POV Mururr

There have been murmurs about a travel and new food being shared. I was interested, but didn't want to move all that much to take a look myself.

"Warrior: The ugly beast is a new spawn of the Great Balance I tell you! It assaulted my nose like the grey beasts of the foul depths."

"Shaman: It talks, somewhat strangely, but in our tongue. It must have true life in it. However, ...it is big and mostly hairless, so I can see why everyone would think as they do."

"It smells!" "Oh, the stench!" "I ate fish from it!"

"Chieftess: So? A big, ugly, smelly beast has appeared close to the Great Balance. It talks and ... what else?"

"Warrior: ...It offers to trade edible gifts. A couple of young ones had been too curious to stay away. Nothing happened to those who ate the food."

"Chieftess: ...AND?"

The weaker willed ones twitch uncomfortably under the eldest mother's sharp gaze. Warriors, like children, tense their legs for a retreat and the shamans press themselves against the ground.

"Warrior: It...it asks for the weakest girl to be given up."

A round of hissing, jumping and punching ensued. Being unable to participate in the conversation, I'm left to muse on the situation in my seat. It had been a long time since I've gone to gather food, but nothing that strange was noticed by anyone at that time.

"Shaman: Apologies. It would have been more accurate to say that it asks for help in exchange for helping one of us. Or so we understood. It is an unsettling creature indeed."

'Ah, I see where this is going.'

"Chieftess: Hmm... help is it? Does it smell like a strong shaman?"

I retreat back into my thoughts as the others talk between themselves. Life is never too safe nor prosperous for us, not with unruly youngsters finding ways to elude notice and challenge the Great Balance, either coming back with success or leaving forever. The shamans do as much as they can to keep the warriors at full health, but all it takes for things to go horribly wrong is a single boastful idiot.

I still remember when the prideful fat ball gathered all the idiots to run down the great sea of sand and challenged the burning mountain. Neither my sense of smell nor my lost paws had recovered despite the shamans best efforts. Many more had given back everything to the Great Balance, and our tribe had diminished to the numbers of the oldest mother's mother time. No-one was expecting anything of note to be happening right now.

"Chieftess: Mururr, child, are you listening?"

I wasn't listening for the most part. However, considering my presence here and what I have heard, I can make a good guess.

"Mururr: You want to send me, to learn of this beast and kill it if it's dangerous?"

"Chieftess: Mmmmrrr. If it's expecting a weak prey to be delivered to it, then rip out its throat. If it wants to help, then keep an eye on it. We will send the fastest runners to the closest tribes to ask of similar creatures appearing."

I purr in acknowledgement, and this time listen to what is known about the beast. I fully expect that performing a deadly strike in my crippled condition, on an unknown foe, would be challenging and maybe even impossible. Nonetheless, it is my duty to return the effort of the tribe, that was put into taking care of myself, in kind.

POV Valentine

'Damn planet-sized landfill dump! Fucking give me something good already!'

Despite being asleep, sorting through all this garbage is mentally exhausting and it feels like there is an infinity of it in every possible direction.

Mostly out of stubbornness, I've been working at it for ten minutes every night for week after week after week, and have found some possibly promising worlds in this cheapest trash bin.

Sacrificing most of my hard earned mana to gain some insight into this senseless trash bin has yielded some results. Even though so far everything was a fuckup, my cheating little blob of consciousness has somewhat worked out a method to this madness. Possibly. Maybe. Potentially. I'm honestly not that sure.

'This one? Mmmmaybe a 4.5 out of 10. Ok, I'll try this one later, once my mana reserves allow it.'

My tested sample size is insignificant compared to the endless ocean of choices around me, so I'm still mostly operating blind and betting on fate, or luck, or for something to finally go my way.

'The next upgrade better have something useful or I'll go mad...mader?! BLAH! Doesn't matter.'

.. .

`Beep.beep.beep.beep...

"Oghf... The duck? Mmm? Ah, right, right."

Awaken by an alarm in the middle of ungodly hours of the night, I rub some sleep out of my eyes and reach for the closest light switch. That is usually enough to prevent me from falling asleep again.

"`Yawn! Uuugh! Haaaa! Ok, today... What was I doing today? ...More cat watching and trying to domesticate them with food, I guess. Tch. First the gluttonous chickens and now oversized cats... `YAWN..."

Worst of all, my damn language blessing is glitchy. I never actually paid to it all that much attention and didn't notice that it mostly works by translating everything quite literally. Figuring out the nuances is left to my own useless brain. Working with a completely unknown body language turned out to be an even worse matchup. It requires actual effort on my part!

Dragging my ass under the shower, I console myself with thoughts that this is necessary practice for the real thing. Better to horribly mess up something with harmless cats than dangerous humanoids. ...Mostly harmless cats.

"Too bad I can't trade for mana. Buying catfood for money and selling for mana, now that would have been a good deal. Right, I need to first check if they can eat catfood."

My cooking skills do provide me warnings about poisonous ingredients, so I'm hoping to lean on that all the way and test if I can reliably cook for different species. Another thing that needs trial runs before I get my hands on some more ...exotic guest.

Done with washing off my sleepiness, I drain a large cup of coffee and stuff my fancy cooler bag with an assortment of raw fish. Too lazy to walk, I teleport around the HQ to gear up and finally get to my personal office.

To be on the safe side of things, I haven't removed my little surveillance tablet from that world.

"Hmm~ Yup, they are watching alright. Damn forest critters are good at hiding too."

I consider spooking them by arriving from an eldritch maelstrom of blood, flesh and teeth. Then again, it is mostly my lack of beauty sleep talking, so I patiently fiddle with the camouflage functions, looking for a less threatening projection to herald my arrival.

"Eh, fuck it, a pillar of light is good enough of a classic to be appreciated by anyone."

Considering that they live in the wild, perhaps making it seem as if I'm growing out of the earth like a dryad would be a good idea. A challenging gimmick to pull off for sure, but a bit of showmanship wouldn't hurt.

"Now then, three seconds should be enough."

I've set the timer, counted to ten and strode through the portal. Even with my eyes shut, the light was almost blinding for a moment, then it disappeared. I could hear hissing from two directions and foliage being distributed. Actually keeping track of the cats is rather futile in this environment, so I didn't bother and instead set my folding chair down right in front of the camouflaged portal. I'm not stupid enough to go too far away from my exit point even when dealing with cats.

"Yawn. 'Mmm... Time for breakfast."

Sitting down, I pull out my breakfast sandwiches and tea. The little fellows will come my way on their own, probably soon after I unzip the fish bag.

'Tch! The bugs are being attracted again. I really should bring a little tent once my visits become more welcomed.'

I'd love to unleash a wave of bug repellent around my location, but unfortunately, the cats wouldn't appreciate that either. Ultimately, I distract myself with looking for other solutions to this problem on my tablet.

`Rustle, rustle.

'He~he~ here~ kitty~ kitty~'

Unzipping my bag has an immediate response. I notice some more movements here and there and a big, white, fluffy cat confidently moves towards me. I shift in my seat, positioning myself to bolt at a moment's notice.

'Magic cat? Cat wizard? The staff is definitely not for clobbering monsters to death.'

"Chieftess: Greetings traveler. I am the eldest mother."

'Well, at least no-one is launching attacks my way. So far, so good.'

"Valentine: Greetings eldest mother. I'm a lone travel, here to see and taste."

'Curse my limited cat vocabulary! Even my vocal cords aren't meant for this cat talk! Can't they just speak in English?!'

I'm guessing that the meaning of my words is easy to deduce by looking at the fish and my previous interactions. A day of talking with one of them would have probably fixed the issue, but they like to run away instead of chatting with me.

Seeing the cat wizard make unintelligible motions and noise, I'm a moment away from backflipping through the portal behind me. ...No attacks rain down on me...yet.

`Rustle...

More cats walk out of the grass, moving my way on all fours. An injured one riding on the back of a bigger cat.

"Chieftess: You offer to heal?"

'WTF? I said that I would heal the most recent injured to get me some brownie points. I'm no veterinarian, but even I can tell that it's a cat with year old injuries! You need fucking elixirs to regrow long lost limbs, not my standard potions!'

"Valentine: ... ... Young injuries?"

"Chieftess: Young one, lost in battle."

'FUCKING LANGUAGE BARRIER. ...Now what?'

There are huge cats staring up at me with their big, sad eyes from every direction, and they are purring at me! It makes me want to go and pet them all!

'Ok, are there any catastrophic downsides to doing this? ... No, not really. There are more tangible benefits in going the extra mile. At the very least, I'll test whether the healing water works on non-human species.'

"Valentine: Healing very much, take home to heal."

The fluffy one seems to agree and the smaller, chewed up kitten is put down by my feet. I reach down and run my fingers along its fur on reflex, but pause in thought once I notice an issue.

'...There will be cat hair everywhere... I'll need to clean the whole bathroom! Damn, I didn't think about that before agreeing.'

Resigned to a session of extra cleaning, I direct everyone's attention to the fish, getting us back on track. The cats bring out empty weaved baskets to collect the food and one basket full of stuff for me. I do a quick scan of the items as I leave behind the leaves used for wrapping and transfer the useful items into my bags.

'Veggies, edible grasses, mildly poisonous berries, ugh small pests and some other wild game. More effort than worth.'

Butchering those would be time-consuming, and I can tell that there's not all that much usable meat to be gained. I'd honestly prefer a deer or wild boar to turn it into a large portion of homemade smoked sausages.

"Valentine: Good. Travel home to heal. Travel here... sundown."

'Do they have clocks? Sundials?'

"Chieftess: Good, good. Heal Mururr and come back."

I give my best confirmation and they move back into the grass. Not completely away from here, but far enough to give me breathing room.

Taking the chair back seems too bothersome with all the extra luggage on me right now. I decide to leave it behind and use the fish bag to carry the large-sized little kitty. It easily fit inside the open bag, and I start the timer for another light show.

Having learnt their lesson, the cats expect to get blinded and keep their heads down. There are no attacks coming my way, so I consider this to be good progress. My soon to follow return with a healed cat will undoubtedly solidify my standing as a benevolent person, and I'll be able to move around freely without watching out for ambushes.

'Hell. I could just hire some cats and make it a cat's café. It shouldn't be all that different from paying the chickens. Maybe a one to six ratio?'

Trampling down my apprehension of cleaning out cat hair, I look forward to seeing what benefits this investment will bring about.

POV Eri

A vase that keeps the water perfect for flowers. A pair of folding fans that warm or cool the air. A hairpin that keeps the air you breathe fresh. Raw gemstones of various sizes and colours. Madness taken form just to add to my workload out of spite.

"Eri: These are the latest items that are to be displayed around the top floor. Each has a description written on plain paper. Format everything according to the previous example."

""YES! HEAD MAID!""

"Eri: Now ... this is the additional information that must be memorized for answering questions about these items. Next. For those responsible for the spa area. Supplies will be restocked today, but please strictly refer to the individual allowance imposed. When someone asks for a larger supply of products than for personal use, respond to the request by filling out the appropriate forms and informing the guest that the student councils will be approving it shortly. That should be enough to keep things running smoothly."

""Understood! Head maid!""

"Eri: Take heed that the term-end exams are right around the corner. You are not allowed to overindulge the students to the point that they shy away from their duties. Moderate stress relief and encouragement is what you are expected to provide."

""YES! HEAD MAID!""

'Good. Work hard so that I don't have to be bothered by anything other than a daily pep talk.'

My intuition was right on the money. As soon as I've heard about the old prison building mere days away from being completely retrofitted, I've got a sinking feeling that more work will be pushed my way. However dissatisfied with the situation at that time, I can't complain about the quality of the staff assigned here. It makes my job of keeping an eye on things limited to dropping off trinkets made by their sisterhood and a range of newly developing cosmetics, that will surely dominate the top spot very soon.

'What a cruel trap. Putting out irresistible bait and watching as helpless prey gets caught, unaware and childishly naive.'

`Clap.

"Eri: That is all. Work hard and have a great day."

Done with this morning nuisance, my next step is getting some decent breakfast, then relaxing, and maybe some magic practice if I feel like it. I check the time and see that I'm actually a bit too early for my scheduled trip. Reluctantly, I take a look at all the facilities here and make notes of anything lacking.

When the time is right, I head down to the basement and into a broom closet turned magic portal.

"Valentine: Morning. Portal locked, please confirm."

"Eri: Morning chef. Looks good. Anyone else coming today?"

"Valentine: Through the portal? Mmm...today...in the evening like usual, I think. Anyway, breakfast is served upstairs, so I'll be going out for some fishing with the flock."

'Then, I can relax in peace.'

"Eri: Cool, I'll join you in an hour or so to do a bit of practice."

"Valentine: The ESP thing? Hhm... It still feels creepy."

"Eri: Screw you, it's not creepy, it's unique and interesting. Also useful in life if you are interacting with a lot of people every day."

"Valentine: Then don't practice it on me. It felt like a wet, slimy goo crawling up and down my body."

The shiver of disgust looks genuine enough, and I was just testing the waters, so there was no finesse in my technique to speak of. Admittedly, trying to forcefully create a connection between two minds can't feel good and needs to be done without the other person's notice. Practice makes perfect.

"Eri: Don't worry, I'll just be skipping stones while sunbathing."

With a veritable army sweeping the floor and massacring all the monsters, I feel safe enough to put on a swimsuit and sunscreen as my main defensive equipment. A small firearm is mostly a precaution at this point, and I'm all too happy to ditch the cold, rainy weather for a day out on the sunny beach.

"Valentine: Ok. See you later."

And with that, I'm free to do my discreet check on things around the HQ. I quickly move through all the rooms and mentally write up my regular report.

'Nothing has changed. No obvious evidence of any secret activity. Personal room shows no signs of anyone else being present.'

Honestly, too many people use these rooms daily, so I can't tell if anything is out of the ordinary with just a glance. Even a thorough examination would not reveal much, but the paranoid mistress Kate wants an update and I oblige. Mostly as a formality at this point, because nothing of interest has turned up so far.

'Breakfast is standard fare. Today's pancakes have a rather nice taste of... pumpkin?'

"Ha. This is actually good. Gentle even without being fluffy. Mmm~. Yup, this is going into my report. Further investigation and sampling needs to be carried out."

After stuffing myself with an extra serving, I relaxed in the game room to let my stomach rest for a little bit.

'I'm feeling generous today. Let's ask him to apply sunscreen on my back and undress slowly with some effort behind it. I'll get a backrub as a bonus too. Two birds~ with one stone~.'

A short break has done wonders, and I don't feel bloated anymore. Without further delay, I pack up my beach bag and throw in some cold drinks for good measure. The portal pass will be written down in my report as necessary expense for keeping an eye on him, or training, or something else.

"Ok, easy does it. Solid membrane, extra thick and sturdy. A phantom hand is just like a real hand, except it's invisible and temporary."

Expelling my mana outwards and keeping a tight grasp on it is mentally taxing. Made more difficult as I add solidity to it and grasp a comfortable beach chair from the storage. This might be what using a prosthetic limb feels like, or more accurately, what having additional arms might feel like. I need to keep constant awareness of the extra limb to float it behind me without bumping into anything or becoming ethereal.

"Needs more practice too. Hmm~ I'll practice multitasking by using my laptop while simultaneously guiding crisps to my mouth with this skill."

`Sigh. 'So much work~, I feel that I deserve some time off to relax and unwind.'