The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

"I'm back!" Sienna shouted.

She secretly—or perhaps not so secretly—liked the reaction that sentence elicited.

First came the familiar sound of a chair being dragged backward, followed by excited footsteps.

Sienna put her bag by the door and stood up. She had just gotten ready when Teddy charged at her at full speed.

"Ouch!" Sienna exclaimed, staggering slightly. Teddy wrapped his arms tightly around her chest.

Then came a smaller impact, and Trinity bumped into Teddy twice.

Maple Leaf was the last to join in. She hesitated for a moment before coming over to hug and greet everyone.

"Hi."

“Hi,” Sienna replied.

"Do they always do this when you come back?"

Sienna looked up and saw Sam leaning against the wall, and her cheeks felt slightly hot.

“Yeah, they always do that,” Sienna said, trying to suppress her blush. She probably looked a little silly enjoying the attention.

However… she ruffled Teddy’s hair, hugged her back, then hugged Trinity, and then gave Maple a hug as well. After that… “Wait, where’s Athena?” Sienna asked.

“Uh…” Trinity said.

"And what about your other clone?" Sienna asked again.

It's quite possible that the two of them were just doing something else in the rest of the house.

Perhaps there's nothing to worry about. But Sienna learned from her painful experience that she couldn't ignore something just because it "might" not cause trouble.

Otherwise, she would face countless sleepless nights and migraines.

“Uh…” Trinity said, “Do I have to tell you?”

“Yes,” Sienna insisted. The more her sisters tried to hide it, the more trouble she would face.

Trinity couldn't look her in the eye. "My other self is in the bar."

“What?” Sienna asked.

“The bar,” Trinity repeated.

"No, I heard you. What were you doing at the bar? Which bar?"

“That’s the one five blocks over there,” Trinity said, pointing slightly to the side. “Athena and I are drinking there.”

“Wow,” Sam said.

Sienna shook her head. "You guys are drinking at a bar? Wait, what are you drinking?"

Trinity smiled. "Soda! The kind lady at the bar gave it to us."

Sienna relaxed a little. She didn't want to face her drunk sisters.

But then she became nervous because one-third of her sisters and another sister were at the bar.

“Why are you there?” Sienna asked.

“Oh,” Sam said.

Sienna looked up abruptly. "Oh?" she repeated.

“Well, maybe that’s partly my fault,” Sam said. “Trinity, did you go to the bar because of Ruttles?”

As time went on, Sienna became increasingly worried about the matter.

Trinity shook her head. "I'm going because Athena is going, and I don't want her to be alone."

She went because it was one of her favorite bars, and she didn't want Ruttles to steal people from you, Big Sister.

Sienna was completely speechless. "Fine, okay, can you come home, please?"

“Okay!” Trinity said. She seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps it was because Sienna hadn’t yet decided to punish her for sneaking out of the house again.

Sienna realized that she hadn't actually explicitly ordered her sisters to stay locked up at home, which might have been a mistake.

She needed to have a serious talk with them about the dangers of strangers and the fact that they couldn't leave the bunker without permission.

The discussion must be very specific, with careful wording, leaving no loopholes for them to exploit.

“What’s going on with Ruttles?” Sienna asked. She picked up her bag from the floor, put it on the sofa, and went into the living room.

She noticed that the room needed cleaning again, and that someone had broken the rule of "no eating on the sofa."

Sam nodded. "He's been recruiting some henchmen. Mainly active in the local bars, and they get into fights there."

He only went to two bars, but I think that's enough to tell his pattern of behavior.

“Are you sure he needs henchmen?” Sienna asked. “So far, he’s been acting more like a lone wolf.”

“He has money to hire people,” Sam said. “He robbed an entire bank and has done many more bad things with impunity. For enough money, there are always people willing to work for someone like him.”

Sienna nodded. Her own "lackeys"...surprisingly cheap?

It felt more like a small social club, where people gathered to participate in various random activities, rather than a formal employment relationship.

That said, she has one advantage: her sisters are surprisingly likable... sometimes.

“I think Athena really liked that bar. She got lost before, and the people there took care of her.”

I guess she might be trying to protect the bar? That's... kind of silly. After all, they're all adults.

Sam shrugged. "Then why don't you go talk to Athena?"

“Oh no,” Trinity said.

Sienna immediately turned to her raccoon-like sister. "What's wrong?"

"The bar girls wouldn't let us leave."

"Why won't they let us leave?" Sienna asked. Were they planning to harm Athena and Trinity?

“Because we’re too young to wander around the city,” Trinity said. “It’s strange, because we didn’t run into any trouble on our way to the bar. Now she’s saying we have to call our parents.”

Sienna sighed. "Well, that... actually makes perfect sense. Tell her I'll be there in a bit."

“Isn’t that a little suspicious?” Sam pointed out.

"Oh, right. I need a phone, then dial... wait, let me write down the number. This is the number of one of my backup phones."

What happened next was a little strange. Trinity was talking to Sienna on her cell phone while standing next to her in the room.

Sienna instructed her on what to say on both ends of the phone, which was a bit strange but not too difficult.

As long as it can dispel other people's doubts, this little trouble is worthwhile.

Sienna hung up the phone and walked towards the door. "I'll go get Trinity and Athena," she said. "You girls stay here, okay?"

“That’s not fair. Athena and Trinity can go out,” Teddy said.

“They sneaked out. That’s not allowed,” Sienna replied. “It’s not the same as going out normally. We…we can go to a park or something later. I think we’ll have time.”

Teddy cheered, and even Maple seemed somewhat excited about the proposal.

Sienna made a mental note to herself that she should take her sisters out more often.

The bunker is a nice, safe place, but it has no windows and is indoors, so it might not be the most suitable environment for growing up, since the only entertainment is a TV and card games.

“I’ll put my shoes on,” Sienna said. “Sam, could you watch these girls for me for a bit?”

“Sure, of course,” Sam said. “Are you going to walk?”

“I know where the bar is, it’s not that far,” Sienna said. Besides, she hadn’t moved around much today.

Most of the time I'm either on a bus or in a classroom. It would be nice to be able to walk around and move around a bit.

She put her shoes back on, hugged the girls goodbye, and hurried out. She didn't want to run all the way to the bar, but she walked quickly, adjusting her pace so she could get there as soon as possible.

Five blocks isn't far, but it was enough to make her heart race.

This might be a good thing; she needs this kind of aerobic exercise if she wants to keep up with her sisters' endless energy.

When she was three-quarters of the way there, her phone rang.

Sienna frowned and took her phone out of her bag to check the number. It was Sam calling.

"Hey?"

Her first thought was that Sam had asked her to buy something on her way back. Or perhaps her sisters had gotten into trouble again.

“Ruttles is over there,” Sam said.

Sienna stopped abruptly. "Where?"

"The bar. Athena and Trinity just saw him go in. He wasn't dressed much like his usual clothes, but they still recognized him."

"Are they alright?" Sienna asked. She quickened her pace.

"It's okay. I think he might not have noticed them, maybe? Or maybe he just doesn't care."

They're just kids, you know.

What do you want to do? I can get them to leave, but the bartender might make a fuss.

“I’ll be right there,” Sienna said. “I… could you get my emergency kit for me? So the girls can change into their gear.”

"Oh, are we going to make our move?" Sam asked.

“I think so?” Sienna countered. She wasn’t sure either, but this was an opportunity.

Ruttles is cunning. They have absolutely no idea where he'll strike next. If they could catch him now…

“Make sure Maple has her new gear for dealing with Ruttles,” she said. “Have Teddy take my bag, and I’ll teleport her over with Sisters’ when I’m closer.”

This was an opportunity, and although she felt completely unprepared, she wasn't sure if she could miss it.