Three hours had passed since the two left. The sky showed no signs of forthcoming rain, and it was as pretty as when they left.  Well, except for the ominous black clouds that threatened to fly over.

“I hope it stays like this entire time. We kinda didn’t bring any raincoats or umbrellas,” said Momo, who wiped her mouth with a napkin. A type of bread called hardtack was in her left hand, and she did her best to hide her displeasure. 

But it sure is hard to chew….  

“Same here. But just in case, we might want to make camp underneath some type of cover, like a hanging rock or a big tree,” replied Servi. She also had some hardtack in her hand and was pleasantly surprised to learn that she didn’t outright hate the snack. “How do you like it?” 

“Umm…it’s alright. A little bit hard, though. Maybe if we had some peanut butter or jam, it’d be tastier, but I didn’t think that far ahead.” 

“Here, try it with this,” Servi unclipped the canteen off of her belt and poured a little bit of water on her friend’s bread.  

“Bwhaa!!” she exclaimed, making a funny noise. Her face quickly took on a red hue similar to Servi’s eyes. The clear liquid dripped off the brown cracker and mightily quenched the dry and cracked dirt road below.  

“What’s wrong?” Servi replied as she clipped her canteen back on.  

You were just drinking it!!! You don’t see the problem?!! Wait, what if this is normal where she is from? If that’s the case, then I was insensitive. I’m sorry!!! 

“Oh, n-nothing. I-I just thought I saw a bug. Hehe…” 

“I see. Well, it should be a bit softer, so try it and let me know. I know it can be tough to bit into.” 

Momo nodded and went to eat as a flash of red flew by her vision. But when she closed her mouth to chew, there was nothing.  

“Eh? Ahhh!!! YOU STUPID BIRD!!!” she shouted. In a matter of moments, a red bird had flown in and swooped her snack out of her hands. It crookedly flew just out of reach as Momo ran after it.  

Did a bird just steal her food? Itarr asked.

“Yep. I only thought stuff like that happened in stories,” said Servi, struggling to hold back a fit of laughter. “Better follow her.” 

Servi sprinted off towards a pink dot that was slowly getting smaller. To her right was a wide-open lake almost reminiscent of a beach but without the sand and waves. It wasn’t long until Servi caught up with the speeding Singi.  

“That stupid bird stole my food!!!” Momo cried out as her friend tried to calm her.  

“Momo, we have enough hardtack—”  

“No! It was my food. If it wanted it, it should’ve asked first!”  

Servi went to respond but couldn’t. She was laughing too much. Momo glanced over at her friend, who easily kept up with her and giggled when she herself realized the hilarity of the situation. Then she slowed down as they came up to a forest of trees. The flying thief had also slowed down and slowly descended into the branches of one tree in particular.  

“Hahaha! Oh man, can’t believe I’m getting worked up over a piece of bread.”  

“I mean, if it was me, I’d be pissed too, but—oh, listen!” 

Momo strained her ears and heard multiple chirps coming from the tree in front of them. Squinting her eyes, she also saw a little nest.  

“The bird is a mama. Maybe her babies were hungry?” 

“Maybe.” 

Momo put a finger to her chin. “But don’t birds eat worms and bugs? Why take my bread?” 

“Probably cause it was easier? She did look like she was having a little bit of trouble flying.” 

Her friend frowned, and her ears slightly folded down. “Then, I feel bad. Maybe the mama birdie can’t hunt well. I’m sorry, birdie,” reaching into her bag, Momo took out half of the hardtack she had left. “Here you go. Next time, ask instead of stealing.”  

The red bird peeked over the nest and blinked when she saw food just out of reach.  

“You can have it. I didn’t know you were injured. Man, I wished I knew Remedium.” 

“But don’t you need a license to heal? Wait, do you need it for healing an animal?” 

Momo nodded as the red bird slowly made its way down. “You do, but the church is stupid for requiring it. If you have the chance to help someone, then shouldn’t you take it? It’s not like you won’t regain the Skill Energy.”  

Suddenly, she smiled when the bird took up a position on her arm. Using her other hand, she carefully petted it. “This food is all yours, but you might want to dip it in water first, or else you won’t be able to eat it. I’m sorry for yelling.” 

As Momo conversed with the bird, Servi couldn’t help but look at her friend in a new way.  

She’s so sweet. If she’s this understanding, then she’ll be fine when I tell her about Itarr and me. She has to be. I hope she’ll… 

“And Servi, I’m sorry for running off like that. Because of me, we had—” 

“Don’t worry about it. We should still get there, albeit a bit later. And if that’s a consequence of helping a cute bird with food, then so be it,” Servi smiled as the red bird finally trusted Momo enough to take the food.  

It turned to look at the Human and Singi pair, then it started to fly up.

“Bye-bye!! Don’t steal anymore, okay?” Momo waved. As if thanking the Singi, the red bird chirped happily and gleefully.  

“That was sweet of you, but I could’ve given her a little bit of mine, too.” 

Momo turned and went to walk back to the road but suddenly stopped as she stared off at the lake to her side. Little white ducks were wadding across its still surface. The largest one stuck its neck underwater and brought it back up, shaking away the water. Momo could only smile as she responded to her friend. “Yeah, but it was my fault I ran off after it and caused us to be distracted.” 

Subtly, Servi used a few hundred stacks of Remedium on the bird and smiled. Then turning around, she walked next to Momo, who had resumed walking. “If you get hungry, we can share my hardtack.” 

“N—” 

“And I won’t take no for an answer. Hehe!”  

“Thanks, Servi. I appreciate it.” 

It took them some time, but they eventually made it back to the main road. Since the pair of best friends were on the southeastern side of Lando, vast green plains and thick, dense forests made up the landscape. The terrain was perfect for farming, and the two friends saw quite a few farms and cozy houses as they made their little voyage to Arcton.  

If they wanted a change of scenery, they’d have to travel east towards the ocean and Waveret or northwest until they came across the more modern towns. Lando was mainly a farming country, and most of the world’s produce came from here. It meant it was vital to the continent of Gea in regards to filling stomachs. But that didn’t mean that Westera or Keywater were devoid of farmland. It just took a back seat to their own specializations.  

For Westera, it was mechanical devices that were an alternative to Skill Items, which were the specialties of Keywater. It wasn’t that strange for minor skirmishes to break out between the three countries, but most were just that: minor skirmishes that were dealt with formally with punishments on both sides that were punishments in name only. Unfortunately, not all were lucky enough to be swept underneath the proverbial rug.  

Around a decade ago, Keywater had tried to sneakily cross a small force into Lando but were forced back, prompting them to ask for a political hostage in the form of one of the emperor’s children. However, there were rumors of a second demand being made. But those were just unproven tall tales that may have been spread by those unsavory folks looking to take advantage of the situation.  

---

Instead of the bright blue sky with the pretty cotton candy-like clouds and the lovely yellow sun to watch over them, Servi and Momo found themselves staring at each other in a dark cave that was nearly pitch black. It was almost instantaneous, like someone flipped a switch to turn on the frightening thunderstorms that raged not even ten meters away.  

The cave itself wasn’t too deep, maybe a few meters into the side of a large rock, but they weren’t complaining. And it wasn’t that dirty at all, except for some ash they had found. Momo had inquired about whether or not someone lived here, but Servi shook her head after bending down to touch the black spot. She told her friend that it was cold to the touch and was surprised the ash even remained.  

And that was good enough for Momo. 

Unfortunately, the current situation was not.  

“Aw man, this sucks!!!” Momo’s voice reverberated slightly around the natural shelter they found themselves in. “The sky was super pretty earlier!!!” she had stripped down to a set of pink underwear, and she covered herself with a pink blanket retrieved from her bag.  

“At least we found this cave before it started raining super hard. Besides, we ran about thirty or so minutes to catch up for the time spent chasing that bird. We should be ahead of schedule,” replied Servi. Like her friend, she was sitting in her black underwear huddled underneath a velvet-colored blanket she had borrowed.   

“Aha, that was a good run, wasn’t it?” Momo tried to see the good in the situation.  

“It was. I lost the race again, though. Alright, it should be okay to light the fire pit. And then after that, we can put up the tents and finally eat dinner.  

Momo wanted to put the fire pit to work as soon as they found safety from the hard rain, but Servi advised against it, citing that the fire starter set probably needed to dry off first. 

“Good. I’m getting a little embarrassed sitting here in my underwear. I mean, I’m covered up, but still…” 

“But didn’t you see me in mine when—” 

“Oh, look at that,” Momo said, intentionally cutting off her friend. She got to her feet a bit too quickly and stumbled back, prompting Servi to rush forward and catch her by the waist. Her left hand slid gracefully against Momo’s slim stomach, her right hand was supporting her friend’s back, lightly glancing against the strap of her bra, and they locked eyes for just a moment. It was as if time was stopped as flesh touched flesh and soul connected with soul.  

Servi then realized just how soft another person’s body could be.  

She’s warm….and she smells so good….. 

“Are you okay?!” Servi finally asked.  

“Eh...” it took Momo a second to figure out what happened, and she cutely screamed out. “Kyaa!!” immediately crouching down, she reached for her blanket to make herself decent. 

“Momo, I’m sorry!! You were gonna fall and —I mean—“ Servi tried her best to apologize.  

“No, I’m sorry, Servi. I shouldn’t be too self-conscious. And because I was, I made this harmless situation super weird. I mean, we're both girls, and it’s not like we’re naked.”  

“Our bodies should be dry enough to put on some clothes. If it helps, I’ll turn around,” Servi picked up her blanket and turned around as she held it behind her, blocking her backside from being viewable.  

“But—” Momo reached out her hand and whispered a single word. She mentally berated herself as she slid on a white shirt and black pants.

AAHHHHHHHH!!!! CAN YOU DO A SINGLE THING WITHOUT MESSING UP???!!!!!!!!!  

As her friend got dressed, Servi heard a mix of whimpering and crying. “Are you dressed?” she asked.  

After receiving a tearful “Uh-huh,” Servi walked over to her backpack and pulled out a black shirt, black shorts, and white socks. She made sure that Momo had her back turned and used her ring to put the clothes on, and after wasting a few seconds, she said she was finished.  

Momo turned around to reveal a tear-stained face. “I’m sorry, Servi. I really am. I…” 

The girl in question walked up to Momo and gave her a big hug. “There’s nothing to apologize for. Even if we are both girls, it was kinda rude for me to say something like that. I’m the one who should be sorry.” 

“I feel like if I said sorry again... It’ll keep going and going in a cycle of us apologizing.” 

“Probably. How about this? We both say sorry at the same time and get a fire going. I’m getting a little bit cold. On three, okay?” 

“Okay. On three.” 

“One. Two,” Servi started the count.  

“Three,” and Momo finished it.  

“I’m sorry!” 

“I’m sorry!” 

They both said at the same. Realizing the two both did something so dramatic for something so minor in the grand scheme of things, the two friends laughed and laughed until they ended up on their butts.  

“I always take the smallest things and make a mountain out of a molehill. That’s something I need to work on,” Momo wiped away her laughing-induced tears. 

 “Me too. I mean, we're best friends, so it isn’t like we need to be weird around each other. Well, I guess we are weird sometimes, but it’s not like that’s a bad thing, is it?” 

“I don’t think so. I think being able to do weird things and laughing after embarrassing situations shows how close we are,” Momo said without a hint of embarrassment. 

“I do too! Now then, I’ll get the fire-resistant rocks from my bag if you can get yours from yours,” said Servi.  

 “Roger!” Momo replied as she exaggeratedly saluted.  That prompted a small chuckle from Servi.

They both got to work constructing the fire pit. The rocks themselves were made out of packed black dust that was kinda dusty to the touch. They were neatly carved, and when put together, they formed a circular shape that was somehow appealing to the eyes.  

The fire starter itself was two packs of matches and a set of easily burnable material.  

“It’s a good thing this comes with a stack of leaves and tiny sticks. Servi, we’re gonna have to collect kindling material tomorrow.” 

“Okay. We’ll do it first thing in the morning,” Servi replied as she retrieved two metal skewers from her bag.  

Huh? Aren’t there supposed to be one in each? Doesn’t matter, does it? 

Hunched over the fire pit, Momo carefully arranged the leaves showed on the box and lit the first match. “Okay… Steady… Steady…. Easy going…. There!!” 

The small match had done its one and only job, and a steady fire was beginning to grow within the tinder. “Now I have to add the kindling to make it grow big and strong.” 

As if she was a mother nursing her child, Momo meticulously laid the sticks in such a way that would only nurture and fuel the fire instead of abusing and smothering it. A few moments later, the nearly black cave became illuminated by a tiny fire that quickly grew. With the newfound light assisting her, Servi realized her temporary shelter had carvings etched in it.

Seems like someone was drawing. Well, this is a cave, and kids like to explore. If it were kids, then they probably left the ash from the remains of the fire we found.   

“Ta-da!!!!!! Momo 1 – Fire 0,” Momo quietly exclaimed. She stood proud and prideful over her beloved red child. She turned around to tell Servi and drooled when she saw a piece of juicy salted chicken on the end of a metal pole. It was nearly smothered in salt and other oils, but it meant she didn't have to worry about the food spoiling for a week or so.

“It’s big!!!” Momo said as she wiped her mouth. She took it as if a prince would the hand of his darling wife and nursed it over the fire.  

“Hold on. It came with holders,” Servi dug into her bag and took out a little gadget whose only function was to hold a skewer over fire. She gave one to Momo, who promptly put it to use. Servi did the same with her chicken.  

“Food, check! While it’s cooking, we can get the tents set up,” said Momo as she dug within her backpack. Opening the largest compartment, she took out a carefully folded tent.  

“Hmm…so it literally just folds up?” Servi watched while Momo unhooked four straps that tied the legs of the tent to the body. And like magic, she had a cute little one-person tent.  

“It’s so adorable!!” Momo got to her knees and crawled inside. She had to curl into a ball to fit comfortably, but sure enough, it was a tent.  She rolled left and right, testing out different sleeping positions as a huge smile plastered across her face.

I never had a chance to go camping with friends, but now I... Aahhh!!! I’m so happy!!!! 

“No sleeping bag?” 

“Umm….” Momo crawled out and went back into her backpack, her tail swooshed like a whip from left to right as her ears slightly twitched.  “Yep! It was buried at the bottom.” She retrieved a blue folded-up object and undid the three straps keeping it compressed. Like a spring-powered folding chair, the sleeping bag unfolded to its original size without any additional help from Momo. “It’s just a little bit longer than me,” Momo had laid down on top of it.  

“Then mine might be a little bit too short,” Servi took out her tent and bag and got them all set up. And as she figured, the bag was a little bit short. But if she slept on her side and curled her legs inward, she should be fine.  

By that time, the smell of delicious chicken wafted throughout their new home. And as if guided by a mysterious fairy, Momo soon found herself plopped down right in front of the fire with her kitty cat canteen nestled in her lap.  

“How much water do you have left?” Servi watched as Momo shook her water container.  

“A little bit more than half.” 

“I’m still nearly full,” Servi took a sip of it and relished the feeling and taste of her water.  

I guess it’s been about 11 hours since I last had something to drink. Servi, you need to drink more, she told herself.

“If you get thirsty, let me know. You can have some of mine.” 

Servi’s so sweet…. She’s always looking out for me and making sure I’m okay. She’s such a good friend. But drinking after her? Isn’t that like an indirect kiss? But it seems she doesn’t mind. If that’s the case, then I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. Besides, I doubt she’d fall for the bug line twice.  

“I’m good right now, but thank you. Oh, I think dinner is ready!!”  

Servi reached to pick up her skewer and lightly bit into it. As expected, while it was juicy, it was salty and had a distinct turmeric-like aftertaste that lingered on her wet tongue. If pressed to describe it, Servi would say it was bitter, musky, and a bit peppery. But all in all, it wasn’t like it was inedible.  It didn't compare to the food she had eaten while staying in Canary. 

“Well?” 

Servi nodded as she chewed, and Momo bit right into it, splattering juice into the fire that hissed in response for new material to burn. 

“Wait, it’s not too hot for you?” Servi asked.

“No. I mean, I can taste a bit of pepper, but it’s not too strong. I can easily handle something like this,” Momo then took another bite and glanced at Servi, who lightly giggled.  

“You look like a little chipmunk with your cheeks puffed out. It’s pretty adorable.” 

Momo swallowed and laughed. “During the trip from my village to Canary, one of the wagon drivers had a little chipmunk that sat on his shoulder. He wouldn’t let anyone near her, but I really wanted to pet her. Whenever I see a cute fuzzy thing, I get the strongest urge to pet it, but I know I probably shouldn’t.” 

“Same here. It’s really hard sometimes,” Momo's tail appeared in Servi's mind as she spoke those words.

When I get a body, I hope she’ll let me touch it. It looks so soft, Itarr said. Servi nodded while her teeth mercilessly tore apart her dinner.  

About fifteen minutes later, Momo was doing her nightly stretching. The plip plip plip-like noise of water being collected in a pot acted as a kind of background noise, and Servi was putting away the skewers after dipping them in the collected water.  

“We don’t have any soap, but they’re kinda clean.” 

“Okay. Thanks for doing the dishes,” replied Momo, who pressed her stomach to the floor. She was sitting down and was exercising her abdominal muscles. The blanket she used to dry off with was protecting her clothes from getting dirty.  

“You’re welcome. Now, there’s one thing we need to decide on before falling asleep.” 

“What’s that?” said Momo as she transitioned to a handstand. The tips of her toes were pointing straight up, and her tail swooshed back and forth in a steady motion. Her shirt became gravity's latest victim, and she lightly panicked when a shivering breeze soared across her soft tummy.  

Servi rushed over, grabbed the edge of Momo's shirt when it almost exposed her bra, and pulled it back up. “I'll hold it for you. Hey, I guess I’m the official shirt holder.” 

“Thanks for that, and I guess you are! But what were you talking about?” 

“Who was going to take first watch?” 

“I’ll do it.” 

“Sounds good to me. You know, you’re really flexible.” 

Momo giggled and thanked her friend as she moved to a one-handed handstand. “Thanks! My main strength as a Singi is my agility and athleticism. And I realized I can use my tail to help keep my balance.” She switched off to her other hand.  

“I’m very impressed, but doesn’t your hand hurt?” 

“It did at first, but it’s fine now. Oh, I’m about to get down.” 

“Okay,” Servi pulled Momo's shirt up and walked backwards.  

Immediately after, Momo leaned forward and transitioned into a roll. “There we go!” she said once she was on her feet. Turning around, she was met with a single round of applause from her best friend. Giggling and taking a bow, she walked over and sat back down. “Are you going to bed?” 

Servi nodded and walked over to her tent. “Yeah. But if you get sleepy before it’s my turn, then wake me up. Okay?” 

“You betcha. Good night, Servi. Sweet dreams!” 

Servi thanked Momo as she crawled into her sleeping bag. Though she had to curl up to fit, it was a nice and tight snug fit that hugged her body. As if that wasn’t enough, the claustrophobic tent gave her a feeling of being embraced by a loved one. But even as she tried her hardest, Servi couldn't put a face to the emotion.

Maybe I won’t thrash around in my sleep now.  

I’ll keep an eye on things and make sure everything is okay. Good night Servi. I love you.  

Whispering, Servi replied back. “I love you too. Good night.”