Meeting the fiancé's otherworldly friends

[volurofthehearth]

The invitation was very clear about the nature of the gathering. Or as clear as the upper class get about these things. He had needed to insist upon doing them himself as her eyes had brightened and she'd smiled wide at the mention of making them. Rather than the texts that are often favoured by Nexus residents, these are paper invitations delivered by couriers post-haste. They specify the time and date that each person is invited to come and meet his new fiancé. A simple chat over tea to make introductions.

Isidor, insisting she would only be a distraction, left Viatorus to handle things with Lyall guarding the door as per usual. If Viatorus were the suspicious type he might linger on the notion that she vanished purposefully to put himself and his wife-to-be to the test, but then that wouldn't be very nice of her.

Viatorus' office apartment is... different. The main room which everyone enters into feels warmer, closer, inviting. The chairs and couch face each other a little more, tables positioned perfectly to make sure everyone can see everyone with ease. There are vases of flowers here and there, pale and demure bundles with little bursts of colour. Above each of the doors are smaller bundles of dried plants that twist and intertwine so that once pinned up they appear as decorations that makes the apartment feel more like a natural space. The air smells ever so faintly of vanilla and cinnamon, the last gift Ingirun gives to Viatorus' Nexus home.

It is only because of his company that Viatorus has chosen to wear a relatively untouched blue-grey suit and even a blue tie to match his light blue shirt. Ingirun's impeccably pinned up hair makes her retro ensemble of a loose white silk shirt and long green skirt appear as the perfect combination of smart casual. With cakes, pastries, sandwiches and mini-tarts all prepared, now all they need to do is wait for the first visitor to arrive.

Comments

[juststeverogers]

He'd checked the invitation several times to make absolutely certain of the time.

Now, Steve Rogers has met Viatorus' family before. He knows what he's volunteered to get himself into. He's not sure all the tender loving care in the world will make his hand me down suit from Bucky nice enough for a Durant gathering, but he's sure done his best to make it so. It's been patched, properly cleaned and pressed, and hung well out of the way of the curious small animals who now share his apartment.

There's a knock at the door at precisely the asked upon time (and a quiet request of Lyall not to mention Steve had arrived five minutes early and waited outside until the right time) and upon being received a snow dusted Steve Rogers on Viatorus' doorstep all bundled up to shield himself and his freshly cleaned suit from the cold. He becomes an even smaller man when he removes his big hat, gloves, and long coat but his smile is no less bright.

"Good afternoon."

[volurofthehearth]

After opening the door, Viatorus clears the way for Steve to come inside and make himself comfortable. To him the numerous layers are a reasonable precaution, especially for Steve, magic-less and ill-prone as he is. He helps Steve out as best he can, taking the coat, hat and gloves and taking them to the coat rack. Ingirun, meanwhile, watches, brow rising as she sees the stick of a man emerging from the bundle of clothes. But his greeting brings a bright smile to her face. How polite!

"Good afternoon," she returns, already an accent peeking through.

"U-Um." Viatorus steps back to them, gesturing between them. "Steve, this is Ingirun, my fiancée. I-Ingirun, this is my friend Steve."

Ingirun waits patiently for Viatorus to finish before turning her smile back on Steve and offering a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Steve."

[juststeverogers]

Steve's own accent isn't as strong as it once was. He's been away from home a long time and the Brooklyn lilt to his words is subtle, leaving him sounding all around just American. He gives a tiny shiver at being extracted from his nice warm coat but thanks Viatorus quietly for helping him un-bundle himself.

"Steve Rogers, ma'am. It's nice to meet you." He offers the woman a smile as warm as a fresh baked pie and gives her hand a polite shake. His bony hand is still a bit cold from outside, despite the gloves he'd been wearing. He gives his friend a somewhat more relaxed handshake.

"Thanks for inviting me over, Viatorus. I'm glad I could make it."

[volurofthehearth]

She matches his handshake exactly and takes a step back while he greets his friend. Viatorus smiles weakly, rubbing his knuckles once his hands are free. "So am I. I..." He glances between them and his hands begin to wave as he shuffles to the couches. "I-I'm trying to introduce Ingirun to my Nexus friends, a-and show her around."

"It is an amazing place," she says, moving with Viatorus further into the room. "And I am so excited to be here and meeting you and Viatorus' other friends." She stops to offer Steve a seat. "Please, help yourself to the food. Would you like tea, or coffee, or anything else?"

[juststeverogers]

"It's a sensible idea."

Steve does his best to give Viatorus a reassuring smile. He can be calm for both of them, and hopefully if Viatorus sees that he's not fretting he'll relax a bit as well. The best Steve can do is not embarrass Viatorus in front of his fiancee. He turns to Ingirun and nods emphatically.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. It's been my home for the last year and a half now." Her offer makes him pause to consider but only for just a moment. "I prefer coffee, but I know Viatorus has quite the taste in teas. Please, whatever wouldn't be a trouble, thank you."

[volurofthehearth]

Ingirun tips towards him, a cheeky smile adding to her conspiratorial tone. "I prefer coffee as well. I have made sure to balance his cupboards out with it." Straightening she announces, "I will fetch us some."

With that she turns and heads for the small kitchen with a significant bounce in her step.

Now alone, Viatorus' eyes linger on the kitchen door before sitting, casting a small smile Steve's way. He's still rubbing his knuckles, but he looks less nervous and more... lost. "She's from Sweden," he says eventually. "They, um, they like their coffee there. Quite a lot. I didn't know before."

[juststeverogers]

"Sweden...wow. How did your family meet hers then? Do...do you travel often?"

Steve tries not to sound as shocked as he is. He doesn't know much about the country, but Ingirun speaks impeccable English and seems friendly enough. Again he is reminded of his patched suit and tries to straighten his hair from the mess his hat had made of it.

"...She seems nice, though." That's a good thing, right?

[volurofthehearth]

"My family knows..." Viatorus' eyes dart up and to the side as he thinks of how best to put it. Steve comes from such a different world, even in his own Earth. The Durant bloodline stretches out across most of the Earth, but that sounds intimidating, even to a member of that bloodline. "... a... lot of... people."

He fidgets some more. "She's very nice," he agrees. A hand lifts and waves unhelpfully before he gives up trying to express whatever it is through hand motions. "She's, um, bouncy. She. Bounce- Energetic. She has an energy."

Well done, Viatorus. Well done.

[juststeverogers]

"Well, good though! That's good. She seems to like you, for one. And if they know a lot of people, then it...I mean. It shows that they're considering you and your feelings."

Steve had been worried that this mysterious fiance would be someone authoritarian and severe, someone who would look to control Viatorus rather than support him. And granted, he's only just met Miss Ingirun, but she seems alright to him.

"She..yes. Oh, yes. She uhm. She does do that. It's cute, right?" Should it be cute? Steve honestly didn't notice all that much. Do dames bounce? The ones flirting with Bucky seemed inclined to now and again.

[volurofthehearth]

That would be a nice thought. Viatorus is sure that at least partly his sister has done her best to rig the decision in his favour. But he's also very much aware that he is clueless about his family's hidden motivations. They're not a particularly open or chatty sort of people.

"No," he replies defensively. He's seen what happens when a man calls his sister cute. Realising his haste comes across as rude, he scrambles to correct, "I-I-I mean, it's… nice, but… not cute. It's… good. She's very nice. Very friendly." He fidgets and looks over to the kitchen door before quickly shifting his attention back to his friend. "I'm sorry. I am glad. That she's friendly, I mean. But I… I'm not sure what to do. It's strange, all of this." A thought hits him and he leans forward, lowering his voice. "Is this what a date is like?"

[juststeverogers]

Whatever question Steve was expecting from Viatorus, that wasn't it.

As such, he's unable to hide the completely blank look he gets when Viatorus asks if this is what dates are like. Steve's fairly certain he's never been on a date in his life. Bucky would ask him on double dates back in Brooklynn. But that always ended up being Bucky's date and her sister or friend hitting on him and ignoring Steve. Not that he minded, exactly? He knows what he looks like and he knows what Bucky looks like. He's not blind. And if he were a dame? He'd like Bucky too. It was what it was.

"Uh..."

Might as well come clean, Rogers. Lying won't help anyone.

"To be honest, Viatorus? I have no idea. I've never...been out with a dame before."

[volurofthehearth]

"Oh." He shouldn't be surprised. Steve has mentioned not having much interaction with women before, but he comes across as much more experienced in, well, life than Viatorus. Looking to him for answers seems natural.

The opening of the kitchen door distracts him anyway and Ingirun enters with a tray of pots and cups. Viatorus stands immediately. "L-Let me help you with that."

"No, no. It is okay." She brings it to the table and sets everything out carefully, as if each thing has its correct place. Once the tray is set aside she begins pouring out the tea and coffee, pausing only to ask Steve if he would like milk or sugar. "Where are you from, Steve? Where was your home before the Nexus?"

[juststeverogers]

"Thank you for getting this for us, Ma'am."

He isn't sure how old Ingirun is actually, but everyone is sir and ma'am to him unless told otherwise. And then even after that for a little bit until he breaks the habit of doing so with that person. He's giving Viatorus a supportive smile that turns grateful when he looks back at his fiancee again. "Black is fine please."

But he will let it sit a moment before taking a sip.

"Oh. I'm from Brooklyn, New York. December, 1941." He's grateful that Ingirun is from an alternate version of Earth, as it makes the explanation a lot simpler. "Took a long while to get used to this place."

[westfallcorndog]

Harrowheart would never be so rude as to call such a momentous occasion an inconvenience, but finding time to return to the Nexus had gotten more and more difficult since the Legion returned to Azeroth. Who would have thought a knight should ever have to fulfill his duties and stand watch at his post? The ridiculousness of it all.

And so, unfortunately, Harrowheart arrives late. Not fashionably late, but incredibly late. The sort of late that might make a person think he isn't coming. But he does come, because meeting Viatorus' new fiancee -- the woman he will presumably be spending the rest of his mortal, human life with -- means the world to him. It also means that some concessions have to be made to make it happen.

When he knocks on the apartment door it's a heavy, metallic sound. He has arrived in his full Ebon Knight regalia, from the cape to the massive pauldrons all the way down to the fur-lined saronite boots. He's even got a helmet on, a dark thing with sweeping spikes like boar tusks at the cheeks. The visor is raised, allowing only the bright blue of his eyes to show through.

"VIATORUS!" He calls. "Are you home?"

[volurofthehearth]

The Dreamwalker nearly trips across the room in his haste to get up and answer the door. Being alone with Ingirun is strange and awkward enough without him getting nervous about his friend not appearing. He does, however, have to do a double-take when he sees the full set of armour. Even Lyall is keeping an eye on Harrowheart, just in case. But Viatorus smiles his confusion away and steps inside to let Harrowheart inside. "Come in, please."

Ingirun is waiting, hands folded in front of her. Whatever she was expecting was not... this. Her eyes are a little wide in surprise, but a quick glance to Viatorus shows that this isn't someone to be afraid of. Her eyes become narrow, peering at him in deep consideration. "You must be... Harrowheart."

[westfallcorndog]

It must be a dream come true for Lyall, because for once he's utterly ignored. Harrowheart enters as soon as he's invited and takes his helmet off with haste. Underneath the enchanted armor is a handsome gentleman horse-faced dead fool. He's smiling broadly, if with some obvious guilt. Everyone else in the room is immediately forgotten when he hears the lady of the hour say his name.

He makes his way to her with a hand, bound where it belongs by a gauntlet, extended for a shake. "Naw, Miss. I'm Steve Rogers. There's a short lil' blonde guy with floppy hair, he's Harrowheart. If you ain't met him yet I'm sure he'll show up soon." He hardly passes a few seconds before he chuckles at his own joke in a winded sort of way, as if his rush to his friend's apartment actually took some energy out of him.

"Just hope I didn't make too bad an impression comin' late. I got guard duty at the citadel, couldn't get out of it. You know how oaths of fealty go." A little eye roll and another smile. He spends a moment then inspecting her, still smiling as he considers her, the way she looks, the way she holds herself. What is there to know about her at a glance?

When he's through he gives her a small tip of his head. "You got me at a bit of a disadvantage here, though. Don't think I could begin to guess your name... but somethin' tells me it ain't Harrowheart or Steve."

[volurofthehearth]

The joke of misdirection is received with the wide eyes of mannerly uncertainty, and a quick glance to Viatorus, until Harrowheart laughs and she laughs with him, now that she knows what he'd meant to do. Though she's perfectly neat, the rich colour of her skirt and the looseness of her blouse make her appear far more casual than any of the Durants have been (excusing Viatorus in the middle of his research).

She titters a laugh at his joke and shakes her head. "How rude of me!" She holds out a hand. "My name is Ingirun, but call me Runa, please. It's a pleasure to meet you, Harrowheart."

The more she speaks the more obvious her Swedish accent becomes.

"Would you like me to take that?" Viatorus asks, gesturing to Harrowheart's helmet which he's fixated upon. It's still strange to think of Harrowheart as a soldier. He's just... Harrowheart.

[westfallcorndog]

"Runa," Harrowheart repeats thoughtfully. "The pleasure's all mine."

He turns to Viatorus after being addressed by him and goes to offer the helmet, but at the last moment thinks better of handing it off and decides instead that it would be better suited on Viatorus' head. It slips on easily, and, much like the Kirin Tor tabard, shrinks ever-so-slightly to fit its wearer optimally. The helmet is unmistakably magical, but darkly so, steeped in shadowy enchantments to enhance its wearer's strength. It isn't as if Viatorus would have need of lifting any heavy furniture right now, but he might be aware of the fact that he could.

Harrowheart rests an armored elbow on Viatorus' shoulder and crosses one foot over the other as he turns his attention back to Runa. "Where're you from, Runa? You don't sound English. You don't sound like any Earth folk I know, honestly." He hesitates a moment before realizing, "Hope that ain't rude to ask. Course, I'm not from England, either. I'm from another world apart from Earth, a place called Azeroth, and a land called Westfall. It's mostly golden fields and farm country there, fulla simple folk who live off the land. Rollin' hills in the middle, mountains in the south, and dunes up north by the ocean." He glances at Viatorus and with an apologetic laugh adds, "Sorry you gotta hear the sales pitch every time."

[volurofthehearth]

Viatorus is all ready to take the helmet but is surprised at Harrowheart's change of plan. Luckily, Viatorus tends to freeze when surprised, so he stays perfectly still while the helmet is put on his head and even changes to fit. He touches it lightly, trying to figure out what magic is used in its creation, because it buzzes with magic and that is even more interesting than the way it makes him feel. He only pauses to smile gently and shake his head to let Harrowheart know it doesn't bother him.

His fiancée lifts a hand to her mouth and giggles, but her hands fall to fold in front of her when Harrowheart turns his attention to her. "I am from Sweden. We have green fields and rolling hills too, and many, many mountains. Perhaps our countries are not too different." Her smile becomes large and welcoming, making her eyes squint at him. She opens an arm towards the couches. "Please, take a seat. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

[westfallcorndog]

Her smile comes so easily, and it's so sincere! How could he not smile back in kind? "It's a treat to see a happy face," he admits. "Don't see a whole lotta that where I'm at."

He raises a hand and tilts his head as he starts to deny her request for food or drink, but before he has a chance to say 'no' he thinks better of it. "I'll take a glass of water? That way y'all can eat and drink and not feel like I'm starin'. Wish I could try the food, though! Smells wonderful in here." Still, he elects to stand. Armor on the furniture may not be the best decision.

He takes a deep breath through flared nostrils and pauses to think it all over. "Vanilla," he says confidently, "And cinnamon. And... Herbs? But I can't tell what kind." He knows which direction they're in, though, and looks immediately to the nearest doorway to find them.

Then he begins to nod in a wisened, sagely way. "Miss Runa's already doin' nice things for you, Viatorus. Now you won't smell like a crazy cat lady all the time. Y'know, that lingerin' smell of loneliness and litter..."

[volurofthehearth]

It's a good thing Viatorus didn't take off the helmet, it gives him a way to hide his burning cheeks. He splutters, trying to formulate a response in the face of Ingirun's expression of tight-lipped diplomacy. "I-I-I-I don't," is the witty remark he comes back with.

"I think he was joking, Viatorus," Ingirun tells him helpfully, casting an eye to Harrowheart for some small confirmation and smiling again. "It does not matter. You will both smell of vanilla and cinnamon now!" She laughs, and Viatorus stops his fretting. Turning to Harrowheart, she asks, "Is it okay to have some fresh mint in your water? For flavour?"

[westfallcorndog]

Harrow gives Viatorus a one-armed side hug to remind him of their deep and abiding love, and, smiling, nods at Runa. It was a joke. Jokes are what he does. Especially when out of place.

"If it makes you happy, I'll have mint in my water," he tells her with an amiable nod. "I'll taste it, don't worry. Honestly, I wish I could try your little cakes, too, but I gotta avoid the bread right now. Got a sixty hour shift on guard after this and –" He stops abruptly and pulls a guilty face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk about strange things like what happens when the undead eat bread. Mint water'll be fine. I'll even see if I can't sit down without tearin' up the furniture."

A process which starts with unchaining his unwieldy runeblades from his hips. They crave an opportunity to destroy all furniture and glow in protest when they're freed. Certainly that's the reason. When they're undone he sets them on the ground near the chair he's going to sit in and slips them slightly under, out of sight. The act of sitting in armor is easy, really. It's remembering to keep a proper posture and not allow his spiked pauldrons to poke the back of the chair that's the real talent. And when he's through he folds his hands neatly on the dark tabard which drapes over his lap. Dainty as a man can be in plate mail, really.

Runa gets one last smile to let her know this is fine, that he isn't inconvenienced, and then he looks to Viatorus. "You don't have to wear that, you know," he says with a gesture to the helmet. "That way we can see your smiling face when Runa comes back and tells us all about herself. Unless I'm here to tell her all about me?"

[volurofthehearth]

"It is okay, I have an aunt who is the same. When she eats bread it causes her such trouble." Ingirun laughs her sympathy, after making sure Harrowheart doesn't need her help with sitting down, heads to the kitchen.

Now that Ingirun has left, he's been reminded about the concept of humour, and his cheeks have cooled a bit more, Viatorus slowly takes off the helmet and sets it down on the table. "It's heavy. I prefer my hat." Sitting down he smiles at Harrowheart, relaxing a little. "Thank you for that, by the way. A-And the tunic. They were really nice."

Harrowheart Does Not Understand Gluten: The Tale

[westfallcorndog]

Harrowheart laughs strangely at Runa's joke. He wants to find humor in it, but his mind is consumed with the implications. What could the consequences of a breather eating bread be? Maybe her aunt isn't a breather after all? Is this a subtle implication? Or perhaps a consequence of Earth anatomy... Maybe this is what makes humans there different from the ones on Azeroth? When he catches himself staring distantly at the table Harrowheart realizes this is possibly the most in-depth he's considered any one remark in a very long time.

Thank the Light for Viatorus and his sweet little voice. Harrow turns with eyebrows raised to listen and quickly finds himself smiling again. His hands busy themselves with undoing an unseen locking mechanism on his gauntlets that kept his hands anchored in place. When one of them is free it floats over and pats Viatorus on the knee.

"I'm just glad you liked it all," he says with a mannerly nod. "I wanted to ask, but didn't wanna mention it around Runa. I feel rude now, not gettin' her anything. I thought about it? But I didn't know what she was like. I didn't wanna get the wrong thing and offend her."

Then he leans in closer to Viatorus and whispers conspiratorially, "So, did you wind up sneakin' by her place to pay her a secret visit? Or did your folks get to y'all first?"

He'll only realise he doesn't want to know until it's too late

[volurofthehearth]

Viatorus nods his sympathy for Harrowheart's present-choosing dilemmas. Gifts and the politics around them are some of the most difficult things to navigate. To Harrowheart's question he shakes his head quickly.

"I-I-I didn't get the time. Isidor and I were... w-w-we were sent somewhere to... to do consultation work." He hesitates to call it that, but officially that's what it was. Moving quickly over his discomfort he continues. "I-It didn't leave me a lot of time for anything before meeting her."

The explanation is enough time for Runa to reappear with a tray, a jug and glasses atop it. "Here we go." She carefully moves everything onto the table, drops the tray back into the kitchen and begins pouring the water.