Ryan didn't linger in the tavern any longer.
Evelyn was baring her ferocity, her eyes frightening to behold.
To avoid getting splattered with blood, Ryan promptly went to the deli across from the tavern, bought some smoked meat and food, and took Ellie and Maeve home.
Mira had been found anyway, so there was nothing more for him to do for now.
Ryan rested at home for the night, and the next morning took the two of them to the tavern again.
Maeve skipped along behind him, looking especially happy.
Ellie had put on the pale-blue dress too, but she was still a bit weary and followed dutifully behind Ryan the whole way.
"Master! This morning I want to eat a whole smoked chicken!" Maeve said to Ryan.
"Then go right ahead and want it." Ryan pretended not to hear.
"Master, you skinflint... I knew you wouldn't agree. I'll just have one bowl of stew, then."
"You won't even let me touch your ears, and you still want stew?" Ryan raised a brow at her.
Yesterday when buying clothes she'd promised, plain as day, to let Ryan touch her ears once they got back.
But after her bath she flatly reneged, not letting Ryan touch a single wolf hair.
"I... I'm just not ready yet." Maeve mumbled, slowing her pace and hooking Ryan's arm to wheedle, "Boo-hoo... Master, I want meat..."
Bickering back and forth, the two of them reached the tavern in no time.
The tavern was as lively as ever — Evelyn sitting at the counter doing accounts, the two maids bustling about, mercenaries drinking and boasting, whores soliciting at the door, as if nothing had happened yesterday.
Unable to withstand Maeve's relentless wheedling, Ryan walked up to the counter and said to Evelyn, "Three bowls of stew and three pieces of black bread."
With that, he handed over a sack of goblin ears; he'd left in such a hurry yesterday he hadn't even collected his bounty from Evelyn.
Seeing this, Maeve wore a triumphant grin, bumped Ryan's waist with her head, and cooed, "Master's so good!"
Evelyn first looked up at Ryan, then took the sack away, her gaze toward him much softer than usual.
"How many goblins did you kill?"
"Eight."
Evelyn handed Ryan two silver and went back to her accounts.
Ryan added two more silver and pushed the money toward Evelyn, but she didn't take it.
"No charge. Thank you for the Mira business."
Maeve poked her head over and said with a cheeky grin, "There's good stuff like this to be had? Master, I want stewed chicken!"
"Eat an egg." Ryan shoved Maeve's head back, then asked Evelyn offhandedly, "Those men have a score to settle with you?"
"The one with a score against me is that Erik. Four years ago I chopped off his hand." A flicker of coldness passed through Evelyn's eyes. "That blade should have gone into his neck instead."
So he was the one who'd tried to take liberties with Evelyn four years ago and lost his hand for it.
Still, the one hurt most by all this was the child.
Who knew what they'd meant to do with Mira once they'd tied her up; thankfully they'd arrived in time and no disaster came of it.
He hoped Mira would learn a lesson from this.
Ryan turned sideways and glanced toward the back kitchen but saw no sign of the little fox. "Is Mira upstairs?"
Evelyn nodded without speaking.
"The kid probably won't run off ever again." Seeing the maid bring the food over, Ryan promptly said goodbye to Evelyn.
But after just two steps Evelyn called him back.
She looked at Ryan, a strange expression on her face.
"What is it?"
Evelyn hesitated a few seconds, then suddenly lowered her head and flipped through her ledger, feigning busyness. "There's a commission — will you take it?"
"What commission?" Ryan had a slice of black bread in his hand.
"Go upstairs and play with Mira for the day. She keeps insisting I fetch you, and I'm at my wit's end." Evelyn didn't lift her head as she spoke, seeming a little embarrassed. "Five silver, and I'll cover lunch and dinner."
A commission? What kind of commission was this?
This was clearly a paid vacation!
A paid vacation was one thing, but with meals reimbursed too — was there anything better in the world?
The income might be less than usual, but a day's rest was quite a rarity for them.
Ryan glanced back at Ellie, who was still drowsy.
She hadn't slept well for several days running; it was about time she got some proper rest.
"There's a deal like this to be had — I'll head up after breakfast. It's fine to bring these two along, right?" Ryan pointed at the two of them gorging themselves.
Evelyn turned slightly to glance at Maeve, seeming to have reservations.
"She's got no ill intentions. I'll keep an eye on her."
"Then bring her along." Evelyn said nothing more and lowered her head to resume her accounts.
Ryan wolfed down his breakfast, then took Ellie and Maeve past the back kitchen and up the stairs.
On the second floor, turning right, Ryan saw four small rooms, arranged in facing pairs on either side of the corridor.
The one nearest the stairwell had two beds — apparently the room the two tavern maids lived in.
The little room was clean, fully furnished with a wardrobe and the like, with bright, pretty flowers on the windowsill.
Demi-humans though they were, the two maids were actually slaves Evelyn had bought, and it was clear she treated them quite well.
Ryan had heard that some people who bought slaves, if they couldn't find a chamber pot at night, would relieve themselves straight into the slave's mouth...
While his mind wandered, a door deep down the corridor opened a crack.
Mira hid behind the door, poking half her face out at Ryan, and called, "Big brother Ryan!"
Maeve's ears twitched, and she walked over a step ahead of Ryan. "Where'd this kid come from? Let big sister give you a hug!"
Mira decisively shut the door, locking Maeve out.
"Hey! You little..."
Maeve pouted, her heart half-sunk.
Mira opened the door again and said in a low voice, "My mom says you're not smart, so she won't let me play with you..."
The child was being quite tactful about it.
"That's not true at all! Your mom's making it up." Maeve put her hands on her hips and went on, "I'm the one who rescued you yesterday!"
Ryan couldn't help exposing her. "Wasn't that Ellie, though?"
"My sharp nose is what found her — half the credit's mine at least!" The corners of Maeve's mouth lifted, her smug look downright asking for a smack.
Still, she wasn't wrong — her nose had rendered great service.
"Fine, you can come in too." Mira opened the door and hugged Ryan's leg tightly, the little ears on her head twitching gently. "It's too boring up here alone — play with me."
The corners of Ryan's mouth lifted, and he stared at Mira's ears, drifting off.
"Mira, let's play a game — whoever loses gets their ears touched, how about it?"
The moment he finished, Maeve elbowed him and muttered under her breath, "So lewd... not even sparing a little kid's ears..."