style_bringer | You change when you get in that van.

You change when you get in that van.

[Fortuna was off-limits as far as vacations went. Aside from it being the source of some of Nero's worst memories, it was in utter disrepair, only accessible through small boats. London? Still intact, even aside from the catastrophes he and Lucina averted. There were plenty of boroughs that hadn't fallen prey to demons but he doubted small family parks wouldn't be interesting enough when it came to people that spent a great deal of their time in a breathtaking, gorgeous country-side and idyllic ivory castle.

Their introduction to his garage was anything but impressive, greeted by Nico who had thrown a demon's corpse on a tarp only to be caught hacking through it when everyone made their way through the portal. So, Lucina's family had been seated in various parts of the living room while Nero set about to making several pots of coffee. Coffee, breakfast, then plans for the day. That was what they agreed on.

Nico, washing her hands in the sink he used to wash vegetables, grinned at him cruelly as he set aside a lot of mugs and started ripping open packs of coffee grounds. He kept reminding himself that it was going to be one of the happiest days of his life just to know he had everything he needed to keep Ylisse and Earth connected on his own, guaranteeing he and Lucina would never lose one another that same way--but it fell short when Nico bumped his shoulder and chuckled to get him riled up.]

Good thing you got nothing but mugs instead of glassware like a normal fella.

Can it.

Pretty handy that you're gettin' paid in groceries too, huh?

Go to hell, Nico!

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It's like a crystal ball, sort of? Or a one-way mirror, or...magic window? [the TV, that is. she's trying to find the best way to describe it to her very attentive father and mildly-attentive mother (Sully's thumbing through whatever periodical Nero had left on his coffee table).

in Lucina's defense, she had a lot more on her mind than trying to describe all the modern marvels of London when it came to bringing them here. for one thing, there had to be absolute certainty there'd be no getting stranded. they're the monarchs of a whole country! they have a three-year old daughter waiting for them!

that's why, amidst their toned-down attire (well, toned down for warrior monarchs), they have small crystals affixed to their belts that glow faintly. Miriel and Laurent did some quick tests, making Nero go back and forth through a portal on his own, to ensure they could maintain some kind of connection through magic that would at least let Ylisse know that their exalt was safe. like a beeper, but one-way.

"And it shows both current events and story entertainment," Chrom repeats, remembering Lucina sputtering it out first before getting lost in her tangle of explanations.]

Yes, exactly.

["How do you know which is which?"]

Ah, well...it...it's... [a little hard. Nero's had to affirm that there was no zombie outbreak more than once.

Nero's snapping at Nico startles her a little, prompting her to glance over to where they're working before quickly focusing back on her parents.]

It's all in the context. I think, were we native to this land and culture, it would make a lot more sense. Just the same as the things we're used to are.

[Having learned to let all the geniuses handle the finer details, Nero worried more about dealing with scammers on the street and folks that would ask what sort of new-age wellness routines demanded the use of crystal belts. That was more up his alley, along with making a fairly generous English breakfast.

Nico had to make him practice a few times to remember how to cook before he hopped in that portal for the first time, reminding him that Lucina was a princess who deserved to be waited upon.

When he turned past the kitchen island to move dishes to the table, he blanched at the sight of world news up on the screen. Lucina? She was trying her her best but the deluge of information being hurled at them was likely to be undercut and annihilated in the wake of a strange toothpaste commercial or an ad for a crime drama.]

Lucy, we might wanna stick to just watching movies. There's even more free channels added cause they sent me a new box and now there's nearly five hundred of 'em.

[A moment passed.] But, there's a whole channel that's pretty much just martial arts movies.

[Nico, humming, set up her laptop on the kitchen counter and went about making a few minor updates to sent to Mirial and Laurent with little offers to make them keyboards with text-to-speech options for ease of use. When Nero called over everyone to sit down, Nico nearly choked on her coffee when she saw Lucina's plate had been arranged painstakingly more than everyone else's--her eggs cooked in heart-shapes after he'd silently, diligently practiced it over and over.

Nero said nothing about it and did absolutely nothing to draw attention his way other than to give Chrom and Sully a polite nod. The man was bottling everything in.]

Milk and sugar in your coffee?

[five...hundred? Lucina's expression winces at the revelation, deciding to instead just...turn the TV off (she knows where the power button is, at least!) and usher her parents on in to sit.

to Nero's good fortune, Chrom ("Milk's fine, thank you.") doesn't notice the corny-yet-earnest fixings on his daughter's place.

to his misfortune, Sully ("Nah, I'm good.") does. she squints, quietly marking that down. This guy is so corny...]

Are you okay, Nico? [Lucina frowns in her direction upon seeing her little bit of distress.]

Hm? [Nero, trying his best not to look proud of himself for having finally mastered his craft, followed Lucina to Nico and found his sappy smile was already being ruined by Nico grabbing a napkin to wipe her chin off.]

Seriously, Nico? You got no table manners. [He had a lot of nerve saying that after that one balcony dinner--]

Can it, ya' danged sap. Just got the pipes mixed up.

[Sitting down, Nero couldn't help but notice Sully's scrutiny and Chrom's ideal, guest-like behavior. The real surprise of the evening would be the last mention of an important channel--something he knew would clinch everything in his favor.

A whole channel, just for wrestling.]

Somethin' the matter, mother? [For the life of him, he was trying. The amount that they clashed, he had to ask for advice from a few of the wandering attendants in the castle on how to refer to his future mother-in-law to avoid fights and that word was one he was still chewing on, suffice to say.

He even briefly stole a glance at Lucina, trepidation in his eyes, as if he were letting her know it was coming first. Nico coughed... choked into her napkin.]

I also got hashed potatoes if you want.

Edited (had to add the master plan in) 2024-01-02 00:30 (UTC)

[Lucina and Chrom appear to twitch in tandem when those two syllables hit, their eyes darting to Sully who, to her credit, seems barely phased in posture or expression.

"Watch it, bright eyes," she drawls blandly. "Until I see a proper ring on her finger, I'm nothing but 'ma'am' to you."

Lucina's mouth twitches as she tries to maintain an optimistic air.]

He's just being considerate... [in...in his way. Sully cocks an eyebrow, humming a bland 'mm-hmm' to that before taking the coffee served her. surly though she already is, she's also not the sunniest daisy in the morning...and the change of setting seems to only add onto that.

"We appreciate all the extra effort," Chrom adds on, nodding at Nero, a slight note of sympathy in his smile. he knows his bride, after all. "If we can pay it forward in some way appropriate for this land, please let us know."]

It's okay. 'Bright eyes' is a step up! [There was just the slightest twitch of a grin to match Lucina's when he offered her a thumbs' up. Hope. Also, he realized a little late that he might have gotten caught staring at her a little too earnestly.

Nico leaned back in her seat, taking a more cautious sip of coffee and waited for Nero to talk before she finished it. Nero, slicing apart his eggs, glanced at Chrom a moment before sheepishly returning to them.

The ring. He'd been thinking about it since they left. The embarrassing box of things he wanted to send Lucina had a new tenant. He had a plan for that box... or rather, a loose template with vague ideas and possibilities. There were mostly nightmares where he was worried Sully would find it first... which was what the lock was for.]

You don't gotta worry about it. Since Dante is... kinda retired, I'm getting more work... And, Nico's just exaggerating when she talks about the pay. Speaking, of which, Nico-- [Time to bring up an old argument while he was at it. He made it a solid minute without getting ticked off at breakfast.]

I don't sell Devil Arms like Dante does, so it's all legit income too!

["Devils and monsters are a hardship in this world too, then..." Chrom looks pensive while picking at the food. Lucina watches his demeanor a moment before adding a bit more context:] Grima holds no sway over this world, but another realm does encroach here to do harm. Nero and his peers are specially equipped to help protect people from them.

["That's why you looked the way you did blastin' in our castle?" Sully asks.]

[In turn, Nero only managed to look apprehensive given the way Lucina described him. Was he a sap for thinking she sounded wonderful just for then way she told it?

He was too busy frowning over her choice of words, more so, unfortunately. Something in him blanched at something she said:] 'Peers' is putting it a little too respectfully.

[Nico picked at her eggs, scrunching up her nose at the thought as well. Sully's question earned a little snicker from her and Nero slowly wheeled on her before touching a finger to his chin.]

...Y'know, I was excited.

[Lucina frowns back at Nero, a touch puzzled. what was wrong with 'peers'?

...

except you don't call a parent a peer. hm. well. she can reflect on that one later, when she's not operating at 110% for her parents (parents, not peers. shoot...).

Sully watches the physical banter with a cloudy expression, diligently eating what was prepared for her (she's no ingrate!). Chrom looks similarly contemplative, but shades more transparent about it.

"Demons are that frequent...? Will your Falchion be enough?" he looks to Lucina, who perks up and nods quickly.]

Naga's power is a boon here, Father. I may not be fully experienced in the nature of them, but a holy blade will protect me just as much as Nero can.

[Nero gave pause, changing from Chrom to Lucina with the feeling in mind that she really knew how to conduct herself like a princess in such a way that always made his ears red. Chrom's concerns about the safety of his realm were valid and serious but Lucina saying anything managed to grab his attention near effortlessly.

Thankfully, it was just subtle enough that it hadn't caught Nico's attention as she went back to absolutely annihilating her breakfast. ]

Yeah, holy swords don't really exist here, so the Falchion... Well, nothin' can really stand up to it, y'know?

[His eyes lit up at a sudden realization. Generally, phones weren't allowed at the dinner table but he was pulling his out to pull up a video from Lucina's channel--the one with so many fans that they could have retired on viewership alone.]

Oh, check this out! Now that I got a charge, you can see that video I was talking about! Y'know, the one where Lucina took out that Angelo by jumping off the van and doing this flip--

Ah, that-- [Lucina smiles bashfully. she forgot he recorded that...and the bit where she launched him into the side of a building. so while that's playing she's quick to comment:] N-nobody was inside that part of the shop! We checked afterward, nobody got hurt...

[honestly, the novelty of being able to watch a past moment with such chaotic clarity (and none of the tactile mess) is more on her parents' minds than property damage.

"Sages can't even relay visions out of their crystals this clear," Chrom remarks.]

No, but...most people here can't use magic, so it's...something of a give-and-take.

[Every time he played it, she made the same face, and he'd always grin with pride. Thankfully, he hadn't record the aftermath, though given her following it would have probably been the most popular video he posted.

Nico, peeking over her plate, commented offhandedly: 'You sure got your phone out fast for that one.'

Chrom and Lucina had their little aside and Nero started moving to more videos of Lucina thrashing demons... pointedly skipping over the one where he was really going at the air guitar next to a stupefied monster with with a goat's head.]

Well, yeah, I was pretty busy with my own guy at first but I saw her somersault on the roof and just knew what she was gonna do, though, so I was in a real rush to record...

Oh, ignore that last one, I was just tuning one of Nico's new arms.

[the parents watch with interest, though their outward tells very. Chrom is more outwardly impressed by the technology itself, naturally charmed to see flashes of his daughter's happy, bashful expression when it's caught so candidly. Sully is more...well, she's looking a touch vexed the way she was when they first sat at table to figure out what the hell was even going on, back in Ylisse. there's a jealousy in seeing her in this way - absent of Sully's presence, like she so often was growing up - and it stings to think Lucina would rather be estranged than close-by anymore.

"So this is the kinda stuff you wanna do now...?" she mumbles aloud, her fork gently tapping on the cleaned-up plate before her. Lucina picks up on the pensiveness, her expression sobering a bit in light of it. she seems to retreat a little into herself, folding her hands under the table, and just quietly taking stock while Nero's still in show-and-tell mode.

there's things to be said about it, but she can't conjure up the proper words so quickly, though she's trying her best to string it together to speak to it.]

Yup.

[Out of habit, he let Lucina answer for him when it came to the authorities. There were times when a brusque attitude and over hostility weren't appreciated and her more level-headed temperament saved the both of them from having to throw hands with the same people they saved. They could both impress just about anyone but she knew how to wind everyone down. Gently, he laid down his phone and picked up his fork to jab into a hot cake.]

She's good at it too. Most devil hunters I've worked with just make messes and don't care about what those messes do to the people caught up in it. She tries to fix it every time. [Though he wouldn't speak a word of it to Lucina, he was resentful of Dante in many ways for not doing more to help Fortuna despite that irritation and hostility stemming side-by-side with his own regret of being weak. That resentment was tamped down in favor of giving Lucina her well-deserved praise the moment he sensed her retreating out of worry.

He was beyond confident in her and it showed in how firmly he laid the rest of it down--]

You both taught her how to be a hero and now she's lettin' everybody see the end results. Not too shabby, right?

[Nero takes the lead, leaving Lucina room to exhale...and quietly wonder at him with appreciation and love. usually, Nero's bragging about her embarrasses her and she hastens to quell it - it makes trying to carry on a conversation on even ground with strangers very difficult! but here, with her parents, whom she sees so far above her...this just helps her reach them a bit in a sense, doesn't it?

it's appreciated, Nero's adored...and Lucina has a chance to fit her own words into place in her head with less pressure to sputter out just on feeling alone. when there's a comfortable break after his remark, she nods a little, sitting up a little straighter.]

Before...I didn't have a say in the way my journey played out. War and calamity dictated my path. But, but that's not the case now. I always wanted to see Nero's world for myself, and...somehow, I can. And...I still want that. And thank goodness I have the skills to help the people here! They deserve the peace we fought so hard to get for Ylisse...

[Sully's expression remains rather unchanged, save for the way her eyes flit down to her plate in a display of contemplation. Chrom, though, smiles ruefully. Lucina recognizes the expression and feels compelled to press on:] I want to find my future this way, Father. Mother... [Sully glances back up at her prompting.] And...it's only easier to want, knowing I won't have to give either of you up to have it. And your trueborn daughter won't have to want for any of your attention.

[because whether they want to accept it or not, Lucina sees it as a sticking point. their timeline has their Lucina: she's nearing three years old, bears the same brand and color of hair, and...as she grows, the similarities will only grow...if Lucina stays.]

With the gateways between our worlds, I'll never be too far away...I'd never abandon you.

[He always liked paying her back for every word of encouragement she'd given him, finding she was all too smooth when she found the determination to stick something through.

It was a wonder that she ever needed help, as far as he was concerned, given how well she spoke. He knew orators were terribly dangerous people. Sanctus could encourage his followers through the worst means and to the worst ends but, put in front a crowd like that, he could see Lucina making anywhere she went better for it.

But, something in his heart squeezed when she mentioned her counterpart. Nero, touching his fingers to the handle of his mug, glancing to her when she brought it up--his smile falling just somewhat not because it made him feel particularly morose but because he didn't like to say certain things aloud. To Sully and Chrom, it might have needed a different atmosphere and one in which Nico wouldn't take mental note to abuse him with his own words later.]

I'll make sure Lucina's fine. I'm not clever but I'm tough and stubborn. I'll make sure she can visit whenever she wants.

[Nico cleared her throat.] ... With Nico's help, too.

[it's not their words alone, but the way in which they look to each other, strive to support each other while still trusting their own merits, that rings familiar to Chrom and Sully. one could easily bulldoze the other to assert their shared claims - they've each been known to do it in their earlier days together, feeling things out - but Lucina and Nero do not. it's like... well...

like they've known each other for a long time. understand each other. so despite the confusion that comes with Nero just seemingly coming out of nowhere from their perspectives, the proof is in the pudding, isn't it? pretending it's not at this point is just stubbornness.

"I believe you," Chrom assures, his smile gentle, one that turns a little sad when he looks to his daughter. "And if this is what your heart is telling you to do, I think you're right to do it."

"Better make that visiting a regular thing," Sully points out, still frowning, though there's a softness around her eyes. She doesn't like the very suggestion that Lucina may see herself as lesser, as excess baggage...and she's not a fan of having to share her with someone outside of her family. but this is part of growing up, isn't it? she had to do the same for her own family, to find her way to Chrom.

shoe's on the other foot. weird fit. but Sully isn't the sort to let that keep her from walking.

Lucina, for her part, looks heartened and relieved, shoulders rising with her breath. she nods, smiling over to Nero before focusing back on her parents.]

Naturally! There's so much I want to share - more than we can show you in one visit here!

[He couldn't help but notice when Chrom and Sully set their thoughts aside for their daughter. Whether she was one version or another, they were over-protective. It was a relief for him, knowing what she'd lost. Getting it back made helped her become whole in a way that he couldn't.

The way Chrom looked at her seemed right. Nero finished his eggs, knowing just at a glance that it was the way a father should have acted.

When Sully let a bit more of herself show, he thought she looked like a sap. Where'd she get off looking at him like he was cheesy!? He kept a lid on that complaint well enough, moving to his coffee while trying not to seem overly sappy himself the moment Lucina turned that smile back on him.

He was crushed in less than a heartbeat. Clearing his throat--]

I got something planned for this afternoon before dinner, so we gotta make sure to get to the mall quick. I think you guys are gonna like it.

What something did you plan, by the by?

[the question comes when Lucina joins Nero at his sink, bringing cleared plates to rinse; her parents are still at table with Nico, who is receiving some regard and curiosity for her tattoos.]

If it's at the mall, is it one of the clothing stores you had in mind?

[He'd been in the middle of humming some awful song among the many that he and Nico would listen to while they were working in the garage, occasionally handing Lucina a plate to move.]

Um? Plan...?

[After a moment, he seemed to wake up and remember.] Oh.

[Crap. She was, physically speaking, close to the answer. The little family photo center he was thinking of was only a few doors down from the last store they'd gone to together. He tried to keep that surprise off his face, playing it cool with... a pout.]

Lucy, you know it ain't fair to guess on surprises.

[she pouts right back; two can play this game!]

So I don't get to help at all? That's not fair, either, you know.

Hey, hey.

[Normally, he would be crushed under that pout. He wouldn't be able to withstand it even for a moment--]

It's a surprise for you too, okay? C'mon, I wanna be able to say I did one totally not weird thing for everybody.

Breakfast isn't weird. [she nudges him with an elbow, hands full of plates.] You're a fine host, give yourself some credit!

N-No, I mean... the portal thing? How I held it open? Holding open portals is weird, right...?

[He wasn't even sure where to begin with his insecurities when it came to her parents. Chrom and Sully were used to seeing magic but he wasn't. Maybe it was just weird that he called Sully 'mother in law' when he let her through?

He was starting to overthink things again, frowning deeply and emptying his half-drunk cup of coffee in the sink so he could wash it.]

[IGNORE ME ACCIDENTALLY HITTING SUBSCRIBE BECAUSE OF THE GODDAMN HOVER-OVER MENUS WHILE IM TRYING TO TAG AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA---]

You held it open very gallantly. [she's adamant about that, perhaps to a fault in her effort to reassure him.] As...gallantly as a portal can be held open? [squint.]

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