"Are humans always this noisy…?" Sivra asked quietly as we walked down the hallway to our room.

"This is actually not bad. We're in the higher end area, the other inns and bars are thrice as bad," I said as I smiled at the young woman who looked exhausted. We'd just left the bottom floor of this inn, where the kitchens and an open gathering place was located. There hadn't even been many people down there, less than a dozen, but they had been drinking and noisy. Too noisy it seemed for young Sivra.

She and I were both carrying large platters of food. Vim had already walked up with his own platter, the one carrying our drinks. We were back at the same inn that Vim and I had stayed at the other night. It was a good place to rest, since it was between locations of Sivra's original destination, and also a place Vim felt I had enjoyed. It was a clean, nice town, full of happy people and good food and entertainment.

It wasn't just a good place to rest though. Vim's plan was to let Sivra spend a few days here in a human settlement, a large and bustling one, to let her see if she could envision living in such a location. Such as Telmik or Lumen. Since she didn't want to go to where she was originally supposed to. And also didn't want to return home.

Sivra had no intention to be married off without say, it seemed. And I was more than okay with it, even if a little disappointed.

I had been looking forward to seeing two members, who were planning to wed and become partners, meeting for the first time. I bet it would have been adorable to see them, but now that plan and hope was dashed and gone.

Oh well.

We found the door to our bedrooms open, and Vim setting the table within. Sivra and I put our own platters of food upon it as Vim went to close the door, and I hurriedly took a seat at the table and prepared myself a nice plate of warm food.

I was hungry.

Sivra took a seat next to me, and slowly gathered up a smaller plate of food for herself. I wasn't sure yet if she was just a dainty thing that didn't eat much, or if she was still unsure and feeling self-conscious and awkward around us. Some members did act a little… skittish, especially when around me or Vim.

Yet as skittish as she was, she had still firmly requested Vim to save her. Or at least, help her.

I wasn't entirely sure yet if Sivra really knew what she wanted, honestly. She simply didn't want to just get married to some stranger, but also didn't want to return home either. But beyond those desires she really didn't seem to care or mind what she did or where she went.

As I went to start eating, I noted the calm expression on Vim's face. He was moving some plates around, putting certain foods closer to me and Sivra than his side of the table. He looked a little bored as he also went to pouring the two of us some drinks.

Like usual Vim didn't mind our people when they were odd, or problematic. Vim found nothing wrong at all with Sivra's request, and was fully willing to help her in any way feasible. He didn't seem bothered at all that Sivra was acting out, and going against an agreement supposedly between two families.

Though I'd have been bothered if he had found an issue with it, I was also a little bothered that like usual… Vim didn't seem to care for anything else.

He would help her accomplish whatever she wanted. The reason for her wanting to not become a bride, or go back to her family, seemed to be a non-issue to him.

But to me it was a big one.

Glancing at the woman in question, I watched as she slowly took a bite of some fruit. She looked as if she'd never tasted the thing before, judging by the way she frowned and studied the taste and texture for a moment. I allowed her to enjoy the moment of eating a new foodstuff before speaking.

"Sivra, how old are you?" I asked as Vim sat down.

"Hm…? I'm forty-one," she answered as she picked up another fruit, the same as the one before. She must have liked it.

Forty-one…? Our people really did age slowly. She looked far younger than that, and not just because she acted slightly unsure of herself like a child would.

She didn't have any obvious non-human traits at all. When we had first gotten here, she had taken off her jacket and cold weather clothes and I had gotten a glance at more of her skin, such as her arms and belly, and it was clear she didn't have any kind of tail or fur, or scales or anything either. If she did have any traits they were in locations I couldn't see, nor visible with thin clothing, or it was stuff I didn't recognize in the first place.

Which in theory would mean her non-human blood was thin. Yet it was obviously not thin enough if she was that old and still looked as young as I did.

"And this is your first time visiting a human town?" I asked as I went to take a bite myself.

"Yeah. I've met traders, and other fishermen and stuff on the river, but I was never allowed to go with any of the others to trade or visit the nearby towns," Sivra said as she licked a finger and went to take a drink.

"Why not?" I asked with half a mouthful.

Sivra took a drink and frowned at me. "I… don't know? I just never got invited and I didn't want to be anyway, usually uncle and father went and the idea of being stuck with them for days on the road would deter me anyway," she said plainly.

Oh my!

I smiled at that, nodding quickly. "I too hated my father," I said happily.

"Hate…?" Sivra though didn't seem to share my sentiments. She glanced at Vim, then back at me and softly smiled. "I should have clarified… I don't hate my family, Renn… I just don't like them much. They're boring. They don't ever talk, we all lived in these huge homes and there was nearly thirty of us yet you could go days without hearing a single word spoken amongst any of them. It was boring and dreary, but I wasn't abused or anything," Sivra said, explaining.

Oh…

"Sorry… I just assumed, I guess…" I felt a little embarrassed, since I had done just that. I had thought she was like me, someone who had despised her family and for good reason.

"It's okay…! Though… now I feel ungrateful. So it's true then, Vim? A lot of our women are abused by others? Their family?" Sivra then asked Vim.

"Huh…? No. It used to be like that way back in the day, before the Society. Back when non-humans were… more what they are and less human. But today it's not like that at all. It does still happen occasionally, but I'd say currently there are more female abusers than male ones," Vim said.

I smirked at that. "I bet he's including me in that statement."

Vim ignored me as Sivra glanced at me with a small look of shock. "I'd not permit such a thing. I don't force my will on anyone, but I'd not just stand back and allow abuse like that. When we encounter such things we usually split the family up, or threaten banishment to the ones doing it. In the last… decade or two, I've only had to deal with three instances of such a thing. One was recently, a man named Tim at the Crypt," Vim said.

I nodded. "Vim did indeed handle it," I said. Still… three? I wonder if he was including Sillti's incident, the execution of her husband at the Summit, as one of them. I wonder who the third was?

Sivra hummed a little as she quietly munched on her fruit. In fact… most of the food on her plate were of the non-meat variety. Maybe she didn't like meat. Even the more prey-like members still ate meat usually. Only a few I've met, such as the ducks or Crane, actually didn't like it. And even they ate it occasionally.

"But such a thing is simple nature. Abuse is everywhere, even in the basic animals. You can't escape it completely, only deal with it when it occurs," Vim said as he took a bite, his first one.

"I see… will people think that's what happened then, to me? If I flee?" Sivra asked Vim.

"People are free to believe whatever they want. What they make up in their minds has no power over the truth. Don't worry about such a thing," Vim said simply.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

I smiled and nodded. "What's important is your own happiness, yes," I agreed.

Sivra smiled at that as she nodded back at me, with teary eyes.

Half tempted to reach over and hug her, I held myself back a bit. I still wasn't sure if Sivra was the type to allow such skin-ship or not.

"You're not the first bride-to-be who runs away. Won't be the last either. I still expect this one to run off at any moment, it's just another part of life, a part of nature," Vim said with a point at me.

"I'd come back eventually," I said happily.

Sivra laughed, a soft one, as she shifted in her chair. "But… can I do so while staying in the Society?" she asked after her moment of levity.

"Why not? You're breaking marriage vows, but it's not like you're killing someone or abandoning children or something," Vim said.

Oh…? Is that how he saw it then?

"But they're expecting a bride…" Sivra said softly, staring at Vim as if he was some kind of priest or something. She was clinging to his words, and more so by the looks of it Vim's indifference.

"And I bet they're expecting a good harvest. And a gentle winter. Light rain, and for aches and pains to fade, and all the other things people hope for. I'll explain it to them, if you don't wish to do it yourself. If you worry that I, or anyone in the Society, will be upset then don't. If they get frustrated with it they can answer to me. You have no need to indulge them, just do what you want to," Vim said.

Sivra's soft smile warmed a little more, and then she looked over at me. "He really is our protector isn't he?" she asked with that same soft tone as before.

"Hm…? Yes. Even if he isn't willing to accept it," I said, doing my best to not mention of his intention to step down.

Vim sighed as Sivra nodded. "Okay… thank you then, Vim. For allowing me to trouble you," she said.

"It's fine. You're less trouble than her, that's all that matters," he said.

Hmph.

"Can I ask why you don't want to go join their family, though? You speak as if you don't have a lover, or anywhere else to go, so…?" I asked.

"Because I don't want to just be a wife! It's as boring as that house!" Sivra said, raising her voice a little for the first time.

House…? Oh. The quiet house. Her home. A place with lots of people but no words being spoken, supposedly.

I wonder what was up with that… I glanced at Vim, found him absentmindedly chewing his food, and sighed at him.

He was no help sometimes, in weird ways.

"What's wrong with being a wife?" I asked him.

Sivra startled, and out of the corner of my eye I saw her hesitate and panic a little. Vim though smirked at me and swallowed. "You complain about being my wife all the time," he said.

Do I…? "I do?" I asked, smiling as I tried to wonder what he meant. Sure I complained about him all the time, but did I ever really complain about being his? I didn't think I did.

He nodded though. "Don't blame you though. I think that's why most wives complain, because we husbands are all assholes. Kind of our thing."

Sivra sighed, relaxing a little as she realized we were just teasing each other. I looked back at her, felt my tail twitch a little at the sight of her obvious relief, and gave her a gentle smile to let her know all was well.

Odd girl. She reminded me of some of those I've met who were timid and unsure of themselves. Like the nuns or younger women at some of the more private locations, like at the Weaver's Hut or Armadillo's. Places without many humans, or at least ones without outsiders.

She didn't want to become a bride… because it seemed boring to her?

How was being married boring?

Did she not know what it was like to be alone for years? To wander forests, having nothing but your own thoughts to distract you? Or even worse, when you walked through human villages and saw everyone living lives full of bustle and wonder… while you could only stand back and watch from afar?

Marriage was far from boring. The exact opposite.

But…

Sivra then sighed softly. "I've talked more than I have in years, my throat hurts," she said softly as she took a drink.

Frowning at that, I bit back a few questions.

Talked more than she has in years…? We've only been talking for an hour or two at best! And we hadn't talked much on our way here from the river, though that was thanks to the loud wind and rain we had encountered on our way here.

Maybe her statements about her quiet home was nothing but the truth, and not the whole one at that.

Maybe her home really had been that quiet. The men on that boat had seemed a little… distant. As if not interested at all. They hadn't even said goodbye to her.

Fumbling with a fork, I wanted to groan. I had a bunch of questions and worries, some now that were very serious.

What if she was making a mistake…? What if she was turning down the opportunity for love and companionship because of misguided experiences and beliefs?

Yet at the same time it was her decision. Plus she knew what she wanted, and needed, best… right?

So many in our Society would give anything to have the opportunity she was being given. I had a long list of women, and men, looking for partners. And here she was… tossing the thing they all desired away just because she thought it to be boring…?

But how to address it? What if I was assuming and misunderstanding again, as I just had done about her and her family.

What if the family she was meant to go join was as bad if not worse?

Vim was being, and would be, his typical self. He'd simply help her do whatever she wanted and then step back. Playing indifferent protector perfectly.

But was that actually helping her? Would that actually protect her…?

But what to say? What to do? What if I was just forcing my own wants and desires onto her? What if she really did just want to live peacefully, and not be caught up in drama and…

"You okay Renn?" Sivra then asked, noticing my stressful worries.

"No. But I'm not sure what to do about it," I said honestly.

She frowned in worry and glanced at Vim, who was smirking. "She's fine. Or well, she's not. But she will be fine. Just pretend she has gas or something and leave her be," Vim said, teasing me.

I placed my fork down, rather harshly. "Like I'd be that bothered over something like that!"

His smirk grew as he leaned back a little, making his chair creak as he did so. "Yeah when we're alone, not with company," he teased me.

"Gah!" I bit back a shout, since he was right. Not that I was currently having such a problem, but that I'd be more conscious with others than I was with him. So it was hard to find a way to turn this around… since Vim not only never seemed to have any issues, he also wasn't the type to ever care or be bothered by such things even if he had been.

Sivra giggled, drawing my attention, and I smiled at her. "Don't laugh now, I haven't teased him back yet properly wait until I do!" I said.

Her giggles turned into soft laughs as she nodded. "Okay!" she said happily.

Sighing at her, and myself, I glanced back at Vim and enjoyed the look on his face. He looked happy.

She didn't laugh for long, and once she finished she returned to eating. I took the opportunity to eat a little more too, even though I was trying to not smile too much as I did so. I wasn't sure yet if Sivra would be bothered by my more pointier teeth, so I wanted to be careful.

Another thing I was more conscious about when not alone with Vim.

Glancing at Sivra, who was smiling warmly as she ate, I glanced back at Vim and found him lazily watching us. He must have already ate and drank his fill. It never took him long to do so.

This was fine.

I'll just… take this step by step.

We'll help her; no matter what it is she wanted or needed.

Hopefully though we can do so without ending up with me feeling empty or troubled, though.

"They're special, after all…" Sivra then mumbled under her breath right before she took a drink.

A little bothered by her comment… I chose to not let her know I had heard it. I continued to eat, as if I hadn't. It wasn't proper to intrude in a person's personal thoughts, and to me such little mumbles were just those. Since they usually believed, and were right to do so, that no one else could hear them. Even other non-humans would have failed to have heard her just now.

Her words, their meaning, had been obvious.

The source of them, her thoughts, had been about us. Vim and me. Or rather, our teasing and talking just now.

It was just further proof that she was misguided about what a normal relationship was. Likely thanks to her own family, the environment she had grown up in.

I'll need to… be a little pushy, I think. Maybe not right here and now, but later. To find out if my assumption was correct or not. If it was though… that meant there was a chance she could still go meet the man she was meant to marry.

If she thought marriage was boring because of the way her family acted and were about their own relationships, then she simply needed to realize that wasn't the normal. And that Vim and I were not that special either. We weren't the outliers. I'd met and seen many other couples and families as happy and boisterous as we, if not even more so.

Even the strict Lilly got all lovey-dovey with Windle, for crying out loud!

Smiling softly as I grabbed my cup… I noted Vim's look. He too must have heard her, for his smile had gone a little sad. He was looking at me as if he was tired, or worried.

I warmed my smile, perking up a little, and directed it to him. He noticed, and gave me a warm smile back.

Yes. We were special.

But we shouldn't be.

Not like this.

Our relationship. Our love. Our teasing and fun… should not be seen as something so unique as that.

Not so unique that it made people jealous or unsure of themselves, at least.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.