More than Words Can Say
Chapter Two: Breakfast in Bed
MOMO instantly rose upright from her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts that she did not even notice that she was in the arms of a concerned chaos.
"MOMO, calm down. Everything is all right." His soothing voice comforted her as he hugged her tightly. MOMO buried her face in his silver hair, her cries muffled against his shoulder.
"I killed him! I killed him!" She repeated over and over again in chaos' ear. "He died because of me, it's all my fault!"
chaos held her small shaking body, attempting to console her as an older brother would do to his younger sibling. "Shh, stop saying that. You didn't kill anyone."
MOMO's head shook violently, her pink hair tumbling over her tiny shoulders. "I killed Jr.! He's gone...he's not coming back!" She wailed, her warm tears trickling down her cheeks and onto her pink cotton nightgown. "He said that everyone will suffer because of me, that I am the cause of everyone's pain!!!"
chaos' gloved hands stroked away MOMO's bangs from her wet eyes. "Whoever told you that was wrong, MOMO. Not a single word of it is true."
"B-but I saw him! That man...and my sisters...they all said that I was responsible for what he did to them..." MOMO trailed off as her cries subsided a bit. "I'm just an abomination, like Daddy...that's what Albedo said..."
chaos only held her quivering form. "He was wrong. It was all just a nightmare."
MOMO moved away from chaos so that her large golden eyes made contact with chaos' transparent green-blue ones. "So, Jr. is all right?" She sniffled, wiping her tears and cheeks with her sleeve.
chaos' peaceful smile brought a sense of reassurance to MOMO. "Yes, he's fine. And so is everyone else. You didn't do anything to anybody, MOMO."
MOMO cast her eyes downward toward her mattress, her slender fingers fidgeting with her blankets. "It...all seemed so real."
chaos placed his hand on her tiny shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, you can tell me all about it."
MOMO looked up at the elder boy once more. For some reason, the pupils of his eyes reminded her of the ocean on Second Miltia that she saw when the Elsa had miraculously landed safely after making a dangerous escape from the explosion of Proto Merkabah: they both were tranquil and a brilliant shade of turquoise, yet they concealed a vast depth to them, as if they hid some sort of knowledge that they wished not to reveal. Although he was somewhat unusual and mysterious, chaos always treated MOMO like a human being just as all her other friends did. She did not know where he came from or the origin of his uncanny ability to control the monstrosities known as the Gnosis, but chaos was like an older brother to her. She did not even care if he were human or not: chaos, just as all the other people that MOMO cared for, was family.
"I was in a dark place," she timidly began. "I couldn't see where I was, but my sister was in front of me. She wasn't moving or anything. I kind of went closer to her, and she spoke."
"And what did she say?"
"She said that I was the only one Daddy cared about, that I was the only one he looked at. And then, more of my sisters came, and they said the same thing: that Daddy neglected them because of me, that it was my fault what Albedo did to them...and that I was the one who should've died."
MOMO held onto chaos' hand for support as she described her nightmare. "And then, I saw Albedo. He said that all of my sisters were right. He told me that I would only bring sadness to everyone around me, and that I will hurt them, even if I don't mean to. After that, I saw Jr. He...didn't move like my sisters. His eyes were open, but he didn't look angry, or sad, or happy. He..." The tears began to well up in her eyes and they slightly stung, and chaos wrapped his lean arms around her.
"...he didn't smile at me or even tease me like he always does. He just laid there, staring at me. I held him, and Albedo told me to look at my hands. I did...and...I saw blood. It was Jr.'s blood, it was all over my fingers. I heard Albedo laugh behind me and after that, I don't remember much."
MOMO stopped, and her sobs and tears had ceased except for an occasional sniffle. Although she was a Realian, her eyes were somewhat red as any human's would be after crying. She had suddenly felt better, as if a large weight had been lifted off of her chest and she was able to breathe again. chaos again washed away whatever fears she possessed with comforting words and promises that Jr. and everyone else were fine.
After a moment of silence, chaos spoke again. "Are you feeling better, now?"
MOMO looked up at him and nodded. She even managed a small, but sincere, smile. "Uh huh. I feel good now. Thank you so much, chaos."
chaos returned her smile. "It's all right. I'm just glad that you're okay now."
"Um, what time is it?" MOMO shyly asked, coming to the realization that she slept in, since she noticed that Shion was not in her bed.
"It's almost half past ten. I think that Captain Matthews and the others are almost done eating."
MOMO's delicate brows knitted together. "Then, does that mean you missed breakfast?"
chaos laughed softly. "Don't worry about me. I'll catch a bite sometime later on Second Miltia when we dock there."
"Oh, you're going there?"
"Yes. Until now, Shion was really the only one that could visit Second Miltia. Since everything is settled, everyone has time to themselves now. The Captain needs a few things to get ready for his big concert, Hammer wants to check out the electronics store down there, and Tony...well Tony says that he's bored of the Foundation and wants to take a look."
"I haven't been there yet," MOMO admitted. "I've been wanting to, but I never had the chance. Shion says that it's really nice."
chaos rose from MOMO's bed and stretched his arms. "Well, get dressed and you can tag along with us. Shion is coming, too. She's told me that there's a lot of neat stores there, including an ice cream parlor."
"Ice cream?" A puzzled MOMO questioned. Again, chaos chuckled.
"It's a really tasty dairy snack that's made from cream, milk, and sugar. A lot of children love it and are always begging their parents for one. It's so good that even adults crave it. I'll get you one when we arrive at Second Miltia. My treat."
A bright smile beamed on MOMO's lips. "Okay, I'll go!"
"In that case, we leave in about an hour after Tony gets the Elsa up and running. Go ahead and ask Ziggy and Jr. if they want to come."
chaos turned away and was about to leave, until he felt a small hand grabbing at his wrist. "chaos?"
He glanced back towards MOMO. "Can you please not tell anyone about my dream?"
chaos kneeled over so that his eyes met MOMO's. Although she had stopped crying, there was an expression of uneasiness on her childlike face. "I don't want anyone to worry about me. If Shion or Ziggy knew, that would only make them scared. And Jr. would only be upset if I even mention Albedo's name and...I don't want to do that to him."
There was an appearance of understanding on chaos' dark tan face. "Of course. Your secret's safe. If you ever feel like talking, then you can always come to me, MOMO."
MOMO's little arms encircled chaos' small waist in deep gratitude. "Thank you for everything."
chaos patted her silky hair, and MOMO released him so that he could leave her room and prepare for his trip to Second Miltia. MOMO turned her attention toward the large windowpane to her side, contemplating her thoughts as she looked once again to the luminous stars.
chaos entered the automatic doors and continued to walk away as they closed behind him. His silver hair swayed against his cheeks and above his turquoise eyes as his body moved.
"Albedo," he spoke the name cautiously as if it were a curse, "you've taken so much from your victims. You have even gone so far as to rob them of their peace of mind."
* * * *
Jr. walked swiftly, but carefully, down the vacant halls of the Durandal, the ends of his long black trenchcoat billowing after him and the scent of MOMO's breakfast wafting in the air. It was three months ago when these silent hallways were filled with frightened and panicked citizens when the Gnosis had invaded the Kukai Foundation like an unexpected plague. Jr. remembered seeing the wounded being cared for by the medics onboard the Durandal, and he recalled the worried refugees who were separated from their families. Fortunately enough, the citizens returned back to the Foundation and began rebuilding their sectors. Jr. knew well enough that they were a very resolute and hardworking people, and that even Gnosis would not drive them away from the only home they have known. Still, something had disturbed the U.R.T.V.: it had bothered him to the point that he could not even sleep soundly at night without breaking into a sweat.
"How can I protect her?" He silently asked himself in uncertainty. "It's been too quiet these past three months. Albedo is hiding somewhere, that's for damn sure. He is up to something."
A uniformed security officer passed him, giving him a polite smile and a salute. "Morning, Little Master."
Jr. gave him a slight nod and a small greeting, and continued on his way with the warm food. "Albedo has the power to regenerate his body parts, and it always seems like he's one step ahead of me. What if I'm not there to save MOMO from that sick bastard-"
Something caught Jr.'s eye. A swish of a pair of automatic doors reached his ears, and he saw chaos casually exiting the room MOMO shared with Shion. Suspicion brewed inside of Jr., for chaos was not present at breakfast either.
After waiting until the silver-haired member of the Elsa's crew had left the hallway, Jr. quickly approached the room. The doors instantly opened to create an entrance for him, and to his relief, he saw an awaken MOMO sitting in her bed. When she turned toward his direction, he saw a glimpse of relief in her honey-colored eyes as well.
"Jr.!" She cried ecstatically, for what reason he did not know.
"Morning, MOMO." He greeted. He drew nearer to her and placed the tray on the mattress before her. "Shion told me that she let you sleep in. I thought that you might want some food in you, so I picked up something."
Another pretty smile appeared on MOMO's lips, which was soothing to Jr. as cool rain upon the dry and cracked earth. "That was so nice of you. Thanks!" She immediately picked up her fork and began consuming the scrambled eggs.
As Jr. watched her, the memory of chaos leaving the room a minute ago played back in his mind, and his wariness returned. "Hey MOMO, I saw chaos going out of your room just now. Did you guys talk about something?"
MOMO stopped eating for that instant. She looked into Jr.'s bright sapphire eyes, which were now alive and handsome like they always appeared to her. She suddenly remembered her nightmare, in which those same eyes stared at her with a bleakness that was so distinctive of death. A fear lurched inside of her mind upon reminiscing, but she abruptly reminded herself that she did not want to distress the person whom her heart held so dear.
"He was just inviting me to go to Second Miltia with Shion and Captain Matthews," she hastily replied. Even though that statement was true, she felt guilty for not admitting the whole matter to Jr.
"Oh, really...?" Jr. responded, his doubt still lingering, but he did his best to cover it up.
"Yes. I've never been there, but I've always wanted to...Jr.?"
"Hmmm?"
"You look kind of pale. Did you eat breakfast?"
Jr. scratched the back of his head. "Well, kinda..."
"I think you should eat more." MOMO said as she broke her toast in half and began piling some of her eggs on it.
Jr. shook his head in denial. "Mary and Shelley said the same thing. What is it with you women always wanting to shove food down my throat-" The redheaded captain of the Durandal could not speak another word, for MOMO had pushed the egg-topped toast into Jr.'s mouth. He could taste the crispy texture of the browned bread while MOMO continued to eat her meal.
"There, that should hold you off until lunch." She simply stated, enjoying another bite of eggs. Even though she was not technically a full human, she still loved experiencing the various tastes of culinary delights. She admired the individual sensations that occurred on her taste buds from different types of food, so whenever she could she tried a unique dish she had never eaten before.
Jr. attempted to speak, but the toast had muffled his speech much to his displeasure.
MOMO giggled a bit after taking a drink of her orange juice. "I'm sorry, but if you want to say something you have to finish your food."
Jr. agitatedly glared at her a bit, but munched on the toast and eggs in defeat. After he swallowed the last bit, he was able to speak once more. "That was unfair!"
"Orange juice?" MOMO presented him the beverage, ignoring his last comment. Jr. saw that it was hopeless, but he rejected the drink.
"Nah, I prefer coffee in the morning," he told her.
"Coffee? You mean that black liquid that all the adults drink?"
"The one and only."
MOMO stuck out her tongue in distaste. "Eww, that stuff is disgusting! Shion let me try some of hers last week, and it was so bitter I wanted to spit it right out!"
"Are you kidding me?" Jr. protested. "The stronger coffee is, the better it tastes!"
"Nuh-uh!" MOMO disagreed. "It's nasty by itself. But if you added sugar and cream to it, it's actually not bad."
Jr. raised an eyebrow. "How much are you talking?"
MOMO rested her head on her right hand to think. "Let's see...last time I drank coffee I added approximately 15 and one-quarter teaspoons of sugar and a half of a liter of cream."
Jr.'s mouth nearly dropped in disbelief while his Realian companion continued. "Shion said that all that cream and sugar would make it too sweet, but I thought it tasted just fine!"
Jr. allowed himself to laugh heartily for the first time in months. "Man, you have a sweet tooth all right. And I thought Mary was bad!"
"Sweet tooth? But Jr., teeth don't consist of any sucrose-based substances-"
"No, no, that's not what I meant." Jr. cut off MOMO's intellectually factual correction. "What I mean is that you really have a craving for sweet food."
"That would make a lot of sense...hey, have you ever had ice cream before?"
Jr. stared at her with a bewildered, but amused, look on his face. "Um, yeah. Once or twice I think."
"chaos said that there was this place that sold ice cream on Second Miltia. He said that it was really good and that he'd get me some so I can try it! Can you come with me, please?"
A slight jealously arose inside of Jr., and his normally bright appearance was darkened by this feeling like a storm cloud suddenly overtaking an unsuspecting blue sky. MOMO had noticed this, and her senses had indicated that Jr.'s heart rate had increased after mentioning chaos' name. "Jr.? Are you all right?"
Recognizing that MOMO was able to detect changes in his physical being as well as alterations in his mentality, Jr. made an effort to return to his cheerful state. "Yeah, I'm fine. And to answer your first question, I don't think Gaignun would mind if I took the day off for once from the bridge."
"That's great news! Maybe Ziggy would come with us if I asked," MOMO placed her fork down on her empty plate and took one last gulp of her orange juice. "Thanks a lot for breakfast, Jr. It was really kind of you to bring it to me." MOMO's hands enclosed themselves in a small hug around Jr.'s right arm and her head rested against his shoulder in appreciation, the soft feel of her light scarlet hair brushing against his chin.
Jr.'s cheeks blushed deeply, and he quickly stood up from the bed that his arm slipped out of MOMO's hold. "Uh, sure! Well I'll see you in a while then. Okay, bye!" He nearly ran out of MOMO's room so fast that he smacked face first into the automatic doors as he did. MOMO hurried over to his aid, but he rapidly muttered an "I'm fine" and left as soon as the doors opened. A confused MOMO stared after him as the doors shut themselves once again, and she swore that she could hear a string of curses outside of her room.
Chapter Two: Breakfast in Bed
MOMO instantly rose upright from her bed, sobbing uncontrollably. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts that she did not even notice that she was in the arms of a concerned chaos.
"MOMO, calm down. Everything is all right." His soothing voice comforted her as he hugged her tightly. MOMO buried her face in his silver hair, her cries muffled against his shoulder.
"I killed him! I killed him!" She repeated over and over again in chaos' ear. "He died because of me, it's all my fault!"
chaos held her small shaking body, attempting to console her as an older brother would do to his younger sibling. "Shh, stop saying that. You didn't kill anyone."
MOMO's head shook violently, her pink hair tumbling over her tiny shoulders. "I killed Jr.! He's gone...he's not coming back!" She wailed, her warm tears trickling down her cheeks and onto her pink cotton nightgown. "He said that everyone will suffer because of me, that I am the cause of everyone's pain!!!"
chaos' gloved hands stroked away MOMO's bangs from her wet eyes. "Whoever told you that was wrong, MOMO. Not a single word of it is true."
"B-but I saw him! That man...and my sisters...they all said that I was responsible for what he did to them..." MOMO trailed off as her cries subsided a bit. "I'm just an abomination, like Daddy...that's what Albedo said..."
chaos only held her quivering form. "He was wrong. It was all just a nightmare."
MOMO moved away from chaos so that her large golden eyes made contact with chaos' transparent green-blue ones. "So, Jr. is all right?" She sniffled, wiping her tears and cheeks with her sleeve.
chaos' peaceful smile brought a sense of reassurance to MOMO. "Yes, he's fine. And so is everyone else. You didn't do anything to anybody, MOMO."
MOMO cast her eyes downward toward her mattress, her slender fingers fidgeting with her blankets. "It...all seemed so real."
chaos placed his hand on her tiny shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, you can tell me all about it."
MOMO looked up at the elder boy once more. For some reason, the pupils of his eyes reminded her of the ocean on Second Miltia that she saw when the Elsa had miraculously landed safely after making a dangerous escape from the explosion of Proto Merkabah: they both were tranquil and a brilliant shade of turquoise, yet they concealed a vast depth to them, as if they hid some sort of knowledge that they wished not to reveal. Although he was somewhat unusual and mysterious, chaos always treated MOMO like a human being just as all her other friends did. She did not know where he came from or the origin of his uncanny ability to control the monstrosities known as the Gnosis, but chaos was like an older brother to her. She did not even care if he were human or not: chaos, just as all the other people that MOMO cared for, was family.
"I was in a dark place," she timidly began. "I couldn't see where I was, but my sister was in front of me. She wasn't moving or anything. I kind of went closer to her, and she spoke."
"And what did she say?"
"She said that I was the only one Daddy cared about, that I was the only one he looked at. And then, more of my sisters came, and they said the same thing: that Daddy neglected them because of me, that it was my fault what Albedo did to them...and that I was the one who should've died."
MOMO held onto chaos' hand for support as she described her nightmare. "And then, I saw Albedo. He said that all of my sisters were right. He told me that I would only bring sadness to everyone around me, and that I will hurt them, even if I don't mean to. After that, I saw Jr. He...didn't move like my sisters. His eyes were open, but he didn't look angry, or sad, or happy. He..." The tears began to well up in her eyes and they slightly stung, and chaos wrapped his lean arms around her.
"...he didn't smile at me or even tease me like he always does. He just laid there, staring at me. I held him, and Albedo told me to look at my hands. I did...and...I saw blood. It was Jr.'s blood, it was all over my fingers. I heard Albedo laugh behind me and after that, I don't remember much."
MOMO stopped, and her sobs and tears had ceased except for an occasional sniffle. Although she was a Realian, her eyes were somewhat red as any human's would be after crying. She had suddenly felt better, as if a large weight had been lifted off of her chest and she was able to breathe again. chaos again washed away whatever fears she possessed with comforting words and promises that Jr. and everyone else were fine.
After a moment of silence, chaos spoke again. "Are you feeling better, now?"
MOMO looked up at him and nodded. She even managed a small, but sincere, smile. "Uh huh. I feel good now. Thank you so much, chaos."
chaos returned her smile. "It's all right. I'm just glad that you're okay now."
"Um, what time is it?" MOMO shyly asked, coming to the realization that she slept in, since she noticed that Shion was not in her bed.
"It's almost half past ten. I think that Captain Matthews and the others are almost done eating."
MOMO's delicate brows knitted together. "Then, does that mean you missed breakfast?"
chaos laughed softly. "Don't worry about me. I'll catch a bite sometime later on Second Miltia when we dock there."
"Oh, you're going there?"
"Yes. Until now, Shion was really the only one that could visit Second Miltia. Since everything is settled, everyone has time to themselves now. The Captain needs a few things to get ready for his big concert, Hammer wants to check out the electronics store down there, and Tony...well Tony says that he's bored of the Foundation and wants to take a look."
"I haven't been there yet," MOMO admitted. "I've been wanting to, but I never had the chance. Shion says that it's really nice."
chaos rose from MOMO's bed and stretched his arms. "Well, get dressed and you can tag along with us. Shion is coming, too. She's told me that there's a lot of neat stores there, including an ice cream parlor."
"Ice cream?" A puzzled MOMO questioned. Again, chaos chuckled.
"It's a really tasty dairy snack that's made from cream, milk, and sugar. A lot of children love it and are always begging their parents for one. It's so good that even adults crave it. I'll get you one when we arrive at Second Miltia. My treat."
A bright smile beamed on MOMO's lips. "Okay, I'll go!"
"In that case, we leave in about an hour after Tony gets the Elsa up and running. Go ahead and ask Ziggy and Jr. if they want to come."
chaos turned away and was about to leave, until he felt a small hand grabbing at his wrist. "chaos?"
He glanced back towards MOMO. "Can you please not tell anyone about my dream?"
chaos kneeled over so that his eyes met MOMO's. Although she had stopped crying, there was an expression of uneasiness on her childlike face. "I don't want anyone to worry about me. If Shion or Ziggy knew, that would only make them scared. And Jr. would only be upset if I even mention Albedo's name and...I don't want to do that to him."
There was an appearance of understanding on chaos' dark tan face. "Of course. Your secret's safe. If you ever feel like talking, then you can always come to me, MOMO."
MOMO's little arms encircled chaos' small waist in deep gratitude. "Thank you for everything."
chaos patted her silky hair, and MOMO released him so that he could leave her room and prepare for his trip to Second Miltia. MOMO turned her attention toward the large windowpane to her side, contemplating her thoughts as she looked once again to the luminous stars.
chaos entered the automatic doors and continued to walk away as they closed behind him. His silver hair swayed against his cheeks and above his turquoise eyes as his body moved.
"Albedo," he spoke the name cautiously as if it were a curse, "you've taken so much from your victims. You have even gone so far as to rob them of their peace of mind."
* * * *
Jr. walked swiftly, but carefully, down the vacant halls of the Durandal, the ends of his long black trenchcoat billowing after him and the scent of MOMO's breakfast wafting in the air. It was three months ago when these silent hallways were filled with frightened and panicked citizens when the Gnosis had invaded the Kukai Foundation like an unexpected plague. Jr. remembered seeing the wounded being cared for by the medics onboard the Durandal, and he recalled the worried refugees who were separated from their families. Fortunately enough, the citizens returned back to the Foundation and began rebuilding their sectors. Jr. knew well enough that they were a very resolute and hardworking people, and that even Gnosis would not drive them away from the only home they have known. Still, something had disturbed the U.R.T.V.: it had bothered him to the point that he could not even sleep soundly at night without breaking into a sweat.
"How can I protect her?" He silently asked himself in uncertainty. "It's been too quiet these past three months. Albedo is hiding somewhere, that's for damn sure. He is up to something."
A uniformed security officer passed him, giving him a polite smile and a salute. "Morning, Little Master."
Jr. gave him a slight nod and a small greeting, and continued on his way with the warm food. "Albedo has the power to regenerate his body parts, and it always seems like he's one step ahead of me. What if I'm not there to save MOMO from that sick bastard-"
Something caught Jr.'s eye. A swish of a pair of automatic doors reached his ears, and he saw chaos casually exiting the room MOMO shared with Shion. Suspicion brewed inside of Jr., for chaos was not present at breakfast either.
After waiting until the silver-haired member of the Elsa's crew had left the hallway, Jr. quickly approached the room. The doors instantly opened to create an entrance for him, and to his relief, he saw an awaken MOMO sitting in her bed. When she turned toward his direction, he saw a glimpse of relief in her honey-colored eyes as well.
"Jr.!" She cried ecstatically, for what reason he did not know.
"Morning, MOMO." He greeted. He drew nearer to her and placed the tray on the mattress before her. "Shion told me that she let you sleep in. I thought that you might want some food in you, so I picked up something."
Another pretty smile appeared on MOMO's lips, which was soothing to Jr. as cool rain upon the dry and cracked earth. "That was so nice of you. Thanks!" She immediately picked up her fork and began consuming the scrambled eggs.
As Jr. watched her, the memory of chaos leaving the room a minute ago played back in his mind, and his wariness returned. "Hey MOMO, I saw chaos going out of your room just now. Did you guys talk about something?"
MOMO stopped eating for that instant. She looked into Jr.'s bright sapphire eyes, which were now alive and handsome like they always appeared to her. She suddenly remembered her nightmare, in which those same eyes stared at her with a bleakness that was so distinctive of death. A fear lurched inside of her mind upon reminiscing, but she abruptly reminded herself that she did not want to distress the person whom her heart held so dear.
"He was just inviting me to go to Second Miltia with Shion and Captain Matthews," she hastily replied. Even though that statement was true, she felt guilty for not admitting the whole matter to Jr.
"Oh, really...?" Jr. responded, his doubt still lingering, but he did his best to cover it up.
"Yes. I've never been there, but I've always wanted to...Jr.?"
"Hmmm?"
"You look kind of pale. Did you eat breakfast?"
Jr. scratched the back of his head. "Well, kinda..."
"I think you should eat more." MOMO said as she broke her toast in half and began piling some of her eggs on it.
Jr. shook his head in denial. "Mary and Shelley said the same thing. What is it with you women always wanting to shove food down my throat-" The redheaded captain of the Durandal could not speak another word, for MOMO had pushed the egg-topped toast into Jr.'s mouth. He could taste the crispy texture of the browned bread while MOMO continued to eat her meal.
"There, that should hold you off until lunch." She simply stated, enjoying another bite of eggs. Even though she was not technically a full human, she still loved experiencing the various tastes of culinary delights. She admired the individual sensations that occurred on her taste buds from different types of food, so whenever she could she tried a unique dish she had never eaten before.
Jr. attempted to speak, but the toast had muffled his speech much to his displeasure.
MOMO giggled a bit after taking a drink of her orange juice. "I'm sorry, but if you want to say something you have to finish your food."
Jr. agitatedly glared at her a bit, but munched on the toast and eggs in defeat. After he swallowed the last bit, he was able to speak once more. "That was unfair!"
"Orange juice?" MOMO presented him the beverage, ignoring his last comment. Jr. saw that it was hopeless, but he rejected the drink.
"Nah, I prefer coffee in the morning," he told her.
"Coffee? You mean that black liquid that all the adults drink?"
"The one and only."
MOMO stuck out her tongue in distaste. "Eww, that stuff is disgusting! Shion let me try some of hers last week, and it was so bitter I wanted to spit it right out!"
"Are you kidding me?" Jr. protested. "The stronger coffee is, the better it tastes!"
"Nuh-uh!" MOMO disagreed. "It's nasty by itself. But if you added sugar and cream to it, it's actually not bad."
Jr. raised an eyebrow. "How much are you talking?"
MOMO rested her head on her right hand to think. "Let's see...last time I drank coffee I added approximately 15 and one-quarter teaspoons of sugar and a half of a liter of cream."
Jr.'s mouth nearly dropped in disbelief while his Realian companion continued. "Shion said that all that cream and sugar would make it too sweet, but I thought it tasted just fine!"
Jr. allowed himself to laugh heartily for the first time in months. "Man, you have a sweet tooth all right. And I thought Mary was bad!"
"Sweet tooth? But Jr., teeth don't consist of any sucrose-based substances-"
"No, no, that's not what I meant." Jr. cut off MOMO's intellectually factual correction. "What I mean is that you really have a craving for sweet food."
"That would make a lot of sense...hey, have you ever had ice cream before?"
Jr. stared at her with a bewildered, but amused, look on his face. "Um, yeah. Once or twice I think."
"chaos said that there was this place that sold ice cream on Second Miltia. He said that it was really good and that he'd get me some so I can try it! Can you come with me, please?"
A slight jealously arose inside of Jr., and his normally bright appearance was darkened by this feeling like a storm cloud suddenly overtaking an unsuspecting blue sky. MOMO had noticed this, and her senses had indicated that Jr.'s heart rate had increased after mentioning chaos' name. "Jr.? Are you all right?"
Recognizing that MOMO was able to detect changes in his physical being as well as alterations in his mentality, Jr. made an effort to return to his cheerful state. "Yeah, I'm fine. And to answer your first question, I don't think Gaignun would mind if I took the day off for once from the bridge."
"That's great news! Maybe Ziggy would come with us if I asked," MOMO placed her fork down on her empty plate and took one last gulp of her orange juice. "Thanks a lot for breakfast, Jr. It was really kind of you to bring it to me." MOMO's hands enclosed themselves in a small hug around Jr.'s right arm and her head rested against his shoulder in appreciation, the soft feel of her light scarlet hair brushing against his chin.
Jr.'s cheeks blushed deeply, and he quickly stood up from the bed that his arm slipped out of MOMO's hold. "Uh, sure! Well I'll see you in a while then. Okay, bye!" He nearly ran out of MOMO's room so fast that he smacked face first into the automatic doors as he did. MOMO hurried over to his aid, but he rapidly muttered an "I'm fine" and left as soon as the doors opened. A confused MOMO stared after him as the doors shut themselves once again, and she swore that she could hear a string of curses outside of her room.
