Previously in NWC-
Reno and Luna discuss what to do with the creature they encountered. They decide it'd be safest for the town if they kept an eye on it. Reno names the creature Medusa. The old carpenter's house comes crashing down and they all barely escape. Deciding the barn wasn't a good idea, they decide to take Medusa to the FTG...
"Come on, Medusa!" Reno gently takes one of Medusa arms and guides her out of the barn.
"Muh?" Medusa slides across the ground, right behind Reno. She looks to see Reno smiling happily. She can't take her eyes off of the person in front of her. A sense of joy builds up inside her, as she's lead to her future home. Her thoughts race in her own little language, her smiling brightening.
Reno quickly rushes to the Future Training Grounds, letting go of Medusa's arms to hold out his own. "This! This is your new home, Medusa! What do you think?" Reno seems proud to be brining her here, a feeling he's never truly known before. "It's not much yet, but we can improve it over time! It's perfect for an unidentified vine creature!"
"Reee…" Medusa looks around at the clearing, taking everything thing in. Finally, she processes what's going on. With an expression of excitement, Medusa begins stretching out her many vines, wrapping around the trees and stretching from one branch to another. Within a couple of seconds, she's strung herself around the entire perimeter, giving off the appearance of hanging decorations. Her spherical main body hangs in the middle of the clearing, slowly slumping down to be face-to-face with Reno. "Reee~!"
Unable to contain his sheer joy from seeing how happy she is, Reno reaches out and pets her. "Promise to be good out here?"
"Reee~!"
"Alright, Medusa. I have to go somewhere really quickly. I'll be back in a little bit, okay?"
"Ree!" She happily nods her head, retreating upwards so she's lazily basking in the sun.
"Luna."
"Yes, Reno?"
"I wonder if it'd actually be a good idea to leave her unattended just yet. Do you think you could stay back and watch her?"
"That would be wise, yes. I'll keep an eye on her, besides, she does appear to be harmless."
"Thank!" With that, Reno looks up. "Medusa!"
"Reee?" Medusa looks down at Reno with curiosity before slowly retreating her body and standing in front of him. She looks up at him, cocking her head. "Reee?"
"I'll be back okay? I need you to stay right here, alright? Reno uses his fingers to point at the spot in front of them to refer to the training grounds.
"Reee!" Medusa nods her head energetically.
Satisfied, Reno sets off. "I'll be back, Luna." He tries to think of literally anything to help alleviate the sense of worry he's experiencing from leaving Medusa. "It should be fine, I don't think anyone'll get hurt or anything, it's not like she's foaming at the mouth or anything. Besides, Luna is with her. Luna's a bit much at times, but I think she's trustworthy enough. Actually, now that I think about it, this is the first time we haven't been together, it's almost… relaxing." Reno enjoys a nice quiet walk to the mayor's house. Breathing in a breath of fresh air before entering the town hall. With absolutely zero context given, he speaks in a hurry. 'I am so sorry! I didn't mean for the whole building to fall over like that! If you give me time I can-" Reno finally looks up from his shame filled downturned gaze to see the mayor speaking a woman. "Huh? I didn't realize you had company, I'm sorry!"
"Nonsense. You were the one who tore that building down, I take it?" The woman smiles at Reno, readjusting her glasses. Her long black hair that's tied in a ponytail drapes slightly over her shoulders as she leans over to get a better look at Reno. "You have my thanks."
"Oh, uh, you're welcome?" The woman turns back to the mayor, bowing her head slightly in thanks. "I'll gladly clean up the mess. Now that the dangerous part of things is done, I don't mind getting a bit dirty."
"Are you sure, young Lyn? It's no small task, moving all of that."
"I'm aware, mayor. However, seeing as our friend here went through the trouble of doing the main demolition, I don't mind taking a day or two to dispose of the wood. I can use the salvageable wood for cooking, after all."
"Well, if you're sure, then I'm sure Reno wouldn't complain." The mayor turns to Reno, smiling. "Hear that, young Reno? You ain't gotta clean up the mess!"
Reno is completely caught off guard. Here he was being thanked and told he had done enough when he was expecting to anger people and be yelled at. "Wait a minute! But, I left a huge mess! I didn't even do it right, either! The thing fell on its own!"
The woman chuckles slightly before shaking her head. "That's fine. I have no quarrels with doing a bit of manual labor occasionally. Besides, the only thing that was keeping me from doing so was the danger involved in it. With the building collapsed, the danger level has lowered. And there's no need to be modest. I saw you running out of the building as it collapsed, so surely you must have had some part in it."
"Oh, you saw that? That's a bit… embarrassing." Reno nervously scratches the back of his neck. Finally, his eyes narrow slightly, glancing over at the woman who is now smiling at him with a playful expression. "You saw me running out of the building?"
"Indeed, there was no mistaking it. I saw you run out of the building."
"Did you… did you see anything else?"
"Hmm, I wonder?" The woman's smile becomes slightly smug. Reno can tell just by this look that she saw him carry Medusa away. "Let's just say, it was quite the surprise to see you run out of there all alone." The woman's emphasis on 'all alone' makes Reno even more uneasy. He wanted to ask her a more direct question, but then the mayor would catch on. Before Reno could ask anything else, she stands on her feet. "Thank you again, mayor. As always, you addressed my issue, and I am very grateful for that. Next time I decide to bake anything, I'll have a special order, just for you. Of course, there will be one for our helpful friend here." The woman's smile becomes even more playful as she glances back at Reno. She was enjoying this too much, and she was doing her best not to indulge. She waves goodbye to the two before leaving.
"I think she's got a thing for ya', young Reno!" The mayor crosses his arms and nods his head approvingly.
"'A thing', sure…" Reno, unable to shake the grossing sense of unease, turns to face the mayor. "It sounds like you already know what I was going to tell you."
"The building fallin' over? It was bound to happen on it's own one day. I'm just glad you're okay!" The mayor gives Reno a reassuring smile, quelling a minor portion of his stress. "Now, it's a bit past lunch, so I already ate. Did you want me to make you something?"
Reno finally manages to shift his focus, trying to ignore his brief interaction with Lyn. "Actually, I was thinking about asking you where to get my own supplies. I enjoy eating with you, but if I'm going to be a resident here, then I should be supporting the economy, right?"
The mayor nods his head, unable to see a flaw in his logic. "That's right. If you're sure you're ready to start buying your own things then I won't stop you." The mayor pulls out a sack of coins and set it on the table. "This is what you've earned from the iron and demolition jobs. It should be more than enough to support you for a bit."
Reno takes the bag, slightly caught off guard by the weight. Looking inside, his face scrunches. "You aren't over paying me like with the fences, are you?"
"No, no. I admit I've been far to generous. But it's like you said, you're not a visitor anymore. You can buy baked goods from Lyn and fresh supplies from May. I'd reckon it'd do you some good to explore n' see what else Bambadale has to offer." With that, the mayor smiles and sits back down. "See you later, young Reno!"
Reno leaves, 150 gold richer. To his unpleasant surprise, Lyn was outside, waiting. "(Great.)"
"I'd like to personally thank you for knocking down that condemned fire hazard." Lyn turns to face Reno as exits the town hall, an expression of playfulness staining her face.
"Look, we're both smart enough to know where this is going."
"Rushing things, are we? Fine, I understand your level of impatience. I won't tell anyone about the little monster you took home on one condition." Her eyes narrow and her smile turns devious, sending a chill down Reno's spine.
"What do you want?" Despite not trying to, his tone comes out as angry and short. "And she's not a 'monster', she's been harmless so far."
"Ahh, I apologize. It was not my intention of angering you, I simply wanted to know if I could look forward to your future business!"
Reno stares at her for a couple seconds before his face turns to one of complete confusion. "Are you blackmailing me to buy stuff from you? Aren't you literally the only baker in this town? Where the hell else would I even go?"
"Your words carry truth, but I'm thinking long term. It's no secret the mayor wants Bambadale to expand. I'm not against it, in fact I support it! And please don't use a word that carries such negativity. I prefer the term 'investing'."
"So you're not blackmailing me, you're just asking for my continued business."
"Correct!"
"And, if I don't, you'll retaliate by spreading information that you're aware I want to keep secret?"
"I never stated that. You boys are your over active imagination!" She smiles innocently, which tests Reno's patience.
"THAT'S LITERALLY BLACKMAIL!!" Reno finally loses his composure, making Lyn chuckle. "Fine! I'll buy stuff from you in future! But, the moment I get some dirt on you, it's game-fucking-over for you!"
Lyn claps her hands together and smiles sweetly. "Thank you for your business~!" She happily struts away, satisfied with the outcome.
"Great, I can already hear Luna's voice, nagging me…" Reno angrily makes his way back to the forest, calming himself before arriving back at the grounds.
TO BE CONTINUED...