“I’ll send some of my men to fetch your party.” Ria said as she walked towards the bar.

“You and your party can rest in that room, we leave tomorrow.” She pointed to one of the many rooms that outlined the big room we were in.

This is quite the situation. Did I just volunteer myself to someone? Well it’s not like it matters, after this whole ordeal I think I’ll head back. I will grant you your request though. I’ll heal everyone…. Later I’m a bit tired.

“Melody it’s you. I’m glad you’re ok.” A surprise hug awoke me from my peaceful nap.

“I’m also glad you’re ok. But to vanish from both of our eyes. The rogue mage is no joke.” Frey stood in a corner all edgy like. He even had some of his black hair over his left eye HA! Are you going through a phase Frey?

“How did you get here?” I rubbed my sleepy eyes.

“Well an arrow came, and a map was attached to it. It led us here.” Cerina separated herself from me.

A map! Did she know how things would turn out?

“So we leave tomorrow. Ria has already informed us on the situation.” *Creak* Frey got up from the wall he was leaning on. Ha! Were you leaning to hard!

“Yeah! And we can’t go in the normal way. But Ria has connections, and a secret passage!” Cerina leaped up in the air.

She sure is energetic I wonder why?

“Usually Merlin prohibits stuff like this. As a knight it is morally wrong to secretly sneak into a city. It feels so energizing.” Cerina grasped the air in front of her in her closing fist.

“Merlin… I hope he is ok…” Cerina slumped back down realizing that her mentor could still be in danger.

----Next Day-----

“Ok this seems to be it…” Ria was using a small lantern to illuminate the disgusting sewage pipe. But Ria… Why did you say that like you were uncertain! If this leads us down a wrong path, I’ll make you feel disgusting for the rest of your life!

As if seeing my distain Ria grabbed my hand and pulled me through the sewage. AWK!

The rotting smell of … crap wafted around my nose. Shew! Don’t make my nose your home. I started to wave my free hand in front of my nose.

I looked behind to my other party members to see a pale Cerina. Cleary she isn’t faring any better. Frey was carrying a cloth over his mouth, and nose, but other than that it seemed like the smell didn’t faze him.

The disgusting sewage pipe finally ended.

“BWAHHHH” I gasped out for air. Cerina did the same.

“Were here!” Ria let go of my hand and rose both to display the backside of a building.

“This is my friend’s inn! We can stay here for the night, and take the train down to the edge of town tomorrow.” Ria marched inside the inn.

The inn didn’t look like any of the buildings elsewhere. Instead of wooden exterior, it was metallic, with hints of green paint screeched across the sides. Above it arose a thick black smoke, like the devil was smoking. The Windows were also barred off from the world. Did this look sketch? Yes, it did. But all the more interesting to go!

Despite Frey being very observant he was obviously putting up a strong front. He felt the stench drain him just like me and Cerina. Without hesitation we all went into the ‘inn’.

Inside, we were directed to our rooms, by an attendant. The attendant was wearing an unusual outfit, but all of us were too tired to say anything.

“May the male please go into this room, and you two go into this room.” The attendant pointed.

Upon opening the door my eyes focused in on the fluffy paradise that the humans call beds. My soft paradise, embrace me!

“Wait Melody!” Cerina pulled the color of my inner shirt. “I know your exhausted, I am too. But we need to get rid of this filth!”

Cerina pulled me into a large white tiled room with metallic handles and tubes overhanging a giant tub.

“Wow this really advanced…” Cerina started to strip me.

“Hey!” It tickles!

“We’re taking a bath right. That might not be that bad. Let’s go.” I fumbled around with the handles till water started to fill the tub.

The tub was big enough for me and Cerina to comfortably sit, and expand our limbs across the tub.

“This feels nice.” We said in unison.

“So Melody, I’m curious did you use your songs to resemble me?”

I felt like I answered this before. Maybe I didn’t clarify enough.

“Yes, you were the first person I saw on that field. So I choose you.” I started to scrub my human body inch by inch with the soapy sponges on the racks.

“What? Why? Do you not like you look? I’m sure you look fine.” Cerina positioned herself behind me and started scrubbing my back. That feels good.

How do I explain this? I don’t think a feeble human mind can understand the 5th dimension, let alone celestials.

“I’m not ugly don’t worry!” I smiled. “I just think you are very beautiful!”

Cerina: “…”

“But I think you should have a more suitable hair style though.” I started weaving my hands through Cerina’s uneven hair. Now it was clear to distinguish each other apart since Cerina hair has been cut in battle since this body was formed. It looked messy, but had a certain lesser appeal to it.

“Should I? I never really cared about it?” Cerina looked at her long strands.

*splash* I twirled around the tub to position myself behind Cerina. “But, you’d look very cute with a cleaner hair style.”

“C-C-Cute?!” She stuttered.

“Of course. I wouldn’t be around someone naturally ugly for so long!”

“aaa Thanks…”

“Now allow me Melody to give you a new hair style.”

I could sing her one of my choosing but I wanna try it the human way for once, it has more meaning. I sang into existence a pair of scissors, and conjured a giant mirror in front of the tub.

“Awwww.” Cerina jumped a little. She positioned her forearms in front of her breasts.

“What wrong.” I brought my breath to the side of her glowing red ear.

“Just… Just seeing myself naked is a bit…”

“is that so…”

“Aww what is this!”

“well I thought you should be more aware of your beautiful body. So now we have a Melody’s dome of of mirrors!” I started snipping away at the uneven parts of her hair. The bath tub soon began to inhabit Cerina’s chestnut hair.

“hey why are you covering your eyes!” Cerina was blocking her eyes with her hands.

“It’s because you made mirrors everywhere! It’s too embarrassing!”

“How do you change your cloths then… Wait don’t tell me you don’t change at all!” I started to chuckle a little. I missed teasing this fool. Let press a little further.

“I just don’t really pay attention to it. Aww”

I jabbed a finger into her belly. She immediately pulled her hands to the source of my tickle.

“eh…” Cerina blankly stared at the mirror in front of her.

“Me…”

“Yep.” I peeked my head around Cerina’s shoulder so that she could see my face in the mirror. The cut I gave was a short hairstyle that curved the bangs inwards to the face. Her bangs were stuck in a position that looked like they were being blown to the right in a swirl motion. It was a breezy hair style, that looked cool, but also a little cute. A fitting hair style for my number one fool!

*Splash* Cerina turned to me abruptly. “I can’t believe it.” She started to touch her new style, like a child getting a new toy.

Toy huh. I touched the place on my chest where my voice emanated from…

That reminds me, I was given this too huh… My fingers softly touched my throat.

“Hey Melody, What’s wrong. Are you sad about how it turned out?”

“What… Oh of course not. How could I be sad at something that I made, you look great.” My voice trailed downwards.

*Glomp* “Thanks Mel. Throughout my whole life I’ve been training to be a knight. I didn’t dislike being it, my family started off well off, but my father got into some debt when I was little, and I was enrolled in the general knight program to help with the expenses. I was basically sold off…” Cerina squeezed a little tighter. Her elasticity pressed against my own.

“It started off as a program, but one day they never returned to pick me up. Apparently the debt was too high, and they ran away. Leaving me behind.” Cerina separated from me. Her eyes were the same as mine, but held a sadness that couldn’t be mimicked.

“Girls aren’t usually knights; I didn’t have any friends growing up. Rather it was the opposite, I was alone. So Melody if anything’s bothering you, I’m here for you as a friend.” Those sad eyes shifted to the right then right back at me, but this time they were uplifting.

Friend?... Friends?

“Friend?” The word filled my body with a certain familiar warmth.

“Yes.” Cerina nodded and delivered a lighter hug this time.

A friend huh? A foolish friend! But my friend.