AD 2207, 5/11, 1st Hierarchical City of Ookoto– Unknown Area

Carl hums a classical tune as he awaits Luna's arrival in the hotel's luxurious lobby. The bright light is something he's not used to, the suspicion from the others in the room is unfortunately far more familiar. From his comfortable seat in the corner opposite the elevator, Carl has his 'blind side' against the wall, leaving him able to observe all those who approach him. Speaking of which, a bellboy, wringing his sweaty hands, is stiffly making his way over.

"E-Excuse me S-Sir. Can we help you?" The poor man looks as pale as the moon rising on the horizon. Carl feels his heart fill with pity for the man. He sighs.

"No. I'm waiting for someone." The bellboy grows paler. That means something troublesome is afoot. Carl frowns. "What's wrong?"

"T-This establishment requires that we obtain identification for all guests and v-visitors. May I s-see some from you?" Carl hums. Not so troublesome, then. He reaches into his vest and retrieves his papers, handing them over. The bellboy rushes back to the front desk as soon as they leave his hand. Rude.

Carl waits for a few minutes as the numbers above the elevator doors shine. Thirty floors up? He supposes from what he knows that Luna would prefer the high life. The bellboy is coming back, his skin nearly translucent. Trouble, after all.

"S-Sir. It says you're a bounty hunter. I-I'll have you know that you can't conduct your business on company grounds." He's trying to be firm, bless his heart. Carl raises a brow.

"I'm not on business at the moment, so you needn't worry. What else do you need?" The bellboy sweats even more. Carl's pity grows.

"T-The name of the person you're waiting for. We need to let them know that you're disturbing the other guests." Carl's brows shoot up, and he looks around. There are a few people who are clearly from the higher stations of society looking at him with disdain. He hums thoughtfully.

"How much?" The bellboy freezes. Carl waits patiently for him to regain his composure.

"Excuse me?" The bellboy sounds appropriately offended. Carl reaches once more into his vest and pulls out the bills, handing them over.

"Keep twenty percent for yourself and give the rest to management. I'm sure you don't actually need to violate the privacy of your clientele." The elevator is two floors away. Carl will be gone soon anyway. The bellboy stutters. He then hands him his papers and rushes off. Carl pockets them and reclines into his seat, ignoring the whispers of outrage around him.

A few moments later, Luna appears in her usual outfit, her tails bouncing with each step, glaring at him. Carl groans under his breath, hopefully, she doesn't want to fight. Luna stalks over, looking around warily at the scandalized patrons. Carl guesses that Sena has been in the driver's seat for most of their stay. Luna stops in front of him with a huff, hands planting themselves firmly on her hips. She glowers at him for a few moments, and Carl raises a brow. She huffs.

"Alright, Clover, let's go." She brusquely makes for the doors, and Carl follows respectfully.

They walk in neutral silence for a few streets before Luna turns to look at him, irritation and caution filling her emerald heart-shaped pupils. "What do you want from us?"

Carl blinks, then shrugs casually. "Without your consent? Nothing. I'm here because I lost a bet, remember?"

Luna snorts, stamping her left foot on the ground, and leaning forward aggressively for emphasis. "I call bull. You were way too interested in Sena last night and that whole spiel about your eye? You want to dissect us with that thing!"

Luna is fuming, Carl can sympathize with her concerns, he supposes. "Luna, I'm not going to lie. I am interested in seeing if anything about you has changed since we last met. But I promise you, I won't try to study you without you telling me to."

Luna holds his gaze for a few moments, scrutinizing him intensely. She then huffs and hefts and stands up straight. "Let's say I believe you. Would you really be willing to let us just leave without looking at us with that thing?"

Carl nods, glad he's getting somewhere. "Precisely. I have no interest in studying the unwilling. They would only show me anger and despair. Those gain me nothing."

Luna huffs again and looks away from him, towards the sky. Carl follows her gaze to the moon hanging low, illuminating everything in a silver-blue hue. They stand there, stargazing for a while. The street she's led them onto is quiet, probably in case, she felt like fighting. He's glad it hasn't come to that. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her turn back to him and moves to meet her eyes once more.

"Alright. I'll keep a close eye on you, but you can come with." She says with a guarded if neutral expression then moves further down the street. Carl follows with a cautious frown tugging at his lips.

"Where are we going?" She huffs as soon as the question leaves his lips.

She glances over her shoulder, irritated. "Clubbing. Duh. What else would we do?"

Carl stares at her with a frown of concern. "You do realize that if anyone tries to pull my mask off, they'll see part of the boundary? No ordinary person could handle that."

He can't see it, but Luna smirks and rolls her eyes. "No one's gonna grab your mask, dingus. Well, unless you want 'em to. Their hands are usually full of something else."

He scowls at the casual dismissal and gauche innuendo. "You don't need to be so vulgar, Luna."

She cackles. "Don't be such a prude, Clover. Besides, I thought you said you were good with knots last night."

She shoots him a wicked grin over her shoulder, and Carl's answering glare is more akin to a childish pout. "That's purely for the purposes of restraining a bounty, and you know it."

She snickers. "Yeah, sure it is."

Carl feels frustration welling up. "Yes, it is. I haven't even—"

He stops himself from finishing that sentence as Luna freezes, turning to him slowly.

She looks him up and down, then looks at him with caution. "Just not interested in that kind of thing?"

She looks sincere in her questioning, so he sighs. "I wouldn't say it's disinterest in general. I'm sexually attracted to others, but I don't have the time, and it's not exactly a priority."

Luna looks surprisingly understanding. "Alright. No more jokes about that, then."

She resumes her journey to whatever club she's chosen.

Carl blinks. "Just like that?"

She throws an offended frown over her shoulder, her tails swaying angrily. "Uh, yeah. Luna's not an asshole." She huffs and quickens her pace, tilting her head back haughtily.

Carl matches her, his look of surprise fading into a small grin at the nostalgic speech pattern's resurgence. "No. You're not."

She harrumphs, and they continue the journey in silence. When they arrive at a building with loud music and lights expanding out from within, Carl begins to worry. Sensing his dismay, Luna turns and looks at him with a warm smirk.

"Relax, they don't bite unless you ask them to. Mostly." She frowns, her face serious. "If anyone does, I'll kick their ass."

Carl blinks again, feeling a warmth under his skin, the same warmth from last night. It's… nice to have someone looking out for him besides Ada again. He smiles gratefully. "Thank you, Luna."

She rolls her eyes. "Don't think this makes us friends, I just can't stand pervs."

She pivots and hustles towards the line. "You comin' or what?"

Carl's smile grows as he follows.

Once inside, Carl looks around in his customary fashion, looking for exit points, potential threats, and the usual. The other clubgoers give him a respectable distance, no doubt writing off his cautious probing as part of some 'mysterious' act. Luna grabs his hand and drags him to the dance floor. He stares at her curiously, and she rolls her eyes.

"I said I was gonna keep a close eye on you, remember?" She raises her brow, and he nods in understanding.

Once they reach as close to the center of the floor as she can get them, she begins to sway to the beat and lets him go. Carl himself begins to listen closely; he hasn't been on a club dance floor before. In the meantime, he sways in a one-man foxtrot, prompting some incredulous stares from the crowd, even from Luna herself.

"Seriously? It's not that kind of dancing." She rolls her eyes as he ignores her, focusing on the music. He gets the beat down in about two minutes, shifting into a looser dance, approximating Luna's movements somewhat, albeit less… unrefined.

After a few moments of dancing, he feels a tap on his shoulder and turns to find Luna staring at him. "Hey. Since when can you dance like that, anyway?"

Carl shrugs. "Mother had Ada and I take lessons when we were younger. The footwork comes in handy."

Luna hums, smiling at him confidently. "Oh yeah? Wanna test that footwork, puppet boy?"

Carl smiles in turn, his eye narrowing competitively. "Alright, I'm game."

The two dance all over the floor, trying to see who can match the beat faster, smoother, and better. This continues for what feels like hours until both shine with a light layer of sweat. Panting, but smiling the widest they have in each other's presence thus far, they make their way toward the bar.

The barkeep is a wolf-type beastkin. Carl raises his hands, being the taller of the two, but Luna rolls her eyes. "Hey, Freke! Can I get two of the ushe?"

Freke's ears twitch, and they turn to smile at Luna brightly. "Sure thing! Just gimme a sec!"

After serving a few of the other customers, Freke grabs two glasses and fills them with tequila, sliding them to the end of the bar. Carl smiles at Luna, who scoffs.

"Don't look at me like that, I just need to keep you close so you don't go people seeing." Her grin gives her away, but Carl plays the gentleman and simply nods.

Carl and Luna make their way over and take their respective glasses. Carl begins to sip, humming as he takes in the unfamiliar flavor. Luna merely slams her glass back in one go, belching loudly afterward. Carl barely manages to stifle his laughter at such an uncouth display.

Luna hums as she turns to him with a friendly smirk. "Look at you, drinking all dainty. Shall I fetch you a big strong man to catch you when it knocks you on your ass?"

Her words would seem cruel to an outsider, but Carl can tell she's just teasing. Nevertheless, a challenge so brazen deserves a response. "Why, Luna, you say that as if he's not a thought away."

Luna narrows her eyes playfully. "Careful, Clover. Sena does bite. He was just being gentle with you yesterday cuz we weren't raised in a barn."

Carl returns her playful gaze with a smirk of his own, brow raised haughtily. "Oh? Are you implying that I'm delicate, Luna?"

Luna snorts. "You are."

Carl huffs. "I am not."

Luna leans in with a killer grin. "Prove it. Knock back that glass like a real man, then knock the next one back with me. Then I might buy it."

Carl recognizes that she's playing him, but he's feeling generous. With a shrug, he throws back his drink and head in a fluid motion. The burn of the alcohol is more intense than what he's had before, and he sputters.

Luna cackles, slapping him heartily on the back. "There ya go! That's how you drink with Luna!"

She then shouts for a refill, and Freke seems to take some enjoyment from the spectacle they've put on. Carl smiles despite his embarrassment, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. This is much better than what he was anticipating tonight. Luna matches his smile as they grab their second glasses, Carl extends his arm for a toast. She rolls her eyes but complies. Then they throw them back in unison.

Luna gasps in satisfaction then grins at him wolfishly. "Alright, Clover. Luna's taking the brakes off. When we get back out there, I wanna see some bounce in that dancing, got it?"

Carl laughs. "As you wish."

Luna's grin widens as she grabs his hand, pulling the still-chuckling man back to the other dancers.

Sometime later…

Carl and Luna stagger back towards her hotel, laughing drunkenly. Carl feels like he's walking on air. Tonight has been just as pleasant as the last, albeit in a much rowdier fashion. Luna is great fun when she's not mad at you. Speaking of Luna, she looks up at him from where his arm is tossed over her shoulder, expression surprisingly soft.

"Ya knows what, Cl-Carl? You're not as much of a creep as I thought." Carl huffs another chuckle.

"That implies I'm still a creep, Luna." He looks down at her with a friendly grin.

She snickers. "You still study people, and you seem to like tying 'em up while you're at it."

Carl hums. "Context."

She snorts. "Oh yeah, cuz that makes it totally fine."

Carl laughs. "It does. Now, it seems I must bid you adieu."

They've arrived at the hotel faster than anticipated, and Carl moves his arm, only to feel Luna grasp it firmly. Carl raises his brows in surprise as he glances at her suddenly serious expression.

"Nuh-uh. No way, mister. You think Luna's cool with you walking all the way back to the perv like this? Well, think again. You're sleeping with me tonight." She says this while pushing him through the doors.

A scandalized gasp cuts the air as a rich-looking mother shuffles her child towards the desk, covering their ears and glaring at Luna.

Luna growls. "Not like that, ya pervs!"

Carl sighs and reaches for his vest to retrieve more money. A hand clasps his shoulder.

"There's no need for that, Sir. Allow me to escort you to your room." A friendly-looking man smiles at Carl, then lets him go, gesturing for them to follow. Carl looks to Luna curiously, who looks back just as confused and shrugs. They follow the man into the elevator.

As they ascend, he introduces himself as manager, and thanks Carl for his generosity from earlier in the evening. He says that they'll be given privacy. The young blondes flush and correct him, but he waves them off and insists they have a good night. Tired and now a little embarrassed and irritated, the two make their way into Luna's suite. She groans happily at the sight of the wonderful-looking bed. Carl, on the other hand, moves to inspect the couches. Luna sees this and huffs, grabbing him by the bowtie and pulling him with her to the bed.

"Luna said you're sleeping here, but!" She raises her finger. "No funny business, get me?"

Carl raises incredulous brows. "I would never."

Luna blinks, then glares. Carl hastily amends his statement. "I mean, I would never take advantage of you like that. We're both under the influence. That wouldn't—"

Luna presses a finger to his lips and grins. "Great. Now let's hit the hay, Luna's bushed." She tosses off her gloves and boots, unties her hair, and flops gracelessly onto the bed, snoring as soon as she hits the pillow. Carl sighs and dresses down to his shirt and pants, folding everything neatly on a nearby ottoman. He too unties his ponytail, and gracefully slides under the first cover, but not the second, where Luna dwells. With a clap of his hands, the room goes dark, and he closes his eye, fading in seconds.

Author's Note

The long-awaited Luna dates. This was a pain, I won't lie. Luna was never really a character I could connect with, but I did my best to try to get her right. If I've made any mistakes, I implore you to point them out so I can try fixing them. We can't grow if we don't burn now and again. 😊 Thank you for reading, and for your time.