Hmm what if there was banter at the inn instead? Put a
button above the [Wait] button with a description like
Some of your friends/pawns are talking amongst themselves - you could chime in
. Have the option show up during evening hours but also have it be RNG based so it won't show up everyday. Possible scenarios could be like Kiyoko tutoring Berwyn in magic (maybe even getting a bit too distracted if you've heavily milfed her up) or Brienne asking Cait for tips on how to use makeup.
Wouldn't slow down the game that way or be easily missed because of tiles. As for future companions, I feel that unless they've been planned from the start like Arona it's kind of expected for them to lag behind the others in terms of content. Personally I'd be hyped if I saw in an update stuff like "Mouse girl banter added to the inn" a few months after her release.
Unrelated but it would be cool if you could wrastle or spar with your beefier companions at the gym. Hope the minotaur city has a coliseum.