Previously in NWC-
Lyn, in her anger, freezes Reno hand as an example. CeCe explains that Lyn will accompanying them to help her with the negotiations. Reno, Luna, and Medusa are the hired muscle once again. They're set to leave in 6 days, but Reno is tasked with immediately convincing the mayor to let traders establish routes despite the possibility of nobility coming to ruin the town in the future...
Reno slowly makes his way to the town hall, trying to think of how to convince the mayor. "What the hell are they thinking?! They know just as well as I do how much the old man cares about Bambadale! The moment he hears there might be issues he'll say no!" Frustrated, Reno stops in front of the gates. He paces back and forth, trying to get out his frustration. "Like seriously! How do they expect me to convince him?! I don't even know what their plan is! All I know is the end goal, not how they're going to actually execute it! Once he starts asking questions it's over for me! But, if I don't at least try then Lyn is going to freeze me to death! What's up with that anyway?! When was she going to tell me she knew ice magic?! Wait, I wonder if she has spiritual mastery? Maybe I could try to convince her to teach me ice magic if I convince the old man? Hmm…" Reno comes to a halt, thinking. Finally, he shrugs his shoulders. "I guess the worst he can say is no." Having made up his mind he begins walking to the town hall. He slowly opens the door, peeking his head in. He glances around, spotting the mayor partaking in his usual activities of a crossword. He knocks on the door then enters completely, closing it behind him. "Hey, old man!"
The mayor looks up from his puzzle and smiles. "Ahh, young Reno! What can I do for ya'?" The mayor's eyes light up slightly at his presence.
Reno walks over and stands on the opposite side of the counter. He leans on the countertop and sighs. "Oh nothing, just had a question or two if you weren't busy?"
The mayor shakes his head. "Not at all! Ask away!" He puts his hands on the table, making sure he isn't distracted.
"Great! I promise they're nothing too crazy! My first question is, well, let me explain actually." The mayor nods his head, ready to listen. "CeCe and Lyn invited me on a trip to the capitol."
The mayor's eyes widen as he nods his head. "That'd be fun! When are y'all leaving?"
"We'd leave in six days, is what I think they said."
"That soon? I guess you'd better start packing. Oh! Did you come here for something? I'm sure this old man has what you need!"
Reno chuckles slightly and holds his hands up. "I'm fine, I'm fine! But I appreciate the thought! What I actually came here for was to discuss WHY we're going."
The mayor raises an eyebrow as he becomes curious. "Oh? Why are you three going?"
Reno scratches the back of his neck, nervous about how the mayor will respond. "(Do I beat around the bush or just go for it? If I try being too cryptic then he might just not understand. Damn it CeCe and Lyn! Fine! I'll just go for the direct approach and hope for the best!) Well, we actually wanted to start the process of expanding Bambadale. That is, only if you consent."
It takes the mayor a moment to register what Reno had said. As he finally realizes, his eyes get wider. "You aren't joking, are you?! You three seriously want to go out of your way to help Bambadale?!" The mayor visibly begins shaking with excitement as his old heart begins to pump faster by the moment. "Of course you have my permission! This is great news!"
Reno watches as a hint of guilt begins forming in his heart. He decides to be entirely up front with the mayor, wanting to make sure there will be no surprises in the long run. "Well, it is cool and all, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. CeCe said that it could be worse at first before it gets better."
The mayor calms down slightly, looking at Reno with confusion. "Why does she say that? If we can get even one more trade in town then the place will really start to liven up!"
"Yes, but the effects of that are what she fears. She said there's an extremely low chance any nobility will move out here, but they'll be tempted at first and a couple of them will probably make their way here to check the place out. With nobles comes the usual issue of dealing with rich snobby pricks."
The mayor nods his head, going deep in thought. "That's a good point. I guess I should really think about it." The mayor makes a couple of sounds as he gets deeper in thought/ Finally, he nods his head and looks at Reno. "Truth be told, I might have been a bit too excited for my own good. There are a couple of questions I have, but that's the least important thing right now. For something like that I think we should call the village together and allow them to ask you guys some questions before a decision is made."
Reno nods his head, genuinely unprepared to make it this far. "That sounds fair! How soon could we plan that?"
"Hmm, I'd say tomorrow night would work! I'll start getting things ready so I can let the town know!" The mayor stands up, stretching as he does. "You three should expect around noon tomorrow. That's the earliest I'll be able to get the town together on such short notice." He walks over and pats Reno on the shoulder. "Thanks for dropping bye, young Reno!"
"See you tomorrow, old man!" Reno waves farewell. Extremely satisfied with the outcome, he begins heading back to deliver the good news.
Meanwhile, back at the FTG, the girls were moments from undergoing an extremely deep discussion. Lyn excitedly adjusts her glasses, speaking with a great deal of anticipation. "First off, it's nice to meet you, Luna. CeCe gave me a short summary about you. You're not too keen on revealing who you are but she seems to trust you. Normally I'd press for more information from someone with whom I'll be traveling, but I'll make an exception for our mutual friend." CeCe smiles, giving her a thumbs up. "Now, about the girls' night! We were thinking about the third night there. The first night would be for settling in the inn, the second would be for setting up appointments, and then the third night Reno can keep himself busy while us girls go and have fun!"
Luna listens to Lyn, her face slightly strained. "That doesn't seem very fair to Reno. Is there no way to include him?"
Lyn shakes her head while crossing her arms. "It wouldn't be much of a girls' night if there were more than girls. He's a grown man, he can keep himself busy for a single day!"
Luna thinks to herself, almost getting lost in thought. "You keep saying girls' night, but then you follow it up with saying Reno can keep himself busy for a day. Is it girl's night or girl's day?"
Lyn sighs, hanging her head. "Have you seriously never had a girls' night? Everyone knows you call it girls' night but it really takes all day. It's part of the fun to just blatantly lie about how long you'll be."
"I see… and what of Medusa? She is accepted as being a girl too. Are you going to bring her?" Luna looks over at Medusa who is staring up at her, absent minded.
Lyn nods her head. "Naturally. CeCe seemed to want to bring her along, so we'll make sure to accommodate her. We could even find her some cute clothes. She might be a creature of unknown origin, but she's a girl damn it!"
Luna nods her head, going with the flow. "(Maybe it won't be that bad? A girls' night… it sounds fun!) So, if you don't mind me asking, what are we going to do during this girls' night?"
CeCe smiles, pumping her fist in the air. "I'm so glad you asked, Loon! First we're going to get something to eat, maybe get some coffee! Then, we'll go shopping before we spend a good while getting the relaxation we deserve! We can get massages, go to the spa, even just have fun around town! The best part of a girls' night is you don't need to plan anything! You walk around and if something catches your interest then you just do it!"
"I see! So it's a full day of indulging in one's spontaneous desires? That does sound quite fun indeed! It really is a shame that Reno won't be able to participate, but I'm certain he'll understand!"
CeCe nods her head in agreement. "So? Is that a yes?!"
Luna places a finger to her chin, thinking. "Alright, I agree!"
CeCe jumps with joy and Lyn nods her head. "Yay!" CeCe hugs Luna, speaking quickly in her excitement. "This is going to be so much fun! It's been so long since I've had a girls' night!" With that, the date was set.
TO BE CONTINUED...