TQH Vol. 4 pt. 16

We ended up doing a good few things to pass the time before heading back to Zurie’s. For starters, I took Felecia over to that place that I found with Lixue and Elanah. The one where the guy was from the same place as Lixue. Had those really good bowls of noodles and all that. He ended up recognizing me even though I was with Felecia and gave us free food because of that. I guess because he remembered I was with Lixue before, and Lixue is pretty important to him, so that meant we got free food from a place that was growing increasingly popular.

It was busy when we got there. Seriously busy. The man who runs that stall is doing pretty good for himself if he’s got a line of people waiting to be served. Though, I’m kind of worried about his practices. He gave us free food while there was a line of people behind us, and I – well, I’m still just some monster to people. Most people are likely assuming that I’m a tamed beast who belongs to whoever I’m with. So, they already wouldn’t have been happy about us getting free food, and that was made even worse when they considered that a monster got some free food, too.

Too bad for them, I guess.

Felecia didn’t seem to mind much either. I kind of expected her to be the type of girl who would turn down the offer for free food, but she happily accepted it and devoured the entire bowl even faster than I could finish my pork buns. The girl can eat fast. Seriously fast.

And then she went for seconds. Our next serving of food ended up being free again, so we got to make a whole new group of people waiting in line behind us jealous of our special privilege.

Never did think I’d get to experience what it’s like to have some privilege. Back in my old life, even though I stayed loyal to the same few places for my food, drinks, and women, I was never given a discount of any kind. They all made sure to get as much money as possible out of me no matter how amazing of a customer I was. But now? This guy gave us free food multiple times, and it was damn delicious food. It was good enough that I would have been happy to pay more than the asking price for it, but I was even happier to not have to pay at all for it.

After we had bellies full of amazing food, we went over to the spot where—the last time I tried to enjoy some peace and quiet there—I ended up almost getting killed by Moriko. Honestly, after having that experience in that spot, it was kind of ruined for me. I couldn’t quite enjoy looking out over the cliff to the ocean’s rolling waves without remembering how it felt to have a spiked chain penetrate me and almost instantly kill me. That seriously wasn’t very enjoyable.

Felecia enjoyed it, though. She thought the sight was genuinely amazing and she apparently never saw that part of the city when she was here as a kid, which makes sense. Even back when this city was a burning pile of shit only acting like a city, everybody knew to avoid going near the cliffs and told others to avoid that, too. There was a habit of ice forming along the edges during winter and at least a few people died every year from slipping and somehow managing to slide right off the cliff.

There was no ice this time around, though, and no Moriko wanting to kill me, so it was safe for us to hang around there and enjoy the weather.

We stayed there until it got dark. Felecia seemed pretty content to just sit there petting me, so I wasn’t going to stop her from doing that.

And now that we’re finally on our way back…

“We don’t have to go back,” Felecia says.

I stop to look up at her with a tilted head.

“Even if it’s just for tonight, we could find somewhere else to stay. Maybe an inn with an open room, or… I wouldn’t mind even if we found an alley to sleep in like we used to. I don’t want to go back tonight.”

This girl has been pretty easy to deal with all day, but now she’s pulling this out on me.

I doubt that Zurie would be happy about us not returning, and she’s probably waiting for a report about how things went in the tower with Felecia, so it wouldn’t be right to go against her. As for Felecia, I know that she’s not comfortable around the vampires, but she’s got to get used to it and skipping a night of sleeping there isn’t going to do anything. Though, I guess that if I’m being fair here, we’d only have to skip going back until the other vampires are gone.

If it was only Zurie and the vampires serving her, there’d be no hesitation heading back. But because it’s not just them, I don’t know. It’s not like I want to spend any time around the other vampires, either. That includes spending time in the same manor as them. The more distance there is between me and them at all times, the better.

But I wouldn’t care that much if it wasn’t for Felecia.

So, my choices are making Felecia uncomfortable by returning or probably upsetting Zurie by staying out which also means probably sleeping in an alley somewhere.

Those are some great choices. Seriously great choices.

But there’s only one that I think I can bring myself to pick… and that’s going back to Zurie’s.

No matter who Felecia might have been to the pup my soul took into it, she’s still new to me. Even if I could recognize her and remember all those memories of her and the pup, those were from over a decade ago and I had nothing to do with either of them.

And no matter how much Felecia might like to think of me as hers, the only one I truly belong to is Zurie. Well, and Lixue because of our bond, but Lixue happily serves Zurie in the first place which would make Zurie my leader as well.

Then there’s the fact that Felecia needs to get stronger. I’m sure being in the same manor as the vampires who planned on eating her is difficult, but there’s a possibility that she’ll be faced with even more uncomfortable situations if she’s supposed to accompany me and the others for whatever journeys we end up going on. Somebody always wanting to skip over things that make them uncomfortable isn’t going to work out for us, so we have to get her desensitized.

“Woofen?” Felecia asks, still waiting for my answer.

Unfortunately for her, my answer comes in the form of shaking my head.

“Ah… alright. I’m sorry for asking in the first place. I know it’s not something that I should have asked… but I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t have liked for you to answer the other way instead.”

So, she knew that it wasn’t something she should have asked, but she can still admit to hoping that it would result in what she wanted anyways.

I can respect the honesty at least.

Time to get back to Zurie’s.

And here we are. Zurie’s manor, looking as grand as ever. It doesn’t sound too loud inside and the bedrooms on the second floor have their lights on, so the vampires are probably getting ready to sleep.

Seriously, I never expected vampires to go to bed so early in the night.

Now, before we can even get up to the front doors, Ghoul opens them up for us. “Welcome back, Master Woofen, Lady Felecia,” he says.

Felecia nods and stays behind me like a kid behind her parent. The only problem with that is that I’m nowhere near large enough to hide her from sight unless she plants on trying to crouch down behind me. Even then, anybody taller than me is still going to be able to see her trying to hide back there.

“Did everything go well at the tower?” Ghoul asks.

I nod my head.

“Very good. Ah, and I can smell… foreign food on you. How interesting. Does this mean that, rather than return here, you stopped elsewhere for something to eat?”

Why… why does Ghoul sound kind of scary right now? No, maybe not scary, but… jealous? Both? Scary and jealous? Whatever it is, I don’t know how I’m supposed to respond, but I nod to be honest.

“I see. Very well. The feast that I prepared for your return, which has long since gone cold, is clearly of no value to you. If that is the case, I suppose I must throw it out and allow the insects to feast upon it. Perhaps they will appreciate the meal instead.”

Wait, wait wait. Is – is Ghoul seriously jealous that we ate somewhere else and that he can smell it on us?

Is he—

“I am joking, Master Woofen,” Ghoul says. “After all, you were not even supposed to return tonight. Do you not recall my lady hoping you would spend at least a few days within the tower? It has not even been a full day and you have already returned. If I did prepare a meal for you that you did not return for, I would not be too happy about that, but such meal never existed in the first place.”

Me and Felecia look each other in the eyes. I’d be willing to bet money that she feels as stupid as I do right now.

We were supposed to spend days in the tower… but we’re already back.

On the first day. Before the day could even end. And we spent the last few hours of the day eating and relaxing instead of training.

This is awkward. I chose to came back tonight because I didn’t want to upset Zurie, but it seems like I ended up choosing the option that would end up doing that. Staying out probably would have been the better—

“Woofen?” Zurie asks, standing at the top of the stairs inside the grand foyer.

I learned that word from hearing the vampires talk about it. Never knew what to call the big fancy rooms with stairs just inside of a mansion’s entrance before. Now I know.

Too bad I can’t get intelligence points by learning new words.

More importantly… I have no idea how she’s going to react.

“Ghoul,” Zurie says, “take care of the girl. Woofen, leave your sword with him and come with me.”

I feel like I might be in trouble here. Even so, I drop the sword, get one last pet along my back from Felecia, and head up to where Zurie is. Before I can even reach the top of the stairs, she’s heading toward her bedroom and expecting me to follow.

It’s only once I’m in her bedroom with her that she closes and locks the door behind me.

I’m half expecting her to start yelling at me, but that’s the opposite of what she does.

Instead, what she does is walk over to her bed, sit down on top of it, and says in a soft voice, “Up.”

It’s a bit emasculating being ordered like an actual beast, but I’m not going to refuse when she orders me with such a soft voice. Mainly because that sort of voice makes me think that she has some nice plans in mind, even though I really don’t deserve any nice plans seeing as how I messed up the plan of staying in the tower for a few days.

“Good boy,” Zurie says now that I’m up on the bed with her. “Now, lie down.”

I do as ordered and lie down near the center of the bed.

And now…

And now I have no regrets.

I’m pretty sure I could happily die like this.

Zurie has not only come closer to me, but she’s lied down right behind me with her chest against my back, an arm resting over my side with her hand positioned to stroke my neck, and her leg over my back half. It’s… almost kind of like she was trying to mount me. Mount me in the sense of mounting a… mount. Not that kind of mounting. I mean the kind of mounting that we did in the tower where Felecia rode around on my back, except this time it’s Zurie and we’re on our sides on her bed.

“You are not the only one with a strong sense of smell, my hound,” Zurie whispers. “I can smell that girl all over you. I do not know what it is that you did, but her scent is even stronger than the scent of blood staining your fur.”

Felecia’s scent? I guess that it makes sense I might smell like her because of how much she rode around on my back and then from all of the petting, but this is—

Wait.

Zurie presses herself even more against me as if trying to wrap my body up within her own. “Considering that you are my hound, it only makes sense that you carry my scent, does it not?”

Is Zurie jealous?

No, I don’t even have to ask that. She’s definitely, seriously jealous.

But that’s not all.

She lets out a long, tired sigh. “Today… was truly wretched. I do not care why you are back. I am simply happy that you are. I need this if I am to maintain my sanity for the rest of this meeting. Seeing that girl all over you has not done any favors for my stress, either.”

Alright, so it’s still partly because of jealousy, but there’s also just general stress from having to deal with the other vampires, too.

“I have no doubt that the girl will not be happy about not seeing you for the rest of the night, but it is my order that you stay here with me until morning. You are to provide me company and stress relief. In exchange, I will make good on my original word of giving you whatever you want in exchange for your service. Or rather… perhaps, not.” Another sigh escapes her. “I wish that I was as heartless as others like to believe I am. I truly do. As much as I would like to keep you for myself, I cannot keep you from that girl with a clear conscious. At least, not for as long as she is alone in a manor full of vampires. Once the others are back from their trip, I will have no problem leaving her with them to monopolize you. Until then, I will change my order to this: I order you to spend the next half an hour or so with me, and then I will allow you to return to her.”

Zurie really is a softie when it comes down to it.

But I like that about her. She can be a ruthless leader at times, but she’s also got a soft spot that refuses to not let unneeded suffering happen. In this case, it would be the unneeded suffering of Felecia.

If Zurie needs me to play the role of a supportive pet right now, in exchange for me getting to feel her body all over me, then I don’t see why I can’t do my best job at playing that role.