Morning arrived slowly.
Mostly because Bunny and Llandra had decided sometime before sunrise that waking Jax up early was apparently a team activity.
Jax wasn't complaining.
That alone made it a good morning.
The bed itself looked like the aftermath of a territorial dispute.
Despite being absurdly large, every single person in the room had somehow migrated toward the exact center during the night. Blankets tangled together. Pillows had vanished beneath bodies. Someone's leg was across his waist.
Jax was reasonably sure one of Bunny's ears had smothered him at some point during the night.
Echo looked exhausted.
That made absolutely no sense.
Shadow companions weren't supposed to get tired.
Yet the tiny ferret currently lay sprawled dramatically across Nyxian's chest like a warrior returning from battle.
Jax decided not to question it.
Very carefully, he extracted himself from the pile of warm bodies and slipped from the bed without waking Zee or Nyxian.
Bunny stirred immediately anyway.
"So warm…" she mumbled sleepily while reaching toward where he'd been.
Llandra opened one eye slightly.
"You're escaping."
"I'm getting breakfast."
"That's acceptable."
Jax snorted quietly.
A few minutes later he returned balancing a breakfast cart loaded with fresh bread, fruit, eggs, tea, juice, and enough coffee to revive the dead.
The smell alone started waking the room.
Jax moved naturally through the suite setting everything up.
Coffee first.
Llandra's exactly how she liked it:
strong enough to qualify as military-grade.
Zee's sweeter blend next.
Then Bunny's fruit juice.
Hydration mattered after… activities.
Jax sat shirtless at the table afterward, relaxed and humming faintly while cutting into fresh bread.
The domesticity of it all hit him suddenly.
Weirdest life ever.
Not worst.
Definitely weirdest.
Bunny wandered out first wearing one of Jax's oversized shirts that hung nearly to her thighs. Her blue hair was an absolute disaster.
She looked adorable.
She immediately stole food from his plate.
"Good morning to you too," Jax said dryly.
"Mhm."
Bunny wasn't listening.
Food first.
Civilization second.
Llandra appeared moments later wrapped in a loose robe while somehow still looking elegant despite very obvious bedhead.
Jax handed her coffee immediately.
She accepted it with visible gratitude.
"I may love you."
"That's the caffeine talking."
"That too."
They settled at the table comfortably while the city outside slowly came alive beyond the windows.
"What's the plan today?" Bunny asked between bites.
Jax leaned back slightly.
"First stop is Brannic and Merriweather. Nyxian and I collected a pretty decent haul yesterday."
"B-rank materials?" Llandra asked.
"Several."
That got her attention immediately.
"Then Grathok after that," Jax continued. "And I want to check on some of the businesses around town."
Bunny's ears perked instantly.
"Can we come?"
Jax blinked once.
"Why wouldn't you?"
That answer visibly pleased both women more than he expected.
The bedroom door opened again.
Zee shuffled into the room wearing a slightly oversized nightgown while rubbing sleep from her eyes.
She looked halfway conscious.
Jax silently poured her coffee before she even reached the table.
Zee accepted the cup with a tiny grateful sound.
"…You're wonderful."
"I've been told."
"Mostly by yourself," Llandra noted.
Jax pointed at her without looking.
"Still counts."
Zee smiled softly while settling beside Bunny.
"What did I miss?"
"We're following Jax around town all day," Bunny announced proudly.
"Oh."
Zee brightened immediately.
"That sounds significantly better than combat training."
Llandra took a slow sip of coffee.
"That depends entirely on what kind of training occurs tonight."
The girls exchanged looks.
Then collectively tried very hard not to laugh.
Jax immediately became suspicious.
"…Why do I feel like I'm being discussed?"
"Because you are," Bunny answered honestly.
Fair enough.
The bedroom door opened one final time.
Nyxian stepped out stretching lazily while wearing only a pair of black panties and absolutely zero concern for anyone's blood pressure.
Echo remained draped around her shoulders like an exotic scarf.
The tiny shadow ferret looked deeply content with life.
Nyxian yawned dramatically.
"Did I miss anything important?"
Zee sipped her coffee calmly.
"Only round two."
Jax became intensely focused on buttering bread.
Llandra pointed at Echo instead.
"Is he staying with us permanently now?"
Nyxian immediately puffed out her chest proudly, causing Jax to become extremely concerned about possible shadow-ferret slippage.
"What?" she asked innocently. "You don't like him?"
Bunny had apparently completed a total emotional reversal overnight regarding Echo.
She immediately reached over and scratched beneath his tiny chin.
"Oh, I love him now."
Echo purred instantly.
"He's adorable."
Zee still looked cautious.
Llandra looked tactical.
Neither fully trusted the tiny shadow creature yet.
But they were trying.
Breakfast ended not long afterward.
Clothes replaced nightwear.
Armor replaced robes.
Echo eventually dissolved back into shadow-space after Nyxian promised him snacks later.
Then the five of them stepped back into Solmere together.
The city already buzzed with life despite the festival finally ending. Merchants reopened stalls. Workers repaired streets. Adventurers moved between guild halls carrying fresh requests.
And everywhere they went—
people noticed them.
Not just Jax anymore.
All of them.
The Vixens.
Their first stop was Brannic and Merriweather's shop.
The dwarf spotted them immediately.
"Jax, my boy!" Brannic boomed proudly. "Perfect timing!"
Merriweather flew over beside him in an explosion of glitter and energy.
"Oh my stars," she gasped dramatically. "You girls are glowing today."
Nyxian smirked immediately.
"Oh, we know."
Merriweather completely missed the implication.
"Well whatever training you've been doing, keep doing it."
Zee nearly choked on air.
Jax cleared his throat aggressively.
"Before that—materials."
Brannic's expression sharpened immediately.
"Oh?"
Jax opened his system.
The shop floor shimmered.
A massive gryphon corpse appeared first.
Then the serpent.
Then wolves.
Boars.
Magic Deer.
The pile grew rapidly.
Brannic stopped talking entirely.
"…Yesterday?" he finally asked.
"Yesterday," Jax confirmed.
"Nyxian and I."
Merriweather floated closer immediately, eyes sparkling.
"Oh these are magnificent."
She pointed rapidly while inspecting them.
"The gryphon talons."
"The serpent fangs."
"The mana channels in these deer antlers—"
Brannic folded his arms while staring at the haul.
"…You two are terrifying."
Nyxian looked deeply pleased by that statement.
"We know."
While Brannic and Merriweather began discussing materials and enchantment possibilities, Jax wandered through the front displays quietly.
Several empty racks caught his attention immediately.
Sold inventory.
Good.
Momentum.
That was what mattered most now.
Not one success.
Consistency.
Growth.
As the Vixens talked and laughed behind him, Jax glanced out through the shop windows toward the busy streets of Solmere.
The town felt alive now.
Not saved.
Not fixed.
But moving.
Forward.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
Jax truly felt like he was building something real.