This bed smelled a tad.

It wasn’t really a moldy or musky smell… but odds are not too long ago a cat had found its way in and slept on it. And not the one sleeping on me.

Renn was oddly clingy tonight. Not only was she really lying on top of me, she had even grabbed with quite a bit of force. My left chest would have bled all night if her nails hadn’t been recently clipped and rounded.

The worst part though wasn’t her extreme skin-ship. Instead it was her snoring. It was rather bad tonight. She snored sometimes, but usually never loudly nor often. Tonight however it was bad enough to make me wonder why. She had been getting sleep, and didn’t feel warm enough to be sick… Though it might just be the simple fact her mind was tired, not her body. She has had some troubling things to address lately. Like the execution.

Though it wasn’t all bad. Thanks to the higher elevation, the incoming winter, and the fact Renn had left the window open… it was actually a tad cold. Alone I wouldn’t have even noticed the chill, but with her warmth it was made more obvious. Yet it was that same warmth that made it feel good.

Granted… it might just be that open window that had made her cling so closely to me all night long. Even though the blankets were thick, and she was completely under them.

I’d oddly grown used to this. To a point. It still bothered me when she first latched on every night… and it bothered me deeply when she mumbled things I didn’t want to hear… But I no longer worried too much about crawling in bed with her. In fact it was a little startling at how quickly I was growing accustomed to it. If anything it was too fast, really. Maybe I should worry, yet for different reasons…

Particularly, how comfortable I strangely felt. Usually I’d feel itchy by now, or my muscles would ache as if strained. Yet right now I felt oddly calm, as if I was at peace or something. Which made no sense, since I was neither alone nor on a far off distant island.

Me. Comfortable. With her drooling and snoring away upon me.

What was the world coming to?

A bird landed on the windowsill, and I glared at the thing. It was a hand sized blue thing. Likely some kind of sparrow. It chirped at us, and I narrowed my eyes at the thing.

Really…? I had kind of hoped for a few more hours of peace.

Renn however had obviously heard the darn thing. Her tail which was wrapped around my left hand and arm coiled tighter, and she stopped snoring.

The bird chirped again, and hopped around a bit. As it did, another of its kind landed next to it. The two immediately went to chirping at each other as Renn woke up.

I closed my eyes and did my best to ignore the feeling of her body as she stretched and woke up. I take it all back. I wasn’t comfortable at all.

“Morning Vim,” Renn mumbled as she pushed herself up off my chest. The thick blankets rolled back and down her body, and she yawned hard enough to release some hazy breath in the chill morning air.

“The birds came to wake you up,” I said.

She turned and grinned happily at them. “So they did. How cute.”

Cute? Them…?

Through half-closed eyes I glared at the woman above me. We were now farther apart than we had been in hours. With only her tail, parts of her side, and her hands touching me. Suddenly she felt strangely distant. It unsettled me. I suddenly felt naked, somehow.

Renn stared at the birds with a happy smile for a moment, just basking in their chirping. The way her hair shifted a bit as she tilted her head at them made me want to reach up and touch it… but I kept myself from breaking just yet.

I’d survive another morning. I had survived the night. I could survive this.

Surely…

“It’s a little cold,” she said as she realized it.

“Well…” I refrained from pointing out the open window.

She shifted a little, to grab the thick blanket and pulled it back over her. Although she did so, she didn’t lay back down. Instead she sat up even more, and simply sat there next to me.

That was better. It hurt to not have her on me anymore, but this was something I could keep my defenses up against.

Sliding up a bit, I too sat up. I made sure not to bother her tail though, since it was still somewhat wrapped around my forearm. Which was odd. Usually by now she’d release me from it, as to stretch it out.

I had noticed that lately she touched me with her tail more often. Not just in bed either. Or when we were alone. She was starting to do so even in front of other people.

Just how far would my walls fall, I wonder? It has been almost two years since the two of us had met, yet… such time meant nothing to me. It was a heartbeat, at best.

One of the birds flew off, and the one left behind chirped a little sadly before it took flight to follow.

“Aw. Maybe I should find some seeds or something,” Renn wondered.

“We’ll not be here that long,” I said. Thankfully.

“Oh…? Are we going to leave after the execution?” she asked.

I nodded as her tail finally began to uncoil from my arm… yet it was doing so slowly. Every inch of it sliding away felt like it was taking an eternity to do so. Those few moments as it slid away felt longer than the two years I’d known her.

Renn hummed as she stared at me, and I hoped my will was strong enough that she couldn’t notice my anxiety over her. If she did… something told me she’d only grin and torture me even more.

She shivered, and pulled the blanket closer around her. I relaxed a little as she did, since it meant she hadn’t noticed at all.

Such a thing would relieve me, if I didn’t know that such a thing was only temporary. It might not happen now. Today… or even anytime soon… But eventually she’d see through even my greatest defenses.

Renn yawned again, and I watched the way her face contorted to do so.

It was quite a contrast, really.

Renn wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions. Even those who barely knew her could read her like a book… usually thanks to her ears and tail, but even her face displayed them with great surety. Yet… for as animated and expressive she was, Renn could also be rather composed amongst others. Even with those she considered good friends, like Merit, she was sometimes noticeably doing her best to not show or reveal her inner-most thoughts. It rarely worked, but the effort of her attempts could be seen.

Yet with me… especially with me… There was none of that at all. Renn genuinely didn’t seem to feel the need, or have any desire, to hide anything from me. She didn’t hesitate to reveal any face, emotion, desire or thought around me. Such pure openness was intoxicating, and was why I loved to tease her. When I did it right the displays of embarrassment, confliction, and pure love were just… well…

There was no doubt how comfortable she felt with me. She wasn’t afraid to let me see anything.

Compared to me…

Feeling like a complete ass, I sat up a tad bit more as her tail finally freed me from its grasp. I was glad that I had somewhat used the hand to push me up, else I might have tried to grab it.

Staring at her… I tried to remember other women I’ve slept with. As to try and remember if I had ever felt so foolishly defenseless with any of them as I was with her… but as I tried, I strangely found myself unable to think of any of them.

Anytime I tried to think of other women, I instead just focused on her. As if even my mind agreed with Renn’s opinion on sharing me with others.

It was a strangely comforting thing, even if terrifying.

“Did you get any sleep, Vim?” she asked gently.

“A few hours,” I said.

She relaxed a bit, and nodded at me warmly. She was glad to hear it.

“Think the execution will be today?” she asked.

“No. Thrain, or Ash, will come to officially inform me of the day and time. They’re… punctual. They have rules and stuff about how it’s done,” I said.

“Oh…? Wait… how does it happen, exactly?” she asked.

“In public, for one,” I said.

She groaned. “Really…?”

I nodded.

“Hmph… Do I get to watch…?” she asked.

“Do you want to?” I asked, and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not sure. I’ll think about it.”

I nodded. “Never seen one before…? Not even a hanging or something?” I asked. A lot of human towns did so in this era. Nearly all of them, actually.

“Oh I have. Just a little bit ago I saw a head just… disappear,” Renn said as she raised her hands, and popped them open as to display how it had happened.

Grimacing I nodded. “Right…”

She giggled at me. “But yes. I’ve seen more than just you killing people. I’ve seen hangings. Burnings. Axes and stuff too. Lujic had been a knight, remember? He was involved in that stuff a lot… regrettably,” Renn said.

Ah. Right. The boy. “I was a knight once,” I said.

“Huh…? Really?” she asked.

I nodded. “For a short time… it was after I came back. From my islands,” I said as I thought about memories I’d not remembered in years and years.

She hummed at me. “Did you wear armor and stuff?” she asked as she reached over and touched me.

Using all my mental fortitude to ignore her fingers running along my chest, I nodded. “Occasionally. They even dressed me up in a fancy suit for balls and stuff,” I said.

“Balls…?” she asked as she stopped moving her hand.

Thank goodness.

“Yes. Giant parties for the rich and powerful. Stuffy things that are almost as fun as telling people stories of my past,” I said.

Renn broke out into a happy laugh, and patted my chest as she did. “I bet…!” she shouted.

Watching her laugh, I allowed a tiny bit of pride to fill me.

I had made her laugh. Me. She laughed because of me. I could die happy now.

“I’m surprised you’ve only been a knight once, Vim. Is that the time that painting is about then? The one where you’re wearing armor in the Cathedral?” she asked.

Huh…? Oh. Right. She saw that.

“No… That was just the most recent memory I had thought of. I guess… technically I had been a knight back then too. But to me a knight is one who swears a vow of fealty to a liege lord. Back then I had no such vow. I was simply a warrior. A soldier. A man on the battlefield,” I explained.

“Hm… Where’d you learn to make steel?” she then asked.

Steel…? Why ask that? Why now…? Oh. Wait. The picture. That painting. Right… I had been wearing that armor.

That hadn’t been steel, but it had likely looked like it to her eyes.

Jeez… I did my best to place myself on guard, since I had almost outright answered her without thinking.

The answer honestly didn’t matter. Not anymore. Not to her. But… I didn’t want to accidentally answer the wrong question if she poised it. So I needed to be careful.

“My parents taught me how,” I told her.

Renn blinked and focused on me. A tiny, squirrely smile, wormed its way on her face. “I see.”

Before she could ask anything else, I went on the defense. It was easy since that smile was similar to the one in the back of my mind. The one I had seen last night.

“What were you scheming, Renn? Last night?” I asked.

“Hm…? Well I thought about ripping out some of your chest hair but…”

“Wait what? No. When you had been talking with Oplar. Over dinner. You had a weird grin on your face the whole time,” I said. My hair? What the hell? It wasn’t like it’d hurt… plus it’d grow back almost overnight, but still…

“Oh. Well…” Renn grinned, and something told me it wasn’t because of what she had just said… which made me even more worried.

“Well…?” I asked gently.

She took a small breath. “I was just thinking… that I could help them, you know?” she said.

“Help who…?” I asked. Oplar? The people here? My hairs?

“Anyone who wants me to. Like… Oplar. Or Sharp. Or Frett. Or Landi, and Riz, and Merit, and…”

I raised a hand, and flinched as I realized exactly what she meant. “Wait, wait…”

“They don’t travel around. Plus many of them, like Sharp, don’t even let people know! They only hint at it, even to me, so I think with the right methods… and a little luck and pushing, I can get it done and…!” Renn started to babble excitedly, and I wanted to groan… but kept it in.

Damn it all. To think I had thought I had gone on the defensive. All I’d done is fall right into a trap. A trap full of love, sweetness, and everything good in the world.

The worst kind.

She was suddenly very happy. Her tail was squirming around under the covers, all over our legs. Her ears were fluttering in excitement, and half the blanket had fallen off her. Under any other scenario I would have been dumbstruck by her beauty, yet right now…

“Plus, I know you think about it and realize it, Vim… but you just respect people too much. You’d never suggest it, or say anything. So even if you’d think someone was perfect for another, you’d never even let them know…! I heard all about it from Celine, how her husband had been nearby in the beginning. And you had known of him. She could have met him years earlier! Even Riz complained!” Renn continued to prattle.

“Neglecting the idea she’d not have fallen for him had she seen him first… let’s instead focus on something else,” I said as I smiled a little. She nodded, waiting expectantly. She wasn’t even offended over what I had just said. “You can’t force people to settle down with someone, Renn. What are you going to do? Just bring someone to the other person, drop them off, and say good luck?” I asked.

“Huh? Not at all! We’ll start with letters. And I’ll draw them. Paint them. So they can see what each other looks like. Then maybe we can also make a place somewhere, somewhere localized and safe, that people can visit and spend time with each other. You’ve already suggest we could make a home, so,” Renn continued to expand on her idea, and I felt hopeless as I realized that she had not only decided to do this with a serious dedication… but was already thinking that far ahead.

The worst part was she wasn’t wrong… and was definitely on to something. Even I recently had been thinking that we needed to change it up, and find a way to bring forth new members. Either from finding others, or increasing the births…

“Just think, Vim… a tiny little place, like the Crypt or something. Or the Weaver’s Hut. We could have those who want to try, or had decided to meet the person they were communicating with, come there to stay and then…” she leaned forward, drawing closer. I did my best to not recoil, since her touch right now would have made me want to use it against her.

Touching her would quiet her, if I did it properly…

I gulped the idea away and nodded. “Renn…” I said her name, and got her attention. She paused mid-sentence and nodded happily at me.

“When’d this idea start…?” I asked.

“Last night,” she said.

So that was why she had been snoring. Her mind had likely been essentially chaos until she had fallen asleep, thinking of all the different plans and the people she’d use them on. It was a miracle she had gotten any sleep at all. Probably only had fallen asleep because of how happy she was. Falling into slumber over the natural high from all the joy and expectations of her ideas.

For a long moment we stared at each other… and then she scooted a tad closer again. This time, I wasn’t able to resist. I moved my thigh a little, as to not be so directly touching her. Luckily she didn’t notice, since she was so focused on the conversation.

“I think it’s worth a shot Vim… even if we only helped one or two people, wouldn’t it be worth it…?” she asked gently, as if begging. Her voice had suddenly taken on a sweet tone. One I’d only heard from her a few times in all I’d known her. And even then, never as purely or said while so close to me.

That tone was not what I wanted to hear so early in the morning. Especially not when we were both in bed, and she as naked as the day she had been born. Plus with the world having just the right amount of chill in the air… and her bubbly joy so thick in the air I could taste it, and…

Blinking out some weird thoughts… I sighed and slowly nodded. “I… admit that I too have been worried over the same problem,” I admitted.

Renn crawled closer, putting her hands onto the bed as she did. Suddenly she was so close her longer hair dangled down onto me. “Right…! You’ve kind of mentioned it a few times, too! How hard it is to find partners, and stuff. I think if we worked together Vim, we could definitely accomplish some good! For everyone!” she said excitedly.

I nodded as I stared into her gleaming eyes of beauty. Although I nodded, it wasn’t because I fully agreed… it was instead because I would have nodded and agreed to anything she had asked of me in this singular moment.

Which was why I needed to regain control over the moment. Or else…

Taking a breath, I regretted it as her scent filled me. Looking down, away from her eyes, I regretted it again and then looked to the left. “I’m willing to try, Renn, if you are,” I said.

“Really…!?”

I nodded. Please don’t hug me. Not now. Not here. Not this way. “Hehe!” She laughed… as she did.

The huge hug was awkward since I was sitting up against the baseboard of the bed. It left no room for her to fully get her arms around me… yet she didn’t let it stop her, or bother her at all. She shook a little, squeezing me tightly as she giggled happily. “Thanks, Vim!”

Right. Yeah.

Totally…

I returned her hug with a small pat on the back, and after a few very impossibly tough heartbeats… I calmed myself and took control.

By the time she released me and sat back, I was no longer worried over the moment. She had her opportunity and missed it. Thank my parents that she’d never know it, though.

Really… what was I going to do with her? How could someone be so beautiful?

She wanted to help our members find love? From anyone else I would have scoffed and rolled my eyes… but from her…

Renn wasn’t just smart enough… she was good enough of a person that it was entirely possible. There was no doubt in my mind that if anyone could accomplish it… it was her.

Plus… what could be more pure and lovely a task such as this? And she wanted to do it together? Me and her…?

“We’ll work on it. Me and you,” I offered.

She nodded quickly, and I noted a slight gleam in her eyes. Tears. Of pure joy.

“I’ll be honest, Renn… I’m not a romantic,” I warned her.

“No. You’re not. But it’s okay… I think I might not be either, to be honest. I’m not really liking that book yet,” Renn said as she crossed her arms in defeat.

“Don’t judge it until it’s over, at least,” I suggested.

She nodded, and giggled. “Right…! Just like you!” she said.

Just like me…? Right…

Says you.

“Once we’re… alone, we’ll talk more about your little matchmaking service… okay?” I asked, begged, pleaded.

She nodded happily. “Yeah…!”

Falling in love with those gleaming eyes full of hope and joy, I decided to just… let it be. To accept it.

If doing such a thing would make her happy… then why would I not give her every ounce of help that I could muster…?

She already had my heart. It’d not be long until she had my whole body, either, based on how close I had just come to succumbing to her. Then after that… She’d own my life and all it held…

There was no denying it. I’d give her anything if she but asked.

Myself. My knowledge. My skills. My power and all it could do…

The world itself…

Renn giggled as her tail finally snuck out from the covers. It swayed wildly, excited.

Hm… “By the way… Sharp…? Really?” I asked. Her?

Renn’s giggling went soft, and her smile did as well. “Yes. She’s very… very lonely. I don’t know yet if she really wants a lover, but she definitely wants more friends. My first goal is to see if I can mend her relationship with Rapti, before trying anything else,” she said.

Damn. So not only has she picked something ridiculous to dedicate her life to… it was also something impossible to accomplish.

Or well…

I shifted a bit, and smiled at her. “I’ve done the impossible many times,” I boasted.

She paused a moment, and then gave me a massive grin as she nodded. “We’ll do it, surely!” she agreed.

Surely.

Though…

Glancing at the window, and the brightening world just beyond it… I sighed in relief that this house was built distantly from the others. They had done it to keep me at arm’s length. Yet it was moments like this that it was a blessing.

And…

Glancing at my happy companion, I knew what I was about to say might somewhat diminish her mood… but it had to be said. It needed to be.

“Today… why not take a look around, Renn?” I suggested.

She tilted her head at me, and her left ear flickered. “Hm?” She narrowed her eyes in a way that told me she had not liked what I had said.

Hesitating a moment, I realized she really didn’t want to. She had no plans to leave my side.

Usually such a thing wouldn’t have been possible. She loved to meet new people. See new things. It… was everything to her, almost. My little jokes about how she abandoned me for others when we stayed at places like this was actually not far from the truth. There were times I went whole days without seeing her, because of how involved and close she got with select members.

At the Keep she hadn’t even slept with me, even though I had invited her to do so. Or well… I had not directly done such a thing, so maybe that was my fault. I had simply implied it. Hinted at it.

Yet I didn’t mind such a thing. In fact quite the opposite. I was glad she was able to find such simple joy. I was even gladder that she was the type of person to not only befriend people, but prove to be a genuine and good friend as well.

Still… “You can hate them, Renn. I don’t expect you to do what I do. You need not force yourself,” I said gently.

Renn’s narrowed eyes turned into a tiny glare. “I don’t… necessarily hate them, Vim. I’m just… upset. Disappointed. I’m tired of meeting and learning about members who are heartless and unappreciative. They don’t respect the wonderful things they have, and it angers me,” Renn said.

I nodded. I had fully expected… and somewhat knew, she had such thoughts and emotions on the matter.

“I’m very glad you think the way you do. It tells me just how deeply precious you find the Society, and those in it, to be,” I said.

“Vim…” Renn was about to say something, but I interrupted her.

“All the same… we’ll be leaving soon. And if you’re willing… I’d like to ask you a favor,” I said.

What had been about to be a frown, or a deeper glare, turned into a tiny smile. “A favor?” she asked.

I nodded. “Would you please check the waterwheels for me? I built the southernmost one recently, and did some work to the others. Just… make sure they look and sound okay. Maybe ask around if there’s been any issues with them and whatnot. I worry because of the execution they’re neglecting to inform me of other issues,” I said.

Renn’s tiny smile died as she studied me… and then slowly nodded. “Okay. For you, Vim,” she said softly.

“Plus you never know. You might find a good candidate for someone,” I suggested.

She blinked, went a little wide eyed as her pupils narrowed… then she nodded seriously. “You’re quite right…” she mumbled as she thought about it.

Smiling at her, I nodded back… and realized I should probably thank her. Properly.

Reaching over… I, as naturally as I could, grabbed her hand. She froze for a tiny moment; even one of her ears that had moved a bit had gone still. It was angled to the left a little oddly, as if it was tired.

Gently holding her hand, I smiled at her.

For half a moment I thought of lifting her hand to my lips. To kiss it. But I strangled that idea and buried it away before it could take over me.

“We stand tall, Renn. So that hopefully someday they will too,” I said to her.

Her smile deepened as she nodded. “I know. I… try, Vim. And I promise to try harder,” she said softly.

I sighed at her. She had misunderstood me. “You’re doing better than you think, Renn. I’m glad you’re finding your own place… even if it is playing matchmaker,” I said.

She grinned and giggled. “Just wait, Vim. I’ve already got a few ideas, you know?” she said.

Shivering at the thought, I simply nodded and accepted my fate.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep