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Ash was the first to rouse and greet the early morning sun alongside me. 

From my little vantage point at the dining table, perched over at the most distant chair, my lips clamped over a glass of something toasty and bitter, I caught her stirring awake over the top of my phone display - almost mistook her for Adalia with how often I'd see her rising upright the same Ash just did right then.

I was watching a stream on my phone to kill some of that early morning freedom in light of my abrupt change in work schedule, which of course was absolutely intended and not at all through any fault of my own, yes, of course, shut up.

Rise and Shine Speed Sketch #54 was what eventually caught my eye on my listless browse for things to keep me entertained with a viewer count high in the thousands to deserve at least a little look-see. 

Now, I wasn't a particular appreciator of the fine arts, but I was indeed a true appreciator of the fine artist… and Amanda truly was a fine artist indeed. 

I caught her midway through a sketch of what looked to be a loving couple on a bench. The man with a fluttering cape and donned with a charming smile, and the woman close by his side, the pristine elegance of her dress only equally matched by her own beauty. 

Pretty nice, pretty romantic… makes me wonder where she draws her inspiration from to be able to bring to life sure aww-gushing imagery worthy of its own private exhibit in the Louvre.

In the middle of listening to her grumbling away about stomach pains due to excessive cheese and pepperoni consumption the night before, my eyes were whisked away elsewhere by a glimmer of emerald green approaching close in the corner of my eye.

"It seems that regrettably, I have missed your return," Ash said in a groggy, strangely sensual, husky sort of voice, rubbing away her drowsiness with the back of her hand. "Ahh, how utterly unbecoming of me…" 

"Yes, indeed," I said, sipping away haughtily, I even had my pinkie out too. "You are a full hour late too, tsk, tsk, tsk." 

"I see…" 

"I'm afraid it is already much too late for any sort of greetings."

"And yet, nevertheless," A gracious bow, a tender smile, first thing in the morning. "Welcome home, Master."

I felt a twitch in my lips before a smile broke through my leering leer and finally formed completely. 

We've come quite far over the days, haven't we? Felt like an eternity ago now where this one tiny trivial little mishap would be treated like a catastrophe, or some kind of reprehensible act of dishonor unworthy of redemption. 

The fact that she feels now that she can just meekly smile away sleeping in like it was nothing - that's the kind of life I wanted her to live, and slowly but surely, it was becoming a close reality. 

"Lady Samantha presented me with little trouble over the night," She said, taking an empty seat beside me, while also unraveling the knots in her shining white hair with burrowing fingers. "At most, she inquired of me the exact time of your return, believing me of having the knowledge." 

"It's like leaving home all over again," I said, glancing back down at the sketch that was now being inked in with color, starting with the woman, her hair filling up to a vibrant yellow. "She asked the same thing."

"Speaking of which, Master," Ash asked, her eyes sneaking into my view once more. "If you don't mind my asking, may you please share with me what exactly transpired between Sera and you?" 

At the moment, I didn't really feel like reciting the whole script, especially since I've already done so twice already. I'm aware Ash doesn't know… but it's only been a few hours since, and that wound was still fresh and taking its time to heal.

So I hid that wound with a bandage, another smile. "We talked." 

Ash's ears perked, as did her brows, and her eyes. "Talked?"

"I'm guessing through some Speaker-Listener hocus-pocus, I'm not too sure how it works," I added quickly as my only explanation for it. "Anyway, she told me she wanted to amend the stipulations of our deal." 

"Amend? Last night? Sera? Voluntarily?" There was a rising sense of hope with every question mark she flung at me, but she caught herself in time before it could implode into an all-out choir of hallelujah, and settled down again, both in her tone, and in her seat. "I've suspected as much, but I wasn't sure enough that - what are the new stipulations?" 

"Good news is that now you're a permanent hire, Sera changed her mind about relinquishing you," I said, tossing her toss and taking a congratulatory sip. "Your position as a Servant is officially secured."

I half-wished I had my camera app at the ready beforehand, because the way her expression just lit up also deserved its own exhibit placed right beside Amanda's.

And then the look of relief that washed over after pretty much told a tale of grueling days spent in unease over this one thing - and now that unease was finally over.

"Splendid. Truly, this is splendid news!" But her joy wasn't in celebration alone, apparently, confusion wanted a large piece of that cake too, and Ash formed a slight frown. "But why had she not thought to share with me this information? The time we've shared together, the countless words I've expended attempting to convince her - why didn't she reward my efforts by telling me that she's been listening to me all along?

Why indeed. The closest she can call a friend, and Sera was hiding secrets from her. Just what is she thinking exactly?

"No matter," Ash shook her head, her twitching, helicopter ears refusing to let anything dampen her happiness. "More importantly, to request an amendment to something she's been so vehemently adamant about isn't without its caveats, I presume."

I nodded. "You presume right."

"What does she desire from you now?" 

I raised a hand, and just like the mug that was sitting on the table, it was just as empty. "She hasn't said yet."

Ash batted her eyes once, those helicopter twirls dwindling down to a hard stop.

"Later, apparently," I shrugged, watching Amanda meticulously fill in the blackness of the man's dark hair. "If I'm not mistaken, that is. She'll let me know later." 

"Later…" She repeated. "I wonder, just what else could be of equal importance? What do you think, Master?"

"Hmm? Oh, um, I dunno, a twelve-piece pack of cookies' is my best guess. Adalia did say she likes them..." 

"It's a thought," Ash said, for some reason actually taking my dumb answer into deep consideration. "And what of Mistress Ria?"

I held my breath, felt the edges of my phone dig ever so slightly deeper into my palm.

"The smell of grass lingers heavily on your skin."

"You're sniffing me." 

"At all times, yes," She proclaimed shamelessly. "I presume you've also resumed your attempts to rouse her from her slumber?"

I nodded my head again. "You presume right."

"And so?" Ash leaned in, casually, innocently, unknowingly, a simply curiosity to her gentle stare. "How did you fare last night? Do you believe you're close?" 

My shoulders automatically wriggled around, answering for me, to which she promptly deemed an acceptable enough answer.

"I must say, in spite of knowing her only briefly, I feel in time I could come to know her as you do - as a companion, a friend. I mean, that is if she would come to see me as one too. Um, what do you think, Master?" She looked back at me, smiling a faint smile deep in hopeful reminiscent. "Do you think she would ever come to accept me as such?" 

Briefly, I thought back to Ria's past, her times in suffering, the source of it all, the beginning of it… but then I also thought of Ria as she was in the present, her mischievous plays, her playful demeanor, the way she treated Ash without prejudice, smiling at her the same way she would to anyone, and i got my answer.

"Yeah," I said, affirming her hope with a smile of my own. "In fact, you probably already were." 

"Hopefully soon, I'll be friends with her again."

I realized then that just burying the truth of the matter deeper and deeper down would just be inadvertently burying myself into that very same hole, so, as I closed the stream on my phone, I stopped digging.

"Actually, Ash - "

"Good morning!" came the nasally, croaky croak of someone from the stairs. "Morning, morning… you're back, good. You're not at work, good. I need a favor." 

I turned around and was met with a sight that definitely did not deserve its own exhibit unless that exhibit was right beside a dumpster or something. 

Sammy in her wrinkled, crumpled, slightly unbuttoned pajamas was walking down the stairs, yawning the dying melody of a lonely whale as she did. Her hair also looked as if she just stuck a fork into a broken socket.

She went to sleep just fine last night, and now here she is waking up looking like goddamn Einstein - how does that even happen?

"Morning," I greeted back, while Ash went a step further beyond with a gracious bow as well as speeding off into the kitchen presumably prepping a hearty breakfast at once. "I think we're having hashbrowns today." 

"Thanks Ash," She muttered behind her palms, rubbing herself awake. "Um, yeah, anyway… like I said, I need a favor."

"Favor?" I scoffed, amused. "Last night you were worried to death like I was being shipped for war. What happened - no welcome back? No huggies? At least pretend to be relieved before you ask for something..." 

"What for? You're back now, aren't you? You're alive."

Good point.

"What's the favor?"

"Take me shopping."

"What?"

"Take me shopping."

"Huh?"

"Oh my God, take me - "

"I heard you, I heard you," I said, raising a hand in defense against her hand rising in offense. "But, what the hell - you're a big girl, Sammy. Take yourself." 

"And you're the big bro, bro," She said, rolling her eyes.. "Supervise."