8 Not surprised anymore

The soldiers cleared the path almost immediately and the crowd dispersed so that the traffic can clear up. The seven got on the cart with serious faces and didn't utter a word until they reached Matt's Inn. The Inn wasn't too big nor was it small. With a big sign 'Night's youth' hanging in front of the building, it had a bar on the first floor and the above two floors had rooms for people and staff to live in.

"This is it, lads. You don't have to work today, just get used to the place for today. Let's go in." Matt got down the cart and signalled the seven to follow him in.

"Daddy! You are back!" A little girl seemingly of around six to seven years of age ran towards Matt with an adorable expression, almost immediately as soon as they entered the Inn. Matt grabbed the little girl in delight and placed her on his shoulders with a bright smile.

"This is my daughter, Lily. Lily say hi to the brothers and sisters here." Matt looked at the group, with a proud expression,and tilted his head upward, signalling Lily to introduce herself.

"I am Lily and I am six years old Nice to meet you all." The cute and innocent smile of Lily turned the serious faces of the seven back to normal. Erina ran towards Lily and took her off Matt's shoulders. She held her tightly, giving a warm hug as if she was adoring something extremely cute. Lily grinned ear to ear looking at how friendly Erina was and hugged her back.

"Hahaha...It seems you all are going to fit right in. Lily, show them around our place and then take them to one of the rooms above we allot for workers. I will ask one of the maids to bring you something to wear for now." Matt patted Lily's head gently before heading towards the bar inside.

Lily replied with a small nod and a bright smile before showing the seven around the Inn. She took the seven around the place before heading towards the bar in the end. There weren't any customers as it was still early for people to come in and drink. There was a girl sweeping the floors and another woman behind the counter who didn't look like a worker.

Lily ran up to the lady behind the counter and called the lady by pulling the edge of her long gown.

"Mommy, these big brothers and sisters are going to be working for us from tomorrow onwards." Lily directed her gaze back to the group and said;

"This is my Mommy, Lisa." Lisa who was standing behind Lily bowed a little, showing that they were welcome here.

"Don't think my mom is rude. She can't speak." Lily sounded sad even though she had a smile plastered on her face. It was rare for children of that age to try and act strong. Her smile stung the hearts of the seven, who bowed back to Lisa.

"Ok, now let's head back upstairs. I will show you to your rooms."

"We have two rooms ready for you and four people can sleep in each room. This room is a bit bigger, so you four take this room and you three take that room. Daddy must have already arranged something for you all to wear, you can go take a bath and rest for the day, big brothers and sisters. You do remember the way to the open baths right?" Lily showed the seven to their rooms which were next to each other and left, after waving both of her hands in farewell.

"You three girls go and freshen up, we four will do the same as well. Let's meet up in our room in two hours." Leo sounded lifeless as he opened the door and entered the room boys were allotted to stay in. The rest of the gang had a similar face that displayed a hopeless expression except Erina, whose face turned back to normal.

The Inn was the same as any modern Inn on earth, with the only difference being the lack of any electrical appliances like air conditioners and lights. The room's interior and the bar, all looked almost the same as back on earth.

The boys and girls went into a separate Japanese style public bath for men and women, which was attached to the Inn. The two groups washed up and entered the large bathtub filled with water. The water was just at the right temperature.

"A lot happened in a day, hasn't it? " Clint, who was butt naked with only a small towel around his waist, said in a slow tone as he sat right across the other three who were already inside the bath.

"Don't. Not now. I don't want to talk about it right now, we will anyways in an hour or so. So, Just enjoy the bath for now, Clint." Sai sank a bit deeper into the bathtub as he said those words. The other three nodded acknowledging what Sai said and just relaxed in the tub without uttering another word.

But it wasn't the same as the Men's bath at the Women's bath. Erina was playing around in the bath and lightened the mood for the other two girls, who in turn joined in to calm themselves down as well.

The boys got out of the bath and dried themselves before wearing a simple t-shirt and a trouser that was already placed beside the bath for them. The girls wore a simple gown and met the boys outside the bath, who happened to have completed their bath at the same time.

"Big sisters and brothers, lunch is ready! Why don't you come and eat with us first?!" Lily called out to the seven, who were about to head to the boys' room for talking things out. The seven sat down side by side, on one side of the table, which was actually five tables joined together. There were six other workers beside themselves and the family of three at the table. The lunch was simple, with a few Japanese and western dishes.

'Not surprising to see our world dishes here anymore .' This was the meaning behind the same facial expression of the seven, except Erina who ate wholeheartedly.