The Non-Human Society

Chapter Seventy Eight - Vim - The Walking Pig

      The church was slow to empty. Not a surprise, considering the many hundreds who had packed in here... but it was a little upsetting.

I was in the mood to leave now, yet there was no point. Not when Renn was with me.

After all she disliked crowds... and she was still happily sitting next to me, watching the people below.

"That was..." Renn paused as she searched for the word to use.

"Unsettling?"

She glanced at me, and after staring at me for a moment finally leaned back away from the balustrade. Thanks to the height of the banister, she had to sit on her legs most of the sermon as to have a clear line of sight.

Sitting back in her seat, Renn smiled wildly at me. "It wasn't bad. I liked all the singing," she said.

"I'm sure," I said.

She giggled as she uncoiled her legs from beneath her, sending her feet to the ground. At first I thought maybe she finally had enough, and was willing to leave... but she remained seated.

"Did... did anything about that sound strange to you? I'm going to admit there were a lot of words I didn't understand Vim, but it seemed very normal to me. The same as most I've heard, although a lot more singing here," Renn said.

I nodded. "You're right. It's pretty standard. The only odd thing I found was the amount of donations they gave," I said.

Renn tilted her head, and her nun's headdress shifted a tad. It was a little too big for her. "The donations were odd. Usually it's the people who donate to the church, not the other way around," she said.

"That's because you've only seen the poor churches. This one's... very powerful. Plus the festival is about to start. During the New Year festival, this church hands out not only food and money but even land. Today seemed to be only food," I said. Renn and I had watched them hand out a large basket full of food to each person here. It was part of the reason that the sermon had taken so long. Even with an obedient populace, that stood in line and didn't dawdle.

"What's so wrong with that though? I think it's a good thing," Renn asked.

"Nothing. It is a good thing. I'm just... surprised at the level and amount. It means someone at the top has been replaced. Someone new is in control. The previous Archbishop here was a kind man, but not generous. He must be gone," I said.

"I thought we controlled this place?" Renn asked.

"We control a few sections, not the whole Cathedral. And if our people got an order from an archbishop, it'd be very difficult to deny or fight it," I explained.

"Hm..." Renn glanced at the banister, and I knew she probably couldn't see much at the angle she sat at now.

It was my fault. I had brought us here, to one of the higher boxes. It was busy, thanks to the upcoming festival, and I hadn't wanted to sit in the pews below, or the noble mezzanine. Although this box allowed us to be alone, and talk privately... I knew I had done a disservice to her. The sounds up here were a little muddled, thanks to being so high up.

"Were any of them one of us? The ones who sang and gave sermons?" Renn asked.

"Two were. You'll meet them soon," I said.

"Oh?" She looked at me, and grew excited.

I nodded. "Come on, by the time we get downstairs it should be cleared out enough," I said as I stood from my seat.

Renn nodded happily as she stood alongside me.

"Do they have this every night?" she asked as we left the box.