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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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.]

[Gallantly? He'd stopped his expert scrubbing for just a moment to turn halfway to her just to make sure she'd said that word intentionally with him in mind.

Gallant? Really?]

...Think I look gallant when I do air-guitar after hitting a max-act? [She'd done nothing at all to earn this teasing...]

A-- [she has to halt her forward momentum of positivity to actually think. what was the air guitar again?

well, it's something with arm-flapping, so she can just assume:] I think the word you use here is cool, right?

[The way he grinned wasn't at all teasing or mean-spirited but heavy with excitement. Lucina didn't have a knack for goofiness in the way he had since she had only digested wrestling and awful movies through his childish recollections of them (and because he'd never get away with dragging the mirror to the family TV) but she was endlessly charming when she made her attempts.

Every single time, she hit him with a 10/10. Passing her a plate, he whistled low.]

That's right. I'm cool.

Who's cool? It ain't you, loverboy.

[Without even breaking his smile--]

Shut the HEeee...ck up, Nico.

[Lucina stifles a little giggle, smiling over her shoulder at the folks at the table.]

...Very well. [she looks back up at Nero once she's done wiping down the dish.] I'll let it be a surprise, then.

[once dishes are clean and put away, she meets her parents at the table, cheerful.]

There's still a lot about this world that's new and surprising for me, but Nero's very good at finding the nice and fascinating things... I'm a little more excited now...!

[no pressure or anything, Nero.]

[Drying his hands with a cloth rather than his pants like the animal he usually was, Nero let Lucina head back with a smile in return before finding his phone to check the time.]

Alright, Nico, I'm on 'Do Not Disturb' except for your number.

Roger. I'll hold down the fort, for what it's worth... and take my babysitting fee in pudding.

[Knowing full well the place would smell like cigarettes once they got back--he put it on his mental list to grab a couple more air fresheners on the way back.]

Well, y'know, we're taking it easy for the first couple days. We'll be in time for the portal check but Nico can handle taking notes if anything comes in early.

[Pulling on his coat, he circled over to the side door and found his keys in the little clay bowl the kids in Fortuna made for him. It was shaped like a frog's mouth.]

Everybody ready? The van's gonna be a treat to get used to.

It's actually smoother to ride than a horse! [she takes up the rear behind her parents as everyone is filed out to where the van awaits.

All closed-in like a carriage, huh, Sully remarks, tilting her head at it.]

The roads're... smoother.

[A beat.] In places, I guess.

[With a wide swing of his arm, he'd pulled open the side door for Chrom and Sully with a sheepish smile. To anyone else in the world, his van was something of an embarrassing statement--that he was willing to live on the road if need be. Hopefully, neither of them would really piece together the context.]

You can sit just about anywhere. I'll be going pretty slow, but while we're moving you should pick the seats that face forward. Lucy, you got this? [He tapped the other passenger door.]

I just wanna do a quick oil check. [And take a moment to breathe again while she helped her parents get seated and situated.]

[it's a moment for Lucina to check in with her parents on her level, her own nerves rather high as she worries over their opinions of it all. she wants them to not just like Nero, but love him! and appreciate his hard work, and trust that the world is as marvelous and worth staying in and protecting as Ylisse, and--

Lucina. Chrom puts a hand on her shoulder, smiling. Why are you fretting?

Yeah, you think our heads are gonna pop off or something? Sully teases, crossing her leg once she's sat.]

Of...of course not. Forgive me, I only...I just hope you aren't overwhelmed...

[Sully tilts her head. You think this is more overwhelming than time traveling daughters or demon dragons?]

Right...

[A glance sent her way when he'd open the driver's side door gave him a little insight. A smile found its way on his face once again as, in a rare show of it, he felt just the slightest need to be a little forceful, though none of it was a matter of disrespect or pride.

So Lucina would feel just a bit better about convincing her parents that he knew what he was doing, he didn't mind sounding a little stern with the basics.]

We're safer than most people in this rig but it's still the law to put seatbelts on. [Though, really, he never wore one when he was working and there wasn't a single officer in those neighborhoods that would look in that van and feel the urge to ask any of them to put it on--Lucina, especially. They'd all seen her bisect a demon at that point, so it was a lost cause but... well, on a day out in town he preferred abiding by the rules a bit.]

Now... Remember how I warned you guys that music gets weird here? The stuff you heard on TV was just a preview.

[This was his idea of making Lucina's day easier.]

[belts are buckled rather dubiously, because it seems strange to them to strap themselves to the chair - what if demons appear and they have to jump into action swiftly? and even Lucina's a wee bit hesitant given...well. she and Nero didn't oft belt up either, but she trusts his judgment on this - he's the ringleader! his world, his rules.

once they're situated (how nice to have space specifically for swords in this vehicle!), Lucina climbs into the passenger seat and clicks in, smiling over at Nero with a ready nod, the smile twitching when Sully points out that there's no TV-box in here for sounds to come out of, so where would the music be?]

[It was, by far, the most he'd ever used a turn signal in his life. The van was better suited for roads in America but the cost of getting it back to London was high enough that he felt the urge to use it as often as possible despite the inconvenience of parking. Walking an extra while to get anywhere once they found a big, open lot would be the only option.

Sully's question sparked a little light in his eyes... which quickly diminished when he remembered a difficult evening trying to explain to Lucina why the mesh-encased box he fixed could play music. His understanding of radio waves, as a child, had only been a step above exaggerated stuff he'd seen in cartoons.

With a click, he hit the turn signal and tightly wound his mouth shut, narrowing his eyes to focus like a hawk on every car in front of him in traffic. In present? Sure, he understood the science behind it but... Hell, he knew it would be boring to talk about. More importantly, he was relieved that it had only taken him two quick adjustments to find a station playing a Beatles' song. Right about then? That was when traffic came to a halt.]

...'Kay. Looks like we're gonna be movin' slow for a bit. [Five minutes to make one turn at the intersection? He reached to Lucina, giving her arm a gentle, encouraging squeeze after giving her a brief, apologetic look. Yeah... Her nerves were sure to fire up at least a few times before they made it out.]

Edited 2024-04-24 13:47 (UTC)

[Lucina can't help but peer at Nero and his laser focus - something she hadn't seen since he first got her into this machine. he'd loosened up since, but the tenseness is back again, isn't it? he's trying very hard to do his best...

at the touch, she lay her hand atop his and smiles, hoping to reassure. she notices his effort!

for her parents' sake:] It's a bit like festival traffic...only every day, it seems. But that means you can see what the shops look like! Instead of open-air markets and stalls, most businesses have their own buildings - just for selling wares, they have completely other buildings to live in elsewhere. That's how prosperous this city can be...

[Just the slightest touch of her hand and his expression of intense focus and determination was enhanced by a fresh shade of red. He thought he was in the clear, avoiding an embarrassing moment so long as he didn't turn his head--forgetting there was the rear-view mirror hanging just beside his face.]

See, it's not so bad with some music and the heat working.

[When he remembered the rear view, he whirled around to point out a little Turkish restaurant. Strange how he didn't point it out sooner--] S-See that one? The owner lets us eat free because Lucy saved her son.

Only because you pointed out the collapsing rubble, otherwise it may have been a disaster.

[Sully and Chrom exchange a look because this kind of thing sounds almost like...them? but it's weird to hear that externally. were they this wound up and ready to throw down for each other as younger people?

(yes.)

there's a lot to take in all at once on top of that: traffic, wild architecture, peculiar fashions and vendors and patterns...Sully briefly shudders to see some garish patterns on display in a department store window, having flashbacks to the polka-dot disaster Lucina so earnestly offered her.

one thing Chrom notices suddenly: There's no guards? No soldiers...]

Say what you will but you're the one who dived, y'know?

[Once they'd reached that more vibrant part of the city, he'd noticed that things in back became a lot more quiet. He could relate to that feeling, seeing a place so tremendously different that he needed time to take it in as, well, it had been his job. Usually, that sense of amazement had been tinged with disgust for the horrors of it but it had been quite the opposite when he'd seen the palace. Fortuna's castle and architecture were grand but it was burdened by age and wear. Ylisse was gorgeous and the people there were so invested in their work that even the bureaucracy attached couldn't wear down the romance of king and country.

London, meanwhile, he saw as a cement block lodged in the mud. Still, he didn't want to say it outright to his future in-laws. After sparing Lucina the occasional smile when there were breaks in traffic, he'd heard Chrom's voice come up and thought aloud. Curious.]

We've got officers. They usually hide away at their stations and only come out to answer calls but the army? There'd be riots in the streets if the army were patrolling residential areas.

[Not that he was reliable for a history lesson but some things were still common knowledge.] Last time London was attacked was over seventy years ago. There hasn't been a need to defend since and demons just aren't enough of a hassle here to defend the whole city.

Ah, but those soldiers and guards, they can still go out and about as they please! If I remember right. [she glances to Nero for confirmation.] When they're not on duty, they just look like regular civilians.

[a far cry from off-duty Shepherds, who are always kitted out for a surprise situation to step into.]

I think that's something special. They can...separate from a role, be someone different for a time, if they want.

[something of a stretch for a land where titles and roles are identity-critical.]

...Huh. Didn't think about that.

[For someone who dressed roughly the same when he was both in and out of work--the thought never crossed him. When he was walking around on the street, it was sometimes difficult to tell if someone was military or an officer. Plenty of people could separate themselves from their work when they didn't have to protect each and every street at all times of the day.

With a little click, he hit the turn signal. The slow traffic was almost at an end.]

Yeah. Can't say I can tell the difference aside from some of the haircuts guys get when they're fresh. You can kinda tell by the crew cuts.

[Lucina covers her smile with her free hand when she catches a bit of her mother trying to discreetly ask Chrom what a crew cut is. admittedly, she has no idea what he means either...it's just cute!

she squeezes at a couple of Nero's free fingers. as far as she can see, things are going well! she hopes it's enough to assuage his endless jitters for a while. if not...well... maybe she'll have to just step up more prominently! and surely that won't get weird or make things more harrowing for poor Nero out here in the big downtown.

glimpsing some of the more touristy parts of the area makes an idea strike, and she leans over to suggest:] Some of those guards are mounted on horseback, right? We could see those today, too. [surely Sully would be endeared to that amidst all the alienness.]

[Just when he had the sudden demon of self-doubt rear its ugly head and assure him that he was not a tour guide, Lucina touched his hand and put a halt to it. His eyes widened, staring ahead at traffic without deviating even if he wanted to throw a smile her way. Inward, he added another tally to the board in Lucina's favor along with the thousands of other positives she highlighted any time she tried to reduce some burden or another on his shoulders.

Really--it was just making his plan all the more worthwhile to keep a secret.

Once they were on an easier street to navigate, he stopped holding his breath. For a moment, he'd caught sight of Sully and Chrom in the one of the mirrors trying to make sense of a thing or two with Lucina's help and, just briefly, he seemed to relax a little more. Sometimes he realized they really weren't that far apart in age which, when it stopped being an existential question, was something of a relief. Those two had a lot to think about and maybe it was a break to be confused about something with low stakes rather than high stakes?

That aside, he focused just in time to brake without tossing everyone over and stop in a jumbo spot reserved for buses.]

Oh, holy--jackpot, this space ain't ever available!

Oh!

[how nice! usually it's somewhere on a sidewalk or across multiple of those striped spaces...yards and yards away from anything.

or at the top of one of those cars-only buildings!

regardless, if Nero sees this as a win, so shall Lucina; she withdraws her hands to her belt before double-taking to be sure he's turning the whole machine off.]

Are we getting out here, then? [is it time to disentangle parents from their own safety restraints?]

[With a 'click', he tossed off his seatbelt and stretched his arms over his head. Like a dummy, he hadn't adjusted the seat since Nico last drove it--leaving him rubbing the back of his neck before giving Lucina the usual nod to let her know the death machine was safely subdued.

Still, it was a heavy thing--so he grabbed a cinderblock from between the seats as he swung the door open.]

Yup, we're good to go. I'm gonna make sure this thing doesn't move an inch while we're out. [Without missing a beat, he gave pause and peeked above the seat at Lucina, hushing his voice just a little bit.]

Psst. Lucy-- Do they like spicy food?

Hm-?

[she's half-out the door when he flags for her, prompting Lucina to lean back in. it takes a second for the question to register.

spicy food?]

Oh--well... [...

...

hang on. do they? she realizes she can't recall right away; for as close to near a shadow as she'd been to Chrom during the war years, she can't say she recalls any asks for a kick to a stew or him doubling over from too much seasoning...]

I don't think either of them are that picky, honestly. I imagine it would be fine?

[unless she's accidentally setting them up for pain. but that doesn't seem likely to her - they're great warriors! iron wills...iron stomachs?

she nods.] Yes, I think spicy food is fine.

[and that's that! she hops out of the van and moves to pull open the rear door, finding seat belts unbuckled - just negotiating getting them free from being snagged on assorted belts or ornamentations. the trials of casually ornate styles of dress, truly.

with a laugh:] Mother, wait! Don't just tear the belt off! Here, I'll help--

[with a bit of patience and some grumbling, the Exalt and Queen are freed from the van, able to shade their eyes and peer around the area, exchanging curious looks with the curious passers-by. clearly this must be some media stunt or promotion for a new theater production of some sort, right? anything for some free social media engagement these days...]

Ooh, alright, that opens up the options a bit!

[With a 'thunk', he dropped their makeshift 'extra brake' behind the rear wheel of the van and started walking around to the other side of the van while fishing through his pocket for his phone. He could hear the rattle of seatbelts and Lucina's voice coming. He'd paused at the door, hesitating if only because he wasn't quite sure if Sully was unhappy at first... slowly popping out from the side when he realized he'd heard some laughter.

Pressing with his foot, he unfolded the steps for everyone to step out and pushed them right back in once they were back on their own two feet. The door to the van shut, he'd turned on his phone to glance at the screen and confirm, for the 100th time that day, that the appointment was scheduled. When he'd looked up and seen there were people glancing among them--he took a deep breath and aired out an irritated sigh.] Your parents never taught you that it's rude to stare? C'mon.

[At the very least, it was enough to get foot traffic to continue alone with nary a threat and more than enough to bring a smile to his face for Lucina and his in-laws. Confidence. All he had to do was muster a bit of that demon-stabbing confidence he was so good at--] Alright, so...

Let's go check out some stores. You ever tell them about the sporting goods place we chased that Judecca through?

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don't worry i've called the police and told everyone

aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaa

uu

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PSA: always wear a seatbelt

and maybe install airbags in the murdervan that can bunny hop off highway bridges

they've got a box full of airbag replacements somewhere in that garage

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behold my overabundance of confidence

imagine coming back to the van getting towed lmfao

they'll be spared what with the inevitable surprise demon attack in the script