Around seven hours later, Servi and Momo found themselves underneath a big tree that grew on the side of the road. The moon had already been visible in the sky for quite some time, but Momo shook her head at Servi when she asked to make camp just a few hours before.  

“Ugh…. I’m all sweaty…” Momo whined. She took out a small cloth from her bag and damped it with some water from her canteen.  

“Maybe we pushed a little bit too hard. Judging from this map, we should arrive tomorrow night. If that’s the case, then we might have to spend a single night in Arcton,” replied Servi. She sat with her back against the brown tree.  In one hand, she held the map, and the other gripped her canteen, which she used to pour water on her handkerchief lying on a nearby rock.

“I hope not. But if we do, maybe Old Man can recommend us a place to stay that’s cheap.” 

“Maybe, but I don’t know.” 

The weak flame from their fire pit pathetically blossomed but flared back to life when Servi sated its hunger with a few leaves.  

“If we hadn't stopped and helped, we’d have probably arrived tomorrow afternoon. But I don’t regret helping Old Man,” Momo said.  She set down her canteen and wiped her sticky arms with her wet rag. Servi found it hard to look away as the glistening water surged down Momo's hands and onto her fingers. She didn't mean to make it erotic, but Servi still found herself drawn to it.

“Neither do I." Servi finally looked away a second before Momo looked up.

The Singi twisted the sweat-soaked cloth and deposited it into her bag. Then, she pulled out a single dupla and began to flip it. During their last break, she saw Servi flip a coin, and she was determined to emulate it.  

“It might be because you’re tired,” Servi said when Momo completely missed the coin by a country kilometer. “I’m getting a little tired myself,” Servi faked a yawn and handed the map back to Momo.  

Pulling out her own coin, she smugly flipped it ten times with perfect form, and Momo scowled.

“Show off!” 

“I only have some practice, but it’s not that hard once you get the hang of it. Wait, I know that sounds stupid, but it’s true. With a little more practice, you’re sure to be consistent,” Servi flipped it up once more and caught it between her fingers before putting it back into her pouch.

“I guess so. Hey, let me do the first watch again," Momo asked.

“You sure?” 

She nodded. “You said I woke you up, but I don’t remember. I don’t even remember how I got into my bed,” she pointed to her tent behind her. Her blue sleeping bag was already rolled out and opened.  

“That’s alright with me. Thanks. Just wake me up, okay?” 

“Okie-dokie. Good night, Servy.” 

“Good night, Mosie.” 

“Hehe...” for some odd reason, Momo silently giggled. Though it probably had to do with the nickname. The reality of it all finally set in for the cute Singi.

It seems like all of my dreams are coming true. Promotion Quest, check! Best friend and nicknames, check! I can finally hold my own in a fight, and I even won a tournament... Check! Momo, you’re doing much better than you were eight months ago. I’m proud of you, girl!!! 

The happy Singi kept flipping her coin until she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. But before succumbing to the wonders of sleep, she carefully shook Servi’s shoulder.  

“Servy….wake up…” 

Servi opened her eyes and rolled over. “I’m up. I’ll watch the rest of the night, so be sure to get some sleep, okay?” 

“Okay, Servy….night….” Momo was like a zombie in how she stumbled back to her tent. Like a clumsy and adorable kitten, she crawled inside and curled into a comfy ball. A literal second later, she was gone from the world of the living into the world of slumber. It was almost like the Sandman himself paid a personal visit.  

“I guess she really gave it her all to stay up,” Servi whispered. She sat down on the nice warm grass and stared at the fire. From behind, Itarr was in the process of bagging everything up. “Thanks for doing that, Itarr. I love you.” 

You’re very welcome! I love you too! 

“I guess there’s nothing better to do than sit here and stared up at the stars,” using Telekinesis, Servi lightly pushed the branches of the tree away until she had a perfect view of the sparkly diamonds that were so very far away.  

“Maybe... Just maybe I'll have the chance to go up there? I don't know when or how I'll do it, but I just want to pet the stars and land on the moon... Until then, I can settle for watching from a distance,” Servi said.

Just then, Servi heard a running noise that came from the far left. She turned her head and saw a single wagon roll drive down the road. The back was opened and uncovered, and Servi spotted five people, not including the driver and the lone horse that pulled it. Even with her enhanced eyesight, Servi couldn’t see finer details in the dark. However, she could vaguely make out the races of the six mysterious people. Three Singi. One Elf. Two Koena.  

They stopped for just a minute and locked eyes with Servi. She reached over, grabbed her sword, and stood up. The people in the wagon talked silently amongst themselves, and the driver cracked the reins.  

Once they were out of sight, Servi sat back down and attached her shield to her arm. The sword she had still laid right beside her. She wouldn't sheath it just yet.

I’ll keep an eye out for them in case they come back. You can relax.  

After thanking Itarr, Servi pulled out a single dupla. As if her body was on autopilot, her right hand performed the motion of flipping a coin and catching it in her hand. She repeated this simple task a little bit under 13,500 times. Her mind, meanwhile, tried to process just how far away the stars were.

Servi didn’t know why she had an obsessive fascination with the celestial bodies, nor why she enjoyed the act of flipping a coin, nor the fact that she suddenly found herself enjoying battle.  

If I think of it logically, maybe I’m subconsciously remembering things that I used to do. If that’s the case, then what kind of girl was I? I like to stare at the moon and stars, I love to fight, and I find it enjoyable to flip a coin. What can I deduce from that? And if I’m even talking about concluding something, then maybe I was smart? Or at least intelligent? 

But then again, what if I had something wrong with me? If I think of the times where I lost myself to anger, it’s like my body is slowly getting more and more used to it. First, there was when I thought Llamare killed Liealia. I really lost myself then. But if I compare that to when I fought Fisher, the anger isn’t even comparable. Is it? I mean, I can’t remember anything other than what Itarr told me.  And then if I compare those two to when I fought Arty in the tournament, I know I was in perfect control of my body. I remember everything I did.  

Maybe my mind and body are adapting to the anger? If that’s the case, then who will I be when the hate takes over my body? It seems in both cases, besides the one with Liealia and Llamare, I lose consciousness. Itarr doesn’t know why, and I certainly don’t.  

But what if I get to a point where I’m perfectly calm yet raging with anger, and I don’t pass out? Will Itarr stop me like we promised? 

Dammit, Servi… That’s a lotta ifs and assumptions you’re making. It could just be a set of complete coincidences. There’s no reason to believe that you’ll completely lose yourself. Itarr swore to bring you back, remember? You can trust in her. So do that.  

Before Servi knew it, the sun shone through the gap in the branches. Glancing her head to the right, she watched the sun’s rays reflect off the shiny metal coin. And just ahead of her, slowly waking from her slumber, was a sleeping cat-girl.  

“Good morning, Mosie,” Servi flipped the coin one last time and deposited it in her pouch. The noise of branches ready to get back to their resting place sounded ahead, and quite a few leafy green leaves rained down. One, in particular, landed on Momo’s head and knocked the white Lily out of its resting spot.  

In her groggy daze, Momo yawned and whipped her eyes. “Morning, Servy….” 

The third and final day was about to begin.  

---

“Eehhh… I really need a bath,” Momo complained. After she and Servi ate a light breakfast of hardtack, they packed up their equipment and continued their trip. If their map reading skills were correct, then they’d arrive in a little bit under 12 hours. But before they could accomplish their goal, they first had to look somewhat presentable.  Nasty grime had accumulated on their skin, and they needed to wash it off.

In southeastern Lando, the summers were known to be incredibly brutal and hellish. Combined with the frequent rain, the high humidity made everyone feel like they had a wet, sticky film-like sheen to their skin.  This was the complete opposite of the icy and harsh winters that plagued both Keywater and Westera. In return for the frigid, freezing temperatures, the people of both countries were rewarded with a beautiful blanket of white snow that littered the ground. It was as if a white sheet was thrown by the Goddess of Weaving, who created the velvet snow with honeydew and affection.

Some considered the harsh cold worth it, and others detested it. It was the same with Lando. There were those who absolutely loved the hot sun, while others wanted nothing more than to soak in a lake or ocean.  

“I’m feeling kinda sticky. Hey, is there a lake up ahead?” Servi lied. Thanks to True Immortality, she did not need to worry about her skin feeling slimy or sticky.  

“There is, but if we stop by and take a bath, we won’t arrive until it’s totally dark. Is that okay with you?” Momo looked away from the map and stared off to the right. Lush rolling hills of green and emerald grass littered her sight.

“It’s fine with me,” replied Servi.  

“Okie dokie then. We should arrive in about two or three hours if we keep up our pace.” 

“Hopefully, we find a nice area that’s hidden. Just a question, did your grandpa teach you how to read a map?” 

Momo nodded. “When I was little, he would make me a treasure map and give me a little shovel. We were playing treasure hunter, but I figured he thought I could learn.” 

“Was it fun?” 

“Definitely. We didn’t have that much money, but grampy would wrap a little toy or something in a bag so it wouldn’t get dirty. Then it was up to me to find the treasure and reclaim it.” 

“I guess you were Captain Momo?” 

“Haha!” Momo laughed. “I guess I was. You know, it kinda makes me want to go treasure hunting.” 

“Maybe someday. How cool would it be if we sailed across the ocean and found a sunken pirate ship full of gold?” 

Momo’s tail waved through the air as she stored the map and took out her canteen. "We'd really be treasure hunters if that happened.” 

The two then talked of pirates. As the conversation organically progressed, the topic of discussion gradually shifted to swords, boats, peg legs, birds, and finally to the lake in front of them that dazzled like a sapphire. Like a snake, the naturally made body of water curved and twisted suddenly ended a few hundred meters away.  

Before they knew it, over three hours had passed, and the sun was directly overhead.  

“Alright, now we need to find the right spot.” 

Servi pointed over to a nearby copse of thick trees that could act as their natural curtain. They started walking towards it.  

Momo smiled. “Perfect! Umm… Do you mind if I go first? My tail is feeling weird, and I don’t want it to get sick.” Her tail curled around, and she took hold of it. The pink fur was brightly vivid when compared to Momo’s white hand. She then held her hand out to Servi. “Touch it.” 

Servi confusingly turned her head but did so anyway with the tip of her finger. Then she frowned. The only word that came to her mind was ‘disgusting.’ It was like touching a cooled-off pan after frying bacon, sausage, and ham together. The sheer greasy feeling was enough to ick out Servi.  

“Yeah, it’s kinda gross, isn’t it?” Momo frowned.  

“I wouldn’t say gross. Your tail is super pretty.” 

“Thanks, but I know when it’s like this, it’s like walking with an icky, sticky rod for a tail. It’s not as flexible as it usually is.” 

“We certainly don’t want that, do we? Go ahead and take the first bath. I’ll keep watch,” more than ever, Servi wanted to use Earth Wall to give Momo some privacy. But she couldn’t. Not when Momo was still blissfully unaware of her best friend’s powers.  

A few minutes later, as Servi was leaning against a tree, she heard a meek voice.  

“Umm…. You won’t peek, right? Promise me you won’t?” 

Servi replied back. “I promise I won’t turn around, so just tell me when you’re finished. And I got your bag and sword right here in my hands. I promise nothing will happen to them.” 

“Okay. Thanks, Servy.” 

Momo, now naked and bare in the lake that came up to just below her cute belly button, smiled at the little cup that flowed by.  Before she got in the water, she retrieved it from her bag.  She picked it up and poured water over her pink hair.  

Bath time! Bath time! 

Clean clean clean.  

The lake is not a bathtub 

But I guess it works…. 

Momo sang words at random as the cool water only sated half of her hair’s desire to be cleaned. Singing was something she liked to do, but only when she was in private.  

But I guess that’s been changing, huh? I sang that old song me and grampy used to sing in front of Servy.  

“Soapy time!” Momo’s child-like tendencies when it came to some things, like bathing or eating or cooking, came as a result of a beloved grandfather being easy and lenient with his cute granddaughter. And Momo knew this. While lathering her hair in a forest of white suds, with the bright sun and green grass as her only witnesses, she had a thought.  

I wonder if Servy likes that part of me? I got to admit that even I was cringing when I said Mr. Hardtack. It’s just a piece of bread…. But I can’t deny that I laugh at things like that. Maybe it’s okay to be a little bit childish? Yeah, I think so.  

A moment later, Momo held her breath, closed her eyes, and pinched her nose before dripping her head underwater. Some of the dastardly suds remained, the lone survivors from the cataclysmic dunk into the lake, but Momo used her little cup to rinse the rest off.  

“Okie-dokie. Hair is done, so let’s move on to my tail. I’m sorry, Miss Tail. If I had some of that dry powder grampy used to get, then it wouldn’t be that dirty. But you don’t have to worry about that for long.” 

Momo glanced across to the otherwise as she lathered up her greasy tail. Lucky for her, nothing but a thick line of trees littered the lake bank. In any other situation, she’d be terrified to bathe naked in a lake, but she was feeling fine. Probably because she knew Servi would jump in and save her if she ever got into trouble.  

She’s saved me before, like three or four times, but I wish I could save her. It’s something I want to wish for... But since it might involve her getting hurt, I definitely don’t want that. But…. Come on, Mosie, don’t think about stuff like that. Just focus on washing your tail.” 

A short time later, Momo reached the base of her tail and half expected to feel excitement in her honey pot. Oddly enough, maybe because of the current situation and setting, she felt nothing, which was unusual since she masturbated nearly every time she got into the shower.  

I don’t feel like touching myself… Now that I think about it, maybe this has something to do with that ‘sex education’ thing grampy tried to tell me. Grampy always went red in the face and skipped it.  

Suddenly, the gears in her pretty little head began to spin. 

If that’s the case, then I practically told him all about it when I wrote in my diary, right?  NOOO!!!!!! Isn’t that kinda stuff SUPPOSED to be private?!?! 

Burning red hot with the flames of embarrassment, Momo crouched down for just a moment before she remembered she couldn’t swim. Luckily it was only belly button high, so she didn’t need to be saved.  

Calm down, Mosie! Calm down! You can either remove it or keep it and don’t hand it back to him. Okay, you can do that. Calm down, Mosie, and just focus on cleaning your tail. Then your body. You’re burning daylight.  

Kicking it into overdrive, Momo practically washed her body in record time, and white soap bubbles littered the surface of the lake before being pushed away by a small wave Momo made with her hand.  

Eyeing her towel and clothes hung up on a neat little branch, Momo waded out of the lake. She felt kinda odd at being stark naked while outside, and it wasn't an experience she wanted to experience longer than necessary. Because of that, she rushed to her one and only safety: her towel. Its soft, water-absorbing surface wrapped right around her body. From hugging her small, yet perky chest to shielding her soft rear, she was clad in a towel that was nearly the same color as her hair.  

“Dang it!” 

“What happened?!” Servi yelled, and Momo heard the rustling of grass and branches as her best friend made a bee-line towards her.

“Umm… It’s—it’s nothing. I just stepped in some stupid mud!”

"Alright," her friend replied. 

Momo whined as she stepped back into the lake, shaking her feet all around to wash away the mud. Now clean, she carefully crept over to the tree that held her clothes.  

The tiny green grass acted as a natural voyeur when Momo removed her towel.  

Okay. Be quick, Momo. Servy said she won’t look, and I trust her... But I still want to hurry.