A day of rest.

I understood the meaning of it. From both a religious aspect, and not. It was a day to not overexert yourself. To slow down. To appreciate life and all it had, and whatnot.

But why did we have to stop all we were doing when we so desperately needed to get things done…?

And why was fishing not considered work…? There were people who genuinely did this for a living, yet it was okay to fish during the day of rest?

Oh well. At least it gave me a chance to get to know Celine better.

She and I were on the bank of the larger river that SilverCreek rested upon… though we were north of the town itself, about a mile or so up the river to where not even a road or path was. The road we’d taken to get here had curved and headed northward about a quarter mile back, though I wasn’t really sure as to where it went.

“The fish are different here. They’re fatter,” Celine said as she held the second fish she’s caught today. It was squirming in her grip, but considering how weakly it was doing it she needed to put it back into the bucket soon.

I was standing a bit away from her and the bucket, and was about to sit down. I had just helped her pull that fish in, since she had struggled a little to get it up and out of the water.

“We have bigger rivers, and bigger lakes. Probably helps them get bigger than in your homeland,” I said. There had of course been rivers down south, Vim and I had even sailed on one with Roslyn and her people, but they weren’t like the ones up here in the north. Up here there were some that were so wide and deep they were nearly lakes themselves.

Celine hummed and then finally put the fish back into the bucket. It plopped in, rather loudly, and I was glad to see it start to swim around a bit afterward. It, like the few others in the bucket, needed to stay alive until we got back to the camp. They tasted better that way.

After wiping her hands off on her pants Celine went to pick up her fishing pole. It, like the one I used, was something that Randle had brought from Telmik. They were… in all honesty probably some of the nicest fishing poles I’d ever seen, let alone used. I especially liked how they had these little spikes on the end of them that could allow us to stick them into the ground easily, as to not have to hold them all the time.

I had mine in my hand however, since I liked having something to do. Plus it really should be time I caught another… Maybe I shouldn’t sit down…? No. There was a chance I’d not get a bite for some time, so I may as well.

“So um… Renn.”

Glancing at our newest member as I sat down, I smiled and nodded at her. “Yeah?”

Celine shifted as readied to toss her line into the river. She hesitated a moment, and then went ahead and tossed it out. The line plunked into the river a bit downstream from my own, and she sighed in relief. More than a few times she’s accidentally gotten our lines tangled, or got her hook stuck on the tall grass that grew on the banks of the river. “You’re married, right?” she asked.

“Yep. To Vim,” I said as I studied the way she stiffly tried to sit down. She seemed… unsure of herself. Originally I had thought it was because we were alone, since Oplar who had been with us in the beginning had decided to head into town with Nessa instead of fishing with us. Yet now I think the poor girl was just… the way she was. She had never fished before, until now, and her lack of experience was only amplified in the way she seemed hesitant in everything she did. As if she was afraid of drawing attention to herself, or something.

It was an odd trait for a predator, that supposedly she was… but I was glad she was at least not as bad as Tundra. I had expected her to be, in a way, what with Oplar feeling she’d not be able to live anywhere else in the Society… so it was a pleasant surprise to find that this Celine was not someone I needed to really worry over. Though I did need to keep an eye on her for other reasons.

She had rough skin. Kind of like Sharp, though not nearly as bad. It was rough enough that if any human accidentally bumped into her they’d notice, and likely cause issues. So I needed to make sure nothing like that happened.

“A lot of us are, right? Members I mean?” Celine then asked as she finally sat fully, still holding the fishing pole as she did.

“Hm… I’d say a good amount are, yes. But for every person who has a mate there are probably two more who don’t,” I said. “Though a portion of those people don’t have one not because they never had, but rather because they had lost their partners,” I added after a moment, as I thought of those like Nasba.

“Hm… Oplar said it’s hard to find a man… for those like us,” Celine said.

My ear twitched under my hat as I kept a smile from creeping onto my face. “To a degree… but there are also plenty of men who have trouble too. For instance Lellip who just left before you got here,” I said as I pointed upward to the sky, as if Lellip was up there. “She’s gone to see Branches. Lilly’s son. He’s been looking for a wife for a long time, supposedly,” I said.

“So… does one need to put their name in that hat or something?” Celine asked.

The smile I’d been trying to hide squirmed its way onto my face, forming a smirk. “In a way. Do you want to find someone, Celine?” I asked. The girl was actually pretty young, though it seemed neither she nor Oplar had actually known her real age. She seemed closer to Angie or Fly’s age than not, but maybe she was older than she appeared…? Like Sharp and Merit, she was an ocean creature supposedly. And both Sharp and Merit were smaller than the rest of us, maybe Celine was the same?

“Not yet… I was just wondering how that all worked… So um… if I don’t want to, is that going to be a problem then?” Celine then asked.

Oh… my smirk died a little as I realized I had been completely misunderstanding her. “You’re worried you’ll get in trouble for not wanting to find a partner…?” I asked, a tad hurt to hear so.

Celine’s face scrunched up a little as she nodded, seemingly worried over my answer.

Great. Likely thanks to Oplar, and some of the conversations we’ve all been having lately… such as with everyone teasing me or Nessa, she seemed to have gotten the wrong impression. Did she think that we forced people into marriages or something? “Of course you won’t. The Society doesn’t enforce such things at all. You don’t have to find anyone, or do such a thing, if you don’t want to. I mean look at Angie, she throws a fit if someone even hints at such things!” I said, trying to make the heavy air a bit lighter.

Celine smiled and nodded, knowing full well what I meant. Not too long ago before we had come here to the river she had been with me and Oplar when Nessa had expressed her displeasure of embarrassing herself. She had told Oplar all about how she had tried to seduce Krass’s son, and had failed spectacularly because he wanted to become some kind of priest that vowed celibacy. Oplar had teased her mightily over it, to the point that Angie had thrown a piece of bread at her.

“I was just wondering… is all… Oplar said you were making a place where people came to mate, so…” Celine shrugged gently, as I put one and two together.

“You thought you were being brought here to be given to someone…?” I chuckled a little at the absurd idea. “I’d never let that happen, Celine! Nor would Vim, for sure. You need not worry about such a thing at all!”

Celine’s smile softened so much it became an obviously real one as her shoulders gently relaxed. “Okay…” she said gently.

Really…! What had Oplar been saying this whole time to make this poor girl think such a thing! Maybe Oplar complained more about her lack of finding a suitable mate than I realized…? Or maybe there had been weird rumors concerning me and my plans here…?

“Now that you don’t need to worry over being forced into a marriage, do you want to still find someone anyway?” I asked.

Celine’s smile turned thin. “No thanks.”

I chuckled at her and wondered if that had been a youthful answer or a real one. Maybe she wasn’t as young as I’d first assumed, but had just gotten some weird ideas all the same. “Okay. You and Angie will get along great, then!”

“She does seem nice,” Celine said gently.

I was about to tell her how highly I thought of Angie, but my fishing pole jerked a tad. I firmed my grip on it and stood up… and then once I verified something had indeed latched onto the hook at the end of my line I went ahead and tugged.

Stepping backward as I pulled the fish out of the water, I started to grin as something big plopped out of the river. It felt heavy, even to me, and might even be the biggest one we’d caught yet…! But, before I could really enjoy the sight of my catch… or properly get it onto the bank and into my hands, I stepped up against something.

Spinning around, I let out a hiss of a yelp as I sent the fishing pole out at the thing, or rather person, who I had back stepped into… and watched as my fishing pole smacked Vim right in the face.

Stunned, I watched Vim look upward. He didn’t pay any heed to the small red mark on the side of his face from the pole as he reached out and stepped forward… and then grabbed the fish from the air.

He sighed at me as he shifted the fish around as to hold it by the tail end. “I can’t believe the line hadn’t snapped just now, considering how hard you had just tugged on it,” he said with a smile.

“Vim…!” I shouted at him as my heart began to thump again. Had it completely stopped in that moment! I think it might have…!

Taking a deep breath, I sighed it out as I reached up to touch my chest. I wore my thicker over shirt, but not my leather clothes… so I could feel my heart thumping through it. It was hot and beating hard…

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“Sorry…” Vim apologized, his smiled softening as he did.

Taking another deep breath… I glanced around and found he was alone. Celine had stood up, looking at us with an odd expression, but we were otherwise still alone… on the bank of the river a mile or so from the village proper.

“You startled me,” I said. I can’t believe I had not noticed him! We were on a grassy bank, but there were plenty of sticks and rocks around that I really should have noticed… I’d even been slightly on guard, as I’d been ever since Vim had left…

“I did. I’m sorry,” he apologized again as he went to remove the hook from the fish’s mouth. I didn’t like how calmly he did so, or with how much ease he accomplished in doing so. Not because I wasn’t as proficient… but because it was kind of upsetting he was even able to take his eyes off me right now. I wouldn’t have been able to do the same thing.

“Um… You’re bleeding,” I said as I watched a tiny trickle of blood start to roll down the side of his face.

“Hm?” Vim frowned but didn’t seem to care. He stayed focus on the fish, and the hook he now held with his other hand.

I sighed at him, and myself, and reached up to wipe the drop of blood. It was coming from right above his right eyebrow, but seemed to have only been a little bit of blood. A single wipe of my finger had been enough to stop it.

His blood was oddly cold. Maybe because mine was hot right now…? Not only had I been sitting in the warm sun all day, I was now heated. Thanks to nearly being startled to death.

Rubbing his blood between my fingers I went ahead and handed him the fishing pole. He took it, and I took the fish, as he tied up the line and hook so that it wouldn’t snag on anything… or anyone.

“Biggest one yet,” I said happily as I held the fish up with both hands. It was as thick as my thigh! Maybe Vim had brought me good luck?

“Sap will be happy. She likes fish,” Vim said.

“Huh…?” I tilted my head at him.

He nodded gently as he turned to look at Celine nearby. I heard the young predator startle at being looked at. “Hello Celine. I’m glad to see you made it here,” Vim said, greeting her and ignoring me.

I huffed at him and decided to put my fish away before I smacked him with it. The fishing pole had somehow survived my doing so, but I doubted a fish would.

“Um… yeah. Oplar and I got here a few days ago,” Celine said, sounding a little unsure of herself again as she did. Was she off-put by Vim…? Or was she just baffled by our interaction?

Putting the big fish into the bucket, I frowned as I realized we likely needed to leave now. The fish was too big for it… especially with the other fish in it too. It would suffocate and die rather quickly since it couldn’t swim at all.

Oh well. “Why don’t we go back to camp, Celine? The bucket’s full now,” I said.

“Uh… sure…!”

I nodded as Celine went to pull in her line. She did so a tad quicker than needed, as if self-conscious. I decided to keep an eye on her, but ended up looking back at Vim instead.

He looked okay. His clothes were not ones I’d seen before… but they were at least intact, and didn’t seem dirty. He did have a over-coat on though that looked a tad too stuffy in today’s heat. It had a hood and everything, though it wasn’t covering his head at the moment.

And, except for the thin bloodstain on his face I’d just given him, he looked… healthy. I didn’t see any obvious wounds or anything…

Though there was something a bit off about him…

His eyes. They were staring into my own… but that wasn’t too surprising. He stared at me a lot, even when we hadn’t been separated for a long time and it was the first time he was seeing me since. Now there was…

Was that sadness…? He had a gentle smile on his face, but he also looked a tad sad. Was it because I had smacked him with the pole…? Surely not, right? I mean yes it had likely hurt, but this was Vim we were talking about. He had basically ignored it, completely.

Plus he’d not kissed me or anything.

When he had left Lumen, when we had separated last, he had kissed me… rather forcefully too. I had honestly expected a similar greeting to happen to accompany it…

Maybe something sad had happened…?

“I heard you saved everyone, again,” I said gently, hoping to figure out what was bothering him.

He blinked, and then nodded. “Yes. The ship, and all aboard, are fine. Most of them should be not far from Telmik by now,” he said.

“Celine and Oplar ran into Tressi and the rest. They’re at Telmik now,” I said with a gesture to the girl who was tying up her fishing line to her pole. She paused a moment and glanced at us, with wide-eyes, but went back to focusing on her fishing pole instead of joining the conversation.

Maybe she really was like Angie?

“That’s good to hear. How long have you been here?” he asked as he stepped towards me, and the bucket I still stood next to.

Oh…? Was he finally going to kiss me? Maybe while Celine was distracted? She had gotten her hook stuck on her sleeve and…

“In SilverCreek or here fishing?” I asked quietly, teasing him a little. I had known his real question.

His smile softened as he nodded. “Both…? I count what… five in there?” he asked as he glanced down at the bucket.

“Six.” About as many seconds he had to rectify his poor greeting or…

“Hm…” he then reached out with his free hand. He still held the fishing pole, and for a tiny moment I forgot about everything… the world, Celine as she mumbled under her breath in complaint since she had torn he sleeve freeing the hook, and…

Vim gently laid his hand on my right shoulder, and with an odd sense of seriousness… he gave it a squeeze and nodded at me. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispered.

Huh…?

My hat shifted upon my head as my ears fluttered harshly. I studied Vim’s odd expression, one of strange relief and worry… and realized something indeed was wrong.

Him forgetting to kiss me was upsetting, but forgivable. He was still Vim, no matter how much I softened him… but this?

This was not him forgetting to kiss me… this was him acting funny. Strange. Even for him.

Usually by now he’d smirk at me and make a joke. Or offer me a snack or gift he had brought back with him… or maybe turn his attention to more pressing matters, such as Celine who had been struggling with the hook just now.

Instead he was… staring at me as if he was about to cry…

“Vim…?” I whispered his name, and feared whatever was making him act so. Vim was usually such a stoic man, even when burdened and in grief… even as he cried, he typically didn’t show such emotion as this! Whatever was bothering him was likely something very concerning… something that might break my heart, or freeze it in terror, depending on what it was…

He only nodded at me, and then after another small squeeze on my shoulder he leaned forward. I blinked in surprise at first, but then closed my eyes as he gently gave me a small kiss. More of a peck than anything else. At least it was on the lips.

“You look good. And who did this?” he asked as his hand left my shoulder and grabbed the large braid that had been resting upon it.

I smiled softly, a little embarrassed to have been caught already. “Merit,” I said. I’d asked her to teach me different ways to braid my hair, since I had only known a few. Since then she’s been the one doing it for me, seemingly finding it fun to do so.

“Really…? It looks good on you,” he praised it, and I found myself enjoying that more than his kiss.

“Thanks… I’d compliment you too, but you look the same as usual… though I guess I could compliment that stain of blood…?” I said as I smirked at it. It had stopped bleeding, but a tiny bit had dripped since I’d wiped at it. The stain was now almost to his chin.

“It’d be fitting the thing you’d compliment is something you had a hand in making,” he said… and as he did, his typical smile returned to his face. That strange concern no longer visible, as if it’d never existed in the first place.

“Right…!” I chuckled at that, glad he got my meaning.

For a small moment… all was perfect. Vim was once again standing right next to me, he was smiling again… and I was calm.

“Um…”

I turned, alongside Vim, and found Celine stepping over to us. She had an uneasy smile on her face as she nodded gently. “Ready,” she said with a nod.

“Is your arm okay?” I asked.

“Oh! Um, yes. It just got my sleeve,” Celine said as she lifted the arm in question. Sure enough, thanks to how bad the rip was on her sleeve, I could see her bare skin and how it was untouched.

“How’ve you been, Celine? Was your trip with Oplar eventful?” Vim asked.

Celine again startled at being addressed by him, and her smile turned into a sheepish one. “Yes… I mean, it was but it wasn’t! We had no trouble, I just… experienced a lot, so…” Celine began to ramble a bit, and I realized something I should have earlier.

She was uneasy around men…!

Feeling a little stupid, I mentally kicked myself as the obvious made sense. Celine had been acting a tad uneasy around me lately, but it was now very obvious her earlier clumsiness had simply been her trying to make a good impression. Her now though? She almost looked on edge! It reminded me of Ursula, what with the way her eyes wouldn’t meet Vim’s and the way she jolted as if shocked by Merit anytime he even glanced at her.

That also explained her concern from earlier over being forced into a marriage…! It wasn’t that she was like Angie, at least not in that way… She was more like Ursula.

Maybe this was why Oplar had chosen to bring her here… where most of the men were going to be like Randle and Krass’s son, people of the cloth who would not be imposing…

Why hadn’t Oplar said anything…? Or maybe it was obvious and I was simply slow to notice…

“I’m glad to hear so. I apologize for not escorting you myself,” Vim said.

Celine simply nodded, shyly, and I went ahead and cleared my throat. “Carry the bucket, would you Vim?” I asked with a point to it.

“Mhm,” he nodded as he bent down and picked it up.

Usually this would be when I’d put some distance between me and him. Typically I’d grab Celine’s arm and drag her ahead, as to walk ahead of Vim and keep her focus on me… but…

“Did you see our camp, Vim? What’d you think of it?” I asked as I did just that, grabbing Celine’s arm as I stepped forward as to head back home. But I didn’t just outright ignore Vim… I couldn’t help it, I wanted to talk to him. Even if I was going to do so while walking ahead of him. Before I did though I took Celine’s fishing pole as to hand it off to him. He accepted it, carrying both of ours and the bucket as he followed.

“No. I’ve not seen it yet,” he said.

Oh…? I glanced behind us and found him following dutifully. So he had came straight to me…? And had likely done so thanks to the heart inside of me… For some reason I liked that a lot.

“We got a really big piece of land! We’ve just started making the foundation for the church-building Randle wants to make. Oplar and I chopped down a bunch of trees the other day for it,” I began to tell him of all we’ve been doing… all the while doing my best to let Celine feel as comfortable as possible.

Maybe once she realized Vim had only eyes for me she’d relax around him.

“Wait…!” I stopped walking, causing Celine to nearly stumble in shock as I did. I spun around, still holding Celine’s arm as I did and made her groan and then laugh at me.

Vim smirked at me as he kept walking, though only until he was a few steps away from us.

“Sap’s here!?” I asked, realizing he had mentioned her earlier.

“Indeed she is. I plan to go get her after verifying it’s safe to do so… maybe after nightfall,” Vim said.

“Gosh say so earlier! Let’s hurry!” I said as I turned back around and picked up my pace.

Celine joined me, keeping pace, as we left Vim behind and hurried home… so I could then go see Lilly’s daughter. To not just see a friend, or rather family member, I’ve not seen in some time… but also to hear all the details I had missed out on! I had to find out if Lellip and Branches were doing well!

“You’re more excited over this Sap than you are your husband,” Celine said with a laugh.

“Well duh!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep