The mare huffed at me as I clambered off. I gave it an apologetic pat as I stepped away, to help Elisabell off her horse.

She still struggled with it. Which was so weird. The horse this time wasn’t even trying to mess with her, either.

Helping Elisabell down, I smiled as she gave me a thankful smile and nodded. The tiny cut on her forehead was still red, but just barely. Humans sure did heal slowly... she had received that cut almost a week ago.

Looking away from her, I looked to Vim. He was talking with a nun in familiar robes. She was a little shorter than me, but at this angle I couldn’t tell if she was older or younger. She laughed at something Vim said, and then more people arrived.

I smiled as I watched several women emerge from the massive stone building. They were all wearing the grey and black robes of those I'd seen in the Society, and other human churches. Though I wasn’t sure if they were members of the Church of Songs, it was rather likely they were.

They crowded around Vim, and I enjoyed seeing Vim’s calm smile as he nodded and addressed each one of them.

He was, like always, very gentle with our members.

“So uh… a church?” Elisabell asked quietly, staring upward.

I followed her gaze, and likewise was stunned a moment. The huge stone church was as tall as the trees that surrounded it. It didn’t have many windows, but I knew it was likely on purpose. Some of the trees were rather close to the building, and based off the two rainstorms we had gone through on the way here it was likely this place got lots of storms. Snow and rain. Big windows were probably not something wise to have out here in this forest.

“Renn, Elisabell.”

Looking down, I found Vim gesturing for us to come over. The small crowd around him had parted a little, and I noticed several of the women were smilingly warmly at us. Expectant.

“Let’s go,” I gently nudged Elisabell, who had gone still. She followed after me, but made a tiny whine as she did.

She was worried. She knew this was the place that Vim wanted her to stay at. To live here, for likely the rest of her life. She had started fretting over it a few days ago, growing apprehensive.

Would she fit in? Was it safe? Did they have good food? She had many worries.

Hopefully these people would calm them quickly.

Approaching the large church’s entrance, Elisbaell and I strode up the few stone steps and joined the small crowd.

“This is Renn, she’s been traveling with me for some time now. And this is Elisabell. I’m dumping her and the responsibility of taking care of her on all of you, have fun,” Vim said as he introduced us.

Elisabell whined in worry, and I glared at the man as he smirked and stepped away, heading for the horses. Likely to unload the luggage.

“My, my! You’re human aren’t you?” a shorter girl stepped forward, smiling up at the taller Elisabell.

Elisabell nodded quickly, and the girl squealed as she stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. “Thank goodness!” she shouted happily.

Tilting my head at the young girl, and Elisabell’s utter worry over being hugged, I glanced around at the rest. An older woman to my right, who had a scarred nose… it was missing a piece of the tip, gave me a gentle nod. “We only have a few humans here,” she told me. She also had noticeably thick hair. The kind of hair our kind had, sometimes. Those like Merit.

Ah… I nodded in understanding. So the young girl was likely human too, and was glad to have a new friend.

“My name is Frett, welcome Renn,” the woman with the scarred nose held out a hand to me. I took it with a smile, and nodded to her.

“Pleasure,” I said.

“Looks like a fox to me!” one of the women behind her said.

“Didn’t know any had tails left,” another said.

Very quickly the small group split into two conversations. Elisabell got bombarded by questions from a few of them, and I got the attention of the rest.

“I’m a cat, a jaguar to be specific,” I told them.

The group ooh’d and awed at me, and I quickly tried to tell what most of them were. The one with the half missing nose was likely some kind of sheep. Her hair reminded me of Wool and Lughes. Another, taller and older looking woman, looked relatively human but had strange eyes. Her pupils swam in dark black and not white.

“Isn’t that one of the big ones?” the last obvious non-human asked. She had paw pads on her hands. Rough looking things, though I wasn’t sure what it meant she was.

“It is. She’s a predator. A real one…” Frett leaned closer, and I heard her sniff me. It sounded a little odd, thanks to her nose.

Doing my best to not take offense, I patiently waited.

Then Frett frowned.

“Well?” the one with odd eyes asked.

“I uh… don’t know… Maybe I have a cold?” Frett asked herself.

“Well…” I didn’t want the poor woman to misunderstand, but before I could say anything a new face appeared.

One covered in tiny white scars. Made only more apparent thanks to his dark skin.

“Come now. Let’s help Vim, we can get to know one another once we do,” the tall man said sternly.

The women all startled, and hurried to do as told. Even the ones who had been bothering Elisabell.

Watching them go to help Vim, I felt a little out of place. Should I go help too?

“Welcome to the Crypt. I am Father Abel,” the man though introduced himself to the two of us before I could step away.

Elisabell took his hand first and sheepishly smiled at him. “Elisabell,” she greeted him.

He gave her a gentle smile back, and then offered me his hand too.

As I took it, I noticed he was missing two of his fingers. His ring finger and pinky. The poor man was covered in scars and missing body parts.

“Renn. I’ve a letter for you, Father,” I said as we shook hands. I made sure to do so gently, just in case he was frail.

He blinked and frowned. “You do…?”

I nodded and reached around, to open the small pouch on my belt. The one that Vim had given me a few days ago.

The small bag like thing was made of strange leather. Stuff that felt... fake, almost. Yet it was light, and had this really neat thing Vim had called a zipper on it. It made a weird noise as I opened the pouch and went to find his letter from Rapti.

It took a little longer than it should have to find the one for him, and once I did I felt a little silly. It had been the only one in a bright blue envelope. “Here you go,” I said as I handed it to him.

Father Abel took it and smiled. “I see. Interesting,” he said.

Hm…? Was the letter interesting, or the fact I was the one handing it to him?

“Vim brought clothes!” one of the girls shouted.

I turned and smiled as I watched them all grow excited. They hurried to untie the rest of the bags and boxes, eager to see the rest.

“We have stuff from Secca, Landi and the Weaver,” I told the Father.

“Hm… indeed,” Father Abel sounded unsurprised, but had a gentle smile all the same.

“Indeed my butt. Move.”

Father Abel stood up a little straighter, and then stepped aside… revealing a young girl.

A little startled, I hesitated at the sight of a tiny Clothed Woman. One wearing a hooded robe of the church.

“Oh? Look at you. A real predator. Cute,” the girl greeted me, and beneath the white bandages I clearly saw her grin and smirk at me. I did my best to calm down a little as I glanced her up and down.

She wasn’t exactly like the Clothed Woman. She had cloth wrapped all around her, under her white robe, but it wasn’t as thick. I could see her face, and her eyes. It was some kind of see-through cloth, like a bandage. Yet it was definitely all over her… her hands and fingers were wrapped too.

Holding my hand out, I smiled at her. “My name is Renn,” I introduced myself.

Father Abel shifted in the corner of my eye, and the girl snarled at me. “So you are,” she said, without taking my hand.

Ah… maybe she was hurt beneath those bandages…? I lowered my hand and smiled, taking no offense.

“That’s no fun. Domesticated are you? Oh well…” the girl sighed at me and stepped away, heading down the steps to the crowd.

Watching her go, I felt strangely excited. She had practically just dismissed me! Plus she had ignored Elisabell completely.

It wasn’t often I was so readily treated with such disgust by our members.

I looked forward to becoming her friend.

“Please forgive her, Renn. She’s… prickly,” Father Abel said softly.

I nodded. “It’s okay… though…” I hesitated as I watched several of the women notice the approaching girl. They all stepped aside, quickly, to get out of her way. One of them, the human girl who had hugged Elisabell, even dropped the bag she had been carrying in haste as to do so.

What the heck…? Were they scared of her or something?

“Well Vim? Where’s my gift?” the girl asked loudly as she drew near him.

Blinking at her demanding tone, I watched with great interest as Vim ignored her for a moment… then after he finished untying one of the bags off Elisbaell’s horse, he turned to the young girl and smiled. “It’s good to see you too Sharp,” he said to her.

“Yeah, yeah. Where is it then?” Sharp said, ignoring him as she glanced around her, at the horses and the mess of boxes and bags.

The women had returned to unloading the rest, but had done so at a distance. They all moved around the girl… as if she was as sharp as her name, too dangerous to draw near.

“The woman you ignored has it. Might want to reconsider who you are so snarky to,” Vim told her.

The small girl tilted her head, and I smiled a little as I stood up straight… waiting for it.

She then turned around, and although I couldn't see it... I could feel her eyes as they narrowed at me.

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I wasn’t sure what gift he meant I had… since as far as I was aware, none of the letters in the pouch were addressed to a Sharp, but…

The girl crossed her arms, and said nothing. She just glared at me.

Father Abel coughed lightly behind me. “So. Elisabell. I heard you’re a human,” he said.

I glanced back and watched as Elisabell and Father Abel went into conversation. Although Father Abel seemed genuinely interested in hearing her story… I recognized a coward when I heard one.

He had used her as an excuse.

Interesting.

Stepping down the steps, I did my best to not seem too excited as I neared the young girl. I ignored the sisters, who had gone to whispering as they watched me. “Sharp, is it? What gift were you waiting for?” I asked her.

The girl shifted, and I noticed that under her hood was what looked to be short hair. Very short hair, for a girl. Especially one of this region. Some of her short strands were sticking out of her bandages, between them. It gave her already short hair a strangely spiky appearance.

“You don’t know?” Sharp asked back.

I shook my head.

The girl sighed, and then turned to look at Vim. “She has no smell,” she said to him.

I blinked, and heard several conversations come to an abrupt stop.

“You’re kidding,” one of the women whispered.

“I knew it,” Frett said.

Feeling oddly embarrassed, I coughed and shifted. “Is it a letter?” I asked kindly.

The girl flinched, and then glanced at me. “Funny,” she said stiffly.

Uh oh. I had just hurt her, somehow.

The girl though didn’t look too sad, though the thin bandages on her face did make it hard to tell. Did those eyes look watery, or was it just the bandages?

Then I realized something. “Wait, let me guess,” I said as I thought of what was likely what she wanted.

Stepping closer, to smile and tell her where to find the book, I hesitated as she stepped backward.

Lowering my shoulders, I worried what was wrong. She had actually stepped away from me, as if I stunk or was dangerous.

“Don’t look so hurt. Aren’t you a predator?” she asked.

“Rather than hurt… I’m more concerned I did something wrong,” I said to her.

The girl’s eyebrows shifted under her bandages, and I noticed one of them move out of position a little. A tiny line of skin became visible thanks to it, and I was able to confirm her skin looked fine. At least, it seemed to be. I wasn’t sure why she was covered in bandages.

“What is she, Vim?” Sharp asked softly.

“Someone not even your sharp self can scare away. Good luck,” Vim said as he stepped around her, brushing past her as he did. He patted the small woman's shoulder as he did, which she tried to duck away from.

I smiled at Vim, who smiled back at me. He stepped past me, carrying a large box towards the church.

The girl shifted and brushed her shoulder, where Vim had touched and bumped into her. As if her robe was now dirty. “My name is Sharp,” she introduced herself finally.

“Rennalee,” I introduced myself once again.

“Rennalee? Strange name,” she said.

I blinked and nodded. “Sharp’s neater. It’s cute,” I told her.

Sharp frowned at me, very obviously even through the bandages, and sighed. “Sure… whatever. Where is it then?” she asked as she glanced to the nearby horses.

“Vim’s bag. Do you want just the fourth or all four?” I asked her.

“Just the fourth… wait… you know what I want?” Sharp asked, surprised. It was interesting to see the first emotion other than annoyance on her. She actually perked up a little thanks to it.

I nodded. “If not a letter, it’s not like I have much else… process of elimination and all that,” I said as I stepped away from her. To pick up the large bag Vim had put down.

Hefting it, I placed it on my back and nodded to her. “Shall we go inside?” I asked her.

“Can’t you just give it to me?” she asked, suddenly sounding tired.

“I could, but then I’d have to wait hours if not days until you finished it as to spend time with you,” I told her.

“Well… duh,” she sighed and stepped away, heading for the church.

I smiled and went to follow her. I hurried up a little, and was about to pat the small girl on the back, to cheer her up… but instead she stepped away again.

“Don’t touch me,” she said, saying it so sternly it had almost sounded more like a warning than anything else.

“Oh… sorry,” I apologized quickly, and realized she might actually be hurt. Maybe her brushing her shoulder earlier from Vim’s bump hadn’t been an emotional thing, but a physical one. Maybe he had hurt her.

It was hard to think Vim would have done such a thing if he known it would have hurt her, though...

She sighed and returned to walking, shaking her head. “He always has the weird ones fallowing him around…” she mumbled.

I smirked, taking that as a compliment. “He does, doesn’t he?” I agreed.

We followed the rest of the women into the church. They were all chatting away, happily talking about the boxes and bags they were carrying. We passed Elisabell, who was still talking with Father Abel, and we entered the church.

Which turned out to be not a church at all. Or at least, not one I was used to.

The entrance led to a giant room. One with massive stairs that rounded circularly up to the second floor, where a huge balcony overlooked the entrance. Even from down here I could see other stairs and hallways up there.

Most of the entrance was solid stone, even the floor, but once one neared one of the several hallways that it branched off into, wood and rugs began to appear. Thick ones, of varying colors and designs.

Rather than a church it felt more like a giant mansion.

“This way,” Sharp guided me away from where the rest of the girls were headed. To the left of where they had gone deeper into the building, Sharp led me down one of the smaller hallways, that ran along the side of the building. One with small windows littering one side, revealing the dense forest this building was hidden within.

Walking a little behind Sharp, I studied the doors we passed. Most were heavy doors of wood, and looked… a little old. Nothing looked broken or out of place, or dirty, but it was obvious this place had been built a long time ago. And had been heavily used since then.

Some of the stones in the floor, the ones not hidden by rugs, were obviously weathered and rounded. From years of footsteps.

“You’re not the author, are you…?” Sharp suddenly asked.

“Huh? Of the books? No… I’m not,” I told her.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and I smiled at her. “I’m told I’ll meet her one day, though,” I said.

Sharp’s hood shifted, and I recognized the way it did.

Did she have ears…? Like me? That had not been from a simple tilt of the head. “Will you now…?” she asked softly.

“Supposedly. Vim hasn’t told me where or when though,” I said.

“Huh…” she found that interesting, and then led me down a new hallway. Before following her down it, I glanced down the rest of the current hallway we were in. It looked like it led to another hallway down the way.

“This place is neat. Reminds me kind of the Cathedral,” I said as I followed her.

“Well duh, it’s the same.”

“The same?” I asked.

She nodded. “It’s the same floor plan. We even have the same spires and stuff,” she said.

Oh…!

I quickly took into account the few hallways and the overall structure of the building that I knew of.

Then I remembered the spires and towers I had noticed above it, as we neared... and compared it to the Cathedral in my memories.

“It is isn’t it?” I said, a little astounded. It was obviously not as large, but... Yes. I could see the similarities.

She nodded.

“Does that mean there’s a garden in the center too? With a house?” I asked.

“Oh… no. There’s a garden, but no house,” Sharp said, and then pointed down a hallway we were passing. “You can reach that courtyard going down that hallway,” she said.

“Hm,” I nodded.

“From the courtyard, follow the hallway that rounds it until you find a huge hallway. It will lead you either back to the entrance, or the church itself. Someone will be around there to help you if you get lost,” Sharp said.

“Okay…?” I hesitated as I realized what she was likely doing.

Rounding another corner, we came to a slowed stop in front of a door. One made of metal, and not wood.

She pushed it open, revealing an obvious bedroom. But before I could enter, or study it, she turned and held her hand out.

“You had told me how to get back, so you wouldn’t have to guide me,” I said as I realized what she had done.

She had done it so I couldn't use it as an excuse to linger, or have her guide me herself.

Sharp frowned at me. “Obviously?”

“I know how important these books are… but really,” I said with a sigh as I pulled around Vim’s bag. I placed it on the ground and went to opening it.

“I’ve waited thirty years for this. You’re far from neat enough to ignore that,” Sharp said.

“But I’m at least a little bit neat, right?” I asked her with a grin.

Sharp huffed at me, but before I looked away I noticed a tiny movement under her hood. She had just smiled at me, though I hadn’t seen it on her face thanks to her bandages. That movement of the ears was rather obvious.

Finding the books, I made sure to grab the fourth installment. Pulling it out, I smiled and verified it was the fourth by checking the first page and its dedication.

“Please return it once you’re done. I’m not allowed to leave it anywhere,” I told her as I held it out.

“I know the rules, cat,” Sharp said as she took the book.

As she did, I noticed not only once again that her fingers were wrapped in bandages… but she had done so carefully. And not because she worried for the book.

She had grabbed the book with her fingertips… as if afraid to touch me as she did so, even on accident.

Sharp stepped away, to head into her room… but then hesitated. She turned, staring at me… who stood before her door, with Vim’s bag at my feet.

I smiled at her. “Enjoy, Sharp,” I said.

Her hood shifted again. Then she slowly nodded… and then looked away quickly. She stepped into her room, and promptly closed the door behind her. As she did though, I noticed she hadn’t slammed it. She had closed it gently, as if worried I’d get hurt if she didn’t.

Sighing gently, I closed Vim’s bag back up and hefted it.

Although interested in the rest of the church, I retraced my steps back to the entrance. Sharp had told me how to get to the center, but…

Stepping out of the church, I smiled at Vim. He was handing a small box to one of the sisters. The horses were now gone, taken elsewhere, and there was only a few boxes and bags left.

I glanced around for Elisabell and the Father, but didn’t find them. I walked down the steps, passing Frett as I did. “Oh my? Still alive?” Frett paused, with a big bag in her arms.

Smiling at her, I nodded. “She lives up to her name, huh,” I said.

“You have no idea… or wait, maybe you do. Did you touch her?” Frett asked worriedly.

I frowned and shook my head.

“Oh. Good. Make sure you don’t okay? Really,” Frett said as she stepped forward, passing me and entering the church.

“Okay…” I mumbled, a little bothered.

What was that about? Maybe she became even snippier if she was touched.

“Hey look at you!”

I turned as a new face ran up to me. It was the one who Vim had just been given a small box. “Nice to meet you! I’m Prasta!” she greeted me with a toothy smile.

Returning the smile I nodded. “My name is Renn. Nice to meet you,” I said.

She giggled at me. “You’re adorable! Wish I had ears like that! Are they soft?” she asked.

“Sometimes,” I said, and I felt my left ear flutter a little.

She hummed as she watched it move. “How nice… all I got is a bunch of scales on my butt. All it ever does is itch and snag my clothes,” she said with a sigh.

Oh…? Scales… so some kind of lizard.

“Must make wearing underwear hard,” I assumed.

She nodded quickly. “That’s why I don’t wear any!” she said happily.

Made sense.

“We’ll talk later! Let me touch your ears after, okay?” she said, more than asked, as she hurried away.

I nodded, watching her hurry after Frett.

Although a little shocked by the vast spectrum of different personalities here, I found myself grinning ear to ear as I turned and hurried over to Vim.

“Vim, this place is great. Everyone’s so neat,” I said as I stepped over to him. He was kneeling in front of the few remaining bags.

“Well, at least someone thinks so,” he said gently.

I grinned and nodded. I knew he likely didn’t enjoy it here… especially if it really was a church, and not just a place that looked like one.

Vim then glanced up at me, and tilted his head. “Oh… make sure you don’t touch Sharp, okay?” he then warned me.

I blinked… but nodded. “Frett warned me too,” I said.

“Yeah. Just make sure you don’t touch her. She’s usually very good at not letting anyone do so, but mistakes happen sometimes,” he said as he stood, hefting most of the bags as he did.

Stepping over to the last two bags left, I bent down and picked them up for him.

“Did you get her the book?” he asked.

“Yeah. She’s already holed up in her room,” I said.

He chuckled. “I’m sure.”

Vim nodded lightly for me to follow him into the church. I followed dutifully, excited to meet the rest of our members here at the Crypt.

And also to hopefully learn not just about the people here… but the source of such a name.

I hadn’t seen any tombstones or graves yet… but…

“I hear there’s no house here for us,” I told Vim.

“Right…? But…” Vim slowed, stopping right before the church’s entrance.

I stepped up next to him, smiling patiently for whatever he was going to say.

“I’ll ask for a room that has a bed big enough for both us, all the same,” he then said with a nod.

As Vim entered the church… I felt oddly numb. I lingered near the entrance as robed sisters headed towards us, followed by Father Abel.

They showered Vim and me with questions… but it all became a blur. Thanks to the fact I was stunned.

Stunned by not just what he had just said, but the happy smile he wore as he had done so.