New Family

A starlit night had encroached over Outset. Activity down below on the medieval streets had slowed to a crawl, but now new shifts of people began their nightlives, while others just called it quits.

Exhausted, Daichi opened up the front door to his rickety inn on the edge of town. Floorboards creaked with every step inside until he arrived at a dilapidated front counter. Several dim candles failed to illuminate the barren lobby around him, instead casting an eerie glow to every dusty corner.

Sanae had already paid for an extended stay, so her group was free to enjoy a few basic amenities. An old lady Daichi had seen this morning gave him a gentle nod as he asked for a glass of water. But after resting his elbow on the counter, he felt sets of eyes burning into his back.

One quick peek over his shoulder revealed two NPCs sitting around a dining table. They each wore masks depicting unnerving, fanged creatures, perhaps demons of some sort. Neither relaxed their poignant stares while Daichi drank his water.

Hmmm, he mused. Is there cultural significance to wearing masks around nighttime? There were definitely more people wearing them when the sun started setting. Maybe another part of Outset's lore? Or something more ominous?

Daichi slid his empty glass aside then ventured towards the foyer stairs. He gave the two NPCs a stink eye, like a warning to backoff, as he ascended upwards.

After splitting from Sanae earlier, he'd asked the Guild House for any potential information regarding his sister or her guild, but all requests were denied due to non-disclosure policies. They couldn’t even confirm whether she was dead or alive. His last option was to search through their public bookshelves for any useful info, though he learned nothing of significance. It was a long, uneventful walk back to his inn afterwards where he was now.

At the end of a long hallway, white light under his room door prompted him to give a few quick knocks.

“O-One minute!” Sanae’s flustered voice chimed. Daichi could hear rustling and then a little girl’s annoyed grunts on the other side. “Ok, come in!”

He entered and found himself staring at a bed littered with new clothes. The culprits standing nearby were busy picking through several outfits like appraisers. Sanae snatched up a cute dress and held it to Abby's back.

“Oh you’d look so adorable in this too! You have to try it on later!”

“Ehhhhh?”

Guess I gotta be the outlier then. “So, uh, what’s going on?” Daichi closed the door behind him.

“We’re just coming back from a little shopping,” Sanae giggled. “I couldn’t decide which of these outfits looked better so I bought them all for her!”

"E-Ehhh . . ." Abby seemed cutely embarrassed at her new getup. Gone were the dilapidated shoes and torn pants—now replaced with one-strap Mary Janes and a frilly, black dress. Her red cat tail that'd been hidden from view now wagged around with eagerness, as if waiting for Daichi to compliment her.

"Umm, erm, I like the hair ribbon," he half-smiled.

"Ribbon?" She reached to rub the blue accessory that accentuated her even bluer eyes. They were like little portals that showcased an inner tomboy clashing against cute, feminine tendencies. It was an unrelenting war that might never yield a victor, but perhaps that added towards her adorable appeal.

Daichi gave another curious glance towards their bed cluttered with clothes, then finally realized his qualm. "Hey, hold up!" he stared towards Sanae. “I thought we were supposed to be frugal with our gold? So why buy out almost a whole store?”

She playfully stuck the tip of her tongue out and resumed sorting outfits.

Guess it's her money after all . . . A defeated Daichi sighed then hung his robe. “Anyway, what’s the plan then? Just head straight for Trinket tomorrow?”

"Not quite." Sanae sat on the bed, bringing Abby along with her to her lap. “I’m thinking we should spend a few more days here, maybe shop around for supplies and grind EXP a little."

Although he was somewhat in a rush to find his sister, he wasn't in a position to question advice from a far more veteran player. "Alright, we could head into town tomorrow for stuff then. What about EXP though?"

"Hmmm . . . The first floor of Domination’s Raid is an option. Should give better experience than that Ohdeer forest; but harder as well."

Oof. Not sure how much I wanna be anywhere near there again. “Can't be tougher than Domination himself though, haha."

She giggled again. "Yeah. We'll get you to level 20 before we head north. Probably try out a quest for practice too."

"Works for me."

But the real elephant in the room was how they'd handle Abby. It was obvious she couldn't tag along on their grinding sessions, though leaving her alone in the inn didn't feel right either.

Then, as if sensing the concern, Sanae smiled and stroked Abby's red hair that'd been styled into cute curls.

“You don’t mind right, sweetie?” she asked her. “You’ll stay here where it’s safe while we’re gone.”

“It’s okay. Mister Masato told me not to be a burden.”

"K'yaaaaa such a good girl! But we'll have lots more fun shopping some more tomorrow!"

"Ehhhhhh?"

Sanae's affectionate hand moved up to caress Abby's cat ears. The little girl's cheeks puffed up from annoyance, but her wagging tail hinted at a different emotion.

“Now that that's settled—do we know what we’re gonna do about our bed situation?” Daichi yawned. There was only one queen-sized bed in their room for all three individuals.

“Yes, you’re gonna sleep on the chair again and I’m gonna sleep with Abby! Teehee!”

“Ehhhhhhhhh?" Daichi and Abby said in unison.

“I mean you can sleep on the floor if you want,” Sanae replied. “After we get our sweetie home, we'll take turns, how about that?"

"Like a different person gets the bed?"

"Mm-hmm." She looked towards her lap and swaddled Abby between both arms. The cat girl could only grumble as Sanae snuggled her cheek against hers. "Booking the cheapest rooms possible helps our money situation, but those usually only have one bed. So for now, it's an all-lady's party."

“Fine, fine.” He gathered some blankets and resigned himself to a wooden chair across the room. "You win."

“Good. Now cover your eyes!"

"Huh? What for?"

"Our sweetie has gotta put on something comfier! And I gotta clean real quick!"

Daichi rolled his eyes and pulled the blanket over his head. He could hear Abby making cute noises as she likely resisted Sanae's antics. Soon, the sound of a bed getting climbed on rang and then a series of footsteps walked past him.

“Ok, you can look now.”

Sanae was bending over by a bright candle resting on the windowsill. She leaned in closer with her hands, like she wished to capture the white flame between her palms. After several seconds, the candlelight slowly dwindled until it was as dim as the candles downstairs.

“Woah, what did you do?” Daichi asked. Their room had shifted from bright white into soft, orange hues that were perfect for sleeping.

“Fire works differently here in Paradise," she replied. "There’s different kinds of fires, and the ones you set on candles can be fed MP to make them glow brighter than normal."

“Cool stuff.”

Sanae took a few moments to remove her Cleric robe, cutely facing away from Daichi to hide herself. Underneath was a nightgown-blouse with thin shoulder straps that showed off her smooth complexion. A thin figure allowed the erotic, triangular shape of her shoulder blades to appear along her back.

U-Urg . . . Daichi gulped, realizing he'd been staring without noticing. You've already seen her with less clothes! Why are you freaking out now?

His glance shifted down towards his feet, hoping she hadn't noticed the debauchery.

Then, the porcelain toes of a woman's bare feet appeared in his sight. He raised his head and faced Sanae's angelic presence standing over him. They shared a deep, longful gaze into each other's eyes—not a single word to shatter their passionate silence. The orange candle glow flickered on her face as she steadily hunched over and closed her eyes.

Two hands placed themselves on Daichi's temples, sandwiching his head. Within seconds his body took on a yellow healing glow that illuminated their whole room anew. Rejuvenation always felt soothing, but this time was a tad awkward as a crack of Sanae’s cleavage peeked through her blouse straight ahead of him. He trained his eyes off to the side, flustered from her closeness.

The bright healing light faded and she backed away. However, she'd noticed Daichi's flushed face. “Is something still wrong?”

“N-Nothing, haha. Guess I’m just exhausted from everything today.”

Another of her wholesome smiles blessed him. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone you got the stuffing beat out of you by a healer."

"Please and thank you."

"Hehe. Goodnight then, Daichi."

Sanae walked away and excitedly slipped under the bed covers. Abby made cute whining noises but accepted her fate.

“Remember, she’s a person not a body pillow,” he chided from his chair.

“Mufumufumufu,” Sanae said as she stroked Abby’s fluffy head. The pair soon got quiet and Daichi was left alone with his curious thoughts.

Hmmm, wonder if I’ll dream again tonight. Mabel said it’s not normal for Adventurers to have dreams in Paradise. Why am I the exception? Maybe I should talk to someone about it?

'Oh yeah, I had a romantic dream about my hot friend from back home where we—'

Yeah no way. Guess I’ll try figuring things out myself; just another conspiracy anyway. 

Daichi wrapped himself in a cocoon of blankets and let sleep overtake him, unaware of the future ramifications of his simple curiosity.