(3rd person PoV)
"Fey, Ouros, the rest of you, go hunt monsters on your own. If you faced any danger or if an adventurer attacked you, run back to me. Roger that?" Henryk had just entered the dungeon with his party. He wanted to adventure with his monsters, but him being with them might hinder their hunting efficiency. They were a group of strong monsters. They would hunt faster if not for him slowing them down.
"ARF" Ouros replied as the representative of the kobolds.
"But Fey wants to hunt with papa?" Fey made her best impression of puppy eyes, her eagle eyes.
"Fey, no matter how cute you are, I can't be hunting with you today" Henryk said while backing away from the lethal dose of cuteness with his arms raised in futile defense.
"oooh" Fey's head was lowered in dejection.
"Don't feel dejected yet, my little girl. I'll hunt with you the next time. Today, go with them and be their guard. Get stronger by eating magic stones and we can see the results of your growth later. I'm rearing to see how much you'll grow till then, my sweet cinnamon roll" Henryk gave her his best smile and petted her head.
"Yay! Fey'll hunt with papa tomorrow! Ouros, let's go. Fey must be strong, so Fey can hunt with papa!" Fey grabbed Ouros by the back of the neck and the other kobolds followed. The kobolds agreed to protect their mistress... sister? They were sure to succeed with their leader, Ouros, there.
"How fast can children grow again? She was just a little, sweet and small bird when she hatched seven years ago... *sigh* Let's go, captain?" Henryk said, his gaze lingering where the bunch disappeared behind a corner.
"You look like a father now, you know that?" Welf commented.
"What am I if not her father?" Henryk said as they were walking to another corridor, different to the one the others went down.
"So, today's plan is to stay on the third floor. Both me and Henryk need to raise our stats not to fall behind" Bell said while unsheathing his knife.
They forgot about the thing called limits yet again today.
(Line Break)
"Papa? Why is papa covered in blue spots? Will they go if Fey licks them?" Fey, ever the sweet heart, wanted to clean Henryk of those blue spots that looked dirty.
"No, Fey. Those are bruises. Touching them hurts, actually" Henryk taught her what the blue spots were.
"Fey can't help papa?" Her eyes started watering.
"Calm down, my sweet girl. You can help me by letting me ride your back to the surface" Henryk said with a painful pang in his chest.
"Yay! Fey can help papa!" She was so happy it made Henryk feel guilty.
'Is there no other way to make her happy? I feel like scum for using my little girl like this, even if it was her way to help' Henryk felt like human scum for telling her to let him ride her back like a horse. 'I'll think of other ways to make her happy in the future' He thought with determination.
"What say you, we go have dinner together, my daughter?" Henryk wanted to make it up to his girl. A meal should do for now.
"Anything can be yummy when papa's eating with Fey" Fey said with childish joviality.
"You are too sweet, my girl" Henryk hugged her neck. It made her feel closer to her papa, made her happier.
"Should we leave them like that?" Welf was blankly pointing at the father-daughter duo while looking at Bell.
"Such a harmonious family. We will protect their bond" Bell was beyond charmed at this point. He did not hear Welf.
"ARF ARF" The kobolds agreed with Bell's opinion. Protecting the master and his daughter was a self-imposed must for them.
"My dear daughter, I know just the place" Henryk said. He remembered a place he was told about until his eardrums bled.
"Let's go, papa. Fey wants to eat with papa" Fey was anticipating the meal they will share.
(Line Break)
"Sir, I want to cloth my monsters" Henryk visited a clothes shop first. He was not about to leave humanoids naked in the city. They were wearing loincloths, but that did not suffice. Although, Fey is a bird and then became a hippogriff. As her body was all animal parts, she did not particularly need clothes by default. The kobolds' situation was different.
"We cannot accept this" The shop owner was shaking in fright. What does a monster tamer want to do with monsters that wear clothes? 'Just leave. I cannot stand the presence of monsters in my shop. They may rip things apart, not to mention my reputation'
"Don't worry. We have the Ganesha familia approval to roam the city with these guys. I don't want to subject the civilians to a naked humanoid like my kobolds" Henryk explained in more detail. 'That should move him, even if he was scared'
"Fey's brothers need clothes. Papa wants to give it to Fey's brothers to be prim and proper, right?" Fey was eager to give her brothers a cool outfit or two, like her father's. Blanc, upon hearing the 'prim and proper' part was getting more interested.
"Not "prim and proper" per see. I want them to learn the need to cover themselves with more than just a loincloth" Henryk corrected her.
He will have a long way to correct every last one of her mistakes. He was determined to accomplish just that. As for the kobolds, they were wearing loincloths, not enough of a cover.
"As you wish, sir" 'What did I do in my life to meet this crazy bastard? Wanting to teach monsters what being proper is? Don't joke with me! I will just give him what he wanted and kick him out'
After taking their measurements, with the tailor whose heart could have stopped at any given moment, their outfits were chosen and adjusted for their builds. They were all wearing the same as their master's casual wear, a shirt with the same design.
They chose different colors for the embroideries. Ouros chose golden threads in place of the brown ones in his master's shirt. Mont chose black ones to compliment his fur, while the shirt itself was dark-grey. Blanc chose to have a silver shirt with a further regal golden hue for his shirt's embroidery. Noland chose cyan threads for his embroideries. The constant was that they were all the same embroidered pattern on Henryk's shirt.
(Line Break)
"This is the place" Henryk was standing before the Hostess of Fertility. 'It doesn't matter. I already fucked the timeline by having Welf join early. It makes no difference if we encountered the Hostess' staff early, too'
"Fey, wait a little outside. Can my daughter be patient?" 'Ah, my guilt. It hurts to tell her to wait alone, but she needs to wait a little' Henryk agonized at leaving her alone. Being lonely isn't something he wanted her to ever feel.
"Papa can rest assured! Fey has patience!" Fey puffed the chest of her eagle half out in pride. She was proud of her ability to wait patiently, supposedly.
"That's my girl" Henryk rubbed her feathers gently before going in.
"So, this is how the place actually looks" 'It wouldn't be weird to wear my shirt here, right? Meh, let it be' Henryk only walked a mere few steps in when a waitress noticed him and approached.
"Welcome, dear customer. Where would you like to sit?" A black-haired cat-person, Chloe Rollo, welcomed him to the bar.
"Where can I talk with the owner?" It was either that Henryk's choice was normal or that she could hide her shock well. It was probably the latter, as it was very rare to want to meet the owner on the first visit.
"You can sit by the counter, then. Allow me to lead you to your seat, sir" She said with a courtesy bow. She then walked him to an empty seat by the counter.
"Thanks, lady" Henryk thanked her and sat down.
"Are you an adventurer? your choice of outfit is a pretty unusual one, eh?" Mia was at the counter, cleaning the glass mugs like usual.
"Do I need to show off for no reason? I don't think it's necessary to do it, nor do I need to wear something that's not my casual wear" Henryk rolled his eyes. "Anyway, can I get a seat in the backyard? By the way, name's Henryk Williams. You can call me Henryk"
"Mia Grand. What do you need the backyard for?" Mia raised an inquisitory eyebrow at him.
"My daughter wouldn't fit here" He looked around. There were spaces that should be big enough to accommodate her, but she would not fit because of the adventurers present. They may eye her greedily.
"You have a daughter? At your age?" Mia was surprised. 'Look at him. Isn't he one energetic young man?' She was raising her eyebrows more. "Don't cha worry. I'll protect that daughter of yours, if the adventurers were your concern" She offered him. She wanted that daughter to be here, all so she could see what type of father he was.
"FEY, YOU HEARD HER! SHE SAID YOU CAN COME IN!" Henryk hollered for Fey to come in.
"YES, PAPA!" Fey broke through the front door and went to Henryk. She sauntered in while humming a cheerful tone, ignorant of the looks she was receiving. The silence that hung in the air was stifling.
Fey laid her head in his lap and started looking for a comfortable spot.
"Little girl, you should enter more calmly next time. The door might not be able to handle it" He caressed her feathers still. He ignored the others' shocked faces, Mia's included.
"Okay" Fey acknowledged his advice.
"You didn't say anything about your daughter being horse-sized" Mia said, not knowing if she should be apprehensive or impressed by the sheer amounts of audacity and nonchalance radiating off of him.
"That I didn't" Henryk said calmly, almost dismissively.
"... Neither being a monster" Mia further commented.
"That I also didn't. Can I order now?" Henryk brushed it aside. 'She did agree to have her inside'
"When are papa and Fey eating, papa?" Fey said.
"I... I'll keep my promise. The girl's under my protection" Fey's hopeful eyes and childlike soft voice won Mia over. Fey's drawn out words played an effect, too. "YOU HEARD THAT, YOU LOT? NOBODY HARMS THESE TWO IN MY BAR!!" Her booming voice echoed in the enclosed space a little.
'Thankfully, Mia accepted her. This's a start' Henryk thought.
"I want what papa eats" Fey wanted to match her papa.
'What should I order for her, though? I only really fed her raw meat up till now. But I guess that becoming a monster allowed her some more adaptability to human food, filled to the brim with spices. Just to be safe, I will order something light on the stomach' "Is grilled rabbit on the menu? If possible, make it with as little spice as possible. The drink I want is apple juice, please"
"Yay! Rabbit meat! Fey's favorite!" Fey's head snapped up and her eyes darted around in search of the rabbit.
"You heard the girl. How much is it?" Henryk smiled softly while watching Fey's energetic reaction.
"You pay when you're done eating" Mia said with a smile. Her usual smile. 'This one looks safe for now. Even if she's not, she's weaker than to cause trouble for most of my girls'
After a little wait, their food arrived. Mia has put a few too many rabbits on the plates. It was as if a dozen people ordered the food, not two.
"We... didn't order this much, though?" Henryk was speechless. Mia seems to be taking some petty revenge for him bringing a monster in.
"The girl laying her head in your lap looks like a beast!" Mia said with a thunderous laugh, a hand covering part of her mouth. "I bit she eats much like one would!" Mia was now holding a hand in front of what became a smug smile.
"FOOOOD!" Fey rejoiced at the sight of food. It was her favorite, rabbit meat. Henryk prepared cuts from it for her a few times, and they charmed her. She especially liked the hindlegs and the heart. Yes, some organs were brough out considering she requested them.
"Look at you. But why are you still laying do...wn?!" Henryk had an inkling of what she was going to request.
"Feed Fey. Fey wants papa to pamper Fey, papa" Fey looked up at him. It was all she needed to do.
"Why are you shaking so much?" Mia wondered. She watched as a young man like him shook beyond what was healthy for a moment.
"Fey's just too adorable. I can't deny those innocent eyes and this cute voice of hers. Ugh, mah heart, mah soul" Henryk held a hand over his heart and said with his eyes closed.
"Papa? Is papa in pain?" Fey was concerned about her papa's health. Why would his heart hurt?
"Don't worry, sweetie. I just find it hard to say no to you. You are too lovable" Henryk said with a voice that held back many emotions, all positive.
"PAPA!"
"FEY!"
They hugged. As in, Henryk bent down to encompass her head in a gentle hug.
"As touching as this scene's, you need to eat before it gets too cold" Mia reminded them. She then went to tend to her other duties around the bar.
"As you wish, honey" Henryk replied to Fey's request. He then started cutting her food into bits and feeding her first. Only when she was done eating, it was finally his turn to start eating. He was satisfied with a meal that Fey liked.
The adventurers there, the softer ones and those with younger siblings or other family members, started to whisper to themselves. An unspoken rule started to form between them. If anyone harmed the daughter unjustified, they would face no mercy. The others, those who aimed for a rare monster's magic stone and the fame it would bring them, heard the rumors a few days later. And in doing so, they stopped any thought of hunting it.
'This half rabbit should last me until morning. Then I can eat breakfast and my hunger will disappear. Rather, I should ask the important question' "My little girl, do you want anything else before we leave?" Henryk smiled softly at her relaxed face. Her eyes started closing a little.
"Fey wants papa to carry Fey home" Her words were slurred, drunk deeply of drowsiness.
"You see, my dear, Fey has grown up too big for papa to carry her" Henryk petted her while saying that gently, so he would not startle her sleepy self.
"Then Fey can do this. PIE!" Fey raised her head and started pealing, her size starting to shrink for odd reasons. "Papa can carry Fey home now" She then dozed off completely after climbing up to his lap.
(AN: No matter how many times I write Fey, this version of her will forever be the cutest, most adorable version. I just can't-... (Got a lethal heart attack. Cause: Fey cuteness overdose).)
"What can I do with this daughter of mine? She's just too adorable" Henryk ignored how she casually changed her size and rather focused on the fact that she was too adorable in his own view.
On the side, there was a lady gushing over Fey secretly.
"Stop this, you lovestruck father. Just take her home" Mia opened up a little more to Fey now. 'She's just some papa's daughter, huh? I guess she just looks different. No matter the race, a child's a child'
"Thank you for the food. It was one of the best out there" Henryk got up after coughing out a hefty sum of valis from his wallet. He thanked them for the tasty food then went out, carrying a housecat-sized Fey in his hands. He was caressing her feathers all the way home. It was something that sent her the best of dreams.
'Thank every god out there that, despite "Syr" being there, I didn't get bugged by her. Her teasing can get problematic' Syr was busy the entire time. Henryk chose the busiest time of the night by sheer chance. She still got to hear some of his conversations when she passed by.