Nasba had a nasally voice, but she spoke with a passion that made her sound very beautiful.

I sat with the rest of the Weaver’s family, all circled around the small lifted podium in the center of the room. Nasba stood alone on it, and was telling the end of her story.

“Now most of you don’t know how small she is, but Merit is tiny indeed! So when she sat on her throne, and the crown was placed on her head it actually slipped off and to her neck! The whole crowd went quiet, unable to believe it. A crown became a necklace, and all the pointy jewels covered half her face! Which was a good thing too, since she was so red from embarrassment that she even started to cry!” Nasba was barely able to keep her smile contained as she teased her friend.

Several people around me giggled and chuckled, as if they could actually see Merit now. Fumbling with her crown as she tried to retain her dignity as queen.

Although I was smiling, I found myself more teary eyed than not. Vim had told me of her kingdom, but I hadn’t realized there were still others who remembered it too.

“Where’s she now aunt Nasba?” a younger girl raised a hand and asked.

“In Lumen. The city of coins,” Nasba answered, unbothered by the interruption.

“Is she their queen too?” another asked.

“No… she’s just a little girl there. Good thing too, Merit regrettably never really learned the importance of money. I used to have to be the one to buy stuff for her or else she’d just toss all the coins she had onto the counter without care!” Nasba said.

Oh…? I had never realized she was like Vim. Interesting.

Maybe that was why she wasn't allowed to work at the bank. It wasn't just because she wasn't tall enough to see over the counter.

“What about her kingdom?” someone behind me asked.

The ears on top of my head twitched a moment, since I was reminded that there were people behind me. Hopefully my ears didn’t block their line of sight.

“It sadly collapsed a long time ago. Just like all things, everything ends,” Nasba said gently.

I noticed the way her eyes lingered on me a moment after she answered the person behind me, and then she turned to nod to another raised hand.

“Last story you told about Merit, you said you and her grew up together. Is she a duck too?” the long haired girl asked.

Nasba shook her head. “No. She’s a fish. Good thing too, since she loves to eat eggs,” Nasba said happily.

I blinked at the odd smirk on her face, and the way everyone suddenly giggled and laughed.

Huh… some kind of joke I didn’t know the full story to. Interesting…

Looking around at the many faces around me, I felt oddly… out of place.

I mean, it made sense to feel so. I was a cat. Everyone here was either a bird of some kind, or human. Yet… it was something more than that. My strange sense of unease was something deeper. Something I couldn’t quite explain. And it wasn’t just because everyone was wearing fancy clothing, with neat colors and designs sewn into them. While I wore the more simple clothing Vim and I wore while traveling.

Oddly, Vim had mentioned that this family had fox blood in it. Yet not a single person had a pair of fox ears, or any hint of such traits. The only non-human traits I'd noticed so far, were either the huge tail feathers, or the typical bird feathers on peoples arms and stuff.

It was a little odd. You'd think at least one or two would have a fox trait at least. Did a single bloodline overpower the rest that much?

“Do you know Merit, Renn?” one of the younger girls asked me. Her tail feathers shuffled as she turned and they bumped into the boy sitting behind her.

“Hey!” he complained, but everyone ignored his complaints as he pushed her feathers away.

“I do. She’s a good friend of mine as well. She really is as small as Nasba says,” I told them.

They all nodded at me, happy to hear it. The girl who had smacked the boy with her feathers turned around to hush him, as if annoyed he was still grumbling at her.

“How can someone so tiny be so strong?” a man then asked. He didn’t have tail feathers, but most of those here didn’t. There were only a few who seemed to still retain the non-human traits of Nasba and Nann, whom they all had descended from. About one in five had any traits it seemed.

“Strength is more than size, Peter. Remember ants and other creatures. They are stronger than us, when one compares size to lifting power,” Nasba answered in the way that told me she was long used to teaching.

“Are there any ants in the Society?” someone else asked, piggybacking off the statement.

Nasba chuckled, and as she answered I heard something more important. I turned a little, and quickly found the source.

Vim. He was walking across the main center yard, with Nann the Weaver. I could just barely make him out through the window across from me and over all the heads.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him head for one of the other buildings across from the one I was in.

How had I heard him? Now that I was actually aware of him, and focusing, I couldn’t actually hear him. All I could hear was Nasba as she answered questions.

Slowly standing, I smiled apologetically as I made my way out of the group of listeners. I made sure to slip between the people that were more human than not, so I’d not step on any tail feathers.

Once out of the circle, I slowed as I rounded a corner and entered a hallway.

This was the first floor of the largest building here. The place where Nasba lived, and her immediate family. But it was also where they all ate together and spent time together. Like that room I’d been earlier. It was a place of learning, as they called it. A place where they told stories, gave lessons, and held family-wide debates.

It was beyond interesting, but…

Quietly leaving the building, I shut the main door behind me with a gentle push. It was quiet as it shut, slightly muffling Nasba’s voice as she continued her spiel on how duck eggs were more nutritious than chicken ones. Which was interesting to hear. I wonder if that was true, or just her own personal belief.

Pausing a moment to glance around at the large courtyard, I smiled at the grass and flowers before me. It was very pleasing to see such luscious nature again after all this time.

Stepping away from the building, I took the longer path. The one that led around the center garden and not through it, and headed for the building that Vim and Nann had entered. It was one of the smaller ones, but it had a weirdly shaped roof. It looked like it had a sunken roof, somehow, with several chimneys lining the sides of it.

As I walked, I smiled at the little bees and other flying things. They were happily buzzing around the flowers, enjoying life.

Yes. I missed this. I missed nature. It was a little odd how much I had actually missed it, without realizing it.

But this grass and these flowers even as well cared for and pretty as they were, only made me long for the thick forests of home.

Thinking of those trees made me smell them. I had to blink a few times as I tried to comprehend how I could still smell their unique scent of moss, moisture, and wet wood all these years later.

This place was interesting. We were a few hours from the nearest human village, but this place was almost a village unto itself. There were dozens of buildings, of varying sizes and purposes. Here in the center of it all, was a massive field of a garden. The main houses were built around it, and not a few were big and several storied tall.

There were a lot of people here. All descendants of Nann, the Weaver, and her children. One of which was Nasba… who wasn’t a daughter of the Weaver, but instead a duck. One who had married one of Nann's sons.

Merit’s friend.

Some of the children were human, but some also had their traits. One of which was Nasba’s huge tail feathers. Resembling birds and ducks, they all walked around with a fan of feathers behind them. It was a little silly, but at the same time pretty.

Growing closer to the building, I wondered what it’d be like to live with dozens of my children and descendants. A part of me prayed that I’d get to experience it one day, but another part of me worried about it.

More than a few of those here were human. Entirely human. Even though related to us.

In that circle I had just been sitting in, were siblings. There were siblings who looked like parent and child, thanks to their apparent ages. Yet it was only because some children were born thicker in the blood of non-humans, and others weren't.

That meant those more human grew old and died. Quickly. Faster than their peers did.

It was a joy to have such a huge family... but I was a little scared of the idea of half my descendants dying before the other half even fully matured. From simple age.

Would I be able to endure such heartache? Again and again?

I wasn’t sure how Nasba and Nann did it…

“You know how I feel about armor, Vim,” Nann’s voice made my tail twitch as I neared the house.

Armor…

Approaching the door, I found it already open. It hadn’t been closed all the way, and I only needed to push gently as to open it and enter.

Entering the weaver’s workshop, I slowed as I blinked away the odd smell of flax and other materials. It was a strange scent. One that made me a little lightheaded for a moment. I didn’t shut the door behind me, since they had left it open, but I did close it almost to the point where it was.

As I walked deeper into the building I passed large storerooms. Full of cloth and clothes. Some had rows of clothes on racks, while others were layers of cloth and yarn stacked high.

“There’s nothing to change, Vim. It’s fine. Like always your work is simple but efficient. Your only problem is that it’s too perfect. Would it kill you to have some character?” Nann sighed as she chastised the Protector of the Society.

Smiling at her, I walked down the small hallway until I found the open workshop. I found Vim and her together, with him sitting before a large workbench and she standing next to him. She had crossed arms behind her back, and was studying the leather he was messing with.

She was a tall woman. A little skinny, and gangly. Yet although supposedly very old, she looked young and healthy. Although much taller than me, she looked almost as old as people assumed I was. Until one looked into her beautiful blue eyes, and saw the depth and wisdom within them.

“Isn’t perfection a character trait, Renn?” Vim asked me with his back turned.

My smile grew as I stepped down the tiny step and onto the sunken floor of the workshop. So he had been the one to leave the door open. For me. “Some might say it is. But I do agree, as have many, that you’re work is plain Vim. It wouldn’t hurt to add a few details here and there,” I said as I stepped over to them.

Nann glanced at me as I walked past the odd devices and tools she and the others here used to make clothes and other items. Some were huge, intended to make blankets or curtains instead of clothes.

I stepped up to Vim’s other side, opposing the Weaver. I gave her a happy smile as she glanced at me, and I held her pretty blue eyes for a moment.

“Who else has voiced such an opinion?” the Weaver asked me.

“Most notably Lellip. Nebl's granddaughter. She likes to add little patterns and designs in the stuff she makes, and Vim and her grandfather always yell at her for it. It’s rude,” I said.

“I don’t yell at her for it…” Vim mumbled as he turned over the leather piece he had been working on. It had a few other leather straps connected to it, and it was now formed enough that I recognized it.

It was one of the pieces that would eventually go on his back. That covered his shoulder blades. A thick and sturdy piece, which would be connected to many smaller pieces that would move and shift as he did.

The Weaver chuckled lightly. “Yes. I believe you, Vim. You’d never tell us not to do whatever we wish… but I do know you’d also sigh at the sight of such decorations. For us that sigh is as stern a beating as a fist,” Nann said.

I blinked a few times as I processed her words.

So… they took his little mannerisms that deeply then? Really?

Maybe I should have told Nann about the pins Vim had recently made me. I didn't have any on me right now, since I didn't need to hide my traits here, but they were actually proof that Vim was able to be very decorative and personal. Same with my comb... but...

I shifted, and for some reason... even though I'd have enjoyed showing Vim's gifts off... at the same time...

Deciding against it, I didn't mention that he added character to the things he made for me. It was a tiny little secret I cherished, since I wasn't sure if Vim even noticed he did such a thing yet or not.

Yet was that not selfish? Was it not silly? What harm was there in letting others know? Vim himself likely didn't mind at all, so...

Vim sighed, as if to replicate the very sigh he made during such moments… and then put the leather piece down and turned to smile at me. “How’s it going Renn?” he asked.

“Good. I was listening to Nasba tell the story of Merit’s coronation,” I said as I stopped debating why I didn't want to show anyone the stuff Vim's made for me. At least not intentionally.

Vim’s smile disappeared and he huffed and looked away. “Don’t remind me,” he grumbled.

Frowning, I glanced at the Weaver who smirked at me. “She had asked him to be the one to crown her. He had not enjoyed it,” she told me.

“Huh…? Really? You were the one to put the crown on her head?” I asked Vim.

He nodded. “For the moment it lasted there. I uh… well… I thought her thick hair would have been a little firmer. So… well…” Vim took a deep breath and sighed, this time not intending it to be one to be misunderstood.

Reaching over I patted his shoulder. “Thus why you hate remembering it. She must have been rather upset with you,” I said as I understood exactly what had happened. So not only had he been the one to put her in such an embarrassing position, but he had been the one to make her crown. Merit's embarrassment was entirely thanks to him.

Interesting. Wish I could have seen it. Another moment of history I had not been blessed to witness.

He nodded, but said nothing.

“She was more upset he wouldn’t become her king consort than anything else, I think,” Nann said as she stepped away.

Vim nodded, and my patting of Vim’s shoulder turned into a hard grip as I held onto him as to steady myself.

“Huh?”

I felt Vim’s shoulder flinch, and Nann turned back towards us, and frowned at me. “You didn’t know?” she asked.

My mouth went dry as suddenly a whole lot of things suddenly made sense… and I glanced away from the Weaver and to Vim.

He wasn’t looking at me, and instead at the leather in front of him. Even though his hands weren’t moving. He had gone completely still.

“Vim…?” I asked, hoping he’d tell me I had somehow misunderstood.

“Oh my. Oh my indeed… You hadn’t known? Really? Why is that?” Nann stepped back over to us, placing her hand on the edge of the workbench Vim sat at. She hadn’t done it for support, however.

“Merit doesn’t tell anyone anything about herself. Let alone something she regrets, or hates,” Vim said simply.

“Vim!” I said his name a little loudly, and bent forward. To stare him in the eye.

“What…? Yes. She wanted me to join her in ruling her nation. No. I didn’t,” he said.

“She loved you!” I shouted as I replayed all the times I had seen her with him.

Of course she had! It was so obvious! The way they she acted. The way she had spoke of him, and looked at him…! How could I have not noticed it! It was so blatantly obvious now!

Merit's disgust and annoyance at Vim wasn't hatred, but love. Just a form of love that had likely been neglected, and abandoned...!

“Don’t feel too bad for not noticing. Vim didn’t notice for almost two hundred years,” Nann then said. Looking away from the man who I was quickly growing upset with; I frowned at the Weaver who nodded at me. “You think you’re shocked now? You should have seen him when he figured it out. It had been spectacular. A whole lake is gone thanks to it,” Nann said with a smile.

“What…? Wait…” I blinked as I tried to organize and calm myself.

Ok. Merit had loved Vim. Maybe even still did. Vim hadn’t noticed… and then…

My tail twitched wildly behind me as I thought of all the conversations. The jokes. Merit’s snide comments about Vim, and how much she hated him.

Gosh, it all made sense. So much sense…

“I need to sit down…” I mumbled.

Vim stood, stepping away from his seat as I went to sit upon it.

The chair was horribly uncomfortable. It was barely a chair at all. It had no backrest, no armrest. It was more a flat stool than anything else. It felt, and seemed, made completely of stone… but… I didn’t care. My mind was numb. My whole world had just been shook.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“She’s not taking it well, I wonder why?” Nann said.

“I was expecting her to either laugh or yell at me, not this,” Vim agreed.

“That’s coming,” I stated.

Vim huffed and Nann giggled.

Gulping a dry mouth, I turned a little. To look at Nann. “She really loves him?” I asked her.

The Weaver nodded gently at me. “She’s over it now, Renn. But yes, she had. It’s… not really her fault, to be honest. She had simply fallen for the first man to ever be kind to her. She had a troubled upbringing,” she explained.

Turning some more, I glared at the man who had stepped away. A little too far from me. “Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked him.

Vim frowned at me. “You know me better than that Renn. I’ll not reveal anything that’s too personal. Even to you,” he said.

Well… that was true but…

“Merit didn’t tell you?” Nann asked.

I shook my head. “No… but… well… It’s my fault. I should have noticed. It’s obvious now that I think about it,” I admitted. Especially when I thought of some of the things she had said when we had been alone. Like when we had bathed together.

“Not always,” Vim said as he stepped away. I heard his heavy footfalls as he went to sit down elsewhere.

“Did… did you really not notice? For two hundred years?” I asked him.

“He really didn’t,” Nann answered for him. Yet I still turned to glare at him. I wanted to hear his own answer. I wanted to hear what kind of feeble excuse he’d give to torture my poor friend for such a long time.

Vim sat down a few feet from me, in another chair. One made of wood. “I honestly hadn’t. It had been during the beginning Renn. Back when the Society was first really expanding and becoming its own. It had been hectic… There were times I was traveling around with dozens of people at once. Most of that’s all a blur to me today,” he said.

“You’re such a prick. Poor Merit,” I said.

Vim frowned at me as Nann giggled. “Isn’t he?” she agreed.

Two hundred years… poor, poor Merit. No wonder her blood boiled at the mere sight of him!

“How did you notice my affection so quickly and not hers?” I asked him.

Although I wasn’t looking at the Weaver, I heard her shift and draw closer to me. As if interested in the answer too.

Vim shifted a little in his chair, and I heard the wood creak and complain because of it. “I don’t have an answer Renn. I’ll not excuse it… yes it was rude. But I mean…” Vim gestured lightly, as if not sure what else to say.

“Merit wasn’t really forthcoming about it Renn. In fact when he finally realized it, she hadn’t even been around. She had been far away,” Nann said.

My ears turned towards her, to hear her better, and I frowned as I tilted my head to look at her. My eyes ran up and down her, looking for the source of the sound of feathers I had just heard.

Where were they? She didn’t seem to have feathers, but I had definitely heard it. Must be beneath her clothes... but she was wearing an open dress. Her legs and arms were visible. And the parts that covered her completely hugged her tightly. The dress wasn't loose at all... and...

Wait...

Realizing that her dress was actually the source of the sound itself made me feel a little dumb.

Her dress was made entirely of feathers. Though if they were hers, her children's, or genuine feathers from birds I couldn't tell.

“You said a lake disappeared?” I asked her once I solved that mystery, and went to address the next.

She nodded and her eyebrows rose as if she was witnessing the sight now. “Yes. He had stepped backward, to catch himself. Since he had been startled. Upon doing so, the whole world shook and a massive crack opened up beneath him. He had cracked the earth, and a nearby lake was eaten by it. It had been quite a sight,” Nann said.

Shocked for a different reason, I turned to Vim for verification. He nodded and frowned at me, but said nothing.

I knew exactly what kind of expression she spoke of. I had witnessed it before. I've even seen him step too harshly because of it... but... a whole lake? A crack in the earth? One deep enough to swallow a lake whole?

“You’re a monster,” I said to him.

Nann laughed at me, patting me on the shoulder as she stepped away. She went to sit down in front of a huge wheel looking device, which had threads and ropes all over it. Although she sat in front of it, she didn’t begin messing with it. She instead turned, to face me and Vim. Which was too bad, I would have enjoyed seeing how she used such a huge wheel to make clothes.

“I’ll be honest Renn I had thought you’d known. You and her had gotten close,” Vim said.

“Well… I think she might have kind of told me. In her own way,” I said as I recalled our conversation in the bath. She had told me on how much he had helped her in the beginning. His kindness. His strength that she had been able to rely on, when no one else had been there for her.

Yes. I could recall her small smile. That weird little flushed grin she had while talking about those memories. I had originally interpreted those words as Merit simply being shy. Too shy to readily admit she had relied on a man she didn't like. How wrong I had been.

Merit hadn’t just loved Vim… she likely still did.

Which meant…

“I’ve stolen you from her,” I whispered as I realized it.

Nann scoffed. “Please. She never had him. As amusing as it would be to watch such drama, that is unfounded,” she said.

“I… I didn’t mean it literally, just…” I turned to look at the Weaver who waved my concerns away with a light gesture.

“Nonsense. Merit’s had over a hundred years to come to terms, Renn. And she knew even before he realized her feelings that he’d never return her affection. Even if she’ll never admit it,” Nann said.

Still… that didn’t make me feel any better. How much had it hurt Merit to see me and Vim together? Flirting and stuff?

Gods it felt horrible to think how she had probably felt. Seeing and hearing such a thing right in front of her. And I not even realizing how much pain I was putting her through...

I’ll need to beg her forgiveness when I see her again.

“In some cultures I’d be the victim,” Vim then said.

I turned to snarl at him, and he smiled back at me.

“In some cultures it’d be normal for a man to have many wives, as well,” Nann added.

My snarl turned into a sad frown when I turned back around to look her way. “Right. I’ve met a few people with multiple partners. Like Landi,” I said.

“Those aren’t partners, Renn,” Vim said gently.

I nodded softly. “I know… I just mean…” I gave up trying to explain what I meant as the Weaver tilted her head at me in an odd way.

“Would you be okay with such an arrangement?” she then asked me.

Blinking at her, I sat up a little straighter as my ears fluttered. “You mean… letting Vim have multiple wives?” I asked.

She nodded, waiting patiently for my response.

Shifting a little, I spun a little in the uncomfortably hard chair to face her better. Why’d they have to sit opposing like this? I’ll have strained my neck by the time our conversation was over. “I’m not sure honestly,” I admitted to her.

“Why’s that?”

Vim remained silent as I crossed my arms. “I’d hate to imagine him with another… but… well… Take Merit for instance. I’d enjoy being with her constantly. So to me it’d be like having a sister. But yet at the same time, I’m not really sure what I’d think or do if I had to share them,” I said as I thought about it.

“Share them. She’s not complaining that she’d be sharing me, but that she’d be sharing Merit with me. See that?” Vim finally spoke up.

“I do. That’s an interesting perspective… but surely you don’t mean to say that you’d view Merit as a partner, right? You just said yourself, she’d be like a sister, not a mate,” Nann clarified.

“Well… yeah? I love Merit but I’d not see her as a mate or anything, no. Plus I mean…” I nodded as I thought deeper about it. I immediately made a decision as I imagined watching Merit and Vim enter a bedroom, leaving me behind. “No. I’d not be okay with it,” I firmly decided as my tail grew stiff.

“I see. What’d you just think of?” Nann asked me, likely noticing my thoughts.

“I don’t want to say it,” I admitted.

She smirked at me, and something told me she knew full well what I had just imagined.

“How about we pick a different example than Merit, please?” Vim said.

“Shut up,” I told him.

He did.

Nann giggled at me. “So. No sharing,” she said to me.

I nodded. “None,” I decided.

“Interesting. Even more so that you’d willingly consider it. Most predators like yourself would have either outright denied it without even debating it, while others would have found no issue with it whatsoever. You’re an odd mixture. Firmly against it, yet had genuinely considered it,” she said.

I shifted again, and was glad that I felt my tail begin to sway normally once more. It being stiff made it too clear that I was unsettled. “You had asked… So…” I said. I wasn’t sure yet what to think of her being so upfront about my feelings and thoughts, but I was enjoying this. Even if unsettled.

She nodded. “I had. Have you never had a mate, Renn?” she then asked.

“No…?” I answered, though wasn’t sure if she was asking if I had been married before, or something else. It was interesting to have proof once again though that most of our older members called such partners mates and not husbands or something. I knew they meant the same thing, basically, but it told me a lot about them.

Though Nasba used the term marriage. And supposedly she was just as old as Nann... so maybe it was something other than age that factored into it.

“Why then did you come to appreciate Vim? Out of all the men you’ve met over the years… why him?” she asked me.

Although it was a little odd she was being so inquisitive about my personal feelings, I didn’t shy away from it. “Why not him?” I asked her back.

“Oh I could give you many reasons. But I’d rather hear yours first,” she responded.

Great. I glanced behind me, at the man in question. He was still sitting there. Patiently. He even had a strange smile on his face. “Want me to leave?” he asked me.

“No. I’m just wondering if you’re ready for me to interrogate you afterward. About all of this. Every single question. You better prepare yourself,” I said to him.

He blinked at me, and I turned away to face the Weaver before I could see his expression finish changing as he comprehended what I had just said.

Nodding to her, I gestured at the man with a light wave. “At first I wanted his life, not him,” I told her.

“His life… you mean his duty as protector?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah… I wanted this life. To travel. To be of help. To not only have a place in the world, but to be a real part of it…? Someone who made a difference? It… this, was everything I had ever wanted. To me it was like a dream come true,” I told her. If anything that was understating it. I had wanted to not be alone. To have purpose. This life was something I hadn't even imagined possible... I still hadn't truly comprehended how lucky I was, I don't think.

“But that does not explain your attraction to him. Such a life can be had without him. In many ways,” Nann said.

“That’s true… but… well…” I fidgeted as I realized I was about to say something a little embarrassing.

“Maybe I should leave,” Vim mumbled.

“Don’t. I’ve been meaning to say this to you too,” I turned to glare at him, stopping him. He had genuinely been about to go.

Vim stopped from standing up, and sighed as he leaned back, and nodded.

Turning to him fully, I spun on my chair and debated standing up. But… decided not to. Since I felt weird all of a sudden.

Taking a small breath, I did my best to not smell the weird smells in this room. The tools. The threads. The leather. Nann. They were all different, yet somehow familiar scents. Some reminded me of other Society members and locations. Others were new completely. Some comforting… some strange and outlandish.

I dedicated them to memory, and this moment. All of the smells of this room.

And, of course, also the obvious lack of smell from the man I was about to reveal my heart to.

Then I stopped paying attention to them, and nodded at him.

I focused on the man in front of me, who looked almost as unsettled as I felt. He had a hand on his knee, gripping it tightly. Something he did often when unsure of himself. Something he did when he didn’t like what he was hearing.

Well too bad. He was going to hear it anyway.

“I no longer want what you have, Vim,” I told him.

Vim went completely still, his eyes going wide. “Huh…?”

I nodded, and gulped. “I don’t want to do what you do. I don’t want to be what you are. At least… not for the Society,” I said.

Nann made noise, and it almost sounded like Nasba’s tail feathers. I ignored the sounds, and focused on the man in front of me. He looked half a moment away from running away.

“What I want… now, today, is to be your protector. To be for you what you are for the Society,” I told him finally.

His eyes narrowed at me, and although suddenly a little sweaty I felt relieved. Glad I had finally said it aloud.

“You wish to be what he leans on. Fascinating,” Nann said behind me, understanding what I meant completely right away.

I nodded, glad she at least understood.

“What…?” Vim though obviously didn’t, or if he did… wasn’t willing to accept it.

“What yourself? It’s what I want. It’s why I love you, Vim. You give my life meaning. Amongst all the joy and sorrow. Being with you is exciting, fun, and wonderful… but more so than anything I cherish the fact that I could possibly help you. You. A man who doesn’t need help from anyone,” I said to him.

As I finished telling him, I enjoyed the strange heavy silence that followed. Vim sat there, staring into my eyes… and seemed a little out of it. As if not fully awake. As if stunned or concerned. But it was okay. I was okay with him not fully understanding right away. I was okay with him even finding it odd or strange… that was okay too.

Glad to simply have been given an opportunity to say it, aloud, made me happy.

“Now I feel as if I should be the one to leave,” Nann then whispered.

I couldn’t help it, I laughed as I turned to her. “You’re the one who asked!” I said happily.

Nann sighed as she nodded. She had leaned back in her chair, a little too much. It made her look odd. She was a tall, thin woman. Too tall for her chair to sit in at that steep of an angle.

The two of us snickered at each other for a moment, until I realized Vim still hadn’t said anything. I turned back around, to smile at him… and instead found him looking at me with a strange frown.

I blinked, and my own smile turned into a frown as I held his gaze.

He suddenly looked hurt.

“Vim…?” I asked gently.

“I’m very glad he had been sitting down. His shock could have destroyed all these buildings had he not been,” Nann said behind me. Sounding genuinely grateful.

Surely not… “Vim…? You okay?” I asked.

I noticed his jaw clench, and his fingers twitch on his knee. He shifted and nodded, albeit uncertainly. Nodded, yet still said nothing.

“You should respond Vim. Her words had been beautiful. Even you should be able to think of something to give in thanks,” Nann said.

I nodded, fully agreeing.

Vim though slowly shook his head… and I felt my heart skip a beat in worry. He didn’t want to respond…? Why not?

“Don’t be like that Vim,” Nann said softly.

It was my turn to grab my knees. I squeezed them, mimicking him, as I held his gaze. Waiting.

“No. There are no words that could do hers justice,” he then said.

Relaxing a little, I smiled at him as he took a deep breath and sighed at me.

“Hm. Not good enough, but I’ll allow it for now,” Nann though said.

Not good enough…? Hardly. “I love you Vim, even if you’re scared of me saying so,” I told him.

He nodded, giving up. “I know. You danced to her whims happily and willingly. I can’t win anymore, if I ever did,” he said.

I tilted my head and turned, to look to the Weaver. She smirked at me and nodded. “I’d tease you, but you knew I was drawing it from you on purpose. So it’s hardly fair,” she said to me.

Well… I mean… I had. I had assumed she had simply wanted to tease me, or Vim, but… well…

I had wanted to talk about it anyway. Openly. So it was a good excuse.

If anything… her little ploy had been in my favor if anything else.

Turning back to Vim, I gestured at him with the tip of my tail. Since my hands still gripped my knees. “How about you Vim?” I asked him.

“Hm…?” he tilted his head at me.

“What made you fall for her?” Nann asked him for me.

He sighed at us. “Does her persistence count?” he offered.

“It does, but I’d rather hear a better reason,” Nann said.

Really…? I found it to be rather pleasant to hear he enjoyed my constant attempts. Even if I had to be the one to be doing so, since he never did.

Vim shifted again, and his chair snapped.

The thing collapsed, falling backwards and into itself. One leg went to the left, other pieces went right… yet Vim didn’t move.

Standing up a little, I glared at the man who was sitting without anything beneath him. “Vim... how the heck are you doing that?” I complained. It looked unnatural. It made my hairs stand up.

“Pure hatred,” he said as he then stood up, unbothered by what had just happened.

His words concerned me, but I noted he had said them a little gently. He had made a joke, he hadn’t been serious.

“Better my chair than my home, I guess…” Nann said with a sigh.

I stepped back and offered the stone chair I had been sitting on to him. He nodded and sighed at me as he went to sit on it.

So that was why this weird stone chair was here. It was for him. Should have known.

“There’s another chair over there, dear,” Nann said with a point to our right.

I went to procure it, and as I did I couldn’t get the sight of Vim sitting in the air like that out of my head. Just how had he done it? His right leg had even been angled a little, not really on the ground. His right foot had been lifted, in a way that told me barely a toe or two had been touching the ground…

As if he had been floating or something…

“And no. I didn’t do that on purpose to avoid the question,” Vim told us as I pulled my new chair over, to sit in front of him and the Weaver. At a better angle.

“Doubtful. But sure. Go ahead then,” Nann teased him.

He huffed at her and then looked to me. I nearly hesitated, but quickly sat in my new chair and nodded quickly. Ready to hear it.

“Your heart Renn,” he then told me.

I blinked at him. “My… heart…?” I asked.

He nodded. “You should hate the world. Despise it. After all that’s happened to you. Yet instead you love it. You forgive it. I’ve watched you time and again express concern and care for those who don’t deserve it. Even for those who hurt you. As foolish as I think it is… I still find it humbling and attractive.”

Smiling at him, I tilted my head and swayed a little. “Thank you, Vim,” I said, appreciating the lovely admission.

Nann though sighed. “You love her for her ingrained personality trait that encompasses your own beliefs. Rather selfish of you,” she said.

Vim ignored her, and leaned forward. He drew a little closer to me, and I leaned forward as well. We were too far to touch, but it felt good to draw nearer to him. “Also… and don’t find this weird, Renn, but…” he gestured at me lightly. “I’m comfortable with you,” he finished.

Vim sat back up straighter, away from me. He smiled a little strangely, and seemed to relax a little. As if a great burden had just been lifted off his shoulders.

I though remained a little leaned forward, a little confused. “You’re… comfortable with me?” I asked.

I mean… wasn’t that obvious? Of course he would be. What kind of person wouldn’t be comfortable with the one they loved? And honestly… was he? He always got anxious and shifted as if uncomfortable when talking to me about personal stuff. All the time. Even now.

Hadn’t he just broken a chair? Did he forget? That had been mere moments ago!

“When did that start, Vim?” Nann asked, ignoring my internal conundrum.

“Almost immediately… She snuck in once to watch me. The young fox girl, Lomi, was sleeping on my lap. She had snuck in to watch me through the night. Somewhere in the middle of the night I had actually drifted off to sleep, even though she was staring at me. That had even been only a few weeks after meeting her,” Vim told her.

Sitting up, my ears fluttered as I remembered that night. “You actually fell asleep then?” I asked. I hadn’t noticed! I had thought he had stayed awake the whole night.

He nodded.

Huh…

“Fascinating… so you mean that you’re comfortable with her, literally. I wonder why that is. Is it her smell?” Nann asked.

Vim shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Trying not to be too obvious about it, I lifted a shoulder to smell myself.

“So your attraction started with the realization you were okay with her presence. You allowed her to be close to you because it was comforting for her to be so. If I didn’t know you better Vim, I’d almost think you were lying or confused,” Nann said.

“Is it so strange?” I asked her as I stopped smelling myself. I didn’t need a bath, but I did smell a little dirty. Or rather, my clothes did.

“For him? Not entirely. As long as I’ve known him, there’s a particular constant I can say about him. Vim keeps himself a step away from all of us. He’ll let us weep in his arms. He’ll carry us when tired. He’ll eat with us, or sit with us… but there’s always been a very obvious distance he keeps between us and him. Most believe it’s his way of keeping the peace. As to not show favoritism. But I know him better than that. He doesn’t like growing close to anyone because he doesn’t like watching us die. He’s too kindhearted, so he plays the tough man,” Nann said.

I nodded, agreeing completely. “He’s sweet isn’t he?” I agreed.

“Yes. So for him to ignore his basic instincts, to not keep a distance with you, tells me he’s not only telling the truth… but very likely underselling it. Did you just smell yourself Renn?” she then asked me.

I nodded, although a little embarrassed to admit it. I did my best to ignore the feeling of heat rush to my face.

“Did you smell anything?” she asked.

Frowning at her, I nodded. “Yeah…? I need to wash my clothes. Which means I probably also need to take a bath, but I didn’t smell horrible. Smelled like I always have, at least,” I said.

“Funny,” she said with a smile.

“Is it…?” I wondered. I was no longer feeling hot in the face, but I didn’t like the way she was smirking at me. Had I said something silly?

Glancing at Vim, he frowned at me and shook his head. He didn’t know what she meant either.

The Weaver frowned at me, and my tail twitched because of it. What was that look for…?

“Nann?” I asked gently. What was wrong?

“What is it Nann? What weave have you found now?” Vim asked as well.

Her blue eyes narrowed at me… and suddenly she seemed more serious. More concerned.

Whatever was bothering her... was somehow more important, and startling, than anything we've all said or done before.

Glancing at Vim again, I blinked at the weird look of worry on his face. Had he realized it too...? Why was he looking at me with such an odd look?

The Weaver then coughed lightly, and shifted in her chair. Looking back at her, I found her striking eyes piercing into me.

“You don’t smell at all Renn. You have no scent. Just like Vim.”