Marik and Sai stayed near Derek on their way back.  Derek stayed true to his word and taught some rope tricks to Sai when they stopped to camp each night.  Marik felt that the deal wasn't exactly fair since all he did was see a little bit of Sai's weapon usage to teach her for several nights so he offered to buy a round of drinks when they got back to the guild.  They got back to the town entrance in the night three days later with everyone feeling exhausted from having to carry more and less people being able to rest in the wagons as they traveled.

The former captives were left with the town guards of the guard station at the entrance and the groups split up to go to their respective locations to check in.  Marik and Sai walked back to the guild right behind Derek and all three did their closing paperwork together as Marik did the writing for the tired Sai and got paid, with Marik picking up some of his and Sai's pay that they hadn't received for previous jobs as well as his bag of belongings he had left their.  They also let The Bear know about the guy who managed to rescue the children and how he was supposed to get a little bonus from everyone then they handed their portion over to let him handle it.  Since they were all tired and had things they wanted to take care of the next day they decided to just go home for the night and meet up again next evening for the drinks.

Marik and Sai headed back to their inn and made it inside right before the innkeeper was about to go to bed.  They checked to make sure everything was in order before bidding the innkeeper a good night and heading up to their room.  They immediately dropped everything on the floor as soon as they entered and then fell into bed without even realizing they were both still in beast form.  After they woke up cuddling in each other's fur they proceeded to follow their preferred morning routine and then finally transformed back and got fully dressed.  Since Marik's beast clothes were a mostly full set already he finished quickly after putting his shoes on and watched Sai get dressed.

"Hey, I'm rather enjoying the view but I think maybe we should look into what it would take to make you a full set of clothes and some shoes for us both."

"But I think it's okay like this.  I don't want to get shaved again."

"I'm not saying we get shaved again.  I'm saying we just look into it for now and maybe with some light trimming and grooming out the shed fur we could save it up to get something made."

"That sounds like it would take a long time."

"Maybe.  We can just check on it while we're taking care of stuff today."

"If you say so.  What all de we have to do today, anyways?"

"Hmm.  We should probably see how my sister's doing.  Maybe she could use that sword or one of the knives we picked up.  We need to take care of the rest of the weapons we got, too.  If they're in good enough shape I think we should sell them.  I'd also like to check on another inn.  This one's okay and cheap but I know of this other one that's basically made for living out of.  I'd also like to see if there's a safe place somewhere for us to work on our arcanistries.  Lastly, I know that recently you haven't been able to get a lot of the care products and stuff you probably want so we should check on that.  If there's anything else you want to add that I haven't mentioned..."

"I want to check on food stuff and drink stuff I guess."

"What do you mean?  Like restaurants and such?"

"That, too.  I kind of want to learn to cook a little and Matilda use dot bring us some really tasty snacks and drinks that I kind of miss."

"I see.  Well, good luck with that.  I won't be too much help unfortunately since I can't cook at all no matter how hard I try.  I'm about convinced that I could burn water..."

"That's pretty bad.  Wait, didn't your past life do any cooking or anything?"

"A little, I think.  This is a different world, though, so the ingredients are different and there's some disconnect between my mind and doing some things.  With a lot of practice and hard work then I could probably pull off something but I'd rather spend that time working on something else where I can actually make noticeable progress.  I mean, look at those pouches I stitched your names into a few years ago.  I've been working on sewing since I was about two years old and that was still my absolute best.  Right now I'm running on the theory that the gods did it on purpose so that I don't accidentally add or alter too much in this world."

"Hmm.  Well, whatever.  I just want to learn to do it a bit."

"Kinda like a hobby, got it."

"Sure.  So, how are we going to find Sara?  Should we go ask at the guild?"

"Well, let's first see if there's any food available downstairs and then if we don't see her there we can do that."

They left the room and just as the closed the door behind them another one slightly further down the hall opened and Sara walked out.

"Well.  That was easy.  Hey, sis!  Mind stepping in our room for a moment?  We got some things from our trip and wanted to see if you could use any of it."

"Uh, hi?  I guess I can do that.  I was about to go find something to eat, though."

"Well so were we but..."

"Let's just eat first," Sai's voice of reason interjected.  "Then we can come back, give Sara what she wants out of them, and take the rest to sell."

Marik and Sara both nodded at her and they all proceeded downstairs to see if there was any food still there.  It was a cold breakfast of whatever was left over and there were no other people around.  They talked about their recent activities and future plans while they ate.

"So What are your plans for the day, sis?  Sai and I have to go out to take care of and check on a few things including a possible change to a different inn."

"I'm not really planning to do a lot today, really.  I just finished a boring job that took pretty much the last two days so I was going to take my break today."

"Wow.  You should come with us.  It'll be more fun with more people and we can talk and chat and look at stuff and all that.  Ah.  Do you know how to cook?  What kind of things have you been using to take care of your fur and hair?  We can look at some of that together, too."

"*sigh* Are you ever not excited, Sai?  I don't mind coming along, but..."

"But what?  But you have to meet up with some hot guy that we shouldn't know about?  But it's your time of the month and you have cramps?"

"Calm down, you!  I was going to ask if Marik was okay with it.  How did we get to me meeting someone or...I mean isn't that other question supposed to be a kind of private thing that you shouldn't be talking about?"

"Huh?  Why?  It's not much different than when someone has a different problem is it?"

"No, it definitely is!"

"How?"

"Because it's...you know...a female problem and all..."

"So?  If Marik's testicles were sore and it was hard for him to move around a lot wouldn't it be okay to know about it?  Isn't that kind of similar?  So, it shouldn't be wrong to let people know if you're having problems, right?"

"No!  Those are both things that shouldn't just be talked about like that!  Why are you so..."

"Crazy?  I am crazy but that is that and this is this.  Not talking about a problem just because of some weird belief that it being directly tied to having a vagina or testicles seems silly to me and doesn't make any sense.  If you don't want to go around shouting about it, I can kind of understand since you wouldn't do that about bruises or light stab wounds or whatever.  But we're family, you know?  It's best to know these things about each other, especially if you're going to start doing work with us, too."

"Umm.  You.  How?  Aren't you supposed to be, like, super crazy and thoughtless or something?  That all actually makes too much sense and I want to deny it, but..."

"Now hold on there," Marik interrupted.  "I want to correct a huge misunderstanding here.  Sai is crazy and often impulsive, not thoughtless or stupid.  You should be careful not to mistake those things.  It's entirely likely that Sai is actually so smart that she's a genius so you should be really careful not to ever treat her like an idiot because you'll probably just piss both of us off."

"Well, I might get a little agitated but I don't think I'll get too angry at her."

"My point is it's okay to treat Sai as a little crazy...or maybe a lot...but don't treat her like she's stupid.  Okay?"

"Okay, fine.  Sorry, Sai."

"It's okay.  So anyway.  I'm sure Marik's okay with you coming along.  Oh, I know.  Maybe we can all got a room together at that inn that Marik wants to move to.  Then we'd be together even more and could have more fun and live together and-"

"Wait.  Sorry, but knowing how you two are when you...well, you know...I think I'd rather just keep my room here for now or something."

"Actually," Marik said, "Edge Inn does have some party rooms meant for groups of people that would probably work.  It's less of just one room and closer to something like an apartment suite or something and you wouldn't have to worry about what we do and all that.  It's a little more pricey and we would have to be higher rank with more pay but I wasn't necessarily planning on moving immediately.  We can check it out and see at least."

"Huh.  I still think it's probably better if I just stay here, though."

"You only say that because you haven't been there, yet.  Trust me.  Edge Inn is worth the slight increase in living expenses.  I'm done eating anyway so let's go take whatever stuff you don't want off to get sold and then go check out the inn right after that."

They went back upstairs and looked through everything but Sara only ended up taking a small dagger that Marik convinced her to take for emergencies.  They bundled the rest together and headed to the blacksmith that was next to the inn.  The man at the counter there looked through the pile and paid Marik for the more messed up ones that he could repair and sell as well as the ones that were already in decent condition.  Marik decided to just donate what was left over since he didn't think anyone would be willing to buy them off him for any amount that was worth the effort of finding such a person.

They left and headed to the Edge Inn immediately after that.  Marik walked up to the counter and began explaining how they were considering moving to the inn as a semi-permanent home for maybe even a few years.  He was looking for a suite or some such where he could live with his sister and wife without his sister being bothered.  They probably wouldn't move immediately but he wanted to see what all they had and how much it would cost so he could convince the girls and give them a short term goal to work towards.

They were led to an adjacent building that was set up for parties to live in, like Marik had asked for, and shown several different apartment suites.  As the man showed them around he also took the time to explain the various services, such as security and meals, and how the costs could be reduced overall if paid enough in advance as well as what those costs were.  By the time they finally left both Sara and Sai were trying to convince Marik to move as soon as possible, to which Marik could only give a wry smile that held an 'I told you so' meaning behind it.  After walking around while in discussion for a while without an actual destination, Marik spotted a tailoring shop and decided to swing in and check on what it would take to make more beast clothes and maybe some shoes.

As they walked in and Marik started talking to one of the tailors there he noticed that Sara had an uncomfortable look on her face.  When another customer came in and Marik said that he wanted to have a private group chat for a bit while they waited he turned to Sara.

"Hey, sis.  What's wrong?  You got this super awkward face on you when I started talking about making some new clothes."

"Huh?  Oh, well, you know.  I just...umm...kinda can't transform well?"

"..."

"..."

"Huh.  I'm not sure what to say, here.  Is it just hard to do or...?"

"Umm.  Well, I was still kind of young when it first started happening and because of where we...sorry...where I grew up it seemed like I was cursed or something and so I repressed it and stuff..."

"Ah.  Gotcha.  Hmm.  Wait...so you don't have any beast clothes or anything either, right?  I see.  That would make it a little awkward at this point.  Well, let's ask about getting you a set made as well and you can have Sai help you out with the actual thing.  I'm sure she'll be willing to help and it'll be a lot less embarrassing if you get her to help than pretty much anyone else, especially with the shaving for your first set and all."

"Ya.  I'll totally help you out, Sara!  Don't worry, it'll be just like the time me and my sister had to help each other."

"Okay.  Thanks, I guess."

Once the tailor came back they talked to him a little more about what all they needed for some extra beast clothes and shoes.  Luckily, even though it was normal to get shoes from an actual shoe store, they could get beast versions of shoes and socks through this tailoring shop.  They set an appointment to come back in about a week to bring the supplied they could, decide on the designs, do some minor repairs on what they had, and put all the orders in.  They thanked the tailor for being so accommodating and left the shop to head to their next errand.

There was a salon just a couple of buildings over so they went ahead and chose that as their next destination.  While the girls got into an excited discussion with one of the female staff Marik talked to the clerk about getting a light trimming of all his fur and asked if he could keep the trimmings for some more beast clothes.  The clerk recommended a special grooming service made just for that kind of thing and even offered a short class on how to deal with both his own tail and Sai's since it would have been wrong to mess with them especially with them already married.  That was actually a bit of knowledge that Marik had subconsciously suspected but not had anyone tell him outright about as far as he could remember: beast race tails shouldn't be touched and groomed except by close family or significant others.

All three of them signed up for a grooming appointment a few days later and bought a few care products including some tail brushes.  Strangely, Marik was looking forward to him and Sai brushing each other's tails as he vaguely remembered the feeling of her stroking his tail in a bet years ago.  They all left the salon with smiles of expectation on their faces and decided to go get something to eat.  Surprisingly, it was Sara who led them to a restaurant to eat at and they had a decent enough time chatting and eating.  Sai remembered about her new hobby that she planned to start and asked as many questions to the staff as she could without annoying them too much.  They left after they had finished and Sai tried to head to a place that sold cutlery and other kitchenware but Marik convinced her to wait until the could move to Edge Inn where she would actually have a place to work on her cooking if they got the right suite.

Evening was rapidly approaching anyways and even though Marik hadn't found a good place where they could work on their arcanistries in secret he reasoned that as long as they started taking more jobs outside of town and leaving early that they could work on them while hidden by the trees.  They headed back to their inn to drop off the things they had bought and get ready for a night of drinks with Derek in the guild.  Sai invited Sara to join them to round out the numbers better and they agreed to meet at the guild a little later.

Marik and Sai dropped off their stuff and headed straight to the guild.  The Bear noticed them entering and waved them over to talk to them,

"Hey you two.  I was looking over the documents for this past month and figured I should give you a heads up.  The lass needs to do some solo work within the next two weeks or so and that's about all she needs for ninth rank.  As for you, lad, I'd personally say you could make seventh soon if it were my call but you took too long to finalize the documents for eighth.  I'll be keeping an eye out for a good job that'll count as a good achievement for you and if you can excel in it then I could probably push you up to seventh."

"Wow, thanks Mister The Bear!"

"Sai, you know you can just call him Bear or The Bear without adding 'Mister', right?  So anyways, what about my sister?  She's supposed to be joining us soon, here."

"Hmm.  She's done plenty of good solo work recently, I guess.  Teaming up with you two could help her some but she'll still need some combat verification and something to count as convoy guarding."

"Huh?  Wait!  I never guarded a convoy, though."

"Yes you did, honey.  Remember our excursion?  That counted as both convoy guarding and combat."

"Ohhh.  Okay, then."

"Right.  Well I'm sure the both of you will be able to easily make the next rank within the next two months.  I'll try to also look for jobs that'll help with your sister's rank but that's gonna take a bit more.  That said, I got a good solo job to help out the lass here that'll take up the next two days.  Starts tomorrow evening and goes on 'til the morning, day after next.  Want me to reserve it for you?"

"Sure!  Can I go ahead and sign it now?"

"I don't see why not.  I thought you guys were here for a different reason and didn't want to waste too much of your time but it'll make my job easier if you want to take care of it now."

Marik left Sai to take care of her own paperwork and went to the bar area.  He didn't see Derek around yet so he decided to try and find a good table for the four of them.  Derek showed up shortly after Marik had taken his seat and sat down next to him without a word.  They gave each other a light smirk as they both understood what Derek had done meant.  He didn't want to be around too much of the crazy flirting and headed it off by sitting where Sai normally would have sat.

Sai soon came over as well, followed closely by Sara who had apparently arrived at the guild as Sai was finishing her paperwork.  Sai calmly sat down across from Marik with only a teasing scowl flashed at Derek as she, too, understood what he had done and why.  Sara was about to sit down next to Sai when she finally noticed that Derek was sitting there with them.  A light blush slowly spread on her cheeks and she quickly took her seat.  Both Marik and Sai noticed and stared at her for a while before Sai's mouth started twisting into an amused smirk.

"Well.  This looks like it's going to be fun.  Let's start the drinks!  Quick, before someone has a chance to stop the entertainment."

Marik said nothing as he waved over someone to order some drinks.  Derek just looked at Sai as if she were saying crazy things he was curious about but scared to ask about.  Sara had apparently caught on to Sai looking at her while making the statement and as some slight realization dawned she blushed a little more.