2020-04-21 - Meeting the parents

It's a drizzly, misty Tuesday afternoon when Diana arrives at James' with a giant box in tow. She's been promising-slash-warning that she'll bring decorations soon, and apparently this is the day, and soon has finally arrived. She's currently dressed in her usual high-waisted pants and leggings (featuring snakes this time for some reason), paired with a black t-shirt that reads, "HOW TO PICK UP CHICKS." Below it is a 3-panel comic of a stick figure bending over and then lifting up a baby chicken. The box is currently set down beside her as she knocks on the door, adding an unnecessary "Yoohoo!" Especially given she called to say she was on her way over.

It only takes James a moment or two to come to the door- he'd been expecting her, after all, and not even the Hell House (or the weather) can dampen his joy at seeing Diana again. As he opens the door, he's also in his usual getup, jeans, hoodie (though it's open this time, exposing the t-shirt below that shows a pixelated graphic of an orca and the text below it reading 'A WIZARD HAS TURNED YOU INTO A WHALE. IS THIS AWESOME? (Y/N)'. He smiles big as he sees her, and opens the door wide. "Hi you. Come on it- here, let me get the box, yeah?"

Diana smiles right back at him, leaning in to offer a quick kiss before saying cheerily, "Don't even THINK about it." That said, she taps the Y on his shirt, and then bends down to heft up the box. Still, she adds reassuringly, "It's not that heavy anyway. We'll save your energy for tougher stuff like putting up the decorations!" She grins broadly, moving to head into the house past him.

James accepts the kiss, returning it softly, and chuckles as she forbids him from taking the box. "Fine, fine." He closes the door behind her. The house is still mostly bare, with all the trash gone it's actually quite spacious, if a bit desolate. Furnishing a place this big will take a while- and that's not even counting the second floor, once that's fully cleared. Still, he's had a few deliveries made- there's some boxes stacked outside the bedroom door, and with the door open she can see a half-built bookcase. Because he's got priorities, and bookcase came up higher than a bed or a dresser, apparently.

For good reason! Diana sets the box down not far from the others outside his door, and she looks pleased to see the half-built bookcase and the deliveries especially. "This place is really coming along!" she says cheerily. "I'm kinda glad I forgot to bring any bedsheets now, though," she adds in a half-teasing tone. "I did bring some glow-in-the-dark planets and stars, though. That's what any place needs to feel like home." He gets a warm smile.

James blinks, looking a little surprised. "I.. actually had a set of those glow in the dark planets and stars back when this was my bedroom as a kid, actually.", he admits, then his smile widens. "It'll be good to have them back." He chuckles and ducks his head as she mentions the bedsheets, or lack thereof. "Well, I'm having a proper bed brought in later this week." A pause. "Queen sized. Y'know. In, uhm... case you wanted to stay over sometimes."

Diana looks beyond thrilled to hear he used to have a set of them, and she walks over to take his hand gently. "We'll make this place a good place for you." And she plants a soft kiss on his cheek. Of course, her own cheeks redden at that final sentence from him, which prompts another kiss. "That's really thoughtful. And I accept your invitation in advance." She grins broadly, wrapping her other arm around him.

James bites his lip, but leans into her gently as she wraps her arm around him. "It's weird. All I've wanted to do since I got to town has been to just... clean this place out, sell it, be rid of it. But... I don't know. Now that we're actually clearing it out...", he murmurs, and gently turns around with her, pointing at one spot. "We used to have an old little table right there, for putting keys and pictures and whatnot. I ran into it headfirst when I was six, and I still have the scar.", he says, pointing to a scar so faint it's almost impossible to see by now, but still, just barely, there. "And over there...", he adds, pointing at another spot, "... was a dresser that I was convinced was a doorway to another world, like Narnia. Never actually worked, and thinking on it now, probably a good thing it didn't take me to the other world, I've been there, it sucks." He chuckles, and lets out a sigh. "... not all the memories here are bad anymore. And... if I'm going to be here for the long run anyway... maybe I should, y'know... keep it?"

Diana tilts her head as she listens to him, her brow slowly furrowing. She says nothing to interrupt him, and in fact is actually still quiet for a few moments even after he's said his piece. Slowly and thoughtfully, she then murmurs, "I like that idea. Just don't pressure yourself, if you're able to resist that. If you end up liking it here, then definitely stay. But you never have to force yourself to stick with the answer you felt at any other point in your life. If that makes sense." She rubs at the back of her neck, and then kisses his forehead.

James smiles a little, and leans into the forehead smooch. "We'll see. But... I want to know what happened to my parents here. And... now that I can actually see the place, now that the memories that are left are... well, mine... and my parent's..." He bites his lip, going silent for a moment. "They loved this place. So much. I've seen it."

Diana furrows her brow, and places another kiss onto his. "If there's anything I can do to help," she murmurs, but then trails off. He knows. She's quiet for several moments before she ventures, "...you don't talk about them much. I know it can't be easy. But I'm always hear to listen, if you ever feel the urge." That said, she gently squeezes his hand.

James squeezes her hand back, and gives a weak smile. "It's still painful. I... don't react well when people bring it up. But... I guess I gotta deal with it sometime, right?" He puts a hand on the wall, going thoughtful for a moment. "... I can show them to you. I think. If you like? I've been... practicing."

"You never 'have' to deal with something on others' timelines. Do I want to know? Of course. I want to know everything about you. But my curiosity about you and your past-- even given that I love you-- doesn't trump your feelings, and your right to keep things safe inside yourself, away from prying eyes." Diana gives another squeeze of his hand. "But if you think you'll be okay to share with me, or to show me... I'd always choose to look. Every time." She leans in close to him, the better to softly kiss his cheek.

James's lips quirk in a soft smile both at her words, and at the peck to his cheek. "OK.. let's see..", he murmurs, and again puts his free hand to the wall, closing his eyes a moment. She can likely see a flicker of Glimmer where his fingers rest on the wall, a soft glow that dims and grows in time with his heartbeat. Apparently finding what he was looking for, he opens his eyes, and smiles a little wider. "... there." And then there's another push of Glimmer, this time in the air around them, gentle and flickering. The power isn't strong, it's just a soft gentle ebb of it into the air, and before them a pair of figures appear. They're a little hazy around the edges, a tiny bit out of focus, a dash transparent, like watching a hologram made from an 80's videotape, but still, there they are: his parents. His father a surprisingly tall man with dark brown hair, striking blue eyes, and a kind smile. That smile is directed downwards at the much shorter woman he is dancing with: his mother, who he clearly takes after far more than his father: she's barely over 5 feet, with long fiery red hair and green eyes and one can even just barely make out a light spray of freckles on her cheeks. She's wearing a light sundress, showing off a rather enviable figure, while his father is dressed like a professor in slacks and a vest over a button-up shirt. The two are just gazing adoringly at one another as they slow-dance to some indistinct song, the illusion not quite strong enough to recreate that part. "... that's how I like to remember them.", James whispers.

As the figures become visible, Diana can't help but let her jaw grow a little slack, mouth forming a small o. She just watches in silence for some time, attention rapt-- at least until he whispers, at which point she's looking directly at him, expression warm and caring. "I can see why," she murmurs very quietly, as though afraid to raise her voice around them. "I can see how you ended up so attractive. Good genes." She's not even joking in the slightest. She purses her lips, then ventures hesitantly, "...what were they like?"

James watches the illusions a moment longer, before his power fades- he has been practicing, but he's still got some ways to go in mastering what he can apparently do. He smiles a little bashfully at her compliment, and squeezes her hand gain. "... they were good people. They loved each other more than anything. And they were good to me.", he says, softly. "They weren't around a lot, for the last few years before..." He trails off, then shakes his head. "I remember them saying it was just work, but, they were out at all kinds of hours, and they looked tired a lot more. I remember they had... 'accidents' too. Mom broke her arm once, she told me she'd slipped and fallen. Dad ended up in the hospital with cuts on his side. They just said it was an accident at work. I believed them at the time, though... y'know. Teenager, so I resented them for not being around so much." He looks thoughtful. "Knowing what I know now, though? I think maybe they got mixed up with all the Veil shit. It'd explain a lot."

Diana reaches out to cup his cheek in her hand, stroking her thumb over his skin as he talks. When he starts talking about the accidents, and believing them at the time... well, that just calls for placing soft kisses along his hairline as she listens. When he's finished, she runs her hand through his hair before saying softly, "You know you couldn't have known... right?" She opens her mouth to say more, but ends up just leaving it at that.

James sighs, and leans into the kisses, slipping his arms around her waist and looking at her as he nods, and smiles faintly. "I know... I don't blame myself, not really. I'm just.. trying not to blame them, either, though. They must have had their reasons.", he says, then sighs deeply. "What I blame is this town. They... they were good people, Diana. They deserved more than what this town did to them. Maybe... maybe if I can figure that out, I can.. I don't know. Do something about it. Keep it from happening to others?"

Diana nods her head immediately, saying gently, "Maybe so. I'd like to help, if you're willing to let me. I don't know what you need, but... I want to help you see it through. They did deserve better. And so do you." She plants a kiss on him, this time not quite so gentle, before pulling away. "You're good people, too. Look at you. You've had so much happen in your life, but what do you want? You want to help people. Save bad things from happening." She pauses, then adds simply, "I love you."

James blushes softly at her words, ducking his head. "I mean.. what I want to do is run screaming into the hills. But... I can't do that. And when I'm with you, I don't really want to do that either." He grins a little more. "Besides. It's less about helping others, and more about just giving this town a general 'fuck you'.", he adds, and chuckles softly. "And I love you too. Of course I want you to help. I'd be nuts to try to do this alone. I'd end up in a fetal position and locking all the doors within a week without you."

"Then it's settled," Diana says with a wicked grin, and then wraps her arms around his neck. "I can't even claim my goal was necessarily to help people, with what I research," she admits, after several moments, her expression a bit more serious. "I mean. It's more personal, in my case. I want to see what's out there. I want to map as much as I can. I want to make guides and-- and help demystify some of it, if that makes sense? For myself, and for others too, but ... let's be real. Mostly myself." She pulls one arm back, rubbing at the back of her neck. "And for the record? I don't think you'd end up in a fetal position whatsoever-- well, not for long, anyway. We all curl up from time to time. You're brave. I saw it, upstairs. You were protecting me. And you've got some fine friends to help you along." She pauses, then blinks. "Not that I'm going anywhere, or anything. That sounded suspiciously like the last episode of a series or something, when the hero walks into the sunset." She smirks.

James gives a soft chuckle, and pulls her a little closer. "You better not be going anywhere. I'm just starting to get used to you.", he replies, and leans in to steal a soft kiss. "... mmm. Besides, curiosity's as good a reason as any. And I'm not really that brave. My first instinct is always to run away. I just... don't like seeing people get hurt, especially people I love.", he admits. And it's true, any time he's gotten hurt in a Dream or in some Veil incursion, it's almost always because he's putting himself in between someone else and danger.

Blink-blink. Diana blinks several times, feigning shock after that soft kiss. "You're only NOW 'getting used to' me? Well, I never!" She grins, stealing a kiss of her own, and rests her head on his shoulder. "I have no intention of going anywhere. You may even have to kick me out tonight. I'm just sayin'." She bats her eyelashes at him with a smile, and then shakes her head. "And often, without a brave person around, others do get hurt. It's bravery. So there."

"Well, I suppose there's worse things than having my girlfriend think I'm brave.", James relents, then grins. "I dunno. Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. All I know is I want to kick whatever is causing all the bullshit in this town in the proverbial nuts.", he says, then shrugs and smiles again. "Come on. Help me put this bookcase together. If we get it done early, maybe we can drop by the bookstore and get some books for it?", he says, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Waggling her eyebrows right back, Diana asks, "Did someone say books? Gimme the wrench, I'm ready to wage war on the shelves!" And she pumps a fist. "Also, I'm all for punching things in the proverbial nuts. Teamwork!"

James grins, and leads her into the bedroom to go figure out some instructions and put together some plywood. "Somehow, I knew you'd be up for that. Both things, really.", he says, kissing her cheek adoringly.