The Non-Human Society Chapter 703 Five Hundred and One – Renn – Apples and Oranges

I didn't choose to leave in the morning just because I wanted to sleep with Vim.

Really.

Though I knew no one believed it.

Making Sap's bed along with her, I smiled happily at the way her wings fluttered a little expectantly as we both stared at the now made bed. "It's of course not as good as ho… but it's also better than the hammock last ti I was here," she noted.

"Just be thankful they don't stink too much. I had been worried when they all went into town to buy a bunch of cloth and stuff, but wherever they had gotten them from must have been pretty clean because none of it slls too bad," I said. We were in the guest room next to the one that Krass had been living in, where she had passed away… though it seed Sap didn't mind such a thing at all.

"I'd been aning to ask sothing, but have you figured out how you don't sll yet Renn?" Sap asked.

I smiled at that. "I don't. Vim still hasn't explained it," I said. He has only spoken around it, though he has ntioned a few tis it was thanks to his so called abilities.

"Huh… how does that work? Can't be our hearts, right? I still stink, sotis," she said softly as she lifted a wing to sniff it.

My smile squird as I watched her sll her own wing. She in fact did have a unique scent, just as Lilly and the rest of her family, but it was far from what I'd call a stink. They actually slled like trees, and it was nice. "I really don't have any idea how it works… and Vim won't explain it either, so," I said with a shrug.

"Yet it's not because of intimacy… right? Hard to believe to be honest, can't imagine what else could cause it," Sap said.

My smile that had been happily growing flinched and I groaned at her. "I don't know what's worse, the fact that statent is so true or the fact all of you so readily believe we've not done anything yet," I complained. Everyone loved to tease over the fact that Vim and I hadn't… consummated our relationship yet, and honestly it was my fault for telling everyone the truth but still… Yet lately I'd noticed how quickly people ended up believing others, or myself, when they first learned of it. You'd think usually people would be shocked and confused, as rit had been, when learning of such a thing… right? Why did people find it so obviously believable that he and I were still…?

Sap chuckled at . "It's Vim's fault, Renn. He's so odd that him being like that just… makes sense. Though in your case it definitely doesn't make sense. You're like mother, you're the type to just pounce on him and get it over with," Sap said.

"Lilly's like that?" I asked.

She nodded. "Father oddly doesn't care much for such things… so she has to sotis be a tad forceful you know?"

No… I didn't. Or hadn't. "Do you see them as a loving couple?" I asked, glad to be given the opportunity to bring such a thing up without sounding weird.

Sap gave an odd frown. "Mom and dad…? Hm…" she pondered it for a few monts, and then nodded. "Yeah…? I think so. They both really do love one another… Father worships the ground mother walks upon, of course, and mom adores his loyalty. To her his undying fealty is everything, at least per romance goes," she said.

Fealty… "How about you Sap…? What would be your uh… what would you like in a partner?" I asked. It was interesting to hear her opinion and how real and pure it was. I too had co to the sa conclusion. That what Lilly truly liked about Windle was his, as Sap called it, loyalty.

"…? Well… honestly I'm not sure. Personally I'd rather just have a child than a mate, but I understand mom's perspective too."

"Perspective?" I asked. What'd she an?

Sap's wings shifted a little as she gestured lightly at . "Partners. When raising children, they're useful. Makes it easier to raise them, and protect them, and so forth. Plus if you had a partner you could keep having children easily and safely, while needing to find a new one each ti might cause issues. I'd been considering that lately, what with Branch and whatnot," she said.

I softly smiled at the owl who seed to be… so literal about it. She wasn't really thinking, or caring, about if she'd love this supposed partner… rather she was simply debating how much effort she wanted to put in to having multiple children. She wasn't speaking of a husband, or even really a partner. She was talking about soone who would simply help her father children, nothing more.

"Do they have to be an owl?" I asked her.

She blinked and then frowned worriedly. "I uh… I don't know…" she said honestly.

Oh…?

"I'd say yes, usually… but I an… Branches is mating with a monkey? And she seems fine…? She's better than my sisters at least, barring Root of course… not sure how she'll turn out yet but I highly doubt she'll be anything like them," Sap said with a small chuckle.

Honestly I couldn't wait to et these other siblings. Particularly the ones giving Lilly so much trouble… it'll be funny if they end up being just really normal people.

"Talking about pouncing on people without ?"

We both turned to look at the door, and we found rit. The small fish had her nightgown on and was frowning at us.

"I've heard of your pounce and shock attack, I'm more than good without it thanks," Sap said with a laugh.

My smile returned as I grinned at rit. "You do kind of pounce when you latch onto people and things, don't you?" I said as I thought of the few tis I'd witnessed it.

rit sighed at . "You're lucky Angie's already asleep or she'd groan so loud it'd shake the whole building," she said.

Angie was already asleep…? It wasn't that late was it? It was a few hours after nightfall, but not the dead of night just yet… I could still hear conversations throughout the building, particularly at the dining room next to the kitchen.

"You look like you're about to be too…" Sap said what I was thinking.

rit huffed at us. "I was planning to tease Renn and Vim by sneaking into their bed and waiting for them, but Vim's off doing sothing in his trenches. I now feel so sorry for Renn that I'll leave them be instead," rit said.

My smile wobbled as my ears fluttered as Sap glanced at . "He's off digging more holes…?" I asked.

"And here I thought we stayed another night so you could see the sunrise in the sky, and not because you actually wanted to share a bed with him!" Sap said, a little loudly, as she laughed.

I groaned as rit grinned as well. "It's her fault, really. She ignores him so often on a normal day, let alone when you visit or sothing, so Vim just assus she'll focus all her attention on us and doesn't think it's even possible for her to be waiting for him," rit said.

Gosh!

"I was only going to talk, and stuff, with him, you know!" I said, trying to defend myself.

"And stuff…? What kind of stuff?" rit asked as she leaned against the door's fra, crossing her arms as to smirk at .

"A whole lot of stuff, I'm sure," Sap added.

"I'll wake up Angie," I threatened as I closed my eyes and covered my face. I was embarrassed, but also smiling and about to laugh. I covered my face in attempt to stave off the giggles.

Sap sighed at . "You know Lellip basically forced herself into my brother's room after less than a week? Compared to this it's almost comical," Sap said.

"Lellip's too much like her grandfather… and Branches is too much like Windle, if what you're saying is true," rit said.

I peered at Sap between my fingers. "What…? She did?" I asked.

Sap frowned and nodded at . "She told she didn't want to end up like you, so took initiative."

"Gah!" I stepped over to the bed and plopped down onto it, to bury my face into it and its thick blankets.

rit laughed, rather harshly, and of course I heard every detail of it. My ears fluttered against the blankets, but didn't really sink into them thanks to their positioning.

Honestly I wanted to laugh too. Of course such a thing would happen, and of course she'd say such a thing…!

I couldn't fault her at all! She was right! But by Vim's parents it was so utterly humiliating it almost made want to cry…!

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Oh I can't wait to tell everyone that," rit said between her laughs and snorts.

"Actually it is kind of funny, huh?" Sap agreed, and I could tell by her tone she just now realized why.

I almost wished I hadn't heard it… Gosh what will Vim say once he heard that…?

Still…

I squird a bit as I smiled in joy, knowing that Lellip's relationship really was working out. I was happy for her, utterly so.

And a tad jealous.

"So Branches is like his father, is he?" I asked with my face still buried in the blankets.

"Honestly I had always seen him more like mother… but maybe rit has a point, and at least in that sense yes. He had seed rather shocked after," Sap said.

Gosh how cute… I can't wait to et him…

I sniffed as I pushed myself up off the bed and huffed. "I'll have you know Vim isn't as bad! He actually tried once, you know!" I said, defending him.

"And you dropped the ball, spectacularly," rit noted.

"What's this now…?" Sap asked, obviously not knowing about the instance in that crystal cavern.

I flinched and sighed. "I missed an opportunity… my best chance, to be honest…" I admitted.

"What…? Why?" Sap asked, she didn't just sound in disbelief she actually was looking at as if I was now sothing weird. Even her wings had unfolded a little, as if to ready herself to flap away as if I was sothing dangerous.

"It stunk…" I said softly as I looked away from her. Her look hurt.

"Stunk…? How? You two don't even have slls! And even if it did who cares? Doesn't it always stink anyway?" Sap said, doubtful, with a bunch of quick questions.

"I know…!" I groaned, answering all her questions at once as I covered my face again.

rit sighed at us. "And she won't do anything tonight either, no matter how much she hints at it. She's scared of doing it near others, as if us listening in such a big deal."

"It is!" I shouted. It was so weird! Why would people want to listen in any way!

Sap laughed at . "This is why I live alone."

"I'll rember this when you find your mate one day," I said, threatening her.

"Sure…? Odds are I'll just grab so random idiot and have my way with him anyway, so it's not a big deal," Sap said.

"Okay, that's a tad too much like Lilly," rit said.

"Lilly likes Windle though?" I said.

"She hadn't before he gave up his wings for her. She'd been like that back then, wanting only a mate for one thing and nothing else," rit said.

Sap nodded with a smile, confirming her words.

"Okay, if that's considered the normal, why is my and Vim's… oddness so odd then?" I asked.

"That's the exact opposite…?" Sap countered.

My tail flinched as rit nodded. "Yeah that's apples and oranges."

"What's an orange?" Sap asked.

"Sothing tasty…" I said with a sigh. Apples were too though.

Speaking of tasty… I was kind of in the mood for sothing to snack on… maybe I'll go grab so as a way to lure Vim out of his holes and to bed…

"Hmph… speaking of all this stuff… Were you ever married, rit?" Sap asked.

I blinked and glanced lightly at my friend who didn't show any hint of her real thoughts as she shook her head. "No. I almost was, when I was a queen, but it had been a political thing. Not real," she said.

Oh…? I wonder who she spoke of?

"Hm… see? That's the normal, Renn, I think all of you are the odd ones," Sap said with a light gesture at rit.

I sighed at that. Hopefully rit didn't feel too hurt over her innocent comnts. It seed Sap didn't know about her feelings for Vim. "Technically I'm not married to Vim yet either, you know?" I said.

"What? How so?" Sap asked.

"She ans they've not had a ceremony. Or she's speaking about the fact they've not broken bed yet," rit said.

"Broken bed…?" I said softly. I wonder if she ant that figuratively or literally, what with Vim being involved in all.

"Ah… Lellip had brought that up too. She wants to hold so kind of ceremony once her family shows up," Sap said.

"Are they going to then? That's good," I said, glad to hear it.

Sap nodded at . "Since its obviously working between them, though I uh… don't know exactly where they're moving to. Sotis they talk as if they're moving to the tree, then other tis they talk about moving here. Who knows?" Sap said with a shrug.

"Vim bought so land in the forest nearby, he plans to make a compound up there for those like them," rit said.

"Ah! Yeah!" I said with a happy nod. We had gone the other day to buy it from Haggo, I had been very happy to sign those docunts… more than I had been even for the land we were on now.

"So… you'll not be living here, then?" Sap asked with a glance at .

"For now. And it's not too far away. It's close enough that Vim says he's going to try and build a tunnel between us and that area, so we can go back and forth safely," I said. That might even be what he's already doing, or starting to do as we spoke.

"Lun has those, as does Telmik," rit said with a nod.

So did other places, like the Weaver's Hut.

"Hm…" Sap frowned as she nodded… and obviously contemplated sothing.

I studied her for a mont, and smiled as I realized what was obviously on her thoughts. "It'll be place you can easily visit and stay at too, Sap," I said.

She blinked and her wings shifted a little, as if shivering, and she gave a gentle smile as she nodded. "That's good," she said softly.

"Hmph. It'll be better than this place, at least. I'm told Randle's going to request more aid now with… well," rit shrugged gently at the nearby wall, likely implying the recent events in the room next to us.

I nodded softly. "Is Tristin still up in his room?" I asked.

"He's not left it, nor will, Renn. The lad has chosen to fast as to pray for his mother's soul. He'll starve himself for a few weeks, to the point he may even suffer or die from it. Not that I think Randle will let it happen, but it does sotis," rit said.

"They go that far?" I asked.

She nodded. "So do, yes."

"Religion," Sap said with a scoff.

I frowned at that, since I wasn't sure if I agreed with her statent or not. It did sound… foolish, but…

I kind of liked how such an act showcased the boy's devotion. Not just to his gods, but to her. His mother.

How pure his love must be, and have been, for him to be willing to starve himself for so long just to honor her mory…

My stomach then made a tiny gurgle, one that made Sap laugh at .

"I'm uh… going to get a snack, I think," I said.

"You notice she gets hungry whenever we talk about this stuff?" rit asked as I stepped towards her and the door.

"She does! I'm going to try out the bed while you do!" Sap said happily as she started taking off her shoes and clothes.

I paused a mont as suddenly her breasts were fully visible. They were usually not too hard to see, since she wore shirts that only covered her front and not her back, but…

Glancing away as she happily crawled onto the bed we'd just made, I sighed softly at her free attitude. She really was like a wild bird sotis.

Leaving Sap's guest room, I shut the door for her since she was naked… and then rit and I headed down the hallway towards the kitchens and storerooms.

"I feel like apples now," I said. I'd prefer oranges, but we didn't have any at the mont.

"You're like a child," rit said.

"Funny, was just thinking the sa about Sap," I said lightly as we entered the kitchen, then I went to the storeroom behind it. There were large crates and barrels in it, recently stocked full the other day from the market. Vim and others had gone to buy a bunch of stuff, now that we had a proper place to store it all.

I found the barrel of apples I'd seen Vim carry in earlier, and happily took a few. I stuffed a couple of them into my pockets, for later and as to offer Vim so, and then took a bite out of one of them.

It was tasty. "Mhm…?" I offered one to rit, who shook her head at .

"Are you really not going to sleep with him tonight, Renn? If not I'll sleep with you," rit asked as I left the storeroom.

For a tiny mont I debated going to the room next over, to the dining room. I heard Nessa and Celine in there, but…

"Actually, I think I might go try and invite him now," I said. It was late enough that if I didn't try now, there'd be no point. Since Sap and I planned on leaving first thing in the morning, so I could see the sunrise from the sky as we flew. If we didn't get into bed soon, there'd not be much ti to talk at all.

"Good. I'm proud of you," rit said.

I chuckled at that as I took another bite and headed for the main door. "The hole's fixed, right?" I asked with a small mouthful.

rit laughed at . "Yes, Renn. It is."

"Promise not to listen too closely…?" I asked, teasing her so more.

"If you actually get that far, yes. I do. But I doubt it," she said with a sigh.

"You never know…" I mumbled as I took another bite and paused at the door. I opened it, but didn't leave yet.

My little friend gave a sad smile as she nodded, having obviously heard the truth.

I had no plans to try anything tonight… I just… wanted to sit and talk to him. We'd not done so in so long… and we were going to separate again, if only for a couple days. He was not going to go to the Owl's Nest with .

"I'd invite you rit, but I'm not sure what Vim would say about that," I said softly. It'd probably be really fun to sit in bed and just… whisper and talk with them all night long.

"If you ever do I'll shock you," she said with a deadpan voice and face.

I giggled at that, and nearly dropped my apple because of it. "Got it!"

She shook her head and sighed at … and then nodded. "Good luck, Renn," rit said softly.

"Hm… at least you're supportive, even if you tease about it," I said.

She chuckled at . "I'm your biggest supporter, Renn. In fact I'm such a supporter, if you don't figure it out soon enough I'll just use force to make it happen myself," she warned.

I smirked at her. "I almost kind of want to see how you'd accomplish that," I said. She forcing to do sothing I could see, she was strong. Far stronger than she appeared… but Vim? No one could force him to do anything. Not even gods, it seed.

"Don't tempt . Go on. I don't expect anything tonight, but every mont like this is a step towards the goal… and knowing you and him, you'll need many more steps still. So go on and take it," she said with a small push on my butt, pushing out the door.

I giggled as I obeyed… and stepped out of the dormitory and headed towards the new building being built. To find Vim.

I'll make sure to tease him as I invite him to bed, about all that just happened. He'd enjoy it as much as , maybe, and even if he didn't… I'd enjoy it enough for the both of us.