Yeah it bugs you because you put their trauma aside and can not imagine how they feel. I can sadly say I speak from experience and thanks to my mother I have been there and done that.
Right, and that bothers me as a (mostly) emotionally-stable adult. It smacks of someone who sees a stranger get the shit kicked out of them and rather than get involved or call an ambulance, you just shrug and move on. The writer of that quest clearly has enough apathy to make Jeff Bezos look like a Humanitarian.
It whas clear at start when you have choice if you give them money and send them south or keep them there as their new owner, that latter will make them have the same as before but only that you treat them better.
The whole "send them south" option felt as cynical as the writers appear to be. You just rescued them from a really shit situation, from a guy who is probably lurking nearby to take advantage of your absence, and your
brilliant idea is to leave them to their own devices. I'm not saying ownership is the
only option (what about setting them up in Hawkthorne? That bar must need some workers), but it felt like an easy way to hand-wave the issue of, I dunno,
developing a character or three.
You may not be able to imagine that but from their personality they are slaves that do what is told them and they only revolted because they got treated like shit. Their mental trauma make it so that they will only do what they get told because it is easier but else have no real drive. To make them back into persons with their motivation and not as mere servants you would have needed to send them away because they have to learn on hard way to think for themselve.
It's not the only way, and in a lot of cases, is the worst option. Like I addressed above, it's also exposing them to the same circumstances in your absence. I actually like how Shield Hero addressed the situation similarly with Raphtalia. Naofumi
could have been an absolute shit or just used her to satisfy his boners when she grew enough. Yeah, he's still a cunt for exposing a child to violence at such a young age. However, he did make her into a semi-independent warrior and came to care for her as a result.
I'm not saying the catgirl trio have to be our glorified cannon fodder, but they are proven fighters and aside, our Champion is meant to be salvaging as much of the world he can in preparation for a confrontation against the forces of Kasyrra. Why would you risk their probable corruption and/or abuse at the hands of another abuser? It makes no sense. It's even dumber when you get no further development with their situation, as if they stop have any autonomy whatsoever. That entirely contradicts when you first meet them and they seem inclined to maintain some degree of autonomy and self-protection.
