I closed the door behind me a little louder than I meant to.

Flinching, I waited a small moment to make sure I didn’t hear anyone say anything or another nearby door open because of the slam I’d just caused before turning to look at Vim.

As I turned to face him… I found instead my eyes drifting around the room.

“Brooms…?” I found myself a little shocked to find so many brooms lining the wall nearby. A quick glance showed dozens of them, of varying sizes and types. Some were made of straw, others densely packed feathers and some looked like they were even made of something metallic based off the gleam they gave in the dark.

“Well… it is a broom closet,” Vim said with a small smirk, amused at me.

Hmph.

Stepping towards him as I looked at the rest of the closet and the shelves of cleaning supplies and other things lining the rest of the walls… I wondered why I was so surprised to see such things. It was obvious the Cathedral would have such storage rooms… and also so much of it, too. This place was massive and I even knew for a fact that they employed large groups of people to keep it clean. Jelti the bunny was one of those who was in charge of such operations, and she was always running around and giving orders and stuff…

“It’s been a long while since a woman’s pulled me into a broom closet…” Vim then received my full attention as I glared at him.

The fact he had that smirk on his face, the one that he didn’t wear while teasing me but instead when thoughtful annoyed me. He hadn’t said that to be funny, but had been completely serious just now.

“Who was it?” I dared to ask.

“Last I remember is Jennifer. Though in theory that might have been me being the one doing the pulling in that scenario,” he said as his smirk turned into the one that meant he was teasing me.

Seeing it relaxed me a little, since that smirk meant whatever person or incident he spoke of did not go the way he was implying it did. Though… did I want to know the real details? “Should I even ask?”

He nodded. “Yes, because you’ll likely be meeting her soon. She showed up with the others.”

My eye and ear twitched at the same time. “You promised me you didn’t have any old flames running around!”

“I don’t…! She had helped me kill a king; we had used a closet like this while I changed into a guard’s uniform. I uh… don’t remember much more than that, though. It was a long time ago,” he said.

Oh…? “Sounds like a whole story,” I said. The way he had spoken told me he was being honest. Jennifer was not an old lover of his, at least from the way and moment he was thinking of her now.

“Might be… but we’re not in here to speak of old stories, Renn,” Vim said.

“What if I want to now, though?”

“Is it really more important than talking about Nory…?”

No… “No…” I looked away from him as I nodded and admitted it.

He chuckled at me. “For the record, I would like it known I expect some praise. I’m doing very good right now, I think.”

Hm…? “Yes. I do thank you for that… I was worried you’d tell me not to talk about it or avoid it, what with it concerning prophecies and all,” I said.

Oplar had a short time ago told me what happened. She was a little upset with me, because supposedly throughout the night as we all sat and drank and made merry with Saphra and the rest she had been trying to get me step aside as to talk privately. I had… not noticed. I was having too much fun.

“It does… annoy me. But many things do lately… and well… whether I want to admit it or not, I think I’m reverting to my old self. Which I’ll apologize for in advance, if you’ll accept it,” Vim said.

“Huh…? What do you mean?” Old self…?

He nodded and gestured lightly at the brooms nearby, though did so for no real reason it seemed. “What with Renka showing up and all the stuff happening. I’m… being the way I used to be. When I used to deal with them all the time,” he said, explaining without actually doing so.

“You… are being how you used to be…? Vim, you’ve been a little calm lately and it has been something I’ve noticed, but I’ve not noticed any other changes,” I said.

He nodded again. “That’s what I mean. I get a little… nonchalant, when the going gets tough. It’s a defense mechanism I utilize, one instilled into me by my father. Basically the more chaotic the world gets the calmer I’ll get.”

What…? “You mean the entire reason you’ve been so calm and easy going lately is because you’re expecting the world to get chaotic…?” I asked.

“Rather it already is?”

Great… “You’re going to make me really start worrying, Vim…” I said softly.

He shifted a little, and I was surprised nothing nearby broke. No brooms fell off the racks or the wall nearby, nothing fell off the shelves, no buckets fell over… nothing. “Sorry, Renn… really I am.”

I gulped and nodded, and was glad I wasn’t about to cry even though I probably had every right to. “We snuck in here to have a conversation about our daughter, why are we talking about this instead?” I asked, a little angry over it.

“Because it’s also something that should be addressed…? But you’re right. Especially since you promised to go see the Chronicler,” he said.

I sighed at him. “Mapple offhandedly said she was going to go see her and I just… took the chance,” I said. We were planning on leaving today. In a handful of hours… so I wanted to go see the Chronicler and see if she had any letters or anything for me. To deliver to Light or anyone else. Mapple had commented she was going to return to her morning duties, which was helping the Chronicler out in the morning, and I simply took the opportunity to mention I’d come see her shortly so she should let her know I was coming.

After she had left though, and Saphra had drunkenly fallen asleep and the rest of the group had left… Oplar had pulled me aside and told me about what was going on. Not just about how she was worried that her job was being taken from her, again, but also that people were growing unhappy. Because they weren’t being allowed to go, in their opinion, to their homes. To where they belonged.

Because the Chronicler and Light weren’t letting them.

Because they wanted everyone to wait for our child to be born before letting people disperse…

“Why, Vim…?” I asked as my tail coiled around my right wrist.

“Why… what?” he asked carefully.

Rolling, what I felt should feel like achy shoulders but weren’t, I gestured pointlessly at the world around us. Just as he had just done moments ago. “Why would they not let people move? To their new homes? Over something so strange?” I asked. “Why would our child, why would Nory being born matter so much…? Even if she does end up being a saint, why? Why stop people from going to where they want to go?”

Vim took in a deep breath. One that sounded a little odd, as if his lungs had already been full and he was forcing air into them. “Well… that’s quite a thought experiment, isn’t it?”

Thought experiment…? “Is this happening because we lied, Vim?” I asked.

“Rather because we haven’t laid,” he said back.

Laid…? Oh… “Vim…!” I couldn’t help but smile at him.

He smirked and nodded at me. “I know, Renn. I know the situation is both concerning and… discomforting, too. I’ve been thinking about it since Oplar brought it up, and thankfully for better or worse you gave me plenty of time to ponder it,” he said.

“Oplar yelled at me for not noticing she wanted to talk privately, but if anyone should get yelled at it should have been you!” I said, my tail forcing my hand to dangle back and forth as it swayed wildly in annoyance. It was still wrapped around my wrist.

“Isn’t that the truth…? Well, the fact of the matter is Renn we don’t know the whole story. We only know bits and pieces… or well, I do. And to be honest I really don’t want to know much more if I can get away with it,” Vim said.

“This isn’t the time for your rules, Vim!”

“No, it isn’t. Do you know anything more about it…? Even if you don’t or won’t tell me of it?” he asked, with a look that told me he was being serious.

I gulped and shook my head. “I… will admit I know more than I’ve let on, Vim. More than I want to know, even… but this? About Nory…? No. All I know is what I’ve told you. We’re to have children, one will be a saint. They really focus on that for some reason,” I said.

“They have a thing for saints. But… it is odd they’d stop people from being distributed until she’s born. Especially when people are complaining over it, to boot,” he said.

I nodded. “Saphra was complaining she doesn’t like it here. She likes to lay in the sun, and can’t go upstairs,” I said. For obvious reasons.

“I know, Renn. And it’s not just our members who can’t easily integrate like her. Even those able and willing to live amongst humans are having issues. Several of my requests have been on this topic… and now I know why,” he said.

“Why hadn’t you said anything? I thought you said everyone’s requests here have been basic?” I asked, a little upset he’s just now saying this.

“Because I always get such requests, Renn… or at least, I had back when the Society was more populated as it is once again now. I had not thought much of it, I had just thought they were still simply setting everything up… but it should have raised flags for me, since I really should have been involved by now,” he said.

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Ah… right. He should indeed be involved in relocating all our new, and returning, members. That was genuinely not only what one of his actual tasks was as protector it was also what Vim was really good at. Building safe homes for people.

“So… what are we going to do about it?” I asked.

Vim sighed. “Well, that’s the conundrum.”

“Vim…!”

He shrugged lightly at me. “Renn, I know this is something you want or will get heated over… but please think for a small moment about what I’m about to say,” he said.

“Say it already then!” Gosh I wanted to grab one of those brooms and…!

“What’s the source of this?”

Source…? “A… prophecy?” I said carefully. “At least I’d assume so?” I wasn’t sure what else they could be using as a reason to justify not letting people go to their proper locations just because my child wasn’t born yet.

He nodded. “Undoubtedly. Their seriousness over this is not some little scheme or desire, it’s something they’re willing to cause strife and anger over .Which means their reasoning for it is big. Big enough to be a concern. They have chosen to use Nory’s birth as a landmark, a guidepost, for deciding when to allow people to spread out throughout the Society and world… and we must consider for a moment their reason for doing so.”

“And what kind of reason could that be Vim? What would Nory being born, or not, cause people not to be allowed to go where they belong…?”

“Well…” Vim took in a small breath and glanced upward. I noted him stare past me, at the door behind me, and I knew he was likely listening to the sounds beyond it. I turned a little, and had my ears shift enough to hear too… and I did indeed hear footsteps. But they were distant, or at least I couldn’t hear them very well from inside of here.

The door was thick. Really thick. That was likely why.

“They’re… not very good at seeing me, Renn. As I’ve explained,” Vim then said as he refocused on me.

“Vim, you’ve not explained much at all. But sure, go on.”

His eyes narrowed ever so softly, telling me my words had hurt him. “Their prophecies cannot see me. Not directly. It’s impossible. But… they can see you,” he said with a point at me.

I nodded slowly. He had indeed said so before… “So… what? They’re seeing Nory? What’s that got to do with anything?”

Vim sighed, though not at me. He looked tired all of a sudden, and it was obvious as to why. We were talking about something he really hated to even admit or acknowledge let alone go into detail over. “Imagine for one moment something terrible happening. A catastrophic event, even. One that might risk or even take many lives, if you would.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Yet you must, because what if such an event either precedes Nory’s birth or happens directly after it?”

My tail tightened around my wrist so tightly it actually hurt. To the point I knew I’d likely have a bruise afterward. “Vim…!” I barely got his name out as I stepped back in shock. How could he even…!

Vim quickly raised a hand, gently calming me or at least trying to do so. “Careful, Renn… I am not saying Nory will bring forth such a thing, or be said cataclysm. I’m simply saying they may be using her birth as… something of a time-post. What if her birth, from their perspective, is to happen right during such a momentous event? They undoubtedly know she has nothing to do with it… but her birth, being momentous in their own perspective since she’ll be a saint and she’ll be our daughter, is a good guidepost. They can use it, safely, as a way to gauge and plan around.”

For a long moment I seethed… but quickly regained my calm as I realized what he was saying. Really saying.

“You’re saying the reason they’re not letting the Society spread out too much yet is because something bad is going to happen… and it won’t be safe until after Nory is born, in their perspective,” I said, speaking slowly as it slowly made sense in my mind.

He nodded, a little heavily. “That’s my conclusion… unless you see a fault in such logic? I can’t imagine a newborn, no matter how special or unique, to cause any other kind of issue as to warrant them not letting people spread out to where they belong,” he said. “Especially since keeping some people in certain locations, like here or Nevi, can actually risk them. There are many members here that if get caught could not just get them killed, but… everyone killed. A single feather, a single scale, a horn or a dropped hat and this whole place falls apart or at least a lot of bloodshed will need to be spilled as to protect it from doing so,” he said with a small gesture up at my ears. I didn’t have my hat on, but it was on my belt, hanging.

“I really hate how much you’re making sense,” I said.

“Sorry.”

Taking in a deep breath, I sighed it out. It was hot. “This is our daughter, Vim. Nory. Please don’t let anything bad happen to her,” I said as my eyes started to water. The mere thought of something bad happening, even if distantly, around or concerning my future daughter was about to make me cry!

“Renn I’d destroy the world to protect her and you, do not worry over that.”

World…? “That’s not what you’ve promised before…” I said softly.

He shifted, and this time the world noticed. I luckily noticed it before it fell, since it fell behind him and in my line of sight. I didn’t jump as the broom landed on the ground, making a loud bang as it did in this small room.

Vim didn’t even glance at it or acknowledge it as he gestured at me. “So, yes. It’s a concern. And it’s a big one… but it might be something actually unrelated to our daughter and her birth, and is just something they’re using the event as a way to foretell something else.”

“I… don’t like our daughter’s birth being used that way.”

“I’d like to say the same, but honestly I’m used to such things,” Vim said honestly.

I wanted to whine since I was too. I had burnt half a library… or at least it had felt like half a library, to prove it too. “I want to cry,” I told him.

“You can if you want to, Renn.”

I shook my head. “I can’t, the world is waking up,” I said. I heard a few more footsteps from beyond the door. People were occasionally walking by. Maybe not near our door, but definitely in nearby hallways.

“Who cares if people hear or see?” he said.

I do. “What should we do next…?”

Vim hummed a little, and I knew it was because he had clearly noticed my true thoughts just now. “Well… I’ll leave that up to you, if you’re okay with it.”

“Me…? I’m about to weep like crazy and you want to leave it to me?” I asked, a little offended he’d do so. Even if my heart swelled over his utter trust and faith in me to do such a thing, it still annoyed me that he’d so willingly let me face it alone.

“I’ll be more than happy to face it with you, if you wish Renn… but my methods might not go the way you want them to. I typically do more harm than good during such things,” he said.

“Then what do you expect me to do about it!?”

Vim didn’t even flinch at my shout. “Either confront it up front or ignore it.”

“I… ignore it!?”

He nodded, unfazed. “Yes. If you confront it, you do multiple things. You prove to them that you know of all their prophecies… and now they will both doubt and keep more secrets from us. More than they already do. Because they’ll not be willing to let us risk anymore than we already do. We’re already not included in many conversations, Renn, and I don’t know how many you want to risk. I don’t mind it, but you’re not me. You have your own rules and ethos concerning such things. Do you really want to become a pariah?”

“Pariha?”

“An outcast. One kept at a distance. It’s one thing for certain members to do it… but do you really want them all to? It’s not just a matter of you losing friends, Renn, you’ll lose the ability to help them the more they keep you at a distance. Since you’ll not be kept in the loop, or aware, of issues that otherwise you might be able to help with or even prevent entirely,” he said, explaining.

Oh… “You’re saying if I bring it up, no matter how I do it, I risk our place. Rather my place, in the Society. I’ll get put even farther at arm’s length,” I said, understanding.

He nodded. “Yes. Especially if their reasoning is justified… at least from their perspective. Not to mention you’d then be admitting to them that we’ve been… fibbing this whole time about your pregnancy,” he said with a small gesture at my stomach.

“And whose fault is that!?”

“Mine,” he answered without hesitation.

My ears fluttered in shame at how quickly he had answered, and how seriously he had done so.

Vim was not fully at fault. I was. He had tried. Or well… he had been willing to initiate it. I was the one who had spurned that opportunity, and although I had on a few occasions since tried to drop hints I also hadn’t been as honest or upfront about it as I should have been.

I was more to blame than him by any metric… and…

“Sorry, Vim…” I whispered.

Vim didn’t say anything right away… he instead reached over and gently placed the back of his hand and knuckles against my cheek, as if to wipe off a tear. I had no tears to wipe though, and seemed to know that.

He remained silent. The back of his hand barely touching my cheek, to the point I had to lean forward a little to make sure he and I stayed touching. As I pushed my face against his half closed fist, I had to squint and half close my eye.

For a few… long heartbeats, we just stood there. Him just barely touching me. Both of us staring into each other’s eyes… all while standing in this dark and small closet.

Then I realized what I was about to say and do, and had to stop myself… and smiled because of it.

“If you try in this broom closet Vim I’ll make you regret it,” I warned, and did so more for myself than him.

Vim smirked and then laughed at me. “Noted! It actually doesn’t stink too badly in here, oddly…” he then said as he glanced around and lowered his hand.

“You know what…? You’re right. That is odd,” I said. I hadn’t even noticed that this place didn’t smell bad at all… why was that?

He sighed at me and then gestured lightly at himself. “Want me to confront the Chronicler with you?”

I shook my head. “I’ll do it alone… and I’ll… well, I’ll decide on the spot. Like I do most things,” I decided.

“Hm. If you need any help just let me know. Personally if you want to just burn it all down, I’m all for it!”

“Please, Vim,” I said. Why did he get like that sometimes?

He chuckled and nodded. “Sure… sure… by the way, uh…”

“No, I’m not in the mood,” I said.

Vim paused, and then smirked. “I know. I was… going to ask if you’ve seen her. Again. Yet.”

Oh…? I kept myself from gulping. “Yes. I have… but only for a few moments,” I said.

He didn’t even blink. “Did she… do anything?”

“We talked,” I answered him honestly.

For a long moment he stared into my eyes… and then he blinked and nodded. “Just… be careful, Renn. Please.”

“Mhm… I will.”

“Remember it’s not just you, Renn. It’s Nory. If something happens to you she won’t get to enjoy life,” he said gently.

I blinked at that and felt my face grow hot. But not in anger… and although it also made my eyes grow watery it also wasn’t in sadness. “I could say the same to you, Vim,” I whispered, my voice cracking as I did.

How could he say something so utterly beautiful so offhandedly like that…?

Vim smiled at me and nodded. “I think you’re the only one who ever says something like that to me.”

“Ever?”

He shrugged. “The only one ever that I care to hear it from, at least.”

I giggled at that and nodded. “That I’ll believe!”

“Sure… sure… now before I lose my control and actually try something stupid, anything else we need to talk about or can we leave?”

Oh…? That had sounded very serious… was he saying he actually found the moment that… well… lovely? I mean it was, to a point, but…

We were still in a broom closet…

Maybe Vim liked such odd scenarios? “Um… for now, I think I’m fine. I like your explanation, or reasoning I guess, I can believe it and it makes sense… so I’ll… consider it. But don’t get angry at me if I get emotional and lose my cool and get banished or something form here because of it,” I said.

“Please do,” Vim said happily as he stepped around me and headed for the door.

I had to catch myself as he did… since I had almost reached out and grabbed him. And not just his arm either. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed.

“You know, if anything… at the very least we should be proud,” he said as he paused before the door, not opening it yet.

“Hm…? What for?” That our first time wasn’t going to be in a stupid broom closet?

“Our daughter, of course…? It’s only fitting she be the type to make the whole world throw a fit and get all crazy just because she’s about to be born. I don’t think even I did that!”

Thanks to him I left the broom closet laughing and not crying.

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