[027] OOM - Meet the Parents

[tristranthorn]

As every good traveler knows, there must be a destination for which to head towards - otherwise, there is aimless wandering which makes for wasted time, wasted resources, and a more or less miserable time.

But as any good observer knows, Tristran and Yvaine do not follow rules whatsoever.

So the two companions - still terribly (and pathetically) in love - are doing exactly what good travelers do not: they are wandering aimlessly, wasting time and resources. Whether they are having a miserable time remains to be seen, though it is unlikely that they are even able to follow that part of the rule, anyway.

"You know," Tristran starts thoughtfully, turning to glance at the star, "it has come to my attention that you haven't met my family yet."

Why this thought suddenly springs up in the young man's mind is a mystery, but now that it has taken precedence in the forefront of his thoughts, he believes it important not to let it go.

"Before we left, I told my father about you," he continues. "And I am positive that my mother - my other mother - and my sister want to meet you too. What do you think?"

Comments

[an_evening_star]

Obviously.

He's been getting more devious and she hasn't even noticed. She's becoming lax - terribly lax and far too easily distracted by that good and innocent facade, attractive though it may be.

"Oh," she manages, a fair bit more weakly than she had intended. "I - Well, I suppose that's good, isn't it?"

(His parents! Parents are Important.)

[tristranthorn]

"Yes," he chimes, sounding quite cheerful about the whole thing.

He even has bits of conversation in his head planned out - or imagined, in any case. He is sure that they will all get along famously.

"Very good."

He reaches for her hand and squeezes it.

"It isn't too far. After we left Milliways, we managed not to wander a great distance from Wall. If we start back now, we could probably make it in a day or so."

[an_evening_star]

Or they made a 'wrong' turn somewhere that wasn't precisely a wrong turn at all. Now that this deviousness has been uncovered, there's absolutely no telling how far it has gotten.

"Only a day or so. That long?"

Her brain - the vile, awful thing - is very quickly mapping out conversations. Tiny, imaginary conversations. They're not going terribly well at all. (Even the ones where she is a rock.)

Her fingers, rather like the rest of her, are in a very still state of shock.

"Only," a very quiet - very quiet - laugh. "Oh dear and holy gods."

[tristranthorn]

"Hey," he starts, leaning towards her a bit to get her to look at him.

He likely did not factor in the part about Yvaine possibly not wanting to meet his parents throughout all of his excitement.

Shoot.

"There is nothing whatsoever to be nervous about. They will love you. I am sure of it."

[an_evening_star]

It might, on someone who very distinctly wasn't Yvaine, be something close to panic. If it wasn't her. Because she doesn't panic.

Ever. At all.

"Tristran, they're your family," she says by way of explanation. "They're important. I am supposed to make a good impression."

Oh gods.

"Tristran," it's a bit more desperate this time. "I threw dirt at you - I don't make good impressions!"

[tristranthorn]

"Yes," he starts, straightening back to a more ... serious, and less enthusiastic position.

He looks thoughtful for a moment, lips pressed together.

"Yes, well ... that is in the past, isn't it? You've - it's different, now. What's important is that we love each other, isn't it?"

It is to him. Even if that clod of dirt had hurt a little at the time.

[an_evening_star]

"Tristran," she gulps audibly at the change in his expression, snagging his fingers back between hers. "Tristran, you can't do that. You have to be cheerfully optimistic at me or else I am going to - I am going to panic and I am going to listen to that very convincing little voice in the back of my head that is telling me that your parents are going to hate me and then you are going to hate me for making your parents hate me and then I am going to wish that I was a lump of rock because, at the very least, rocks cannot talk."

Actually, it would be a lot easier if -

"Can we tell them that I cannot talk?"

[tristranthorn]

He laughs.

"I do not think they will believe you if I told them you were mute," he says, pulling her towards him.

All right. Optimism. He can certainly do that; it isn't hard when he is so stupidly in love with her.

"My parents will not hate you. How can they?" Beat. "Besides, Louisa can be quite the nightmare. Next to her, you'll look like an absolute angel."

[an_evening_star]

Angel?

Seriously now.

"I think you're pushing it a bit there, love," she mumbles, sounding somewhat more amused and slightly less on the edge of a heart attack, and there's something of a smile at the very edges of her lips when she manages to tilt her chin up. "Not that the sentiment isn't appreciated."

[tristranthorn]

"You don't know Louisa," he says with a little shrug. "I certainly have some fond memories of and with her, but there are times when I wondered why I was cursed with such a horrible, horrible sister."

His hands run up and down her arms reassuringly, in any case.

"So you'll do it, then?"

[an_evening_star]

"You were probably just too nice, dear."

It's a curse, it is.

"It's important to you, you moron," she presses a kiss to the side of his neck, right about where her forehead was formerly resting. (It isn't her fault that she's shorter than him.) "Of course I'm going to - there's no real way that I wouldn't."

[tristranthorn]

He hugs her, then, laughing - perhaps it is at being called a 'moron.'

He hasn't heard that in a while.

"Thank you."

[an_evening_star]

Ah, but he's her moron. It's a completely different sort of thing.

Her skin tingles with the contact which, in turn, makes her hum pleasantly and wrap herself a bit tighter while she still can. (It's an entirely greedy motion, really it is.)

"I suppose it cannot be too bad," she grins. "I am going to hazard a guess that your family, at the very least, will not be having me for dinner."

[tristranthorn]

He grins back too, shaking his head.

"Absolutely not. I believe I am the strangest one in my family, being not entirely human, so you have nothing to worry about."

Now the excitement of seeing his parents again can begin!

[an_evening_star]

In a day or so.

She has time to breathe - and make her mental conversations not end in her unfortunate and untimely demise by embarrassment and utter mortification.

Maybe.

"Alright," she nods, setting her shoulders. "I can handle this. I can and - and you will not leave me alone."

[tristranthorn]

"Of course not," he reassures her. "I will be by your side the entire time - until you are ready to let go of me."

Because he is certain they will all get along so well, she will soon be able to speak with his family without him standing right next to her.

Yes.

[an_evening_star]

Well, he could stand in front of her.

Much better for hiding, really.

"If," she corrects mildly, before stepping out of the loop of his arms to start walking again. Might as well get this nonsense over with.

[tristranthorn]

He does not object to that, instead grabbing her hand - just for the contact that he has grown so accustomed to, anyway.

"I will leave you by the wall when we get there," he explains. "Then I'll get my family and lead them towards the gap."

He pauses.

"I hope the gap still exists. I don't think anyone would have decided to close it while we were gone."

[an_evening_star]

"I am hoping that there's much of anything there at all," she returns, lacing their fingers easily. "The Fair doesn't stay there for terribly long, from what I understand. Unless you were planning a picnic, dear. Which we are woefully unsupplied for."

Read: It's terribly fortunate that I don't eat, seeing as we would probably run out if I did.

[tristranthorn]

"I am certain my mum will prepare some sort of picnic when I tell them the situation," he tells her with a laugh, squeezing her fingers a little.

"You're right. The Fair should be over by now, actually - if I am correct."

[an_evening_star]

"Which means that I should probably eat something," she chews her lower lip, looking thoughtful. "That's polite, isn't it?"

Especially if they're already inconveniencing the woman to begin with.

"Tobias would likely cuff me if I didn't - so I'm supposing it's polite."

[tristranthorn]

Tristran grins.

"Yes, you probably should. Just to be polite. But my father already knows you are a star. It will only be a matter of time before my mum and Louisa do too."

[an_evening_star]

"They don't know?"

There's a brief flare of that panic-like emotion once more.

"And I suppose that 'Hello, I'm Yvaine. Pleased to meet you, I'm in love with your son. Oh, and did I mention that I'm a good couple million years old and I have a tendency to glitter when it's dark out.' is going to go over swimmingly."

[tristranthorn]

"They'll understand," Tristran assures her. "At least mum will. I suppose now that I think of it, she's always sort of understood this sort of thing."

He just didn't realize it at the time.

"Besides, my father will know how to smooth things over, if anything happens - which it won't, of course," he adds, quickly.

[an_evening_star]

"Of course," she echoes. She's just going to mentally repeat that to herself a few thousand more times and hope that it sinks in.

It might. Eventually.

"It will be fine," her fingers tighten a bit and she laughs. "It is utterly ridiculous that this is more - more nerve-wracking than potentially being murdered, Tristran."