"Café au lait," the waitress, who wore a bright white blouse and a black skirt, whose hair was tied into a messy black bun approached me with my drink and a bright smile. "Enjoy," she added as she placed my drink on the wooden table next to the window and walked away.
I smiled faintly at her fading presence and took a sip of my drink as I watched the mice scurried along the avenue with a huge grin plastered on their faces. A few walked past with smoothies in their paws, taking a few sips occasionally and laughing at each others' jokes while eyeing me suspiciously.
The summer air was seeping through the door every time a door opened with a creek and closed with a slam, then someone would entered the café with anticipation on their faces and called for a table. The bartender would roll their eyes and kept wiping the empty wineglasses in the bar in the right and he would hang them on a rack whenever one dried.
The café was only filled with the soft music playing from the speakers, while the customers enjoyed their drink in total silence. I looked around, my eyes set on the bartender as he gave me a friendly smile before rubbing the wineglasses and placing them upside down on the rack. I smiled back and watched the waitress scurried from tables to tables, with their orders and drinks. There were pictures and portraits about the virtual world when not many people were found. The painters accurately illustrated the times where the world was just a bunch of pixels gathered together, blown away by wind and gathered together in a miniature hill made from blue, yellow, red pixels.
"It's true." The waitress whose hair was white spoke up and my attention snapped towards her. She placed her cloth on the crook of her arm and walked over to my table, and changed the menu. "The world was just a pile of pixels blown by the wind and form mountains. Everything was just pixels, pixels and pixels, until the first bunch of mice came along and they shaped everything, shops, the countrysides, the ponds, the beaches, the sea, and the cities. They shaped them, and invited more mice into this world, to bring up the economy and raise populations. Some of them violated the laws, and they have to teach new mice to behave themselves in this world, since there are basically no jail for the world. We all belong to a tribe, right."
I nodded, "yea."
"So whenever someone made a mistake, they will be exiled from their tribe, or otherwise the whole tribe will be banished from the world forever."
X. I thought to myself as I stared at her with expectation, and she continued after a momentary rest. "Of all the overwhelming amount of mice in this world, some of us are born and raised in here by those who had decided to stay in this world forever. The others are summoned into this world for a reason."
I took a sip of my drink and my eyes widened with amusement as I placed it on the plate and stared at her, "summoned into this world for a reason?"
She nodded, knowing that I was summoned, not raised. "You are summoned into this world by different reasons, but most of them are followed by transformation, then you entered this world as a mouse. The government, or the administrator of the world hope that by summoning you and your friends to this world, you can make the best of it by collecting cheese and helping the tribe duties. I can see that the administrator summon you here for a reason." She gave me a light smile.
"For what?" I asked, trying to make her stay.
"You'll know, dear." She gave me another smile and collected my plates and my drink as I fixed my cap hat and pushed my glassed into its place. "Have a good day dear!" She said before turning into the kitchen and I walked out of the café, eyes blazing from anticipation.
I walked towards the training grounds, and found a lot of mice rubbing their paws together vigorously, trying to summon something upon their request. The planks levitated to an inch above the ground then dropped to the floor with a huge thud. I smiled a bit at that, remembering I was one of them in approximately a year ago.
I padded along the training grounds, seeing mice huddled around the mentors while they demonstrated their skills in summoning and cheese-collecting. They stared at the mentors, their eyes sparkling with admiration and appreciation as they got to their tasks and started repeating their actions. I smiled when the white pelted mouse turned around and faced me as his bluish-green coloured eyes set upon my presence and his jaw twitched up into a large grin. "Hey!" He yelled and I smiled at him. He patted the shoulder of a black pelted mouse and then he walked towards the entrance and grabbed me in an embrace. "How are you?" He asked when our paws touched.
"Alright, I guess." I answered with a frown as he frowned back.
"What's wrong?" He asked, as he led me away from the crowd and into mud trail.
"It's just tribe stuff."
"Tribes are tiring in a way," he agreed as we took a turn to the left and he stopped under the shade of the beach.
"Well I guess it's just my rank." I admitted as he nodded.
"I told you that you shouldn't keep your commander rank, Mothy boo." I smiled at the nickname.
"After all this time, you're still calling me Mothy Boo?" I asked, as the edge of his jaw twitched up into a smirk.
"Once a Mothy Boo, always a Mothy Boo." He answered as-a-matter-of-factly. I pursed my lips and looked into the deep blue sea.
"The colour of the sea," I began as his attention snapped towards me.
"What about it?" He asked, as he leaned back onto the tree trunk.
"The colour is just like your eyes, the shade of comforting deep blue colour. And it's beautiful." He smiled, but something in his eyes gave me an uncomfortable feeling that I couldn't explain.
"You know?" He asked, looking at me with his bluish-green eyes. "My eyes are not blue anymore."
"I know, X." I sighed, before looking at him solemnly. "But whatever it is, it's still beautiful and clear as it always is."
"Same goes to you. You know that? When your eyes are blue, it looks like sapphire. And it's really beautiful. It's just like the night sky, with stars sparkling among the different shades of blue, from deep blue to midnight blue. It's just that beautiful, you know?" My cheek flushed red with the compliments as I looked away, grinning like an idiot.
"You have to know that... X... You were like a brightest star that had ever shone in my sky." I looked at him truthfully as he smiled.
"I know." That was what he said.
"Have you... regretted that you have fallen for me?" I whispered, my eyes flashing blue for a brief second.
"Never." The reply came almost instantly. "Never." He repeated. "I know who you are, I know what kind of person you are, Moth." He took another breath before continuing. "You are beautiful from inside and out, although people don't tell you that, you'll have to know it. Things may not be in your way, but Moth, promise me one thing?"
I extended my pinkie, "pinkie promise."
"I have a friend named Meremouse once told me, just be calm with your life. Don't get upset because of little things that happened here or there. Even if life throws the biggest storm at you, just go with the flow and enjoy your life. And just be happy that you're alive, because there are some people out there who never got the chance to live." X said as my eyes widened with amusement.
"Wow, how did that come from?"
He swallowed hard before continuing, "Moth. I just wanted to tell you this, because... Maybe after today, we'll have to go separate ways."
Tears threatened to fall as I looked at him. "X, don't leave me."
"Life or death in not beyond my control, dear. I am getting old." He looked down at his pelt. "The pixels are dropping every single day and I can see the faint outline of myself, fading from myself."
"X..."
"Moth, promise me. Be happy, alright? Even if your mentors and your friends are not there, just remember to smile. You look better when you're smiling." He smiled weakly, "and enjoy life, enjoy the times you've spent with your tribe. Promise me? Moth?"
"Y-yes.." That was when I started to sob, my shoulder shaking from the emotions. "I am so sorry for everything X. I don't deserve someone like you, you're too nice for me." He stood up and held me in his arms, his paws stroking my back as he comforted me.
"Lies. I don't deserve someone like you. After what I have done to you, and you managed to treat me no other than your friends. You've got a big heart, and that's what I love about you, Mothy Boo."
With that I sobbed louder against his chest, as I wrapped my paws around his waist. We stood like that for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Moth." I looked at him, he didn't look at me.
"Moth." I heard him calling me again as I whipped my head towards the source of the sound and found him waving his paw at the horizon. "Be happy, and no more tears, Mothy Boo. You've promised me." And with that, his pelt shattered into thousands of refined pixels, slipping away from my fingertips and evolved into a gush of bubbles. I bit my bottom lip and stood under the shade, the summer winds blowing wide and free as I squinted against the setting sun, in hopes of finding the last trace of X's existence.
"You will be missed, X!" I yelled, tears running down my face as I grabbed a pebble and swung it over my arm and watched it skidding across the surface of the sea and sank to the bottom of the sea. "You will be missed." I said weakly, as I closed my eyes in grief and regret. "And I miss you already."
***
"Moth," that was the first thing I've heard when I entered the tribe house. I nodded towards them, as Wayme hurried downstairs, and dived into the living room, before doing a few twirls and ended his series of action by a bow and all of them clapped viciously, some even hollered his name with a few whistles. I rolled my eyes fondly as I watch them overreacting to Wayme's dramatic entrance.
"I am so sorry for leaving you guys," He began as the chattering died down. "And I don't think I'll come back to DCF as your leader anymore." There were a few gasps among the crowd. "I believe that it's time for someone suitable to take my place." A few mice nodded, agreeing his decision.
"Moth, can you please move forward?" With that, my jaw dropped open as I followed as he said. He handed me a pair of keys pained in gold.
"What?" I asked, totally astonished.
"Shush, let me finish." He hushed under his breath before moving towards a large plate covered in purple cloth and took out a golden crown. He placed it on my head as I dipped my head in respect. "And now, Mothwhisker, you are the new leader, the new kin- queen of Dream Create Future." He corrected himself.
"Yes, Wayme."
"And this crown represents your authority in the tribe. Your responsibility does not only lie within the tribe, but beyond this door, beyond the territory." He said solemnly. I had never seen Wayme spoke in such a formal manner. "Mothwhisker, do you promise to uphold your promises and keep this life alive with pride and dignity?"
"Yes I do." I replied. He smiled at me and looked at the other mice.
"Mothwhisker, here I grant you courage and nobility. Use it well, Mothwhisker, the new queen of Dream Create Future." And the chanting began. I smiled at them and the chanting died after a moment.
"You may take your leave." The mice scurried off, some smiling at me and some shook my hand, congratulating me.
"Wayme, don't leave DCF..." I began, looking at him as he smiled at me and shook his head. "You have made the tribe rose into what it is nowadays."
He placed both of his paws on my shoulders, "it's your turn now, Moth." I smiled at him, my eyes shone from blue to turquoise, symbolising the presence of X, then to green and to red.
"Thank you Wayme, for everything."
"You don't have to thank me commande- uh, Moth. You've earned it." He chuckled to himself, "I guess I'll need a few days to correct this mistake." I smiled before Amanda walked up to me with Karo and the other mice I've met.
"Congratulations, Moth." They said in unison as I said my thanks and Amanda continued, "well Moth, where are we heading now?"
"To the real world." I replied calmly.
"Thinking of leaving after being crowned as the queen, oh how ironic." Keb crossed his arms as Mye pouted and slapped him in the arm.
"He's just being cranky." Karo said, looking at him with a smirk. "Isn't it, Kebab?"
"Whatever you say, Carrot." Keb glared at him.
"I heard Carrot!" Lut came running towards us, his black pelt glowing under the light of the living room.
"Are you sure you're going to go back?" Amanda looked at me. "I am not saying you shouldn't, but you've just been crowned as the queen."
"Pssh." I replied, "it's not like they would die without me for a few weeks. I have Lut in here taking care of things for me, right Lut?"
"Basically I was forced to-" I jammed my elbow into his arm as he yelped, "yea, why not?" He 'ow'ed and starting rubbing his arm viciously.
"Me and Lut will take turns taking care of the tribe, so don't you worry, my friends." I assured them.
"You'd better." Mye said, her eyes showed uncertainty.
"Hey, Karo surely will take a good care of BH, don't you worry." I reassured her.
"I'm not the leader, Motheh." She spoke up suddenly. "It's Edrnglo." She added.
"Who is Ed?" I asked, as her features lit up.
"Finally someone who Motheh doesn't know!" That elicited a round of laughter from everyone in the conversation.
I pouted, "that's one of the reason why I wanted to come back after this short break from this world."
"We shall see about that, so a few weeks, huh?" Karo looked at me, his featured showed nothing but worry.
"Trust me, she'll come back. I'll make sure she will." Lut glared at me as he waved my gadget in front of my eyes. I stretched my paw out, attempted to grab it as he held it further away from me. "I'll make sure she comes back in one piece, trust me, Carrot."
"It's not Carrot!" Karo pushed Lut by his chest as he stumbled backwards and stuck his tongue at her.
"Whatever you say, Carrot." Lut retorted and Keb laughed as Karo squinted at him.
"Kebab!" She yelled and snatched his gadget from his paw and pressed the button which wrote return. Keb opened his jaw to protest but the pixels whirled around him and he disappeared from our view instantly. "He's finally gone." Karo said at last, flashing us an evil grin. "He won't remember what I did to him anyway."
"Hopefully?" Amanda smirked at her, "I'll make sure he knows that it was you who did it." And with that she left the world with a bunch of pixels.
"Goodbye Moth!" Lut yelled and pressed the button on the gadget. "See you a few weeks after!" He yelled as I nodded at him and my eyes shone bright red agains the pixels whirling around me.
I looked around me and realised that I was in my room again, in front of my computer. Well, looks like I am not totally gone! I typed in and Lut's reply came almost instantly.
[Lutfiygbaru] Whatever duh. Just go off. I smiled at this sentence and typed in a reply.
[Mothwhisker] Well if you say so. See you a few weeks later!
[Lutfiygbaru] Yea yea yea, just go off :v
"Lut, I'll crash you." I joked and heard my friend banging against my door. "I'm coming!" I yelled and closed the lid of my laptop with a sigh and hurried downstairs to join my friends who I was supposed to be going in a party with.
"Looking good!" A guy friend who wore a t-shirt and a pair of jeans slapped my back with a teasing smile.
"Ha. Ha." I retorted and gave him a fake smile.
"The last to arrive at the house gets to drink the whole bottle of cream soda!" A girl with short hair yelled as she sprinted towards the house opposite to mine.
"Come on! That's no fair!" My squad yelled at her as we chased after her, and slammed the door shut behind us.
"You're the last!" The guy yelled as the rest of the squad 'boo'ed and I rolled my eyes fondly when they shoved me the cream soda. "Drink it!"
"Can I at least be allowed a whole night to devour this cream soda and enjoy the taste of it?" That elicited a round of laughter within the squad as I watched the sky grew dark.
"It's a really nice time to watch the sky." He said as I gazed up into the sky with my squad beside me, along with a bunch of neighbours rocking to the latest pop tunes, which was blaring in the speakers.
I almost forgot, and of course, the enormous bottle of cream soda in my hand, that I was supposed to finish within the night.
Oh well.