Meet The Parents - ~Gilding The Lilly~ Ver. Featuring Apple & Amelie

[onaroll]

Well, it's finally happened. After the Duck connected them to Moon, Amelie knew it was only a matter of time before she would go home and introduce her wife to her parents. She is a little worried about how it's going to go, however - from her perspective, it's been three years since she saw them; from their perspective, it's been a little over a month.

She's pretty sure there aren't many good scenarios where a sixteen year old girl drops out of society for a month and then returns married. However: there's nothing to it but to do it, because there is not a single part of her life Apple isn't a part of. As she throws open the door to her old house, she calls out in a voice she wants to be cheerful but isn't quite up to snuff.

"I'm home, Mama! Can you set an extra place for dinner? I bought company!"

Comments

[onaroll]

Amelie sits down on the couch and tugs Apple down next to her, holding her hand.

"It's...kind of a family rule that tea is for after discussions, not during. Mostly because of me."

Grace nods in agreement from her chair before motioning at Amelie to explain. Amelie nods, groping for the words she needs to make them understand.

Then, because she is impulsive at the best of times, she just decides to go ahead and drop the illusion hiding her eyes and gem.

"I was kidnapped from outside time by a giant magic rock and spent three years on an alien planet gaining strange powers. I met Apple in my second year there and we started dating; I proposed to her four months ago while we were fighting robots shaped like Ponyta. We were married by an alien princess inside a crystal tree palace and we managed to get back here by using a magic transdimensional website."

There's a long pause as Grace and Tadashi stare at Amelie, not quite able to form words.

Amelie, for her part, shapeshifts herself some Meowth ears and paws, striking a beckoning cat pose.

"Nya?"

[cidery]

"While everything is accurate, although I was only there for two years and not three, I love your daughter with all my heart and we came to terms together that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with one another." said Apple with a smile.

"And while I don't have the same changes as Amelie does, her shapeshifting more on point than mine, it stands to mention that I can tell when lies are being said and I have powers from a Mummy girl I met in a short visit away from Amelie. Very short."

[onaroll]

Amelie shakes her paws, returning them to hands, and then presses her ears flat until they vanish.

There's a long pause before Tadashi sighs, closes his eyes, and massages them with his palms.

"'Nya'? Really, Amelie? I thought I raised you better than pandering to the lowest common denominator like that."

There's a brief pause as Amelie takes in his words, a smile on her face, and then the two of them start arguing about nekomimi. While that's happening, Grace walks over to Apple, pulling her up into a standing position and hustling her over to the kitchen.

"They'll keep this up for a while. The pair of you are obviously telling the truth, so as far as Tadashi is concerned it's no longer a problem..."

Grace sighs a little before meeting Apple's eyes.

"But I need a little more background."

She raises a hand before Apple can reply.

"So while my Tadashi and Amelie have their father-daughter bonding time, I want to have tea with my daughter-in-law."

[cidery]

"Of course, I would like nothing better," said Apple as she reached into the basket and pulled out a thermos.

"I admit I prepared a blend while I was preparing the tarts. I swung by my home town and picked it up which is in another world, but at the same time, I hope you like it. It's got a strange name, but considering it's also from Wonderland, I suppose I shouldn't talk and I'm rambling."

She blushed. "Sorry, I'm usually not this nervous."

[onaroll]

“It’s fine. Take your time.”

The mugs that Grace brings out are engraved with laurel wreaths, celebrating some kind of race. Amelie is currently showing off her Alolan Ninetales morph while Tadashi watches with an impassive gaze. Setting the mugs down, Grace looks at Apple.

“First things first - how did you get Amelie to start dating you?”

[cidery]

"Well we first met in the other world, the one with the gemstones. I was new and was worried, and when Amelie met me, it was like puppy love. She was so cute and she was just getting over a bad relationship."

Apple smiled as she poured the tea, not a drop spilled. "After that, we actually started talking more, flirting maybe? It's hard to tell, a lot of my memory can be a blur once in a while due to problems. But after a major event, we sat down fully and hashed out our relationship like responsible adults. She was worried since her last relationship was all physical, but I provided the nurturing needs. After that, we started dating officially."

She took a sip. "That was shortly after a visit home, and things happened there that made me realize I was gay. I had very important responsibilities at home that wasn't conducive to my mental health and when I got back to that world with the gems, I basically came out of the closet."

[onaroll]

Grace takes a sip herself, considering. Amelie's now demonstrating her hoops, with Tadashi poking his arm through one in wonder.

"She was willing to flirt with you? Not just stammer and hide in the bushes?"

Grace loves her daughter. But she's not blind, either.

[cidery]

"Well, to be honest the first thing she was concerned with was convincing me that she wasn't Mrs. Wonderland, the mom of a friend of mine." She giggled at the memory, cupping her chin in thought.

"We met during a time when storybooks became real, and because I was from a world where stories are true and not just fiction, it took me a while to wrap my mind around it. I have to say it doesn't take much to make Amelie squeal and blush."

[onaroll]

Grace holds up one hand.

“There are details I am happy not knowing, dear.”

[cidery]

"Ah, right," blushed Apple as she giggled a little. "But um... we did take a while to get to know one another, and considering I was uncertain of my own feelings for a while it actually held up as a relationship."

[onaroll]

Grace closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before taking another sip of her tea. Amelie is grudgingly allowing Tadashi to pet her fluffy fox ears.

“And...you’re happy with her?”

She can already tell Amelie is happy.

[cidery]

"She's the love of my life," replied Apple honestly. "I would give up everything to be with her. I love her so much."

[onaroll]

And suddenly Amelie’s wrapped around Apple, her tails wagging behind her. Grace has to surpress a start, because since when has her sleepyhead daughter been that fast?

“Isn’t my Apple the best?”

Grace very deliberately drains her mug, places it down on the table, and sighs, chuckling faintly.

“Ah, oui. I’m very happy for you, Amelie.”

[cidery]

"I should probably mention while the iron's hot of where I come from." added Apple, leaning into Amelie's hug.

"I come from a land called Ever After, and there, generations of fairy tale characters live. I'm the daughter of Snow White, Apple White, and I'm basically heir to the entire land. So I suppose the next step is to get to know both of you before introducing you to mother and father."

[onaroll]

There's a long pause as Grace tries to find something to say. Eventually, she just looks at Amelie beseechingly. Amelie shrugs a little and nods.

"So. Amelie's...going to be your Queen. My daughter."

Grace stands up and starts walking over to Tadashi.

"Nope! Nope, nope, nope! I'm done!"

As Grace curls up in Tadashi's lap, Amelie hugs Apple again.

"Isn't that nice? Mama likes you!"

[cidery]

"Thank goodness, I thought I broke her," said Apple with a blush.

Leaning back into the hug, she said, "Should I serve up the tarts now? I feel like, as the new wife in new family's home it would be polite."

[onaroll]

Amelie hums thoughtfully.

"Well, this happens sometimes. It's either the idea of me with political power or because she owns three sets of Snow White-themed lingerie."

From her position on Tadashi, Grace bolts up, yelling incoherently. Amelie yells right back.

"If you didn't want me to know about those, then you shouldn't have made me do the laundry!"

[cidery]

"Both are strangely in the vein of whelp," replied Apple with a faint chuckle as she grinned.

"Well in any case, we should probably figure out what to do for dinner. May I help?"

[onaroll]

Amelie considers.

"We could make sandwiches?"

[cidery]

"I think it would be a good idea. Do we need to pick up things in town or...?"

[onaroll]

Amelie does a quick check of the kitchen and shakes her head.

"We have some nice tomatoes and...ah, this is Gogoat cheese! Magnifique! Ah, check the pot on the stove, it should be Mama's vegetable stew...Papa! Do we have any fresh basil?"

Tadashi, who is stroking Grace's back soothingly, raises one hand and waves it from side to side.

"No, only dried. We do have fresh mint and tarragon."

[cidery]

"We can work with this then," said Apple with a cheerful clap of her hands. "Let's get started Amelie!"

She brings out the tomatoes and Gogoat cheese. "What kind of bread do we have?" She asked, checking the pot and it is indeed vegetable stew.

[onaroll]

"Ah..."

Amelie takes a second to look before reporting back.

"Baguettes, brioche, and pain de campagne...Papa, Mama, the usual?"

Tadashi nods for the both of them, as Grace is too busy seeking emotional comfort from her Fletchling to answer.

"Papa will have the pain de campagne and Mama will have the brioche; would you like to split a baguette with me?"

[cidery]

"That sounds wonderful, of course I will!" Apple smiled as she she to slicing up the tomatoes for the sandwich.

"And we'll have your mothers stew and I have a bit more tea left."

[onaroll]

Amelie nods in agreement, smiling.

"Alright! I'll go feed Rhyhorn and Lairon; I'll be right back!"

With that, Amelie goes out to the front yard, reaching into her purse for something as she does. As the door closes behind her, Tadashi speaks up.

"Apple...ah. No. Daughter. There will always be a place for you here."