[ This surely is quite far from Sumina's initial imaginings of Satoru finding his way here: as a guest, seeking respite from the respite of the Hotel. Instead, he is here as her husband-to-be, someone whose life will be rooted in these fantastical, storied halls. Perhaps as a bartender, yes, or someone who's simply around to assist in whatever fashion, or even just as a retired sorcerer seeking to shape his life anew... After all, it is Sumina's greatest hope, still, that Satoru will continue to explore all of the ways he can forge a life for himself away from what his world demanded of him. And for that to happen through the place she calls home...
And oh, how that fills with her with such utter joy, that instead of paying mind to those stray odd looks, Sumina finds herself giggling like a young girl as he tugs her away and into the kitchen. There really is no joy greater than this, is there? At least, until they get married.
(She has not thought about how she's going to explain her new relationship status to her family yet.) ]
Very well! I'll need to assess your hospitality skills, and we may as well begin now, hm?
[ Into the kitchen they go, which, even for how this is "ye olde" compared to what they were used to at the Hotel, is remarkably well-equipped and spacious. Where something like electricity might have been used to power machines to keep food cold, magic instead takes its place. At the far end, too, is a cozy little nook with a table and chairs upon which the remnants of someone's breakfast sits - likely whoever is running the inn at the moment?
Sumina takes a moment to simply look around... it's been so long, and she'd spent so very much of her time here before, preparing meals for her guests, enjoying her few moments of peace in that tucked away nook, where she would find comfort in the taste of her food. ]
Now, let's see... [ As she starts rifling through various cabinets. ] We most certainly do not have an espresso machine, though I've already thought about commissioning a friend or asking my father to replicate it. In the meantime, we can make coffee with... Oh, where did they put it...?
[ There is no greater joy than this, and it's still difficult to accept that it's really his own, without any caveat or shoe waiting to fall. She's introducing him to the canvas that the rest of his life will play out on, and while he still can't say for certain what his work will look like, there's so much warmth here to build upon. It's so unlike the world he knew before, the work he already finished there. For the first time in a long while, he really can feel the potential before him, without any horizon in sight.
Moreso than at the hotel, moreso than as a corsair, he's truly spoiled for choice. ]
Don't worry about that. My hospitality skills are beyond reproach! I'm an excellent host.
[ Says a man who has never hosted guests at his home in his life. But like everything else he tries, he expects he'll pick it up quickly...
As she pulls out what he can only assume is a set of lab equipment, Satoru's head cants to one side, hands at his hips. ]
That looks like something you'd mix potions with instead. What kinda espresso are we gonna be making, Momo?
[ Hopefully he'll forgive her for the skeptical look that she levels his way, brow quirked and her lips pressed into a thin line, but she can likely name more than a handful of instances which don't exactly inspire confidence in his sense of hospitality. Still, her time away from home has also instilled in her a realization that things don't need to quite be so perfect all the time, and maybe... that unpredictability he brings will be good for the inn.
Gods only know that it was good for her.
That skepticism gives way soon enough to that spark of delight returning. So many times over the course of their relationship - romantic and otherwise - Satoru had been the one to show her new and unfamiliar things. Now, at last, it is her turn to do so. With a widening grin, she reaches up and rests a hand on his shoulder. ]
Have you forgotten so quickly? This... is how we make morning potion!
[ He'd likely recall the way she used to call coffee "morning potion," of course. ]
Shall we make a cup right this moment? Or save it for the end of your tour?
[ Ah, that's right, the days of morning potion were so long ago, he'd nearly forgotten. It feels like a lifetime ago when she'd called it that, when he had indirectly gotten the espresso machine broken and brought her a cafe drink in apology. He can still certainly remember the exhausted scowl she had greeted him with — for all they have grown and changed, other remain the same, like the way he knows just how to get on her nerves.
Not that he's really aiming to do so right now, cute and exuberant as she is, showing him around like this. He loves seeing her so wrapped up like this, so passionate about what she loves that it overflows in every motion. It's why he already loves this place, too.
It's her home. How could he not? His grins softens, exquisitely fond. ]
Hm...let's come back around to it? I'd hate to cut the tour short already. We've just gotten started!
[ And they've got so much left to see. They can always come back for a nice morning potion later. ]
[ It's her home, her pride, her joy, and she hopes very much that in due time, Satoru will come to think of it as such, too. That he may lay his burdens to rest here not as a guest would for a more spell or two, but as a Heartleaf would for a homecoming. That he might grow to love and care for and make his own mark here, too, just as Sumina hopes to over the course of her life, in ways both little and large.
And all starts with this, his first time walking in the inn's beloved halls. She's eager to continue showing him around, and so she nods firmly, and takes his hand in hers once more, already tugging him back through the kitchen door to re-enter the tavern. ]
The pantry was in that door we passed just by the kitchen's entrance, but let's keep going, hm? Let's walk through the guest halls, first! And you can always stop me to ask questions. Okay, honey?
[ Crossing over the foyer they go, where Sumina makes a quick stop to take a room key, and then she leads them down a hallway with doors that lead ostensibly into guest rooms; the walls here, much like the walls surrounding the concierge, are absolutely adorned with little keepsakes and souvenirs that Sumina's family and their adventuring friends and guests have brought back over the years. Nothing too fancy or magical, here, but certainly eye-catching. A strange mask here, an oddly-shaped plate there, a mysterious portrait, a weird spoon. Anything and everything. ]
These are all keepsakes my family or their friends have brought back from adventures. Maybe you can see why I'm always so eager to hang on to every little thing I find?
[ It runs in the family... It's almost like they have a dragon for an ancestor and are prone to hoarding things— ]
[ She's such a dutiful tour guide, and no doubt she's guided others similarly before, whether guests or staff, but she's never guided anyone quite like him. She's only got one fiancé, after all, and he can't help but feel prideful for being her special person, her one and only. Just wait until everyone who passes through these halls has to reconcile with the fact that he's the one who won the innkeeper's heart...
As they pass through the hallway, Satoru's pace slows so he can glance at the items on the walls, some familiar, some entirely unknown to him, but each one with a story to tell. With a brow raise, he glances back at Sumina. ]
No kidding. You've probably got more than a few things to add by now, eh? [ Tapping a finger to his chin: ] Ahhh, I should add something too. Some souvenirs from our adventures.
[ And since he's going to be a part of her family, he doesn't think twice about inviting himself to contribute. ]
Come to think of it, I've no idea if any of our items from Escordvi came with us...?
[ Sumina casts a glance back over her shoulder in the direction of the entrance, as if they might find a suitcase full of their things from their days of piracy (?) there, but they're just far enough along this hallway that she can't see. Besides, there's plenty more to see, still! ]
Regardless... [ her smile softens. ] I... I would love it if you added your own trinkets here, too, Satoru.
[ It would just be another way for him to truly weave his life with hers, for him to make his own mark on the inn just as Sumina has done her whole life. ]
And don't forget, you've an entirely new corner of the cosmos to see now, too. The places the Elderflower has doors to - you'll surely have even more souvenirs to add in time, too.
[ He'll have to ponder if he even has that much to contribute — and I, Bayleaf, will also have to remember if he plundered (?) anything worthwhile. The most important things came on his person, and for all he cares, they could have show up buck-ass nude and he would have been fine with it, so long as he was with her.
...Though that would have been a hell of a way to meet her family. ]
Hmm, you're right...scores of new places to visit in my free time. I am retired, after all...and before thirty, too. I am living the dream, aren't I?
[ A slight tilt of his head to the side, as his gaze swivels away from the various trophies and trinkets and back to her. ]
[ Not them returning to the inn buck ass naked like Momo and Okarun— ]
Well, I'm sure you'll meet and make plenty of companions here who would be more than happy to have you along on adventures...
[ Her words trail off as her gaze turns to meet his, realizing that this... is not what he was really getting at, wasn't it? While it's true that she has the utmost faith that Satoru will forge his own path here just as he had at the hotel, growing from each bond he sought with others like Winter and Giselle and others...
She is his future, and it would be a disservice to all they've weathered together if she simply returned to how she had been before, never leaving her place at the front desk... ]
...And I suppose I could visit places with you, too. Though, really... [ Her cheeks grow a little redder as she turns away and begins tugging him along the hallway once more. ] The first place you should be thinking about visiting is my father's workshop...
[ You know. To properly introduce himself and formally declare his intention to marry her!! ]
[ Thank goodness she reached the correct conclusion on her own, before he had to sharply (but still lovingly) remind her that by returning here, she doesn't have to give up on the parts of herself that she found while away from home, on taking adventures of her own. Still, better put a fine point on it, as he reaches out a finger to poke right into the tip of her cute little nose. ]
You better do a whole lot more than suppose, or I'll just have to spirit you away from your desk duties. Consider yourself warned.
[ With that threat(??) made, he follows the tug of her hand once more, his footsteps growing a little more stilted as she reveals where they're headed next. Not that he didn't expect this would happen eventually, but — ]
Seriously? Before I even meet your mom? I was kind of thinkin' I could use the two of you to butter him up...
[ She's not taking him straight to her father's workshop, no, but soon enough... Regardless— ]
Well... It's not him who needs the, ah, "buttering up," actually...
[ once again, Sumina's parents as that pic of Taika Waititi and Cate Blanchett, ]
But you've some time to prepare. I simply meant that you ought to visit him before any jaunts to other various worlds. For now... shall we take a look at some of the vacant guest rooms?
[ Let's pretend she grabbed the keys at some point because I forgot if I had her do that. ]
And there's much to see still! Like the dens and the baths and then the private quarters— ah. I suppose... They're our quarters now.
[ Satoru has no idea what's in store for him when he meets her parents...but he does seem quietly relieved she's not taking him directly to meet her father. Not that it's any surprise he's meeting her family now that they're here, but he's still getting his bearings. For all he prefers to barrel ahead through trouble, that's not so true when it comes to interpersonal matters like this.
Like meeting his future in-laws, and asking a near-stranger if he can marry his daughter, after they've been living together and boning down for the last six months. ]
You mean, you're not gonna ask me to stay in a guest room? How forward of you, Mina-chan! [ A playful chuckle, draping his arm around her shoulders. ] I wanna hear more about these baths, too...anything like my suite back at the Hotel?
[ Because ngl, he misses those. He could take or leave most of his suite but that was peak. ]
[ Good luck, Gojo... He's going to have his work cut out for him, between acclimating to a new world (permanently!) meeting the various regulars and side-hustlers and whatnot involved with the inn, the extended Heartleaf family, Sumina's own immediate family and, yes, asking a near-stranger if he can marry his daughter, after they've been living together and boning down for the last six months after they fell in love and he came back a dead man who is now not-so-dead.
He's not alone in any of it, at least. Sumina will do everything she can to try and make everything go as smoothly as possible. ]
E-Eventually not! I mean, we might both have to stay in a guest room to start. T-There's only one bedroom in the private quarters, and Lena's presumably staying in it. Speaking of whom, where is she...?
[ Well, no matter. They still have places to see. Sumina extends a hand out to gesture at a small alcove in between closed guest room doors, a small den or study it seems, where a guest is presently tinkering with weaponry and another pores over spell scrolls and books. Not regulars that Sumina seems to recognize, but she offers them a brief, polite greeting all the same as they pass by. ]
...Oh, and this is nothing like your suite, I'm afraid. It's more like... a pool of fresh, cool spring water!
[ She turns a corner and leads them through arched double doors inlaid with stained glass to reveal... ye olde swimming pool. ]
[ Oh, it sure isn't quite like his old suite...damn.
...But that was setting his sights a little bit high for the fantasy, ye olde vibes of the Elderflower, perhaps. Even if it's not that posh, it's still a nice spot, ideal for taking a refreshing swim, the type of place he can easily see himself doing laps early in the morning or late at night...
He's having a much easier time than he might have expected, envisioning his daily life here. ]
Mm, probably for the best, or I might be tempted to drag you into the water and ravish you for old time's sake...
[ ...It's said a little bit more quietly, but not as quietly as it should. Good thing there's no other guests nearby! ]
[ Even a little more quietly is still way too loud when they are in front of god (inn-chan) and everyone (no one at all)! Sumina flusters immediately at Satoru's words, squeaking quietly while her shoulders tense up against his arm that's wrapped around them. ]
Y-You will be doing no such thing!
[ And because he's so far had a 100% success rate with every scandalous suggestion he's made in bed, she adds: ]
Satoru...! [ One gets the impression that he'll be hearing his name in this sort of admonishing tone from her much more, moving forward. ] I must remind you that I have duties and appearances to keep up, now that we're home... W-We can't act as... [ ahem, ] Freely as we had before.
[ It's different, now that they aren't guests at a hotel or Corsairs on the high seas! But perhaps it's all the more reason for Sumina to take the occasional break away from the inn, so that they each and both have time for themselves. Smash cut to the doomed mistletoe thread— ]
Still, I'm... truly glad to hear that. That you can see yourself do much of anything here is... wonderful. If you can really make yourself at home here, then that... Nothing would make me happier, dearest.
[ Ah, and how he relishes being admonished in such a tone...the more things change, the more they stay the same. That doesn't discourage him either, but at least his cheeky grin melts into something gentler shortly after, when she expresses her own sincere relief. ]
Like I said before, it needs a lot more kotatsus... [ Callback! ] But...yeah. I can see your home as my home, Mina.
[ Of course. Of course he can. She is his future, and so is everything that goes with her, home included.
Dipping his head down, he presses a soft kiss to the crown of her hair. ]
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no subject
And oh, how that fills with her with such utter joy, that instead of paying mind to those stray odd looks, Sumina finds herself giggling like a young girl as he tugs her away and into the kitchen. There really is no joy greater than this, is there? At least, until they get married.
(She has not thought about how she's going to explain her new relationship status to her family yet.) ]
Very well! I'll need to assess your hospitality skills, and we may as well begin now, hm?
[ Into the kitchen they go, which, even for how this is "ye olde" compared to what they were used to at the Hotel, is remarkably well-equipped and spacious. Where something like electricity might have been used to power machines to keep food cold, magic instead takes its place. At the far end, too, is a cozy little nook with a table and chairs upon which the remnants of someone's breakfast sits - likely whoever is running the inn at the moment?
Sumina takes a moment to simply look around... it's been so long, and she'd spent so very much of her time here before, preparing meals for her guests, enjoying her few moments of peace in that tucked away nook, where she would find comfort in the taste of her food. ]
Now, let's see... [ As she starts rifling through various cabinets. ] We most certainly do not have an espresso machine, though I've already thought about commissioning a friend or asking my father to replicate it. In the meantime, we can make coffee with... Oh, where did they put it...?
[ It's not long before she pulls a siphon out. ]
Aha! Here we are. Impressive, yes?
no subject
Moreso than at the hotel, moreso than as a corsair, he's truly spoiled for choice. ]
Don't worry about that. My hospitality skills are beyond reproach! I'm an excellent host.
[ Says a man who has never hosted guests at his home in his life. But like everything else he tries, he expects he'll pick it up quickly...
As she pulls out what he can only assume is a set of lab equipment, Satoru's head cants to one side, hands at his hips. ]
That looks like something you'd mix potions with instead. What kinda espresso are we gonna be making, Momo?
no subject
Gods only know that it was good for her.
That skepticism gives way soon enough to that spark of delight returning. So many times over the course of their relationship - romantic and otherwise - Satoru had been the one to show her new and unfamiliar things. Now, at last, it is her turn to do so. With a widening grin, she reaches up and rests a hand on his shoulder. ]
Have you forgotten so quickly? This... is how we make morning potion!
[ He'd likely recall the way she used to call coffee "morning potion," of course. ]
Shall we make a cup right this moment? Or save it for the end of your tour?
no subject
Not that he's really aiming to do so right now, cute and exuberant as she is, showing him around like this. He loves seeing her so wrapped up like this, so passionate about what she loves that it overflows in every motion. It's why he already loves this place, too.
It's her home. How could he not? His grins softens, exquisitely fond. ]
Hm...let's come back around to it? I'd hate to cut the tour short already. We've just gotten started!
[ And they've got so much left to see. They can always come back for a nice morning potion later. ]
no subject
And all starts with this, his first time walking in the inn's beloved halls. She's eager to continue showing him around, and so she nods firmly, and takes his hand in hers once more, already tugging him back through the kitchen door to re-enter the tavern. ]
The pantry was in that door we passed just by the kitchen's entrance, but let's keep going, hm? Let's walk through the guest halls, first! And you can always stop me to ask questions. Okay, honey?
[ Crossing over the foyer they go, where Sumina makes a quick stop to take a room key, and then she leads them down a hallway with doors that lead ostensibly into guest rooms; the walls here, much like the walls surrounding the concierge, are absolutely adorned with little keepsakes and souvenirs that Sumina's family and their adventuring friends and guests have brought back over the years. Nothing too fancy or magical, here, but certainly eye-catching. A strange mask here, an oddly-shaped plate there, a mysterious portrait, a weird spoon. Anything and everything. ]
These are all keepsakes my family or their friends have brought back from adventures. Maybe you can see why I'm always so eager to hang on to every little thing I find?
[ It runs in the family... It's almost like they have a dragon for an ancestor and are prone to hoarding things— ]
no subject
As they pass through the hallway, Satoru's pace slows so he can glance at the items on the walls, some familiar, some entirely unknown to him, but each one with a story to tell. With a brow raise, he glances back at Sumina. ]
No kidding. You've probably got more than a few things to add by now, eh? [ Tapping a finger to his chin: ] Ahhh, I should add something too. Some souvenirs from our adventures.
[ And since he's going to be a part of her family, he doesn't think twice about inviting himself to contribute. ]
no subject
[ Sumina casts a glance back over her shoulder in the direction of the entrance, as if they might find a suitcase full of their things from their days of piracy (?) there, but they're just far enough along this hallway that she can't see. Besides, there's plenty more to see, still! ]
Regardless... [ her smile softens. ] I... I would love it if you added your own trinkets here, too, Satoru.
[ It would just be another way for him to truly weave his life with hers, for him to make his own mark on the inn just as Sumina has done her whole life. ]
And don't forget, you've an entirely new corner of the cosmos to see now, too. The places the Elderflower has doors to - you'll surely have even more souvenirs to add in time, too.
no subject
...Though that would have been a hell of a way to meet her family. ]
Hmm, you're right...scores of new places to visit in my free time. I am retired, after all...and before thirty, too. I am living the dream, aren't I?
[ A slight tilt of his head to the side, as his gaze swivels away from the various trophies and trinkets and back to her. ]
Traveling's kinda boring all on my own, though.
no subject
Well, I'm sure you'll meet and make plenty of companions here who would be more than happy to have you along on adventures...
[ Her words trail off as her gaze turns to meet his, realizing that this... is not what he was really getting at, wasn't it? While it's true that she has the utmost faith that Satoru will forge his own path here just as he had at the hotel, growing from each bond he sought with others like Winter and Giselle and others...
She is his future, and it would be a disservice to all they've weathered together if she simply returned to how she had been before, never leaving her place at the front desk... ]
...And I suppose I could visit places with you, too. Though, really... [ Her cheeks grow a little redder as she turns away and begins tugging him along the hallway once more. ] The first place you should be thinking about visiting is my father's workshop...
[ You know. To properly introduce himself and formally declare his intention to marry her!! ]
no subject
You better do a whole lot more than suppose, or I'll just have to spirit you away from your desk duties. Consider yourself warned.
[ With that threat(??) made, he follows the tug of her hand once more, his footsteps growing a little more stilted as she reveals where they're headed next. Not that he didn't expect this would happen eventually, but — ]
Seriously? Before I even meet your mom? I was kind of thinkin' I could use the two of you to butter him up...
no subject
Well... It's not him who needs the, ah, "buttering up," actually...
[ once again, Sumina's parents as that pic of Taika Waititi and Cate Blanchett, ]
But you've some time to prepare. I simply meant that you ought to visit him before any jaunts to other various worlds. For now... shall we take a look at some of the vacant guest rooms?
[ Let's pretend she grabbed the keys at some point because I forgot if I had her do that. ]
And there's much to see still! Like the dens and the baths and then the private quarters— ah. I suppose... They're our quarters now.
[ kyaaa ]
no subject
Like meeting his future in-laws, and asking a near-stranger if he can marry his daughter, after they've been living together and boning down for the last six months. ]
You mean, you're not gonna ask me to stay in a guest room? How forward of you, Mina-chan! [ A playful chuckle, draping his arm around her shoulders. ] I wanna hear more about these baths, too...anything like my suite back at the Hotel?
[ Because ngl, he misses those. He could take or leave most of his suite but that was peak. ]
no subject
He's not alone in any of it, at least. Sumina will do everything she can to try and make everything go as smoothly as possible. ]
E-Eventually not! I mean, we might both have to stay in a guest room to start. T-There's only one bedroom in the private quarters, and Lena's presumably staying in it. Speaking of whom, where is she...?
[ Well, no matter. They still have places to see. Sumina extends a hand out to gesture at a small alcove in between closed guest room doors, a small den or study it seems, where a guest is presently tinkering with weaponry and another pores over spell scrolls and books. Not regulars that Sumina seems to recognize, but she offers them a brief, polite greeting all the same as they pass by. ]
...Oh, and this is nothing like your suite, I'm afraid. It's more like... a pool of fresh, cool spring water!
[ She turns a corner and leads them through arched double doors inlaid with stained glass to reveal... ye olde swimming pool. ]
no subject
...But that was setting his sights a little bit high for the fantasy, ye olde vibes of the Elderflower, perhaps. Even if it's not that posh, it's still a nice spot, ideal for taking a refreshing swim, the type of place he can easily see himself doing laps early in the morning or late at night...
He's having a much easier time than he might have expected, envisioning his daily life here. ]
Mm, probably for the best, or I might be tempted to drag you into the water and ravish you for old time's sake...
[ ...It's said a little bit more quietly, but not as quietly as it should. Good thing there's no other guests nearby! ]
no subject
Y-You will be doing no such thing!
[ And because he's so far had a 100% success rate with every scandalous suggestion he's made in bed, she adds: ]
And don't take that as a challenge.
[ Nice try, Sumina. ]
no subject
You know I gotta take that as a challenge now! Just 'cause you said it.
[ She has only herself to blame for this one. It might be his toughest challenge yet, but he's got a perfect record so far... ]
It's nice, though. I can see myself unwind here...
no subject
[ It's different, now that they aren't guests at a hotel or Corsairs on the high seas! But perhaps it's all the more reason for Sumina to take the occasional break away from the inn, so that they each and both have time for themselves. Smash cut to the doomed mistletoe thread— ]
Still, I'm... truly glad to hear that. That you can see yourself do much of anything here is... wonderful. If you can really make yourself at home here, then that... Nothing would make me happier, dearest.
no subject
Like I said before, it needs a lot more kotatsus... [ Callback! ] But...yeah. I can see your home as my home, Mina.
[ Of course. Of course he can. She is his future, and so is everything that goes with her, home included.
Dipping his head down, he presses a soft kiss to the crown of her hair. ]