001 ☀ Stahn Aileron, Otome Yanagiya

[majinken]

Comments

[mombastic]

... We'll work it out.

[ To his farm? Home? ]

[majinken]

Right.

[it'll work out.]

Let's go—my house isn't too far from here. [it's pretty much a stone's throw away, but he's happy to lead the way.]

[mombastic]

I'll follow your lead!

[ at a brisk walk, even! She can do this. ]

[majinken]

...I'm really glad you can see Leane now, Otome.

[he'll say as he walks; it's really just idle conversation to pass the time along the way—but it's not less true, of course.]

[mombastic]

I'm also glad! I know you've told me stories, but getting to see it for myself is amazing.

[ And it's such a cute place... ]

[majinken]

I did my best to explain it before, but... I guess it's a little different if you can see it for yourself.

[it really is a quintessential farm village, quiet and peaceful—the air is warm even as the breeze comes off from the nearby coast, and the outline of mountains wrapped in a fog can be seen in the distance outside the town.]

How long has it been for you, anyway? Since... then.

[mombastic]

Mm... almost a year?

[ It's hard to imagine. She's still riveted by the sight of the distant mountains... it's so much more peaceful than Osaka. ]

[majinken]

So it's been that long for you too, huh...

[it doesn't feel like that long, if only because he was still dealing with his journey when he returned, and then spend some time elsewhere to help in some rebuilding efforts—it's been a bit of time, though, and stahn realizes it.

it's hard to tell from leane that the world had been through a terrible crisis, being so secluded, the worst of it really avoided the village almost entirely.]

[mombastic]

Yes... we had to help protect our world and figure out a way to keep administrators from interfering with humanity ever again.

[ The usual. ]

[majinken]

...Did it all work out?

[the important questions, naturally.] That sounds really serious!

[obviously, stahn.]

[mombastic]

It was, but we pulled through! Everything's back to normal now, for good.

[ Whatever that means. ]

[majinken]

That's good... I'm really glad to hear it!

[sincerely, because he wants otome to be able to live peacefully and happily too, after all.

but first.]

There it is, right over that way! [he'll point out the house that he calls his, which has a pretty sizable pasture on the other side of it.

truly a country boy from the farm, just as advertised.]

[mombastic]

Oh--! What a big field!

[ Otome has never been on a farm, so she might look a bit like a starstruck tourist. ]

[majinken]

Eh? Oh... mm! The pasture is out that way, that's where the sheep are.

[he'll say it with a grin—her expression, honestly, is similar to how he felt the first time he saw the flashing lights in cerealia, all the neon signs and the buzzing sounds.

of course, to him that is a lot more remarkable than a farm, but he supposes someone from a city would feel the other way about it...]

[mombastic]

You'll be sure to let me pet them, won't you?

[ Look... she wants to see if they're as soft and fluffy as she's heard. This is very important. ]

[majinken]

Mm, of course! They're all really friendly, they'll like the attention a lot.

[they're very, very fluffy, otome.]

[mombastic]

If only our sheep demons were like that...

[ They'd been a lot more fussy. But she's properly excited now for actual sheep petting-- after meeting the family, of course. ]

[majinken]

Well... I guess that's why they're demons and not regular sheep, right?

[just sayin'. he thinks that probably makes sense. but alas, what does stahn know about sheep demons?]

[mombastic]

Some of the snake and cat demons do act more like their animal counterparts, so it's hard to say sometimes. But all the same, I'll be happy to meet your entire family, sheep included.

[majinken]

Huh...

[even after all this time, he obviously doesn't really get some of this demon stuff. so maybe it's better that she's shifted the focus to what's more important.]

Come on! Let's go inside... I'll introduce you to Gramps and Lilith, and then we can go see the sheep and talk some more. [because he does think they have a lot to catch up on, of course.]

[mombastic]

After you.

[ Really, she'll follow. Maybe a little nervously, for all that she doesn't show it at all. This is Stahn's family, after all. ]

[majinken]

[the encounter will go pretty smoothly, at least. there are parts that are difficult to explain, and while lilith is "jiiing" quite a bit for the duration of these introductions (if only because she sizes up every woman stahn meets to see if they're proper wife material—but upon seeing that her big brother clearly isn't treating her like that...

(okay, not that stahn really has treated anyone but rutee any differently, but she can see something more familial in it—which maybe makes her slightly envious, but she won't hassle otome about it for now. truthfully, stahn doesn't even notice her attitude.)

either way, it goes smoothly enough that they'll be able to go out to the pasture and talk some more soon enough.]

That was kind of tough to explain... but I guess it worked out okay in the end.

[mombastic]

[ Otome manages to look both tired and relieved, taking a few calming breaths before she laughs. ]

I don't think I've ever been so nervous, beyond breaking news to patients!

[ And this had turned out a lot better than those moments ever had. Even if Lilith had seemed to regard her... just a little warily. ]

[majinken]

Eh? Was it really that bad? Gramps and Lilith are pretty nice to everyone, though...

[he didn't think there was much to be nervous about. except for trying to explain the hard parts of the situation, but even that wasn't something worth being nervous. stahn was there to vouch for things, and it's not like they have any reason to believe he'd ever lie to them.]

[mombastic]

Not bad, just... well, I've learned you won't get far anywhere if someone's family doesn't like you very much.

[ AKA it's incredibly important. ]