When Max was finally heading to the cafeteria from his dorm for dinner, Lavinia's voice sounded mentally in his head. Now that you're going to see Momo, isn't Lance going to be pissed again that you didn't tell him that you were back in the Quartet and okay?

Max answered mentally, No, I let him know as soon as I got back to the Quartet. And once I actually started going through the messages on my tablet, I had a bit of a conversation with him already.

Really? You truly know how to use your tablet now? I’m skeptical.

Uh huh. Well, I do. While I was in the dungeon, I was busy a lot of the time, but I did have downtime, and I was there for a few months. So, I didn't really have anything else to do other than use my tablet. Messed around with it, played with settings…I read every single book that I had on it, basically all the books from all the classes I signed up for at the beginning of the semester and a few that I checked out from the library. At least the ones that had a format that I could read on my tablet. Not all of them are the right format, you know.

Lavinia’s reply was indignant. Of course, I know. I practically lived in the library for seven years.

Oh, that's right, said Max. Anyway, I have a lot of time to mess around with my tablet, so... I'm pretty familiar with it now, and all the chat functions don't confuse me anymore.

Wow. You're such a Boomer, mentally laughed Lavinia.

Yeah, that's rich coming from the several-hundred-year-old lady ghost who spent a bunch of that time hanging out in dark rooms, Max retorted.

Whatever. Max couldn’t see her, but he could imagine the ghost girl rolling her eyes. She said, Anyway, so you talked to Lance, but wouldn’t he want to meet up?

Well, I'm sure we will if we have time. But Lance has other things going on too. I guess he just started seeing some girl.

What?! when!? Doesn't he have a woman and a child back on your world?

Max shrugged and said, All I know he still cares about them, but life is weird right now for all of us. Most of the people that we get to know here we'll never see again once we leave. And Lance has done a lot of thinking about how he doesn't know when he's even going to get back to Earth. He doesn't know if his girlfriend's still alive, and he definitely doesn't know if she's going to stay faithful to him. And based on how a lot of people act on Earth whenever their girlfriend or boyfriend, wife or husband gets deployed in the military, I think the outlook for Lance's relationship is grim. At best.

Lance was thinking all of this, probably every day. Then as it turns out, the girl he's seeing was in a very similar situation to him when she left her world. So I think they're kind of leaning on the fact that neither one of them can be in each other's lives after their Quartet time is done. It probably helps them both deal with the situation and sort through their feelings on the matter.

Wow, that's complicated, Lavinia remarked.

I know, right?

Lavinia huffed, But if I had a man, I don't care if I was in the Quartet from my old world, I would definitely not have cheated.

Oh, really? How would you know, Miss Perpetual Virgin? he teased.

That’s mean, Max.

Max winced. Yeah, probably. Sorry, but the point still stands. You never even had a real relationship to be tested.

Morality is not situational unless someone is weak or selfish. Also, I still know my own mind. I didn't back down from my research or my goals, even when people kept killing me and harassing me. Betraying someone just to deal with some temporary loneliness seems hedonistic and stupid to me.

It’s true that you were, are, a very tough chick.

Indeed, don't forget it. Lavinia wasn't even trying to hide the pleasure in her voice. Anyway, you best be careful with Momo. No matter what happens, don't break her heart.

What are you even talking about? Max asked. I'm pretty sure she just wants to meet up to talk about throwing knives or something.

Uh-huh. It's too bad I don't own anything, or else I would be making a bet with you for sure.

Noted, said Max. I'm at the cafeteria now, so I can't talk to you anymore. Trying to keep two conversations going at once is tough.

I understand. No time for your hard-working spirits. I will talk to you when it's convenient for you, Lavinia said with a passive-aggressive farewell. Max sighed at her tone, but he knew she was mostly joking.

Suddenly, he felt a sensation like a tiny little hand patting the back of his neck. Out loud, he said, "Thanks for the support, Slick."

In the back of his mind, very faintly, he heard Saliron say, What is all this fuss mortals make about relationships? Why are relationships even necessary when there are beautiful bones to play with? Bones never lie.

Max ignored all his spirits. He paid for his meal at the front counter, a process he was familiar with enough now that he barely paid attention. Then he scanned the cafeteria. He spotted Momo in one corner, but she wasn't by herself. There were two men standing next to her. Max frowned when he saw her body language. He walked straight there, only deviating slightly off course to grab a muffin and a chilled glass bottle of water. Leaning over Momo's table, he said, "Can I help you fellas?"

They turned, one of them with a sneer forming on his face, before registering who was talking to them. In the space of about one second flat, his expression melted and he almost tripped over himself trying to back away. "Oh, hello there. Uh, Max, uh, Max Cunningham. Um, I didn't know this was your girl, and she wasn't saying anything to us."

"She's not my girl. She's my friend," Max tried to say, but the two men, both second-year summoners, had already beaten a hasty retreat. Max didn't recognize or remember either one of them, but that wasn't saying much. He hadn't exactly expanded his social circles all that much since he first started classes.

Momo had been staring straight ahead, but now she looked up and said, "You're here. Why don't you take a seat?" Her eyes smoldered, and it took a second for Max to place the emotion. Irritation.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "Am I late?"

"No, no, no," the pale, sharp-eared girl shook her head. "You're right on time. I was just annoyed that those men wouldn't take a hint and go away. I was afraid to talk, or I might have bitten one. Then I might have had to kill one, or both, and I don’t want to risk demerits unless I really have to.."

"Huh?" asked Max as he sat down.

She made a face. "They smelled bad, so the fact they were getting so close was annoying me."

"Oh, okay," said Max. "I understand." But he didn't understand at all. Then, deciding that he should probably just say so, he just said out loud, "Actually, I don't actually understand that at all."

"That's okay," said Momo. "You know, I'm the only one of my kind in the Summoner Academy. My species."

"I didn't know that," said Max.

She smiled sadly. "You don't know how lucky you humans are. Even though there aren't very many people from your specific world, the overwhelming majority of Challengers in this Quartet are human. So even though you may have different backgrounds and might not share many similarities from your cultures, at least you're still the same species. That means that many or most of your sub-vocal communication, your humor, and even some analogies are going to be similar. But me?" She waved a hand. "I tried to explain to another woman a few weeks ago that a man she pointed out and thought was very handsome smelled terrible. Apparently, she started dating him a while ago and took what I’d said as an insult, so one of the handful of people I might have been friends with won't even talk to me anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Max. "I hope I don't smell bad." He chuckled as he began to eat the muffin he’d grabbed. Muffins were good any time of the day as far as he was concerned.

"No, you don't smell bad at all," said Momo.

Max stopped eating for half a second, but then continued when he didn't see any other reaction from the red-eyed woman. But the stuff Lavinia had said just kept running through his head. Damn…shifty ghost, he thought. He refused to think about her any more disrespectful than that. No matter how delusional, the contracted spirit was one of the reasons why he was even sitting here in the cafeteria.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

It looked like Momo was eating something like a steak and salad. Max finished his muffin while Momo took a few more bites of her meat. Then she pushed her plate away after Max was done. "So, the truth is, I have something to ask you."

Told ya! he suddenly heard Lavinia whisper in his mind.

Quiet, you. Out loud, he said, "Well, I'm here, it's just me, we don't even have an audience." He gestured around at the tables surrounding them, all of which were empty.

Momo suddenly smiled, the expression as bright as it was fleeting. She said, "Of course there's nobody sitting by us. Half the Quartet, probably most of the Summoner Academy, is terrified of you."

"Really?" asked Max.

"Of course! It is true you've only killed Mystic Spear Path students, but just the fact that you are able to do so, and even get away with it makes you almost like…a legend in the making in this academy. There are plenty of Summoner students that have been abused by other students in the Quartet, but disproportionately by Mystic Spear Path students. As such, the fact that you did what you did..." She took a sip of water.

"Crazy," Max muttered. It wasn’t like he didn’t have eyes. He knew people avoided him, or seemed scared, and he’d had plenty of conversations with Lance about it. But hearing it from Momo felt different.

Momo waved a hand in what Max was beginning to interpret as a shrug-style gesture. She said, "All I know is that you are without a doubt one of the most capable, level-headed people I think I've ever met."

"Level-headed?" asked Max. "Didn't you get the part about when I killed a bunch of Mystic Spear Path students in a bathroom?"

"Yes," said Momo. "That was ruthless. To somebody who has lived an easy life or has never seen violence or had to fight injustice with their own hands, what you did might have seemed unnecessary or perhaps unhinged, but my home world is one of war."

"I didn’t know that. What is your home world like?" He decided to ignore the “unhinged” part she’d mentioned.

Momo's red eyes grew unfocused as she looked far away into memory. "In my world, there are constant storms. Neusapiens, my race, have lost much of our original technology, but we still have enough to tap into the core of our planet and have power. The problem is, there are many shortages of other resources on my world, Oas Panchia, because of the storms.

“Most of my people live underground. I did too. In fact, almost everyone above ground was a scientist or explorer or laborer of some kind. So when the monster portals came and my world became Besieged, there was nothing to initially stop or distract the monsters. They were able to grow in numbers and power very quickly. When they finally figured out where we actually were and attacked the tunnels, it was already probably too late.

“I doubt my world will even be whole when I return." She looked down, her eyes having lost some of their luster. "I know for a fact that my immediate family is dead. When I was chosen by the system, I was working as a guard and got a lucky shot with my rifle. Killed a monster. My family's dwelling was nearby at the time, and just before my kill, I saw it get flattened. I have nothing to go back to my world for now. My family is gone. There is no mate waiting for me either, at least in part because I am so incredibly ugly."

Max held up a hand. "Wait a second. What are you talking about? Ugly? You aren’t ugly. Quite the opposite." Max tended not to regularly think about any of his new acquaintances on a scale of attractiveness, but if he did, Momo would be about an eleven out of ten. She was stunning and her inhuman traits made her exotic, almost like a cross between an elf and a vampire. Her petite size hid a surprising amount of strength, too, which meant even the way she walked was graceful and powerful. She moved like the warrior she was.

Momo frowned. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not," said Max. "I'm serious."

"Oh," she said, and twitched a smile on one side of her mouth. "That's right, I forget. Species and cultural differences. Well, in my world, my eyes are the wrong color, my teeth are too small, and my ears are much too small. The angle of my ears is also wrong, as is my face shape."

Max glanced at her ears, which were actually a bit bigger than his own and came to a point. For the first time since Max had known her, Momo showed signs of self-consciousness and covered her ear with a hand. "I would prefer you wouldn't stare."

"I was just glancing," said Max. He held up a hand. "I promise. But I also promise that to my eyes, your ears look cute."

"Really?" Her hand slowly dropped, and she blinked. "Now, without any context, perhaps it makes more sense why males of other species keep approaching me to awkwardly talk about nothing."

Max looked to one side in amusement and chuckled. "Yeah, these last two might have been coming on too strong. It was also possible they were awkward and were just trying to flirt with you. Either way, it was foolish of them to hang around after it was clear you were not interested." Max had noticed other women looking in Momo’s direction before he’d scared off the second years. The two men probably hadn’t done their reputations with the academy women any favors.

Momo made a face. "They smelled terrible. It's so odd to me that anyone, when seeking any sort of mating arrangement, would not first establish a mutual smell agreement."

"So that's a big deal in your culture, huh?" asked Max. "The smell thing?"

"Indeed," said Momo. She pointed at her nose. "It has been a strange thing for me. Some other Challengers' senses are..." She seemed to search for the word. “Lacking.”

Max suddenly wondered what he smelled like, until he reminded himself that Momo had declared he smelled good. Feeling much less sure of himself now, he said, "Thank you for telling me about your world and your people, but you said you had a question for me, right?" He took a sip of his water.

"Yes, that is right. Telling you about my background will be helpful here. I don't have anything to go back to on my world, at least nothing I feel particularly attached to. My family is gone, my friends are all dead, and my government was corrupt. I was treated badly because I was so ugly. So, when you go back to your world, I want to go with you."

Max almost spit out the water he had in his mouth. Hastily, he swallowed and managed to get out, "Why? And what makes you think that's even possible?"

Momo gave another one of her fleeting smiles that completely lit up her entire face. Her expression went back to neutral as she said, "I have not talked to many from your world. Your friend Lance in passing, and I've seen a female Challenger in the mall before, in the central area, a student of Elemental Shifter Academy. I do not know much, but what I do know is that it sounds very interesting and close enough to the technology level of my world that I would not feel lost. Additionally, you are perhaps the strongest Challenger I have ever met, if one takes potential into consideration. I have been here for over two years. The fact has not eluded me that it was only after I met you that I was able to form contracts with the excellent spirits who are currently on my journey with me. But most of all, my intuition has told me that this journey would make my life interesting and more fulfilling. My intuition is one of the few things I have left that I truly value."

"What about the part where any of this is even possible?"

"Ah," she waved it away like a trivial thing. "You have proven during your short time in the Quartet so far that you regard rules and common sense as things meant to be broken. There are rumors in the academy now that the highest level of summoner staff are grooming a super-competitor for the Quartet competition. You. I believe them. I also believe there must be some way to transport our bodies to different worlds, or even to the Quartet itself."

"Why do you say that?" asked Max.

Momo dropped her voice. "Because I have seen evidence that after some of the professors get hurt, they heal far slower than the rest of us and they fear death."

Damn it, she beat me to it. I was going to tell you about that, said Lavinia in the back of his head. Max was about to shush the spirit when he realized that Lavinia had basically just confirmed Momo's observation.

Slowly, Max said, “So basically, you think that if it's possible, I'll find a way."

"Yes."

"Well, I'm flattered by your faith in me," said Max. "But why would I go through all of that effort to make the impossible possible? I mean, don't get me wrong, you're my friend and all, but..."

"Ah," said Momo. "This is a reasonable thing to ask." She made a curious gesture, touching her ear, then her mouth, and then putting a hand over her chest before dropping her arm again. "I swear it to you that if you help me avoid living the rest of my life on my own world, I will serve you honorably as a soldier. Perhaps a knight. The title does not matter. I am confident in my potential. In fact, my skill with arms is one reason why I chose to specialize in throwing knives after coming to the Quartet."

"You said you had a rifle before," said Max. "Why did you choose throwing knives instead of one of the guns?"

She shook her head. "Firearms are terrible for Summoners. They're too slow to load, we have no way to empower them to be effective, and I don't trust guns anymore, not after seeing the horde of monsters attack my world. Guns can run out of ammunition. Throwing knives can be retrieved. They’re also far easier to empower mystically."

"I guess that's fair," said Max.

Momo tapped one of her knuckles with a finger. "The truth is, I did some studying before my choice as well. Unpopular or otherwise odd choices in weapons, armor, or even attire can sometimes attract spirits, just by using them. I believe there is only one other student of this academy that throws knives, and he does not do so as one of his main weapons. I reasoned that if there were any spirits available to help with any weapon disciplines, I would be far more likely to find them with less competition."

Max pursed his lips and nodded. "Well-reasoned. It definitely worked, too."

"Indeed, but again, only after I met you. And especially now that you have been training me in your amazing martial arts, I promise I will work to be the strongest version of myself I can possibly be, whether you take me with you or not." Her jaw firmed and her eyes flashed. "A soldier I was, and a soldier I will always be."

Max was impressed. He realized that Momo might be the closest to his personality of anybody else he had met in the Quartet. He took another sip of water and said, "Well, I'll tell you what, I do like to research various things and I potentially have a few ideas for various projects. Maybe not inter-world teleportation projects, but who knows?I will keep your request in mind, and I promise you I'll try to do whatever I can to help you. Not just for your sake, but for mine, for my world. If any of my friends want to go back with me to my world, I would be a fool to turn them down."

"Excellent," said Momo. "I'm glad that you have decided this way." She took a dainty bite of her meat and smiled.

Then Max chuckled. When she gave him a questioning look, he said, "You know, it's funny—before I came here, one of my spirits told me that you were probably wanting to have dinner with me as a date or something."

Momo finished chewing and looked up in confusion. "You mean as a mating ritual?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Oh," she glanced up and frowned before cocking her head to the side. "That was not why I called you, but I have already told you that I believe you smell wonderful. I forget again that you are not from my culture. This should be a fairly obvious thing to tell a man. But since we are on the subject, you are not displeasing to my eyes, and I have great respect for you as a person and as a warrior. If you ever informed me that you wanted to establish a mating relationship, I would be interested."

This time, Max really coughed on his water. In the back of his mind, Lavinia cackled. I might not have completely won the bet we didn't actually make, but this has to at least be a tie!