SMASH or PASS

Morning. The guild.

Yenna processed the bounty claim at window three. She stamped each apprehension form, cross-referenced the Soot Claws posting, and counted out the silver with her tail holding the forms while her hands managed the coins.

"Twelve in one night." She looked at me. "That’s... impressive for a Copper-rank solo operation."

"I had help."

"The wolfkin." She nodded. She’d seen Fenra at the door. "Makes sense. Still. Most bounty hunters bring a full team for a gang disruption... You brought a dog."

"She’s not a dog."

"Right. Sorry." She slid the silver across the counter. "The Patchwork district rep will file the formal charges. Your involvement will be noted in the guild’s quarterly security report. That’s good for your rank progression."

"How good?"

"Iron rank requires fifty quest completion credits. You have..." She checked a file. "Twelve. Between the rat extermination, the breeding contracts, and now this bounty, you’re at about twenty-five percent." She closed the file. "You’re climbing."

"Not fast enough."

"Nobody climbs fast enough. That’s by design." She smiled. "The guild makes money while you wait."

◇◇◇

Back at the apartment.

Fenra went straight to bed and curled up. Work mode switches off in an instant. Her tail was wagging to celebrate my return, but she was already half asleep.

Pixia landed on the windowsill and said "That was fun! We really kicked their asses!"

’You were just watching from a distance the whole time...’

Wait, wasn’t that just what I did too?

Regardless...

I think it’s time to check the new twins out.

To be honest, I’m happy they warent Leanne and leana. Would’ve been really awkward.

"Summon."

One of the twins, the one named ’Sable’ appeared in the center of the room. Mid-hiss. Her ears were flat, her claws were out, and she was already swinging at empty air where a threat had been half a second ago from her perspective.

Then she stopped. Looked around. Saw the apartment. Saw me.

"What the FUCK just happened?" She stared at me. "I was sitting on a perfectly good pile of stolen shit and then I was NOWHERE and then I’m HERE." She pointed at me. "Did you do this?"

"Yeah."

"HOW?"

"Long story."

She looked around the apartment again. Taking stock. Her ears rotated. Her nose worked. She noted the one window, the narrow bed, Fenra watching from the corner with flat ears.

"...You live here? Seriously? The abandoned building I was squatting in was better."

Saying whatever she wants.

"Behave."

"Fine... fine." She grinned. "Okay. So you’re the new boss? You don’t look like much. But you’ve got a wolfkin and apparently the ability to teleport people, so." She cracked her knuckles. "I’ve worked for worse."

"New boss? you seem in good terms with whatever happened to you."

She laughed. "I don’t know why but there’s something deeply in my unconscious tells me follow evrey single order you give, weird."

Yup. I did guess that the system may have such effect on stored items.

"You don’t feel any sort of existential crisis?" I asked.

"Nah? well, not really. Now you mention it... it’s sort of weird but... Nah."

Well, that’s interesting.

I summoned the other Catkin.

She appeared behind Sable. Exactly where she’d been in the den. In her sister’s shadow. She started trembling, ears flat, tail tucked tight against her legs. Her eyes were wide and wet and she wasn’t looking at me or the apartment or anything. She was looking at her Sister.

"Silk. Come here. It’s okay. I’m here."

She pulled Silk close and held her. She stroked her trembling ears. "There, there. It’s going to be okay. We’re together."

Silk made a small sound. Without any words, just the sound of a cat seeking comfort.

"That’s my girl. We’re fine. Breathe."

Sable held her sister for a full minute. Silk’s trembling slowed. Her ears unclenched slightly. Her tail loosened from its death-grip around her own leg.

Sable looked at me over Silk’s head. The grin was gone. "If you hurt her, I’ll claw your eyes out. Boss or not. I don’t care what powers you have. You touch her wrong and I’ll find a way."

"...Noted." Does the system brainwashing have limits?

"Good." She went back to stroking Silk’s ears. Silk’s breathing had steadied. Her ears were still flat but her tail had loosened.

"Now," Sable said, not letting go of Silk. "Are you going to explain what the hell just happened, or do I have to guess?"

I hesitated but a strange thought came to my mind.

’What if I explained the system to captured women?’

It was worth seeing the outcome of it no?

◇◇◇

"So we’re... items. In your collection."

"Essentially."

"And we give you ’stat bonuses’. Just by existing near you."

"In inventory. Not near me."

"So we sit in your magic pocket dimension and you get stronger?" She looked at Silk. Silk looked back. "And her too?"

"Both of you."

"How much stronger?"

"Plus one Agility each. Small individually. It compounds with more acquisitions."

She crossed her arms. "What happens if you die? Do we get stuck in the pocket dimension forever?"

I didn’t have an answer for that. The system hadn’t addressed it.

"You don’t know." She read my face. "Great. Our continued existence depends on someone who doesn’t know what happens to us if he gets hit by a cart." She looked at Silk. "We’ve had worse bosses."

Silk made a small sound. It might have been agreement.

"Tell me about the gang," I said.

"The Soot Claws?" Sable shrugged. "Not much to tell. The old boss ran the operation. Petty stuff. Protection, theft, the breeding service. We joined two years ago because the alternative was starving on the street." She scratched behind Silk’s ear absently. "Silk and I grew up in the Patchwork. Our mother was a commune catkin. She died when we were twelve. Fever. The commune didn’t have medicine money. After that it was the street, and after the street it was the Soot Claws."

"What did you do for the gang?"

"I stole things. I’m good at stealing things. Fast hands, good eyes, and I look innocent." She grinned. The grin was not innocent at all. "Silk handled the stolen goods. She’s good at organizing. Sorting. Making piles look neat. The old boss liked having pretty things displayed well. Silk made the stolen pretty things look like a real shop instead of a crime scene."

Silk pressed closer against her sister. Sable’s arm tightened.

"Silk doesn’t talk," Sable said, quieter now. "She used to. When we were kids. She was chatty. Funny. She did impressions of the commune women. Then our mother died and she stopped." She stroked Silk’s ear. "The healers in the Patchwork said it was in shock. Temporary. That was eight years ago." She shrugged. "She communicates fine. She just doesn’t use words. Nods, gestures, sounds. I can translate to you if needed."

Silk looked at me. For the first time, directly. Her eyes were the same color as Sable’s but the expression was entirely different.

She pointed at Fenra. Then at me. Then made a small gesture with her hand. Sable translated.

"She’s asking if the wolfkin is yours the way we’re yours."

"No."

Sable nodded then stretched, cracking her knuckles. "Alright, boss. What are your orders?"

"Don’t run. Don’t steal from me or Fenra. Follow basic instructions."

She shook my hand. Her grip was strong for a Common-tier catkin. "Deal. Now where’s the food? We haven’t eaten since yesterday and Silk needs to eat or she gets shaky. She gets shaky and I get angry and nobody wants that."