Book Four – Prologue – Part Six – Home Sweet Home

“Dang… I didn’t know there was 2,000 dupla in that bag, Momo said after closing the door behind her. “Can’t believe that was enough for a years' worth of nights AND meal tickets AND bath tokens. It’s even better that we caught them during a sale AND it was enough for two rooms! Hehe! That was some good luck, huh, Servy? Oh, and I promise to pay you back what I used to buy my room. You can count on that.”

Momo stared around at the room she had longed missed. The wooden floors were a sight for sore eyes, the oddly shaped window sent her smiling with glee, and yes, even the awful, lumpy mattress called Momo’s name.

The Warden apartment was Momo’s first home since she left her village. Before she and Servi had departed on their ill-fated journey that ended with thousands dead, Momo gave a hearty goodbye to Canary. It was childish and over-the-top, but the Singi didn’t care.

She turned to Servi, who blankly stared at the walls and floor. “Servy, are you excited to sleep in a real bed? I know I am. I— Woah?!?!” Momo exclaimed in fear and excitement when an expensive piece of furniture materialized from nowhere.

With its sleek, golden blankets, soft crimson cover, feathery pillows, and exquisitely carved bedposts, Momo glanced at the fabled mattress Servi had grown accustomed to. She excitedly sprinted over to it with Servi in tow, who was practically dragged behind her. Momo climbed on the bed and enjoyed its luxurious comfort, exclaiming her surprise and just how such pleasures were only reserved for the wealthiest, but it looked like that was about to change.

But that could wait.

As her legs dangled off the bed, Momo pulled Servi’s hand. The quiet girl walked towards her best friend as the Singi wrapped her arms around Servi. Accompanied by a few giggles, Momo laid back on the bed. Servi copied Momo’s motions, and soon, the two companions were simply relaxing on an object worth over 50,000 dupla.

“Servy, did you get this bed from… No, I guess it doesn’t matter…” Momo’s eyes were slightly obscured by her pink hair, which blocked some of her vision. “Hehe! It’s soft, isn’t it? It feels amazing on my skin.”

“Soft!!! Soft!!!” Servi chanted. Momo smiled and nodded, but she didn’t say anything else. She only stared at the most important person in her life.

Servy… She’s a cute girl… When I look at her like this…sharing a bed… Wait… SHARING A BED?!?!

Like a spring-powered knife, Momo jolted up until her back was as straight as an arrow. Embarrassment splattered the poor girl’s face, and it was like she had splashed tomato sauce on her cheeks.

Sharing a bed? Me and Servy? No… Maybe… Now… Momo shook her head, hastily erasing the naughty thoughts. Servy isn’t in a position to give consent… I can ask, but if I say yes and she repeats me, it won’t be the same… Is… Is this love…? Do I love Servy…? I know when I look at her, it’s hard to take my eyes away… Hmm… Momo, you can think about that stuff after Servy’s better. Does…does she feel the same about me?

“Eh?” Momo felt her potential lover squeeze her hand as she still laid down on the bed. Since her blouse had a hole in from their encounter, Momo inadvertently caught a quick glimpse of Servi’s impressive stomach. It was so lean and flat, yet it looked squishy enough to poke and tickle. And warm enough to cuddle against in the dead of winter.

“What’s wrong, Servy? Do you want to go to your room? It’s right beside this one, so I won’t be that far away.” Momo asked.

When Servi didn’t respond, Momo was perplexed on what to do. Should she go? Should she stay? What if Servi wanted this room?

Finally, Momo just decided on walking over to the next room. She slipped her hand in her black bag and pulled out Servi’s key. “Itarr, it might be best for me to hold onto this. It sounds stupid, but can Servy open, lock, and unlock doors in her current state? With how she is, I think I might just be the key-holder. Hehe! Another role was added to my growing list. I was grampy’s granddaughter, then I became Servy’s best friend, then I’m her caretaker, and now I’m a keyholder…” Maybe I can add something else to that...? Do I want to? I think I do...

Momo slowly turned her head to the left and stared at the motionless girl. Without any wind or the briskest gust to scatter her hair, Servi looked like a porcelain doll. She stayed perfectly still if she didn’t have to move, and more than once, Momo was scared Servi had died again. Even now, she found herself moving a trembling hand to whisk away her friend’s bangs.

“Servy, you shouldn’t hide your eyes behind your hair,” Momo said when the deed was done. Without even thinking, she pulled the girl close and gave out another hug. However, Servi refused to raise her arms, so Momo did not receive what she wanted. “You know what? I think I know what I want to do. Let’s go to your room, Servy, and I’ll show you,” Momo whispered. Breaking off from the hug, the pair of best friends hastily moved from one place to the next.

Luckily for them, Momo convinced the innkeeper Rakred to give them side-by-side rooms on the fifth floor. It offered the most privacy, and most other apartments were empty.

If Servy does have an episode, it shouldn’t bother that many people… And I know she needs her privacy—even when she’s like this. I think we all do… But if it comes to it... I’ll happily sleep in the same room as her. But the same bed? I wouldn’t do something like that if I didn’t have her permission or consent… Momo thought when she slid the key into the lock without any resistance. Like nearly everything else, both the keys and locks were fashioned and carved out of a stained block of mahogany.

Momo didn’t know how they were made. Obviously, someone used a knife. Or did they? She didn’t know if there was someone out there willing to do nothing but carve for days on end to fulfill Warden’s need for keys. And now that the Singi stopped to think about it... Why use wood? And why was lumber extensively used for Warden’s construction? Its sister building, the one where adventurers could sell monster parts, was almost exclusively metal and stone with very little, if at all, wood.

Why was the dichotomy between the two so vast?

As Momo twisted the doorknob, she figured such mysteries were something to be solved later. “Besides, I can always ask Claire about it. She’s an Elf, and she works here, so I’m sure my buddy can shed some light on it… Bwha!!! Momo! Don’t focus on that!!! Come on, Servy, let’s go see your room.” Momo looked to her left, but her friend was still motionless. Looking down, the Singi saw their signal of unity—their interconnected hand. It was proof of their unbreakable bond, and Momo couldn’t stop herself from staring and smiling like a happy cat.

With the noise of two sets of footsteps announcing their arrival, Momo waited as her godly friend took out a familiar bed. “Woah… Servy, you get a bed too! Hey, wanna go sit on it?” she said when Itarr gently placed the heavy object down. For some odd reason, Servi’s room was smaller than Momo’s, and she had two windows instead of the one. Still, the floors, walls, and roof were the same color. It was like the designer had designed and constructed a single room, copied it, and pasted it sixty or seventy times. Then they went back and added minor variations to add depth to their work.

Was Momo a fan of it? Probably not. Her love for the Warden apartment was solely out of a longing to have a permanent residence. If she had the authority, permission, and money, Momo wanted to decorate this room. She thought it’d be nice if she could recreate her childhood room. The handmade toy box her grandpa made for her could sit against the far wall. She’d fill it with the treasures and maps he had made for her. And maybe the other wall would have the pictures she drew when she was still a kitten who ran around in circles trying to catch her tail.

As Momo walked towards the softest bed she had ever laid on, her hand went to her black messenger bag. After a bit of searching, she pulled out a sparkly pink comb that was only slightly used. It wasn’t the one she used during the trip from Canary to Arcton. That one was one she had purchased for herself a few weeks after meeting Servi. No, the precious item Momo retrieved hadn't been used since her grandpa gave it to her on her 17th birthday. As he witted it out of an old tree near her house, Sumo had meticulously carved his and Momo’s names into it. Then to finish it off, he had somehow secured a cup of pink paint. To add the sparkles, Sumo crushed glass and dripped it on the wet comb.

It was crude and mightily unusual, but Sumo wanted to give his precious granddaughter a one-of-a-kind gift. And in Momo’s eyes, he had succeeded.

“Servy, for what I wanna do next, I have to let go of your hand. Oh, but don’t worry. It’s gonna be even better than that. Just wait, okay?” Momo kicked her shoes off, revealing her adorable socks. She climbed into the bed on her knees and turned around, motioning for Servi to do the same. Servi, of course, did what Momo wanted without uttering a single sound. Any sign of her emotional recovery had vanished after the two parted ways from Claire.

“Servy, have you ever had someone brush your hair? It feels so good. I promise I’ll be gentle,” Momo said. She ran her fingers through Servi’s silky black hair while asking her to turn around. And after Servi had done that, Momo picked up her brush and began to comb a sensationally soft head of hair.

“Grampy used to comb my hair for me all the time. One time, grampy took a brush and ran it through my hair. It was after I had taken a bath and gotten ready for bed. Oh, it wasn’t this one. It was some other one,” Momo said. She leaned back on her knees a little bit, sinking into the mattress a little, and continued brushing.

“I’m surprised, well, I guess not that much. Your hair is super smooth. And it’s so black. And…” Momo leaned in until her nosed barely poked the black curtain she affectionately brushed. With a sniff, the Singi smiled. “And your hair smells good. We’ve been walking and traveling…and we only had that one bath, but I don’t smell any sweat. Wait… Was that weird?” Momo realized the absurdity of sniffing her friend's hair and leaned back out of embarrassment. Her pink hair whiplashed back, smacking the bed’s golden blankets.

“Geez, Momo, why are you acting so weird?” The girl herself asked a simple question while leaning up. As the plain ceiling scurried out of view, Momo landed her sight on Servi’s black hair. “Servy… Can I just talk? You don’t mind, right? And… Umm… Are…are you gonna remember any of this? Hmm…” Momo sighed and leaned forward, dropping the weight of her body against her best friend. Momo’s head rested on Servi’s shoulder, and she just stared ahead while fumbling around for Servi’s delicate hands. Once she found them, Momo softly sang May I Touch You Soon while swaying her body and forth. The comb had long since left her shaking hands, but that precious memento was just a few centimeters away.

“Should…should I say it? What if it’s taken the wrong way? Servy…” Momo said after reaching the end of her song.

The breath in her lungs became caught, and her furiously beating heart kicked into overdrive, nearly punching right out of her chest. Not even 15 seconds later, it was like time had stopped around Momo. Her breath had gone cold, becoming caught in her throat.

Being a friend, being a best friend, and being a lover were different things. The former two could be compared and contrasted, and two people could be best friends while not wanting to take the next step. But Momo’s case was different. She wanted to follow her heart and listen to its desires. Having a near-death experience would do that to someone. Maybe that explained why Momo was bold in hooking her finger around Servi’s hand. She was faced with her own death; it lingered right in front of her while believing the lies about Servi’s demise… It would be easier to identify how Momo hadn’t changed.

“Servy… I… I think I’ll wait to say what I wanna say when you’re all better. I don’t know when that’ll be, but I’ll say it then. I’ll say those three little words… Maybe… Maybe you’ll say them back to me? I hope… You’re my best friend in the whole wide world… But we’re both girls… And I’m a Singi, and you’re a Human… But that doesn’t stop what I’m feeling… It never will… And that’s why I’m declaring it now. Servy, when you’re back to your old self, I’m finally gonna say my true feelings… I’m gonna let my heart speak what it wants. And what happens, happens… If I can borrow grampy’s words, Servy… You’re the apple of my eye… Hehe!!!”

Momo leaned away from Servi while subtly giggling. Once her hand found the sparkling pink comb, the lovable Singi continued to brush Servi’s hair. “Now, I can get back to my story about this comb. Did I say grampy gave this to me on my birthday? He did. I’d never gotten anything so pretty before, but I didn’t want to use it because I didn't want it to break. That’s why I only brushed my hair once or twice with it. I mean, I knew it wouldn’t snap in half or something, but I guess I wanted to save it…? Hmm… It doesn’t matter the reason, but I am happy I’m using it on you. It’s super comfortable, isn’t it? In a way, it feels like grampy is right here with us,” Momo said. Out of the corner of her dazzling blue eyes, Momo swore she saw the faded outline of her beloved grampy. With his wispy eyes full of familial love, his combed-over pink hair, and an overactive tail, Sumo just stared at his granddaughter and her first love.

When Momo blinked, Sumo’s form had disappeared, but the poor girl didn’t cry. She only smiled and gave Servi one more hug from the back.

Momo then spent the next the following hours doing whatever came to mind. She hugged Servi, brushed Servi’s hair, and even overcame her earlier fear and laid on the bed. Momo patted the empty space beside her and asked if Servi wanted to lay down and take a nap. And while Momo didn’t get a verbal response, Servi laid down. Her motions were stiff and robotic, involving her scooting towards the foot of the bed, then pulling herself to the pillow like some dirt-dwelling invertebrate.

“Servy? You look like a worm when you’re crawling like that. Haha!” Momo found it amusing, and her laughter simmered to a quiet giggle when Servi’s gorgeous head plopped down. Two sets of eyes, one blue and one red, stared into the other. “Are ya sleepy? I know I am…” Momo yawned and adorably wiped her eyes. “But I don’t think I can nod off… I mean, how can I when you’re looking right at me… I wanna tell my heart to slow down and take a break… And because I wanna tell it that, I’m sure it means I…” I’m sure it means I love you with all my heart, Servy… Momo closed her eyes for only a brief instant, and she opened them with such frightening speed it felt like they were about to spin in place.

“Sleepy!!! Sleepy!!!” Servi repeated twice. But unlike before, her face didn’t immediately return to a default, emotionless state. She kept her same charming smile, and Servi’s facial emotions remained soft, malleable, and relaxed.

Momo giggled. “Uh-oh! Seems like happy Servy is back!!!! I was wondering when you’d showed up!”

“Happy!!!” Servi repeated.

Momo rolled off the bed and stood up. Her best buddy did the same, even mimicking Momo’s overhanded stretches. “Remember what I said before? About hopping like bunnies? You know what time it, Servy?”

With all the adorableness of a toddler waking up to a lagomorphic-themed birthday party, Servi raised her hands and enthusiastically uttered a single word. “Bunnies!!!” The emotionally dependent Human watched as her caretaker put both hands behind her head and curled a finger upwards.

“Hehe! I’m a cat bunny girl! Come on, Servy! Use your fingers are bunny ears, and let’s hop-hop-hop!!!” With her feet together, Momo hopped like a rabbit around the room, and after she passed by Servi, the blacked-haired girl joined in on the fun.

“Cat bunny girl!!!” Servi said. She giggled and laughed, by far showing the most emotion since that fateful battle.

Many hops later, Servi’s and Momo’s bunny pretend stopped only a few minutes after it started. Warden didn’t have anything like air-conditioning, and with it being the middle of summer on the fifth floor of a building built from wood, it felt like it was 38 degrees Celsius. Adding in the physical activity, even though it didn’t compare to anything Dineria or Fisher threw at Momo or Servi, it didn’t take long for Momo’s face to glisten. She stopped by the window to catch her breath, and she reflected off the glass, casting her face in a holy glow.

Really, it was like the different parts of fate worked together to illuminate a girl who had the biggest and most loving heart in the world.

“Sorry, Servy… It’s so hot… And we don’t have a breeze… And I don’t think we can open this window…” Momo groaned. Servi ignored her and kept hopping like a rabbit as Momo tossed her towel of defeat into the metaphysical ring. She slumped over to the bed and laid down, turning on her side so she could watch her best friend. “Woah, you’re like a bunny with infinite energy. Keep bouncing, Servy! Keep having lots of fun!!!”

“Bunny!!!” Servi cried out. Her clean face had no trace of sweat or exhaustion. But more than that, Momo, who had forgotten about Servi not wearing a bra, suddenly remembered that when her eyes unintentionally drifted towards Servi’s chest.

When compared to the surface of the sun, Momo wagered her face was hotter and redder. She found it disgusting how her eyes kept slumping to the more feminine parts of her best friend’s body. Servi was an attractive girl; that much was true. She had a chest most girls dreamed of, a well-toned body with a slim stomach and slender arms, kissable thighs, and immensely smooth legs.

Am I wrongful for looking at her like this? I mean, I knew Servy was cute, but I’ve never actually stared this hard at her… I never noticed just how soft her lips look… And when I peeked a look at her tummy, I kinda wanted to rub and lick it… Is that strange? I guess if I was having second thoughts about my love for her... I don’t need to question them anymore. I love Servy. I love her a lot. But… Holding back my feelings without blurting them out at random is gonna be hard… Dang it, Momo! You don’t need to shout them!!! Remember about the dinner you had planned with her? Well, you know Servy’s past, but you can still have dinner with her. Or better yet, why not do it at night under the moon?

“Yeah… At night, under the beautiful moon… And maybe if I sing my song to set the mood…? With a cup of milk and a plate of cookies? No, I need that tea from Monkey Noodle House and a plate of their dango. Yeah… That’s like the perfect night… Hehe! I’m having so much fun planning it!!! Hey, Servy!” Momo said while excitedly shaking. The cat girl leaned up off the bed and sat with her legs dangling over the edge. Servi stopped her adorable bouncing and walked over to Momo. The prestigious smile on her face slowly faded away, leaving a blank expression filled with stoicism. With the stiffness of a soulless robot, Servi walked towards Momo and sat down on the bed.

“You really like to hop around, don’t you?” Momo asked. “I wonder what you would be like if you were born a bunny girl. But wait, are there such things as bunny girls? What about bird people? It kinda makes you wonder if there are any dog people out there. I would like to think so. I mean... There can’t just be Koena, Kobolds, Elves, Earth Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and Singi, can there? Hmm...” Momo took a second to take a needed breath and looked at Servi’s ears. “I’m glad I was born a Singi, but I do wonder what it’s like to have Human ears. I don’t have those. See? Servy, the side of my head is flat like a pancake.” Momo turned her head and lifted her long, pink hair. Servi only blankly stared, but she didn’t turn her head. She was just looking in that direction in the first place.

“Like, I guess whenever I hear something, I hear it from higher up? Does that make sense? I mean, my ears are above my head, not on the side. But I think you’d look cute with a pair of ears like mine,” Momo said. Her tail curled around her waist like it wanted to become involved. “Hehe! And I wonder what you’d look like with a tail. A Singi Servy would be totally awesome to see, but I like you just the way you are as a Human. But I wonder what I would look like as a Human...” Momo nervously chuckled as she veered off in a weird direction she didn’t mean to. “Dang, I just wanted to talk about if there were bunny people, but I went off on a tangent... I—”

A low growl interrupted Momo, and she looked down at her stomach. As always, it chose the most inopportune time to make itself known to all. The girl it belonged to found it funny, and she ended up joking about it.  “I guess my tummy wanted to join in on the conversation. Seems like it’s been a while since that happened. Servy, do you wanna get something to eat?”

Momo gently wrapped her fingers around Servi’s hands and went to stand up, but a pair of floating cups stopped the hungry Singi in her tracks. “Itarr...?” Momo whispered as two streams of water emerged from space and time, filling the cups with the cleanest and purest liquid only available from a Goddess. Only Itarr, and Servi, by association, had the necessary Skill Energy to produce such nectar. Momo didn’t know just how lucky she was to drink from the equivalent of a mystical spring deep in the heart of a black jungle filled with dragons.

“Thank you, Itarr. Servy and I appreciate it,” Momo said as she grabbed a glass with her free hand. Servi did the same, copying her caretaker’s exact motion. She even held the cup to her quivering mouth for the same amount of time as Momo, but the water didn’t exactly swim down her throat. The cool liquid splashed down her chin, dousing her, admittedly, filthy blouse, and soaked the wooden floor. A little bit spattered onto Momo’s shoes, but she didn’t mind. She reached into her bag and pulled out a little cloth, then wiped her friend’s mouth and chin.

Itarr wordlessly handled the rest of the clean-up, then she retrieved a pair of ceramic plates holding two steaks. Unbeknownst to Momo, Itarr could cook food from their interconnected soul via the ring. It was the same process as putting or taking a coin out of a bag. It was more difficult than it looked because she couldn’t just let loose a wall of fire and leave it alone with raw meat.

The Goddess had to adjust the intensity of the fire while being careful not to overcook the food. And that difficulty didn’t account for Itarr’s lack of culinary knowledge. She only knew hot fire and meat equaled food, but not anything else. Spices? Salt? Pepper? Itarr didn’t put any of that on Momo’s or Servi’s steak because her mind was preoccupied with making it edible.

“Food and drinks... Oh! We’re so lucky! Thank you, Itarr.” Momo smiled towards Servi, and she hoped the Goddess received it. The red-eyed girl only stared at the floating plate as Momo took one in her hand. Sitting down, the pair of friends took up a seat on the soft bed and started to eat with their hands. It wasn’t the most hygienic, and the two  should have been using forks and knives to keep everything clean, but Momo just didn’t want to let go of Servi’s hand.

It was as simple as that.

As plain as the steak was, it was just perfect for Momo's oversensitive tongue. She didn’t have to worry about any pepper or secret spices hopping out and surprising her mouth with a pinch of inferno. And since she was eating with Servi, Momo couldn’t think of a better first meal after making it back to Canary.

If Momo wanted a drink of water from her floating glass, all she only had to do was place her steak on the airborne plate and grab her cup. Once her thirst had been quenched, she only had to drop it. Itarr always had a few hundred anchor points attached all around it, and she always  had it within reach.

In a way, Itarr was the perfect waitress. She always had refills at the ready, more food cooking inside her ring, and plenty of napkins and paper towels ready to be used. The only thing Servi and Momo had to focus on was filling their bellies with unflavored, unevenly cooked meat, which was probably the worst thing about it. But if that was the most terrible thing, then that was saying something about her hospitality and love. If anything, the friends couldn’t really complain about anything, and in the end, they wouldn’t.

Once their steaks had been devoured, hands had been cleaned from grease, and trash disposed of, Momo stood off the bed and stretched to the side. Since Servi still held her hand, she joined in on the jolly activities with a stiff expression.

By the blink of an eye, it was already past 7PM. The sky was turning black. The stars timidly poked their shiny heads out to make a long-awaited appearance, and the beautiful moon wasn’t far behind them. Night would descend upon Canary as a Singi and Human silently sat on a bed much too expensive for the room it was placed in. In time, the pink Singi would lay her friend down to sleep, even tucking her in under the exquisite covers like a mother would her daughter. Momo fluffed the pillows, affectionately stroke Servi’s black hair, and even checked for monsters under the bed as Sumo once did for his granddaughter.

“Okay! Momo’s Monster Detection Agency says it’s all clear!” Momo said, finding it amusing. She stood back up and dusted off her knees. “Goodnight, Servy. I’m just a door away, okay? If you need me, you know what to do, and I’ll be here in four seconds at most.  Sleep well, okay? I’ll see you first thing in the morning.” Momo walked towards the door, looking back when she gripped the doorknob. She saw Servi just lying there on her back as the covers came up to her neck. She observed the ceiling in all of its wooden glory as a blank stare fluttered across her face.

Momo had a satisfied smile on her face for two reasons. One: she was happy she came to terms with her feelings—the love— she had for Servi. Now that she recognized them, she only needed to wait for the day to confess. Two: when it came to Servi and her emotional progress, any forward movement in that regard was the best thing that could ever happen. Every day that passed meant Servi was inching ever closer to being healed.

After watching for a few seconds, Momo opened the door, walked through it, and locked it. She then placed the key in her black messenger back and walked to her room. Her eyes landed right on the expensive bed when she entered and locked the door. Like it was calling her, Momo began to strip until she felt the warm air on her naughty bits. After searching through her bag, she pulled out a thin, somewhat translucent nightgown and slid it over her slim body.

It was only then tiredness and exhaustiveness poured over her body like a waterfall, and she found herself dozing off while standing up. Without a second to waste, Momo buried herself under her covers. She did have her bag in her left hand, but she leaned it against the bed only a few seconds before the sandman came to get her. He whisked her away to a whimsical world full of green grass, red roses, white lilies, blue skies, and a yellow sun. It was paradise as paradise could be, but Momo wasn’t a stranger to this place. From the first glance, she immediately recognized the girl with the fluffy ears, thick tail, and white sundress to be someone near and dear to her heart.

When Momo woke up hours later at the crack of dawn, she didn't have any memories of the encounter with her lookalike, but that was fine. She knew nothing had gone wrong because she was in a terrific mood. Leaning up out of her soft, new bed, Momo adorably yawned and wiped the sand from her azure-colored eyes. Her pink bangs were like a curtain with how they hid them, but a quick hand through the hair fixed that. With a turn of her pretty little head, Momo looked out of the only window available to her and saw that it was still a bit dark.

The sleepy part of her wanted to lay back down and drift off to La La Land, but the responsible side of Momo dragged herself out of bed and performed her daily workout.

A new day with her friend was about to begin, and Momo needed to be in the best shape possible to take care of her.