn’t like men in the first place.

“Well… she’s not wrong…” I mumbled as I headed for the gate.

Though Jelti wasn’t too wrong either, honestly.

I myself would not have chosen Hands or Link. At all. For a multitude of reasons. Even if Vim hadn’t been in the picture.

But Sillti was not like me. Who’s to say she’d not take one look at either of them and simply fall in love?

After all it wasn’t like they weren’t good men. Dedicated to the Society. Trustworthy.

They were just… unique in their own way.

Closing the gate behind me, I hesitated a small moment.

Jelti struggled to open it. She could, I’ve seen her do it, but it was difficult for her. And Sillti couldn’t do it at all.

Hopefully the two would be okay…

This gate was the only way in and out of the courtyard as far as I was aware. Unless one broke a wall, or the windows, of the Cathedral around it.

Breaking the windows would be easy, since there were so many of them and they were so big… but…

“I’ll be sure to return quickly,” I decided, just in case.

Heading left, I decided to check the underground offices first. Randle hadn’t said anything out loud about it, but I’ve come to realize he had been keeping his distance from the Chronicler. That meant not using his other office, the one near hers, very often.

A part of me wanted to go find Vim instead, but I also knew not to bother little Angie if she was visiting a family friend. Plus I worried over intruding in another way… I had once scared Link. I worried of doing so again. I wanted to wait and ask Vim what I should do concerning those like Link who I’d bothered before and if I should give them distance or not.

It would break my heart to walk into the room and have Link panic or run off at the mere sight of me. Especially if only a few moments before he had been in a lovely conversation with Angie, talking about her parents.

There was a strange and humbling sadness knowing there were people here, and at many other locations, that I had to keep a distance with and be careful around. As to not scare or frighten them. It made me feel horrible, but at the same time reminded me just how different I was from others.

I couldn’t imagine just outright running from someone at the mere sight of them. Or startling and weeping in terror from some small action or comment.

Not that I couldn’t break over words. I’ve done it before. But they’d have to be very harsh words, and said by people I cherished deeply. It was hard to imagine an off-handed comment from someone I barely knew could send me to my knees… but… well…

“Maybe that’s why. Maybe they do cherish everyone in the Society so are just extra sensitive,” I wondered. It made sense, in a way. Though it wasn’t the truth for me it could be the truth for them.

Granted maybe for me that wasn’t true, was it?

Had I not been deeply affected by the words of that old woman? Grandmother Plumb, at the Bell Church? The one who had noticed my scent was the same as the people who had destroyed her home so many years ago?

That had deeply bothered me… but…

I’d still talk to her, if I could. If anything to hear the story. To hear the truth.

Walking down the hallway that led to Oplar’s office, I noted her door was shut. I debated knocking on the door for a moment, but decided against it and instead opened the door to the catacombs beneath. I entered the dark stairwell, and closed the door behind me.

I’ll leave Oplar alone. She was busy. I had talked to her last night, not long before everyone had gone to bed, and had heard she had a lot of letters to go through thanks to the vote. There had been dozens waiting for her and dozens more waiting to be delivered.

Maybe I should offer to help, somehow. Or would that be seen as interjecting myself where I didn’t belong…? Being Vim’s wife and all.

Still it’d be fun to help if I could. Maybe I’ll knock on her door and see if she’s in there after talking to Randle.

It didn’t take long to reach Randle’s office, now that I was more comfortable down here. I’d only come down here twice, but that was all it took to become familiar with such places anymore.

Finding the door open, I smiled and knocked on the door’s frame to let the priest know I was here. He was sitting at his desk, focused on something he was writing.

“Ah. Renn. How are you?” he like usual was very welcoming as he smiled and greeted me.

“To be honest I’m good, but something tells me I won’t be, here in a moment,” I said.

Randle frowned. “Oh…? And here I thought with Vim’s return you’d be overjoyed. What happened?” he asked worriedly.

Was that genuine concern for my happiness, or was he just worried about Vim? Or well, not for Vim’s well-being but rather his mood. Odds are he knew full well how dangerous Vim was, being as old as he was. Maybe he was worried about someone putting Vim in a bad mood.

“I’ve been told about Trek,” I said.

Randle sat up a little, and then leaned back in his chair and seemed to grow softer… as if he had just relaxed. “I see,” he said softly.

I nodded as I entered the office, and smelled something a little off. Had one of our members been here recently…? I didn’t recognize the scent, but it was definitely not normal. Not a human, nor food or drink…

The priest chuckled at me. “Well I’ll be. You smelled Mapple just now didn’t you?” he asked.

“Mapple…?” I asked as I sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

“A member of ours who prefers the roads of the cold north over a warm home and the company of friends.”

Oh…? Wait… “I’ve heard of her. I believe Rapti mentioned her once,” I said.

Randle tilted his head. “Did she…? Interesting. Sure you didn’t mistake her name for another?” he asked.

“Another…?” I asked.

“Meriah, maybe?” he suggested.

Oh. I recognized that one too. The one that Vim had sent to find out more about Lomi’s home village’s destroyer. Although interested I shook my head. “No… I’m bad at many things but I’m rather proud of my memory. And I clearly remember Rapti saying Mapple. Vim had heard it too.”

Randle’s eyebrows met as his frown deepened. “I had not doubted you, Renn… but rather just surprised. Mapple and Rapti aren’t on the best of terms, you see… I can’t imagine Rapti speaking of her, not even as to complain or disparage her, she’s not the type to do so,” he said.

Oh…? “No… I’m very sure she had mentioned that she had visited her… she had nothing bad to say about her,” I said as I remembered that conversation.

The priest before me leaned forward onto his desk and clasped his hands as he studied me. “Your memory is that flawless, isn’t it?” he asked in awe.

I nodded. “So I’m told.”

“Very interesting. What a very unique trait to possess. It makes me want to have you copy books for me,” he said.

“Copy books?” I asked.

He nodded and gestured to the shelves around us. “Books fade and wear over time… as you’ve likely no doubt noticed. So it’s often we need to re-write them, copying them and making new ones as to preserve the knowledge within them. Your ability to remember such things flawlessly might be suited for such record keeping. If you ever wish to settle and wish to spend your time immersed in the written word simply let me know, I’ll happily support you,” he said.

I smiled at the offer. “Careful that actually sounds very interesting,” I said.

“Oh? So there’s a chance?” he asked.

“Maybe one day. Right now though the most important thing to me is to stay with Vim and travel with him,” I said. To meet as many people as I could. To experience as much as I can.

To be with him.

I was itching go find him this very moment, but I knew he’d show up any moment anyway so it was fine.

Randle gave me a warm smile as he nodded, as if genuinely pleased to hear such a thing.

Then… after a moment he sighed and nodded again, this time less happily. “But yes… Trek has indeed come to beg Vim for his last rites. A terrible, heartbreaking thing, but one we must face with not just steady backs but smiles as well,” Randle said.

I gulped and nodded. “Yes. I agree. As much as it hurts, if it’s truly what he desires than we have to support him as we can,” I said.

“Hm. I figured you’d share Vim’s sentiments, though to be honest I also somewhat expected otherwise… why is that?” Randle wondered as he thought about it.

“Usually they say opposites attract, right?” I suggested.

“Maybe. But Vim is different. He’s so set in his ways I couldn’t imagine him being comfortable with someone who wasn’t like him. At least to a point. Yet… hm… maybe it’s because you’re a predator…? Yet that makes no sense, since predators are usually more inclined to support the Endling tradition…” Randle rambled a bit as he pondered why he had found me so strange.

“May I ask is it always Vim…? That does the deed?” I asked, not really willing to sit here and let him ponder why he found me strange.

“Hm…? Oh. Well… usually, yes. A few times it has been asked of others, though. Usually a family member. Parents, or such. Though it’s been many decades since anyone’s asked anyone but Vim,” Randle said.

I see… So it wasn’t just something Vim did.

“Where is he? Trek?” I asked.

“A few hallways down. He’s asked to be left alone. I can ask if he’d like to meet you, though, if you’d like,” Randle said.

I hesitated. I had wanted to talk to him. I had wanted to talk to someone ready, and wanting, to die. To… pick their brain a little, as Vim would say.

“I don’t know. Would it be rude to ask?” I asked.

“Slightly. But… it’s moments like this, at the end, where such rudeness is sometimes appreciated,” Randle said.

Hm… “Then yes. If you’d ask, please. Though you can tell him I’m not sure why I wish to talk to him, or what I’d say… to be honest I guess I just want to speak to him or else I’d regret it later, after,” I said.

Randle kindly smiled at me. “That, Renn, is exactly why it’s worth talking to him.”