Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy Two – Vim – Narli

“She’s something, Horn. She’s really gentle, yet there’s definitely a side to her that I wouldn’t want to piss off that’s for sure,” Oplar said happily.

“You wouldn’t get on the bad side of a fly, Oplar. That’s not much of a statement,” Horn said with a sigh.

Oplar broke into laughter as she nodded, agreeing with him.

Sitting back a little, I watched the two happily share gossip. Horn usually never cared much for such things, but he was fully interested in learning about Renn. And Oplar was more than happy to share what she knew.

I had to correct a few little things Oplar shared, since she was sharing second-hand knowledge, but I was surprised to learn that most of Renn’s adventure throughout the Society has been rather… well documented, oddly.

She of course didn’t know the more peculiar or private stuff, but anything about Renn that had happened in the presence of another member seemed to be pretty much written in history. History that was being happily shared amongst everyone, as gossip.

Odds are it was on purpose. By the Chronicler and other members, who were trying to deter her from being used as a scapegoat. They likely hoped to showcase Renn’s desire, and actions, to help and protect the Society as proof that she was not a threat nor would become one.

It’s not a surprise either way, though. New members were always a hot topic within the Society… and she wasn’t just new, she was someone who had been traveling around. Getting involved in many facets of the Society, sometimes even integrally.

I wonder if Renn knew she was such a vibrant topic amongst the Society. And if she did, or when, I wonder what she would think of it.

“So after leaving Lumen she ends up recruiting a whole pirate band! A female pirate band to boot!” Oplar said, amused beyond reckoning.

“Pirates…?” Horn frowned as he scratched his jaw, contemplating.

“She’s very… protective of the downtrodden,” I said carefully.

“Heh, most particularly women, it seems. In Lumen she also saved a bunch of eastern slaves too,” Oplar said.

“Was she at one time a sufferer as well?” Horn asked, trying to understand.

Oplar frowned and glanced at me for an answer.

“She’s had her own tragedies, yes. Though I know not to what degree,” I said. That was all I was willing to share.

“Hm. Would make sense. I’m surprised such a strong predator could get in such a position… but I suppose it has happened before,” Horn said.

Oplar nodded as she leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees as she clasped her hands. “The oddest part is she seems very interested in religion, yet at the same time doesn’t subscribe to it,” she added.

“That could be reasoned by Vim, though,” Horn argued.

“Although true I’m not sure if Renn’s the type to allow others to control or affect her beliefs and choices. She’s gone against Vim before,” Oplar argued back.

I wanted to sigh, and wondered if I should leave. The conversation was starting to stray into areas I was neither comfortable with, nor wanted to be a part of.

People’s personal beliefs were not my concern.

“I can attest to love being strong enough to make one overlook, or even outright change, ones beliefs,” Horn told her.

Oplar frowned but nodded, having no choice but to accept that Horn was speaking the truth. It was his truth too, after all.

He had never forgiven religion for mutilating his wife. And honestly I couldn’t blame him.

Even if she was now a believer in that same religion.

I focused a little on the hallway nearby. The one that led deeper into the house. I could hear Berri beyond it, in the kitchen. It wasn’t time for dinner, but she was still rummaging around in it. Maybe making snacks, or something.

“What’s the worst she’s done, Vim?” Horn then asked.

“Worst what?” I asked.

“Going against you,” he clarified.

Well… “She’s not outright gone against me, in that form, Horn. But she does indeed have her own will, and is not afraid to pursue it. Like those pirates Oplar mentioned… I’d not have invited them, but I’ve been known to be callous. My choice was not because they weren’t suited, or capable, but simply because I saw humans struggling like they always do,” I said.

“Hm… I’d not call that going against you Vim. I was expecting to hear something similar to Lilly’s actions, or something,” Horn said.

Oplar nodded quickly. “It’ll eventually happen, I bet. She’s not afraid to stand against him, so it’s inevitable I think,” Oplar said.

My eye twitched and I wondered what they expected her to do.

Lilly had started a war. One that had changed not just entire maps, but the typography of the lands itself. It had changed the Society, even.

They thought Renn would do something on that level? Really?

As I pondered it, I had no choice but to accept there was likely a small chance they were right.

Renn might not be a warmonger, or have a lot of hate in her heart like Lilly, but…

The scary reality is I could see it happening too, to a certain degree.

“Though maybe it’s a good thing. Vim’s a little too passive on certain occasions. Maybe having someone right next to him who can get emotional when and where he cannot, might be for the better,” Horn then decided.

“I’m surprised to hear that from you, Horn,” Oplar said.

I nodded. I was as well. Horn hated those who acted on emotion over reason.

“There are extremes, Vim. You’re one of them,” he said simply.

Oplar hummed as she crossed her arms, to ponder his perspective, and I did my best to not roll my eyes.

Even if he was right, it still felt ridiculous to say it in such a way.

Before more could be said on the subject, a door opened… and then closed, nearby.

We turned to watch the two girls walk down the hallway, and then step into the room.

Renn smiled at the sight of us, her left ear fluttering a little as she came to a stop in the doorway.

Unsurprisingly, Narli was not only with her… but also clinging to her.

She hid behind Renn, grabbing her shirt and arm, as she peered around Renn at the three of us.

Like always she was a timid girl. Scared of the sights she saw before her.

Or well, odds are her true worry was directed at Oplar, likely.

She feared not her parents… and honestly when it was just me she was likewise calm, usually.

“That didn’t take long,” Oplar said.

I smiled, a little proud of her. Did Renn realize what that young girl’s friendship, and trust, meant?

“You lied to me,” Renn then said to me.

My smile grew as I tilted my head. “I did…?”

When? About what? How so?

She nodded at me and huffed as she pointed with a thumb at the girl hiding behind her.

Oh.

“You had told me there weren’t any saints left! Within the Society at least,” Renn said.

Right. “I suppose I had…” I admitted.

“You had! Why lie like that? I’m very disturbed you’d do such a thing. I’d understand if it had been a long time ago, back in the beginning… but I had asked you not too long ago! Just recently!” Renn said, raising her voice a little. Her tail coiled around Narli’s waist as it twitched and fidgeted. The young narwhal glanced at it and smiled.

It was as if Renn was trying to protect her from me.

“Right…” I nodded as I remembered that very conversation. “I uh… must have been slightly distracted. I think I just gave you the automatic answer I give to anyone who asks about such a thing. I’d not have kept it a secret to you, otherwise,” I said honestly.

Plus if I remembered correctly, that conversation had been more about a saint’s power. Particularly the ones able to heal and cure diseases and wounds, since it had been about the plague.

Narli was indeed a saint, but she was not the kind that could perform such miracles. Her abilities were more… intuitive than direct.

“Well…!” Renn didn’t seem to like my answer as she huffed and crossed her arms.

Oplar snickered, but I ignored her as I nodded gently at my annoyed companion.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized.

Renn blinked, and Narli glanced up at her new friend. Renn held my gaze for a moment, her tail twitching around Narli’s waist… and then she finally sighed and nodded.

Narli smiled, and then turned to look at me. When she did though her small horn brushed against Renn’s shoulder, snagging her loose shirt a little. Neither of the girls seemed to notice, or bother with it, as Narli gestured lightly at me.

“Hm?”

“She was hoping you’d not give in so easily,” Narli said softly.

Renn’s ears fluttered as she frowned, but said nothing.

“Of course she was,” I said.

“Vim’s not a liar, not unless he has good reason to be one,” Horn said simply.

“Rather than lie, Vim’s more likely to simply not tell you the whole truth. You should see the differences in reports from him and those who were there to witness it. I’ve gone through them over the years. Trust me when I say Vim will shorten entire books to one or two sentences if he can get away with it,” Oplar said.

“It’s rude,” Renn added, agreeing.

“There’s a reason fate avoids him,” Narli said, adding her own opinion to the mix.

I sighed and wondered why this suddenly became an ass chewing session.

“I’d argue against that. Fate seems to coil around him all the time. Unless you mean to say he’s the one who interferes instead,” Oplar said.

“I think all of your perceptions of faith are misguided as is,” Horn gave his own opinion.

“Of course you’d think that, dear,” Berri said as she entered the room.

Narli immediately left Renn’s protection, going to help her mother. Berri was carrying a platter of cups and what looked to be cookies.

Watching Narli take the platter from her mother, then step over to offer a cup to Oplar, I noted the way she extended the platter with stiff arms.

If Oplar noticed Narli’s hesitation, she didn’t show it. She took a cup, and a few cookies with a smile.

Narli then went around offering the rest of the room, which I turned down as I stood from my seat.

My original plan was to step away, to let Berri and the rest sit and return to talking… but as I stepped away from the small sitting area, I found Renn following after me.

“If fate existed Vim would have slain it already. You simply see things you wish to, not as they are,” Horn said, continuing the topic.

“I may not have a horn, but even I can see the point you’re avoiding, Horn…” Oplar happily obliged him, stepping full on into the debate without worry.

I glanced at Berri, who smiled gently at me as I headed for the hallway. She went to sit in the chair I had vacated, to either join or listen to Oplar and her husband get into one of their many debates over religion and whatnot.

It was funny because Oplar herself was not religious. In fact she hated religion even more than Horn did. She simply liked to debate. She’d play devil’s advocate with anyone, when she could.

Leaving the room, I headed for the main door. The same one that Renn and Narli had just come from… and I did so with Renn in tow.

Glancing back at her, I was about to say something… to tell her she should instead join them, and not me, but it turned out we weren’t alone.

Narli was hurrying to follow us down the hall, leaving her family behind.

Although surprising, it also wasn’t. Renn had that affect on people. Particularly it seemed the unique.

Leaving the building, I held the door open for the two girls as they left. Upon shutting it, I turned and found Narli holding Renn’s hand… but no longer hiding behind her.

“Oh…? Wait… were you afraid of Oplar then? Not Vim?” Renn asked, noticing the same.

“Hm…? She likes to hug. Way too much,” Narli answered.

“Well…” Renn’s tail twitched and I noticed she had likely just thought about hugging the girl.

“Why would she be scared of me, Renn?” I asked her, amused by her assumption she would be.

“Well…” Renn repeated herself, even with the same tail twitch.

I smiled at her as Narli giggled. “I’d like to show her the storage, Vim,” Narli said.

“Hm,” I nodded, and wondered if she had just asked me to leave them be… or to join them.

Before I could decide her meaning, Narli pulled Renn away… who reached out to grab my hand.

Taking Renn’s hand, I sighed as I too got pulled towards the storage building.

The Keep was three large buildings. The Keep itself, hidden underground, was situated behind the middle and biggest building. The entrance was underneath the main building, hidden behind a door in the wall.

The other two buildings, the storage and the bath and extra boarding area, were built opposing to each other. There was a small pond to the south, fed by the heart within the keep, some farmlands to the west, and a massive forest surrounding all of it.

A typical little home… surrounded by deep forests and mountains, like the Crypt had been.

A place as far from other people as possible, on purpose.

Funnily enough at one time this place had been a huge capital. With more buildings than Lumen and Telmik combined.

Not even a single brick of those buildings remained.

Reaching the storage building, I watched Narli open the door and step through it. She had a slight skip to her step as she entered.

She was happy.

It told me a lot. About Renn. For Narli to so enjoy her presence was… rather telling.

“The original point of the storage was for moments of disaster. For when the Society needed a safe haven,” Narli explained as I was dragged into the building by Renn, who was pulled in by Narli.

I shut the door behind us, and because of it Renn’s hand slipped out of my own. I had paused, and Narli kept on dragging her along. Renn had not been willing to cling to me strongly enough to disrupt Narli’s flow. She did however glance back at me because of it.

“Now though we’re just… collecting stuff, sometimes. You’d be really surprised what finds its way here!” Narli said happily as she led Renn to the large stairwell door.

“You say that as if things show up without warning,” Renn noted as she and Narli opened the large door.

“Well… they do?” Narli said, as if unsure why Renn doubted it.

Renn’s ears danced a little as she tried to understand her meaning, and then the two disappeared as they stepped into the stairwell. They descended slowly, almost as slow as I followed.

I sighed softly as I watched the two descend.

Although I was glad that both Narli and Renn could be, and seemed to be, friends… I was also not really looking forward to the awkward conversations that would soon be born because of their friendship.

Narli wasn’t necessarily an annoyance, but…

I’d never liked saints.

Slowly heading down into the basement, I listened to the sound of a lamp being lit. The bottom of the stairs grew brighter thanks to it, causing shadows to begin to dance.

“Oh this is a bright one,” Renn noted.

“Isn’t it? It’s the flame. It is kept small, yet burns hot,” Narli happily displayed the lantern to Renn, showing off its intricate design.

“It really is… why does this one burn brighter than others? Is it the design of the glass?” Renn asked as she studied it.

“It’s the air flow. Particularly the intake. That one’s designed to work even in harsh winds and storms,” I explained.

Narli nodded. “You can even flip this thing upside down, watch,” she said as she went to display it.

Although she was partially right, the only reason it worked was because she returned it upright before the flame extinguished completely. But I let it be as Renn happily watched Narli show it off.

Glancing around the storage room, and all the rows of racks and shelves… I wondered if the two would be bothered if I chose to go sit instead of accompany them in their rummaging.

There were a few chairs lining the nearby wall, mostly just being stored… but there were a few in front of desks or tables, for working or keeping stock.

“This here is the most recent visitor. They showed up a few months ago,” Narli then took Renn down one of the aisles, stopping a few dozen feet down and kneeling in front of a box on the right.

I frowned as I peered around the edge of the shelves, and watched as Narli opened the box and pulled out what looked to be a small doll. It had crazy hair of yarn, and looked a little… worn down really, at least from here.

“Um… what do you mean by showed up? And why is it a visitor?” Renn asked as she accepted the doll from Narli.

“Because it won’t stay here. These items, like most lately, show up without warning. Father and I found a broken carriage near the pass several months ago. This stuff was left behind by those who abandoned it,” Narli explained.

“Oh… So you mean it literally. This is all stuff that you find,” Renn said as she understood.

“Sometimes. Some stuff really does just show up sometimes. About a year ago a horse just… walked onto our land, carrying packs and bags. Sometimes stuff like that just happens,” Narli said.

Renn’s ears fluttered and her tail increased its swaying as Narli rummaged deeper into the box, to pull something else out.

As Narli hummed and looked for whatever else she was searching for, Renn glanced over at me.

The look on her face told me exactly what she was thinking, and worrying about.

Deciding to just… accept that I’d have to fill in the gaps, I stepped around the edge of the shelf and entered the aisle as well.

“Saints all affect the world in different ways. An effect of their divinity. Narli’s regrettably is the type of divinity that makes the world very… conscious of her,” I said.

Renn tilted her head at me, and then returned her attention to Narli as she pulled out some kind of book.

“See this? This is a story written by some nobleman to the east. The weird part is the story has to be fiction, yet it speaks of Vim,” Narli said.

“Wait what?” Renn perked up, and I frowned as I stepped forward.

“Yeah… what?” I asked as well.

Narli giggled. “It’s the story of a god. How they fell in love with a human. At the end the evil enemy who destroys them is he who god’s fear,” Narli said.

Oh. A typical fairy-tale. Narli was just trying to tease me in her own way.

“Can I read it?” Renn asked as Narli handed it to her.

“Sure? It’s rather short… and boring. The eastern folk have a very… hm…” Narli pondered her thoughts a moment, and then nodded. “Their gods. They look at them like legends more than religious authorities. So they like to make fancy stories of them. It’s amusing, but a strange perspective of divine authority,” Narli said.

“She doesn’t like that they look at higher powers more akin to actual creatures than aspects of thoughts or rules,” I explained.

Renn tilted her head as she opened the book, and then she sighed. “It’s in a language I don’t know,” she said.

“Oh… I could read it to you if you’d like,” Narli offered.

“Hm,” Renn nodded excitedly.

Stepping closer, I bent down to pick up the lantern that Renn had put on the ground next to them. I lifted it above the two who were kneeling in front of the box, to better illuminate the focus of their attentions.

As I did I noticed Narli’s horn. It glimmered a little in the lamplight.

Although her parent’s horns did reflect light a little too… they didn’t shine like hers. Theirs glimmered just barely, mostly thanks to their reflective white surface, but hers…

Hers glowed with a tiny faint light. Made only more apparently obvious when reflecting firelight.

Her eyes also glowed… but only faintly. They weren’t as bright as Celine’s or other eyes of saints I’d seen. Yet they were still far brighter than the Chroniclers.

“Mother thinks these things come here to wait for someone else. Father thinks we’re crazy,” Narli said.

“Hm… what do you think?” Renn asked.

Narli tilted her head at Renn, and I noticed the way her pupils focused. They became a tad bit brighter as they stared at Renn, who was still looking at the book.

“Well… I think we’re unable to comprehend the thoughts of things beyond us. I believe it’s simply our job to do what is expected of us… If something is sent to us, we should do all we can to take care of it until it’s ready for its purpose,” Narli said.

Renn hummed as she handed Narli the little doll back, to be returned to the box.

“So… are these things coming here with their own purpose, or are you saying something else is sending them here?” Renn asked.

Narli nodded. “I believe what we call fate is guiding them. Giving them purpose, though we may never understand the how or the why,” Narli said.

Renn’s tail curled a little, and bumped into my right foot. It immediately went to coiling around my ankle, though it didn’t wrap around too tightly.

“This is normally when Vim would make an off-handed comment about how he could set this whole place aflame, and nothing would be able to stop him from doing so… thus invalidating all I’m saying,” Narli said calmly.

I smirked as Renn’s tail tightened its grip, and her ear fluttered as she glanced up at me. Her look told me she not only knew exactly what Narli meant, but was as upset as she was over it.

“She makes me sound mean, but the time I had mentioned such a thing was when she had asked me to debate with her. She had wanted me to dissuade her beliefs,” I said gently.

Narli sighed and nodded. “It’s true… Vim’s never outright tried to sway either my opinion or my families, as far as I’m aware,” she admitted.

“Doesn’t change the fact you’re completely right. That’s exactly what he’d say, or was likely thinking,” Renn said.

Well…

The two returned the box to the shelf, except for the book, and they stood. As Renn stood her tail slid along my leg, running up my leg until it was somewhat wrapped around my thigh and not my ankle.

It’d be interesting to know if she did such things without any awareness or not. She had to at least realize what her tail did, if even subconsciously… right?

Narli turned and pointed down the aisle to another side. “A crate floated into a nearby lake, from the rivers… it had a bunch of molds in it,” Narli said.

“Molds?” Renn asked.

“Blocks to shape clay and stuff. They were mostly for hooks and chain links,” Narli said.

“Must have slipped off a merchant ship,” I reasoned.

“Usually most the stuff that shows up is stuff like that. Either common goods, or weird specific stuff like those molds. There’s never any reason to them… you’d think if fate was sending us stuff, they’d at least have some kind of pattern or relation to each piece,” Narli wondered.

“Maybe you just don’t have enough of the pieces yet,” Renn said.

I frowned at the way she had said such a thing so quickly, and so surely.

“You’d believe they’re being sent here for a reason too?” I asked her.

“Well… yeah…? I’d understand something odd like a horse showing up, or crates full of supplies washing ashore, happening every so often. Especially for us who live so long… but the way Narli’s explaining it, this happens all the time? We’re rather far away from other people, as far as I can tell… The Crypt surely doesn’t have random stuff just showing up without warning. Nor did Secca. Why would it not happen elsewhere too, if it was just happenstance?” Renn reasoned.

Narli nodded quickly as she turned to face Renn. “Right…! My father seems to think it just happens everywhere! But surely not!” she said.

I kept my mouth shut as I thought of all the boxes and barrels, even entire ships, which had floated onto the beaches of those islands I had secluded myself on.

Those islands had been farther out, and more secluded, than here… and even there it happened often enough too.

Humans were messy. Their stuff got everywhere, all the time.

But…

I sighed as I thought of the violin.

That wasn’t just a random piece of debris.

That was something I myself had made and…

Scanning the shelves, I wondered if maybe I should spend a few hours just… looking around. To see if any of the other stuff I’ve made over the years has found its way here too.

Although it’d be interesting to find out… I kept myself from committing to it.

The idea of most the stuff finding its way here being things I’ve touched, or even crafted, was nauseating to say the least. Particularly because I wasn’t sure how to interpret it.

Had I made molds lately…? For hooks and chains…? Surely not… right? If I had, would it not have been at the Smithy? So…?

Tossing the thoughts away before they became terrifying, I watched Renn hum and turn.

“Hm…” Renn stepped away, her tail uncoiled from my thigh as she did, and she stepped over to the other side of the aisle. She peered at some of the stuff on the shelves, as if in search of something.

“Beneath the house, near the entrance to the Keep, is another storage room like this. But that one’s full of food. There’s food here too, though,” Narli said.

“Your farms aren’t that big… do members bring food occasionally too, or are there larger farms elsewhere?” Renn asked as she peered into a box.

Narli shifted a little. “The food here won’t spoil,” she simply said.

Renn’s ears went still for a moment… only for the left to flutter a little. She turned to look at Narli, studied her face for a moment, then Renn turned to look at me.

I smiled at her. “Narli’s being humble. She’s the reason,” I said.

“Uh… is that because of your bloodline, or because you’re a saint?” Renn asked.

“My father says it’s because of my heritage. My mother believes it’s my blessings,” Narli answered.

Renn shifted a little, her tail coiling at the tip for a tiny moment as she studied Narli.

“I see,” Renn then nodded, as if that made perfect sense to her.

And it probably did.

Narli, although a saint… wanted to very badly believe her father had some ground to stand on. Even if she herself didn’t agree.

“The odd part though is it’s only food and stuff that’s stored beneath the ground. Any food we store in the house, above ground, spoils and rots just as fast as normal,” Narli said as she glanced at me.

Renn glanced at me too, and I knew they were both waiting for me to give them either an answer or at least a basic explanation for such a conundrum.

“Try sleeping in the attic, with dirt under your bed,” I suggest.

Narli gaped a little at me, and then squinted her eyes at me. “Would that actually work?” she asked.

“No… sorry. I was just making a joke,” I said, feeling bad that she had almost believed me.

Renn was the one who glared at me. “Let me guess, Vim’s been a jerk who hasn’t answered or helped you understand your… uniqueness,” Renn said stiffly.

“Hm? Oh no… Vim’s actually been very forthcoming with me. There’s a few things he doesn’t tell me, but I believe it’s because I’m either better off not knowing, or it’s information I’m supposed to figure out on my own. For instance he’s the one who told us that any food we store near where I sleep would keep it from spoiling,” Narli said calmly.

Renn calmed down a little and hummed at us.

“I don’t think the witch had such an ability… but maybe she did and I simply never noticed,” Renn said.

“You did mention you knew a saint… is she still alive?” Narli asked.

Renn frowned and shook her head. “Sadly, no. She perished a long time ago,” she said.

I noted she kept the fact she had killed her saintly witch friend to herself.

Honestly she hadn’t needed to.

Narli would understand if Renn explained it. Particularly if Renn simply told her the truth, about why she had needed to do it.

Narli couldn’t read minds, like some of her brethren, but she was able to sense lies. It was why she struggled so hard to believe anything I said, sometimes.

Like my little joke earlier. Had I been a normal being, she would have sensed it had been a lie before I had even finished saying it.

“Still it’s a surprise… You’re not the first to speak of other saints… but like most others, they’re people from centuries ago. It’s almost like something happened to stop our births in the last couple hundred years,” Narli said.

“The wars brought forth an increase in births of saints, Narli. I’ve explained that to you before,” I said.

“I know… but it’s just strange. Are there not wars now? Plagues? Chaos? And in a way, aren’t there always such conflicts and chaos?” Narli asked.

“There are… but…” I hesitated, since Renn’s eyes were boring into me.

Usually when Narli and I spoke about such things, we were alone. It was a little strange to have someone not just listening, but a part of the conversation too.

“But?” Renn asked, urging me to continue.

“But… Saints are more commonly born amongst the bloodline of those who already had a saint in their ancestry. The odds of a saint being born to a virgin bloodline is… exceedingly small and rare. And that’s the issue. Most of the bloodlines have been lost. There used to be hundreds of them, now I bet I could scour the whole world and only find a handful at best,” I said.

“Hm, Vim has mentioned before about the bloodline thing,” Renn said, nodding.

“He has. But I have a hard time believing it’s the main reason. We’re conduits to the divine… why would a god’s power care for ones blood?” Narli asked.

Renn tilted her head as she went to pondering Narli’s perspective.

Great. I expected Renn to pick up a few… odd perspectives while here, but I had hoped they had leaned more to the more personal ones. The beliefs of religion maybe… not this stuff.

Yet it was inevitable I guess…

“Not going to comment on that, Vim?” Renn finally asked, as the two of them stared at me.

“No,” I said simply.

Narli sighed in defeat, and Renn noticed.

Before Renn could glare at me and say anything, I raised a hand to gently protect myself. “There are many possible reasons. All of which are likely beyond our understanding. To be quite frank… saints are existences outside the realm of normalcy. They are like monarchs. Beings that do not belong in the normal world. They should be rare. Back when there had been many saints, there had been a lot of problems. More than a few used their abilities for the wrong reasons,” I said.

Renn shifted and glanced at Narli, waiting for her response.

“I’d agree with you Vim, if you didn’t so fiercely protect those like myself,” Narli said.

“I protect the individual, not the powers they possess,” I said.

Renn nodded, finding that fact to be very clear and obvious… and even Narli nodded. “That is true, I suppose.”

“You suppose?” I asked.

Narli shifted, and her glowing eyes glared at me. “You have never asked me to use my abilities. Not directly, at least,” she admitted.

“Glad you realize it,” I said with a smile.

“How about indirectly?” Renn asked, uncaring for my point.

I sighed as Narli smirked and gestured at me. “He’s never asked me to do anything, honestly… but he has asked my opinion before. From my perspective not as an individual, but as a saint,” Narli said.

Renn frowned at her. “There’s a difference?”

Narli hesitated, and her eyebrows shifted into an odd squirm as she tried to comprehend Renn’s accusation. “I… I suppose there is, isn’t there?” she asked herself more than not.

“Don’t give her an identity crises, please,” I gently begged.

Renn blinked at me, and then looked at Narli with a worried expression. “Um… sorry, Narli. I hadn’t meant my question to be that serious,” she said quickly.

“No… you’re very right… I am a saint, yet I’m also myself. Yet who am I but what I am?” Narli asked herself.

I sighed, and realized that Renn had legitimately just made Narli question herself. She’d likely be debating it for months.

A byproduct of Narli’s ability to not only sense lies… but hear the purity of one’s words. She had not just heard Renn’s question, but had also heard Renn’s meaning.

Had I asked for the opinion of Narli, or the saint powers she possessed?

“Everyone has multiple sides to them. You need not allow such a thought confound you so deeply, Narli,” I said gently.

“But it’s true, Vim. The times you had asked for my opinion… had not entirely been because of my abilities, had they? Who then had you been asking?” she asked me as she looked to me.

“You yourself, obviously. I asked you, Narli, for insight. Insight which you perceived by using your abilities… yes… but those abilities had been useless without your own ways to view and comprehend them,” I said.

Renn nodded, telling me she understood my meaning clearly.

Yet Narli only frowned further.

“We can solve this right now,” I said as I reached around to pull out the heart.

Narli stood up straighter, and Renn’s ears perked as the pink glowing orb was held before them.

“Oh my,” Narli whispered in awe as she stared at it.

“I’ll be leaving this here. For a short while,” I said.

Renn’s ears fluttered as she hurriedly looked at me, as if shocked. Yet she kept her thoughts to herself as I turned the heart a little, rolling it in my palm.

“Why… it’s as old as the Heart of the Pond… Who had this been, Vim?” Narli asked with wonder.

“A friend,” I said simply.

Narli startled, as did Renn, and the saint quickly looked up at me… her eyes growing brightly as she studied me with all her might. “Truly?” she asked.

I nodded.

“I had not known you had any left,” Narli whispered.

“There’s two more in the room right now, Narli,” I said gently.

Renn blushed, and then even Narli did… as she then went to giggling. “Oh how sweet of you!” she said.

Hmph.

“So… before I leave… I’d like you to do me a favor, Narli,” I said, to stop her from asking more about Miss Beak.

“Hm…?” she tilted her head at me, and seemed to no longer be bothered by her earlier mental conundrum that Renn had brought to her attention.

Reaching out, I held the heart out to Renn.

She frowned at me, but reached out to accept the heart without question or hesitation.

Dropping it into her hand, I studied my companion… who was smiling warmly at the little orb. As if greeting a long lost friend.

“I want to know if Renn’s compatible with it or not.”

Maybe she’d come to a different conclusion than me.

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