The first person to leave the group was Srassa when they walked right by her house. She hugged Servi and Momo in a group embrace. “I had so much fun today, you know?” 

“We did, too,” Momo said.  

“Yep. I would say it was one of the best days of my life. I really couldn’t ask for anything to make it better.” 

“I’m glad… Umm…” The hug broke off, but the girls kept holding each other’s hands while they stood in a circle. “Tomorrow at 9 AM, yes?” 

“Yep. I figured we could head out about then. The plan is to meet up with her and come back to Canary. My instructor’s never been here before, so I know she’ll want to experience a ton of different things before nightfall.” 

“I must say I am excited to meet her. I’m also nervous… I don’t wish to be rude, but she is friendly, yes?” 

“She’s the friendliest. There really isn’t anyone else like her out there. It can be nerve-wracking meeting new people, but I promise you there’s nothing to be nervous about. Were you that way when you met me?” 

“Umm… Kind of…?” Srassa blushed and glanced away.  

“But you’re fine with me now. Fine enough to even hold my hand. Give it a few days, and you’ll be as comfortable with my instructor as you are me.” 

“Servy’s right. I’ve talked with her instructor a few times before—through letters, I mean—and I feel like I’ve known her for as long as I've known Servy.” That’s the truth since Itarr was inside her since day one.  

“You two are right.” Srassa’s expression calmed down. Her whole body relaxed as a sigh fluttered out from her pink lips. She squeezed her very best friends’ hands once more and stepped back. She folded her hands across her busty bosom to her heart and smiled. “I really need to stop getting nervous at every little thing. If I want to become strong like you two, then I need to begin there… I’ll make sure to be at Warden at the time we agreed upon. You two have a nice night, okay?” 

“The same to you. See you in the morning, okay?”  

“Bye-bye!” Momo waved as Srassa walked back. She turned around and went through the gate that the guard had just opened. The distinct sound of her heels clacking against the hard ground faded away when she passed through the second gate.  

Returning to their group, Dineria said she couldn’t help but overhear something about Servi’s instructor. “Yeah. She’s coming to town tomorrow. We’re going to meet her in the morning to escort her the rest of the way. I know she’ll want to meet you guys.” 

“Then feel free to bring her to the store.” 

“I have to work, so I’ll be at Warden. She’ll need a room to stay in, right?” Servi nodded at Claire. “Then I’ll be able to introduce myself to her then. Hopefully, that jackass doesn’t run me too ragged…” 

Claire and Dineria talked about the former’s job worries and exhaustion for a couple of minutes before the latter had to leave. She lived at her store. Apparently, she had a fully furnished ‘house’ in one of the back rooms. Momo wondered how rich her instructor was to afford all of that space inside that expensive mall. She didn’t know the specifics of property tax and the shopping center's expensive leases, but even she knew it had to be a pretty penny. Then again, it was a popular store, so the money Dineria earned each month had to be substantial. She hugged her companions goodbye. Even Feral got one since Dineria was in a friendly mood. But before she broke away from Claire, she whispered something sensual. “If you’re stressed, then why not use the toy I gave you? I’ve got some more if that isn’t doing anything anymore.” 

“Don’t—Don’t be crazy… Momo’s right there… What if she hears you?!” Claire yammered.  

“I’ve already offered one to them. Momo didn’t get it, but Servi did…” 

“But…” 

“Look. I’m getting worried about you, okay? You know you could come work for me and earn much more money with a much easier job.” Dineria spoke a tone that wasn’t stern, but it was definitely full of disquietude. 

“But the guild… I like helping people,” Claire replied.  

“I know you do, but you need to take some time for yourself. You’ve been working for multiple weeks without a break. And don't say you had a day off here and there. That doesn't count. Don’t burn yourself out, okay?” 

“I…know. Thanks, Dineria…” Claire whispered. She gave her Elven friend another hug and had to fight to even let go. She was getting to the point where she dreaded waking up in the morning because she had to work all day. The Heavens Above knew Claire wanted to quit, but this job offered stability, decent pay, and selfishly convinced herself she was doing good by looking out for novice adventurers.  

“Servi, I’ll see you and Momo tomorrow when you come by. Feral, you take it easy, okay?” 

“Yes… I will,” growled the large lad. “Goodnight.” 

Momo did overhear what her Elven pals chatted about, but that just got her thinking more about what this ‘toy’ was supposed to be. She didn’t have a chance to ask because she didn’t quite know how to start it off. The perplexed Singi had no choice but to wait to ask because Claire was the next to leave after coming near her house. She gave a friendly hug and waved while walking away to her front door. It was three blocks away, but two guards were patrolling. And the streets were still packed full of patrons who wanted to extract the most out of the dying embers of a week-long festival.  

Perhaps if Canary wasn’t in dire straits, a proper end could have been scheduled in the form of fireworks, but that just wasn’t on the menu for this year.  

The last to leave was Feral, who grunted while happily slamming his tail into the ground. “I will see you tomorrow, yes? Around town?” 

“Actually, we’ll be coming here at some point. I told my instructor about your aunt’s store, and she has been dying to try her sweets.” 

“Aaahhh, so you have been putting in a good word to her? I am glad!!! Aunt Canary has scheduled me to work, so I will be here most of the day. I will see what I can do about giving your instructor a little bit extra with her purchase. I am sure she would not mind it at all, especially when considering you have been spreading the word. I shall see you tomorrow, friends!” 

Feral waved goodbye and stomped into his aunt’s store. He had room in the back that he stayed in. Coincidentally, it was also where he kept his shield when it wasn’t in use since it was a pain to ferry it everywhere. Not that he couldn’t lift it, but because it was so large and imposing and it needed more room than the Kobold it belonged to.  

“I guess it’s just us now,” said Momo. She squeezed Servi’s hand.  

“It is… Unless you have anything else to do, I suppose it’s time to head back to our room. We still gotta have that all-important conversation, right?” Servi replied.  

“Yep! We sure do.” They set off walking while swinging their interconnected hand. “Are you feeling nervous about it?” 

Servi answered Momo. “Not particularly. If I know you, and I’m sure I do, we’ve already played out the conversation in our heads.” 

“I still think it’s okay to be just a little nervous. Not because of what will happen, but because… Well, for me, it’s going to be a big first step into the unknown, and I’m just swinging for the trees. I won’t be alone, though.” 

Smooch! 

Servi gave her lovely little Singi a peck on the cheek as they turned a corner. At this point, neither of the two had any worries if someone caught them.  

Really, what could a guard do to a Goddess and the girl channeling her powers? The vast strength to protect their developing romance was close at hand, and it was warm and loving.  

“You’re damn right you won’t be alone. Remember, you’re stuck with me.” 

Momo returned the cheek kiss with one of her own. “That’s a blessing right there if I’ve ever seen one. Hehe!” Casual chatter aside, the two ventured forth to the guild’s office, but there was just one last obstacle standing before they could have that very important talk.  

It took the form of a man who had nothing else in this world but misplaced anger directed to the wrong girl. He sat on the second step with a searching eye, and only once did he spot the girl he was looking for did he stand up. A hand went to the scar on his face, then he gripped his fists.  

“…” He remained speechless.  

“Arty,” Servi said. “I saw you at the play. I’m glad you came out.” 

I…know that I’ve been acting like an ass…” he spoke. “Any apologies won’t make what I said right, nor will it return the sleep lost to nightmares… And Yerue did have an anger streak… He was constantly fighting with others… But he was all I had. Him and Leeroy… And now I don’t have anything at all.” Servi stared at Arty’s defeated, downtrodden state. He looked so pathetic and worn out, almost as if the tiniest spark of life was wilting. “Even with that, Yerue was someone…who was there when no one else. He helped me after bandits slaughtered and burned my village… He was awful. He’s the kind of person who would steal, lie, and cheat, but… He protected me… He protected both Leeroy and me. That’s why it’s hard for me to look at you two… I’m a weak man with nothing to show for…  

“You know, this isn’t what I had planned to say. I spent all last night and most of today trying to find the words. I will say watching the play helped me… It did somewhat. It’s just fiction, but there were so many heartwarming examples of someone starting from zero and reliving their lives after learning from their mistakes. So that’s what I’ll do. I’ll leave and try to be someone to make my parents and sister proud. You don’t care about this at all… Why should you, you know?" Arty shrugged and let out a pathetically sorrowful laugh. “I just wanted to tell someone… Even if that someone was a person I’ve hurt with my words. I don’t know if we’ll meet again, but maybe… 

“Maybe I’ll be someone better… Someone worth an ant’s worth of respect… Maybe I can get Leeroy back…” Arty stared at the two girls who hadn’t moved a muscle. He took a small breath and began to walk past them, then flinched when Servi placed a hand on his shoulder. She kept her mouth shut, and so did Momo, and only Arty knew how he took that gesture. The two girls turned around to see him walk down the road, disappearing into the sea of rowdy festival-goers.  

“Servy, do you think we’ll see him again?” Momo asked. She had moved on from simple hand-holding to hugging Servi’s entire arm.  

“I’m sure we will. The three of us had a rocky start. I’m not naïve enough to think that can be ignored, but I do wish him the best… In a different timeline or world, it probably would have been you, me, Itarr, and Arty instead of Srassa. But that’s neither here nor there, and I wouldn’t trade Srassa for anyone.” 

“I wouldn’t either. Srassa's our close friend, and I wouldn’t change that for anything because I’ve learned a lot from her. She’s learned from us as well, and we made each other stronger,” Momo said. She looked up at Servi’s face, then bravely planted a friendly little kiss on her chin.  

Servi chuckled and turned her gaze back to her friend while they entered the guild office. “Is that revenge from this morning?” 

“Uh-huh!  Hehe!!” The Singi was all smiles, grinning from ear to ear. They skipped through a nearly empty lobby, waving to the employees working the night shift. Before long, they stood right outside Momo’s room. Itarr handled the door by absorbing it and putting it back after they passed through the threshold. Servi brought out a few Lux Spheres. They weren’t blinding balls of pure light, but they were just bright enough to set the mood for what was going to come.  

Servi and Momo briskly walked over to the bed and sat down. Momo let go of Servi’s arm and just settled for her hand. She stared up, focusing on that killer smile and those ruby-red eyes.  

“Mosie?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Are you…ready?” Instead of replying, Momo figured that her actions were worth a million words. What she had planned couldn’t be described even a hundred thousand pages of her most heartfelt confession. She stood up, kicked off her shoes, and stood in front of Servi. Very gently, the Singi straddled the Human’s lap. This was a position they had shared earlier this morning. And like before, their foreheads were touching. 

It’s…finally about to happen, isn’t it? I held myself back… I had so many chances to go for it… But I stayed strong… It’s okay… It’s okay for me to do it, right? If there was ever a moment, it’d be now… 

RuggyRuggy

The time has come for Servi and Momo to cross that line and become something more than just friends. It's been a long time coming (over 1,000,000 words, in fact)