Grinning happily, I slowly stepped into the hot bath and sat down.

Although the bath was big, the kind of big that would have allowed me to sit across from Vim in my own little section, I chose instead to sit right next to him. Not close enough we were outright touching, but close enough that I could with ease if I wanted to.

"I'm happy for her, Vim. Even if it means sorrow will come eventually," I said, continuing our little conversation about Less and her… recent romantic development.

I hadn't told Vim that Light had already told me about it, since she had prophesized it, but I was a little surprised to hear it had indeed been the man that Vim had brought into the Society. The pirate boy.

What were the odds…? Or maybe that was just how it worked, sometimes.

"Yes, yes. So happy. Now I have to go talk to the lad, and make sure he understands fully what he's done too," Vim said with a sigh as he leaned back a bit.

He had laid a towel over his face. One he'd just soaked in the hot water. It was steaming a little, as was the water we were sitting in, and he looked… oddly enticing as he did so. Was he doing this on purpose? Was that his way of trying to keep himself from staring at my naked body? If it was, then I could forgive him. It was adorable.

"You'd force your will like that?" I asked.

"Only because I have to. The lad was raised well, but he's still a pirate, Renn. They're… sometimes not the greatest when it comes to such affairs," he said through his towel.

"You act as if Less is incapable of taking care of herself," I said.

"Landi would kill me if I allowed her sister to get hurt while under my watchful eye. Especially when it concerns a man I myself had vouched for," he said.

Oh! Was that why Vim was acting out of character, then…? Because he himself had been the one to invite, and allow, Ronalldo to join the Society?

Made sense, in a way.

My tail floated a bit, and I watched it float near the surface of the bathwater for a moment. I was enjoying the warm water, but it was a tad too clear. I could see… well, everything, right below the surface. Typically that wasn't a problem for me, but I had a couple bruises on my thighs from the fight with the monarch. They were rather visible. Stark reminders that I was still… well…

"Well it is of no matter… There's no saying that Less's children will be completely human, after all. She's very thick in the blood, her first generation might retain most of it if we're lucky," he said as he reached up and grabbed the towel on his face. He pulled it off, sighing as he dropped it into the bath near his lap.

I watched the way the towel floated on the surface for a moment, and then sunk. "So much for your bold talk of stepping down next winter," I teased.

Vim side-glanced me, and I smirked at him. "And so? How was your day?" he asked, changing topics.

I allowed it, since I was in a good mood. "I spent time with Mono and Tundra, as you know. Then Liina and Jasna… and then Brandy for a bit, before you came back and begged me to bathe with you," I said. I'd planned to spend more time with Brandy but she had ran off in excitement after getting a report from Lawrence. Something to do with some investment they had made.

"Begged," he noted, and I ignored him. He hadn't. I had. I had convinced him thanks to his decision to leave in a few days, since it'd likely be… well… a long time, possibly, before we'd have a chance to bathe together again like this. Telmik had baths big enough to do this, but he didn't plan to linger there long if at all. And then we'd head north, to where we'd be building a new location… which meant there was no telling when we'd get this kind of opportunity again.

My plan was to get him to bathe with me every night we were here. Though if I'd get more than tonight was unlikely. Vim indulged me, and seemed to enjoy doing so, but he was also… well… Vim. It was a little wrong of me, I felt, to be doing this… when I should be spending as much time as I could with everyone else, but…

It was only right and fair that I indulged a little in my own love wasn't it? Surely?

Vim studied the water for a moment, looking lazy as he did. I could tell he wasn't actually looking at anything, and was just lost in his thoughts, but it made me want to tease him. So I did. I sent my tail out over his lap, causing him to blink as it came into his view.

"You ever get bit on the tail, Renn?" he then asked.

"Bit…?" I asked. My tail returned to my area of the bath, since I was now focused on his question.

"Like from a fish or something? While in a river or anything?" he asked as he pointed at it.

Oh. He meant, because of the way it twitched and whatnot. It did kind of squirm in a way that would attract a fish… "Not that I'm aware of. I've felt fish brush up against it often, but I don't think any of have actually nipped at it," I said as I went through my memories. As I did, I kind of regretted it. Most of the times I'd been so submerged in water, with fish in it, were during moments of… well… unhappiness. Either because I was hurt, or something like it. Either hurt or starving.

"Maybe it's too big," he wondered.

"It is a little puffy, isn't it? The rest of my family had thinner tails, though they were big they weren't as poofy," I said as I reached out to grab it. I dunked the end of it under the water, and squished it a bit until all of the fur on it went flat as possible. "Kind of like this," I said as I showed him. It wasn't too much different than from what my tail was usually like, but it was still a noticeable difference.

He nodded. "Typically jaguars have shorter, fatter, tails compared to other big cats… but that can all be reasoned by whatever god made you. Could have been made by an eccentric, like Stance," he said.

My tail twitched a bit in my grip, and I went ahead and lifted it to my face. I had it brush against my face for a moment, wetting it and covering me, as I stared at him.

"Could you… elaborate on that a bit, Vim?" I asked.

"How so?"

"You've… kind of mentioned that before. A long time ago. That we were all made by gods," I said as I pointed the end of my tail at him.

He nodded and frowned. "Yeah…? Isn't that something pretty understood? Even your silly faiths believe in that," he said.

"Yes, but… you've also made it clear they're not real gods, right? If they're not real, how did they make us?" I asked.

"By making your ancestors. Monarchs, Renn. You're all descended from monarchs," he said, and then yawned.

I watched his yawn with interest, since it was something rare. Especially for him. "You're feeling tired again?" I asked worriedly. Hadn't he been feeling better lately…?

"Suddenly… I think it's this place. We've been doing a lot of stuff, but at the same time I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels. I'm glad we're finally leaving soon," he said as he reached up to wipe his face. This time he did so without the little towel.

Glancing around for the thing, I found it on his thigh. I reached over to grab it, making sure not to touch Vim as I did.

Lifting the towel, which was now hot again thanks to having been submerged for so long… I went ahead and placed it over my face as he had done. I had to lean back a bit, tilting my head, to keep it on… but quickly realized this was rather amazing.

This felt great! It was soothing, and I liked how it felt to try and breathe through the wet towel… and especially more so, I liked how it smelled like him.

Vim chuckled at me as I left the towel on my face for a moment. "How were we born from monarchs, though, Vim? Just naturally? Slowly gaining human traits over time?" I asked after a moment, through the towel.

"Yes. Kind of like how Bray's children are all ending up normal wolves. Either that happens, or you happen. Eventually all monarch genetic lines revert back to their sources, their normal variants. Typically after hearts stop forming and whatnot," he explained.

I huffed a little at his words, though not because of their meaning. Instead I huffed over the fact that I could hear him so clearly, and well… thanks to the fact that the towel was not covering my ears at all. I wonder what it'd feel like if my whole head was covered like this? It was too bad the towel too small to do such a thing with… and although I had bigger towels nearby, they were for us to dry off not to be wasted by testing here and now.

I'll make sure to grab an extra later, just to try it.

"Then… are you saying humans are the originals? I thought we used to outnumber them, back in the day?" I asked. Even he had said such a thing before.

He chuckled at me, and my ears twitched since I heard the truth in his laugh. He wasn't laughing at my question, but me myself. I must look silly with the thing on my face. "You had. In fact there used to be no humans at all."

That… that made no sense. I reached up and took the towel off my face. "So… humans are from us, our descendants, yet they're the originals?" I asked.

"Why's that odd to you?" he asked.

"The idea of something being an original means it's the source. The beginning… right? How can the beginning come after us, who are supposedly not the first?" I asked.

"What's a monarch, Renn?" he asked.

I blinked at that. "A… creature created by a god…? For whatever reason they make them for…?"

He nodded. "And they're made with intent. A god doesn't snap their fingers," he snapped his fingers, underwater, which made a really weird sound and made my ears twitch. "And just hope and wish for the best. They create with purpose. They can not only choose the type of creature they make, they can alter its very existence. Empower it, to whatever length they wish to."

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"Okay… how does that explain what I'm asking about though?" I asked as I stared at his hand underwater, resting on his knee. There were still bubbles swirling around his hand, from his earlier snap.

"What's a god look like, Renn?"

Looking away from his hand, I shook my head. "I don't know, Vim. I've never seen one."

He frowned at me, and then nodded slowly. "I… suppose you're right. Sorry. They're human, Renn. In shape and form, at least," he said.

"Huh…" I nodded back, and wasn't sure if I should be shocked or not. I mean… I honestly never really considered what I thought a god had looked like. Though maybe all this time I had thought them human in appearance, as he said, thanks to he himself.

Vim's mother. Her statue, under Telmik. She had looked rather human, if not completely so.

So maybe I had always assumed all gods had, since… well…

He then sighed. "My personal assumption is deep down, unconsciously, every god who made a monarch left a small piece of themselves in each creation. A piece that, although tiny, allowed humans and human forms to appear down the generational lines of their creations. It's just a theory, but it's worked for me all this time at least," Vim explained.

A theory… "Why is it you seem to know so much, yet sometimes act as if you know nothing about them?" I asked him.

Vim shifted a little, arching a leg as he did. As if to hide a certain part of his body from me. I knew though he had just done it because I had made him uncomfortable, though I'd not really meant to.

"I'm trying my best here, Renn. I really am," he said gently.

I sat up a little, as I realized what he meant. He had just apologized… because he had not told me the whole truth. Or at least, not enough of it.

"Okay… sorry. I didn't mean it that way, Vim… I'm just…" I hesitated as I wondered what to say. He was indeed doing his best. I couldn't imagine Vim so readily talking about this kind of topic, and answering such questions, so readily even just a few months ago. Let alone years ago. So of course I admitted he was doing more than before, but…

"I'm not offended. Or well, I am. But I'm offended over myself, not you. If my father knew how many secrets I kept from you he'd have been so ashamed of me he would have wept. Wept as he buried me, that is," Vim said.

A little glad to hear his father had been the kind to think such a thing, I went ahead and took the opportunity to ask about him. "Did he not keep secrets from your mother?"

"Not a one. But I mean… she could read his mind, so it wasn't like he had much a choice," Vim said with a small grin.

My toes clenched a little, and I hoped Vim hadn't noticed them do so. Had he just made a small joke, or had he been serious…? It could have been interpreted either way. Either as a typical husband and wife trope, or him alluding to their special abilities.

"As I've said before, Vim… I'm okay waiting. It makes me happy that you're trying, and for me that's enough," I said gently, unsure if I should press him more on his father or not. I wanted to ask so many things about him, and of course his mother, but… I worried about ruining the moment if I did.

We were bathing. Alone. This moment was special. The kind that warmed my heart in ways this hot water never could. I loved these private little talks and moments we had, and didn't want to risk them. If I ruined the moment it'd make me want to cry, and then Vim would just feel even worse… and the moment would get even more awkward as he tried to apologize…

He nodded gently as he sat up, splashing some water. My heart nearly jumped into my throat, half expecting him to just stand up and leave, but instead he turned a little as to face me more directly. "We're a pair, you know," he said gently.

I sat up too, and also turned to face him. I felt a little awkward as I did, since sitting like that fully revealed my upper body, but I knew better than to think this moment would be ruined by such a thing. Vim wasn't even looking anywhere, he was focused on my eyes.

"Well… we have been married for a while now, haven't we?" I said, a little happy to say so.

"Actually, no. We've not been."

I frowned at that, and was about to protest, until he reached over and grabbed my left hand.

Watching him intently, I stopped trying to keep my heart under control as it thumped wildly as he lifted my hand up. Since it'd just been underwater, it dripped as he carefully held it up between us, holding it in a way that even I recognized.

Was… was he about to propose to me? Here? Naked in the bath?

"I've been meaning to bring this up for a bit now… And honestly the fact it took this long is kind of sad, even for me," Vim said as he held my gaze.

I gulped as I waited.

"I'll let you choose. Whatever style or ceremony you want. That of the pagans, the Church of Songs, or whatever your northern peoples use. Just… let me know, okay?"

I squirmed as I bit back a groan. "Vim…!" I whispered.

"What? I'm talking about a wedding," he said defensively.

"I can tell!" I said, raising my voice. I mean, that basically was a way of proposing… but I had somewhat expected it to go differently! In that book I'd read, the Queen's Lament, written by one of our members she had gotten her hand kissed whenever she had been proposed to!

"You're upset with me. Why?" Vim asked, genuinely sounding and looking concerned. If he didn't look so bothered I'd have flung his hand away myself.

"I was expecting you to kiss me, or something," I said as I looked away from him, a little ashamed to admit it so openly. I mean, it was the truth, but it still made me feel ridiculous.

Here he was, trying his best, and being a genuinely good man… and I was expecting more from him. I was so selfish.

"Ah. I was going to do that in a second. After I asked if you wanted a ring, or a necklace," he said.

"Necklace…?" I asked as I looked back at him.

"Or earrings. Typically we both wear one of the set, but well… no matter what material I make mine out of it'll get lost or broken if on me. So hopefully you'll forgive me for not wearing one myself, unless you're okay with me always having to make a new set… which would work I guess," Vim then began to ramble a little, in a way that told me he had been pondering this for a long time. In fact…

"You'd be okay with that?" I asked.

"I would. But I'd understand if you wouldn't be. You don't even like me ruining the clothes I wear, let alone something special like a wedding ring or something, so I'd understand," Vim said with a nod.

I smiled at him, and grabbed his hand a little firmer. "I love you, Vim."

"Mhm. Yes. But that's not what we're talking about right now, is it?"

"No, but it's just as important. I'd like rings. A necklace will get in the way of me taking clothes off and stuff, and my hair is so unruly sometimes that any earrings I have will just get hidden half the time. So a ring, please," I said, deciding quickly.

Rather, I hadn't needed to decide. I had made the decision a long time ago, though I'd never spoken about it with him. I had simply hoped.

"Rings. So you want me to wear one too? You okay with me occasionally losing or breaking it?" he asked.

I nodded. "As long as you promptly replace it. I mean… wouldn't anything eventually wear down and break anyway? Considering how long we live?" I asked. Like my little box of nail supplies. The one Vim had gotten for me years ago in Telmik. It was already starting to wear down and break and most of its contents had been replaced several times over already from use and time. So such a thing was just… normal. To be expected.

"You'd be surprised…" Vim mumbled as he then tugged on my hand. Before I knew it my hand was up near his face, and he was kissing it.

My tail squirmed so much it splashed as I grinned happily as his lips left my hand. "Are you giving me permission to hold it soon then?" I asked happily.

"Figured you could do it while we're up north. You'll have a bunch of your friends nearby, and will be close to what you consider home. We'll likely be up there for some time. Or well, you will be. My plan is to let you stay up there with everyone, where you'll be safe, and I'll run around handling my last few requests before I step down next winter," Vim said.

This happy moment became a sad one. "Vim…" I whispered.

"What? I've made my decision, Renn. I'm not one to change my mind. And I'd think you'd not want me to be the kind to do so, considering," he said as he lifted the hand he still held, as if to imply our relationship with it.

"Well… no. I actually find myself very attracted to your sense of duty, or whatever you'd like to call it. But still, Vim… haven't you realized it?" I asked.

"Realized what?"

I gestured with my hand, the one he still held, all around us. "The Society. It's growing. Grown? There are so many more people now. People who need you. Look at Glasses, Vim. That poor woman would have had to suffer her limp leg if not for you," I said. I had seen her before leaving the new cathedral earlier; she had been nearly jogging around in excitement. Vim's little invention seemed to be working just perfectly for her.

She was a little odd, as many of our people were. But all things considered, especially for a saint, Glasses was one of our more normal members in my opinion. I actually really liked how much she reminded me of Rapti, she had that same… comfortable aura to her. A person who was genuine, easy going, yet quick to blush if you weren't careful.

"That's not a reasonable argument, Renn. Because anyone could use that against me. Any person, anything, anywhere, could argue they need my help," Vim said.

I flinched, since I knew he was right. If we used that argument in full, then he could argue it for our enemies too. Since if all it took to keep him in line was that someone needed his help, well… "Still, Vim, you get my point don't you? Think of all the chaos that will come with all the new members. Without you there to help them through it? And you yourself are worried that monarchs are becoming more frequent…? And a god shows back up? If you're not here to deal with those things, who will?" I asked.

"I'll always handle monarchs and gods. That's a vow I made long before the Society, Renn. So that too can't be used against me here in this moment."

Wanting to growl at him, I instead bit my cheek and shook my head. "Your original intention of leaving the Society was because of the vote. Because you felt staying in your position would just lead to more chaos and disaster. That stepping down was the lesser of evils. But now that isn't the case is it? Since Light has shown she's not actively scheming against you? That she plans to even help you during the vote? Is your decision not then based off false pretense?" I asked.

"Don't start talking like her, Renn. That will just make me even more resolute," he warned.

I flinched, but nodded. "Sorry. But I mean what I'd said, Vim. Light has schemes, I'll not deny that. She has more than I can even imagine. But at the same time neither you nor I can say those schemes are actually against us, are they? Really?" I asked.

Vim held my gaze for a moment and then sighed. "No… I can't say they are," he admitted.

"Then…?"

Vim for a moment didn't answer, and then lowered his hand… bringing my own with it, as they both plopped into the water a little lifelessly. "I had been hoping to save this conversation for later. This moment had meant to be a good one, what with the talk of the wedding and whatnot," he said gently.

My chest started to hurt, as if I'd just been stabbed thru. "Sorry… I'm…" I hesitated, as I felt my eyes start to grow watery. He was right…! The moment had just been so lovely, and I had just ruined it! And I had just moments ago been thinking about how I didn't want to ruin this lovely atmosphere, yet I went and did it anyway!

"You're right, of course. I know, Renn. My decision to step down is now no longer a valid one, since all the chaos and disillusion will be handled by Light in one form or another. And as such, my choice of stepping down to avoid drama is no longer justified," Vim then said.

Blinking some tears out, I sniffed as I looked at him. He was softly smiling at me, likely because he found my emotional self to be adorable. "I was very happy about the wedding and rings, Vim," I told him.

He smirked and nodded. "I'm glad. You'll be even happier once they both happen, too. By the way later on let me measure your finger okay? I don't want to wing it, considering how important it is," he said.

"Oh…? Okay." I wonder how one measured for a ring? And even more importantly, would it bother me to wear one? I'd never worn jewelry before, hopefully it didn't.

"We'll… talk more about this, okay? I still feel stepping down is the right thing to do. At least, in part. But… I'll admit that just might be my own emotions getting the better of me," he said as he squirmed a little.

Was the water hot again all of a sudden, or was it just me?

"I'd rather you didn't, Vim. In all truth. Even the people I don't know what to think of yet, like Mono and Tundra, or Less and the rest… though they may end up being people I disagree with, or don't like, I still feel like they deserve to be protected. They still deserve to live under your protection, Vim, even if they disagree with us," I said.

He smiled and nodded. "I agree, Renn. I really do. But it's not just about our likes and wants. As I've said, all things come to an end. Everything does."

"Even you?"

He blinked… and for a tiny moment, I saw uncertainty in his eyes. It faded as quickly as it came, as he then smiled at me.

"Yes, Renn. Even me."

I didn't believe that. But I knew better than to voice such a thought here and now.

Especially since he was leaning in for a kiss, finally.

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