The living room was marginally bigger than the office, but it was still a squeeze to fit everyone in. Where would they all sleep? How was I going to afford to feed them all?

A logistical nightmare started to swarm in my brain as the reality of what had just happened started to settle in. Relief that everyone had survived the explosion started to shift to a queasy anxiety.

“James? How long was I in that world? Do I even still have a job?” I asked. “Are we going to have the landlady beating down the door to evict us?”

“Nah, we’ll have only been away a couple days,” James said.

“A couple days,” I repeated numbly. “How is that even possible?”

“Time just works differently in games,” James shrugged. “And fiction, I suppose. It’s not a fully functional world yet.”

“I need my phone,” I muttered, and pushed past Jackal and Brick to get into my bedroom. I’d only just started cleaning in here too, and James’ damp towel was still in a pile on the floor with his underwear emanating a musky odor that made me want to throw up.

Honestly, he treated me like his mother. I snatched my phone from the bedside table where it was charging and checked the time and date.

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“Fuuuuuuuuuck!”

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Brick asked, poking his head in the room.

“I’m gonna be late for work!”

I pulled open my closet and hurriedly dressed in my professional work clothes, brushed my hair, and downed a handful of peppermints in lieu of brushing my teeth.

“Emma, you’re not leaving me to deal with this alone!” James shouted. “Just call in sick!”

“I’m out of sick days, you ass,” I snapped. “I can’t afford another unpaid day off, especially now we’ll have to feed five more. Just teach them how the bathroom works, don’t break anything, and for the love of all things good in the world, clean your shit up!”

I squeezed past the guys, who were all looking at me in bewilderment, and made for the front door.

“Emma, can I assist you?” Nightfall asked. “Can I accompany you?”

“No!” I took a shaky breath, one hand on the front door handle as I looked back at the room full of confused men. “I’m really sorry, but this is like a… a time sensitive quest that I have to do five days a week. I’ve got to do it alone, and if I don’t, we’ll have no money, no food, and no accommodation.”

“What do you want us to do while you’re gone?” Bastion asked.

“Just… read a book? Watch TV? Learn how the world works. I’ll be back in eight hours. Maybe nine if I swing by the grocery store after work.”

“Don’t let us make you late,” Bruiser laid a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got your back, and when you get home, we’ll sort everything out. It’s okay.”

I gave him a watery smile, and I wanted to kiss him, but I was already risking missing the train, so I slipped out the door and started running.

With a day full of running numbers and fetching coffees for my sexist boss, I suddenly missed being able to earn my living by stabbing rats.