The Legendary Monster Layer!

“It’s perfect timing, too,” Ari said. “Since there’s an influx of people coming to Molehill for the dungeon, nobody will think twice about you four, even if you come off as odd.” She paused. “Not that I’m calling you … odd.”

“We are,” Silvana said, amused at Ari’s tip-toeing. “All this,” she gestured around at them, “isn’t normal. Even we think it’s weird.”

A collection of nods. Ari knew they’d said as much before, with her Menagerie being entirely aware of their bizarre origin, but still. It felt rude to point it out, even if Ari was doing so in a practical sense—to address their future.

“Right,” Ari said, moving past it. “But backstories. Do you want me to come up with them? Or do you guys … remember enough, to make them yourselves?”

“We don’t know locations,” Lori said. “I’d assume we’d need to study geography, to be able to invent a backstory. To choose hometowns, or which country we’re from. Then, we’ll need to get a handle on common knowledge topics if we want to pass scrutiny.” She shrugged. “Or, the easier solution—we could rebuff anyone who tries to speak with us.” Her ears twitched, and she seemed satisfied with that idea. “Hm. I like that plan more. I’m not interested in exploring your society.”

Claire seemed contemplative, like she didn’t agree with Lori's perspective. “I think I would, though? It seems interesting, the more I think about it. But yeah … not giving ourselves away could be hard.”

“I’ll help you out, then,” Ari said. “I need to get Silvy those textbooks, so when I get a chance, I’ll pick up some general knowledge books at the same time.” A bit ago, Silvana had mentioned her newest skill, an ability that helped memorize information related to building stuff. [Memorize], Ari thought it’d been called. It would help Silvy become a better crafter, which would be invaluable in the following weeks. The burrow had a long way to go.

Which was another topic they needed to hammer out. The future of the burrow, how they wanted to lay out their new home, and their long terms plans with it. But like Ari had said, they had a lot to go over. So she stayed focus: she needed to finish one topic before straying to the next.

“Backstories and disguises,” Ari repeated. “Those might take a second to perfect, but disguises are easier.” The word ‘disguises’ might even be putting it too strong. Really, all they needed was to cover up their animal traits. And Claire, maybe her hair? Though, odd hairstyles weren’t something critical to hide. Her black-and-yellow stripes would be a novelty, but not suspicious. “Do we have enough helmets to go around? That aren’t uncomfortable? Or should I pick hats from the market? And a cloak, maybe? So you wouldn’t have to stuff your tails down your pants.”

“We’ve got helmets,” Lori said. “And we don’t need one for each of us. I’m assuming only one or two of us will need to visit Molehill at a time.”

That was true. “Then, maybe tomorrow I can take some of you there. Show you around. Be your buffer from scrutiny.” Ari chewed her lip. “Or maybe it’s better if we don’t associate? If you explore yourselves, and don’t socialize much, at least to start with, it might be safer. People wouldn’t think twice about it, either. There’s lots of strangers milling around Molehill, and being a bit brusque won’t be unusual. Though, it might give you an unfriendly reputation.”

“Whatever’s fine,” Silvana said with a shrug. “But I agree with Claire, if for a more practical purpose. I’d like to check out the market. I can improvise building supplies if I need to, but buying it pre-made would be easier. And faster.” She rubbed her chin. “Are there tiles at the market? Wooden planks? Other general construction supplies?”

“Probably? There has to be.” Molehill wasn’t objectively a big town, not compared to some other cities, but it was bustling enough. Ari hadn’t checked out that section of the market. She might have to look around. “We can figure it out. Though without being suspicious … that’ll be trickier.”

“Suspicious?” Claire asked. “Why?”

“People’ll wonder why we’re carrying off building supplies into the forest,” Ari said dryly. “Not that it’s any of their business … but people talk.”

“And?” Lori asked. “Who cares?”

Lori’s line of reasoning continued to be one-track. To be fair, there was merit to it. Ari didn’t wholly disagree. She doubted Molehill’s curiosity would go much past intrigue … but even so, it might be worth worrying over.

“Either way, we’ll have to deal with it, I suppose. We’ll want to buy supplies. No getting around it. Better to get things comfy, here, and risk some talk. This’s our home for the foreseeable future. And speaking of which … we should talk about layout.” Ari’s eyes gravitated, of course, to Silvana, the woman in charge of construction. “I’m assuming we’ll want bedrooms, a workshop, a storage room, a common room …” Ari paused, realizing something. She laughed. “Well, we’ll want a guild, won’t we? We’re a group of adventurers, living under the same roof. Most rooms a guild has, we’ll want.”

“Bedrooms?” Claire asked. “I thought we were sharing?”

“I’m happy to,” Ari said. “But I’m assuming things could get pretty cramped, especially as we grow … and privacy is important, for when someone wants it. But my room’ll always be open.” Ari briefly imagined a great big bed, snuggled in by her entire Menagerie … and Elise too. Now, there was a dream to look forward to.

“Bedrooms, a workshop, a treasury,” Silvana repeated. “That’s a lot of work. Not that I’m complaining. But it’ll take a while.”

“Exactly. So we’re planning and prioritizing. What’s first? Do we straighten up the central room,” Ari waved around at the space they stood in, where the stairway down led into, and the only room in the burrow thus far, “or do we get straight to carving out a few bedrooms? Maybe just a master bedroom, and one or two smaller ones, for peace and quiet? For whoever wants it?”

The planned smaller bedrooms were, primarily, for the sake of Lori. The rest of the Menagerie seemed comfortable being in constant company. And while Lori didn’t seem like she was fraying at the edges with their cramped accommodations, Ari thought she would definitely want a way to relax by herself. Some solitude. And if not Lori, then someone else, down the line, would. People had different preferences for socialization, and Ari wanted to properly host each of the monstergirls she brought into her Menagerie.

“Hm,” Silvana said. “Doesn’t matter to me, I suppose. Just let me know what I need to do.”

“Well?” Ari asked, looking around. “Preferences? What’s our goal with the burrow?”