The Non-Human Society Chapter 73 - Seventy Two – Vim – To Spice The Trip

Standing on top of the small log, I studied the encampnt in the distant field.

"Knights," lody said.

Rather than the small army in front of , I was more surprised to hear the distaste in that single word she had spoken.

"Looks like it," I said.

She wasn't up on the log like I was, but I had only done so to play the part. To make it seem like I was doing my best to see them.

I didn't need to. My sight was obviously far better than she could ever know.

Stepping off the log, and standing next to lody, I looked over to our little group. The wagon had been guided off the path a short distance, and the two horses that had done so were now being allowed to graze freely.

"Their flag is that of the northern lord. They're probably just on a scouting patrol," I said.

"The blue checkers?" lody asked with a surprise.

I nodded.

She whistled as she squinted while covering her eyes, trying to block the high sun. "You have a strong pair of eyes," she said.

"If you disagree you may alter our path," I said.

"No. If it's the Knights of Willows then we have nothing to fear. They won't even ask us for a fee or donation," she said with a chuckle.

Typical rchant.

While lody happily smiled at her situation, my eyes found Renn. She was with the youngest woman of their group, near the cart. They were both kneeled down next to a small box. Renn was watching her look for sothing.

"She's a gentle girl. I'm thankful for her. The rest of them are too worried my daughter will break at a re glance, so have been kind of ignoring her," lody said.

I nodded. Humans were like that. "Renn probably just knows what it's like to be with such a schmuck," I said.

lody laughed and patted on the back. "Right?" she happily laughed as she nodded.

"I'm going to check the boxes. Keep an eye on those knights for will you?" lody asked as she headed for the wagon. She chuckled as she left, seemingly more than happy to enjoy my comnt for so ti.

It was a little insulting for my little joke to be taken so seriously. Did I seem like that bad of a man to her?

Maybe I did.

Studying the other won, I wondered if the youngest near Renn was the only real daughter. lody called them all daughters, but it was obvious only the youngest was an actual one. They looked like splitting images of each other.

Yet the oddest thing was...

"Mother I'll help!" a woman who Renn called Kathy hurried over to the wagon, once she noticed what lody was doing.

Yes. That wasn't just the actions of an employee. She wanted to help, not just because it was her job... but because she worried for lody. She was too old to be doing anything too strenuous. At least in their eyes.

The two near the horses nodded, pleased to see their sister helping their mother.

Sothing told that this little band had a long history. More than just typical friends or family. lody was their mother in more ways than one.

Still...

Looking back to the knight encampnt in the distance, and the large tents that housed what was probably fifty odd soldiers... I tried to imagine how such a close-knit family had broken apart so easily.

I had expected the unfilial son to be a story. Or at least, not the whole truth... but after listening to Renn and the won talk for most the day, I now had no choice but completely accept it.

The man had married the young daughter, and had been sothing of a bastard ever since. Not only were none of them very surprised at his departure and abandonnt of his wife, a few had even voiced happiness over it.

They were happy she was free now, of a stain.

Maybe that was why Renn was sticking with her so closely. Maybe she really did relate to her.

After all, Renn should have had at least a few relationships over her years. By her counts she was two-hundred or so? Yes. Plenty of ti for more than a few. And enough ti too, for a few of those to have been just as disappointing. Maybe she's had soone leave her in a similar way.

Or maybe I was just reading too much into it.

Walking away from the log, I headed for the woman in question. She was picking the box that the two had been picking through up, to put back onto the wagon.

lody's daughter noticed my approach and went still for a mont. She looked quickly at , and then to Renn, and back at . As Renn handed the box to the woman helping lody, the daughter made an odd noise and nodded a bow at . Then she turned and hurried off, to the other two won near the horses.

"Palm did you see the—" Renn stopped talking as she turned around and found and not the daughter.

She frowned and quickly looked around and found the girl, who had run away.

"Did you scare her away?" She accused .

"No?" I defended myself with a frown.

"Hm..." Renn didn't seem to believe , and I sighed.

I gestured for her to follow , and she nodded. She glanced at lody and the other woman, but neither noticed us walk away. They were engrossed in their work.

Ignoring the stares from the daughter, I took Renn back towards the path.

"We're not leaving are we?" she asked worriedly as we stepped onto it.

"No. Do you want to?" I asked, hopeful.

"Of course not. I finally got Palm to tell the bastard's na," she said with a huff.

"Bastard?" I asked.

"Her husband. The man who broke her heart and ran away. His na is Jacob. I'm trying to find out his last na, or sothing I can use to find him. She thinks he went back to his family in the capital," Renn grumbled as she spoke about him... as if...

Staring at the woman who looked, and spoke, as if it had been her who had just been abandoned... I wondered what I was going to do with her.

Why was she so enthralled by them?

"So? What's wrong then?" Renn then asked, suddenly calming down.

"Nothing?"

She frowned. "Then why did we walk over here?" she asked as she glanced to the wagon. We were far enough now that none of them should be able to hear us.

"Just so I could get away for a mont," I said.

"Huh?"

"We're husband and wife. It'd be weird if I didn't try to get so alone ti with you. Just play along for a mont," I said to her.

"Huh... oh... yeah," she nodded, suddenly not bothered anymore.

"What's her na again?" I asked. She had said it earlier, but I had forgotten it already.

"Palm. She said it's the na of a tree in the south," she said.

"A palm tree. Yes. She is scrawny," I said, that made sense.

"She lost a baby a few months ago," Renn whispered.

Ah... she did look sickly, or maybe as if she had just recovered from sothing distressful. I had assud it was just from the lack of sleep and her emotions.

"Is that why he left?" I asked.

"He's the cause. He beat her," Renn said stiffly.

"Well..." Wish I hadn't asked.

Renn then suddenly smiled.

"Hm?" I looked around. Had sothing happened? No. The wagon and its owners were fine.

"Nothing's wrong. I just found your look pleasant," she said.

"My look?" I asked. What look had I worn?

"lody. Palm. Kathy is the one helping lody right now. The two near the horses are sisters, Tiffany and Criby," Renn said with a point at each as she spoke of them.

"I tasked you with talking with them so that I didn't need to bother with such things," I said.

"I know," she nodded, yet still smiled gently. She seed to be enjoying this. Not just our current tasks... but this mont too.

She really did like humans. Maybe it was certain types.

Maybe it was just the won.

"We'll be passing those knights soon. I want you sitting on the wagon when we do," I said.

"Hm? Okay?" Renn didn't seem to argue, but she did seem to want to ask why.

"Just in case sothing happens," I answered her.

"Oh... okay," she nodded as her smile finally died down.

"Rember... they're only human," I said to her.

"Of course they are?"

Taking a small breath, I wondered what to do or say to her. I couldn't tell her what to think, or believe... but sotis I really wished I could.

I didn't need to tell her that I'd slaughter them if they found out about her ears or tail. I didn't need to tell her that I'd abandon them to protect her in a heartbeat. She knew all that.

Yet still, she was more than happy to not only risk it... but also invest in them. To beco friends with them.

"They really did buy the spices by the way. I overheard the sisters worrying over a debt. One they took to buy it all," Renn then said.

"I see," I said. I honestly didn't care much for such information.

"But they're oddly not upset we're taking a share. I think we're getting what Jacob was going to get, for being the guard," Renn said.

"We're taking the daughter's share?" I asked and glanced over at her. She was brushing one of the horses.

"Oh. No. I don't think so," Renn said.

Good.

Renn stepped closer, and I tilted my head at her as she gave another smile. "You just thought that was a good thing, didn't you?" she asked.

"I had," I said honestly.

She chuckled and stepped away, to cover her mouth as she laughed.

Watching her giggle, I wondered why she was covering her mouth. Her smile looked great on her.

"I'll make sure we're not. For you," she said.

"Hmph."

Renn giggled so more, seemingly happy to see my discomfort.

Pointing at the tents in the distance, I decided to change the topic. I didn't like how she seed to be so amused and happy over my contradictions. "Those are the knights of the northern lord of this nation. lody had called them the Knights of Willows. Willow is probably the lord's na, I just don't rember it. I recognize their flag though, so it's been around for a long ti," I said.

"Oh?" Renn glanced at it, her eyes focusing on the tents.

"As I ntioned before, these lands are safe. Patrolled. Controlled. But..." I glanced at the wagon. It was a small fortune. Most of the wagon was full. The boxes were about the size of Renn's waist, and stacked four tall. Each loaded with a spice that was worth its weight in gold.

"But there is definitely sothing else at play. Yes. I agree. Palm is more concerned over her... husband... but the rest are worried over sothing else. Criby keeps looking over her shoulder. And not at , or you," Renn said.

I nodded. I didn't know her na, but I had noticed her actions. They all had done the sa.

"It could be nothing. It could just be them worrying over this Jacob. Maybe he threatened to get revenge for sothing," I said.

"It's... possible... I don't think so though. As I said, they talk ill of him. Hated him. Even Palm hates him, obviously, even though she's depressed," Renn said.

"Hmph. See if you can figure it out. When you do let know," I said, and took a single step back towards the wagon.

"I will... are we done already?" Renn asked.

I stopped and looked back at her.

"You complained I took you away from your new friends," I said to her.

She shrugged as she nodded. "I did. But... It'd be strange if a young wife didn't want to try and keep her husband ensorcelled, after learning that a man could just up and go all willy-nilly, wouldn't it?" she asked.

I blinked at her words, and wondered how much of that smile, and that tone she had spoken with, were her teasing... and her being serious.

"Willy-nilly," I said.

"Well, he didn't. It had obviously been a rough last few months for them. I just..." she shrugged; suddenly her face was a little red.

Smiling at her, I wondered how she could be so confident one mont than lose it all only a mont later. It made her... sohow, more human. More real. More adorable.

"Honestly any man who could abandon you like that, is no man at all," I said to her.

Renn froze, but I didn't wait to hear her response. I stepped away, for real this ti.

Heading back to the wagon, to help them finish re-arrange whatever they were working on as to get us back on the road.

It was ti. The horses had gotten enough rest. As had the won. And I knew Renn was far from exhausted yet, and not just because she was so jubilant. I was starting to recognize the signs of her growing tired. As hard as they were to notice, since she always seed to try and hide them from .

"Jeez!" Renn complained loudly behind and I smiled as a few of the won glanced at her. Odds are they saw a very red face.

That'd solidify our own story.

Now they just needed to solidify theirs.

But honestly did I care if they did or not?

After all did it matter? Whether this trip was uneventful, or full of disaster...

It'd not matter.

Renn and I would survive. We'd reach the Cathedral in due ti.

Yet...

"Mister Vim, would you move this box for ? It's a little heavy," Kathy asked as I approached the wagon.

I nodded, glad to be invited. It ant they too wanted to hurry it up.

Hoping up onto the wagon, I noticed the way it creaked. Hopefully my weight wouldn't break it. It was already carrying a lot, after all.

"Which one?" I asked her.

Kathy pointed at a box a little bigger than the rest. It was closed up, and looked...

Bending down to pick it up, I recognize both the sll it gave off and the sound of its contents clinking as I moved it.

Weapons. Swords probably.

And not one or two. Half a dozen at least.

lody guided to where she wanted it. Up near the front, behind the driver's seat.

"If sothing happens, that box has swords in it," she said as I put it in its new position.

I nodded, but didn't say anything about it.

After all I didn't need a sword. But they didn't need to know that.

"Alright girls, get the horses back into harness!" lody shouted, and it seed we were done. They had just been waiting for to help them move that single box.

Odds are the entire re-arrangent of the boxes was simply for it.

Hopping off the wagon, I glanced at Renn. She was walking back, and was glaring at .

Yet her glare was accompanied by a silly looking smirk.

I smiled at her and she hurriedly looked away, and mumbled sothing I couldn't hear thanks to the horses neighing next to as they were attached to their harnesses.

With a sigh I nodded. It probably hadn't been very nice.

"Back on the road girls! Let's move it!" lody shouted, taking command.

"Aye mother!" they all shouted.