Previously in NWC-
Reno goes about his shopping trip. He stops at the blacksmith's and gets a camping knife, practice sword, and even a backpack. Reno realizes he'll need to learn how to barter in this world, as the concept of a UPC doesn't exist. Reno purchases a bag of cookies from Lyn, failing to barter with her as a result of his fear of her. He finally sets off to May's house to purchase his food...
He quickly manages to find what he's looking for, partially do the sign indicating 'Bambadale fresh goods' on it. He approaches the door and knocks and receives a 'come in' in response. He slowly creaks the door open, poking his head in.
"Welcome in!" May, the woman Reno met when he first came to Bambadale, greets him as he enters. "Oh, the carpenter! What was your name again?"
Reno approaches the table at which May was now standing. "Reno, my name's Reno."
"Well, welcome in, Reno! What can I do for you?"
"I was told that I could get general grocery stuff from you?"
"Ahh! You're here for business! It's great to see you giving to our little village! What kind of stuff are you looking for?"
"Something that will last a couple of days if it's stored in a crate. I don't have any of my own food and I don't want to keep bothering the old man."
"I understand. Let me get you a bag going, alright?" With that, May heads behind a partition wall and begins to throw an assortment of vegetables into a bag. "So, how are you liking the place so far?"
"It's definitely a lot different than what I'm used to. But, I guess it's not so bad."
"Great to hear? Any thought of moving in? The town might not be much, but it's got potential."
"I've heard! The old man seems pretty convinced that the town could be pretty popular. I've been thinking about having a house built, but it's just going to take a lot of saving money."
"You could always get a loan."
"I wouldn't even know how to go about that."
May sets one bag of produce goods on the counter and begins to pack another. "They don't teach kids nothing nowadays, do they? I don't blame you though, the capital's standards have been… lacking the past couple of years. You'd have to either go to the capital and apply, or in the town hall, the mayor has applications to a bank in the city. You can fill one out and he'll mail it for you."
"Really? It's that easy?"
"Kind of. There's obviously legal requirements like being an adult. That, and that bank I mentioned, it's the only one that's crazy enough to loan to people out here. The liability is insane when it comes to small towns like ours."
"What makes this bank different? Why is the owner willing to loan here."
"I've heard she's a bit… eccentric. She's a half-human half-goblin who's so obsessed with gold that she'd even take the risk of loaning to a blind homeless man in hopes that she can make a couple of coins. Terrible business practice, but's convenient for us though!" May finally finishes packing the second bag, setting it on the counter. "That'll be 10 dulls."
"(Oh, so they don't just call it gold? Good to know.)" Reno fishes out the money and places it on the counter, letting her count it. After she's done, he puts one of the bags of food in his backpack, having to carry the other due to his sack being at full capacity. "Thank you, May! I'll see you around sometime!" May waves off Reno as he makes his way back outside. Completely finished with his shopping, he makes his way back home. He sees Medusa still chiseling away at the piece of wood and Luna hovering over her shoulder, speaking. "She must be faced the other way since she hasn't said anything… I can never tell. I wish she had SOME sort of feature to tell which is front and which is back…" He mutters to himself as he begins walking closer.
"Reno is taking quite a while; I wonder if he's in trouble?!" Luna speaks her thoughts, eliciting a response from Medusa.
"Reee, muh!"
"Perhaps I'm just overreacting…" Luna's voice trails off as she continues to watch Medusa.
Finally standing right behind them, Reno speaks. "What're you doing?" Luna flies around in fright, yelling with surprise. Medusa turns around and smiles brightly, waving with one of her vines. "Hello, Medusa, is your little project turning out okay?"
"Muh!" She nods her head enthusiastically and holds it up to show him.
"Ohh! That's actually a really good curve in that wood! How'd you do that? It even looks polished!"
"Muh! Ree, muh!" She passionately explains it in her own little language.
"She's been using the same liquid that she got on you earlier. It made the wood bend easier, and it even polishes the wood as it goes along!" Luna explains what she's seen from watching Medusa work.
"That's awesome, Medusa! You're doing such a great job!" He gently rubs her head, causing her to smile brightly and continue her little project with a new found fervor. "Reno sets down the bag he's carrying and takes off his backpack, sitting next to Medusa.
"Were you able to find everything on the list?" Luna hovers over the bag, her curiosity growing with every passing moment.
"Yeah, it wasn't too hard." He begins removing the contents of the bag, setting everything out. Once everything is out of the bag he grabs the practice sword that was poking out of the bag and he stands up. "Apparently this thing is junk, so I probably shouldn't hit anything with it." He takes the thin leather strap and slings it across his body, throwing the sword on his back.
"I see you also got a knife! You should try staring a fire to make sure we are able to for tomorrow's campout!" Luna hovers over to the firepit and waits with excitement building inside of her.
"Alright, alright. I'll start the damn fire." Reno walks over, taking the flint and now steel and begins to make quick work, starting a fire with ease.
"Perfect!" Lunas stays close to the fire, almost dangerously close.
"Don't burn yourself. I don't know how to treat a burn wound on glowing balls of light."
"I'm well aware of the dangers of fire but thank you." Luna continues to warm up by the fire. Although not particularly cold, the weather gives off the impression of early spring. The days were nice, but the cold parts of the night were still a bit much for Luna to handle.
"Muh?" Medusa gets curious from Luna shouting and she turns to see the fire. "Noo!" Out of fear, she runs and hides behind a tree, making her vines as small as possible.
"Hmm?" Reno glances over after Medusa shouts and he watches her hide behind the tree, covering her head and shaking slightly. 'Oh, right. It'd make sense that the thing made of plant matter would naturally be afraid of fire." He slowly approaches Medusa, holding out his hands. "Hey, Medusa. It's okay! Look, nothing scary!" He gently puts his hand on Medusa's head, trying to calm her. She's shaking slightly as he contacts her. "Don't be scared, Medusa. When the fire is small like this, we can control it!" He points at the fire to emphasize the size. "Look how small it is! It's barely bigger than Luna, and she's really small!"
"Muh?" Medusa slowly uncovers her face, looking at reno before looking at the fire. Finally, she slowly begins to inch closer to it, making sure not to get too close. Reno walks over to the fire and sits by it, showing her what a safe distance looks like. "Ree?" She finally gets next to Reno, feeling the heat from the fire. She quickly becomes content with the extra heat and plops down next to Reno, using her vines to stretch and grab her project to bring it closer to her. "Ree!" She happily continues to work next to the fire, keeping a bit more distance than Luna.
"See! You're so brave! I'm so proud of you!" Reno ruffles her head which causes her to flash a big glowing yellow smile.
Luna watches the interaction and chuckles. "You're being quite the excellent father figure!"
Reno sighs at being called her dad for the second time in a single day. "I'm not being her dad; I'm just making sure she doesn't freak out and run off or something.
Luna observes as Reno intently watches her working, not taking his eyes off of her. "(Definitely being her dad,)" she tells herself as she watches him. Before they even realize it, the sun had begun to set, signaling the end of the day. "My, it's gotten quite late, hasn't it."
Reno finally looks up and looks at Luna. "Holy crap! It's getting dark already?! I gotta go see if the old man will let me use his shower again before he goes to bed!" Reno pushes himself up and brushes himself off. "Luna, can you-"
"Yes. I will watch Medusa." She finishes Reno's sentence, already knowing what he was going to ask.
"Thanks!" He quickly pats Medusa and makes his way to the town hall, using the mayor's spare shower and returning shortly after. They use a somewhat sharp piece of wood and use it to stab and roast some vegetables, making a mental note to buy a pot. After eating, Luna and Reno discuss what to do with Medusa. "I wonder if it'd be better to keep her out here or bring her back with us?"
"I believe the forest would be the best option. It gives her space to spread out, and it seemed to me that she understood the boundaries when I was watching her. She never left the perimeter that you walked with her, so I believe she'll stay here if we leave her."
"Yeah, but that'd be pretty lonely for her to just be left out here all alone." They think and discuss for a bit before Reno finally makes his decision. "I have an idea!" He turns to Medusa and places a hand on her head, causing her to look up at him. "Hey, Medusa! Would you like to sleep out here or with me and Luna?"
Luna's facial expression makes no changes for a bit until it seemingly lights up. "Ree!" She points to Reno with one of her vines and stands up with excitement.
"I think we have our answer." The three of them make their way to the barn, climbing and pulling themselves up and crawling into bed. As per the new usual, Luna tucks in with Reno. Medusa stands in the corner of the room and watches them get comfortable. She seems perfectly content where she is, but Reno can't help but feel guilty. "What are you doing, Medusa? Wanna come sleep with us?" He beckons her over, causing her to excitedly hold her arms up as she slides across the floor. She climbs under the blanket and closes her eyes and mouth, her entire body now completely dark as the light sources are covered. "Jee, I sure wish a certain floating ball of light could turn herself off like that."
"You can be such an insufferable child."
"Goodnight everyone!" The group quickly fall asleep, each exhausted from the long day they all had.
TO BE CONTINUED...