We sleep and return to the Tavern the next day.

In the morning, all of you get your gear packed and squared up with each other. The twins are the only ones that seem enthusiastic about leaving with you. Despite her efforts to suppress her happiness, Arabella also shows her happiness. Flicker returns with the horses. Ashely speaks to him and the rest of his gang before he leads all of you out. It's a little bit of a tight fit, getting all of you to ride back to Lakeside, but you make due. You had Mikko ride with you while Gwendolion and Arabella hitched rides with the other men, who didn't look too happy about returning with three more mutants rather than snuffing them out.

When you make it to Lakeside, you dismount at the fountains. Ashely thanks you for your efforts and pays you a small fee. Then, he looks at you and knits his brows, giving you somewhat of a toothy grin. "Careful out there, Visser. I've heard that these subbies can have a bit of weird life. No telling what kind of attention you'll be bringing yourself walking around the north with three of them on yer' tail."

"I have a feeling you might be right, but with it being winter, there's not likely to be a lot of activity. You watch yourself too, Ashely. Don't get yourself killed before Spring."

He chuckles. "Not me and my boys. We're armed to the teeth and always looking for a fight. Take some horses. Me and my gang will be staying in Lakeside until the weather betters."

You wanted to return to the bar here, but you can't since you have three other lives to take care of now. You internally curse and then exhale—food, shelter, and purpose. You had a few rough drafts in your head, but you had no idea what your actual intentions were. Did they have any role in your life? You hoped so.

...

...

The way back to Tiny’s Tavern was done in silence. Not even Mikko said anything. Arabella seemed to have something on her mind but, of course, didn’t say it. Gwendolion certainly didn’t do anything to break the silence. It was just your horses and the sounds of the forest. Gradually, however, chatter started to bleed between the three girls behind you when you broke within the mile range of the little town that was your temporary homestay.

Enter the threshold of the first few buildings, the chatter stops, and all three girls ride closer to you. You noticed a few stares from the common folk. Some are questionable, others twisted by disgust. The deputies of the local law enforcement spat and adjusted their rifles. Your breath steams when you exhale. With all these stares, it felt like you were gathering undesired attention. You planned on returning the horses with everyone else around, but now that everyone is looking at you…

You stop in front of the tavern and turn your horse around. “You three should go inside,” you tell your companions. “I’ll be right back with ya’.”

Arabella starts to protest, but you interject yourself with a little more **** behind your words. “I need you to watch over the twins. I’ll be back in 10 minutes...15 at the max. If you can’t do that, you deserve whatever happens to you.”

Arabella straightens her back and sucks in her lips. “Never said I couldn’t do it,” she manages.

They hop off and guide the horses to you. You look at Arabella and hunch down to talk to her. “Stay in the lobby, and don’t talk to anyone. Don’t even look at anyone. Don’t talk to anyone unless they talk to you. Don’t–” You stop to look at her. She’s listening very intently. “I probably don’t need to tell you any of this, do I? Keep to yourselves.”

She nods before turning to the others. She simply tells them to follow her inside. All 3 of your new...slaves? Companions? Whatever-they-are, they filter inside the tavern, not saying anything.

As promised, the task you gave yourself only took a few minutes. You made it back before the 10-minute mark, mostly because you didn’t enjoy the idea of leaving any of the NSHs alone for too long. When you push the doors to go inside, someone stops you.

It’s Delilah. You smile at her and wink. "Hey there, Delilah."

She looks incredibly annoyed for some reason; this time, you're pretty sure it isn't because of your comment. “You have a minute to talk?” She says, hinting that there’s only one answer to her question.

You dart your eyes up and see all 3 of the fox girls. They’re just talking to each other, and no one is around bothering them. So you tell Delilah, “yes.”

Even though she’s just wearing her dirndl, Delilah ignores the cold. She crosses her arms and then shakes her head in disgust. “We have, like, 3 of the gross mutants inside of the tavern right now. Can you believe that?”

“I know,” you begin. “They’re mine.”

Delilah gasps. “Warren, what the hell? Why would you bring them here?! You know I don’t like any of those sub-humans! And what do you mean they are YOURS??”

“Delilah, listen. I know you’re kind of...not a fan of the new sub-humans, but my hands are tied here right now, OK? I can’t...I wasn’t in a position to leave them in the forest.”

“They are better off dead!” Delilah stomps her foot down with her hands balled into fists. However, she seems to process quickly enough to realize that may be a little too dark. “W-well, I don’t really mean that, but I suppose-” she trails off, mumbling something under her breath.

Delilah looks up at you; her expression is one you haven’t seen on her before. Distrust. “If you think that’s the best thing to do, then I guess I have **** but to believe you have a plan and a purpose for them.”

“Thank you,” you tell her. “Now, can we go inside?”

Delilah nods and then pushes the doors open, walking towards the fox girls.