My house really was well built. There was a storm approaching, and there was a fierce wind blowing thanks to it. Yet as strong as it was… I barely heard it. Even though I heard things hit the house, and windows occasionally, I didn't hear much more than a gentle whine instead of a loud roar like usually would hear during such a moment.

Vim really was good at building homes. It made me wonder if he's always been good at it, or if he simply had grown to be a master at it thanks to how many he's had to build over the years.

Though I had helped. With his guidance I had helped build half this house. Especially the inner rooms and stairwell.

Looking away from the large pot I was stirring, I glanced through the open window to the room and hallway nearby. That hallway led to other rooms, and the stairs that led to the floors above and below.

The bottom floor was just storage, but this floor and the one above had rooms… several bathrooms, and even two large rooms for leisure. Vim called them living rooms.

A big home. Too big for just me.

"My fault though, isn't it…?" I whispered as I returned my attention to the simmering pot.

It's been several months since I had last seen any of the owls Vim and I had encountered out east. Vim had been able to calm them down, rather easily, and even got the whole village to join the Society with only a single visit. And a whole village it was. Almost fifty people lived in their quiet little village at the top of their mountain, hidden away from the rest of the world. Forty odd people, each one with wings just like me. Each one an owl. Each one as thick, if not thicker, in the blood than I was.

By all counts they were good additions to the Society. They seemed to be good, mild mannered people. They'd not cause issues, and in fact would likely just stay to themselves in their village. Considering it's been years since the last full village of non-humans had joined the Society, it was nothing but good news… but I couldn't help myself as I felt everything but happy.

I had spent two months in that village. Trying my best. There had been fourteen eligible men in that village, and I'd neither chosen a single one… nor been chosen by one either.

"Stupid…!" I cursed myself as I stirred the pot even harder. Why was I so blasted stupid?

They had been cowards, sure. Spineless birds unable to even look me in the eye! Yet still, even with that taken into account… why didn't a single one of them even try? Was I that ugly, or something? I mean sure, my wings were lighter in color than theirs but…

Feeling horrible, and angry, and a bunch more emotions I didn't want to name… I flinched when I heard something hit the door.

The front door.

Frowning at it, I hesitated a moment and wondered if I a huge branch had just fallen off the tree or something. That had been quite a bang, and I wasn't sure what could have… Then I heard it again, this time multiple times.

Oh. That was Vim.

I stopped stirring the pot and hurried out of the kitchen. I went to the front door, and couldn't help but smile and toss aside all my terrible thoughts as I opened the door… to a whirlwind.

Vim quickly entered my home, and I had to pull the door shut with a bit of force thanks to how wild the winds were outside. My front door was built recessed into the building a bit, for this very reason, yet it seemed the storm was strong enough to not care at all about such a thing.

"Welcome, Vim!" I greeted the protector as he went to taking off his cloak. Although it was one of those thick and heavy ones, it must not have done him much good. He looked soaked. Which meant he had traversed through the storm to get to me, since although windy it wasn't raining here just yet.

"Quite a storm. I'm glad to see and hear the house is doing well," he said as he glanced around.

I grinned at that and nodded. "I'm cooking dinner! You're just in time!"

Vim smiled at that as he went to take off his shoes and socks… which were, like the rest of him, soaked.

"Why not go dry off Vim? I left some clothes for you in the room down the hall, near the stairs," I offered.

"Hm? I have clothes here?" he asked with a frown at me.

I nodded, a little happy to tell him so. "I snuck one of your bags a few months ago, one full of clothes. So that I could have some for you if you ever needed them," I said.

Vim was silent for a moment, but then he smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I'll do that, don't want to ruin our hard work after all," he said as he stood and headed for the hallway.

I scoffed at him. "Please, a little water won't hurt this place," I said. Most of the wood we had made this house out of was the type that wouldn't even notice water.

"All the same. I'll dry off and get changed," he said as he headed for the room at the end.

I watched him head down the hallway for a moment, and then hesitated.

Wait… wasn't I just depressed? Enough so that I almost was on the verge of tears…?

Yet here I was, happy and giddy…

But was that because he was here, or the simple fact that for the first time in my life I had a visitor? A real one, at my home?

My wings fluttered as I pondered my emotions and I headed back into the kitchen. Unlike all the other homes and buildings I'd been to, this one had raised archways on every door and entryway. So that I didn't need to duck or lower my wings just to go from one room to another. I hadn't even thought of it originally, but Vim had, and I was glad he had done so.

Like always he was… strangely observant. He seemed to always be so gentle and kind, even when it wasn't noticed or would be.

Going back to stirring, I frowned as I wondered why I found his gentleness attractive, yet not the gentleness of others.

Really, why was that? I seemed to love it when Vim did something small and kind for me… but the moment someone else did something similar, I felt offended and sickened by it.

Like those owls. One of them, a younger man named Windle, had given his mother a birthday gift while I'd been there. A poem. One he had sung in front of the whole village.

The others had found it amazing, had clapped for him and praised him… but me? I had immediately decided he'd never be worthy of being my mate then and there.

Plus his wings had been ugly. Almost as light and brown as mine.

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"Hm. Smells good," Vim said as he entered the kitchen.

I glanced at him, and tried not to notice the way his hair was slightly pulled back. He had dried off, but not fully… and so he had brushed his hair backward, and it had remained that way. It looked good.

"Would you set the table?" I asked, and looked away from him. Really, Lilly! Why was I being so weird lately?

I knew better than to actual desire Vim. Not only did I see him as something of a father, or maybe older brother… I knew better than to mistake his gentle kindness for anything other than what it was. Merit was proof of that. Celine too.

Vim didn't mate or get into relationships with any of our members. None of them, as far as I was aware. And if he did, I doubted it was for anything more than a single night. A moment in his long life.

But…

Maybe he'd be willing…? I mean all I wanted was a child. So just a few nights was all it'd take, right? Surely? Then afterward we could just… go back to being normal? How we are?

Surely he'd understand, right? After all, it's not like I hadn't tried…! I've spent years looking! It was why I participated in all the stuff we've been doing! Going all over, helping all the members… fighting against the Epoch cultists, and in those wars… the entire reason I did those things was to search for a mate. To find someone worth picking, amongst the thousands of idiots and spineless cowards…

I'd even waited until I found that village of owls!

So it wasn't as if Vim couldn't say I hadn't tried. It wasn't as if he could argue I'd not done good enough, could he…?

Yes. He could.

Because the fact was the only reason I was alone was because I wasn't willing to overlook the most simplest of things.

I sighed, and felt my wings droop a little to the floor. I felt like shit again, even though I didn't want to.

I was alone and unmated because I was a jerk. Unable to look past any of the men's lack of backbone… because I expected a man to be as strong, mentally and physically, as I was if not more so. Yet that wasn't a good requirement at all. It had nothing to do with the man's character, or his personality. Nothing to do with his looks, even… as so many women seemed to care about…

Which was likely why I found myself attracted to Vim so often, lately. The blasted fool was basically everything I wanted, just… in a weird human form. It was too bad he was ugly… or maybe it was a good thing? If he had more non-human traits, I'd likely not be able to keep myself from trying to snatch him up.

Though maybe I should just do that anyway. After all it's not like he'd hurt me over it, would he? He was too kind for that.

But would I be okay with losing his friendship over it? Would I be okay with losing my place in the Society over it? And if children did come from it, would I be able to look them in the eye one day when they asked about their father? And the failures of their mother…?

No. I wouldn't be.

Glancing at the nearby shelf, where bottles of liquor rested… I wondered if it was possible to get Vim drunk or not.

But that too would be a problem wouldn't it? Even if it was possible.

Maybe it should be me that gets drunk, and then I'd be able to pretend I didn't remember anything I said or did afterward. Would that work?

"Were you planning on opening this? This jug of juice?" Vim asked from the other side of the kitchen. I turned to nod at him, feeling terrible inside.

What kind of friend was I, to think such things?

He nodded back and went to gathering it up, and some cups, for us. If he noticed at all my weird thoughts and emotions, he didn't let it show. Like always.

Maybe I should just ask him. Just… bring it up casually. And if he turns me down, just take it in stride. We were realist, weren't we? He was like me when it came to such things, wasn't he? Maybe he'd just… frown and shake his head and then go on talking about whatever else we were meant to talk about…

"I hope you don't mind if I stick around for a day or two, until the storm passes," Vim said casually.

Gosh… the thought of him saying that for another reason made my heart hurt.

"I'd be okay with that too…" I whispered as I heard him set the table.

"Okay with what?" Vim asked, not realizing what I meant.

I coughed and shook my head, staying focused on the pot of stew. "Of course you can stay, Vim. Anytime and always. So? What are you doing here, Vim? I know you'd visit just to visit, but I also know how busy you are right now," I said, both to distract him and myself.

"Ah… I've come to deliver a letter. One that I've honestly debated not giving you, and then I have another letter that I've been excited to give you," he said with a smirk as I stopped stirring the pot and went to pick it up.

I carried the pot over to the dinner table as Vim reached into a pocket and pulled two half-crumpled letters out of it. I knew he'd not have allowed them to crumple up on his journey here, but instead had likely done so when he had put them in his pocket as he had gotten changed a few moments ago, so I took no offense. I took both the letters from him as he went to distribute the contents of the pot into our dishes so we could get to eating. He must be hungry.

Celine's letter was obvious. And was likely the one that he didn't want to give me. That made sense. It was likely a request for aid, either to help someone or deliver something to someone in a precarious spot. They often used me as a courier since I could fly around, unlike everyone else. But the other…?

"Who's is this?" I asked as I put Celine's letter down onto the table and went to opening the odd smelling one instead. It was a plain brown, and didn't have any marks or stamps on it to tell me who it belonged to.

Vim didn't answer; he just stared at me as I opened the letter… and flinched at the pretty handwriting.

"O' Lilly of the Skies…" I read aloud the beginning of the letter, and went still as I realized who it was from.

I knew of only one man who would write in poems. Only one who would do that as way to express his love and affection.

"What the hell is this?" I asked, unable to believe it as I stopped reading halfway. It was a giant poem about how one's heart belonged in the claws of another, while soaring through the sky. It was disgusting.

"A… man's attempt of romance?" Vim said with a smirk.

"Is this from who I think it is!?" I asked, a little peeved over Vim's smirk. Why'd he look like he was having so much fun!?

"Windle. Yes. The man whose mother you insulted, during her birthday."

"I didn't insult her!" I shouted.

"You kind of had, you called her son a songbird without festivals, if I remember correctly," he said as he thought about it.

I had! But I had said that to Vim, no one else!

"They heard me…?" I groaned as I realized what had happened. I had said it to him as we left the owl's village, and I had likely shouted it.

He nodded simply.

Taking deep breaths I looked back at the letter… and groaned. "Why of all of them is it him? Why him? Why Vim?" I asked both him and myself.

"He noticed that even though you didn't like it… you listened intently to the whole thing, without blinking once. You're fault, Lilly. You're also adorable, as I've told you," Vim said as he went to sit down, ready to eat. He didn't though, like always Vim was a gentleman. He would wait until I too sat down and took the first bite before he'd start eating.

"But…!" I couldn't comprehend what was happening as I shook my head and went back to reading the letter.

I finished the poem, feeling sick as I did. The end of it was single sentence, and finished it up perfectly.

"Would you join me in the skies?" he asked.

"Usually hawks are the ones who do courtship dances in the air. You owls usually do gift giving, dances on the ground and stuff. But I can see the appeal of it," Vim said lightly.

"Don't joke around!" I shouted at him.

Vim smiled at me and shrugged. "Well? That's what you wanted isn't it? For one of them to step up and ask?" he asked.

Yes! It was! But…!

Why him of all people! He had been a coward! Tall and skinny! Weak! The man had huge wings, but his arms had been thinner than mine…! And when I had scoffed and teased him over his singing and poem he had actually gotten red in the face and hung his head in shame! Shame! A man shouldn't do that!

Should he…?

Starting to pace, I groaned as my head started to hurt. Should I be furious? Should I fly over there and rip his head off? Or should I just toss this letter into the fire? The cook stove was still burning nearby, with a few coals, I could just… toss it into there and…

"Considering you were just contemplating attacking me, why are you so flustered all of a sudden? He'd likely be a lot easier to push down and have your way with than I ever would be," Vim said.

I stopped walking and turned to look at Vim, who had a smirk on his face. I felt my own face go hot, and I quickly covered myself with my wings so I could groan in embarrassment.

So he had known! Of course he had!

Vim laughed.

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