Two weeks later…

  Luna

  She thought her new life in this world was kind of boring. The first several months were the worst, when they had just been stuck in one place with nothing at all to do.

  That improved once they began traveling. She got to learn how to use a sword from Mom, and they practiced magic a lot together, too. She also could finally learn more now that they could get books more easily.

  The monsters had been scary for her at first, but now they just seemed normal. They were still scary, but a kind of normal scary.

  Luna loved playing with Diamond, and was always having lots of fun with her, except for that one day with the lizard. When she first got Diamond from the nice fox lady, she could change her into any animal she wished. Then she kept her as a wolf for a long time, and now she can’t change her form anymore.

  But Diamond is happy that way, so it’s good!

  Still, there wasn’t a whole lot for her to do. Mom had told her it would get better soon, but that was still a few months away. Then they could finally stop moving all the time and stay in one place.

  Luna was immensely excited about that, and couldn’t wait to go back to school. She had liked school back home. Other kids said they hated it, which she didn’t really understand.

  Mom was happier now. She had seemed really sad and worried all the time when they first got here, but now she’s back to normal.

  Except she’s my mom and not my dad. I miss Dad, but Mom is good, too. She still acts the same, so it’s only the outside that changed. I still miss my other mom, though.

  Mom had been playing chess and checkers with Luna recently as something to do. The board and all the pieces were made of ice. They also had cards and a few other things to play with. Diamond would sit there and watch closely as they played, which was really cute.

  I also have Diamond to play with, but I don’t see her as some toy or only just my magic. She doesn’t feel like it, either. But I still need something new to do! I am so booored!

  ———

  They were currently staying in yet another city, in a little bit nicer of an inn than what they usually stayed in. Mom had told her that the reason they never stayed for very long in one place was because she wanted to get her into school sooner. She didn’t like constantly traveling all the time, but if it was for school, she could wait.

  I wonder what monster we’ll hunt today?

  Luna had begun putting her armor on when Mom called out to her, “We’re not taking a job today, sweetie, so there’s no need for any of that.”

  “We aren’t? Why not?” Luna questioned confusedly.

  She just smiled. “You’ll see.”

  “I don’t get it?”

  “I’ll tell you in a little bit, but for now, get dressed.”

  Her hand reached for her breastplate again before remembering that she didn’t need it today for some reason. None of them had very many regular clothes, but they had at least gotten rid of the rags they had worn back at the base. The feeling of wearing something normal again after all this time felt foreign to her.

  They sat down for breakfast, and once that was done, they headed out.

  Mom looked at her. “Luna, you’ve mentioned before about being bored. We’re moving as fast as we can, and you’ve been really patient, so today is a day to do whatever you want.”

  “Whatever I want?” she asked.

  She nodded. “Mhmm! We could get some yummy food, find a performance somewhere, browse the shops… Is there anything that comes to mind?”

  They hadn’t had a fun day like this in a long time, and it took her a while to get into that mindset.

  “I don’t know… Um, clothes? I do want more of those.”

  She didn’t know what to ask for. She didn’t know this city. And even though she was adjusting to life on Torneltha, she couldn’t help but think about things as if she were still on Earth.

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  Mom smiled and grabbed her hand. “You got it. Let’s go!”

  They’d been walking for a few minutes when Luna noticed that it was just herself, Mom, and Diamond.

  “Where’d Amber and Sarah go?” Luna asked.

  “We’ll meet up with them later. For now, it’s just us.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  Luna was holding hands with Mom, and she wished she could hold hands with Diamond, too.

  Everyone in the group would sometimes go out on their own to do something when they were in a city, but this was the first time in a while that it was just the three of them together.

  Mom wasn’t any more familiar with the shops here than Luna was, so they spent some time just walking.

  She spotted a display mannequin in a window that was wearing a dress that was a really pretty red color with black accents.

  “Mom! I want that one!”

  She chuckled. “Okay, sweetie.”

  Entering the store, Mom paid for the dress. While an assistant took Luna’s measurements, she saw Mom give more money to the clerk. Once the measurements were taken, the three of them sat in a waiting area for them to finish.

  The way higher-end clothing stores worked in this world was that they had several examples displayed on mannequins, and would make your clothes for you after you picked something out and they took your measurements.

  Luna hadn’t seen very many of these stores, however, because they mostly went to the ones that sold things secondhand.

  “We have to wait for them to make it?” Luna asked.

  “Yep,” Mom replied. “Unlike back home, custom stuff can be made pretty quickly here. They use earth magic to control needles to get it done fast. It takes a lot of skill to be able to do that.”

  “So there’s sewing magic? That’s weird.”

  “You’re just used to Amber adjusting things for you all the time. She’s totally a cheater when it comes to clothes. Without her, we’d be spending a ton more time repairing everything.”

  Michelle was actually able to make a needle of ice and do the same thing, though her sewing skill wasn’t even close to that of a professional, or even Amber’s.

  Amber could be a professional, too! Those costumes she used to make were really good.

  It was a while later that the assistant came over with Luna’s new dress. …And something extra.

  “What’s that?” the young girl asked.

  “This is for your wolf,” the assistant replied She held up it for them to see. It looked like a scarf, made of the same red and black fabric as the dress.

  She gasped. “Diamond, we can match!”

  Mom grabbed her hand again. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get back to the inn so you and Diamond can change.”

  They rushed back to their room. Luna had to drag Mom with her because she wasn’t walking fast enough, and Diamond ran around them as they moved.

  Luna hurriedly changed into her dress. She checked her reflection in the mirror, and saw herself wearing the nicest thing she’d worn in a really long time.

  “It’s amazing, Mom! Thank you so much!”

  She laughed. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

  She gasped at her failure. “Diamond, I’m so sorry!”

  Luna rushed to put the matching scarf on Diamond, who spun in a circle and wagged her tail once it was on. The wolf then nudged their hands.

  Mom spoke up, “Well, let’s head back out. There’s plenty of daylight left, after all.”

  The three of them walked around more and stopped at a stall to get a snack. It was a vegetable and meat thing she hadn’t ever seen before, but it tasted delicious. Luna asked for more, but Mom said it would ruin her lunch.

  “Can I get a new sword? And new armor?” Luna asked.

  “The things Amber made for everyone are already the best we can get our hands on at the moment, sweetie.”

  “Aww,” she said, looking longingly at all the weapons for sale.

  “We can look for a little bit, but we can’t get anything.”

  “Okay!”

  Everything looks so cool!

  Luna was eventually pulled away, because they were bothering the girl running the shop.

  They explored the town for a little longer, and once it was finally lunchtime, they headed back to the inn.

  “Aw, we’re just having inn food for lunch?”

  Mom smirked at her. “You said just this morning that you like this inn’s food.”

  “But it’s not all this other food!” she exclaimed. The scents from the stalls could still be smelled even though they were no longer in sight.

  “That food is more expensive. Besides, the others are waiting for us.”

  “Huh? What for?”

  “You’ll see,” she answered cryptically.

  What’s up with Mom today? She’s acting weird.

  They made it back to the inn, and after a brief stop to get four meals sent to their room, they headed up the stairs. The other half of their group was already there, playing a card game as they waited.

  Amber exclaimed, “Luna! You look so pretty! Diamond, too!”

  “Ehehe~.”

  After lunch was over, Amber grabbed a box that had been sitting out of view behind one of the beds.

  “What’s that?” Luna asked.

  Amber smiled and removed the lid, revealing something amazing.

  “Is that a cake!?” she yelled.

  Everyone laughed at her reaction, which embarrassed her.

  Sarah explained, “Not quite. This is the closest we could find, but it is a frosted pastry like a cake.”

  “I don’t care! I want to eat it! I haven’t had anything sweet in ten million years!”

  Mom smiled. “Of course, but there’s one last thing that has to be taken care of before we can eat it.”

  Luna could only watch in horror as Mom created a barrier of ice around them.

  “Mom, no… Why this…? Please don’t…”

  “Wh-What!? Luna, I’m not going to play the flute! Calm down!”

  “You’re not?” she asked hopefully.

  “No! I’m not that bad, am I?”

  She averted her eyes, and the elf and tigerkin across the table began laughing hysterically.

  Mom sighed and forcefully changed the subject. “No, it’s going to get noisy for a different reason.”

  In unison, everyone began singing Happy Birthday.

  The young girl was stunned. She had completely forgotten about this.

  When the song was finished and the ice barrier dispelled, Luna asked, “Is it really my birthday? How can you tell?”

  Mom explained, “We’re actually a bit late because we had to wait for a good opportunity. And the calendar is also different here, but we counted out the days, and this is as close as we could make it.

  “Luna, you’ve been so good through all of this. It’s just a couple more months until we make it, and then days like today can happen more often. I love you so much, sweetie. Happy seventh birthday.”

  She hugged her. “I love you, too, Mom. Thank you for the cake. Oh yeah, Amber, Mom said you’re a cheater!”

  Mom facepalmed. After she explained why she had said that, they then spent the rest of the day playing games. There was only enough cake for everyone to have a single slice, but Mom gave her some of hers.