“Ugghhh...” groaned Myrabel, who was quickly becoming the unsociable one of the group. She crossed her legs and rested her pretty head against her hand.
“Come now, Myra. You finally have a chance to star in a production. It wouldn’t be good to put on an ugly façade. Being intentionally cold and harsh isn’t as cute as it used to be.” Denaire closed her large eyes slowly shook her head from side to side.
That must’ve struck a nerve because the cool air Myrabel was attempting to have vanished. “Wh—Wh—What are you talking about?! I’ve always been this way!!!” she stammered. Embarrassment covered her earth-colored face in a beautiful blush.
“What do you mean ‘finally have a chance?’” asked Grid. He crossed his legs and leaned in with waiting ears. Whatever he was about to hear was probably going to be juicy.
“You see, Myra has tried out 11 times to grasp even the tiniest role in the smallest of plays. Mind you, I am talking about performances that see an audience of no more than twenty or thirty people, yet she has failed each audition. The last time was for a role as a wife that was wronged by her husband. Yet Myra is so kind she doesn’t have a rude bone in her body. The director mentioned he couldn’t feel the proper negative emotions she wanted when Myra was auditioning, and she took that advice to heart. Do you wish to know what she said to me when we walked out of the theatre?
“’From now on, Myrabel the nice is dead! Just wait, Denaire! The next time you see me, I’m going to be my evil counterpart!’ That is what she said. Bwhahaha!!! But if I am being honest, it warms my heart to see you snag your first role, Myra. You have worked long and hard, and I am proud.
“You call her Myra. Is that a nickname?” Momo asked. She looked over at Servi to make sure she was still beside her. She was, of course, just sitting there like a lost lamb. Her eyes moved every which way, but her head remained incredibly still.
“It is.” Denaire nodded and crossed her thick arms. It was no small wonder the fabric used for her dress didn’t split. Since she was a noble, she obviously had access to stronger and more durable materials than most. “I have known her for half a decade—ever since my family moved into the house next door. In fact, she was the one who introduced me to this wonderful world of the stage…”
“Bwha!!! Denaire, shut up!!!” cried Myrabel, whose face shook and trembled with directed embarrassment. She jumped out of her seat, sending her suspiciously short skirt flying up to show off her side-tie black panties, which accentuated her lovely thighs, and rushed forward. Her natural athleticism allowed her to vault up the stage with a simple hop, and she put all of her weight into tackling Denaire to the ground.
Instead of being angry, Denaire just howled with laughter and wrapped her large arms around her friend. “Bwhahahaha!!!!”
“Hm… What about you, Denaire? Is this your first time?” Grid asked. He found it incredibly hard not to peek up Myrabel’s skirt, as it had started to ride up over her hips from her friendly struggle with Denaire. As a gentleman, though, he stayed his eyes away and stared at the ceiling, taking in just how cool it looked with all of the interconnecting piping.
In the brightly lit auditorium, a brown full moon was on full display, and everyone could see just how erotic Myrabel’s panties were. It would be one thing if they were regular, but these were sexy, requiring a pair of knots in the ties to remain secure. And the cloth lining her rear was incredibly thin.
Almost too thin… Was this a part of her attire as Myrabel’s negative persona?
Momo immediately covered her eyes with her hands, but unfortunately, the sight was buried in her mind. Even as she tried to forget it, she had to admit something.
Compared to her, my underwear is boring and plain… Maybe I need to do some shopping? Would... Would Servy like it if I wore that...?
The Elf finally realized what was happening when she felt a sudden gust of wind, courtesy of a friendly Goddess, tickle her buttocks. A cute yelp erupted from her mouth, and she quickly rolled over and landed her rump right next to Denaire. Of course, she used her hands to hold down the front and back of the skirt. Such preventative measures couldn’t stop the tears coming down her face.
“Oooohhhhh, I can’t get married now!!!” she cried out. Denaire was there to comfort her friend with a friendly hand to the shoulder. “I’ve been exposed... You didn’t see anything, right? Right? Say you didn’t!!!!”
“I—I didn’t. I swear I didn’t!” Grid was quick with his words, telling a half-truth to make Myrabel feel just a bit better about exposing her butt to three people she hadn’t ever met before.
She’s really kinda girlie… Thought Momo, who didn’t know if it was okay to peek out.
“This isn’t my first time, but it will be the second. I was always planning on singing, regardless of what the director asked me to do, so I was thankful he went with that.”
“Why? Did you practice a lot?” Momo asked, peeking through the gaps of her fingers. She made sure any and all chocolate moons had descended from her view before dropping them to her lap. Of course, she had to grab Servi’s hand since it didn’t feel right to leave it unattended when she was right there beside her.
“That I did. I’ve always liked singing. I sing for my mother and father multiple times a week. They even spent a bit of money he obtained from his adventuring days to pay for a voice coach. Honestly, I would have liked another week to practice since I made a few crucial errors.”
“I thought your voice was super pretty. Servy and I really enjoyed your song!”
“Thank you, the both of you,” growled Denaire.
“It was the same with me. Almost. Well, kinda. My friends always think I’m funny, but I just don’t see it. I was really just saying the same ole jokes that I would say to them, so I guess I lucked out as well. Oh, and this’ll be my third performance. My first two were little-known numbers that I doubt you’d know. But hell, let’s give it a chance. You know of Custard of Doves and Spear Moon Destiny?” When no one shook his head, Grid sighed and smiled.
“Yeah… Thought so. I mean, it would be crazy if you did because those were the plays my little brother wrote when he was ten. Haha!!! They weren’t that good, mind you, but one day, I really want to act them out for good…”
“Aww, that’s sweet. Does your brother want to be a playmaker?”
“A playwright is the term you were looking for. And yes, he does. He’s eleven now, and even though he’s blessed, he doesn’t want to join Warden. He’s never even picked up a sword, something I’ve done once or twice. He’d rather spend his time writing plays with the hope that he could direct them. Speaking of Warden, what about you two?”
“Us?” Momo pointed to herself and Servi. Grid nodded. “Yeah, we’re members. Rank 9 at that.”
“Then what made you two want to come here? To audition for the play, I mean?” asked Denaire.
“It wasn’t my idea. It was hers. You see, Servy isn’t all there right now. A while back, I… I was attacked by a bandit, and Servy saved me. But taking a life was too harsh for her, and now she’s like this. Until she’s back to her old self, I have to be the one to protect her! Since I think it’s something with her emotions and how to process them, I did say that maybe plays were the key. I’ve never seen one, but I know it involves a person taking on the personality of their character.
“Still, I was afraid she would have embarrassed herself flat…”
“Now I feel like a horrible witch…” murmured Myrabel, who spoke formally in a tone that benefitted a noble and not the angsty girl she was trying to be. “I’m sorry if I was rude… I was just thinking that changing my attitude might be the key to finally getting a part. I really did mean no disrespect to you or your friend…”
“Oh, you don’t have to apologize at all!” Though that is kind of her to do so…
“Hmm… That is sad… But I’m sorry if this is rude, but can Servy accomplish her chosen task? Can she cry on demand like the director wants her to?”
As if on cue, Servi unleashed the waterworks. She wrapped her arms around Momo and truthfully wailed into her shoulders after the first few tears had fallen down her pretty cheeks. It was so sudden that Grid found himself rising to his feet. Denaire did jump back a bit, but Myrabel was just so shocked at how fast Servi turned on the tears.
Her cries truly came from her inner heart, a place in which it was impossible to fabricate falsehoods. Every little sound that escaped from her sounded as if her soul was being forcibly yanked out from its bodily shell. Some could even argue that Servi had gone so far past sounding realistic that she bordered on the extremely thin line of exaggeration.
Regardless of if it could be interpreted as something serious or humorous, Momo embraced her friend with the warmest of hugs. Her head found a nice spot atop that bed of soft black hair. She knew that all eyes were on her, and Itarr was at the ready in case anyone was foolish to get in between the pair of friends.
“Umm...” babbled Myrabel. She altered her sitting position until she was resting on her knees, then anxiously scratched at her cheeks. She almost looked to be uncomfortable.
“Yeah, Servy just sometimes just cries out of nowhere,” Momo softly said while holding the girl who had captivated her heart. “And other times, she just starts laughing as if being alive is the best thing in the world.”
“I’m sorry!!!” Myrabel exclaimed a second time. “I really, really had no idea!!!”
A stunned Momo could only listen to Denaire explain things. “That is her biggest flaw. Myrabel cannot stand being at fault for something, even if it is something as simple and inconsequential as spilling milk.”
“Denaire!!!” The cute, embarrassed Earth Elf went to tackle her friend but stopped when she remembered what she wore. Oh, how she wished she listened to her mother’s advice. She had picked out a fabulous outfit consisting of a stark white jacket with a fanciful tail and an exquisite black vest to go under it. The undershirt was going to be a sleek velvet button-up shirt she had picked up from a local boutique. Luckily for her, the pants and the perfect pair of dress shoes were part of a promotion, so if she was feeling reserved about the outfit, this just erased all of those doubts.
Of course, Myrabel’s mother was the fashionista, and she had all the accessories picked out. She believed a person could leave home without looking the best, and for her, that included the perfect silver cuff links and a cute, yet stylish pocket watch.
Myrabel growled at a world that could have been, then remembered what Denaire had just said. The Elf started to say something embarrassing about her muscular friend, but the large gal giggled it off. Soon enough, Grid joined in on the humiliating stories about his past, and joyful laughter was shared all around. Servi remained as motionless as a corpse while snuggling against her gallant knight. Itarr was at hand with a few stacks of Telekinesis to keep her propped up, so Momo could just focus on breaking the ice and hopefully make some new friends in the process.
And that was how they spent the next two hours. Momo had learned a lot about Myrabel, like how she was afraid of the dark and hated scary stories. Denaire confessed that she wasn’t a fan of spicy foods at all, hinting that she shared the same taste buds as a Singi. Grid, meanwhile, kept fondly talking about his family. He also mentioned his previous Warden career, which only lasted a few days because his friend was injured after saving him from a bear attack. Momo felt a kinship with him, but she was glad at least someone had experienced something like what she was feeling.
When it was time to leave, Wyima came out behind the curtain. Surprise covered his face since he didn’t think the four of them would have stayed the entire two hours. He thanked them again for their impressive auditions, then reminded them that they had to be back here on the second of August at 10 AM.
That was all very understandable, and he escorted Momo and company out to the hallway and followed them until they were all outside.
By now, it was completely dark, with the only cascading light from the moon being hidden by a dastardly devious cloud. Wyima went north to the second bridge of Bridgestone Avenue, saying his goodbyes since he had a meeting to attend.
After a few last-minute goodbyes, in which Momo and Servi finally had the chance to shake hands with their fellow actors and actresses, they all went their separate ways. For the most part, at least. Denaire and Myrabel lived to the north, so they went the same direction as Wyima. Grid lived to the south, so he tagged along with Momo and Servi until they crossed over the southern bridge. Then he said his goodbyes a second time and split off to the east, leaving Momo and Servi all alone.
Momo looked around in the spreading darkness, which was staved off by lanterns hanging from a bunch of thin posts. The warm, orange glows did a lot to provide just the right amount of illumination. But more than that, their soft luminescence provided quite a romantic atmosphere.
“Servy, did you have fun?” Momo asked, giving the hand she held one of her loving squeezes. She started slowly walking back to the guild. It was going to be a long journey, but as long as her lovable Servi was by her side, Momo knew they’d be alright.
“I did. It was fun watching so many auditions, especially because I’d never seen one before. And meeting our new friends was nice. I had my thoughts about Myrabel, but I’m glad we got to know the real her. You know, I hope this is the start of another couple of friendships for you and me. And don’t worry, I won’t forget about August 2nd. That’s just a few days away, but can they really pull off a play in that short amount of time?” Momo asked Servi, who couldn’t respond. And the nightly streets were rather void of any worthwhile conversational partners. She didn’t have a watch, but Momo wagered it was probably going on past 9 PM.
Well, if her internal clock—stomach—was right, that is. It growled something fierce right when Momo asked Servi if seeing their new friends’ auditions was helping her emotional issues in any way.
“No response, huh? Well, that’s fine and dandy. Take all the time you need, girl. Oh, and did you notice that our new buddies didn’t say a single thing when we held hands? Or when I held you? And Mr.Wyima and Mr. Bartholomew didn’t care about that either. Or acted like they didn’t care. That’s a lot better than them calling us mean names like the people did when we were walking to the theatre.
“Hey, wanna go grab some dinner? We had to skip through lunch, but I didn’t even realize it because I was too engrossed in the auditions. So, where do you wanna eat at?” asked the Singi to the Human as their connected hands swung back and forth.
“Eh? Oh, that’s Claire. Claire!!!!” shouted Momo, who raised a waving hand towards a particular Elf with purple eyes and red hair.
It just so happened that after departing the noble district, Servi and Momo were scrounging around, looking for a scrumptious place to fill their neglected bellies. Apparently, they had spent too long wandering and ventured close enough to Claire’s house that they had run into her on the way home from what must’ve been an exhausting day.
Her tired body was dragging itself down the street, her arms folded against a black jacket pressed against her chest. The signature physical property of an Elf—their ears—almost seemed to be drooping downwards as if an unimaginable amount of stress was affecting them. The expression on her exasperated face could have probably frightened a ghost into returning to the realm of the living.
Instead of returning the enthusiastic greeting, Claire just started to laugh, but not like one would when hearing a funny joke. No, it was like the chuckle that followed when learning about a soul-crushing revelation.
In her case, it would be working another eight days without having a day off. Counting today, that was nine days, in a row, of having to come in from sunrise to sunset.
“Momo!!!!!” whined the overworked Elf. “You gotta save me from my boss! He’s a damn slave-driver! I gotta work, and work, and work, and work, and work, and work, and work, and work.” Claire froze in place and nearly dropped to her knees, only stopping when Servi jumped from her guardian to this Elf who desperately needed a hug.
“Good job, Servy,” said Momo, who took the time to readjust her bag.
The two of them had jogged right over and were standing next to their friend while in an abandoned street. No, it wasn’t abandoned, but at so late at night, only night owls, drunkards, guards, and promiscuous women were out walking around. But of those, there wasn’t anyone around them. Though with how loud the Elf was complaining, someone would probably be along shortly to check out the disturbance.
Claire cried into Servi’s hair, by accident, of course, and the emotionally damaged girl had some tears of her own to shed.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” said the Elf. She wiped her tearful eyes as Momo took a cloth to the top of Servi's head.
“It’s no big deal. I know Servy doesn’t mind,” replied the Singi. “Do you feel better? From how you were talking, I’d say you received some bad news about your work schedule.”
“Yeah… I did… I get a two-day break, but then it’s back to another eight-day grind until I get some rest… And I’m so hungry…” Claire touched her slim stomach, rubbing it as if it was hurting. It was, in a way, and a spark popped into Momo’s head.
“Hey, we haven’t had dinner yet, so do you want to join us?”
Claire nodded, sending her wild red hair into a frenzy. “If you two don’t mind.”
“We don’t mind at all! Do you know of any good places?”
“Yep! I was actually going to one right now. It’s just a little bit past my house, but it’s a food cart. Think of it like a mini-restaurant. It has a roof and some chairs, and it’s on wheels so it can be rolled around.”
“Ooh, that sounds cool. What do they serve? Though honestly, I could probably eat anything right about now.” Momo didn’t fail to notice just how peppy her friend became.
“Mostly beef and chicken over a grill. Sometimes, they have fish or pork sausages, but it all depends on what’s left in the cooler.”
“That all sounds good… Oh, and while we eat, I can tell you about the audition,” Momo said, curling her fingers around Servi’s hand. She started walking, and Claire was right beside her.
“Oh! That’s right. I completely forgot about that! I’m really curious.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to wait until we sit down, cause you probably wanna be sitting down for it. Oh, and just for you to know, it’s not anything bad.”
“I’m getting excited!” Claire gave Servi a friendly pat on the head and stretched her sore muscles. The trio, except Servi, continued to share a bit of small talk about Claire’s strenuous day at work. From how she didn’t even get a chance to eat her lunch until late, and only a quarter of her sandwich at that because her bag broke, to the three fights that had to be broken up, it was quite a chaotic day.
The poor Elf had to work out on the floor, delivering documents and files, then had to man the receptionist desk before diving headfirst into filling out demotion forms. The required information had to be verified four different times in order to prevent any falsehoods from coming through. That itself wasn’t that bad, but she had to get her boss’s authorization each time, and he had his own trials and tribulations to accomplish. That included getting his own papers together for a big meeting happening in a few weeks times. On top of that, there were also the monthly reports, the list of which Warden adventurer hadn’t accepted in a quest in six months, updating the internal records of who passed away and who hasn’t, and getting recovered dog-tags ready for delivery to their fallen owner’s families.
“Woah…” gasped Momo when Claire had finished recounting her day. It was right when they had walked a few minutes past Claire’s ‘unique’ home. Momo waved to it, just as she did the shopping mall and Srassa’s home, and Claire just smiled. “What do you do if you don’t have a place to send the dog-tags?” The pink-haired Singi touched the metal chain around her neck, glancing a timid finger against her pride as a member of Warden.
“We hold them for a while, and if they aren’t claimed within a month or two, they’re melted down and recycled. Sometimes, they turn into swords. Other times they become a dagger. It just depends on what we’re lacking.”
A couple of minutes later, the group of friends turned the corner and laid eyes on the fabled food cart. It was about as wide and long as a wagon, with two wheels at the back. A cloth canopy covered the immediate area of the cart, as well as the space two or three meters out. The front had a long, thin metal bar. Presumably, one would stand behind and lift it. With them acting as the horse or ox, it should have been easy to go from location to location, as long as one was strong enough.
The female Dwarf working the stand, who was more than strong enough to move her beloved cart, looked up at the approaching footsteps and nodded. “It’s a good thing ye got here. I was just about to close up shop. So, what will it be? We don’t have any chicken left, but we got beef and pork if that’s what ye’s craving.” She wiped her hands with a rag and retied the nearby apron around her back. The nearby Lux Spheres providing the illumination were dying out, so they needed a quick boost of Skill Energy from their short-statured master.
“Haha, yeah. I’m sorry about that. Boss wouldn’t let me leave until late,” Claire replied in a friendly tone, suggesting that she and this Dwarf were at least associates, if not friends.
“What? That jagoff still giving ye a hard time? I’m outta the good stuff ye like. Hope water is enough for ye.” Right when the three friends pulled out the stools and sat their butts down, the Dwarf placed down three cups and filled them with a pitcher full of water. She had a tan bandana wrapped around her head, so Momo didn’t know what color her hair was, but her eyes were the rustiest brown she had ever seen. Her face was rectangular with soft curves around her chin.
She reached down under her cart and pulled out a couple of charcoal bricks, then tossed them under the grill plate. “I hope you three don’t mind waiting a few minutes, I gotta go take care of some ‘business,’ and I’ll be right back in about five or ten. Besides, the coals need some time to warm up.” The Dwarf left without waiting for a response, and she wasn’t afraid of anyone stealing anything because she knew Claire wasn’t that kind of Elf. And the friends she kept in her company wouldn't tarnish her reputation by sealing.
