Book Four – Chapter One – Part One – The Invitation

Dear diary… It’s been a few days since Servy and I returned to Canary. Other than being in her ‘happy time fun time mood,’ as I call it, Servy is still kinda not all there. Oh, and she’s still crying, but it’s not as often. I had thought things would be super different, but I’m happy to be proven wrong.

We still eat breakfast in the morning, but I’m usually the one that does all the talking. And after that, we walk around town or just hang out in her room. I guess I am thankful that we have a lot of money saved up. We don’t need to do any quests or exterminate monsters in the sewers and sell their parts to survive. When it’s time for lunch, if we were walking around town, we’d go to the nearest stall. I would like to go back to Monkey Noodle House, but it might be a bit too soon for Servy. If we’re just hanging in Servy’s room,  Itarr would cook something for us. Oh, speaking of that… I really, really, really want to cook something for Servy. I’ve never been that much of a chef, but I just want to do that for her.

That was kinda off topic, so I’ll get back to what I was saying.

After that, what we’d do would depend on where we were. Like if we were enjoying the sun, Servy and I would just walk around town and talk, soaking in the atmosphere and sunshine. I still hold her hand, but nobody has said anything to us about it. We do get stares, but that’s about – never mind. There was this one time… It happened yesterday. A guard saw us, and when he walked towards us, he suddenly froze up and couldn’t move. I was 100% sure Itarr had something to do with it, so I thanked her while Servy and I rushed back to her room at Warden.

And on days where I lazily stayed in Servy’s room, I’d just lay on her bed and talk with her. Sometimes I’d sing our song—yes, I’m calling May I Touch You Soon our song because I think that is what it is. I’ve sang it so many times for Servy since she rescued me. I hope my words are getting to her… But if I don’t sing, then I usually take out a notebook or whatever and draw. I tried drawing Servy, but I don’t have any artistic ability. I guess now would be a good time to start, right?

Oh, but I am continuing my training. I do my stretches, rolls, and handstands after I wake up, while I’m hanging out in Servy’s room, and before I go to bed. I have to be in tip-top shape, after all!

Hehe, Servy once said she’d my official shirt holder when I do my handstands, but she can’t really do that in her current state. I asked Claire if she had anything to keep my shirt pulled down, and she just said to tuck it in.

Really? Momo, you couldn’t even think of that. Oh man, I felt like such an idiot, but Claire only smiled. She didn’t even laugh at me. In fact, my favorite red-haired Elven friend patted my head and gave me a super comfortable hug.

And that got me thinking. I do like Claire, but when compared to how I feel for Servy, it can’t even be compared. Like, I want to snuggle up with Servy, but I don’t feel the same for Claire. I do like her a lot, and she is one our closest friends. I don’t even want to imagine it if someone else signed me and Servy up for Warden.

But speaking on that more… Whenever I think of Servy, I start to feel hot down there… She’s my best friend, yet I find myself thinking of her when I touch myself… Is that bad? I mean, it has to be at least morally wrong because… I think I’ll feel better if I had her consent, but I can’t just say: ‘Servy, can I think of you when I touch myself at night?’ No, I can’t. Only a crazy person would ask something like that.

I know I need to stop. I feel bad even doing it in the first place, but it just feels good… I keep imagining her bare body… And then I think of her stomach… I wanna touch and kiss it, and I wanna feel her hands rub my body in return… Bah!!!!!! I need stop because I’m starting to get excited…

But I think that’s the reason why I’ve been hugging her more often. I… I just want to feel Servy’s touch. If I could just fold my hands around hers while falling asleep in her arms… I think I could die happy.

I mean, I guess I just wanna write it all out: I LOVE SERVY!!!!

I LOVE HER A LOT!!!!!

And I haven’t forgotten about my promise. When Servy’s all better, I will tell her how I feel. There’s always a chance she won’t feel the same way, but I shouldn’t always be so negative. When I think about all the little hints…like when we camped out in that cave and I tripped. Servy was right there to catch me like some prince out a story grampy used to tell me. Even now, it’s like I can still feel her hand on my tummy. Her palms were so soft and smooth, and they were warm, too. And then there was that time she comforted me after we first met.

That awful woman and her friends terrified me, but Servy saved the day and rescued me. And when I had my tantrum, she was right there… Servy knew just the right words to say… And she protected me after that incident in the sewers, and she took that rat’s attack when we went to Tarch’s village… Servy’s always been right there by my side ever since we met.

Is it possible I’m overthinking it? Am I looking for patterns or things that I wish are there but aren’t really there…?

When I think about her hugging or holding hands with anyone else, I end up getting mad… I wonder if grampy ever felt that way about grammy before he married her…

Oh, I do have something I need to say. When I woke up yesterday morning, I walked down to the Warden store on the 2nd floor and bought a newspaper. I figured it’d be good to catch up on things, and I saw it right there… It was a quote from Governor Blasé, and it had to deal with the incident involving Sea and Jeri. He said they were sentenced to five years in prison for the attempted murder of two of Canary’s citizens. He also mentioned that a decision was brought down so fast because they had over 70 witnesses who confirmed what happened.

I guess that meant Fisher didn’t tell them it was because of me and Servy… Still, I feel conflicted. Sea and Jeri aren’t nice people. But when compared to Servy, they’re like saints. I won't deny it, but Servy’s a criminal as well. In a way, she’s probably the biggest criminal out there in regards to the severity of her crimes.

It kinda just feels like I’m one big hypocrite if I can forgive her and condemn Sea and Jeri.

Life is really confusing, grampy. If there is someone out there that claims to have it all figured out, they’re the biggest the liar in the world. Is it childish of me to think that the world would be a much better place if there was more friendship? Cause I feel that if everyone were friends, then we’d all get along better, but maybe it’s just my inexperience talking. I’ve only been on my own for less than a year, so I’m sure I’m still green around the ears… I don’t have nearly as much life experience as you, grampy, and I’ve only really lived in my village and Canary. Grampy, you once explored the whole world, so I’m sure you saw a million different things… Maybe you learned about a million things you never knew before…

Hmm…

Well, the sun’s been up for about two hours now, and I’m still dressed in my canary pajamas. I call them that because my pajamas has a yellow bird on the front. I wrote about them before a few entries ago. Servy paid for half of it, and it was really sweet of her to do so.

I do have my adventuring gear: my chainmail, sword, sleeveless tunic, pants, and under clothes nearly laid out beside me. I suppose it’s time for me to get dressed and go check on Servy.

Goodbye, diary. I’ll write in you later.

Momo.

With a mighty yawn and a series of refreshing upper body stretches, an adorable Singi leaned forward off the bed. Momo didn’t smack the floor because she expertly converted her momentum into a forward roll. She recovered with a graceful bow and giggle, acting cute towards an audience that didn’t exist.

Momo started to take off her top, revealing a pair of breasts to the world. She went braless throughout the night because it felt more comfortable, but she didn’t go commando. Momo decided it was best to fall asleep with a pair of pink panties that so graciously hugged against her nearly hairless crotch. She hastily slid them off with her pajama pants, exposing her budding flower to no one but the invisible air.

“It is kinda warm, and it doesn’t feel that bad. I don’t want to wake up sweaty, so I might sleep naked tonight..., But I can think about that later. I have a best friend to meet up with!” Momo practically skipped over to her bed and started to dress herself.

It didn’t take her long at all to slide a clean pair of panties up her smooth thighs, deposit her barely-there bosom in a black brassiere, and protect her legs with leather pants. Her belt was nothing to write home about, so she quickly fed it through her belt loops. Next came her white undershirt, chainmail, and finally, her tunic and boots.

“I still need to fix my chainmail… Bah! You’ve been saying that for like the past three months… I mean, it’s just a little bent, so I’m alright. But I’m not looking to fight anything… Yeah, it should be fine… Okay!” Momo lightly tapped her cheeks and formed a confident fist. “Let’s go check on Servy!”

Momo left her room, locked it, walked three meters, and knocked on Servi’s door. She waited a few seconds, then she called out. “Servy!! It’s me, Mosie! Are ya in there?” Since she received no response, Momo knocked twice more while retrieving Servi’s room key from the black bag around her shoulders.

“Yep, good thing I kept her key,” Momo said, smiling because she correctly planned ahead. She unlocked the door and swung it open. “Servy!!! Your favorite Singi is here!!!” Momo announced. She skipped inside, closing the door behind her.

Momo’s blue eyes focused on Servi, who wore a red and white striped blouse, the blue overalls Momo had picked for her, and a pair of black pants. Servi turned in place to face the intruder, the clicking of her black heeled boots noisily echoed off the wooden floor.

She was standing up in the middle of her room with her hands hanging down by her side. The nearby bed laid undisturbed, but that couldn’t be true because Momo made sure her friend was under the bed before she left. Maybe Itarr made it up? Dang, she’s cleaner than me because my bed’s messy as heck.

“Servy, you’ve been crying again, haven’t you?” Momo asked. She walked forward with a bounce in her step while focusing on Servi’s closed fist. The adorable, supportive girl gently wrapped her hands around it. With just the gentlest effort, Momo opened the hand she held and saw what it was clutching. “Hehe! You’ve still been holding on to that coin. I’m glad. Whenever you start or cry or feel sad, just hold it really close to your heart, okay?  You know, I’ve grown really attached to this.” Momo walked over to the bed with Servi in tow and sat down. She dug into her black bag and retrieved a wooden figurine of a cat and a horse.

“This right here is one of my favorite gifts! Servy, I can’t thank you enough for getting this for me. I swear this is gonna go down as a family heirloom!” Momo declared, holding the figurine up. She displayed it to absolutely no one, but Servi decided to copy her movements.

Momo took down her hand and laughed while storing the gift in her bag. “And now it’s time for this… Can you guess what it is I’m about to do? It’s your morning hug!!!” Momo gently wrapped her hands around Servi’s fingers, and the two of them stood up. “You know,” Momo said as she wrapped her hands around Servi’s back. “I wish I was a little bit taller. For your sake, I mean. I’m the one protecting you—helping you until you’re healed—but I come to your chin. I wonder if this is how short parents feel when they hug their taller child.” Momo suddenly giggled and slowly rubbed Servy’s back. “It isn’t a hug unless both people are doing it, you know…”

Momo’s grin grew three times bigger when she felt the touch of her friend, and for five minutes, the room went completely silent. In a way, it was almost like a dance. It didn’t take long before Momo found herself swaying left and right, moving with her best friend in perfect harmony. Her unruly, uncut pink hair reached down way past her shoulders. When Momo looked up, staring into Servi’s blank eyes, she started to lean up on her toes. Closer and closer, the distance between her lips and Servi’s cheeks disappeared.

But the Singi couldn’t take the final step. She backed off, unwrapping her arms from Servi’s back, and ducked and dodged under and away. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry about that, Servy. I can’t just take advantage of you like that because it’s not something a friend would do.” She had a bashful look on her face, but it covered a haze of disgust. Momo had these feelings—yearnings—and she had to hold them down. For the time being, of course. She knew that. She totally knew that.

“Servy, w-why don’t we go for a nice walk? Some fresh air might do us some good…” Momo said, turning around. Suddenly, she felt fine. That ugly feeling she had about herself a moment before disappeared. “Huh… If I was the old me, I’d probably want to crawl in bed and die after doing something so embarrassing. I guess I did feel like that, but I’m fine now. Does this mean I’m maturing? If I really think about it, there are such things as friendly kisses, right? So it isn’t THAT much of a big deal… And if it was on the cheek, that would be fine, right…? But a first kiss on the cheek? Not the lips?” Momo put a finger on her chin and thought really hard about it.

From behind, Servi looked down at her hand that held the coin. She glanced up, staring at the back of Momo’s head, and walked forward. Momo heard her friend’s footsteps and turned around. She held out her hand. An urge to yank it back by her side ran through her mind, but Momo held her ground. Her index finger playfully tapped Servi’s clenched fist, and she opened it. Momo took it as a sign to continue, and she interlocked their hands. Together, they held the coin.

“Servy, one of my favorite things in the world is holding your hand. Now, let’s go get some fresh air! If there’s a breeze, I bet it’ll feel good to have it run through our hair.” Momo went to walk out, and Servi obediently trailed behind.

“I’m sure you remember Madam Canary’s Sweetie Tweety, right?” Momo asked as she and Servi walked by it. Her blue eyes peeled through the glass windows and saw Canary hard at work. Feral was right there, assisting his aunt in cutting chocolate and decorating cakes.

Servi didn’t respond at all. One hand was held closer to her heart, and that was the one that contained a single coin. The other one was being pulled along by Momo.

Now, a Singi and Human, both female, holding hands certainly brought a lot of attention to the pair. It was like they were a ball of fire in a shivery winter wonderland. How could people not turn their heads and stare at such a thing? And it wasn’t the first time, either. The day after Servi and Momo arrived at Canary, the two went out into the town holding hands. It was hard to believe, but the attention they had received then eclipsed what they were currently getting.

Human and Demi-Human relations weren’t that hard to find if someone looked in the seedy areas of town. A drunken Human wouldn’t think twice about slamming his hips against an Elf’s crotch, and a Dwarven prostitute wouldn’t turn down a Koena as long as they had the money. But the fact that Servi and Momo were so bold in displaying a visual representation of their friendship was almost unheard of. Could their relationship, if it blossomed into love and romance, be the catalyst that paved the way for others like them to publicly show off their affection?

Possibly.

“Hey, do you remember when we bought Claire that chocolate?” Momo asked as she and Servi continued their walk of the city. “She was so happy. You know, I think that was when our friendship—the one between her and us—really started to open up. She was friendly before that, but she kinda felt like a stranger even though we talked almost every day. But I like Claire. She wrote us that lovely letter,” Momo said. She turned to Servi, but she was still stoic and expressionless.

“Servy, how do you feel about Claire?” The pair took a turn and went down a street loaded with food stalls. The scent of beef, chicken, shrimp, and fish permeated the atmosphere. “What about Feral?” You remember him, right. Aw, of course, you do. He’s a great friend. And this is mean of me to say, but I was a bit scared of him when we first met… I quickly got over it, but just being scared indicated I was still naïve and childish. But he’s awfully nice. Silverado and Desperado are pleasant, too. And I can add Riki and Rakkire to that list, too. Heck, I can pretty much put all of my friends on that list. Why else would I be friends with people who aren’t a joy to be around? Euuh… I guess I’ve been talking in circles, haven’t I? What—” Momo went to ask Servi something, but her stomach roared awake and demanded food.

“Yeah, sorry about that, tummy. Servy, wanna get some food?” Momo looked at the numerous stalls, reading their signs. She wasn’t in the mood for chicken because she had that last night. And all of the chicken booths were filled up with ravenous customers. Steak was something like a dinner item, but if they were in the mood for it, it’d be a while because there were lines everywhere. That just left shrimp. It probably wouldn’t compare to fried coconut shrimp Momo had before, which was her first experience with it. Still, she thought it wouldn’t hurt to try it again.

“Servy, do you mind if we snack down on some shrimp?” After getting no response, Momo just decided to go for it. She walked over and stood at an empty stall. The female Koena sitting behind it looked up sluggishly from her book, and her verdant-colored scales nearly shook with a mix of fright and readiness.

“Um… W-welcome to Shrimpyoena!!!” If Momo had to guess, the girl couldn’t have been older than fourteen. She wore a cute, wide-brimmed hat with a simple t-shirt and pants. She almost looked like she was ready to splash around on a hot, sandy beach.

“Hi!” Momo cheerfully said. “We’ll take two orders of shrimp.”

“Yes, ma’am!” the Koena stiffly replied as she stuffed her book under the table. She turned to the unlit grill and used Firewall to warm the black coals. Then she reached deep in a chest under the stall and pulled out two evenly distributed bags of shrimp. As she used a knife to cut them open, her green eyes couldn’t help but stare at Momo’s hand and what it held.

The Singi saw this and simply smiled. “Servy here is my best friend,” she said. “I don’t think doing this is wrong. I like it, and I know she likes it.”

“Oh, ma’am, I didn’t mean anything by standing. I… I have this friend I like, but he’s a Dwarf… Are… Are you afraid of the guards? What about the church?” The Koena placed the shrimp on the grill, and they instantly started to sizzle. It didn’t take long for a delicious aroma to waft up.

“We aren’t doing anything morally wrong,” Momo said, still sniffing at the air. She was surprised to find herself talking so much about holding Servi’s hand. Well, it was the first time someone had asked about it. Even during the previous days, Momo and Servi had been lucky enough to not have any pursers in the form of overzealous or over religious guards.

“That is true,” the Koena said as she grabbed a spatula. “Miss, I know Singi can’t handle spicy food, so do you just want salt?”

“Yep. Thank you. Oh, and Servy will take hers with a little bit of pepper.” Momo said with a friendly smile. Her tail wagged back and forth like a clock’s pendulum.

“Right away!” said the shrimp chef. She reached under the stall and grabbed two thin bottles. One was salt, which was clear to anyone who could read the label. However, the other was filled with tiny black, brown, and red flakes. It held black pepper, red pepper flakes, and brown sugar. Sugar on shrimp? It sounded out of place, but the cooks at Shrimpyoena's main branch found it added a pleasant aftertaste. Well, brown sugar did. The only thing left to do was place an iron pan and stick of butter. Once it was melted, it was time to toss the nearly cooked shrimp inside the pan to add more flavor.

“Servy, it sure does smell good, doesn’t it?”

The Koena looked up from the grill and questioningly tilted her head. Would it be rude to say something? Would it be out of place? Cymbal, the shrimp chef, had heard curiosity killed the Singi. Could the saying apply to a Koena like her?

Momo turned away from Servy’s face and saw the look Cymbal had. “Servy just has a little trouble speaking right now. That’s all,” Momo said. She held no hostility in her voice. What did she have to be angry about? The girl cooking breakfast had done nothing wrong.

“O-oh… Okay… Umm, would you also like something to drink? We don’t have any milk, but we have some water. I just went and filled the cooler with ice this morning, so it’s nice and cold.”

“Yes, please! Two glasses,” Momo said. She used her free hand to dig deep in her bag and pulled out a coin pouch. “How much will it be?”

“It’s 10 dupla each for the two orders of shrimp and 5 each for the water. So it’ll be 30 total,” Cymbal said.

Momo plucked three 10-coin dupla from her pouch and handed them to the lovely Koena. She took it with a smile and dropped it into a metal box under the stall. Cymbal grabbed two wooden bowls and two wooden cups. She filled the latter with water from a cooler behind her and gave those two to Servi and Momo while the shrimp finished up.

Momo couldn’t help but stare. She was never a seafood kind of gal, but that could possibly change. Still, even she was alone, it was possible Momo would have always stayed within her comfort zone. She only managed to branch out because of her desire to be friends with Servi, Claire, Srassa, and Dineria.

And it was that feeling that made the food she was about to eat taste all the better.

“Here you go, ma’am! Two orders of Shrimpyoena butter shrimp! It’s fresh off the grill, so it’s pretty hot,” Cymbal warned.

Momo unhooked her fingers from Servi’s hand and grabbed one of the bowls. Servi automatically reached up and took hold of the other one. After saying thank you, Momo and Servi walked away as Cymbal waved to them. She thought they were brave—choosing to have their friendship on display for all to see. Would seeing that give her the courage to confess to her Dwarven friend? She didn’t think so, but just knowing that there were Human and Demi-Human pairs who were that close made her feel at ease.