Previously in NWC-
Reno returns with good news. The mayor doesn't flat out deny his proposal and he's earned them a chance to convince the town the following day. Lyn quickly tries excluding Reno but CeCe rewords things so he's not entirely off the debate team. Afterwards, Reno and Luna begin discussing what steps they should take to prepare...
Minutes later, the group has returned to the barn, sorting through the boxes of clothes given to Reno. They lazily separate the articles into their respective groups. "Looks like we have a lot more shirts than shorts, which is good. Medusa doesn't need any shorts, so we only have to worry about packing her enough shirts."
Luna nods her head as she thinks to herself. "Correct. Now, do we want to pack with the assumption that there won't be any opportunities to wash clothes?"
Reno thinks to himself, getting an idea. "Wait a minute!" He takes the shirt he was wearing the previous day and crumbles it into a ball. He holds it between his hands, soaking it with his magic. He wrings the shirt, holding it out and waving it around to straighten it. If we bring soap or something then we can clean the clothes wherever we go!"
Luna nods her head, observing with genuine respect. "That's actually a really great idea, Reno! We could pack less clothes if we bring some way to sanitize the clothing! That'll help us cut down on weight significantly!" Luna looks at the clothing on the floor, thinking. "With that, there's more than enough here for us. Now that we know there's enough clothing, we'll need to get a third bag so I'm able to carry some personal belongings too."
Reno thinks to himself, looking Luna up and down. Luna sees this and she covers her body, blushing. "You know, Luna, now that I think about it…"
"W-what?!"
"Now that you have an actual body, you could go to Bambadale with me again. Lyn didn't buy it, but I'm sure the rest of the town wouldn't bat an eye if we told them we're related!"
Luna sighs, calming down. "That's true. We know Medusa will behave if we were to leave her unattended for a bit."
Reno looks over at Medusa who lowered her head slightly. Seeing this, he sighs, shaking his head. "How much longer are we going to keep her a secret? We kept her hidden because we weren't sure how she'd do around other people. But, now that she's more than proven herself, it feels more like we're punishing her."
Luna thinks as she looks at Medusa who is now looking at her with desperate eyes. "I understand how you feel, but we can't tell the town you've been housing an unknown being moments before we ask them for something. I wish for nothing more than Medusa to be able to walk around with us, but I think that will have to wait until after we return." Luna slowly approaches Medusa, placing a hand on her head. "Medusa, sweetie? Can you do me a big favor" Medusa looks up at Luna with sad eyes, nodding her head. "Do you think you can be good until we get back?" Medusa nods her head once more, sitting down. Luna watches and smiles. "When we get back from the trip you won't have to be here alone anymore, okay?" Medusa smiles and nods her head excitedly, her usual demeanor returning in full.
Reno's heart warms at the sight of her smile. He wanders over and kneels down, meeting her height. He places a hand on her head and gently pets her, speaking in a soft and comforting voice. "Hey, Medusa! I'm proud of you!"
"Reno!" Medusa's smile brightens and she wraps her vines around Reno, squeezing him.
"Guh?!" The sudden compression causes him to lurch slightly, but he quickly adjusts. "I guess this isn't so bad when you get used to it!" He sighs with content, waiting for Medusa to release him. After she does, he waves goodbye, setting off with Luna to begin their shopping. They resume their conversation once outside. "First let's go see about getting you your own bag. From there we can figure out what else we need. I was thinking about getting you a knife or something so you can protect yourself. What do you think?" Reno looks over to see Luna giving him a look of disgust. "You can't even swing a damn knife around?!"
Luna shakes her head. "I'd prefer not to. My combat style has been exclusively magic based as far as I can remember. With my lowered magical output I'm essentially useless in a fight. As we find more of my power, that will change, but as of right now that's the reality of my situation."
Reno lets out a long breath, growling slightly with annoyance. "Uhh, I'm going to be doing all of the fighting from now on aren't I? First I have to fight for you, now I have to fight for CeCe and Lyn as well. You guys are going to get me killed, you realize that, right?"
"If I could do anything about it, I would. But, for now, think of it as extra training! After all, I'm certain your future fights will only become increasingly difficult."
"Yeah, yeah. You know it's easy to be optimistic when you're not the one who's being attacked!" Before they could continue anymore, they arrived at the gate. They look into town and then at each other. "Ready?" Luna nods her head and they take their first step into the village together. "Now that I think about it, all we said is we're siblings. Shouldn't we have planned a couple more lies before doing something like this?"
Before Luna has time to think, the mayor exits his house, stretching. He spots Reno and begins waving, but his thoughts are interrupted when he sees Luna. "Reno?" The mayor approaches Reno, using his can for stability. He inspects Luna as he gets closer. Finally, he smiles, speaking with a sweet tone. "Who is this adorable young lady?"
Reno averts his gaze with nervousness, barely managing to get the words out. "She's my younger sister."
The mayor's eyes open wide and he nods his head with excitement. "You didn't tell me you had a little sister!" The mayor bends over slightly, speaking directly to Luna. "Well hello, young lady! What's your name?"
Luna smiles, a part of her nervous but another part excited to finally be interacting with more people. "My name is Luna. I'm Reno's younger sister."
The mayor nods his head, his excitement growing more and more. "Well aren't you a well-mannered one! You're just like your big brother, you know that?" Luna smiles slightly, seemingly caught off guard by this remark. "So, little Luna, will you be staying with your big brother?"
Luna nods her head, gently grabbing Reno's arm. "Mmhm! Our parents are out for business so my big brother is letting me stay with him!"
The mayor gently pats Luna's head, his eyes softening slightly. "You have a good big brother, you know that?"
Luna looks up at Reno who was blushing from embarrassment. She covers her mouth to stifle her giggle. "Yes, sir! He's the best!"
Reno groans, covering his face. He begins walking away, speaking quickly. "Enough! We have to go buy some stuff, remember, Luna? Unless you want to carry all of your things by hand, then be my guest!" Reno quickly rushes off, causing the mayor and Luna to chuckle.
"Goodbye, mister! It was nice meeting you!" Luna rushes after him, quickly catching up and grabbing his arm so she doesn't lose him.
"I'm so glad you were having fun, you little shit!"
Luna, carrying the momentum, opts to tease Reno. "Now, now! Is that any way to treat your sister?"
"Oh shut the hell up!" Reno continues rushing, quickly making it to Kent and Deb's shop.
Meeting them outside was Deb herself. She waved at them as they approached, giving Luna a weird look. "Hey there, kid! Who's that with you."
Reno sighs, already tired of introducing Luna. "This is my little sister, Luna. Our parents had a business trip so I'm letting her stay with me. She'll be living with me for the foreseeable future."
Deb looks at Reno and then Luna, taking in the differences. "Your parents must be very different people! You two hardly look alike!"
Reno's eyes narrow slightly. He knew a comment like this would arise, and now it was time to think of a lie to cover it. Luna watches Reno closely, ready to step in at any moment. "We get that a lot. I look a lot like my dad and she looks a lot more like my mother. We've been mistaken as total strangers because of it, but I can promise you we're related." Reno's brain sparks with an idea. His eyes flicker as he glances at Luna, a devious smile plastered on his face.
Luna's heart begins beating slightly faster, her eyes narrowing. "(I've never seen Reno look like this! He's planning something! Could this be because I was teasing him with the mayor?! He wouldn't!)" Luna breaks out in a cold sweat, staring into Reno's cold eyes as his smile grows. "(I'm in danger!)"
Reno's face immediately returns to normal. He smiles and pats Luna on the head. "(My turn!) I could tell you all about this little brat!" His eyes flash with anticipation, ready to return the embarrassment he felt earlier.
Luna grits her teeth, glaring up at him. "(Damn!)"
TO BE CONTINUED...