Interconnected: Spliced Souls

“Ms. Cassidy!!! I did it!!!” I couldn’t reply. Barbee rushed over from the portable teleportation pad the arena staff had set up about fifteen minutes ago.   

The old bat’s demeanor changed instantly. She turned to Barbee with a toothy smile and congratulated her. An injured, limping dwarf behind her was hounded by vicious merchants who wanted to peddle their wares.    

I walked away. I didn’t want to look at Cassidy right now.  

I’m scared for her, Servi.   

“Yeah. Me too.” Uncertainty loomed over Cassidy’s well-being like a somber-lit shadow on the vibrant arena.    

And just like that... Any joy I had for fighting had vanished.    

I was pissed at her and myself. Cassidy thought so little of herself. She just...expected to die. If the pain was too much, then was that why she had asked if I was going to kill her?   

But why was she so insistent on death when she just confessed to wanting to have a legacy? There was a way to prolong her life, and it was me.    

I was the way.     

I could turn her into a revenant... And she could continue to make medicine for the rest of my divine life.    

But I doubt she’d go for that option. She was liable to kill me for suggesting something like that.    

I didn’t want her to die. She had done some real good in the world. Just why...couldn’t she see it? Why did she think she’d have a rotten coffin?    

I didn’t get her. I really didn’t. My head felt like a bag of tumbling rocks.   

Should I tell Albert?   

“No... Not yet. Let’s respect her wishes for right now.” Itarr asked if she’d get better if she stopped smoking and drinking. “No. Not in the short run. The body becomes so used to getting nicotine and alcohol that suddenly refraining can send you into shock. The withdrawal symptoms would--”   

“Servi! Maylee! Get to the pad!”   

It was time for my fight. I didn’t even realize that many matches had already occurred. Cassidy never once approached. She found a chair and remained near her wares, her dry, wrinkled lips still touching a cigarette. I didn’t see Barbee anywhere.   

Let’s get this over with. I was going to make it flashy, but… I don’t feel like it.  

Maylee cracked her knuckles when I approached. The Dogkin neared Cassidy from the corner of my eye. No doubt he was trying to brag or something.    

“Nothing to say before I end you?”   

“…” I ignored her. The engineer working the pad did one final check-over and told us what to expect and feel.    

“Rumors say you’re the underdog. I don’t know how you manipulated it, but there’s a lot of money riding on this fight. But the ones who want you to win will be disappointed.”   

“Yeah. Okay. Fine. Do your best. But know that I’ll end this as soon as I can. I have more important shit to worry about than this false rivalry that mutt has put into your brain. And take your drug or whatever he’s making. It won’t help you win.”    

“…” My vision flashed white. Odorless, murky smoke surrounded me. The roaring crowd almost deafened my ears. Hearing them this close differed from being separated by reinforced glass.    

“SERVY!!!! YAY!!!! I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!!!” I turned and saw Momo jumping up and down with her arms raised.    

“COME ON! YOU’RE GONNA MAKE ME A RICH MAN TONIGHT! WHOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!”   

Sissy covered her embarrassed face. She probably fought against an urge to smack Gerld. Saline lifted Cue, and he howled his adorable support.    

The referee flew around the ring and introduced us. Maylee had a flawless record of 6 wins, while I had nothing. She was known for having a high pain tolerance, which contributed a lot to her success.     

The emcee also promoted that Dogkin’s merchandise and said anyone could look like Maylee if they took his medicine.    

So... That was the key to her growth.    

Steroids.    

Performance-enhancing drugs.    

Guess it wasn’t illegal.    

Then again, I was fighting 'dirty,' so I didn’t have a pedestal to stand on. But that shout-out almost proved something murky was going on, but it probably didn’t have to do with the missing fighters.    

Why else bring attention to it if they used it as a front for their crime?   

Assuming, of course, that there was a perpetrator behind it.     

“But that doesn’t mean she'll be thrown to the vultures, folks! Anything can happen! We’ve seen a thousand upsets before! We’ll continue to see a thousand more! But will this be one of them? Or will Maylee use her raw strength to achieve total victory once more?! LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEE!!!   

His voice is annoying.    

“Yep. It is. Okay, come on,” I faced Maylee and waited for the bell.    

“What? What is she doing? Does Servi have a death wish?” announced the annoying referee. “She’s just walking? Where’s her guard? Where’s her stance? Does she even know how to fight?”   

Confusion spread amongst the crowd. I stood just out of Maylee’s reach and crossed my arms. “Go on, big girl,” I said. “Make the first move. I know those muscles aren’t for show. Show me how you were going to break me.”   

“Your taunts will be the last thing you ever say. I’ll crush your throat.”   

“Please, I’d like to see you try.” The brute of a woman growled and adjusted her stance.    

“Is this your attempt to bait me? Do you think me to be that stupid?”   

“And you aren’t? Are you sure there’s a brain in there?”   

“Insulting my intelligence won’t get you the reaction you expect. But I can play that game. Cassidy. The old bitch is dying, isn’t she?”   

“…”   

“Yeah. That’s right. She’s trying to hide it, but that frail body grows weaker every sunrise. How long does she have left? A month? Two? She might even be dead before the new year. And wouldn’t that be lovely?”   

“…”   

“What? No response? Don’t tell me I’m getting to you. I’ll piss on her grave when she kicks the bucket.”   

“…” I sighed and cracked my neck. Calmly, I approached. What expression did I have?   

I couldn’t tell, but Maylee took it as something reassuring and beneficial for her. She laughed and riled the crowd, shouting at them to make noise. “This fight’ll end in one single punch! And I will continue to be undefeated! Now, come! Meet your maker!”   

“STOP TALKING!!! THROW A GODDAMN PUNCH!!! I’VE GOT A LOT OF MONEY ON YOU, MAYLEE!!    

“AND YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND!”   

Maylee went for a sudden haymaker. The power packed into her tense muscles-- combined with her thick, heavy fists-- could shatter rocks. It was probably enough to outright kill someone.     

But only if it connected.    

It didn’t.     

Maylee didn’t have the speed to compensate for something so powerful. She switched to straights and jabs while pressing the advantage.     

The ring trembled and cried from each of her heavy stomps, but I kited her from corner to corner, keeping it loose and agile like a butterfly. I never remained in place for more than half a second.    

This continued for two minutes, and that muscular frame needed more stamina than Maylee had to keep it going. Sweat drenched her face and soaked her tank top’s collar. Her definitive abs glistened in the spotlights when they were aimed at her.     

“COME ON! LET’S GO, SERVI!! I have my life savings on this fight! MAKE ME A RICH BOY!!! I WANNA LIVE THE EASY LIFE FOR A YEAR OR TWO!!!” shouted Gerld. “COME ON! BEAT HER ASS!”    

Sissy, to my surprise, had gotten caught in the hype. She cheered my name with Momo and Saline. Cue howled as loud as his little lungs let him.     

“Stop dodging! Fight me like a woman!” growled Maylee. “You bring dishonor to the arena!”   

“Now who's getting pissed off? God, you’re so pathetic. You call this strength? How the hell did you win before? I bet that Dogkin paid off the organizers to throw you easy fights to pad your rankings.”   

“SHUT UP!!!”   

“Aww… The little brute is getting pissed off. So what? You talked shit, so back up your fucking words. Go ahead and hit me! I dare you!” I felt the turnbuckle behind me. Maylee had foolishly believed she had me cornered.   

No.    

She didn’t. Her incoming haymaker was swatted away. I went low and waited until she believed I wanted to uppercut her, then took a quarter step back and stomped the side of her knee.    

Snap!   

“AAAHHHHHH!!!!”    

“WHAT?! DID YOU HEAR THAT SNAP?! MAYLEE’S DOWN!!! MAYLEE’S DOWN!” The referee flew into a frenzy and hastily hovered around the ring. He grabbed his hair and overdid it on the reaction. “Her bones have to be like metal, folks! I’ve heard she trains by kicking reinforced wood from sunset to sundown! So— What’s this? How is Servi walking? I was sure she’d have a fracture or two!!! She’s not even limping?!”    

“YAY!!!!! SERVY!!! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!!”   

“WE’RE RICH! WE’RE GONNA BE RICH!!!” Sissy and Gerld exclaimed.    

The crowd increased its intensity while I approached Maylee. She looked so vulnerable – clutching her knee like that.     

But the fight wasn’t over.    

She hadn’t surrendered, and she was still conscious. I broke into a sprint and kneed her in the cheek, knocking her to the mat. Teeth shot from her mouth. Blood oozed down her nostrils, and I went for another kick, but the referee flew in front of me.    

His meddling signified an end to the fight, and I had won.     

But it didn’t feel right.    

I wanted to have a little more fun.    

But…   

I didn’t feel anything. The exciting cheers should’ve inflamed my heart with the thrill of a fight—like it did at Edgar’s—but no.    

It felt...muted.    

The teleportation pad under the mat activated, and I was back in the lounge. I thanked the ones giving me kudos on a well-done fight as emergency personnel swarmed the ring.    

I found Cassidy near her briefcase. She had sold out of almost everything except one crimson vial.   

“That was a pitiful showing.”   

I just chuckled. “But it was enough. Let’s say the thrill is gone.” Itarr said Momo and the others were cashing in their bets and making another.    

“And that’s my goddamn fault?”   

“Who else would it be?”   

Cassidy reached for a cigarette, but she sighed and put it away.    

That Dogkin apothecary approached. “And you’re the loser once again. How does it feel?” Cassidy taunted him.    

“Your phrine must be illegal. Or your little cheater here must have a passive ability.”  

“Excuses are the beginnings of a failed man. The teleportation pad doesn't activate if it detects a passive skill that hasn’t been turned off. The arena would've sounded an alarm if a fighter turned theirs on in the ring. Come on. You know the rules. Grow some balls and learn to accept your failures.”  

“You know drugs with regenerative properties are not allowed during a match. I’ve tested dozens of fighters against Maylee’s arms and legs. Her bones are like metal. Why aren't you limping?"  

“I didn’t take any drug,” I confessed. “And passive ability? I didn’t need one to whoop her ass. But stop bothering us. Go tend to Maylee and find something else in life to value.”   

“Shut up. You don’t know anything, human.”   

“Yeah… Yeah… I don’t. I’m clueless about everything in the world. There? Does that make you feel better? There’s nothing you can say that can hurt my feelings.”   

Cassidy chuckled, but it sounded like a dry fireplace having an asthma attack. The once-confident Dogkin apothecary just walked away, seething in rage. Clenched fists showed that he wanted to strike me.    

“They know.”   

“Yep. You could say the little shithead wants to surpass me while I’m still alive. He knows his instructor can’t. The dumbass isn’t qualified to practice medicine anymore.”   

“And you won’t tell me?”   

“Why? The past is going to die with me. It all is…”   

“Goddamn it. Can’t you stop talking like that?”   

“Nope. Deal with it.”   

“Do you want to die, or do you want to leave a legacy? You keep flipping back and forth like a pancake.”   

“…” Cassidy remained silent.     

“…” I couldn’t say anything.    

“Just relax and focus on your fights. I don't want to regret vouching for you. And give your all in every match. Don’t lose on purpose because of me. Think of the money Momo has on you, and then realize it’ll be gone. And then what? You’d feel like shit.”    

“Like you do now?”   

“…” Cassidy refrained from speaking. She clearly valued silence when it suited her the most.   

Just why was she getting to me so much?!   

Exasperated, I bought another two cups of coffee and stood alone near the corner, whispering quietly to my goddess.     

 

---

Three hours had passed since my first fight, and I had been called up twice more.   

My second match of the night was against a scrawny singi with a multi-colored tail. She had trained as a grappler, but she wasn’t a problem since it ended with me putting her in a submission. She eventually tapped out shortly before the first round ended after begging me not to break her elbow.    

The third was against a flashy singi. He focused on movement and ‘free-flowing’ as the referee had put it. He had the best record so far—19 wins and only 2 losses.   

But he bit off more than he could chew. The overindulgent flair didn’t work, and I let him get a few kicks to my stomach before grabbing and snapping his ankle like a twig.  

I wanted to prolong the fights and have fun—to take them seriously and put on a show for the crowd, but…  

I just wasn’t in the mood.    

Cassidy always eyed me when I returned to the lounge. She didn’t have anything else to say. Itarr was getting more and more worried. Albert had caught on and asked what was wrong.   

Itarr told him, and he promised to remain silent. Albert and she texted a little about what to do, but you couldn’t force someone to get help. They had to have wanted it—they needed to extend their ark and ask for assistance. Trying to force that on someone was liable to make things worse. Cassidy was already volatile, and pressing the issue could send her over the edge.    

We were currently up 19,000 dupla. Winning this match would push us to 40,000, but I didn’t know if it would be enough.   

I’ll probably have to fight more… Or maybe they’re waiting to see if I take it all?  

Soon, it was time for the last match. Only a handful of people were left in the lounge—even fewer were uninjured. The restaurants had long since extinguished their grills and shut down. The janitorial staff were working hard to get everything clean. I asked if there was a fight tomorrow, but the next one wouldn't be for two days.    

Someone called my name, and I obediently walked to the pad. My foe was a tall dwarf, but I didn’t catch her name.    

“And we’re winding down, folks. There’s just one last fight before I have to say goodbye. Remember, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here!” The announcer hadn’t lost an ounce of annoyance. The crowd was still as alive as ever, though. They chanted my name more than my opponent’s, and the bell marked the beginning of the fight.   

“Four rounds, huh?” My opponent opened with small talk.    

“That’s right.”  

“And you’re not tired?” asked the dwarf, pushing her bangs from her eyes. She seemed proud and confident—at least, that was the impression I got from her piercing gaze. Those eyes looked ready. “I’m barely holding myself together after two. You’re really incredible.”   

“… Thank you.”   

“Consider me a fan. I love how you fight. Please come at me with the same intensity!”  

I nodded.   

I put up my guard and approached, then dropped it and sprinted. She readied her defenses, but I hopped to the left and reversed my momentum, launching a reverse roundhouse kick to her stomach.   

She held steady, but I was already tackling her. She pounded hammer fists at my back, but I roared and lifted her up—much to the crowd’s ever-growing madness, and dropped her like a sack of bricks.   

Her legs were thick, but they couldn’t escape the submission I put her in.    

“Just surrender!” I shouted! “Don’t make me break it!”  

“I won’t ever give up! I can handle it! I’m not afraid—” She spoke from a source of power.   

Maybe she thought she had an ounce of winning?  

Everyone was the protagonist of their own story. No one wanted to be a loser.    

“Have it your way,” I whispered, feeling the tender crunch of bone snapping. I doubt she heard me over her screaming and the roaring crowd. I rolled away and stood, then casually leaned against the ropes. The referee flew down and kneeled beside the dwarf. He raised his hands and pointed at me a second later. 

“And she’s gone undefeated! Four matches! Four brutal victories! Is there nothing she can’t do?! Give it up for Servi!!!” 

 

---

“There’s my favorite fighter! Yeah! You’ve got a fan in for life!” Gerld jumped up and down and waved to get my attention. Momo and the others had left after I was announced the winner to cash in their bets, and they were waiting in the lobby.    

“That was incredible! Your victories were so dominant.” Sissy’s compliments were sweet.   

Suusa held his hand out, and I shook it. “It’s rare for a newbie to win all of their matches,” he said, his cheeks partly blushing. “It’s seriously something to be proud of.”  

“I’m rich! I’m rich! Ahahaha! I’m so rich!!!”  

“Geez! You’re like 26! Act your age, you man-child! And shut up if you don’t wanna get robbed!”  

“Don’t lecture me, woman! I’m just doing what you did. Yeah, I saw you. You thought I didn’t, but—Whoops! Ha! Don’t try to hide your embarrassment! Hey, that dodge was something else. Think I have it me to be a star fighter like you? Sissy hits like a runaway elephant, and I’ve grown sturdy from taking her haymakers over the year, so… Why not? I think I’m gonna sign up.”    

Sissy barked back with something witty, and the two bickered. Suusa sighed and tried to calm them down.   

Saline picked up Cue and smiled, giving him to me. He squirmed in my arms and licked my cheeks, barking and howling his approval. Momo gave him the stink eye and jumped in for her own hug, squeezing him between us. Albert said I did a fantastic job.   

“You’ve done very well, Ms. Servi. Consider us very impressed.” I looked and saw a unit of soldiers. Their golden armor bore the circuit’s emblem, and they each held a few sacks of jiggling coins. The leader and speaker was an elderly mage with white hair. “Per our rules, we will escort you to your lodgings or the bank. Or you may keep the money here until tomorrow morning.”  

Momo and I decided to take the money and return to Cassidy’s shop.    

Sissy, Gerld, and Suusa did the same, but they were heading to their inn.   

The mage cast a few illusion spells to make us invisible and untraceable, and then we left, promising to meet up the next day.    

The guards remained silent during the escort. I was wondering just when they would act—if this would be the moment I’d get kidnapped because they wanted their money—but no.   

They left us at Cassidy’s shop and bid us a good evening after saying the spells would wear off in ten minutes.   

I asked about Cassidy when we walked upstairs in the dark. The moon felt shy and refused to come out from behind a cloud. “Apothecaries have a meeting after fight night,” said the elf, standing outside her room. Cue yawned and adorably scratched his neck. “It’s about how much they sold, what injuries they didn’t bring medicine for, and stuff like that. She usually doesn’t return until early morning. Don’t worry. She’s safe. No one’s stupid enough to bother her.”  

“Okay. If you say so. Goodnight, Saline.”  

“And night, Cue. We’ll continue our eternal war of cats vs dogs tomorrow,” Momo said. She wagged her tail.    

“Bark! Grr...” Cue playfully growled and ran into the room after Saline. The door closed with a quiet, nearly silent noise.    

---

“Hey… Come on… Tell me what’s wrong. And don’t say it isn't anything because that’s a lie.” Momo poked my cheeks while we hung out near the fountain in my soul world. Albert and Itarr were continuing to test her voice communication program.     

“Cassidy told me not to tell, but…” Momo sat and listened to me vent. I told her I had wanted to make the fights intense and fun for the crowd, but…   

“Yikes… Umm… That’s not good.”   

“Yeah. I know that. But you need to want help to accept help. And Cassidy doesn’t want help. She doesn’t want anything. And I don’t know what to do. Do I be selfish? Or do I respect her wishes? Is it…up to me to make someone continue living as an undead revenant? I don’t have any resurrection magic yet. That’s still a long way away. But even still… Bringing someone back against their wishes? That isn’t right.” I assumed that magic was eventually possible since nothing like it was listed under [Necromancy]. There was probably…a second or third part to it? Maybe? I’d only absorbed Myrokos’s soul, which gave me access to the following, not counting [Create Undead] and [Summon Undead]: [Bone Conjuration], [Corpse Manipulation], [Life Manipulation], [Decay], [Curse], and [Brainwash].    

Those needed 1 NP to unlock, but it seriously felt like there should be more. The mystery became partly clearer if I assumed Myrokos’s specialized in these aspects, so I required other necromancy souls to unlock additional sub-categories.   

“But Cassidy said something about a legacy, right? How can she leave one if…” Momo frowned. Her soft ears folded against her fluffy hair while her tail tickled my stomach.    

“I know. I think she’s conflicted. She’s a hard one to read. And I don’t know what’s going through her mind. It… I dunno, Momo. But it was hard for me to focus.”   

“… I’m sorry.” She suddenly hugged me. “I’ll stay quiet about it. But I know we’ll figure something out.”   

I didn’t want to continue thinking about that, so I switched the topic to Saline. Momo and I talked about her eventually joining us as a member of Butterfly Rumble.  

She was okay with it. She liked having another student, even though Saline was older. “Although I doubt anyone is older than Itarr. She’s kinda my student, right? Ah, that isn’t sacrilegious...is it?”   

“Don’t worry. I’ll smite you later,” joked my goddess. She was in a much better mood. I loved seeing her this playful. “Once I learn how to manifest. It feels like I’m close. But there’s something that I’m just not seeing.”   

“I can maybe ask the Foxy Me again. I dunno if we’ll get an answer.” Momo yawned and stretched. “Hey, what are we doing tomorrow?”   

“I don’t know.” We won 40,000 dupla, but no one approached us. Why?   

Did we win too little? Did we have to break six digits to get their attention? Lucky streaks were rare, but they happened. If the circuit was the culprit, they’d probably write this off as a loss. If so, I’d have to keep winning until I drained their wallets.    

Then again, what if it wasn’t the circuit? The culprit could’ve been an apothecary. That Dogkin hated Cassidy, and I was sure he fixed the schedule to make me fight against Maylee. And if he had the money to own a big, fancy store, I was sure he had the cash to hire some thugs to do some kidnapping.    

Or an unknown third party could’ve done it.     

I needed more info, though. But asking and pressing the issue would make us a target. I couldn’t risk anyone coming after Momo or the others.    

Well, we still had a couple more days before returning to Canary. If I hadn’t solved it by then, maybe I could get on the right track and leave a letter or something for the guards?  

I could always return one night and finish my investigation. It doesn’t have to be solved all at once. I’d prefer it that way, but beggars can’t be choosers.    

Momo yawned again and wiped her eyes. Itarr said we could use her room again, and we walked off—hand in hand.    

But then we stopped.    

“Hey, why don’t you join us?”   

“Me?” Itarr asked, pointing to herself.    

“Duh. I mean, it’s always better sleeping with friends, so…” Itarr asked if that was okay. “Why wouldn’t it be? Maybe that’s…how you can visit the Foxy Me? Like, I came here cause Servy and I were sleeping together. But that doesn’t explain why Srassa and I didn’t come here during our time in Waveret.”   

“Go and enjoy it, Itarr,” said Albert. He was brewing him a pot of tea using more blood crystal tools he had made. He looked right at home in his element as he sniffed the earthy aroma radiating from the cup.  

“Umm… Okay…” Itarr’s face gleamed with a slight crimson hue. Momo reached out to her hand, and we walked to our room in the tower.     

The comfy bed was awaiting us, and we changed into our pajamas. Itarr was still hesitant when Momo stripped naked. She averted her gaze and looked away, blushing like a blossoming maiden before covering her eyes.     

“You’ve seen me naked a bunch of times by now,” said Momo, buttoning her top. She walked to Itarr and moved her hands.    

“But what about Srassa? I feel like I’m intruding on something special the three of you share,” confessed Itarr. The goddess's voice quivered. “Nimyra said she never wanted to be a home wrecker. She hates being used as one. And… and I can’t stop thinking…about things that—” Itarr couldn’t finish without crying.    

“What do you mean? We’re just friends who sleep together. I… Oh, now I see it.” Momo noticed a pitched 'tent' between the goddess’s thighs.    

Someone was horny.    

It had been a while since we got frisky.   

“Seriously, don’t be ashamed of that. It happens. And it’s okay. It…makes me happy knowing that I turn you on like that. And look, we don’t have to do anything except sleep and cuddle. Having ‘fun’ is nice, but the cute, sweet moments are just as important, if not more so. And a home wrecker? No. You’d never be that. You’re not intruding on anything.”   

“Momo’s right.” I closed the gap and hugged her. “You’re someone we care about.”   

“But what if…she hates me? I’ve never really thought about it until now. And… And…” Itarr was losing it. She broke apart like fragile glass and wept into my arms. I couldn’t do anything but hug and hold her.    

Soon…   

“Even a goddess can cry herself asleep…” Momo whispered. We were on the comfy bed, with her lying behind Itarr. I was in front, and we hugged her from the front and back. The ‘excitement’ between her knees was still there, but it’d go away in due time. “I didn’t know this was eating her away like this.”   

“That’s why she brought up the regret thing earlier. I…hope she’s not regretting anything we did. Itarr’s so very important to me. I wouldn’t be here without her. I’d have never met you or Srassa or anyone else.”   

“Yeah… I know… And that’s why I know Srassa won’t be upset. She’s not that kind of girl. She never had many friends her own age. And wait until she can brag about having a goddess as a bestie. But even then, she’ll see herself in Itarr. Okay, so she’s a goddess, but she doesn’t have many friends, either. And you can never go wrong with another close one.”   

“Oh, so she’s ‘just’ a goddess?”   

“Yep! She doesn’t want us to treat her differently. Itarr’s just… Itarr.”   

“Haha! Yep.”    

Momo and I exchanged looks and snuggled closer to the goddess. Her soft breathing warmed my chest and made my heart thump faster. And she was delicate. And so warm. And she smelled so pleasant…    

Any lewdness would have to wait until we introduced her to Srassa.    

I hoped… I really, really hoped things would work out.    

I didn’t expect it to, but I also never thought Momo would be the one helping a goddess with her worries mere days after meeting her.    

I didn’t always have to focus on the negative.    

Good things happened all the time.    

Maybe it was time to turn my eyes toward the future that Momo knew would happen. If I didn’t have faith in myself...I could put my hopes and dreams on her and rely on her power.     

“Good night, Servy. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”   

“Okay. Good night, Momo.”   

We both said goodnight to Itarr, cuddled closer, and drifted to bed.