The group sits in the RV, listening to the sound of someone yelling at Sunny. Luna shifts uncomfortably, not liking how Sunny is getting chewed out. She wears an annoyed expression as the yelling briefly stops, letting her sigh in relief—only for it to resume, this time twice as loud.
After a few minutes, the yelling finally ends. Sunny opens the door, cleaning out her ear. "Good lord, pull that stick out of your ass." She collapses onto the couch with a groan. "Good news—we're all getting paid real good!"
Jamal nods. "That's good, that’s good. Bad news?" He raises an eyebrow.
Sunny shakes her head. "Yes and no. So, we can either stay and clean up this mess or… we can go to Mexico City and help out a research team."
Jamal raises an eyebrow even further. "T-that's it? That’s all? We just have to help out some research team? Obviously, we go with that one. But what kind of research?"
Sunny lets out a nervous laugh. "Botany, of all things. Something about this facility experimenting with plants, and they need hunters in case the plants go, well… AWOL."
Luna shuffles in place. "Oh, potential murderous plants… lovely. So, uh, when do we head out?"
Sunny nods. "In a week and a half. So, we’re going to start driving in an hour. If you have anything to do here, do it now."
JJ sits down, letting out a groan. "Nothing I can think of."
Jamal shrugs. "I'm going to rest up. I nearly died, so I’ma go to sleep."
Luna fidgets. "Not really… though I wish we could've gotten the chance to do something that wasn't fighting..."
Sunny chuckles. "Hey, partner, how about this—I promise that when we’re in Mexico City, I'll take you out to eat, and we can check out a few tourist spots. How does that sound?"
Luna’s eyes widen with excitement. "Yeah! That sounds great!" Her smile quickly returns.
Tera places her hands on her hips. "I, Tera, the one and only, the world’s greatest not-licensed hunter, have nothing to do here!"
The group lounges in the RV when they hear a knock on the door. Luna gets up to open it and finds Sister Jolene standing there. The nun looks both annoyed and sad as she lets out a sigh.
"I'm sorry for what I said to you yesterday. It was out of hand," Jolene admits.
Luna, a bit surprised, blinks. "Oh, uh… apology accepted!"
Jolene nods, then pulls out a card and hands it to Luna. "If you ever need my help, just… call me." With that, she turns and walks away, leaving Luna with a small smile on her face.
Sunny grins. "Well, look at that! She can be a good person. And she even said she was sorry!" She chuckles before heading to the driver’s seat. "Oh, don’t worry about the cleanup. Like Father Fredrick said, the priests will handle everything. This was caused by a… demon." Sunny shakes her head before starting the drive.
The drive is fairly mundane, apart from Tera running around the RV. Apparently, long rides make her extremely hyper, and at times, she even tries to pounce on people.
As Luna lies on the couch, nearly dozing off, she is suddenly interrupted by Tera attempting to pounce on her—only for JJ to grab her just in time. Tera’s pupils are dilated like a cat’s when it’s in play mode.
"Unhand me, human, at once!" she demands.
JJ glares at her. "Only if you promise to stop jumping on people. You already jumped on me and Jamal!"
Tera grumbles before squirming out of his grip. "Fine! You weak humans, fearful of Tera, the greatest of all time, will no longer be graced by my playtime!" She dramatically plops down on a chair, fidgeting.
After a few moments, she turns to Luna. "String girl, are we there yet!?"
Luna raises an eyebrow. "Uh… I don’t know. Ask Sunny."
Tera shakes her head. "I did! Twelve times! She threatened me with something called keelhauling—but with this RV!"
JJ slowly nods. "Got it… don’t make her angry while she’s driving."
Luna looks out the window as they drive through Nevada, gazing at the endless stretch of desert. She smiles at the sight of all the sand, with the occasional house or gas station breaking up the landscape. There’s something comforting about long, open roads—something peaceful about the way it all stretches on.
She’s always loved the feel of sand. It’s warm, soft, and pleasant to walk on, just like snow. For a moment, she’s tempted to ask Sunny to stop so she can run outside and play in it, but she pushes the thought away, feeling it would be selfish.
Then, she hears the gentle sound of Jamal playing his guitar in the back. The soft strumming, combined with the quiet, peaceful atmosphere, lulls her into relaxation. Each note feels heavenly, filling the RV with a soothing melody. She wonders if it’s an original piece or a cover, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter.
All she knows is how calming it feels. Even Tera, usually bursting with energy, seems to have settled down, letting the music wash over her.
With a deep breath, Luna closes her eyes, allowing herself to doze off, wrapped in the warmth of the moment.
As the drive continues, Luna dozes off, but a delicious smell fills the RV, pulling her from her sleep. Her eyes flutter open, and she sits up, following the mouthwatering aroma to the kitchen.
To her surprise, she sees JJ cooking! He’s flipping burgers on the stove and then reaches down to pull out a tray of freshly baked french fries. Without missing a beat, he hands Luna a plate of fries.
"Here you go, Lu—" His words are cut off as Luna starts scarfing down the food like a starving animal.
JJ lets out a nervous laugh. "Do you like it? I seasoned the fries—I think I got it just right!"
Luna rapidly nods her head, too busy eating to respond with words.
JJ flips a burger onto a bun, which already has some condiments spread on it. "Here you go. Don't worry, I already fed Jamal and Tera. I'm making Sunny's now—she said to feed everyone else first."
Luna gives him a soft smile, appreciating the gesture. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spots Tera stalking the extra fries, clearly preparing to snatch them. Before she can make a move, JJ swiftly hands her a plate of fries.
"Here, I made extra for everyone."
Tera quickly scurries off with her plate of food, looking satisfied.
Luna smiles, feeling content. After all the fighting, today had been a much-needed break. She’s grateful for the companions she’s met and hopes to meet many more along the way.
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