Luna and Hinata decided to return to Capital City while still riding their broomsticks around. Broomstick riding isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence for the citizens of Capital City, even though it's nearly Halloween, but most Witches usually do it during the day time due to the colder winds that persist in October. Capital City exists in the northern part of the United States, so reasonably, it can get rather nippy in autumn.
They fly around the massive city, the largest in the United States, taking in all of the sights and sounds that exist here. To call it loud is an understatement, even despite how late it's become. It is a city that rarely sleeps, and if it does, it doesn't sleep for very long. The multitude of colors and sounds, music of all kinds, billboards showing the latest in technology, and the crazy amount of livestreaming may be slightly overwhelming to those who aren't from around here. For Luna and Hinata, however, they're used to this. And frankly, seeing everything instead of being locked away in Solaire or the Full Moon Church is breathtaking for them. It fills them with pure excitement, something they've dearly missed while living in the other World. And I don't mean excitement that potentially leads to death. They've had enough of that!
Riding around the city, they head towards Solaire Enterprises - the Main Headquarters of the Multi-Universal Genetics, Science, and Technology corporation that began their journey. The skyscraper is the tallest one in the city, spanning over a hundred stories. On the side of the towering behemoth of science, a logo in large yellow letters "SOLAIRE" is seen with the O being swapped out with a sun symbol. Truly, they have their priorities. All of the windows are blacked out, so even riding so high up, it's nigh impossible to look inside to spy. Instead, they begin to float closer to the ground.
On reaching the ground and landing safely, they get surrounded by a large group of people all clamoring for something happening near Solaire's entrance. Hinata, whose face is unfortunately well-known due to her being an ex-LEADER and CEO of the enterprise, hides herself away from the crowd. Luna, on the other hand, takes a deep breath and asks someone what's going on by tapping them on the shoulder. She's really short, so she has to hop a bit to reach.
Luna - "Yo what's happening here?"
Passerby - "Oh it's amazing! Solaire is giving away free Portal Bags! These things are sooooooo expensive usually!"
Luna, who is currently wearing one of these Portal Bags across her shoulder, keeps a heavier grip on herself before it gets snatched. A Portal Bag is basically a bag of holding, but one that places items into a secure pocket dimension that can be accessed from anywhere. They are usually only affordable by the wealthiest people.
Luna - "Ah, that's cool. Thank you!"
Passerby - "Yeah! We just have to sign up for something."
Luna - She tilts her head. "What's the something?"
Passerby - "I have no idea! But I can actually show up my ex-wife with one of these!"
Luna - Luna gulps. "Ah... uh g-good luck with that.."
Luna goes to retrieve Hinata after finding out some information. They discuss what they learned and then decide to leave, feeling something off about all of this. Before heading back home to The Rift House, they decide to get some food together. Even though Hinata is no longer the CEO, Jan, her creator, still shares his wealth with her so they can get by. They find a small ramen stall somewhere in town and sit at the bar. A jolly chef greets the two with a smile and hands them menus.
Ramen Chef - "Ah! Welcome to the Ramen Zone, what can I get you?"
Luna - "Tonkatsu ramen please."
Hinata - "I'll have Shoyu. Hey do you know what's going on at Solaire?"
Ramen Chef - "Eh? Ah that, I heard something about Portal Bags being given away free. But there's a rumor in town that there's some shady stuff happening there. Rumors of people being experimented on."
Hinata - Hinata gulps. "I'm surprised the government doesn't step in. I thought they cleaned up their act after last time."
Ramen Chef - "I thought so too! But apparently some eggshells got into their soup, if you catch my drift."
Luna - Luna shakes her head. "I swear to the Gods Above, why can't they just stop?"
The ramen is complete and bubbling bowls filled with noodles, soft boiled eggs, pork cutlets, and many kinds of vegetables are placed in front of the two. Smells divine. Tastes salty. But after flying around for the past hour in change? It's heaven. Eventually, the two of them finish their food and pay the chef.
Luna - "Ah, thank you! We'll catch you around."
Ramen - "Thank you for your patronage! Stay safe out there."
Hinata waves as the two leave.
After exiting, they realize how late it is. Looking up one more time, they notice something's different about the advertisements for a split second. Everything that was being advertised had stopped all of a sudden. Instead, advertisements for a certain location very well known to Luna appears. The Church of the Full Moon, a known cult and powerhouse in the business world. has taken over the advertisements. Luna feels sick for a couple moments, feeling overwhelmed just by the propaganda alone. As Hinata looks to check up on her, she sees her eyes flicker red very very briefly. "Ugh, Hinata, can we leave?" Luna asks, putting a hand up to her head. Hinata nods as she takes Luna's hand, "Please. I don't feel comfortable here all of a sudden." Even though the streets are buzzing with people walking around, Luna and Hinata disappear with a soft pop. The crowd near them don't react. Teleportation magic is uncommon, but not unheard of.