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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[The sobering clash between Sully, Lucina, and the scarf left him briefly stunned. When all hands were drawn, Lucina's enthusiasm was destined to win out and, whether it was wisdom or luck, Nero knew not to meet Sully's eyes once the scarf was laid in his waiting hands. Instead, he weighed the scarf in his hand and half-turned to the register.]

Portability isn't a big issue since the gate is pretty wide now.

[Believe it or not, he'd been trying to temper things down as he was convinced there was a way to settle Sully's nerves and let Lucina do what she'd liked to treat her mother. As the cashier snapped the code on the scarf, Nero swiped his card and made it a deal.]

You can put together an outfit, right? Might take a couple of stores.

["Is the plan to saddle us up with a buncha stuff to haul back to Ylisse?" Sully asks, eyebrow cocked, her attention splitting between the transaction and Nero himself. what happened. where are the coins. how the fuck does this country work.

Lucina takes the now-bagged scarf, keen to carry it along lest it somehow get lost along the way.]

Only if you like them. [like this scarf!! obviously.] Only if...if they'll make you remember this place fondly.

[because she'd like that. she'd like them to walk away from this city, this world, and feel like she's chosen well. that they can trust her to have made the right call. their disapproval wouldn't make her change her mind, but...but having their approval and being able to go back and know that their daughter is fine is...it means a lot.

Chrom smiles affably, offsetting his wife's natural reservations. "I think it's worth looking around. We're at your mercy, after all."]

[Blinking rapidly, Nero tried to put together why using his scruffy-looking debit card earned such a stern look from Sully only to have Lucina spare them both that brief rigamarole of explaining the internet. He wanted to avoid that chat at all costs, really, especially given how he barely understood how television signals worked.

What he'd noticed, per the usual, had been that Chrom and Sully were truly and utterly held at the whim of their affection for their daughter. The thought alone made his throat tight.]

Hey, it's gotta be fun to be tourists once in a while. [Though, as they left the store and Nero shoved his mysterious wallet back in his pocket, he was quick to grin.]

Besides, you guys are gonna love the sporting goods store.

[introducing these two to gun hunting might be the worst idea, but thankfully...this is London. that's not happening today. everyone can relax, no yees will be hawed.

Chrom offers a lighthearted concession: "It's not often we get to travel somewhere when it's not for diplomacy or to clear out bandits...so I guess we're just rusty in this regard."

"Who's rusty?!" Sully scoffs, indignant, snatching the bagged item to carry herself, starting to stomp ahead to almost outpace Nero...before slowing so he can be first. she has no fucking idea where she's going, also she might walk into traffic if she does that.

Lucina smothers a laugh, having had to sidle up against Nero to get out of her mother's way, and is content to hang onto his arm for a bit longer while the pace is reset.]

A Shepherd's work is never done...except when they're suddenly on vacation? Or...or would it be better to call it a scouting mission? [her smile is a sheepish wince when Sully makes a face.] Right. Maybe that's patronizing...

Mmmm. [Nero made a little noise, trying to choose between calling out to Sully and retreating back to Lucina to beg her to. Thankfully, Sully wasn't in a sprint as it would have been difficult and awkward to stomp and make a run for it at the same time given that the point was probably to make everyone well aware that she was annoyed rather than tripping at first notice.

He deflated the instant Lucina leaned up against him as if all his nerves had escaped at the same time, not at all hesitating to pull her in closer with a bleak look on his face.]

Maybe it is but... it's pretty jarring seeing it from somebody else. [Having no idea how much he'd mirrored Chrom in the moment, Nero hung his head and made every effort to spare the occasional glance to his future mother-in-law to be sure she wasn't going to stomp on any niche deco public art piece or something that looked deceptively like local infrastructure.]

I was new to this once too, y'know? Fortuna was big and lavish but there weren't any pubs or movie theaters. Didn't have a clue what to do with myself for weeks when I first got here.

[Lucina's smile softens, thinking briefly of some of the lengthy talk she and Nero shared getting each other up to speed on all that had changed since their link between mirrors had vanished. he downplayed the culture shock...except when it felt right to him to downplay himself with culture shock; Lucina imagines the truth lay somewhere in-between those two points, neither of which could refute how jarring going from one sense of space to another could be.

it's easier for her to think that now, having done so herself, naturally.

she's obliged to think on that only briefly because Sully remarking about all the "little blocks folks're touting" makes her double-take in confusion.]

Oh--the phones? It's like the one Nero has. Most people have them. [...] Ah...they're...probably taking pictures of us? Given your attire... [quickly:] But that's not strange! Even the local guards of this city get their pictures taken a lot! People like to do that. You needn't pay heed if you don't want to.

[speaking of pictures--]

[Part of him expected her parents to fixate on the phones a little differently. Was he simply spoiled by Lucina's sense of adventure and starry-eyed love for learning things? Chrom's borderline polite bewilderment was easily undercut by Sully's inclination to defy wonder and make a beeline to outright irritation.

Really. His brows scrunched together, almost annoyed that he even expected something else from them. Nico might have teased him if she'd gotten a whiff of it--that he was still thinking up reasons to explain why he loved Lucina so damned much. The teasing he wasn't even hearing out loud was making his brow twitch in frustration.

Realizing he'd been staring pretty intensely ahead, Nero straightened his back and cleared his throat. He mumbled a little closer to Lucina's ear.]

Oh, hey. Put any thought into getting them a phone? If they make that portal work, Nico said it might actually carry.

Wait, truly? [Lucina's eyes go big, turning her head to gaze up at him, as though he were the inventor of phones outright.] Do you think that kind of technology would, ah, play nice? With being so far away from...other technology?

...Could it be charged by magic spells?

[queue up the montages of Laurent exploding phones and toasters with lightning spells.]

[As ever, the moment she gave him that wide eyed look as if all the hope in the world was shining behind them, and he felt ambitious enough to make fashionably stupid promises.

Except, the moment he opened his mouth to speak, he had to give pause. The mental image of him grabbing the Overture and pointing it at his phone made him reconsider.]

Y--!!

... Wait. Uh. We should probably have Laurent and Nico give that a shot, right? On second thought, it might take a delicate touch.

[Lucina nods, mouth twitching at a corner.] With...samples that nobody would feel bad about losing, yes. Yes, but--but if it can work... [she still seems quite jazzed about the prospects, unable to keep a straight face.] ...then the distance really wouldn't be so great after all. It'd be amazing.

[from separation of worlds between glass long ago to little devices that can be carried beyond a single room... would they really be so lucky? would she? Lucina can't help but feel like she's been pressing her luck with all these good things, but then...then she doesn't mind being proven wrong.

she means to say something more, but is stopped suddenly by a hand on her shoulder and Sully pokes her head between them.

"What's amazing? What're we standing around for?"]

What? Oh, nothing! [It was enough to say that the light shimmering in Lucina's eyes had been distracting enough to make him overconfident that he could push and push their genius friends to get the near-impossible done for the holidays.

It was even more than that, given how unprepared he was for a single question from Sully and just how she'd snuck right up on them.]

Uh. Nothing's amazing. I mean--[Clearing his throat, he just flat out gave up on trying to finish whatever thought he'd conjured up and darted behind Lucina and Sully so he could put his hands on their shoulders and start pushing them towards the center of the pavilion and towards a nice-looking antique store.]

--How bout here? We all... love antiques, right? How old and... useful they are??

[Sully: "You mean a bunch of old junk?"

Chrom: "Heirlooms?"

Lucina's mouth twitches on one end, letting herself be conveyed inside, keeping her arm looped through her mother's so she can't outright flinch away from Nero's unsolicited touch. Chrom follows behind dutifully, albeit distractedly (there's no sparring grounds or anything anywhere in this realm, huh? that's a shame, he thinks).

some minutes in the meandering of old phones and jewelry and tchotchkes:

Chrom: "This city certainly seems quite wealthy, to have such surplus..."

Sully: "That's a very nice way to say 'there's an awful lot of junk here.'" she picks up an old wired phone receiver...and lets it plunk back unceremoniously back onto its base. after a beat, she offers: "But the people aren't wanting for much. Which is a good sign. It's the kind of thing you hope for."

it's just a little boring for a knight - a similar issue she has with peacetime in Ylisse...but at least there, she gets to chase down and beat up ruffians and bandits, you know? being a well-behaved tourist is hard.

while trying on an old sunhat:] The land isn't without it's troubles, but...yes. There are quite a lot of unique inventions and fashions, right? Imagine if our land's tailors and artisans had access to some of these wonderful patterns?

[Sully shudders.]

Grkkk--

[A little noise slipped out when Sully and Lucina matched his pace, albeit one half of the equation seeming to be dragged along. Managing to get everyone in the shop, he'd retreated just a step to find his phone and check the time. For the most part, he kept to himself as the family went from item to item--only chiming in when they felt curious enough to ask what something was.

Though he'd gotten the immediate impression that the shop itself was a miss, he couldn't help but keep quiet and listen to them as he'd checked out a few older oil cans and tools kept in their own little section of the shop. He'd blanched when he realized there were items in there that were newer than some of the things he used in the garage.]

Look here! Trish said I could keep Dante's jukebox if I-- [A record held in hand, Nero found himself clutching it to his chest when he'd turned at a serendipitous time, just as Lucina turned to show off the hat she'd found. The hat was frayed at the edges just enough to let the morning sun slip through almost as much as it framed her in a dazzling display. Frozen in place, his jaw just a little agape, Nero tried to work out the words while she'd cast a spell that worked far too well on him.

He had too much coffee. Also, he was forgetting they were in public and with her parents.] --Hey.

[Lucina blinks, then smiles, eyes crinkling with mirth, a fresh blush blossoming on her cheeks.] Hi. Dante's what, now?

[Sully squints, leaning a bit into frame to diffuse some of that dokidoki magic happening. Lucina, oblivious, just tilts her head a little to keep Nero in her sights.]

Grrk--

[The sound of a record-scratch found a new friend, his hands raised almost defensively as Sully seemed to suppress the idyllic paradise Lucina had created in the window of an antique shop.

Looking back and forth between them, he held up the vinyl as a sort of aegis.]

...His jukebox. Y'know, the skunky-looking thing he kept punching?

Oh! That! The one that makes music when he hits it. [yes, she remembers.

honestly, she thought it was just some kind of...technological training dummy, given the treatment. she never bothered to ask for clarity, given how swept up by the undertow of everything else at the time. but now is time to know better, especially in the company of her parents, so she makes a mental note to try and remember this for future.

having sensed a somewhat successful dissolution of overly schmaltzy atmosphere, Sully straightens up and makes like minding her business while pointedly not minding her business. contrast this to Chrom, who is in fact, minding his business, because he's trying to figure out what a rubick's cube is for. what do the different colors mean.

Lucina, scooting a bit past Sully, peers at the vinyl, then at Nero.] Trish said you were keeping it? Or something else?

["Who's Trish?" Sully asks over her shoulder, suspicious. as if the number of women Nero knows by name is somehow evidence of foul play.]

Right! Yeah, Trish... [Sully. Nero's head swiveled just a touch, staring her dead in the eye.]

She's, uh. A devil clone of my grandmother? It's a long-- [Except, he couldn't handle two fires at the same time. He thought for a moment about the way Lucina phrased it only to realize when a problem was presenting itself well in advance, quickly searching the store for Chrom only to see him too distracted to save him from Sully. Why'd he have to center on the one thing in the place he had no real explanation for??]

Wait, Lucy, just so we're clear...

[The notion of her raising the Falchion in hand when she wanted to move to the next song became a prevalent image in mind and so he raised both his hands in gentle surrender. Sully's eyes.]

You're not supposed to hit it. I can fix it myself if it breaks.

[the parents (Sully had cleared her throat just enough to get Chrom's attention) exchange glances while Lucina blinks.]

Oh--well, alright. [not a musical training dummy. got it. she nods, then does a little double-take when she spies the sour look on Sully's face.

"Everything devils with your world?"]

Well, well, no, but there's a lot of overlap, clearly...

Um. [He wanted to answer with a 'No' quickly just to dispel their degrees of concern and apprehension. Nero had anticipated the topic to come up at some point so he was at least a little prepared to push things along in the right direction.]

It's not like they're rare but most people just don't ever see demons around. Anything in the city gets cleaned up fast, so chances are? You're more likely to get attacked by a regular person than a demon.

[Pausing, Nero cleared his throat. Even as the words left his mouth, he exchanged a nervous smile with Lucina that almost felt like it was tempting fate. His worst fear? Trish knew how to target insecurities and went at it constantly. There was no way he'd survive the middle ground of Trish finding something to tease Sully about.] That said, Trish is a pretty nice lady but she's a also pretty weird... and I doubt you'll ever meet since she's usually busy.

[Chrom looks briefly puzzled. a regular person? not a bandit or a pirate?

Sully stays squinting. not because she believes Nero's a philanderer, but because the idea that she thinks he's a philanderer ought to keep him on his toes and best behavior. let the kid squirm, you know?

Lucina picks up on that and tilts her head, giving Sully an entreating look. war is over, Mother! peace and love!

Sully grunts, rolls her eyes, and relents. the struggles of having a mother just a few years older than you...]

I, I've only spoken to her a couple times, myself. But she's not the surprise you had in mind, right?

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You change when you get in that van.

It got better with the holiday, tyyyy... Less coughing uu

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