[That's ... Some amount of agreement or, uh, something. Nariko hasn't had decent kushari since she left her grandmother's compound! Even the diverse food scene of New Cloudbank didn't have much room for a genuinely Egyptian dish and considering that there's a literal pound of it within her vicinity she's going to stuff herself. In part because she knows he'll probably still love her despite her obnoxious appetite - but also because she'll actually share with him.
Dinner is another small example of the force that comes with a big family. Yet more relatives talk to Boxer, introducing themselves, asking about his job, about his family (and hearing that there is none will result in a few immediate hugs - it's clearly an unthinkable idea for this lot) and how things have gone with Nariko. There were more than a few jokes regarding his other halves sexual hunger. Nariko sits through it with a moderately clenched jaw and a whole lot of hot sauce dumped onto one half of her plate.
But somewhere in the middle of all that Boxer might find that he's gone through a bit of a time warp. Nariko is, of course, right to one side of him but a different woman takes his other. Her jaw structure, the shape of her eyes, the hair, and even the general shape of her body - all of it is incredibly similar to Nariko. Or rather, Nariko is incredibly similar to her, because his new table guest is in her mid-sixties, though it might be hard to discern her age, at most she looks fifteen years ahead of his fiancee.]
[He can't help but smile at her when she barely manages a response. She is really cute when she stuffs herself, but maybe that's because it reminds him so much of how she likes to be stuffed during sex...
Speaking of which, when someone mentions Nariko's sexual appetite--ignoring the slight alarm that comes with realizing that her family members know about her libido--he gives them some variety of subtly exhausted response...not because it was even remotely true, but because he couldn't pass up an opportunity to harmlessly tease Nariko publicly.
But this woman that takes a seat next to him...how curious. He hopes she's not Nariko's mother, but he swallows his current mouthful and holds out a hand for her to shake.]
Hi there. I don't think I've made my introduction to you before? I'm Boxer, Nariko's fiance.
[Thankfully their knowledge stems from a fact that just about anyone could pick up on: Good sex means a vocal, enthusiastic response. Such is the trouble with sharing cabins during yearly camping trips. But of course Boxer goes right along with them and takes the chance to tease her! Her eyes roll briefly but otherwise he's free to find his way in with that topic.
Maybe it's just subtle payback that she doesn't mention exactly who just sat next to him, because Nariko's certainly able to place one of her own relatives.
"Lovely to meet you, Boxer. I'm Maggie. It's nice to meet the man whose finally tied down the last of the single kids."
Excuse Nariko while she snorts quietly to herself.]
[He notes Nariko's snort. Hmm. Have to tread carefully with this one.]
Well, I can't say it was easy.
[That's a lie, of course, every step of their relationship feels like it was meant to happen because it was so natural. But his smile and delivery seems amicable and fun anyway.]
["Well, if she becomes a handful you can always visit me." A hand lays itself on his arm, she invades his space just a tad, outright flirtatious and with all the confidence to go right along with it. "I can take very good care of you."
Nariko keeps eating, and at the apparent offer to bang her fiancee she just looks over while drinking the same tequila lemonade that Boxer ended up with. There's no anger, no jealousy, not a single bit of irritation in her body language. "Or we could make it a threesome."
Okay, now this is getting into especially horrible territory, and with how shy Boxer can be ... Well, she'll jump right in the instant that he can't handle it.]
[Alright, this is funny but it might be pretty unforgivable in hindsight, so it's Nariko who speaks up while said grandmother just laughs in good nature.] That's my grandma, Boxer, Magdalena Lunae. She's a bit of a jerk.
["It was just a little bit of fun! Your taste in men has dramatically improved, it'd be a shame to do anything but tease!"]
Like I said.
[Kind of a jerk.
"Really and truly," At least she's being serious, now. "I am glad to meet you. Exciting as it was I don't think I believed this engagement until I saw you two."
Because apparently she's been watching for some time.]
[Would he consider having a threesome with a grandmother and her granddaughter? He's never really thought of it before. It seems kind of hot in theory, but...he has no idea how Nariko would feel about it, because he has absolutely no context for what it feels like to see your family members in a sexual context. Come to think of it, Nariko would have had to inherit her talented genitals from somewhere...
Why is he even thinking about this.]
Is there something about seeing me in the flesh that changed your mind?
[Hey, he's more than free to ask her about it all later on, especially since at the rate she's going she'll be tipsy before they all make it to the dancing portion of the night.
"In a sense," The elder woman's eyes drift over to Nariko, who is listening just fine but is also engaged in a lively debate about basketball, of all things. "I can't doubt the way you look at one another." She laughs a bit dryly, "And I've never seen her so protective, I think it's a very good sign."
A bit of a morbid one considering how aware she was of Nariko's consistent loss, of her father, of any motherly figure, all of that. It only made sense that you would do anything to keep from losing your soulmate once you managed to find them.]
Considering that both you and Asifa have managed to hit on or sexually comment about my fiancee before you've even known him for a day, I have to be protective.
[Not because Nariko doubted Boxer and his loyalty, but because, well, Nariko's looks were very much a family trait. Most of their family was pretty damn gorgeous, and the lot of them knew how to put it to use.]
[Apparently so. There are even men here that suit Boxer's tastes, which is awfully troublesome. At least he's been able to keep his dick where it belongs.]
That goes double for me. [The protectiveness, that is.] Though I wasn't expecting to find any competition at a family reunion.
'Competition' means that someone else might stand a chance, and they don't.
[Annnd that's all Nariko's gonna say, thank you very much! Maggie just sort of smiles, the expression itself is a little tight on her face, somehow, and she only relaxes when given the chance to turn the conversation towards another direction. There may or may not be something there, but whatever the case is Maggie won't discuss it, and Nariko certainly won't in public. It's a little difficult to tell whose listening, after all.
"So tell me why you want to marry my favorite granddaughter."
If he was ever under any illusion that he wasn't being harshly judged by a smiling old woman then Boxer was nuts. Her approval hasn't been won just yet.]
[So there is. And he doesn't very well appreciate being left to wade in this thick tension, so they'll both have to forgive him for his terse response, though well-veiled in a friendly tone.]
I didn't realize I was going to be interviewed! Well, there isn't anything special here. Just the fact that we love each other.
["If you were giving away your daughter, wouldn't you want to be sure of where she's going?"
They're both far too good at the 'overly nice, actually irritated' deal and Nariko does look between both but - what the hell is she supposed to do? It's not like she's trying to leave Boxer on his own but they have to be able to speak to each other. So, yeah, she's not going to hold the response itself against him but she doesn't jump in yet, either.
"I live on the other end of the world, Boxer, when you're running out of time you worry about the ones you're leaving behind. It's as simple as that." And in Maggie's eyes admitting that was something of a concession, maybe even a mild apology.]
[He's quietly sipping his drink while Maggie talks, watching her over the rim of his glass. When she finishes talking, though, he puts it down on the table.]
You talk as if you've already got one foot in the grave, but you don't.
[It's not like his super-senses can diagnose cancer but he can smell a healthy specimen when he meets one. And it's really tempting to tell her that the fact that she thinks she's not long for this world doesn't grant her any right over Nariko's to choose her mate, but it doesn't feel like the right sentiment to share right now.]
I'm gonna stick with my answer, though. Wish I had some sort of inspiring, magical anecdote, but the truth is that both of us are exactly what the other was looking for, mentally and physically.
[The one time he's truthful about their sexual relationship, it's vague and carries the connotation that he can keep up with her just fine.]
On top of that, we both want the same thing out of our futures...we've rarely fought and always instantly made up...and both of us are the breadwinners.
My kind is an isolated one, but I couldn't stand being without her.
["I'd say that's a pretty magical anecdote, and a genuine one."]
Not that I mean to interrupt [She does, actually. Nariko eases out of her chair and pulls at Boxer's arm, because she isn't going to just go and wheel him without a decent warming.] but you should come dance with me, Boxer.
[Considering that she had told him that he was free of all footwork duty this is exactly what it looks like: A way out.]
Or at least watch Eunyce and I.
["Nariko-"]
Look, you've got the whole visit to be overprotective, okay? We're supposed to be having fun.
[Roll quickly, Boxer, quickly towards the middle of the pier! They're still setting up and all that, but it's a good destination all the same.]
Not that it matters either way, because Nariko's quick to get them away, she's moving much quicker than usual. In a handful of seconds they've cleared the makeshift dining area and a good part of the soon-to-be dance area. Abbas is helping with the setup and little snippets of songs will play as they all tried to decide on where to start. She makes sure to get them a little farther away, a little more into the natural dark.]
Oh my god.
[She's irritated, it's in her voice and the way she shakes her hands when she lets go of his chair, pacing in front of her.] I - [Families are so fucking stupid.] I'm sorry about her.
[And about the incredibly awkward topics that came up.]
I do! You're not some fucking retainer that has to look after me like I'm still a kid! I don't need a man to look after me, I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself! How can someone who was forced to marry her own husband be so - so mean about how much I love mine!
[And so what if they loved each other and they didn't plan every goddamn second of their lives together? They didn't have to do that! That wasn't the right way to live a life - not as far as Nariko was concerned. Stability did not equal micromanaging!
Almost as quickly as she had puffed up, she manages to deflate a little. Enough to step closer to him safely, she got the need to fling at the air out of her system.]
[As soon as she steps close enough to, he lunges out to sweep her off her feet and pull her into his lap for cuddles!]
She can make judgements all she likes, but that's all they are. Judgements. She doesn't have the power to make your choices for you.
[Was she really judging that much? Boxer didn't really get that impression--but then again, he doesn't know Maggie like Nariko does, so he's not going to speculate.]
[There's a little 'eep' with that, but she settles against him easily enough, wraps her arms around him and tries to relax against him.]
I know. You're right.
[A lot of it is very old history, from the attempts to marry her off to the incredibly gendered ideas (some of which, unfortunately, has stuck to Nariko, thankfully not overbearingly so), to thinking that she was irreparably frail since her father died. The whole 'I'm old and my most precious grandchild needs to be loved' routine was an oldie, Nariko had seen it enough times with her other relatives that hearing her gear up to it had been moderately infuriating.]
I still want to throw bread at her, though.
[She's simmered back down to pouting, though! Which is a good thing.]
The pita bread was kind of stiff. [Enough that it'd give a poor, undeserving, and very real pigeon a horrid concussion.
But her anger isn't so righteous that she can deny the warming effects of a good old fashioned nuzzle. It's horrible and oddly introverted of her but she does prefer being alone with him to all of this fuss.] Yes, we could just put her in a cage and make her watch everything go by. We'd only have to put up with the silly cooing every so often.
[A lot of birds do. Pigeons, though...eh. They mostly peck angrily. But not from a cage.]
Does that make it easier to deal with? Thinking of it as 'silly cooing'?
[Don't mind him, he's just gonna gently play with her hair as they sit here and enjoy their shared seclusion. The food was great, and...he's getting to his limit on socialization, but he likely wouldn't be recharged if he just stole away by himself, too buzzed from the irritation. It's being with Nariko that feels the best.]
[And there's nothing more comforting than being hair petted, it dissolves whatever remaining tension may have been hiding in her body. For a good moment or two she just sits there with him, and then she can seem to admit:] I overreacted. [Just a tad.] I want you two to get along, but I guess I can't just hide all the bad parts.
[Every family has their secrets, and they're generally always bad but the Lunaes just feel ... Incredibly gross and disconcerting, even to Nariko. Even when she loves them with all of her heart. There's a reason she lives on the other end of the world and doesn't visit them too often.]
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[That's ... Some amount of agreement or, uh, something. Nariko hasn't had decent kushari since she left her grandmother's compound! Even the diverse food scene of New Cloudbank didn't have much room for a genuinely Egyptian dish and considering that there's a literal pound of it within her vicinity she's going to stuff herself. In part because she knows he'll probably still love her despite her obnoxious appetite - but also because she'll actually share with him.
Dinner is another small example of the force that comes with a big family. Yet more relatives talk to Boxer, introducing themselves, asking about his job, about his family (and hearing that there is none will result in a few immediate hugs - it's clearly an unthinkable idea for this lot) and how things have gone with Nariko. There were more than a few jokes regarding his other halves sexual hunger. Nariko sits through it with a moderately clenched jaw and a whole lot of hot sauce dumped onto one half of her plate.
But somewhere in the middle of all that Boxer might find that he's gone through a bit of a time warp. Nariko is, of course, right to one side of him but a different woman takes his other. Her jaw structure, the shape of her eyes, the hair, and even the general shape of her body - all of it is incredibly similar to Nariko. Or rather, Nariko is incredibly similar to her, because his new table guest is in her mid-sixties, though it might be hard to discern her age, at most she looks fifteen years ahead of his fiancee.]
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Speaking of which, when someone mentions Nariko's sexual appetite--ignoring the slight alarm that comes with realizing that her family members know about her libido--he gives them some variety of subtly exhausted response...not because it was even remotely true, but because he couldn't pass up an opportunity to harmlessly tease Nariko publicly.
But this woman that takes a seat next to him...how curious. He hopes she's not Nariko's mother, but he swallows his current mouthful and holds out a hand for her to shake.]
Hi there. I don't think I've made my introduction to you before? I'm Boxer, Nariko's fiance.
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Maybe it's just subtle payback that she doesn't mention exactly who just sat next to him, because Nariko's certainly able to place one of her own relatives.
"Lovely to meet you, Boxer. I'm Maggie. It's nice to meet the man whose finally tied down the last of the single kids."
Excuse Nariko while she snorts quietly to herself.]
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Well, I can't say it was easy.
[That's a lie, of course, every step of their relationship feels like it was meant to happen because it was so natural. But his smile and delivery seems amicable and fun anyway.]
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Nariko keeps eating, and at the apparent offer to bang her fiancee she just looks over while drinking the same tequila lemonade that Boxer ended up with. There's no anger, no jealousy, not a single bit of irritation in her body language. "Or we could make it a threesome."
Okay, now this is getting into especially horrible territory, and with how shy Boxer can be ... Well, she'll jump right in the instant that he can't handle it.]
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[There's a short list of places that Boxer would rather not be given a proposal for a threesome, and a family reunion is definitely on that list.
Who even is this woman? There's one way to find out.]
With your...?
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[Alright, this is funny but it might be pretty unforgivable in hindsight, so it's Nariko who speaks up while said grandmother just laughs in good nature.] That's my grandma, Boxer, Magdalena Lunae. She's a bit of a jerk.
["It was just a little bit of fun! Your taste in men has dramatically improved, it'd be a shame to do anything but tease!"]
Like I said.
[Kind of a jerk.
"Really and truly," At least she's being serious, now. "I am glad to meet you. Exciting as it was I don't think I believed this engagement until I saw you two."
Because apparently she's been watching for some time.]
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[Would he consider having a threesome with a grandmother and her granddaughter? He's never really thought of it before. It seems kind of hot in theory, but...he has no idea how Nariko would feel about it, because he has absolutely no context for what it feels like to see your family members in a sexual context. Come to think of it, Nariko would have had to inherit her talented genitals from somewhere...
Why is he even thinking about this.]
Is there something about seeing me in the flesh that changed your mind?
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"In a sense," The elder woman's eyes drift over to Nariko, who is listening just fine but is also engaged in a lively debate about basketball, of all things. "I can't doubt the way you look at one another." She laughs a bit dryly, "And I've never seen her so protective, I think it's a very good sign."
A bit of a morbid one considering how aware she was of Nariko's consistent loss, of her father, of any motherly figure, all of that. It only made sense that you would do anything to keep from losing your soulmate once you managed to find them.]
Considering that both you and Asifa have managed to hit on or sexually comment about my fiancee before you've even known him for a day, I have to be protective.
[Not because Nariko doubted Boxer and his loyalty, but because, well, Nariko's looks were very much a family trait. Most of their family was pretty damn gorgeous, and the lot of them knew how to put it to use.]
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That goes double for me. [The protectiveness, that is.] Though I wasn't expecting to find any competition at a family reunion.
[Right? ...right?]
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[Annnd that's all Nariko's gonna say, thank you very much! Maggie just sort of smiles, the expression itself is a little tight on her face, somehow, and she only relaxes when given the chance to turn the conversation towards another direction. There may or may not be something there, but whatever the case is Maggie won't discuss it, and Nariko certainly won't in public. It's a little difficult to tell whose listening, after all.
"So tell me why you want to marry my favorite granddaughter."
If he was ever under any illusion that he wasn't being harshly judged by a smiling old woman then Boxer was nuts. Her approval hasn't been won just yet.]
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I didn't realize I was going to be interviewed! Well, there isn't anything special here. Just the fact that we love each other.
[Gonna have a sip of his drink here.]
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They're both far too good at the 'overly nice, actually irritated' deal and Nariko does look between both but - what the hell is she supposed to do? It's not like she's trying to leave Boxer on his own but they have to be able to speak to each other. So, yeah, she's not going to hold the response itself against him but she doesn't jump in yet, either.
"I live on the other end of the world, Boxer, when you're running out of time you worry about the ones you're leaving behind. It's as simple as that." And in Maggie's eyes admitting that was something of a concession, maybe even a mild apology.]
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You talk as if you've already got one foot in the grave, but you don't.
[It's not like his super-senses can diagnose cancer but he can smell a healthy specimen when he meets one. And it's really tempting to tell her that the fact that she thinks she's not long for this world doesn't grant her any right over Nariko's to choose her mate, but it doesn't feel like the right sentiment to share right now.]
I'm gonna stick with my answer, though. Wish I had some sort of inspiring, magical anecdote, but the truth is that both of us are exactly what the other was looking for, mentally and physically.
[The one time he's truthful about their sexual relationship, it's vague and carries the connotation that he can keep up with her just fine.]
On top of that, we both want the same thing out of our futures...we've rarely fought and always instantly made up...and both of us are the breadwinners.
My kind is an isolated one, but I couldn't stand being without her.
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Not that I mean to interrupt [She does, actually. Nariko eases out of her chair and pulls at Boxer's arm, because she isn't going to just go and wheel him without a decent warming.] but you should come dance with me, Boxer.
[Considering that she had told him that he was free of all footwork duty this is exactly what it looks like: A way out.]
Or at least watch Eunyce and I.
["Nariko-"]
Look, you've got the whole visit to be overprotective, okay? We're supposed to be having fun.
[Roll quickly, Boxer, quickly towards the middle of the pier! They're still setting up and all that, but it's a good destination all the same.]
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Sure. Push me?
[A way out is a way out. He reaches to gently grab Maggie's arm.]
We'll talk later, Missus Lunae. Promise.
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Not that it matters either way, because Nariko's quick to get them away, she's moving much quicker than usual. In a handful of seconds they've cleared the makeshift dining area and a good part of the soon-to-be dance area. Abbas is helping with the setup and little snippets of songs will play as they all tried to decide on where to start. She makes sure to get them a little farther away, a little more into the natural dark.]
Oh my god.
[She's irritated, it's in her voice and the way she shakes her hands when she lets go of his chair, pacing in front of her.] I - [Families are so fucking stupid.] I'm sorry about her.
[And about the incredibly awkward topics that came up.]
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Hey. Hey...
[He gestures for her to come closer.]
C'mere. It's okay, you don't have to apologize for anything.
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[And so what if they loved each other and they didn't plan every goddamn second of their lives together? They didn't have to do that! That wasn't the right way to live a life - not as far as Nariko was concerned. Stability did not equal micromanaging!
Almost as quickly as she had puffed up, she manages to deflate a little. Enough to step closer to him safely, she got the need to fling at the air out of her system.]
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She can make judgements all she likes, but that's all they are. Judgements. She doesn't have the power to make your choices for you.
[Was she really judging that much? Boxer didn't really get that impression--but then again, he doesn't know Maggie like Nariko does, so he's not going to speculate.]
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I know. You're right.
[A lot of it is very old history, from the attempts to marry her off to the incredibly gendered ideas (some of which, unfortunately, has stuck to Nariko, thankfully not overbearingly so), to thinking that she was irreparably frail since her father died. The whole 'I'm old and my most precious grandchild needs to be loved' routine was an oldie, Nariko had seen it enough times with her other relatives that hearing her gear up to it had been moderately infuriating.]
I still want to throw bread at her, though.
[She's simmered back down to pouting, though! Which is a good thing.]
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[He chuckles, holding her tight. He goes in for a nuzzle, happy as could be that it's just the two of them for now.]
She'd be a lot easier to deal with if she was, though, huh?
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But her anger isn't so righteous that she can deny the warming effects of a good old fashioned nuzzle. It's horrible and oddly introverted of her but she does prefer being alone with him to all of this fuss.] Yes, we could just put her in a cage and make her watch everything go by. We'd only have to put up with the silly cooing every so often.
[Birds can't scream, right? Probably. ]
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Does that make it easier to deal with? Thinking of it as 'silly cooing'?
[Don't mind him, he's just gonna gently play with her hair as they sit here and enjoy their shared seclusion. The food was great, and...he's getting to his limit on socialization, but he likely wouldn't be recharged if he just stole away by himself, too buzzed from the irritation. It's being with Nariko that feels the best.]
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Yes, I think it does.
[And there's nothing more comforting than being hair petted, it dissolves whatever remaining tension may have been hiding in her body. For a good moment or two she just sits there with him, and then she can seem to admit:] I overreacted. [Just a tad.] I want you two to get along, but I guess I can't just hide all the bad parts.
[Every family has their secrets, and they're generally always bad but the Lunaes just feel ... Incredibly gross and disconcerting, even to Nariko. Even when she loves them with all of her heart. There's a reason she lives on the other end of the world and doesn't visit them too often.]
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