She does it rudely.

“Hi!” Delilah says, forcing a smile. “I’m Delilah, and I work here as a bartender mostly, but I do other things.”

Arabella smiles a little and extends her hand, but Delilah doesn’t take it. She instead looks at it with disgust. “I’m just coming over to remind you three that we have standards here and will not tolerate any kind of thievery or any kind of harassment to our guests in this tavern.”

“We understand how it works here, Delilah.” Arabella doesn’t seem to have taken much offense, surprisingly, but the tone of her voice is low. “More than you may expect, actually.”

“Whatever,” Delilah spits. “I’m telling you all of this because I don’t trust you.”

You step up behind Delilah and grab her, pulling her back softly. You tell her to calm down. She mumbles a few things under her breath and then shrugs you off so she can turn and face you. She places her hands on her hips and cranes her neck. “Warren, you...Ugh, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. I hope you know what you are doing here.”

Do you know what you are doing? You’re feeling so tired you can’t even think of anything to say, so you do your best to convince her you to have a plan in your head for everything. Finally, she says something, but it doesn’t quite register in your mind. When you don’t answer what she says, she frowns and brings her hand to your face.

“You look terrible. Get some sleep.” Delilah says.

“I need to rent another room for them,” you gesture to Arabella and the others. “I don’t want all of them to be in the same room.”

Delilah looks over her shoulder and nods. “I can make that happen. The room next to yours is empty, so I’ll give you the keys to that room. Don’t worry about payment. Just come see me in the morning.”

“Thanks, Delilah.” You kiss her, making her smile a little bit in response.

...

...

Slowly but surely, after getting a second room written under your name, you get all the girls filtered in their appropriate places. The room you just rented now belongs to the twins.

You go inside and examine the layout. Surprisingly, it’s laid out differently. For starters, there are two twin-sized beds instead of one queen. It’s a little less spacious and has a more suitable desk than a basic table. The carpet is cleaner, and the window has black blinds instead of Crème-colored ones. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the bathroom; it’s still sparkling white with everything working as intended.

After your inspection was completed, you met with the girls in the bedroom. Both of the beds were already occupied by the twins, leaving Arabella crossed armed and annoyed as she stood in the center. You stroll up to her and let out a sigh. “I guess that means you are shacking up with me.”

Arabella looks at you. The amber of her eyes is brighter than usual. “I can rent my room,” she attempts. “I have a little bit of my own money.”

“There’s no way I’m letting you do that,” you tell her. “First of all, you’re not exactly welcome here. Second, you’re my property now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Arabella demands.

“It means if you do anything dumb, I’m going to get pinned. I can’t have you be alone.”

“Gwendolion and Mikko are alone!” Arabella counters. “What makes them immune to your distrust?!”

“Keep your voice down!” You hiss, stepping forward. “I trust them because they are dependent on me. You’re much more…free-willed and mature.”

Arabella’s expression softens somewhat but darts her eyes away. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“That wasn’t a compliment…”

You turn your attention to the twins. “If any of you do end up doing something I don’t like, there WILL be punishment. You got that?”

The twins look at each other and then nod assuringly. “We understand,” Mikko says weakly.

You try to think of something else for them, but all you can think about is sleep at this point. Actual sleep. “Get some rest. I’ll see what I can do with you all tomorrow, OK?”

Arabella follows you out of the twin’s room and then into yours. You are quick to get out of your coat and boots, but she’s a little more ****. Finally, when you fall on the sheets of your bed, you let out a long groan. Then, for a few seconds, it’s all silence. Then you look at her and notice she’s just looking around awkwardly as she plays with her fingers. She seemed so fired up before. You’re surprised to see her mellowed out.

“Get comfortable,” you say.

“Are we using the same bed?” She asks.

You close your eyes and drop your head. “I can control myself. Don’t get so flustered, fox.”

“You **** me!” She protests. Her pale cheeks have turned to an off shade of pink. “I’m not flustered, I am disgusted I have to be in the same as you!”

You didn’t open your eyes or even lift your head. You did what you did and there's no changing that. You've come to terms with that now.

“Are you ignoring me?” She stomped, making you jolt.

You didn’t want any unwanted visits to come investigating any loud noises. “Hey, stop that!”

“Then don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you,” Arabella complains. “I don’t want to sleep in the same bed as you.”

“Well, hey, I don’t know what you want from me. You know I’m good for it.”

Arabella frowns. “Leave me for tonight. Please."

You adjust your stance.

Arabella narrows her amber eyes at you. Her staring breaks and she thinks for a moment. “I just really want some time alone for once. Please."

You sit at the foot of your bed and eye-ball her. She notices this and crosses her arms, looking shy. "What is it now?"

“I’m thinking," you reply.