I hear a small noise from inside the pantry, almost like something is rummaging around, so I move the pot out of the heat. “Probably just a mouse,” Shiva says clearly uninterested.

“Well we should at least find out,” I sigh while picking up a knife from the block nearby.

“Wha-,” Leyla calls as am I am approaching the door, but I before she can finish her question I reach for the door where I can still hear a rustling sound. I grab the handle and fling the door open.

Sitting in the floor is a young, rather dirty, Kitsune girl with a single brown tail, and brown hair that goes to her shoulders that might be curly if washed, with a cracker in her mouth looking up at me fearfully with big blue eyes.

“Just a stray,” I sigh.

“And just what was the knife for anyway?” Shiva accusingly questions me.

“If a mouse was stealing my food it was going to die.”

After a moment of looking up at me the girl starts to cry, and Leyla moves over and looks over my shoulder, “What’s going on?”

“Looks like we have a stray,” I shrug while moving back over to the counter, dropping the knife back into the block as I pass by it.

“Shh,” she coos while bending over, “Don’t cry it’s okay.”

“Who is crying?” Iris asks in a panic from the door and when I look over at her she her hair is sticking off to the side, and I point over to the pantry where Leyla is attempting to calm the girl down, “Where did she come from?”

“To the best of my knowledge; the pantry,” I start to peel potatoes, "Or should we have the talk?"

“That’s,” she starts to say and then sighs before continuing, “Ever so very informative.”

“Well it is all we know about her.”

“See it is alright,” Leyla whispers and out of the corner of my I see her step away from the door with the girl in her arms, and she is gently rubbing her back.

“I would have guessed the healer would have been more maternal,” Shiva sounds amused.

“It isn’t really all that strange though, just think about how she acted when I pretended to cry,” I tilt my head to the side, as the girl starts to calm down, “So what are we going to do with her?”

“That is a very good question,” Iris moves over to my side, “Any suggestions for the situation?”

“It is a bit late but one of the temples will likely still take her as a charge,” I shrug my shoulders and as I say this the girl starts to cry in full force again, and I turn around.

“Ohh, it’s all right,” Leyla coos while bouncing her slightly, “Why don’t ya tell us where your mama and papa are?”

“S-sumi and kumo a-awe,” the girls stutters around her tears before crying more and burying her face in Leyla’s chest.

“So she is an-,” Iris stops with a catch in her voice as she clasps her hands in front of her chest.

“Orphan,” I finish for her, “That would be why I called her a stray.”

“Meanie,” she digs her elbow into my side causing me to gasp and bringing tears to my eyes, and she almost immediately steps in front of me looking panicked and she says, “Oh my; are you okay? I didn’t think about your injuries-”

I put my finger on her lips to hush her as I blink the tears away, “It’s fine, but we still have the problem of what we are going to do with her.”

“Well why don’t we give her some food while we work that out?” she watches Leyla and the girl.

“Food won’t be done for a while,” I sigh, “So go give her a bath in the meantime.”

“Hmm?”

“She stinks and I won’t have that amount of dirt at the table either,” I point while putting my other hand on my hip, “and while you’re at it try and find something clean for her to wear.”

“I’ll give her a bath,” Leyla says, before turning and heading out of the kitchen all the while talking to the girl, “See everything is goin ta be okay…”

“I suppose I will see if I can find something she can wear,” Iris shakes her head and follows her sister out of the kitchen.

“Such a mad house some days,” I yawn while going back to preparing dinner.

“I’m sure those girls say the same thing about you,” Shiva snickers in my ear.

“I’m home,” Melodiana calls from the other room, and then I hear footsteps as she walks this direction.

“How did it go?” I drop the potatoes in the pan before turning to the small pile of vegetables.

“You should have been there as well,” she sighs, sitting down on the stool near me, “The Priminade called for all of us because they wanted to discuss our rewards.”

“So what are they going to give us?” I find myself only semi interested in their decision.

“Well they are going to give us a small amount of funds for our efforts, we can put in new requisition forms, and they offered all of us new housing if we wanted it but I told them we were fine.”

“W-what about the feast?” I feel defeated having only my request ignored.

“They are going to hold a ball instead, and they will provide the feast there,” she shrugs her shoulders.

“A ball?” I feel my heart drop even farther.

“Indeed, we are all supposed to have our finest attire and they ask that we have escorts.”

“That’s not what-,” I sigh, “They could have just made a table of food and said here you go.”

“I think your definition of feast is very different from the rest of the cities,” Melodiana laughs, “Oh by the way Miss Steele said to show up in a nice gown, with an escort, or she was going to be very upset, as the city is spending a large amount of money on us and for the repairs from the battle.”

“I don’t even have a ball gown, or the money to get one,” I mumble, “And where am I supposed to find an escort? And how long do we have?”

“The end of the month,” Melodiana picks up an apple from the counter and begins to eat it.

“So a shopping trip is in order,” Shiva sounds ecstatic at the thought, “Let’s find an absolutely wonderful dress.

“We can worry about that later,” I sigh, “For tonight let’s worry about the stray.”

Leyla walks back into the dining room with water dripping from her hair, and in clean clothes. The girl in her arms is now wearing a plain blue shirt, that is far too big for her and has a small knot tied in it to keep it up.

“She seems to have calmed down now,” I put the pot into the middle of the table.

“Aww she’s such a cute child,” Shiva gushes over her.

“You didn’t have to take a bath as well,” I look at Leyla as I set the table.

“Ah it’s fine,” She waves it off, “Needed ta take one anyway, and it made it easier ta give Fiona one as well.”

“Is that her name or is that what you decided to call her,” Iris sounds slightly exasperated as she comes in from the sitting room.

“Of course it is her name,” Leyla argues and the girl looks around bashfully, before focusing on the pot when her gaze goes across it, “It isn’t like she is a dog or something we picked up.”

“Hmm who is that?” Melodiana comes in through the front door while wiping sweat off of her forehead.

“Fiona,” Iris rests her chin in the palm of her hand as she sits at the table, “We are trying to figure out what to do with her.”

“Surely it is simple,” Melodiana gives us a look as if it is the most obvious thing in the world, “We just need to take her to her pa-,”

“That isn’t an option,” I cut her off before she upsets the girl again, “So how about we eat and then we can take her to one of the temples like I said before?”

“That seems cruel,” Melodiana sits down.

“Meanie,” Iris calls from across the table and she sticks her tongue out at me.

“Heartless witch,” Leyla coldly scolds me while sitting the girl down into the seat next to Iris before sitting between me and her.

“Why am I the villain here?” I complain about my treatment.

“Because you are cold and logical,” Shiva teases.

Leyla pours the stew into the bowl she picked up and she puts it back in front of the girl, “Here ya are.”

The girl looks around shyly and mumbles, “Thank you,” before she picks up a then spoon and gently brings it to her mouth. After she takes a small bite her eyes quickly light up and she pulls the bowl closer and starts to eat quickly.

Iris giggles and pulls the bowl away from her gently, “If you eat so fast you will give yourself an upset stomach.”

“When was the last time you had a proper meal?” Melodiana asks between bites of her own stew and the girl shrugs her shoulders.

I take small bites from my bowl while I look around the table, Leyla is gently stroking the girl’s hair as she eats her own food, and Iris is channeling Magik into a glyph. “I assume she is checking her health,” Shiva guesses.

As the girl finishes eating she yawns and turns toward Leyla and looks up at her and then down at her lap before quickly looking away. Leyla puts her spoon down and adjusts before lifting the girl up into her lap, before she goes back to eating around the girl snuggling under her arm. Within minutes the girl is asleep in Leyla’s lap.

“So what are we going to do about the situation?” Melodiana quietly looks between us.

“We could…,” Leyla's voice drops as she looks down at the girl before she looks up and stares me down saying, “We are keeping her.”

Before I can say anything Melodiana shrugs, “I don’t have any objections; the only issue is that we don’t have any extra beds for her to stay in.”

“Th-,”

“She can just take turns sleeping in all of our beds,” Iris immediately follows her up cutting me off.

“Wh-,”

“Or she can just use my bed,” Leyla nods proudly, “I sleep in the workshop on quite a few nights.”

“Am I not allowed to speak anymore?” I cluck my tongue in irritation.

“They are just concerned about the poor girl,” Shiva laughs at me, “And I know you are as well since you didn’t chase her out of the house.”

“Well she can’t just keep wearing our clothes either,” Iris tilts her head, “We could talk to Alice and see if she has anything that would fit.”

“I can make a few simple things as well,” Leyla says excitedly.

There is a moment of silence around the table as the girls nod their heads to each other and I take my opportunity, “We can’t afford another mouth right now.” They all pause and turn their sharp gazes to me.

“Surely it isn’t that much,” Leyla watches me.

“Do the three of you even realize the amount that you eat together?” I pull my knees into my chest, “Why do you think that I had to raise our funds last month?”

“Haven’t prices gone up since it is gotten colder?” Melodiana sounds disinterested in the answer.

“Plus Melodiana and I don’t have any proper income due to our injuries,” I start ticking off points on my fingers while ignoring their gazes, “Iris is still considered an apprentice so she doesn’t make a large amount either, and while Leyla gets paid well per project she doesn’t complete projects fast enough to be a reliable source of income.”

“We did just earn a bonus for destroying the ghoul,” Melodiana nods as she begins to fill her bowl up again, “That should hold us over until we are healed enough to continue working.”

“Well there that will solve the money issues,” Leyla triumphantly declares and as she moves the girl in her lap stirs. Leyla gets a small look of surprise on her face before she starts to gently bouncing the girl while rubbing her back.

I sigh while rubbing my temple and Iris speaks up, “It’s really not all that different from your situation in the past is it?” I freeze up as she asks this and she looks at me sincerely, “It won’t hurt much, and I know you think she would be better off with one of the churches or you wouldn’t have suggested it, but we can provide better for her than any group that has to take care of multiple orphans.”

There is silence around the table as they all look at me waiting on my response. I sigh and stand up from the table and as I turn and walk towards the back of the room I call over my shoulder, “Fine do whatever you want.”