Meriah didn't play like anyone else I'd faced before. Others seemed to try and trick their opponent, by moving pieces intentionally wrong so that I'd not notice their real plan with other pieces. Meriah though seemed to just always be directly on the attack. Each and every piece, even the little pawns other people used as a defensive wall or to sacrifice for another purpose, were seemingly perfected weapons she wanted to destroy me with.

It was an interesting method. It somehow reminded me of how Vim was in real life. When he decided to destroy something, or someone, he didn't hesitate or use round-about methods. He simply stepped forward and did the deed. That was how Meriah was, on the board at least.

I'd almost think it meant she didn't really know how to play, or wasn't trying to play more than re-actively without much thought, but considering I'd lost to her the last five games I knew better than to think such a thing.

We were sitting in Rapti's home, Rapti was watching Meriah and I play the little game with calm indifference. We'd long had lunch, and the tea that Rapti had recently brewed had grown a little cold. But the room was warm, even as the hard and heavy rain fell on the world outside.

Rapti hummed as she watched me move one of my pieces to take another of Meriah's. In doing so I also stopped her from being able to take one of my important pieces.

Meriah didn't hesitate. She grabbed another piece and moved it, taking one of my pawns as she did.

I wanted to grumble, since I wanted to play at her pace. I wanted to reach over and move another piece, one to counter her previous move, but kept myself from doing so… I studied the board for a moment, and then decided to move a different piece. One that instead of going to take the piece she had just moved, instead went for another pawn on the other side of the game-board.

Before I even finished putting her pawn I had just taken onto the table with the other pieces I'd taken, Meriah had moved her own piece again. This time deeper into my little army, putting it right next to my important piece. The one that if taken would end the game, with my defeat.

Yet… as dangerous as it seemed next to my important piece, it was harmless. It couldn't move in a way that allowed her to take it. And I had several pieces scattered around it, positioned to take it with ease and eliminate the threat entirely.

Still I studied it for a moment… and then noticed something interesting.

Instead of taking the piece, and ignoring it entirely, I could just move a different piece. One that would let me win the game here and now.

Picking it up, I smiled a little in strange anticipation as I placed it down on the spot to win the game.

"Why, well done Renn," Rapti said.

Meriah sighed as she crossed her arms. "I was hoping to make you panic," she complained.

"Figured. I almost did react wrongly… though rather than panic; it was just that I wanted to match your play style. You're so quick about moving your pieces," I said, praising Meriah as I studied the board.

Now that I had a few more moments, I could see that I actually could have won a few moves ago. Three at least.

Could I have won even before that, I wonder?

"One should always beware getting caught up in the wild nature of humanity," Rapti said with a nod.

"Humanity…?" I asked. Wasn't Meriah one of us?

"She means in general. It's a reference to one of our religious poems."

Oh…? I nodded slowly at that as I studied Meriah who was frowning at the board, as if upset with it.

She had said their religious poems. Interesting. So Vim hadn't been joking. She wasn't a traveling nun just to blend in with the world and humans, then.

Yet she hated the church…? Or was it just the ones within it, like the Chronicler and Light?

"You almost had her, but I think once she took this piece you were fated to fail," Rapti said as she reached out and tapped one of the taller pieces I had taken. I frowned as she pointed it out, because it was one I had taken nearly twenty moves ago.

"Probably…" Meriah said softly as she continued studying the board.

I smiled at her, since it proved she really didn't just play blindly and recklessly as her style seemed to infer. If anything she likely played with more schemes and tricks than others I've faced, since it seemed her quick and reckless style was on purpose. To make me act foolishly in return.

While Rapti took a drink of, what was likely cold tea, I felt my left ear twitch a little as I heard a splash of water. And not water from outside.

I tried not to focus too deeply on the sound of Vim in the bath. It sounded like he was wiping himself off.

"I hear you usually bathe with him," Meriah then said.

My ears went still, and I tried to not notice the look from Rapti as I slowly nodded. "I… try to, honestly. He doesn't let me most of the time though. Who told you?" I asked.

So she too had heard Vim? Fascinating. She was more than she appeared, even I had barely heard Vim's movements, I'll need to remember that.

She grinned at me, finally looking away from the game-board. "Why didn't you do so here? Because of Rapti? She'd not mind."

Hm…? "I wanted to spend time with you two instead."

Meriah's grin slowly died as she blinked at me, and Rapti chuckled as she lowered her cup. "Beautifully said, Renn. That Meriah, is how we are meant to appreciate our fellow creations," Rapti said.

The traveling nun glanced at Rapti and sneered. "How do you know Vim just didn't tell her no? He's all weird right now, so…"

"Actually… because he's weird is the best time for me to indulge in him. He's more open and gentle with me the more he's worried and stressed. Either because he's distracted and lets his guard down, or because he enjoys my presence while his thoughts are in turmoil," I said.

Meriah shifted, her face becoming a little odd as she raised an eyebrow and glared at me. Rapti though chuckled again.

I smiled gently at Meriah's odd look and shrugged. "I don't like abusing those moments though, honestly," I added.

For a small moment they both stared at me… and then Meriah sighed and reached up to scratch at the back of her head. As she did, I noticed the way her silver hair gleamed a little in the lamplight. It almost looked as if it sparkled.

I wonder what she was. She had silver hair, nearly white eyebrows, and had little freckles all over her face. She was honestly very adorable, but I didn't see, or smell, any outright signs she wasn't human. In fact, thanks to her loose but simple dress, I could even tell that she didn't have any strange features beneath her robes either.

Though it seemed she wanted to trust me, but didn't. Meriah looked away as she went to gathering up the pieces of our little game. She looked as if she was annoyed, and maybe she was.

Vim and others, like Rapti, had told me she hated people. She was a loner, even beyond what Lilly was. So… I had expected a slightly prickly personality, but it almost felt as if she didn't like me.

Yet she was already calling me her friend. So I wasn't sure yet what to think of her.

Vim seemed to trust her though. Even though she was making outrageous claims. Ones that… well…

I blinked and glanced at Rapti, who smiled happily as she watched Meriah put the pieces where they belonged.

Yes. Don't think of that now. Don't ruin the moment. Let it ruin another, later.

I went to help Meriah, and once done I stood up and nodded. "Your turn, Rapti."

"Hm? I'm rather enjoying watching you two, though?" she said back.

"I'm sure. But I just won for the first time against her, and I want Vim to praise me when he hears about it. If I tell him as I lose to her again, he'll just tease me over it," I said.

"Ha!" Meriah laughed at that as I stepped around Rapti's chair and went to grab the tea pot Rapti used to make tea.

I was tired of cold tea. Even if Rapti and Meriah seemed perfectly happy to drink it, I wasn't. Not when I had a perfectly good fire to warm it with.

Maybe it was their pious natures?

Rapti sighed as she changed seats, as to face across from Meriah. "She's definitely a cat, isn't she?" Rapti asked.

"People have always said cats are prideful, but I've always figured them simply independent," Meriah said.

"Is it independent to want your partner to praise you like that though?" Rapti wondered.

I smirked at them as I poured more water into the pot, and went to add some of the tea leaves.

"Does Vim not treat her much differently than us? It seems he's a little firmer with her than us if anything, from what I've seen so far," Meriah asked as they began to play.

Frowning at that as I put the teapot onto the little metal stand hanging near the fire, I glanced at the two as Rapti hummed and studied Meriah's opening move. Unlike me Rapti didn't seem pressured to join her opponents pace at all. She studied the board with only one singular piece out of position intently, as if it was already the end of the game.

"You've only been watching them for a few hours, hardly long enough to tell," Rapti said as she finally picked up a piece and moved it. A single pawn in the corner.

Meriah nodded as she quickly moved another piece, without even looking at the board. She instead looked at Rapti with a frown. "What've you seen then?"

"I see a god being gentle with an even gentler soul," Rapti said as she studied the board.

Shifting, I tried to not let my own thoughts appear on my face as Meriah gave me a look. Based off the way she raised a white eyebrow at me, she too had a similar thought process it seemed.

"Still on that are you? And let me guess, Vim doesn't care to change your perspective," Meriah said as she looked back just as Rapti went to move a piece.

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"Who am I to know why a god does what they do? It matters not. If he wants to keep playing mortal, then that is what he will do. Even if it makes no sense to me, it's not like I can actually do anything about it," Rapti said calmly, as if we were talking about the storm outside and not something serious.

Meriah huffed as she went to quickly move a piece. "And what will you say then? Miss God's Wife?" Meriah asked.

"I… don't believe Vim is a god. I do think he is special, in ways I can't explain, but I believe him when he says he's not that unique or special," I said.

"Hope blinded by love," Rapti stated.

"Or simple truth. Have you not just considered your viewpoint is the one blinded by hope, Rapti?" Meriah asked.

"All faith is blind. Kind of the point of it," Rapti responded.

Oh…? I liked that. At least, I liked the meaning of it, even though I didn't like how she was using that perspective to justify her misunderstandings.

Meriah shook her head at Rapti, but had a smile on her face all the same. Then she glanced at me. "I'm to assume you and Vim are going to be heading south? Since it seems he's not willing to rush straight to the capital and do what he should be doing?" Meriah asked.

"I… don't know, Meriah. I'd think Vim should go to Telmik as quickly as possible too, after today. But if he decides to do so slowly, then yes, he plans to have us check on those along the way. Since… well…" I shifted, unsure of how to say it.

"Since he plans to step down. Like an absolute fool," Rapti said as she finally decided on what piece to move. She took one of Meriah's as she did, the first piece to fall.

Meriah sighed and nodded as she went to continue playing against Rapti.

The two of us had returned here, after Vim had asked us to leave, rather promptly. We'd been here a few hours, talking with Rapti and filling Meriah in with Vim's plans. Vim had only recently returned. He had seemed… calm and fine, really. He said he was going to bathe, and then cook us dinner. Supposedly he wanted to make dinner tonight, and hadn't been willing to let Rapti or I prepare and help.

He had said he wanted to bathe because he was cold from the rain, but I knew better. And I think Rapti and Meriah did too.

He likely had just wanted more time alone. To himself. To think.

I'd not heard any splashes of water recently… hopefully he was okay.

Vim had destroyed that house. Meriah and I had walked past it on the way back, another section of the wall and roof had collapsed into itself. It was half-standing, but it looked unlivable now, especially since it was pouring and storming.

It honestly made me feel sad for them. It had been a nicer home, and it had looked like several people had lived in it. Maybe even two families. I planned to ask Vim if there was anything we could do to help them, as an apology, since it was obvious Vim had been the reason for it.

Surely Vim wouldn't just ignore them, right…? He usually fixed the things he broke, when able. Or did he not care when it wasn't concerning our own people?

A part of me severely doubted Vim would just let it be. His entire belief system, his idea of free-will, centered on the fact that no outside force imposed their will on others. And even if an accident, his act had basically made a whole family have to suffer for no reason.

Strangely it was bothering me almost as much as the knowledge that Meriah had brought to us.

That the Chronicler, and Light and her people, possibly had a hand in the destruction of Lomi's home.

Not just a hand in it… but maybe even the cause.

Such a revelation had been so utterly shocking even Vim had become obviously stunned over it. Even when not taking into account the home he had nearly destroyed because of it, he had also gone wide-eyed and acted… strange. As if suddenly dull in the head. He hadn't even heard or paid attention to Meriah and myself near the end of that conversation out there in the rain. He had simply stared out at the sea… lost in his own mind.

But I couldn't fault him. Or blame him. The accusations Meriah had brought were… well…

"Well, that happened."

I blinked and looked down to the board. Meriah had just won.

"Yes. It had. Silly me… here I thought I had chosen correctly," Rapti admitted as she frowned at the game she had just lost.

Studying the board, I found three of Meriah's pieces near one of the corner's of the board. Surrounding Rapti's main piece.

The two stared at their own respective defeat and victory, and I wondered suddenly how many games one would have to play to know each and every move.

Hesitating, my mind whirled as I wondered if I could in theory do such a thing. Could I just… remember each and every possible play? And thus know the proper response to every move my opponent makes, having already known it and seen it before?

Each player had many pieces, and a good portion could move from the very beginning… but most could only move certain ways or spaces, thanks to being blocked by their fellow pieces. That meant in theory there weren't many possible options…

"The tea, Renn."

I blinked and turned, thankfully Rapti had warned me before the pot began to get too hot. I pulled the teapot off the little metal stand and over onto the one on the table nearby, as to let it cool for a few seconds before using it to re-fill everyone's cups.

As I did the door to the bath opened. I paused a moment as I listened closely. Vim walked very quietly, with bare feet, down the hallway.

I turned, and smiled as Vim stepped around the doorway and paused before the room. Rapti and Meriah didn't notice him at first as he glanced around, eventually his eyes meeting mine.

For a few moments the world was oddly still, and then Meriah finally noticed Vim. "Finally! Go make food already, I'm starving!" Meriah complained.

"The fact that I know you do indeed know what it's like to actually starve makes me wonder how you can be so quick to claim so," Rapti said with a sigh.

Hm?

"It's precisely because I know what it's like that I refuse to do so when I don't need to," Meriah said as I grabbed the now slightly cooler teapot and went to fill up their cups.

Both of them were empty, which meant they had both drank them fully on purpose. Especially since Meriah's had been half full a few moments ago as I had went to prepare the tea.

Maybe they had both wanted fresh tea too… why hadn't either said anything then?

"Hm. I'll be back shortly then," Vim then said.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

I ignored Meriah and Rapt, who both glanced at me. One looked bored, the other had a slight grin on her face.

"To get supplies. Rapti has some of what I need, but not everything. I'll be back in a few minutes," Vim said as he stepped away, heading for the door.

"Why didn't you do that before taking a bath?" Meriah grumbled as she went to reset the board game.

Sighing, I went to fill up my own cup of tea too. Once I did, I held the cup with both hands and enjoyed the warmth it gave.

"Not going to go with him, Renn?" Rapti asked as she and Meriah went to play another game.

"Hm…? Like I said I'd rather spend time with you two right now," I said.

Especially since Vim still seemed lost in thought. Meriah wasn't wrong… he should have got the supplies he spoke of before returning. He could have still taken a bath before cooking, but it would have made more sense.

It meant he was genuinely unsettled. His mind on other things. And what he was distracted by was obvious.

Although a part of me wanted to talk to him about it, and maybe even see if I can let him vent a little of his obvious frustrations with the situation… I knew at the moment he simply needed time alone.

Plus, if Meriah was right and Vim did decide to just… run off and confront them, which meant I'd have to hurry with him. Leaving behind Meriah and Rapti.

I'd like to spend a little more time with them, if able. Especially Meriah, since she seemed like the type of person who I could go many years without ever meeting, thanks to how we both traveled around so much.

"How can she say such things so smoothly…?"

I blinked and turned a little, to watch Meriah move a piece. She had whispered that statement, rather oddly.

"She's not like you. She actually is a good person," Rapti said.

"You've been rather rude to me this visit, why is that?" Meriah asked, though did so with a smile.

"I've become disenfranchised with those I've trusted and considered friends. So I'm judging you a little more than I should be, because of it," Rapti answered honestly.

I frowned as I stepped over to them, to sit in the chair next to the table that Rapti had been sitting in earlier. As to both watch the game play out and join their conversation.

"You mean because of Crane?" I asked.

"And Vim. I'm rather upset with him at the moment, to be honest," Rapti said.

Meriah nodded. "Welcome to my world," she said.

Hm… I slowly nodded, tapping my little teacup as I did. "I too sometimes am disappointed in how Vim chooses to live his life. But, have either of you considered what the alternative would be?" I asked.

"What? A tyrant? Another monarch that eats or abuses us like all the others had…? Of course I've thought about it. Him now is far better than most other options… but it's precisely because he's better that I expect even more from him," Meriah said plainly.

"A very apt view. I too expect greater from him, since he's already proven himself to be great as he is. It's just one more step. For him it might even just be a single extra word spoken, or stomp of his foot or swing of a sword. Why not ask it of him when it might be that easy for him?" Rapti said, agreeing with Meriah.

Wanting to groan a little, because I fully saw their viewpoint and even… in a way, agreed with them, I wondered what to say.

Should I defend Vim? Side with them?

A part of me, wanting to be his wife, wanted to reason for him. To give them views and perspectives that would make his stance and beliefs not just viable but desired…

Yet the other part of me, as a member of the Society and someone who desired the same safety and living environment as everyone else… agreed with them.

If Vim was just a little more pro-active maybe our lives would not be as at threat. At the very least from ourselves.

But did I really want him to be someone who broke his own rules? It was obvious Vim's rules weren't just things he imposed on himself without reason or thought. In fact, from what I could gather, many were things he had subdued himself to out of terrible sorrow.

He lived under rules he put upon himself, after having seen the horrible chaos and failures that had came after not doing so.

But how could anyone, even I, truly explain such a thing? Most of those events had happened before the Society even existed, it seemed. So…

"Though I have been wondering, Rapti, did anyone from the other continent come say hi to you when they arrived?" Meriah asked.

"Less and Frima did. But I turned them away," Rapti said.

Oh…! "Why?" I asked.

Meriah glanced at me as Rapti moved a piece, putting Meriah in check. "They only showed up after Crane and I started the chaos of the vote. They wanted to be a part of it, to control the narrative. They did not come to be friends, or just to visit, but for their own purposes," she stated.

As I took a small sip, as to keep myself from saying something, Meriah scoffed. "Of course they'd only be interested in their own goals. They've always been that way Rapti. Even you knew so all this time, that's why you're here and not with them," she said.

"I'm here because I don't believe in forcing my faith on others. That is all," Rapti said plainly as Meriah moved a piece, and not only saved herself from utter defeat but pushed Rapti back into the defensive.

A little stunned by the utter switch in momentum, I watched intently as Rapti and Meriah spent the next few moves keeping each other at bay. Both nearly losing several times in the process.

"How come you'd have that belief Rapti, but don't expect Vim to have the same?" I asked once the two's heated battle ended, resulting in Meriah's victory.

The two startled, looked away from the board, and then after a few moments of staring at me… looked at each other.

There was an odd silence for a moment, and my tail curled around one of the legs of the chair in worry. Should I have not said that?

"It hurts to hear it said so plainly, doesn't it?" Meriah then said.

Rapti nodded. "Yes. Especially because of how true it is."

Oh?

Meriah sighed as she crossed her arms and leaned back a little. As she did I noticed the way her loose robe shifted. Was she skinnier than she looked? "It's a moral puzzle. One I bet everyone would have a different answer to," Meriah said.

"Thus the vote having such issues. Even if everyone wants Vim to change, no one will know how or to what extent… or at least, won't agree on it," Rapti added.

"Thus Vim's choice of stepping down. To avoid such conflict entirely," I said.

The two shifted, and Meriah grumbled as Rapti frowned.

"What about you Renn…?" Meriah then asked.

"Me…? Like I said I agree with you, but I don't really know just how I want Vim to change how he acts or his rules. A part of me wants him to be better… but I know, thanks to what he and others have told and shown me, him forcing his will or doing more than he does sometimes causes just as much harm if not more than he is doing now," I said.

Meriah nodded, but frowned at me. "If even his wife wants him to change, how is he going to deny it?" she wondered.

"Aren't you paying attention? He's stepping down. That's a pretty big change," Rapti said.

Meriah's frown was now directed at Rapti. "I don't think he'll actually do that."

"Let's hope not," Rapti said softly.

Yes.

I might even pray on it, too.

To his parents, maybe.

Maybe then he'd listen.

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