Myrr: Reincarnated Timemage Assassin

Chapter 85: Yes, My Master!

"MEERA!" I call out as I open the back door. Doubtless, after spending the better part of the night talking to the masked man, there's probably been some damage. I'd like to hope that they kept out of the expensive products, but I'm mentally prepared for total annihilation. Pushing through into the storeroom, I find two sleeping Demi-Cat sisters and one exceptionally sleepy Rainstopper. When I enter, Meera swings around, her crumpled dress fluttering. Her drowsy eye blinks at me, while the heart on her eyepatch twitches.

"YES, MY MASTER!" she yells boldly while leveling something in her hand at me like a dagger. However, the thing in her hand isn't the color of steel, rather it's yellow and suspiciously triangular in shape with a bite taken out of the tip...isn't that...? "What is your order?!"

"Meera..." I sigh.

"What? I wanted to try calling you Master for once. You let the Demi's do it!" Meera replies while striking a pose and puffing out her chest indignantly. She's still pointing the thing in her hand at me, but it's definitely not a knife. Hehe she really has no idea!

"You don't get it. It's important to them...look, it's hard to explain. They were slaves, Meera. You're not..." I trail off, unable to find an answer.

"What am I then?" she growls, but I'm just trying not to laugh.

"My...employee?"

"Hmph!"

"Anyways, that's not the point. Meera, you're holding the Gruyere..."

"Oh...woops!" Her eyes follow my gaze to her outstretched hand. Realizing that she's still holding a wedge of half-eaten cheese instead of one of her knives, Meera clears her throat and smoothly tosses it into her mouth. Struggling to hold her smile as she chews through a truly giant bite, Meera materializes a proper dagger into her newly freed hand. "There we go! I gotchu, Boss! Who needs killing!"

"For the love of...why is it so hard to find good help?" Resisting the urge to facepalm, I rub my temples. Standing to my full height, I just pat her shoulder while checking on the two sleeping Demi-Cats on the floor. "Did you enjoy your birthday celebration?"

"Yup!" Meera chimes. Glancing guiltily at the destruction done to my storeroom, she hesitantly asks with yellow-stained-lips, "Hey, I'm still your number one employee, right? Look, I know it looks bad, but it's really not...I mean okay, maybe we didn't need to open the sixth wheel-"

"Sure, Meera..." I tell her, still mentally adding up the damages. One block of the nice pepper-jack, looks like most of the aged cheddar is gone, and I don't even see the Swiss...damn, they really found that? Sighing, I reach down towards a tiny snoozing Demi-Cat, curled up on the floor, and haul her into my arms. Nya twitches a bit but fails to wake up, her cheese-induced overdose has her in a near coma. She reminds of how Natalia was at this age. Bouncing with energy one second and dropping dead asleep the next. Pointing down at Kisa's heavier, full-grown figure, I direct Meera, "You take her. Let's get them to bed."

"Got it!"

Carefully, I carry the younger Demi-Cat out while Meera handles her older sister. Both of the girls sleep soundly, mumbling a bit, but stay in dreamland. I'm not entirely sure what their conditions were as slaves, but it seems that they find the shop to be something of a safe haven. Seeing them at peace like this, no matter how much damage Nya and Kisa cause, I think it'd be hard for me to get rid of them at this point. Plus...compared to a certain someone who's supposed to be my protection...at least they do their jobs. Hmm...maybe I need to consider getting more Demi's...

"...Master is the best! Cheese is guud!" Nya mumbles as I deposit her in her twin bed. Next to me in the other bed, Meera does the same with Kisa. After they're tucked in, we tiptoe out and close the door. When we pass by Meera's room on the way back to the storeroom, I hold open the door for her. Just because I forgot your birthday.