Book Two – Chapter Two – Part One – Emotions and Lunch!

Momo couldn’t have been feeling more different compared to her friend. The Singi was excited by the prospect of a tournament while receiving personalized tutoring from a senior adventurer. Conversely, Servi steamed with anger and wanted to explode. She wanted Fisher’s so badly she imagined it right in front of her.

“…vi?” it would be so easy for her to kill him here and now. He was within range of Telekinesis, and she could imagine placing the five anchor points on his limbs and head. Then one by one, she would break his legs and arms before ripping them off. Then—

“Servi?” the girl in question felt a nudge on her shoulder, and she blinked. The white chairs and green grass appeared back in her sight.

“Yeah?” she replied as she stood up. Around eighty percent of the audience had left, and some guards and some of the elderly were left.

“Are you okay? I’ve called your name three times, but you just stared at the ground,” Momo asked. It was her kindness that struck Servi the most.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s….nothing. I was just daydreaming,” Servi stood up and put her shield back on her arm before turning to look at Momo. Her pink ears twitched slightly as her tail danced behind her. Smiling, the black-haired girl quickly reassured her friend she was okay.

Momo wanted to ask again but felt like it would be overstepping her boundaries.

The two walked back through the driveway and left through the gate. Afterwards, the friends wandered the streets while talking.

“Are you excited?” Servi finally asked, breaking the monotonous silence. During the walk from the mansion to here, it was disturbingly and awkwardly silent. Momo had worries filling her mind while Servi had to fight off the anger in hers.

“Yep. I never really had a proper mentor before, and I’m excited to be learning from a low-ranking member. It’s funny, isn’t it? I think Warden is the only place where the low-ranking members are stronger than the high-ranking ones. Usually, it’s the other way around, with the big numbers being better than the lower numbers. It’s a bit weird, I guess.”

“It is. But I wonder how Warden is going to organize it all? I mean, we spent so much time together. It’ll be a bit weird training or adventuring with someone else," Servi confessed. She went slightly red in the face.

Momo went red as well before the biggest smile covered her face. “I mean, we’re friends, right? It’s not like we’re gonna be separated forever. It’s just a month, and after the tournament, you’re still gonna party up with me, right?”

“Of course, we’re friends. And I’ll still want to adventure with you. Besides, we’re still staying at the same inn, so we’ll see each other,” replied Servi.

“Then can you tell me what’s bothering you? I don’t wanna be pushy, but ever since we left, you’ve been different. But it’s totally okay if you don’t want to.”

Taking a deep breath, Servi motioned for Momo to follow her as she walked out of the road and into a partially obscured side street. “At the forum, I saw a man who, just a month ago, laughed as he pushed this Singi to the ground.  It looked like he was trying to get bandage his sister's wound, but the two guards refused to budge, and one of them even stabbed the boy with a knife.  I wanted to do something about it, I really did, but I'm weak. I'll never forget the fear in his voice when he screamed...”

“Oh…” Momo couldn't think of anything else to say. Her mind raced a kilometer a second.

“And ever since then, I can’t look at him without becoming angry. It’s not fair, Momo. It really isn’t,” Servi sighed and moved her hand to her head, rubbing it stressfully.

“Servi… I didn’t know,” Momo reached out a hand to support her friend but took it back. What if she doesn’t wanna be touched and This is too soon ran throughout her mind. But those weren’t the only things yelling inside her. Not by a long shot.

“I mean, how can people treat people like that?! Maybe those people who attacked were actually the good guys…”

“You think so too? I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m happy they attacked. If there’s one thing I hate above all else, it’s slavers and slave markets,” Momo put her hand to her heart and spoke her true feelings to her friend. She wanted to say she was almost sold into slavery, but she didn’t want to at the same time. In the end, she held it in.

Hmm. Maybe this is your chance to tell her. Are you? Itarr asked.

It was quite a scene. Both friends had many things they wanted to say to the other one, but they couldn’t.

“And though we can’t really do much, I’m sure they’re happy knowing that people care that much about them. Servi, when I traveled from my village to here, I saw a lot of slaves. And I felt and still feel the same way. I wanna help them, I really do. But I’m powerless… and it’s against the law to help slaves…” Momo looked down and was surprised when she heard crying. It didn’t come from her, but rather the strong girl standing right in front of her.

Her eyes went red and raw, water fell down her cheeks, and she stared at the ground with her eyes closed. “It’s not fair. It’s just not fair…” repeated Servi over and over. Suddenly, she felt two slender arms wrapped around her, and she opened her eyes. Momo hugged her. Considering Momo's short height, she was in the perfect position for Servi to rest her chin on the beautiful pink field of hair that adorned Momo's head.

“Servi, you don’t have to beat yourself up over this. I know it’s not fair, and it’s not right, but it’s the way things are. I’m so happy you hate the slavers as much as me, but you’re tearing yourself up inside.”

“Momo….I didn’t mean to cry…” Servi wrapped her arms around Momo and hugged her back. She moved her head until her nose was buried in the pink flowing honey that was her hair. It smelled heavenly…

“You’re always the tough one, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before. Meanwhile, the first day we met, I cried like five times. What I’m saying is that it’s okay to cry when you’re feeling sad. And right now is a good time to cry, so let it all out. Just like you didn’t judge me, I won’t judge you for it.”

And those words were the key to unlock the flood gates. In a side street, two friends held each other in an embrace; the tough one—the one that was the tank, a symbol of hardiness and toughness—cried her eyes out to the one person she was friends with. Well, that wasn’t quite right. Momo was the only friend Servi had that she could physically touch with her fingers. She could cry to Itarr, but Itarr couldn’t embrace her like this. Servi couldn’t smell the honey-like scent coming from Itarr’s non-existent hair, nor could she feel the warm flesh touching her sides through the leather armor.

About five minutes later, Servi’s perceptive wailing was nothing more than a few whimpers. Momo unhooked her hands from around Servi, who did the same. She sniffed a bit before walking back a bit, prompting Momo to reach into her bag for a cloth. With a mother’s touch, Momo patted around Servi’s eyes and wiped up the tears.

“There! Now, how do you feel after crying? Feels good, doesn’t it?” Momo smiled and stored the tearstained cloth in her bag.  She made a mental note to wash it later.

“I’m –”

“Don’t say you’re sorry for crying," Momo sharply replied. The smile on her face was perfect and motherly. It seemed the skittish girl known as Momo was slowly disappearing. A month ago, she never imagined she would do something like this. In a way, Servi and Itarr were proud of the growth Momo displayed.

Not even the Singi in question knew why she did what she did. Just a few moments ago, she wanted to touch Servi but stopped because she didn’t think they were close enough. But now? She hugged and wiped her tears. Not to mention she even interrupted her again and told her not to apologize. She didn’t know what kind of feeling or emotion possessed her to do that. Maybe it was the relief of knowing her best friend hated slavers and thought slavery was the worst thing ever?

But she knew she made the right choice.  If she hadn't, then why did it feel so good?

“Alright. But seriously, thank you. I haven’t cried like that since I don’t know when, but I feel better.” Dazzling red eyes stared into blue eyes that reminded Servi of an ocean. Those azure eyes were the eyes of her savior, literally. Deep in the darkness of Servi’s mind, she was teetering on the edge of some unknown abyss, but Momo’s touch brought her back from the brink.

It was the first time Servi had ever felt that way. She didn’t know why it started now, but she did feel better after crying.

“You’re very welcome. Now, why don’t we go get something yummy to eat? I’m a little hungry.”

“I’m hungry too,” Servi smiled at her friend before they walked out of the alley. As much as they both wanted to walk hand in hand, they didn’t. And it was because of the same reasons as before. The two didn’t think they were close enough. And there was also the stupid law written by the church that forbade any relationships between people of the same genders or different races. A female Singi falling in love with a female Human was about the very worst thing that could happen in the eyes of those who worshipped the Church of the Heavens.

“So, where should we go? I don’t really know that many good restaurants. Hell, I’ve pretty much only eaten at Warden.” Admitted Servi. When it came to food, she was, by far, not an expert.

“What are you in the mood for? When I first came here, I picked this up.” Momo reached in her bag and pulled out a small book about five pages long. “It’s a welcome book thingy. There's a list of restaurants in there. I think it's on the third page.” Momo handed the book to Servi, who thanked her.

“Let’s see….” Servi turned to the restaurant page and began scanning it over.

The first place listed was called Canary’s Steak House. As the name suggested, it served steak, beef, and nothing else. But steak was more of a dinner item and not a lunch meal, so Servi continued to survey the page. A second later, Servi couldn't help but giggle.

“What's so funny?” Momo innocently asked as her tail wrapped around her waist like a belt. Her hands softly stroked it, internally smiling at how warm her fur was.

“It’s the name of this place. ‘Madam Canary’s Sweetie Tweety?’”

“It’s a cute name. I like it,” Momo said. They were coming up on the Warden office, even if they didn’t mean to. They followed their feet, and this was where it led them. The road they were walking on was congested, with people forced to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. No doubt news of the forum had already spread, and now, many people were rushing to Warden to ask for more details. Even though they’ll get the same info from tomorrow’s paper. The severe lack of patience would probably slow down the snail-like lines even more. Servi thought about that before replying to Momo.

“Yeah, it’s super cute. Hey, what do you want to do after lunch?” Servi told Momo of the possibility of waiting in long lines. If they even try to accept a quest, it’ll be night before they even make it to the receptionist’s window.

“Hmm… We can go into the sewers if you want. But we can talk about that over lunch. Have you decided on a place?”

“I think so. Thanks for letting me pick, by the way.”

Momo smiled. “You’re very welcome. After a cry, I like to eat something super yummy. And I don’t exactly know what your favorite foods are.”

This is finally a chance for me to learn something about you!

My goodness, how sweet. Momo really is a good friend. Though she didn’t realize it, Itarr’s fond words for their mutual friend made confessing to Momo all the more painful. Servi was serious about it. If she didn’t play it exactly right, the friendship between the two would disappear. After all, their entire relationship was built on a lie.

“I like noodles, I guess. And vegetables. I don’t really have a favorite food… Hold on…” Servi, while reading, bounced her eyes over to a restaurant called Monkey Noodle House.

“What’d ya find?”

“Can we go here? This Monkey Noodle House sounds good. It’s on 174 Peddler Avenue. And look here, there’s one dupla out of four, so it shouldn’t be that expensive.”

“Can I see?” Servi handed the book back to Momo and pointed to it. “Ramen? I’ve never heard of that before. But it looks yummy.”

“So, how about it? Wanna try it?”

“Sure. It also says the restaurant has something called dango. Apparently, it’s a type of dessert?! Servi, we have to go!”

Upon hearing that the restaurant had dessert, Momo’s tail kicked into overdrive and let everyone around know she was absolutely ecstatic. Once she became conscious of that fact, she grabbed her tail and calmed it down, becoming very embarrassed in the process.

“Alrighty. I don’t know where 174 Peddler Avenue is, so we might have to ask directions.”

The time was 1:48. The news part of the forum lasted a bit over twenty minutes, and the Q&A took around forty or so. Since it was past noon, the sun had just passed its highest point in the sky, and ever so slightly, it would start to set. The calmness of the white moon above would soon cast its gaze over the world. For a little while, at least.

Forty minutes and one growling stomach later, they arrived at a pleasant little restaurant. A picture of a yellow monkey was on its sign.

“I guess this is the place,” Momo announced.

“It has the monkey, so it has to be. Let’s go in,” Servi opened the door, and Momo thanked her as she walked inside. The door was different than the others she’d opened. Most opened forward and backwards, using their hinges, but the one before them slid open left to right on a rail.

Going back around forty minutes or so, Momo had asked if she could change into some regular clothes when the friends passed by the Warden office. Servi had told her she didn’t need to ask permission, and Momo simply nodded said she wanted to change clothes. And so, they went back to their rooms since they were right by the Warden office. After closing the door behind her, Servi figured it'd be nice to get out of her armor and into something far more comfortable.

With a simple twirl, the bland leather protective gear vanished from existence and was promptly replaced with its cuter counterpart. Servi's new outfit consisted of a red and white buttoned-down shirt, black pants, black heeled boots, and blue overalls, and she looked like she was going to a party down at the local barn.

Servi checked herself out by retrieving a mirror from her ring. She genuinely smiled to herself, feeling cute and adorable while twirling like a ballerina as her heeled boots clicked against the wooden floor. With one last giggle at her transformative state, Servi left her room, locked it, and went downstairs to wait for Momo.

Momo wore clothes that she had never shown Servi before. A sparkling white and blue blouse tucked into a pink and white skirt that stopped above her knees. Combined with the black boots and low-cut pink socks, it was almost the same as the outfit she wore when she first had dinner with Servi. That time, the shirt had been pure white. The skirt was solid black, and the socks came to her knees.

To Servi, it didn't matter what her best friend wore. Momo always looked cute.

It wasn't until Itarr's voice sounded in her mind that Servi realized she was staring hard. She was so lucky that Momo didn’t notice it. Servi didn't think she could make up an excuse if she got caught.

She looks adorable, doesn’t she?

“Yes, she does,” Servi answered. Momo was still coming down the stairs, so Servi didn’t have to hide her conversation.

“I hope you didn’t wait long. Ready?” asked the beautiful and delightful Momo. Though most would consider her to have too much pink on, Servi didn’t think so. It was just the right amount of white, blue, pink, and black boots that fit her so well.  The right combination brought out the hidden cuteness of the girl known as Momo.

Wow, Servi looks so cute!! I’m glad she’s still wearing the clothes I picked out for her! Momo thought as her tail innocently wagged along.

Servi stood up and walked over to the door with Momo.  After opening it, Momo thanked her friend and walked through.  Before she walked out, Servi took the opportunity to check out her friend's pink tail.  Like she guessed, there was a hole in the top of the skirt that allowed it to snake through.

Well, that's one question answered. Servi smiled to herself and walked out to join her friend.