“RAPIST!” Cherry hisses from as far across the room as Snow will let her sit from me.

Snow hits her thigh with the riding crop, showing she won’t be tolerating any such nonsense. “Honestly, Cherry. Just because the Myaster smells good doesn’t mean he has any such foul intentions.”

“Smells VERY good.” Peri corrects.

“Smells VERY good, nyaa.” Snow nods her head in confirmation.

The four of us sit on one side of the lounge on our pillows sipping our tea, while the three Catgirls awkwardly all stare at me from the opposite side of it.

Sam and Zutiria are both incredibly amused at the sudden turn of events, although Meri seems to not understand the drastically different atmosphere in the room... until Sam whispers into her ear and makes the Shield Maiden blush upon realizing that in all likelihood our three feline friends became incredibly aroused after having sniffed me a single time.

What even is my life anymore, honestly? Apparently smelling like ‘lingering darkness’ puts off male Beastfolk yet has the complete opposite effect on at the very least these three.

“So...” I look at Snowball, waiting for her to eventually proceed with this business talk. She’s too busy purring while staring in my direction, and waving her fluffy tail back and forth while fumbling about with her very long, white braid.

It’s quiet for another moment.

Then Cherry hisses at me once again, causing another one of Snow’s retaliatory attacks followed by yet more silence from the three staring kitties.

This is going nowhere fast.

“How does this process work? I’m quite interested in bringing Cherry and Peri home with me today.” I firmly state.

“I’ll get my leash-” Without any hesitation Peri instantly rises up off the floor, before Cherry pulls her back down and hugs her to keep her in place.

“PERI DON’T BE FOOLED, NYAA!!” 

“CHERRY!” Snow stands up and screeches in a loud, demonic voice. The head maid’s fur stands on end from her rising anger. “I WILL NOT REMIND YOU AGAIN NOT TO RUIN YOUR OWN CHANCES AT A FOREVER HOME, LET ALONE PERI’S!”

The pink haired Catgirl recoils in fear, letting go of Peri and cringing. “I’m trying, ok! I’ll be good, I’ll be good...”

Snow sighs and takes several deep breaths before smacking herself slightly hard on the cheek with her own riding crop. This seems to abate the rising lust on her face and she sits down respectfully once more. “I do apologize, Myaster. I didn't mean to become so... beside myself, nyaa. I’ve never smelled such an... ahem. What we need to do next is have the three of you become more acquainted so we can determine if this is even going to be feasible, as both girls need to agree on wanting to give you a trial run before we can make anything official.”

“That sounds fine, but can you tell me the specifics of this trial run?” I ask.

“We’ll take your gold as a safety deposit and then Cherry and Peri will live with you for several days before the adoption becomes specific. No sexual contact is permitted during this time period, nyaa. I am not in any way implying that a man such as you, Myaster, would do anything of the sort, but it’s to make sure that things aren’t rushed by either party or...” Snow points at the golden cat bell tied to her collar.

“Let’s just say that if ANYTHING untoward were to happen or things got violent, well. We would know.” As she taps it with her claw, the golden bell begins to glow faintly with magic.

‘Smart.’ Zutiria scoots over to Snow to inspect the magical artifact. ‘Strictly hypothetically speaking, what would happen if a powerful mage were to remove any enchantments on the bell?’

“Strictly hypothetically speaking, that would be incredibly ill advised. We. Would. Know.” Something about the way Snow says that sends a chill down my spine and I think I speak for the others as well when I say that.

Zutiria backs the fuck off and hides behind me while I turn my attention to Cherry and Peri.

“Would you care to tell me a bit about yourselves? Needless to say I’m more than up for answering any questions you might have as well. I sincerely want to convince you I’m worthy of adoption.”

Cherry and Peri look at each other looking back at me. Both Catgirls are still in a slight daze from arousal, and they clearly do not have the willpower to fight it off compared to Snow.

“Deep breaths, girls. In... out... nyaa.” The classy older maid instructs them and manages to get them to chill out ever so slightly. Finally, Peri speaks up.

“My name is Periwinkle... Everyone calls me Peri because it rhymes with Cherry, though. I’m twenty two...” The girl meekly hides behind her bangs and even that seems not to be enough for her since she glances away from my gaze, too. “I like napping... especially in small places where you wouldn’t expect to find me, nyaa...”

“Adorable.” I declare without any sort of filter. I didn’t even mean to, it just shot itself out there as I pictured it mentally. “It’s very nice to meet you, Peri.”

“Thank you, Myaster.” Peri blushes harder and bows respectfully. While she’s timid in her own way it doesn’t seem like she has as much in common with Meri in how she expresses it. Aside from their obviously similar sounding names.

“Very good, Peri.” Snow reaches her paw out to affectionately rub the blue haired maid’s head and scratches behind her fluffy, gray ears. “And now, it’s-”

“Nnnnrgh... yeah, yeah. I’m Cherry. Also twenty two. I don’t like a lot of things, except for Peri.” the other maid grumbles.

“Try telling the Myaster what your hobbies are.” Snow shoots her threatening yet strangely peaceful smile while gently tapping the riding crop against Cherry’s bare thigh causing her to blush and cringe.

“Ok, fine... Napping is cool too but I like sunbathing, I guess.. And I also enjoy scratching things you wouldn’t want me to, nyaa.” She squints her eyes at me only to recoil in pain when Snow inevitably whacks her.

“Good enough.” The white haired maid sighs.

‘I have a question before we proceed.’ Zutiria sets down her tea and makes a surprisingly fearsome expression.

“Of course, Mistress. We are currently at your service.” Snow gestures for the two girls to join her in a small, seated bow and they do.

‘While I did not allow him the pleasure of accompanying me today, for obvious reasons, I have a special pet rat at home. He has grown dear to me and I would be terrified of what I might do should something happen to him.’

Peri shakes her head nervously. “I wouldn’t hurt anything, not even a rat...”

Cherry licks her lips on purpose to taunt Zutiria in an attempt to make herself seem less likeable, I assume but all it does is draw Snow’s ire.

“I assure you that even this rude child would also keep her paws to herself, nyaa. We don’t have any with us during the current trip, but back at the Breeding Tribe’s lands we live with a fair number of Mousefolk. We are not a slave to our lesser cousin’s baser instincts.” Snow smiles warmly at the little mage and Zutiria seems to be satisfied with this answer.

‘Excellent.’ She says while sipping her tea.

“I-I have a question, too.” Meri says while meekly raising her armored hand into the air. “I’m sorry if it’s, um... a little rude but...”

“Did you want to know why we’re so cheap to adopt, nyaa...?” Peri’s mood dips and she hangs her head a bit, causing Cherry to grumble under her breath.

“N-No! I mean, yes, I-”

“I think we ALL do.” Sam sighs and pats Meri on the back.

I nod my head. “We can’t exactly proceed with the adoption without knowing what we’re getting into, so I’d rather the facts be presented as plainly as can be. It’s not that the two of you aren’t lovely. Far from it. It’s simply business.”

Peri’s mouth opens and she blushes at my words, while Cherry rolls her eyes and crosses her arms... although of course she blushes as well.

“That is only fair, Myaster.” For a brief moment the head maid seems to drop her composure and she sneaks a downright salacious expression my way as she asks, “Am I lovely too, nyaa?”

“It’s not befitting of a maid to tease in such a way, not if we can’t take you home with us.” I laugh and awkwardly look away, lest I am tempted any further.

Snow bites her lower lip and hangs her head. “Apologies. I didn't mean to get the Myaster’s hopes up, nyaa... although just to clarify I didn’t say I couldn’t come home with you.” She giggles. “I said that if I WERE up for adoption, you wouldn’t be able to afford me. If I really wanted to I could pack up and leave right now, same as any other one of us here who aren’t breeders. But...”

“But?!” Sam is on the edge of her seat, drooling like a pervert while hoping that the white, buxom kitten is about to declare her intention to come along with us.

“Sadly, as I have said... my place is here.” Snow smiles in a warm, apologetic manner.

Sam groans.

Any normal person wouldn’t have thought twice about this response, but I’m hardly normal. I’m able to read some telltale signs from her body language that she’s much, much less convinced of her own statement than she was when she first expressed it. 

Still.

I’m not just going to throw Cherry and Peri under a rug like that, as if I’m too aggressive about convincing Snow it might sour my chances of picking them up. It’d be like approaching a group of girls, and then abruptly changing focus mid conversation to just make it clear your priority is their friend with bigger breasts.

No. As elegant, beautiful and skilled as Snow might be, I need to focus on the battle I presumably have a higher chance of winning. The Guild needs housekeeping staff and we need them now.

“Would the two of you care to tell me the reason? I’m assuming it has something to do with the fact that you insist on being paired up together.”

Peri is silent at the accusation, but Cherry smirks and nods her head. “Yeah. We’ve been up for adoption since we both turned eighteen and we’ve had a lot of trial runs, but none of them were good enough for us.”

“Elaborate.” I squint my eyes though try not to make it too threatening.

“...She’s lying.” Peri mumbles.

“We’ve been over this! I am NOT-”

I raise my hand to Cherry and take on a commanding tone. “Let her speak.”

The pink haired Catgirl shrinks back in her seat and blushes. “D-Don’t tell me what to do, nyaa...”

“Oh, my...” Snow fans herself with her paw as her cheeks redden.

Peri looks up at me and meekly smiles before saying, “I’m clumsy, and slow. I’m... not the WORST maid, but... I could be better... Cherry just insists that it's never my fault, and everyone gets sick of-”

“How much mistakes you make!” Cherry finishes her sentence for her. “Everyone just keeps trying to adopt you because you got some decent titties and they always end up bringing us back because-”

“BECAUSE OF YOU!” Peri yells at her friend, much to her surprise.

“P-Peri...?” Small tears well up in Cherry’s magenta eyes and she wipes them before they can escape.

I turn towards Peri and state very flatly, “You are more than welcome to come home with us... alone. If you’d rather. I assume there isn’t any actual reason the two come as a pair and that it’s more of a mutual agreement between both of you, yes?”

Cherry’s eyes widen in horror and Snow nods her head. “...Yes, that’s correct. Peri, if you wish to no longer insist on being adopted alongside Cherry then all you have to do is-”

“WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT-” Cherry freaks out and skitters around on all fours in front of Peri. “Look, d-don’t be rash. I can stop. I’ll give him a chance. I promise I will...”

Peri says nothing but eventually she meekly nods her head.

As she turns around, Cherry makes eye contact with me and I see her facade finally crack. There’s something going on under the surface but trying to dig it all out right now would likely cause her to react even worse. She looks at me with concern, mistrust, yet also with a resigned expression like she knows she has to try harder.

I’m doing my best to make it easy to get along with me, kitty, but you’re going to have to work with me here...

“May I ask you some more questions?”

Both girls nod, and my own girls eagerly watch the situation unfold.

“Peri?”

“Nyaa?” She tilts her head.

“What would you consider to be your perfect Master?”

“You.” She casually mumbles like it was no big deal.

“...I beg your pardon?”

“You.” Peri repeats with a bit more confidence. “You seem to be very kind, the girls you brought with you all seem to love you very, very much, a-and... your smell made my little kitty down... there... all wet and tingly and I don’t think she’ll ever be satisfied until you pet her...”

“I...”

“P-P-PERI?!”

“Pet her little kitty...?” Meri looks to Sam, who then whispers what Peri meant. The poor Shield Maiden ends up almost choking on her tea, since it was either that or spit it all out in front of her.

Zutiria? She just keeps sipping and sipping her warm drink as if this were an entertaining theatre performing lewd drama for her own amusement, only stopping every now and again to whisper a laugh over the latest development.

I clear my throat and finish the last of my own tea. As soon as I set it down, Snow happily fills it to the brim with more from the kettle. “Cherry, I would like to ask you the same question. What would your perfect Master be like if he were sitting right before you, hm?”

Cherry looks like she wants to say something but forces it down, and the more she thinks about it the more conflicted she becomes. “Uh... I don’t think... I’ve ever really thought about it, nyaa...”

“This is your chance.”

The pink haired Catgirl tilts her head and looks into my eyes. “Well, he’d have to be nice to Peri... and...”

“Cherry. I’m trying to ask you what YOU want. Stop letting Peri have anything to do with it.”

She blushes and looks down. “I... Fuck, I dunno. I mean, yeah you smell hot, nyaa, but...” Cherry begins awkwardly fidgeting in her seat, rocking her hips back and forth uncomfortably. “If you don’t mind then maybe I could do some thinking about it during...” She swallows nervously. “...the trial period?”

I give her my best reassuring smile and nod at the pretty kitty. “I would like that very much.”

Peri clasps her paws together from happiness, “Cherry...!” She says in amazement.

“Excellent! Was that really so hard, Dear?” Snow warmly pulls Cherry into her breasts and pets her tenderly, despite the younger girl’s struggle for air. Because of just how short Cherry’s skirt is, she flashes her panties to everyone else in the room again only this time Peri reaches over to fix it with a loving smile and a... pat on the butt? Cute.

I let out a deep sigh, “Well it looks like we’re all in agreement, Snow. I’d like to officially request the trial period for both Cherry and Peri.”

“Oh my, just like that? Aren’t you forgetting something, Myaster? Nyaa...” She blushes and winks flirtatiously and Sam nudges me playfully.

I suppose I can humor our sales clerk, just a little...

“Very well. Snowball, suppose that your perfect master were-”

“Dear me,” She interrupts as she places both her paws on her cheeks and tilts her head, eyes looking off romantically in the distance. “I suppose I’ve thought about it a LITTLE... I mean, I AM twenty seven and I’ve yet to even mate with a man. Of course I’ve THOUGHT about my dream Myaster once or twice... Mmmm... you know... I could have been adopted if I really, really wanted to... but... I’m just too picky for my own good I suppose, nyaa. You see, I would love for my master to be an absolute, wretched, degenerate of a man who would ask me to do unspeakable things him... he’d look at me with his pitiful little eyes and I’d have no choice but to wring every last drop of Myaster’s milk from his body. It’s a maid’s duty after all to ensure that her Myaster’s every wish and every desire is taken care of... but... that doesn’t mean a Maid doesn’t have to be nice about now it does she? He’d get what he wants... of course he would. He’s the Myaster. But he’d have to wait... and wait... and wait while he gets teased and squeezed and humiliated and mocked and called out for being the filthy, perverted scum he actually is... nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAhnnnn...”

...

“NYAA?!” Says Cherry and Peri.

“SWEET GODDESS-” Says Sam.

‘Phenomenal.’ Says Zutiria.

“I-I THINK I HAVE A TINY BIT LEFT IN MY BANK ACCOUNT-” Says Meri.

“!” Says my erection.