Regroup with the Foxgirls and take them to Jennifer.

Scarlet nods in agreement, her usual stoic expression softening. “I’ll stay back and try to find you if I find out anything dire then,” she says, her voice carrying a hint of concern. She looks up at the scorching sun, her eyes squinting. “Don’t get dried up out here.”

“Likewise,” you tell her, waving goodbye with your back turned.

…

…

You find Mikko first, her distinct laugh guiding you to the same shop as the others. It's a quaint general store, filled with trinkets and necessities. The trio is browsing, their eyes scanning the shelves, occasionally picking up an item and putting it back. It's clear there isn’t anything worth mentioning, but at the very least, it's a way to pass the time.

Arabella slows down, trailing the others as they continue to make comments. “So, are you hired then?”

“As far as I know, I am.”

Arabella “oo’s” and rubs her shoulder with you. “That’s a big contract, isn’t it?”

You smile a little. “More or less. We’ll determine how big of a deal this is once we start rolling into an s schedule. This could get exciting relatively quickly if it’s meant to be.”

Arabella’s ears twitch slightly. “How do you figure? It’s either obvious or it isn’t…”

“Contracts involving the purchase of more than one person often depend on the team's chemistry. Since we haven’t interacted, it’s difficult to say how well the hired team will do together. Unfortunately, that is something we won’t be able to discover until we’re operating together.”

Arabella makes a noise. “Maybe the ARS was better than I thought. More often than not, the rag-tag groups that were put together worked fabulously well whenever they worked in a team. I had no idea chemistry with hired teams was a genuine concern,” she grumbles slightly, reaching for your hand to hold it as the others continue browsing.

“Do you know what our living situation is?” Arabella suddenly asks.

“Oh, right… I need to take you three in for inspection or whatever. There’s a good chance we’ll be separated while I work here.”

Arabella pouts. “That’s no fun. Will we have our rooms at least? Or are we also expected to share?”

“I couldn’t tell you, but if you have any more concerns, I know you can ask the nice lady, and she’ll give you a respective answer,” you tell Arabella.

“Did she seem… nice?” Arabella hesitates.

Jennifer jokingly asked if your foxes were subjects for the freakshow. You weren’t sure how much of that remark was a joke or not. You also don’t want Arabella to be on the wrong foot with the woman before they speak to each other. So, you shrug. “She seems nice,” you decided not to say she was hot like you had with Scarlet.

A small smile plays on Arabella’s mouth; she seems to pick up on something anyway. “I’ll be on my best behavior then.”

The others reunite, and you return to the big tent. Scarlet is still there, but now she’s talking to the staff. A man with dusty blonde hair and stiff green hair looks up at you. At a glance, you know he’s a contractor with a history. He might be in his mid-thirties, but with experienced contractors, it’s always hard to gauge someone’s age. His armor is red, accented black. He’s someone who’s already been hired by the circus.

Scarlet sees you and wiggles her fingers in “hello” as you pass by, finding Jennifer not long after. She’s speaking to the girl she gave your papers to. You remember her being Natalie. The duo brightens slightly when they see you approaching. “Good afternoon,” Natalie chirps. Her voice is high and full of life. You and the girls respond by exchanging small talk.

Jennifer beams at Arabella, Mikko, and Gwendolion. “So, these must be your…girls,” she decides, extending her manicured hand out to shake their hands. “May I have your names?”

Gwendolion bounds forward. “I really like your hair!”

A look of surprise washes over Jennifer’s expression. She blinks and then tries to look up at her own hair. “Th-thanks,” she laughs awkwardly. “I like yours, too…?” she probes for Gwendolen's name, who giggles first before responding.

“My name’s Gwendolion, that’s my sister there, Mikko, and the other girl is Arabella. She’s kind of our caretaker,” she says all in one breath. “And you already know Warren Visser! That’s our master!”

Jennifer must’ve been expecting something entirely different. She starts to smile. “You’re full of energy, aren’t you?”

Gwendolion’s head bobs wildly. “Of course I am!”

Jennifer flicks her eyes at you and lifts an eyebrow before she looks back at Natalie, also looking taken aback. She steps forward and clears her throat. “I doubt you three will have a hard time interacting with the others then. We’re used to much more…quiet or subdued types of…people when it comes to such situations,” Natalie struggles to find the words that might not offend. She looks at you with a smirk. “You must keep excellent care of your girls, master.” The word “master” rolls off her tongue like a fully loaded compliment. And her gaze was hotter than concrete baking beneath the sun. You had a feeling she had several (slightly) misguided thoughts about the relationship you shared with the foxgirls.

Jennifer perks up before anyone speaks. “Arabella…Gwendolion…Mikko,” she points at each girl as she addresses them, getting the names in order as they confirm their names.

“OK,” Jennifer nods once. “How do you feel about bunking with Scarlet?”

Everyone smiles beside Arabella. Her tail stiffens, ceasing all movement as she listens to Jennifer as she continues, apparently noticing her reaction more than the indifference from the twins. “We keep the boys and girls separated to prevent any kind of tension. Intimacy, although unavoidable, isn’t exactly promoted with the hired help. It is distracting…”

Natalie finally breaks her gaze from you. She nods, her lips clicking as they part. “If you need any kind of unwinding, you can always ask Jennifer or me for assistance,” she winks. “But I can’t promise if you’ll get a girl or boy that’ll fulfill your kinks.”

Jennifer's side-eye glances at her companion before rolling them. “It’s preferred that we keep all relationships within the company as professional as possible. Our Ringmaster will cater to brothels on special occasions or upon request. However, in Warren’s case, he may visit his, uhm, traveling mates as long as it doesn’t impede his workload.”

Mikko and her twin struggle to contain their joy. Arabella is still tense, however. Jennifer lifts her eyebrow. “Arabella, is something the matter?”

“Not at all,” she deadpans. “Everything is perfect.”

Now, it’s Natalie lifting her eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Peachy,” Arabella narrows her gaze and crosses her arms.

You know, without asking, there’s nothing you can do to arrange the layout of the quarters, but you know why Arabella is upset. You wonder how Scarlet will react to the news. You doubt she’ll care.

A man dressed in dark leather armor approaches the cluster and hands Jennifer a slip of paper. He leans in with a whisper. “Scarlet’s record bounced with redacted information and recent negatives, but the other guy is good.” Jennifer clears her throat and turns her back to you and the others, presenting a pristine view of her plump ass. You avert your eyes, but the image is saved in your mind anyway.

Natalie steps forward. “Well, would you guys like a tour? It sounds like you’ve been accepted to the ranks of our subcontractors,” her eyes flick to Scarlet in the back, but she’s soon looking at you. “You can take the tour with me or wait for Jennifer?”

“I want to go now,” Gwendoline chimes happily. The other fox girls agreed.

You could go now with your “traveling companions” or wait for Jennifer to learn more about what’s happening.