Book Four – Chapter Four – Part Two – Servi’s Decisive Role

“We’ll both take the eggs and sausage with a slice of bacon. Oh, and milk to drink, please!”

“Of course. I’ll go put that in for you.”

Momo nodded to the waiter who came to take their order, then looked around at the restaurant located within Warden. Breakfast was the most important meal of the day, but it was somewhat odd to be this full. Nearly every booth and chair had a person in it. The sleek wooden furniture, which was so warm on the eyes, was drowned in a sea of scales, fur, and skin. And the truly awful thing was that the little two-seat booth in the far back, which almost became Servi’s and Momo’s ‘spot,’ was taken up by a pair of dwarves.

But if that was going to be the biggest worry of their day, then that was fine. Momo didn’t let something so insignificant get her down, though she did pout for a second or two.

“Servy, did you hear what that red Koena said?” Momo said after her ears picked up something that wasn’t so much alarming as it was interesting. “Remember the Old Onyx? We were just there yesterday. Apparently, someone came by and dumped a load of clothes and money inside. They even left a note. Or I guess I should say you left a note,” Momo said. She stared at a blank Servi, whose face resembled the essence of void. “And that’s not all…” Momo continued to relay what information she could get from eavesdropping.

She spoke with pride about how the same thing was done to the Rude Crystal, though with furniture replacing the clothes. Then she talked about how a single entity had repaired nearly a dozen wells. And from what she heard from the other nearby diners, this mysterious culprit was the talk of the town. Some audibly wondered if this person was the healer that dropped by one of the illegal apothecaries located within the slums. A few people argued that someone who could use Deus Lux or Lux Dei Omnipotentis, as per the hasty rumor going around, wouldn’t have the kind of physical power to fix about a dozen water wells. Others said how could someone who had done so much in a single night do it without being spotted. That was when someone else spoke up with a detailed description of the so-called suspect. Fortunately, the physical properties did not match what Servi looked like. No doubt that a collective agreement was reached by all who she helped to keep her identity a secret.

After all, she was the sole girl responsible for what was quickly becoming known as the Miracle of Canary.

And for that, Momo was thankful.

“You know, I can’t just describe just how proud I am of you. Servy, you really took your declaration to heart. With how you’re giving back the things you took while offering even more kindness in return. Who knows how many people you saved from parched throats and sickness since I was sure the water was really nasty… more importantly, little kids who didn't have access to clean water can now, you know, drink clean water. It’s really admirable… Yeah, I don’t even have to question it to know you were responsible for all that. If only the stupid church would get rid of that healer’s taxes for the license or whatever… You know, helping people shouldn’t have a price tag… Canary has hundreds of thousands of people living here. It’s a pretty big city, so how do they keep track of any ‘back door healing?  But enough about that...”

The Singi held a hand to her heart. The abnormally loud collective volume threatened to swallow her words, but she toughed it out and spoke from the heart.

“Why didn’t you ask me to come with you? How can I be your protector when I’m not near you? Wait… Was… Was that why you were crying this morning?” Momo slowly came to the realization of something important as her waiter came back with food and drink. The smell of the fried sausage sang sweet melodies to her nose. Her carnivorous spirit came alive as she licked her chops. The green-scaled Koena who delivered the food noticed something was slightly amiss, but he knew better than to get involved in disputes between party members. That was why he dropped off the food and milk and walked away without asking if they needed anything else.

“No, I can’t let the food distract me. Servy, did you cry because you thought I would have been upset?” Momo asked again. She stared across the table. Servi turned her head to the motionless food in front of her, then stared back up to a gently smiling Momo. She had the beauty of an angel. “You know I wouldn’t ever be mad at you for something like that. Haven’t you heard me talk? I’m super happy about what you did. But I swore to protect you. If you’re there, and I’m here…” Momo placed her two index fingers far apart on the table to emphasize her point. “How can I do that?”

“No… No… Not… Mad…? No… Not… Mad…?” spoke the quiet girl. Visible stress lines popped up around her forehead. Her eyes clenched shut, then slowly opened. Water began to spring forth from her eyes.

“That’s right… I’m not mad… I’m proud. Super, super, super proud of what you did… But if you do it again, you have to let me know, okay? If you don’t, I’ll pick you up and carry you around the city!  On second thought, that kinda sounds like fun and not a punishment at all. OH! Hey, maybe one day I can crouch down and carry you on my shoulders?” The atmosphere turned calm and serene as Momo stabbed a fat piece of sausage with her wooden fork. Delicious juices flowed out from the two little wounds, journeying down her plate until it met a bed of scrambled eggs.

Conversely, Servi continued to stare at her food with a fork gripped tightly. It was as if she was staring at which foe she should defeat first. The mighty, crispy bacon looked like a terrible adversary, but her fluffy eggs had the potential to be a harmful menace to society. By now, the salty tears had completely disappeared.

“Go for the eggs, girl. You won’t be disappointed,” said Momo, whose mouth was full of flavor. She grabbed her glass of milk and nearly emptied it all in one giant gulp. But of course, she had to save a bit for later. “But as I was saying... Maybe I can have you ride on my shoulders? One of my earliest memories was of my grandpa putting me on his shoulders. He held his arms out like a bird and walked around our house. Sometimes, he’d speed up, and it really did feel like I was flying on a bird! I think having wings would be so cool… Don’t you agree?” After sharing a little slice of her history, Momo turned to her back and chopped it up with her teeth.

“Geez, at this rate, I might just have to order a second plate… Hard work really takes it out of you! But… Servy?” When Servi didn’t look up from shoveling food into her mouth, Momo continued to talk. “I was doing a bit of thinking…and maybe we can ignore the play…? Maybe that’s not the best thing… Right now, at least. I heard putting one on is a lot of work, and everyone has to come together to pull their own weight. Servy, do you think you can handle it? Do you think you can say the lines? I’ll be there to help you, of course, but I won’t be able to do anything when it’s time for the performance… I guess this is selfish, but I don’t want you to embarrass yourself? I guess that’s it… But if it’s what you want, then I’ll support you. As long as the yearning is coming from your heart instead of something I suggested…”

“…Play… Perform…ance… Want…want…” said the girl in a slow voice. It took time for each syllable to flow out of her mouth. She was starting to say more and more, which only could have been a good thing.

“Well, that’s that, I guess. After we get done here, let’s go and find some more information, okay? I think Claire said there’s gonna be another flyer with more info. If she’s working, let’s see if we can ask her really quickly.” With that said, Momo jabbed her fork into the rest of her sausage and greedily devoured it. Soon enough, her plate was nearly licked clean as she licked the evidence off of her lips. Servi had finished most of hers, but the scraps she left behind were safely stored within her ring. All thanks to Itarr, of course.

“Oh,” Momo said as she stood up. Her hand went to the glass of milk and hurriedly drank the rest. “Thanks for looking after Servy, Itarr. Last night, I mean… I know Servy isn’t in the right…’state of mind’ to actually heal anyone, but I know you did it for her. I hope you didn’t think I was ignoring you... Because I wasn’t… So thank you, Itarr, for doing all of those wonderful things on Servy’s behalf.” She reached out to take hold of the hand that held the red ring and softly brushed her fingers across its polished surface.

Such a little ring has so much power… You’re incredible, Itarr…

After this, the pair walked down to the ground floor. Hectic and out of control, a feverish energy was in the air. Or maybe it was just one of those days. Really, the reason it was all so packed could have been for a multitude of reasons, but none of those interested Momo or her cute friend. The two of them waded through the maze of bodies until they accidentally bumped into a busy Claire.

“Whoops!” she exclaimed, catching herself at the last moment so. She had a stack of documents pressed against her chest as she moved her bangs out of her eyes. Early it was, her face was as sweaty as if she had conquered a marathon.

“I’m sorry, Claire. We didn’t see you there.” Momo apologized, but the purple-eyed Elf waved it off. Her arm accidentally touched a Koena’s backpack, but he didn’t notice it.

“Maybe that’s a good thing. I finally have a few seconds to catch my breath. I don’t know if you’ve noticed it yet, but this place is kinda packed.”

“It’s a bit hard to not notice that, actually. What’s going on?” Momo said. She tried to charge ahead to an empty bench, but that was useless. It felt like she was in the middle of a motionless stampede.

“That’s the thing. There isn’t anything special happening. It is near the end of the month, and that’s when this kind of thing usually happens. A lot of people are trying to get in some last-minute quests. You know how people leave things to the last opportunity, am I right?” Claire shrugged her shoulders and  scratched her cheek. “Ah, sorry, but I have to run some documents up to the inn. Oh, and take one of these. We got a bunch of them in this morning! I remembered you talking about it.”

“Okay! We’ll see you later, okay?” Momo said, half speaking and half shouting. She grabbed the flyer Claire was holding out, then made room for her friend to go up the stairs. Momo tried to read the piece of paper, but it was so crowded that she couldn’t hardly do much of anything. And being trapped for so long, in the middle of so many people, who mostly wore heavy armor, wasn’t the cleanest thing around. Some adventurers chose to stave off personal hygiene in order to spend money on supplies. The smelly musk was far too rank for Momo's sensitive sniffer to handle.

And quite a few of those smelly adventurers were standing right next to Momo. With renewed pace, she grabbed Servi’s wrist and forcefully carved a path out. Then the dizziness came, and Momo almost lost her balance. But her Singi reflexes came in handy and kept her remaining upright. The warm, hazy sea of bodies naturally parted as to make way for those entering Warden, which meant the opposite was true. Those exiting would have a hard time only until they got to the end, at which it became easier than readily walking.

“Bwha! Can’t believe I’m saying this, but man, does it feel better out here than it does inside!!!” Momo exclaimed. After making it outside, where it was somewhat cooler, she made her way over to the side of Warden with Servi in tow. It was a good thing they went to the west side of the building since the sun was still rising from the east.  Since the Warden building was so tall, they would have a good amount of shade.

So much sweat had gathered on Momo’s brow that it was like someone had soaked a rag and squeezed it out on her forehead. “Water… I need my water...” she said while digging into her bag. When she pulled out her canteen, she nearly drained it empty in a matter of seconds. Itarr then absorbed it, filled it back up, and gave it to the thirsty cat. Once she had her fill, she wiped her lips and stored the canteen away. Not before thanking her favorite Goddess, though.

“Now, let’s see this flyer…” Momo read it aloud for Servi’s and Itarr’s comfort. “One night only—August 24th—come experience an event that has no equal!! The Lift of a Butterfly Will Cure Our Ailing Hearts is a story that embodies the bright light that rests at the end of a dark tunnel. A tale of hope awaits all who come to see it. Auditions have already started, and they will close on August 1st. If you have any interest in being a part of this wonderful story, please go to the Hurrah Theatre Hall located at Bridgestone Avenue…”

Momo read the flyer a second time and offered her thoughts. “That’s an odd name for play, but I guess it sounds kinda cool. I do like butterflies. If the auditions end on the first of August… That’s just a few days away.”

Momo turned to Servi. Her blank eyes seemed to be full of lifeless, but consciousness did flow through her spirit. Momo personally tested that out by taking Servi’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

It was obviously returned.

The Singi stretched her arms to the sky. “So, what do you think? Do you still want to try it out?” she asked Servi. The response she gave was another squeeze of the hand, and that was the end of that little discussion. Leading the way as a knight would escort her princess, Momo and Servi walked from Warden to the shopping mall near the noble district. Along the way, they passed by a few food stalls that were hard at work. Fresh meat was sizzling against a hot grill. The bubbling ferocity of oil cried out as raw chicken was dropped into it. It all smelt so heavenly to someone like Momo, whose hunger hadn’t been conquered.

Since she couldn’t stave it off any longer, she convinced herself that it was alright to partake in a second breakfast since she put in the effort during the previous day. And as to reward herself, she had chosen to stop by a stall specializing in fish. The bald-headed Human behind the charcoal grill recommended a slice of seared tuna. It just took about two minutes to retrieve it from a nearby cooler and slap it on the grill built into the stall.

Its irresistible aroma invaded Momo’s nose, and she gratefully accepted the meal after paying and thanking the man. He had poked a tiny toothpick though through the gorgeous strip of meat. She stared at it from all sides as they continued to make their way to the noble district.

After taking that first bite, the seared tuna practically melted on her tongue since it was so tender. And the flavor was out of this world. Slightly oily, it was fatty and meaty at the same time. Momo wanted to rush back and ask for seconds and thirds. “Servy!!! You have to try this! Here, I saved a bit for you!” she exclaimed.

Right when she brought it to Servi’s face, Momo couldn’t believe the lack of embarrassment upon her face. Why would I be embarrassed? It’s only logical that since I want to cook for Servy, I’d probably want to feed her, too. Maybe not all the time, but in a situation like this? I think it’s fine. And this is kinda like a kiss because I did bite off a piece. I didn’t tear it… It’s kinda making me happy… Hehe!!!

“So, how was it?” Itarr absorbed the toothpick as Servi’s teeth chomped and pierced her little treat. “Is it good?” Momo started to faintly blush a gorgeous red, and the smile across her face couldn’t have gotten any brighter or prettier. “One day, I’ll make that for us… And a bunch of other things, too. I’m gonna be such a great cook that Claire won’t even believe it!” If there was one thing to say about the bubbly Momo, it was that she was as determined as ever. Perhaps even more so after coming into her role as Servi’s Knight.

Canary was mainly split into three ‘districts’ for the lack of a better term. There was the aforementioned noble district, where the rich and powered lived, and the aptly named slums, where the poor and those deemed undesirable by society amassed in large groups like gangs of nomads. The third ‘district’ didn’t have an official or unofficial title. It was where places like Warden and Madam Canary’s Sweetie Tweety were located at. Since it was the largest part of Canary, perhaps there wasn't any special need to give it a designation.

As the pair of friends kept walking, Momo noticed a very noticeable split between the noble district and everything else. It probably wasn’t done on purpose, but as someone who had walked this road many, many times in the previous month, Momo naturally picked up on a few things. After a certain point, the sounds of footsteps against stone had a different ‘reverberation’ to it. The bricks used in the noble district were denser and thicker, leading to a hearty, beefier noise. Meanwhile, the thinner, lesser quality stone used everywhere else sounded cheaper.

The air quality also differed, but it was more difficult to tell. What was very clearly noticeable to the gluttonous Singi was the quality of food. It didn’t matter if it was beef, chicken, ham, fish, or even fruit and veggies; those nobles just had to have the freshest, cleanest ingredients.

Momo realized this about fifteen minutes after entering the noble district. Before that, however, she had waved to the shopping mall located at the district’s entrance. Dineria, her mentor, had her own shop in there. She hoped that green-haired Elf was doing fantastic. And Momo couldn’t forget about Srassa’s house, located minutes after entering the district. She just had to offer a friendly hand to it as well. If not for respect, then maybe as a sign of friendship. The guard out front was confused, but after a moment, he distinctly remembered a pink Singi.

A pleasant conversation later, he had penned down a map to Bridgestone Avenue. Momo thanked him, and off they went to complete their little journey. He had told them to turn right on to Second Street, which was what they did.

Unfortunately, they came to an obstacle that nearly seemed insurmountable.

It was a restaurant, but it only had three walls, a roof, and a counter? Yet the floor extended far enough out to the right place where a wall would have logically fit. There were tables and chairs like someone would have found in any restaurant. It was odd, strange, and almost quirky. The dangerous part came from what was being grilled in the kitchen. Half a dozen workers were hard at work preparing nocturnal cod for the early morning breakfast rush. Already, every single table was filled to capacity.

Stuck in place, Momo looked like a little girl who had her attention stolen away. She watched as a man in a suit brought out two plates of grilled fish with gorgeous grill marks. With them came four bottles of spices, two for each meal. She didn’t know what they were, but they had a bit of a peppery smell to them that wasn’t that strong.

Itarr stared as hard as Momo did, but the Goddess’s attention was on what was in the bottles. It just so happened that she had literal tons of fish squared away inside her ring for a rainy day. And like Momo, she too wanted to cook for the one she loved. As criminal as it may have been, she slyly took about half the contents of each bottle but made sure to slip five 100 dupla coins in the waiter’s pocket as payment. If that wasn’t enough, she’d just have to ask Servi to come back and properly pay the restaurant.

As for Momo? She had stared for so long that the diners were getting rightly annoyed, so she hurried to her destination with a blank-faced Servi in tow. And inside the ring, in an endless, crimson void of nothingness, Itarr had started experimenting. She still kept an outside eye on the situation at hand, but just a little bit of her attention was focused on skinning, preparing, and cooking a few tons of fish. Come hell or high water, she had vowed to make something edible before the moon came out to play.