<~> Chapter 138I took a steadying breath as I stepped down into the lobby. I quickly caught the attention of Bel when our bond brushed against each other. I was feeling more rexed now, calm... and happy. She had been anxious but was quickly warming up wheiced I was being open with my feelings again.

  Bel excused herself from a versation she was having with one of the irls and calmly walked over to me. "Hey Lilith, are you feelier?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, sorry for w you."

  "It's okay, I'm just gd you're alright." She turned and smiled at Raya. "Thanks for talking with her, I owe you one."

  Raya stepped o her and pulled her into a side hug. "Are you kidding? It's the least I could do for the two of you. It's gonna take more than that for me to pay you back for saving my life, sis. We're family after all."

  The se made me smile. I was gd she was taking my ents about family so seriously. She was the one who gave me the idea to look at things in that way and I 't be happier she's taking to it so thhly.

  I turo Bel. "Where are the twins?"

  She poio a door on the far wall. "Man, Torien, and Silva are telling some of the girls and ers some stories and Theo uh... already went to his room with a few of the girls. He said that he doesn't expee back down tonight. Oh, but he wanted me to remind you that he still o talk to you tomorrow."

  "Right. I did promise him."

  "So..." Raya leaned up against me. "I know you've had a long day but are you still willing to uh, work ohing with Madame Oe tonight?"

  I nodded. "I'm feelier now, I think I hahat."

  "Great! I'll go talk to her. How about you two go get some dinner and I'll e find you after. Did Sibyl show you where the kit is Bel?"

  "Yeah, I take her there. Thanks Raya," Bel said with a smile.

  Bel took my hand and quietly led me through the room the rest of our party was in. Torien and Man noticed me right away so I gave them a wave and caught a very relieved expression from Torien. It struck me as funny to see that kind of look on her face but my amusement subsided when I realized that robably in respoo the very real fear of displeasing her master. Silva grabbed her by the shoulder and tielling the story to the people around them, refog her attention ba the crowd. This time the story was about our mission earlier today, he fight with the shadow behemoth.

  We left through a door I hadn't seen before into a fairly rge kit with multiple wood-burning stoves. The room was a little toasty but the ventition was good so it would have felt fortable even if I didn't have heat resistance. A tall and nky wolf woman with with sharp features, bright golden eyes, and dark bags uhem, looked up at us as we entered. Her coat eckled brown color with greying ends, she was older than most of the other women here but still looked quite attractive despite her age. The only woman I've seehat robably older than her was Oe but it was hard to judge by how much because of how unfamiliar I was with actual snakes.

  "Ah, you must be Lilith. I've heard a lot about you from a few people. How are you doing tonight?"

  I nodded. "I'm doing alright, how are you?" I held out my hand for her to shake.

  She smirked and shook my hand with a surprising amount of strength that I didn't expect from her build. "Hmm, seems like you're not as weak as you look. Perhaps there's some truth in the boasting your... friends are doing iher room," she said with a wave in their dire. "I'm Sibyl, it's o meet you Lilith. I'm usually in charge of handling the food around here. Part cook, part quartermaster, part bouncer, part... dy of the night."

  Her eyes trailed up and down my body before tinuing. "You're more easy on the eyes than I was expeg when I'd heard a sheep-kin adventurer had brought us some food. Those handsome horns on your head give you a bit of aic look for a woman." She released my hand and took a step away.

  she turo look Bel up and down. "It's o see you're feelier, you looked quite down earlier. Did the two of you need something to eat? There's still some stew left, everyone else has already had their share for the day."

  Bel nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Miss Sibyl."

  The wolf-kin dled out two more bowls of stew before pg them on the ter o us. "Are the two of you involved with the thing Oe has been talking about? Some sort of transformation? I would have thought it was all a tall tale if Raya and Nadia hadn't showheir ges personally."

  I furrowed my brows. "How much do you know about it?" I started eating the stew while we talked.

  She shrugged. "Not much, Oe said she would probably call me and a few of the girls tonight or tomorrow and she would give us more of the details then. The Madame isn't a sucker so whatever all of this is about, it's gotta be real and you trobably involved. The timing lines up too perfectly."

  "Auntie Sibyl!"

  The three of us turo see Raya standing at the door with her rge paws on her hips. "Don't badger them, even if they did expihing to you, you would just have to listen to it all aihey expin it again ter."

  She grumbled for a moment before leaning on the ter. "So? I was right? These two are involved in whatever's going to happen tonight? This seems like some kind of demon shit or something, the timing freaks me out way too much. Everything the four of you have told me sounds too good to be true, there's got to be a price."

  I nodded. "There is a price to it but ohat I think most of the people we're going to make the offer to, will be willing to pay."

  Her lips curled in anger. "This sounds dangerous, how I trust—"

  "Sibyl rex!" Raya pulled the wolf-kin into a hug. "Don't worry, it's not what you're thinking. Trust me, I'm a great judge of character!"

  Sibyl snorted. "Hardly, you're way too trusting. That bleedi of yours is going to get you hurt someday. ...maybe whatever she did to you already has."

  Her eyes turo me and narrowed. It would have been a bit more intimidating but the juxtaposition of her making that angry face at me while Raya affeally hugged her made me ugh. Raya wasly a short woman but Sibyl was so tall that Raya was able to nuzzle her head into the wolf-kin's breasts and tickle her with her ears.

  "Auntie calm down, you'll uand more about it soon." Raya released Sibyl from the hug before turning to me. "The Madame said she's ready to go as soon as you'd like. She made sure everyone she wao invite first would be free tonight."

  "Hoeople are we talking about?" I asked.

  "She wants to try a dozen. I know you haven't dohis many before but if nothing else it would be good to see if you have any limits on it."

  "Alright," I said with a nod.

  Sibyl sighed. "Fine. Let me put out the fire and I'll head up to your office as soon as I'm done. Are you going to collect the others, Raya?"

  "Yup! I got most of the girls on the list! The only one I'm not sure about is Jade, have you seen her?"

  Bel giggled so I turo see what she was ughing about. Wheiced my look she smiled. "The two of them are really funny together, Miss Sibyl is so serious and Raya is so eic."

  "Right! Okay, Lilith, you go to Oe's offid I'll meet you up there in a bit!" Before I could respond Raya excitedly rushed through the door.

  Sibyl owards the door. "You head on off, I have to finish putting out the fire." She reached over and took our empty bowls to the sink.

  The two of us headed out to find that Silva and the twins had fiheir story and were waiting for us. I walked over and patted Torien on the shoulder and pulled Man into a side hug. Mimi came behind me and ed around me from behind. She didn't say anything but I could tell she was gd I wasn't angry anymore, it had been a short time but through our bond, I could tell she had missed me. The emotions I was feeling from her made me worry she was developing separation ay.

  Man squeezed me bad id her head on my shoulder. "I'm gd you're feelier now. I don't often see you that angry."

  Torien stepped forward and put her hand on my arm. "Lilith, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how thoughtless I was when I brought that stuff up... I should have sidered your feelings better, I apologize."

  I smiled. "It's okay Torien. I... have a lot of plicated emotions surrounding that night. ...I might talk more about it with all of you when I feel more fortable but that might be a while. I feel better now though, ...talking through it with someone helped a lot."

  Torien patted my arm again before awkwardly stepping away. "I'm gd." She stood o Silva who shifted awkwardly, I wasn't sure how much they've told her about what happened but she didn't seem keen on stepping into the situation.

  I cleared my throat hoping to dispel the awkward air between all of us. "Right, so Oe wants all of us to go up in her office. Let's head on over."

  The six of us stepped into Oe's office where there was now a bed in the middle of the room with many fused women sitting on the couches fag it. I actually reized a few of the faces, mostly from the women we healed. It seems Oe ost of the people we've had direct tact with sining here. I suppose it made sehat the people we've directly healed may be the least wary of what we were going to do. Notably, I didn't see Grace among the people here this time but Oe was already here speaking with some of the women.

  "Lilith!"

  I turo see Eira, the cheetah girl from earlier sitting on the couch.

  "Hey! Do you know why all of us are here? We're uh, not in trouble or something are we?"

  I smiled. "No, of course not. I'll expin what's happening soon but no one's in trouble, don't worry."

  She let out a breath. "Oh good. I noticed a lot of the girls here were the ohat were injured retly so I was afraid we might be on the hook for payment or something..."

  Bel jumped in, "Oh no! Nothing like that. Like I said before all of the healing was free, I feel like letting us stay here has been more than enough to make up for it!"

  Eira chuckled at that. "Don't sell yourself short, you're an amazing healer to have been able to take care of so many of us here. I'm gd you're not charging us but borrowing a room for a few nights isn't even close to what your healing is worth."

  The door behind us opened and Raya, Sibyl, and Jade, the snow-leopard demi-beastfolk woma on the first day all filed in behind us. Jade noticed Tisha, the bobcat girl that had been in serious dition was here too, so she quickly bounded over to sit o her and ask her some fused questions.

  Once Oe noticed we were all here, she cpped her hands to gather everyone's attention. "Good evening everyone. Lilith, do you mind using your silence spell on the room please?"

  I nodded and quickly cast [Zone of Silenbsp;sealing the room from outside prying ears.

  She nodded and tinued, "Lilith here has an offer for each of you that could lead to serious ges in your lives if you accept. Grad I have personally chosen all of you first because we trust what she will offer you will remain in fidence. Please remember that this offer is a choibsp;You do not o accept and you will not lose your job or suffer any sequences for turning it down. I would like to warn you that you could be putting others in danger if you reveal this offer to others outside of the Ruby Vixen and I wouldn't take kindly to that. If there is someone you think would be from this offer you e and talk to me about it and we'll see what we do." She nodded over to me. "Lilith, would you please expin further?"

  I stepped forward and smiled as all eyes were focused on me. "I am building a family, and I would like all of you to be a part of it."

  Saine

  Hello! It's finally happening! I know a lot of you have been waiting for this for a while, the couple chapters should be iing for those of you who have been especially excited for the transformation aspects. I hope you enjoyed reading, see you ime!

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