I confirmed last night that wolfgirls are in fact very cuddly. This morning I confirmed that if a wolfgirl wakes up in the morning with a relative stranger's face buried in their tail, they get a bit... jumpy.
"Look, I said that I was sorry. What did you expect when I woke up with you clinging onto me like that!?"
I ignore Sina's plea as I focus on my breakfast, the footprint on my face still clearly visible.
I finish my pancakes with a satisfied sigh before acknowledging Sina's puppy dog eyes, which are incredibly effective when paired with her flattened wolf ears and droopy tail.
Sina used cuteness. It's super effective!
My eyes soften and I sigh, releasing the irritation I had for the unfortunate wake up call. "It's fine. I've always felt the urge to snuggle something when I sleep, even if it was just with a pillow. I guess that I latched onto you after I fell asleep. Though you didn't have to kick me in the face..."
Though I whispered the last sentence, Sina's sharp ears still picked them up and she winces. "Yeah, sorry. I'm not used to waking up with someone in a random room, so I kind of freaked out."
I give her a queer look. "Really? But you acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. I figured that guards sleeping with suspicious people would be fairly common.
Sina slams her hands onto the table and shouts. "Of course not! You're just so cute that I couldn't resist!" I sit there blinking at her for a moment as a blush creeps up on her face after realizing what she just said. A whistle echoes across the room and she drops her face into her hands.
I meanwhile, am definitely confused. That is until a certain ability in my status comes to mind. 'Actions others deem as cute can cause them to act in an unusual way'.
'Could my adorableness have convinced her to sleep with me? But I don't think I did anything that could have been considered cute in her presence...'
Unfortunately, whether I deem an action to be cute or not has no bearing on the perceptions of others. So literally anything I do can trigger this extra ability and I'll have no idea.
Disregarding that for the moment...
"So normally a guard would just stay outside the door during the night?"
Sina doesn't pull her head out of her hands but nods all the same.
"Huh." Really, what else can I say to that? She used my ignorance to get herself into my bed, but it's not like I really minded. It was just the unexpectedness of having it immediately sprung on me that threw me off. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to check out the spatial ring.
Lost in my musings, I don't notice Sina trying to get my attention until she snaps her fingers in front of my nose.
Snapping out of it, I refocus my attention on her. "Sorry, what was that?"
She sighs. "I was asking what your plans are. I need to report back to my superior, but they'll most likely want to be able to get in touch with you at a later time."
"Well, I mean, you already know that I'll be staying here for the next few days. Other than that, I'll be looking to take some quests at the adventurer's guild. So I'm not sure where I might end up."
"That's fine. The guard tends to keep a line of communication open with the guild in case either side starts trouble with the other."
"Does that happen a lot?" Sure, I can see drunk or scumbag adventurers causing trouble around town, but enough that they keep in contact? Yeesh.
Guessing at my thoughts, Sina shakes her head. "It's not that they cause trouble. Well, not directly. It's more that they are a bit..." She rolls her hand as she searches for the right word. "gung-ho? when it comes to 'adventuring work.'"
I tilt my head, ears twitching and tail swaying. "What's with the air quotes on 'adventuring work'? Is it not actual work?"
"No, it's not. Usually. Sometimes adventurers get quests to catch people, usually over unpaid debts or missing persons, but that's not what I'm talking about. Though those do cause trouble as well. But what I'm talking about are adventurers who stick their noses into every random dispute and act like they know better than the people involved."
"What do you mean?" It almost sounds like...
"For example, last week a couple was arguing over whether or not they would visit the man's family for the weekend. The wife was yelling about how she wouldn't go, and the man was yelling about them having no choice since it's a family gathering. Well, an adventurer nearby heard and attacked the man thinking that he was trying to abduct the woman. To sum up the aftermath, the adventurer was jailed for attacking a citizen, and the couple did not go to the family gathering."
"...So basically guards and the guild try to keep an eye on the self righteous idiots?"
"More or less." She shrugs. She stands and walks behind me. "Anyways Seka, it's about time for me to go. Make sure you take care of yourself and avoid any more trouble." She pats my head as she walks past and I roll my eyes.
"It's not like I look for trouble, trouble looks for me."
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After returning to the guard post, Sina is directed to the Captain's office.
"Sir!" Sina gives a brisk salute with her fist over her heart, eyes facing straight ahead.
"At ease lieutenant. What's your report on the catgirl?" The man behind the desk is not the human captain who was with Sina's squad the night before. That man was simply the captain of the squad. The man behind the desk is the Captain of the Guards, formally referred to as CG.
"Sir!" Falling out of her salute, Sina assumes a resting position wit her arms behind her now not as straight back.
"After departing the scene of the attack, we made our way to The Lady's Boutique. There we had dinner. After the meal she booked a room at the inn for four nights, three more as of this morning. She proceeded to retire to her room for the night and did not leave at any time thereafter. This morning we had breakfast and I got her plans before making my way here."
The man behind the desk nods, adjusting his half rimmed glasses with his middle finger before he speaks. "And what did you think of her as an individual, lieutenant? Be honest."
Sina takes a moment to collect her thoughts before responding. "She's an airhead with no clue about city life. She most likely has connections since she knows magic, as well as having a good amount of money. The gang that targeted her most likely thought she was an easy target due to her low level."
The CG sighs as he mutters his thoughts. "Probably the daughter of the mayor of some out of the way town fantasizing about being an adventurer. At least she's not some noble's brat playing adventurer."
He raises his voice back to normal volume. "No need to have her watched. Continue accompanying the squads as they make their rounds. Dismissed."
Sina salutes and leaves the room, her thoughts on the CG's words. Normally he has an eye for individuals who can cause trouble, but Sina can't shake the feeling that he's wrong about Seka. Maybe she'll keep an eye out while she makes the rounds...