Nyxian dismissed Echo the moment Solmere's outer lanterns came into view.
The tiny shadow ferret dissolved into purple mist, slipping back into her body like ink returning to a well.
She didn't even slow her stride.
"Necromancy-adjacent powers aren't exactly approachable," she muttered. "Last thing I need is a mob with torches because someone spotted my adorable murder-shadow."
Jax chuckled beside her.
"You say that like Echo is terrifying."
"He is terrifying," Nyxian agreed proudly. "And he's my terrifying."
Echo was an F ranked beast whose biggest threat was stealing food when a party left it unattended.
"Truly Frightening."
Nyxian not understanding Jax's sarcasm agreed with him. Proud. "I know."
The festival crowds were still lively as they entered the city gates. Music drifted through the streets while merchants shouted over one another beneath rows of glowing lanterns.
For the first time all day, Nyxian looked relaxed.
Confident.
Happy.
Not flirtatious-happy.
Accomplished-happy.
And Jax noticed the difference immediately.
"You're proud of yourself," he said.
Nyxian smirked sideways at him.
"I summoned a loyal shadow companion after spending six hours humiliating myself in the woods."
She folded her arms dramatically.
"Yes. I'm extremely proud of myself."
"You should be."
That answer came fast enough to surprise her.
Nyxian blinked once before her expression softened slightly.
"…Good answer."
They reached the inn not long afterward.
The suite door opened before Jax could even knock.
All three Vixens were waiting.
Bunny sat perched on the arm of a chair, ears twitching impatiently. Zee sat curled up on the couch with a book she clearly hadn't been reading. Llandra leaned against the far wall with carefully controlled calm that fooled absolutely nobody.
Bunny pointed immediately.
"Well?"
Nyxian blinked innocently.
"Well what?"
"Did you die?"
Nyxian gasped dramatically.
"Rude."
Then she grinned.
"Everyone out."
The room went silent.
"…What?" Bunny asked slowly.
"My turn," Nyxian said cheerfully while removing her cloak. "Jax and I are spending quality time together."
Bunny's ears flattened instantly.
"That's not fair! Zee and Lan got their training dates, and I had to climb a mountain!"
Nyxian paused thoughtfully.
"Well technically Jax and I were fighting monsters all day."
Her expression drifted briefly.
"…Actually trying to multitask during that sounds kind of hot."
Zee covered her face immediately.
"Nyxian…"
"But wildly impractical," Nyxian added.
Llandra stepped closer before things derailed further.
"What did you two actually accomplish today?"
Jax answered casually.
"Collected several B-rank corpses. Learned a few new things."
Nyxian's grin slowly widened.
"Oh?"
She turned dramatically.
"You want to know what I learned?"
Before anyone could answer—
"SUMMON."
Purple light exploded across the room.
Echo materialized directly in the middle of the suite floor in a swirl of dark smoke and glowing eyes.
The tiny shadow ferret immediately hissed.
Chaos followed.
"WHY IS THERE A SHADOW RAT?!"
"IT HAS RED EYES—"
"WHY IS IT LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?"
Echo puffed itself up aggressively and charged.
Not toward Jax.
Toward the Vixens.
Bunny shrieked and vaulted onto the couch in one leap.
Zee scrambled backward clutching her book protectively against her chest.
Even Llandra took an immediate tactical retreat.
"NYXIAN!" Bunny yelled. "CONTROL YOUR NIGHTMARE!"
Nyxian folded her arms smugly.
"Echo."
The ferret stopped instantly.
Then hissed one final time for emphasis.
Jax failed to suppress his laugh.
Llandra sighed heavily, already grabbing her bag.
"Fine. You can have the room."
Bunny pointed accusingly while climbing down from the couch.
"If that thing bites me, I'm punting it into another dimension."
Echo hissed again.
"See?! It understood me!"
Nyxian beamed proudly.
"It's learning."
Zee shook her head while heading toward the door.
"You two are terrifying together."
"Correct," Nyxian replied confidently.
Llandra paused beside Jax before leaving.
"…Try not to destroy the furniture."
Nyxian looked offended.
"We live here."
Then she glanced around thoughtfully.
"…Mostly."
The door finally closed behind the others.
Silence settled across the room.
Nyxian slowly turned toward Jax.
Jax immediately recognized that look.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
She practically tackled him.
Somewhere during the next few minutes:
a chair tipped over
someone knocked over a pillow basket
Echo panicked and vanished beneath the couch
Jax laughed at least twice
Nyxian declared herself victorious over "training fatigue"
The suite became progressively louder.
Not dangerously loud.
Just… energetic.
Echo eventually peeked out from beneath the couch.
The tiny shadow creature had witnessed:
predators
death
combat
sacrifice
It was entirely unprepared for romantic enthusiasm.
At one point it hid behind an overturned chair.
At another, it pressed itself dramatically against the wall while covering its own eyes with its tail.
The tiny ferret sensed no danger.
Only noise.
And movement.
And what appeared to be extremely aggressive affection.
Nearly two hours later, the suite finally fell quiet again.
When the Vixens cautiously returned afterward, the aftermath looked less like romance and more like a small weather event had passed through the room.
One chair sat upside down.
A blanket hung from the chandelier.
Several pillows had achieved escape velocity.
Jax stood in the center of the suite shirtless, calmly fixing furniture with the exhausted expression of a man who had accepted his fate in life.
Bunny peeked into the bedroom first.
Then froze.
Nyxian lay sprawled across the bed asleep beneath tangled blankets with the single most satisfied smile Bunny had ever seen.
Echo rested curled beneath her chin like a tiny shadow scarf.
Also asleep.
Bunny snorted loudly.
"I can handle Jax by myself."
Zee tilted her head thoughtfully.
"It appears she could not."
Llandra crossed her arms while studying the room carefully.
"…Could any of us?"
The three women slowly turned toward Jax.
Still standing.
Still awake.
Still casually repairing furniture.
They stared silently for several seconds.
Then—
"…Nope," they said together.
Jax sighed while setting the final chair upright.
"Glad we cleared that up."
Nyxian stirred faintly in the bedroom.
Echo chirped happily in its sleep.
And somewhere outside beneath Solmere's lantern-lit skies—
the festival finally came to an end.
Not with fireworks.
But with laughter.