“How far have they gotten?” I ask, staring right at the Guild Master.

  “We don’t know for sure, but his team was sent to investigate the third layer,” he says, shifting Cari in his arms a bit.

  This guy is about as healed as I can get him, so I stand and make my way over to gather her back into my arms. I want her with me, regardless of what came next.

  After getting her at least a little comfortable, I speak up.

  “If they get out…”

  “I know,” he says. “I’ve been waiting to put together an expedition because of the situation the city is in, but I may not have a choice anymore. We’ll just have to hope there’s a city to come back to.”

  That reminds me of why Cari wanted me to come here in the first place. She wanted to tell Folly about everything that happened, and I didn’t really know why. Now it makes sense.

  “The gangs are dealt with. I handled the Ratweavers yesterday, and Scruff—I mean, Captain Tolsted and I dealt with the Flaming Hands shortly after the explosions,” I say.

  Folly’s eyes widen, and I catch the hint of a smile struggling to break free.

  “If you need to confirm it, send a runner to the guard station. We,” I say, indicating Cari, still sleeping in my arms, “are going to bed.”

  “Alright. If its true the gangs have been dealt with, I’ll be organizing a full guild emergency expedition for two days from now. Will you be there?” he asks.

  The question causes me to pause on my path towards Cari’s apartment. Not because I didn’t want to go, but because I thought my answer would be obvious. I turn towards him with a raised brow.

  That finally makes him grin, and he speaks before I can answer, “I’m glad to hear it. Go on then—get some rest. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  The walk back is quiet. Cari sleeps through it all, boneless in my arms. Still, I don’t mind carrying her.

  If anything, I find myself reluctant to let her go. Even setting her in a cot at the guard station, or passing her to Folly for a few minutes almost felt like too much.

  The city is still in shambles. Even here, I can tell. Fires smoldering, people crying in the distance, and the air thick with ash and blood. And yet… it all feels so far away.

  Important, yes. But nothing feels more important than her. At least, not right now.

  When I finally get into the apartment, I take her straight to the bathroom and start filling the tub. A few handfuls of hot water onto her cheeks gets her moving again, but only just.

  “Mm…” she complains, barely lifting her head.

  “I know,” I murmur. “Just need to get you cleaned up. I’ll help, it’ll be quick. Then you can go back to sleep, okay?”

  She lets out a sleepy groan. She’s still a bit unsteady when I set her down, but she isn’t leaning on me anymore. It’s a good sign. Whatever the Priests did at the square helped, but it’s clear what she really needs now is rest.

  After helping her out of her clothes and into the water, I slip in beside her and start washing away the blood and ash still clinging to her skin. She hums a little in contentment, eyes fluttering closed, and I find myself staring at her without meaning to.

  It’s only for a second, but… nothing stirs in me.

  I blink, confused.

  She’s still gorgeous. Objectively speaking, at the very least. But my thoughts don’t wander anymore. My heart doesn’t race. I don’t feel embarrassed or flustered or drawn in the way I once did.

  And just like that, something settles.

  It’s like watching a puzzle piece finally click into place. One that had been jammed into the wrong spot for far too long.

  I love her.

  But not the way I used to wonder if I might. She’s not some crush or fantasy. Not someone I want to kiss or hold while we watch the sun set like in the stories. She’s more than all of that.

  She’s my sister.

  Maybe she always has been and I just didn’t understand what that meant until now. I’ve never really had family, not in the way people talk about it. I lost mine before I ever learned how to hold on to love like that.

  But almost losing her… it rewrote something in me.

  I think I understand, now. The ache in my chest when she laughs. The panic when she’s sad or upset. The protectiveness that sits in my bones like instinct itself.

  This is family. This is what it’s supposed to feel like.

  She stirs a little and mumbles something as I rinse the water through her hair, and I have to focus again just to keep her awake. Eventually, I coax her out of the bath and into a towel.

  Dressing her is a sleepy, floppy challenge, but I manage to wrangle her into a pair of underwear and one of her loose shirts still tucked in my Starlight Bangle. I still had all of our stuff from our shopping trip in there. The moment I guide her to the bed, she all but collapses, snoring softly before her head even hits the pillow.

  I change into something dry and warm, and then curl up beside her, pulling the blankets over us and wrapping my tail across her waist. I'm not as clean as I'd like since my focus was almost entirely on her, but I'm clean enough for this.

  For a while, I just lie there, listening to her breathe.

  How did I not see it until now?

  I’m going to have to talk to her about all this. About what I feel, and what I don’t feel anymore. Honestly, she’s more likely to smack me for taking so damn long to figure it out.

  As much as I want to, I can’t stay long. I still have to check on Tails and Temptations, and take Scruffy to see the High Priest. It's a bit later in the afternoon, but the sun still has a couple of hours in the sky.

  So I stay for as long as I can stand it, luxuriating in our shared warmth and closeness. Once I’m ready, I give her a little squeeze before I get up, and she lets out a cute sigh that makes me want to stay even more. When I’m locking the door behind me, it’s a struggle to hide my smile.

  Even running, it takes me nearly fifteen minutes to make it to Tails and Temptations. They are practically on the other side of town from the guard station as well, so it’s just about as tedious as it can be. My exhaustion is also starting to really get to me, but it's not so bad that I feel the need to use Seeker's Patience.

  To my immense relief, the building comes into view and I find it perfectly undamaged. There are still signs of fires nearby, and it looks like another explosion happened a bit farther down the street, so I rush inside to check on everyone.

  The instant I slam the doors open, I find the room full of people. Countless wounded lay on the floor of the lobby, being tended to by the girls. I recognize Nyria first, and her face lights up at the sight of me.

  She’s just as pretty as I remember, only now she’s covered in a mix of ash and blood. She seems unharmed though, as she works diligently on bandaging a man's arm. She speeds up significantly when she sees me, practically rushing.

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  The next moment she looks up though, her face falls slightly. Krissy and Madam Yvonne got to me before she even starts standing. I give her an apologetic smile and mentally promise myself to catch up with her sometime.

  We hadn’t had much time to talk since I saved her from that Ratweaver thug, and I feel like I should have.

  I’ve just been so damn busy.

  That thought sends a spike of annoyance through me as I remember how good of a day I was having before everything went to shit.

  “Thank the Gods you’re alright!” Madam Yvonne says.

  Krissy just gives me a demure smile from her side, and I force myself to refocus.

  “Is everyone okay?” I ask.

  “Yes, yes, of course. The fires didn’t reach us, and the nearest explosion was a few blocks away. We’re helping who we can, but—” Yvonne answers, and I interrupt her fretting.

  “Can you gather everyone? I need to make an announcement, but I only want to do it once. I can’t stay long,” I say.

  From the looks of things, nobody here seems terribly wounded, so I'm certain they'll be fine until the priests make it to this area. Still, I take a second to really scan the crowd.

  Nobody is even bleeding, so far as I can see. A few have bandages wrapped around limbs, and one guy seems to have hit his head pretty good, but otherwise...

  I nod, satisfied.

  Now then... I have a promise to keep with Scruffy, and I'm damn sure going to see it through even if it keeps me up till tomorrow morning.

  Krissy responds this time, while Yvonne seems to slump with relief at no longer having to handle everything herself. She still seems far too stressed, but I hope that my announcement will alleviate that, at least a little.

  “They’re already all here. What’s going on?” she asks with a hint of worry.

  I wave off the question and clear my throat loudly. Most of the people in the room are already giving me more attention than I'm comfortable with. With my noise, those who weren’t looking before are nudged into paying attention by their neighbors.

  It’s a bit daunting, having so many people ready to weigh your every word.

  “Hello everyone, I’m Mistress Emilia,” I say, almost stumbling over calling myself ‘mistress’. “First, I’d like to give you some good news. The people responsible for the explosions have been dealt with. They will no longer—”

  I flinch at a sudden explosion of noise. Cheers of joy mix with cries of sorrow, and my heart clenches at the sound of a child crying somewhere in the corner of the room. It takes a few minutes for them to quiet enough for me to continue.

  “As I said, they’ve been dealt with. Priests and Guards are running through Bephis as we speak, healing and helping everyone they can. It’s a slow process, given the amount of damage, but they will make their way here eventually,” I say.

  Then, I harden my voice slightly. The people here are strangers, and if I leave only to return to the girls getting hurt by one of them, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.

  “Until then, be aware that this is my home. These are my girls. This place is under my protection. While you are under my roof, I expect you to behave. Does everyone understand?” I ask, leaning heavily on my Charisma to intimidate them.

  To my surprise, a low rumbling growl breaks free from my chest as I speak, giving my voice a deeper tone than I anticipated. It works like a charm, though, as those who are able to move give me subtle nods and wary looks.

  “Good,” I say after a few seconds, before turning back to Krissy and Yvonne and lowering my voice. “Okay, there’s one more thing I need to do, but I’ll be back tonight.”

  Yvonne breathes again. Krissy stares.

  “Your girls, hm? When did you intend to make it official?” she asks, a tiny smirk on the edge of her lips.

  Heat blooms across my cheeks, but I push through.

  “Of course. I’m your Mistress, aren’t I?” I reply, casual and self-satisfied—only realizing how it might’ve sounded once the words were already free.

  A flush creeps onto her cheeks at my words, and my brain stutters at the sight.

  “It’s rude to tease when you know I can’t touch,” she murmurs, brushing a lock of hair behind a reddened ear. “Especially when you say it like that.”

  “Y-you started it,” I say, too stunned to stop myself from grinning like an idiot.

  She lets out a contemplative little ‘hm’ as she continues to stare, twirling a lock of hair. I clear my throat again to settle my nerves.

  “Right. Uh, I should go. I’ll be back tonight, but it might be a while,” I say, quickly retreating with a wave.

  I manage to get myself back under control before I reach the guard station. I'm shocked by the progress being made in the square. Most of the injured and the dead are gone, having already been healed or moved to the Church.

  A lot of the rubble is still present, but much of it had been carted away already, making the space look as if it’s mid construction instead of post attack. To my surprise, the two standing guard at the entrance just open the door for me, letting me through without batting an eye.

  I give a nod of thanks as I step in. Getting to the office is a little more challenging, as I have to be a bit quiet with all the guards sleeping in their bunks on the first floor. Still, I manage without disturbing anyone.

  Scruffy’s office door is open, and I can see him giving quiet instructions to none other than my old escort. They sit gathered around his desk, each grim faced and exhausted. The moment Scruffy sees me, he straightens up dramatically.

  He can’t hide the tired look in his eyes, though.

  I ignore everyone and walk around the desk to his side where he still has an arm.

  “Come on. Time to get that arm back,” I say, waving for him to stand.

  “What? I can’t right now, I’m—”

  “I don’t care. Let’s go,” I snap.

  “But—

  “No, Scruffy. You’ve done more than enough for one day, now get the fuck up and lets go,” I say, grabbing his good arm and starting to drag him out of his chair.

  He stands with a stumble, grumbling angrily about women and coddling.

  Grumpy old goat. Beard fits the part, too. But even goats’ll follow if you yank hard enough. I think.

  Either way, it’s working for him, so I ignore his quiet ranting. He’s tough, not stupid.

  The escorts around the desk share looks of amusement as we depart, and I can’t help but wonder if they’ll tease Scruffy for this later.

  It’s what you get for being stubborn.

  Even when I stop at the steps leading to the Church's massive double doors, I don’t let go. The sun has just started to set set, so it’s late for a visit. Even so, people come and go even now, thanks to the attacks earlier today.

  For a moment I just stand there, staring at the doors and thinking about how much I despise this place.

  If it were any other time, I’d sooner burn the building down than go inside.