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Ozni sat up straighter, the others all looked to the witch. She didn't turn their way once, but he knew she had to feel their eyes on her.
Arden sighed as if it was a repeated argument that he'd gone over plenty of times.
"Porter is an employee here and as such, he is protected the same as all of you. I expect you to remember that, Jane," Arden said.
Some of the other hosts started to whisper amongst themselves.
"Yes that's true and we all love that about this place, but he is human, they have plenty of protection. I'm just not seeing why we have to risk our lives for him. No matter what, when it comes down to it, the reports will read that some poor human was killed by monsters." She turned around and looked squarely at Porter.
Ozni wanted nothing more than to shield him away from her cruel words.
"It won't matter if everyone here dies in the process. All the media will see is one single, selfish human, hunted by his own kind in the supernatural city." She crossed her arms and turned in her seat.
Some of the other hosts grunted in agreement and Ozni felt even more uneasy.
"I didn't mean—" Porter started but Arden raised his hand effectively silencing the room.
"I hear your concerns and as I've told all of you plenty of times, you are more than welcome to leave. This is my bar last I checked and I open my doors to whomever I want. If that continues to be a problem then I suggest you find employment elsewhere." Arden cleared his throat and his steely gaze swept over the room once more. No one said anything for a short while and Ozni was sure the moment was over until Jane and Philip stood together.
"I can't sit back and watch this safe place for us go down in flames just for some human you’re all fucking," Jane said. Her shoulders held high but she still bowed at Arden. "Thank you for all you've done for me, but I’m out.”
Philip said the same. Ozni didn't watch them go. Instead he reached over to Porter and placed his hand on the human. There was no need for him to frown. It was bound to happen. Everyone left Paranormal Guilty Delights sooner or later. It was the way the job worked.
Porter turned his hand around and squeezed Ozni's before giving him a small warm smile. Just the simple gesture had Ozni's chest tightening.
"Don't worry, I'll cover for Jane," Foi said.
Arden nodded. "Anyone else want to tell me how to run my bar?"
Arden’s steely gaze and voice were met with no other complaints. Luckily the meeting went on with no one else leaving. Ozni would call that a win. If any more hosts left, they’d have to close down for the night until Arden could get some substitutes.
As the meeting came to a close, Ozni was ready for the night. He might not talk to people often but being a host was one of the few times he felt as if he was more than a daywalker. He got to pretend to be whoever or whatever he wanted.
Tonight was one of his favorites, the customer's choice. A lucky customer was chosen at random to have the honor of choosing their favorite host themes. They were also given extra time. Ozni held his role in his hand much like the others.
The kitchen area finally cleared up until only the five of them were left.
"Are you sure you can handle it, mutt?" Jaygen asked.
Foi growled. "Yeah yeah. I got skills."
Porter was still looking down and Ozni tugged the human close. Jaygen noticed and gripped Porter's chin. "Hey, Pretty, none of that."
Foi was right there agreeing with Jaygen. "Yeah, they were going to leave soon anyway."
"Yeah, but they quit because of me. And when we’re busy too," Porter pointed out.
Cyrus looped his arms around the human's waist and Ozni couldn't contain the smile the sight brought him. They were all there for Porter.
"Yeah, but tonight you get to witness the dragon boss," Cyrus said mysteriously.
Whenever they were short-staffed, Arden joined them on the floor. It was such a rare occasion that it became somewhat of a legend amongst the clients. No one ever knew when the dragon boss would appear, but when he did, it was always an event.
"Oh yeah. Shit, I'm going to have to step up my game. This time I'm going to outshine Arden. My clients asked for a mafia role." Foi rolled his eyes but moved closer to Porter. "You want to help me get dressed?"
Porter chuckled. and his shoulders seemed to lose some tension. "Yeah, puppy, I'll help you." He glanced over at Jaygen. "What is our theme?"
Cyrus pulled back from the group jumping around excitedly. "Genies. Your wish is my command."
