It was past midday by the time the three of them, after all their running around, headed to the tavern to grab something to eat.
The whole way, Ellie kept looking down at her ankle boots, afraid a stone might scuff them.
Knowing full well, Ryan asked anyway, "Why do you keep walking with your head down?"
Maeve poked her head over, watching with great interest.
Ellie looked up at Ryan, hesitated slightly, then answered a little bashfully, "Afraid... the shoes will get ruined."
Ryan waved a hand. "No need for that. Shoes are bought to be worn; if they wear out, you just buy another pair."
Ellie nodded. "All right, I understand..."
Seeing her so obedient, Ryan promptly reached out and stroked her ear.
After her, Ryan went to touch Maeve's ear, only to grasp at air.
The little mutt seemed to have anticipated it and dodged before his hand even arrived.
"Why are you dodging so far away? Didn't you already agree to let me touch your ears?"
Maeve covered her head and mumbled, "I... I agreed to it at night, but not outside — it just feels weird."
Ryan shrugged indifferently.
You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry — one step at a time; once Maeve got used to it, he could pet her ears anytime, anywhere.
He wondered just how those wolf ears of hers would feel.
While his mind wandered, the three of them had unknowingly arrived at the door of the Red Fox Tavern.
But unlike usual, for some reason the tavern's doors were shut tight, though it was only noon.
Ryan knocked on the door and called out, "Evelyn, open up! I want a good meal!"
Sadly, no one answered.
Seeing the tavern closed, Maeve was already scouting out other places to eat. She tugged Ryan's clothes and pointed at the deli across the square. "Master, there's lots of meat over there — let's go eat there!"
"No rush. Let's see what's going on first."
Ryan went to the window and peered inside; it was a mess but empty, as if something urgent had happened.
By rights, Evelyn's tavern only closed at the night curfew; today was far too early.
Just then, a young mercenary sitting by the roadside gnawing black bread said to Ryan, "Don't bother. Go somewhere else — Evelyn's off looking for her kid."
Hands on his hips, Ryan blanked for a moment before it sank in. "Looking for her kid? What happened?"
"What do you think? The kid went missing around noon, and Evelyn threw us all out and went to look for her."
The mercenary seemed to recall something terrifying, clicking his tongue and shaking his head. "Never seen her so scary — I ran out before I'd even finished my food."
No wonder the tavern was in such disarray, like an earthquake had hit.
The child Mira really did love to run off; Evelyn must have been frantic.
Maeve rubbed her belly and said earnestly, "So where do we eat next? My stomach's about to cave in..."
Ryan was momentarily lost for words. "Maeve, you pig..."
He quickly ran to the deli, bought two drumsticks, and stuffed one into each of their mouths.
Ellie chewed a few times and ate the drumstick down, bone and all.
The little mutt Maeve gulped hers down in one bite, smacked her lips, and asked, "Delicious! Is there more, Master?"
"There is, but you'll have to wait until we've found the kid." Ryan nodded.
When he'd first crossed into this world, Ryan hadn't had a coin; if he hadn't stumbled into meeting Evelyn, he might have starved to death sleeping in the streets.
Now that she was in trouble, if for nothing else than that bowl of rye porridge way back when, he had to help her.
"Is it that cute little red-haired girl from last night?" Maeve licked the corner of her mouth; honestly, that dopey look of hers was even cuter than Mira's.
Ryan nodded. "That's the one. Use your nose to find her."
"I'll need to get a good sniff of her scent first." As she spoke, Maeve had already walked to the tavern window. "I'll climb in and look around, see if the kid's got any little toys."
Just then Ellie spoke up. "Let me do it. I'm better at squeezing into small spaces."
"No need! Ellie, you're not reliable! This kind of thing is a job for me." Maeve's mouth curled up, confidence all over her face.
With enormous effort she climbed up the window, and after much struggle managed to cram her two giant bombs through, only for her big rear to get stuck in the window frame, both legs kicking wildly.
"Master! Give me a push!"
Ryan couldn't resist; he stepped up and gave her a slap.
Maeve let out a wretched yelp, then loudly denounced Ryan's wickedness.
Ellie watched the two of them and shook her head over and over.
"Just a little favor, no need to thank me." Ryan pushed Maeve's rear and shoved her through.
After sending Maeve in and waiting a while, there was finally movement at the window again.
She held out an uncut loaf of black bread.
Ryan couldn't help cursing, "Maeve, you mutt, I sent you in to smell the scent, not to steal things!
And if you're going to steal, you don't even know to steal something more valuable. Honestly!"
"You can pay for it later. Besides, I caught the scent too." With that, she held out a little wooden figurine — the most popular children's toy in Caridon.
Ryan had seen Mira playing with this toy behind the counter more than once.
"All right, come out now, let's hurry and find her." Ryan urged softly.
The vast majority of human kingdoms were unfriendly to demi-humans.
For a demi-human child to wander a city alone was extremely dangerous.
For all they knew, Mira had already been shipped off to White Mist Island by now.
Once Ryan had taken everything from her, Maeve began squeezing back out the window.
First her head, then a pair of soft breasts, but in the end Maeve's rear got stuck in the window again, and she reached out for help. "Master, give me a hand, quick!"
Ryan handed the bread and toy to Ellie, then yanked Maeve out with force and caught her steadily in his arms.
Maeve really was heavy; Ryan felt like he was holding a two-hundred-pound pig...
"You ought to lose some weight."
Maeve sprang up, took the black bread from Ellie's hand, broke off a small piece, and handed it to Ryan. "Master, you eat too, tide yourself over."
"I don't like this stuff." Ryan passed the bread back to Ellie.
Maeve put her hands on her hips, looked up at Ryan, and said earnestly, "Then what do you like? I'll go back in and steal it."
"Hurry up and find her, or I really will clamp down on you hard." Ryan reached out and gently pinched Maeve's cheek, then shoved Mira's little toy against her nose. "Sniff it, and start tracking."
Maeve sighed, then held the little toy to her nose and sniffed carefully...