"I can't do anything without the master's permission!" the male squawked. "Do you really think I can just let children march out into the dead of night with the first few people who come to call? What kind of establishment do you think we run here?"

...The man had a point, Karla grudgingly conceded as she gently lowered him to the ground. Handing over children to complete strangers would likely be a poor plan for everyone involved, especially the child.

"Then fetch him," she suggested, also reasonably. And certainly not through clenched teeth.