The Monarch was naught but ash and stains.

My footsteps made noisy sounds again as I walked along the bottom of the canyon. There was a very thick layer of black ash everywhere, but not a hint or sign of the Monarch’s body or its toxic sludge.

It had burnt. The fires had worked. Which wasn’t too surprising, they had fed the fire for two days straight. The heat had been so great that many of the knights had suffered burns and blisters, even when standing from a distance.

Stepping up onto a large rock, as to look around again at the area where I had recently fought the Monarch… I wondered which God had been its creator.

I hadn’t recognized that dark hue. The toxic sludge was unique too… it seemed like such an odd ability for a God or Monarch to possess. Likely it was some weird mutation… but…

How did the original ability end up like that?

Maybe it was originally some kind of corruption ability. To poison and or convert others to the God’s wills.

“Oh well,” I said softly. There was no point worrying about it. Even if another Monarch in its blood-line existed… their source was gone. The God that had created them was no more. So the worst they could do was what this one had done.

Poison and torment the weaker creatures of this planet was all they could do anymore.

Honestly though…

“How many could even be left?” I wondered.

There had been a time that I’d encounter them often. Or at least traces of them. Now though…

“Well, this is two in as many years,” I said as I thought of it. This one and the one I had faced with Oplar, not too long ago.

In reality that was… concerning. Then there were those things in Lumen.

I had checked the body of the large one very closely, and hadn’t been able to find a heart. Nor had I sensed the energy of one either. But…

“What if it had been buried, in roots far beneath the city…?” I wondered.

Surely not… right? No matter where a heart was in the body, no matter how distant, didn’t change the energy that flowed into the body from it. It pulsated through the body in a huge wave of heat. It was unmistakable.

The creatures in Lumen, even through their roots, had not possessed that heat. That energy. They had been huge, powerful creatures… but simply creatures of normalcy. If one could call them that.

They were more like the non-humans in the Society than Monarchs. Just… a step further separated from humans.

I sighed at myself, and wondered if I was doing a piss poor job lately. Usually I was a little more sure of myself. A little more confident. Lately I’ve felt almost as if… well…

“As if I was being led by the nose,” I mumbled as I went to climb out of the canyon.

Still… even if I hadn’t mistaken those creatures in Lumen, it was undeniable that two Monarchs in as many years were unnatural. Especially lately.

The few that still lived were either the weak ones, like the little two-tailed creature in the Cathedral, or were in hiding and happy to stay sealed away… like Tor. Those like this one, or the one that I had faced with Oplar, were out of place beings. Things that didn’t belong anymore. Things too strong and dangerous for this world that was slowly becoming more normal than not.

The age and era of mythos was over. It was time for…

Shuffling a little as I pulled myself up over the ledge of the canyon, I ignored the sound of rocks and dirt falling into the canyon from my clambering. I had dislodged a rock as I pulled myself over.

This time no one was here to bother me. There were still watchtowers stationed around the canyon, and some tents still erected nearby, but the amount of soldiers here had thinned. I could see people staring at me from a distance, but no one was hurrying over. They were just staring.

Either they recognized me, or were too afraid to confront someone who had dared to enter the canyon.

Deciding to not wait long enough to give them a chance to face their fears, or realize it was their job to confront such odd people, I headed back towards the city.

It was far enough that it took a bit to get back, mostly since I hadn’t felt like running. It wasn’t often lately that I got time alone to think to myself, so I was trying to utilize it while I had it.

Not that I was bothered by Renn’s companionship… by any means… but…

Well…

She had a lot of questions. Ones that I wasn’t ready to answer, just yet. So I was, admittedly, avoiding her.

Hopefully she understood… and would forgive me for it.

Luckily for me right now, Renn was more concerned with Landi. The two had become inseparable since Renn had handed over that heart. I understood the reason, of course, and honestly… I was okay with it. Pleased with it, even.

But it worried me.

Hopefully Renn wouldn’t get any weird ideas from Landi…

Reaching the western gate, I approached the entrance as the guards grew alert. Half a dozen soldiers stepped away from the small guardhouse buildings on either side of the entry gate, to face me as I approached.

Hm, what was this? Were they going to deny me entry…? Really? When I had left earlier I had stopped and made small talk with these men, on purpose, so they’d remember me and…

“What did you do, man?” the one I had spent the most time talking to asked worriedly as I came to a stop a few feet from him.

Huh…?

Then I realized they weren’t on edge or guard of me, but instead looking at me as if I was crazy and…

Glancing down, I sighed as I realized what the problem was.

I was covered in soot and ash. I looked as if I had just rolled around in an oven, or chimney. One that hadn’t been cleaned in years.

Well… in a way…

“I fell,” I said lightly.

One of the men scoffed, and a few others laughed.

“Don’t tell me you went into that canyon…” one then said worriedly.

Great. What the heck was wrong with me? I should have noticed and realized this would have happened… it wasn’t as if I had actually rolled around in the stuff, but I had both walked in it and climbed up the cliff walls which had been layered in the stuff. Plus falling down into it, causing that huge plume of smoke likely hadn’t helped either.

“I did mention Landi had wanted me to check it,” I said to them, reminding them about what I had said upon leaving.

“Well… yea… but…” the one nearest me stepped forward, and glanced me up and down. “Think we should be worried?” he asked his buddies after a second of staring at me.

“I highly doubt he’s lying about Landi’s orders. Who is stupid enough to do that? You going to argue with her about it?” One asked.

“Do you guys think I should bathe before telling her what I saw?” I intruded into their conversation, to steer it a little.

“Gods yes. She’d have you culled on the spot if you showed up looking like that,” the one farthest said loudly.

The rest of the guards nodded, and I smiled as they all visibly decided to let me do just that.

“Get going then,” the one who had stepped over to me said, gesturing for me to hurry.

“Will do,” I said as I stepped forward, stepping through the small path the guards had made for me as I headed for the gate.

They wanted me to hurry, both to not incur Landi’s wrath… but also so that they didn’t get the orders to do the deed themselves.

People didn’t like killing their fellows, when all they had been doing is their job, after all.

Entering the city, I smiled at myself and wondered if I should actually find a bathhouse, or just go back to the castle as I was.

Landi wouldn’t actually care. Plus I’d rather bathe in the castle than a public bathhouse, simply as to avoid causing a ruckus… but…

As I hurried deeper into the city, I debated sneaking in instead of having to convince the guards to let me be. The ones at the gate had let me pass, since I had stopped to let them remember me before leaving… but…

I’d not done such a thing with any of the guards at the palace. And in this state they’d likely not believe me right away…

But if I snuck in I’d need to climb up the side of the palace. I’d done it many times before, but it was a pain. The monoliths were pillars of stone, yes, but solid. Flat. Perfectly cut, without edges or grooves to grab onto. Half the time I needed to damage the rock just to make footholds and places to grab at.

I hated breaking those monoliths. There weren’t many left anymore, so breaking them made me feel like a piece of…

“My chimney could use a good sweeping as well, lad!” an older woman teased me as I passed her on the street.

Waving lightly at her as I laughed, I wasn’t too surprised when I received several other similar jokes from those I walked by along the way to the palace.

By the time I reached the palace, I decided to just enter the normal way. I’ll just have the guards run off to verify who I was with Landi, and deal with the waiting.

Yet instead of finding the normal guards at the palace entrance… I found the muscular woman who was on Landi’s team of consultants. I wasn’t sure yet if she was a general, or just some politician or czar… but her appearance alone made one assume, of course.

She noticed my entrance into the palace rather quickly, and stepped over to me before I could even try to fully enter the palace and get stopped by the guards.

“I hear your name is Vim,” she said as she approached.

“It is,” I said.

She studied me, and crossed her huge arms. At first I thought she was trying to be intimidating, but it became clear she was just… unsure of what to say or do.

“Need something?” I asked after a few moments of silence. Some of the guards had approached, but had stopped at a distance. As if just to listen, and to be ready for any orders.

The muscular woman hesitated, and then glanced down at my feet… then she nodded. “I just… wanted to meet you, I guess. My mother knew you,” she said.

I frowned at the woman, and tried to remember the people I’d known here. I came here often enough along my routes, but usually didn’t spend too long here. A few days at a time, at most. “She had?” I asked.

“Well… honestly you might not have known her. You had saved her from Landi’s wrath once, and she told me if I ever saw you I should make sure to treat you right,” she said.

Treat me right…? “Well, thank you I suppose…?” I said.

She frowned but nodded. “Did you go into the canyon again?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Was it okay? Should we set it aflame again?” she asked.

“No. It should be fine. But I’d recommend not going near that canyon, or any of the cracks around it, for some time. Just in case,” I said honestly.

She nodded, and seemed relieved to hear me say so.

“Oh. Right. You probably want to let Queen Landi know,” she realized, then turned to the nearby guards who were whispering to each other about us. “Let this man pass into the inner palace,” she ordered.

The guards quickly nodded and saluted, but didn’t move from their spots. They looked as unsure as the woman in front of me did.

“Thanks,” I said as I went to round her, as to head for the stairs that led to the private quarters upstairs.

“Will you be around for awhile, sir Vim?” the woman asked as I did.

I paused to glance at her, and wondered what she actually wanted. Was she just… being awkward, because she wasn’t sure what to say or how to act in front of me? Or was it something else?

“I’ll be leaving in a few days, now that my job is done. If you need me for something just ask. I’m not like Landi who can’t take criticism or unable to hear bad news,” I said to her, inviting her to tell me what was wrong.

The woman stared at me for a moment, and then I noticed her muscles tighten as she shifted on a heel. Ah. So something was wrong.

“I’ll take that to heart sir. Thank you,” she said after a moment.

I nodded, and decided she either didn’t feel it necessary now… or didn’t want to say it here when being seen by so many others. So I stepped away and walked past the guards, to head deeper into the palace.

Leaving the onlookers behind, I headed into the section of the palace that only had a few servants. Ones accustomed and expected to keep their heads down, and to not notice or be noticed. Honestly it wasn’t my kind of environment, but it helped during moments like these.

Climbing the stairs, I entered the upper-palace. The section where Landi was usually alone, except for the few trusted and private servants. Like the descendants of those women she had acquired years ago.

“Ah…” I paused a moment, as I realized that muscular woman was likely one of them. Or at least, a descendant of them.

That made more sense.

Landi didn’t like humans, and was often cruel to them, but the reality is… like most predators, she cherished those she claimed as her own. And those families were definitely hers. She saw them as one would a pack, or family, in a way. Servants, but her servants. So they were special. To her.

“Vim! You dirty man, come here!”

Looking up from my thoughts, I stepped forward to go to Landi. She was waving at me from behind a doorway.

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“Dirty…? What’d he do this time?” Renn’s voice sounded like a mother annoyed with her child as I rounded the doorway, and entered the room.

“I love how you sound so used to it, Renn dear,” Landi teased.

“Well is it a surprise? He’s always ruining his clothes and never even…” Renn went quiet as she tilted her head at me, and took in the sight of me. Landi snickered as she went to join Renn at the table.

They were eating. A human woman was placing plates down… but she too had paused as to stare at me.

“Vim…” Renn groaned at me from her seat.

“I’ll need to borrow your bath, Landi,” I said.

“Of course you will. Hellen, clean that thing up and make sure to get all the gunk he’s brought in too. Then burn those clothes he’s wearing,” Landi ordered.

The woman serving them food nodded quickly, saying nothing but very obviously agreeing with the order.

I waited for the servant to finish serving the food. The cart she had brought the food in on had been rather full, the kind of full that would have been seen as ridiculous for two young looking women. The kind of wastefulness was to be expected of a Queen… but I knew the servant, and those who had prepared it, knew better.

Odds are very little of that food would be wasted, by the time Renn and Landi were done with it all.

“Well? Is it gone?” Landi asked as she took a seat next to Renn. The table they sat at was a large one, made of stone, but they were sitting closely to one another.

A little too close for my liking, to be honest.

Why'd I need to worry over other women more than I did men? Or was I just being paranoid?

“Yes. I’d order a perimeter around the canyon to avoid, in case of lingering toxins, but it and the gunk are all gone,” I said.

Renn let out a small relieved sigh, and Landi nodded as she went to eating.

I noted the glowing orb resting on the table, near their dishes. It was sitting on a tiny pillow, as to keep it from rolling.

She hadn’t placed it in her body yet.

“Hungry, Vim?” Renn asked as she went to grab some utensils.

“Maybe later,” I said as I watched Hellen, Landi’s servant, place the last plate of food onto the table.

The human woman quietly collected her small cart, and a few empty cups and plates that were likely from earlier, and began pushing it towards me and the door.

“He probably ate the Monarch, that’s why he’s full,” Landi teased.

Renn though didn’t laugh, and instead frowned seriously. “Does he actually eat them?” she asked with a whisper, as if I was already out of the room.

Shaking my head at the two, I turned to follow the woman out of the room. Her little cart was impressively quiet as it rolled along the stone floor.

Leaving Landi and Renn behind, I followed her down the hallway.

“I’ll assume you need no help bathing, Lord Vim?” Hellen asked calmly.

Oh…? She must remember me from my other visits. Interesting.

The servants who had prepared my bath earlier, after the fight with the Monarch, had been older women. I didn’t remember this one.

“No. Just toss me into the nearest tub of hot water please,” I said.

She giggled softly. “And lots of soap and scrubbing, I’m sure,” she said.

Well… maybe. I had bathed after getting back earlier, after fighting the Monarch, but hadn’t been as nasty thanks to the scrubbing and shower near the canyon.

We rounded a corner and went down a smaller hallway. One that led to a larger room which branched into hallways and a series of rooms that had people working inside of them. I heard small-talk, plates clanking, and a fire… maybe even several fires burning.

In the center of the large room, was a square lift. One with large sturdy ropes, which they used as something of an elevator. Likely to help carry things up and down floors that were too annoying to carry up stairs.

“I beg your patience. My mother would not be happy if I let you into the kitchens in your state,” Hellen paused to say to me, before a door.

Ah. Right.

I nodded, and obeyed as she hurried into the kitchen with her cart.

I heard her talk to others, talking softly in likely hopes that I’d not hear them, but nothing they had said was too concerning. One of the workers had only wanted to know who I was, and why I was so important.

Hellen returned, with an older woman. One that was undoubtedly her mother. They had the same build and hair, though the mother’s had started to gray.

“Welcome back Lord Vim. We actually prepared a bath for Landi’s new friend, so one’s already ready. I’ll go get you clothes,” Hellen’s mother said in greeting, and without waiting for my response hurried away. Heading down another hallway.

I watched her for a moment before going to follow Hellen. She led me down a different hallway, which led to a larger one. It wasn’t much later and I was in one of the sunken baths of the palace, scrubbing away.

There were several baths here in this palace, as far as I was aware, so I didn’t feel bad for taking Renn’s.

If anything it just meant I’d get to tease her about it later.

Although Hellen lingered for a moment, likely waiting for me to ask for help in bathing, she didn’t stay long. Once her mother returned with some clothes, they left them and me alone as they returned to their duties.

I took my time to clean, but not so much because I needed to. Unlike the toxic gunk I had swum in the other day, these stains were of just simple ash. A pain to clean off, to a degree... honestly the biggest pain would be for the servants who would have to scrub the large sunken bath tub once I was done.

Yet it seemed I had taken a little too long, as right as I got out of the bath to dry off, Renn peaked her head around the bath’s entrance.

Pausing a moment as our eyes met, I couldn’t help but smile as she beamed me a grin and stepped into the bathroom. “Done already?” she asked.

“You’d not have enjoyed it Renn, look at the water,” I said as I went to drying off.

She did, and obviously saw the black-stained water… yet she hummed in a way that told me she’d not have minded at all.

“Weren’t you having a meal?” I asked.

“We finished some time ago Vim. Landi’s now with her… generals? She calls them her council,” Renn said as she stepped over to the stone rack that had my new freshly folded clothes.

She lifted the shirt they'd readied for me and studied it, and I wondered what to think of her strange new tendency to bother with my clothing.

Maybe she’d always been this way, and I’d either not noticed… Or maybe it was simply the fact that to her I was now important enough to worry about.

Was it a cat thing? They liked to clean themselves didn't they? Or was it just a personality trait unique to her? Although Renn was a little similar to cats in nature, there were some differences. A non-humans bloodline influenced them, but not controlled them.

“Does Landi not want you to meet with her council?” I asked. She had been with Landi in the tent, when I had been fighting the Monarch, but that might have simply been a necessity. Honestly her being kept at a distance would have made sense before the whole Monarch fiasco, as to keep Renn and me out of the loop... but now Renn and her were close friends. There was no reason to keep Renn at a distance.

“She invited me. I’ve listened enough, I don’t like how they all seem… scared of her. There’s really no counseling going on at all, it’s just them asking Landi what she wants them to do, and then they go do it. Right or wrong,” Renn said as she put the shirt down and picked up the underwear.

“Maybe her decisions are just so perfect no one needs to argue or counsel against them?” I offered her a way to look at it.

“Funny, Vim,” Renn said softly, telling me her thoughts on my words. There must be several things she disagreed with. I wonder what they were...

I smiled at her as I finished drying off, and deposited the now ruined towels into the stone… trash-bin looking thing they used as a hamper.

“Can I put those on?” I asked her for permission as I stepped over to her. She was now studying one of the pant legs closely, at the seam.

“Hm…? Why can’t you?” she asked as she turned to frown at me.

“You’re looking at them as if they’re going to bite me,” I said.

Renn smirked a happy grin, and then handed me a piece of clothing. “I don’t like the colors here. They’re the same as the rocks and stuff, it’s boring,” she said.

Ah. The dull browns. Right.

“You women get whites and silvers, though,” I said as I went to dressing. She was right now wearing one of those white dresses. It looked good on her, especially since it looked almost see-through.

“Yes, but you’re not wearing dresses Vim. Or would you? I bet we can find one that fits… some of the women here are rather muscular,” she said.

“I know, I met one of them downstairs. She seemed to want something, but hadn’t been able to ask it,” I said as I finished dressing.

“Hm…? You mean Landi’s guard?” Renn asked.

“She’s her guard? Makes sense,” I said as I gestured for Renn to follow me out of the bath. She didn’t though, and remained next to the rack… as if not wanting to leave just yet.

I patiently waited for her as she studied me… and I realized she was judging the clothes on me.

It seemed she really was offended by them. I wonder why… they looked normal, honestly. The colors were bland, yes, but they were made of nice feeling cotton. Something that would have been very expensive at a market. Especially here in this region.

“What is it Renn?” I asked her gently. Maybe it was more than the clothes and she was just using them as something to vent her frustration on.

“Hm… You…” She started to say whatever it was, but then blinked and frowned at me. Then she shook her head. “Never mind,” she decided.

I smiled at her as she stepped past me, and headed out of the baths and out into the hallway. She seemed troubled.

Following her, I watched her dress. Although it looked see-through, it was designed in layers. Only the top layer was actually see-through. Which kept certain things hidden. Yet I could easily see her dark tail swaying beneath the long dress thanks to the whiteness of the dress, and the couple feet of what wasn’t hidden dangling just above the ground, curled upward.

That swaying tail had a bit of a tightness to it. As if it was stiff from muscle pains or something. She was definitely bothered by something.

This is twice now that a woman has wanted to say something to me today, and chose not to.

Unlike the one downstairs though… this one’s opinions, desires, and worries mattered to me. A lot.

“Did you come to see if the maids were scrubbing me or something?” I asked, hoping a small joke would draw it out of her.

Renn’s ears twitched, and then she glanced back at me. “I knew I heard her ask…” she mumbled.

I smirked, and couldn’t believe it. Was that really what was wrong? Hellen had indirectly asked, but not so point blank or likely with any weird ideas in the first place.

Renn noticed my smirk and looked away, back in front of her. She huffed, likely annoyed that I had smiled so brazenly at her.

“Next time I’m filthy I’ll let you bathe me if you’d like. Cats are known for grooming,” I said.

Her tail twitched. “Maybe I will,” she said simply. She said it as if she was threatening me.

Amused, Renn and I walked quietly for a moment. We left the hallway, turning into a familiar one. One that led to the large rooms we’d been using for our visit with Landi. Where Renn and Landi sat on couches, relaxing and talking with one another.

Landi had given Renn an actual room, with a bed, but I’d not seen it or knew where it was. I tried to ignore the part of me that wanted to ask her about it. She’d probably interpret it oddly, when in reality I kind of just wanted to take a nap.

“Are we leaving soon, Vim?” Renn asked as we entered one of the large rooms. The one we’d been in earlier, before the whole Monarch fiasco.

“I’d like to, yes. Before Landi gets us involved in more drama,” I said as I headed for one of the larger couches. It was the one I had been sitting on and…

Yes. It was still there. Although no longer on the couch, but on a new table. One that hadn’t been there before. My little pieces of wood and strips of leather were all neatly gathered, with the knives. The scraps and shavings I’d collected on the floor were now gone, as well.

They’d cleaned it up for me.

Renn hummed, and I glanced over at her. She was standing a little awkwardly a few feet away, looking at a distant fireplace. One that wasn’t lit, but was ready to be. Someone had replenished the firewood, and readied it. There were kindling and shavings in a small pile near it… maybe even the very wood shavings they had cleaned up near my seat.

Honestly a good use for them. I couldn’t complain.

“Landi’s going to tease you if she returns to find you so hesitant, Renn. You’re usually a little more confident,” I said.

Renn’s attention returned to me, and she glared at me. “It’s your fault,” she said.

“Never said it wasn’t,” I said as I rounded the couch and went to sit back down. As to return to my little… project.

Renn huffed softly, and then walked over to me. She too rounded the couch, but hesitated before sitting down next to me.

Glancing at her, I wondered why she was doing her best to not look at me. She was now looking at one of the nearby tables, even though the table was empty. It wasn’t even that fancy, nor had any weird designs on it.

“You can ask Renn,” I said as I picked up the half-finished gift and the little knife that had been lying next to it.

“I don’t want to,” she whispered.

I frowned, and glanced up at her… and realized she had a rather sad look on her face. I hefted the little thin strip of boxwood. “I meant about this,” I said. Maybe she had thought I was speaking about Landi, her situation, or the Monarch or something.

“I know you were. It’s for me, isn’t it?” she asked softly, yet still hadn’t looked at me or it.

I blinked, and wondered why she looked sad after saying such a thing. And… why was she still looking that way, even though her ears were fully centered on me?

“Um… yes… But now I’m worried, is it that bad?” I asked, suddenly very conscious of myself.

Renn’s sad look shifted into a weird smile. One that looked unsure of itself. And her eyes danced wildly, as if trying to find me but not able to. She kept looking from me to the table. “No! No… I uh… I don’t want to spoil it. If you tell me what it is, then… well…”

Ah…

I sat back, lowering the gift and the knife to my lap. “You don’t want to know about it, because it’ll spoil the moment,” I said as I understood.

She nodded quickly.

“And thus your worry. That we can’t talk comfortably, because I’d focus on this,” I said, as I continued to understand her.

“Well… yes…? It’s fine when I can focus on Landi, but…” she grumbled a little, and I couldn’t help but find her adorable.

She was unhappy. But not because of something serious, or because she was hurt or worried. It was simply because she wanted to spend time with me, but not while I was working on her gift. Because then she’d want to watch, and study it, and ask about it.

This was why she had hesitated to return here. This was why she had walked stiffly, and her tail had not flowed calmly like it usually did as she walked.

She had known the moment I came back into this room, I’d return my attention to my little project… and even though she was more than happy to let me do so, she also regretted it. Because then she’d have to find something else to focus on, since she didn’t want to see it until it was finished.

Sighing at her, I wondered what I was going to do with her. This meant I’d never be able to make her gifts without finding a way to hide them, or distract her while I spent time on them.

She was too curious for her own good, wasn’t she?

“I know…! It’s so stupid… I can’t believe I’m actually bothered by this. It makes me feel so ungrateful and… I’m sorry,” Renn rambled as she mumbled softly, and I noticed the red flush. She was embarrassed.

“Quite the opposite. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it. I… honestly would have told you all about it, had you asked,” I said.

“Exactly,” she said, nodding.

Right. She didn’t want to know about it. She wanted to cherish it. To cherish the surprise. For her it was more than just the gift itself, it was the moments that led up to it. The giving, and receiving of it.

Likely a source of her perfect memory. She remembered everything flawlessly... which meant she very likely wanted to cherish the moment she received it from me, so she could always look back at that memory fondly. The gift, the item, would fade and eventually break or be lost... but that memory would last her forever.

And I, being the kind of man I was… wouldn’t have realized that. Hell, I hadn’t. I’d almost went ahead and told her as I sat down, telling her everything.

Once again I’d not… noticed Renn’s personality. She was a gentle soul, who cherished such moments and gifts. To her they were more valuable than anything else in this world.

Even if to me it was just a small piece of wood. Something I could replace a thousand times over… To her it was something much more.

To her it was a treasure. To me a flimsy piece of wood, able to be recreated in a single afternoon.

Now though… was it? No. It wasn’t. Suddenly the little piece of wood in my hand, which wasn’t even finished, was more a treasure than that heart we’d just given Landi.

“You want to treasure these moments,” I said, understanding.

“I already do Vim… I… I just…” Renn hesitated, and I knew it was because she wasn’t sure what to say, or how to say it.

She felt ridiculous, because she believed her desires and wants to be greedy. As if she was trying to attain too much, too quickly.

Yet… that wasn’t true at all.

Even if she was asking for something difficult to give, in all honesty… I fully believed she deserved it. She deserved every moment of happiness she could attain in this life.

And…

Staring into her eyes, and the tiny layer of tears within them… I smiled at her.

I would like to treasure these moments too.

“I could put two couches back-to-back. So we can sit without looking at each other. You’d be able to hear me work on it, but nothing else,” I offered her a solution.

Renn frowned, but not in disappointment. She pondered it for a moment, and then glanced over at the nearest couch. “That… might work, if you promise to keep the conversations neat enough to keep me from wanting to watch you,” she admitted.

I nodded, willing to try. “I’d like to finish it before we leave Renn. It’s difficult to do such fine work while walking,” I said.

“I figured…” she mumbled.

Putting the wood and knife down, I stood and decided to just do it. If Renn was going to be so unsure of herself… then I needed to take charge.

As I re-arranged some furniture, I noticed one of the servants peek in. likely hearing the noise. They only watched for a moment as I put two couches back-to-back, and then watched Renn happily sit in the center of hers. Right behind where I’d be sitting.

“Thank you Vim,” she said.

“Hm. Finding ways to keep your adorable side happy is difficult, but a pleasant past-time,” I said as I went to return to my seat, and finish my project.

Renn giggled at me as I picked up the remaining boxwood… and studied it for a moment.

Hopefully… it was worth her wait and expectations. Maybe I should have found ivory instead…

“Well, what would you like to talk about?” I asked her as I shifted the wood, to find the spot I had stopped at the other night.

“Hm…” Renn hummed a moment, and I heard her tail slide back and forth along the couch. It sounded much smoother in its movements compared to earlier. “How about… Merit’s home? Her kingdom? Had it been like this?” she asked.

My little knife paused a moment, and I frowned.

Hell. Why not? If Merit hadn't told her already, I doubt she'd grow too upset with me for telling her.

“She was born in a pond,” I started as I returned to forming the comb.

Renn was right. Moments like these should be treasured. They were valuable. Too valuable.

I’d forgotten such a thing. Hopefully she’d teach me to cherish more things, or at least remind me how to do so.