A New Kind of World

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Victor, you can call me Tessa" Tessa replied with a smile, quite a satisfied one to be honest.

"Don't take me wrong, Victor, it is a pleasure, but this is the first time I hear about you" Morgan's reaction to his daughter's statement was quite different from his wife's. His face slipped into a frown, and his grey eyes, mirror to Elisa's, went from her to the black haired man.

"Well ... " Elisa shrugged "We started going out on friday" She said, which wasn't really a lie, technically Elisa had met Victor and had fallen in love with him on her world's friday night.

"Hmm" The redhead pursed his lips together lightly.

"Dad" Elisa groaned.

"It really doesn't matter, does it? As long as Eli is happy. Besides, if my memory doesn't fail me, my parents knew about your existence when I was already pregnant, which is quite worse" The blonde intervened.

Morgan's face reddened a little and his gaze swivelled down to his wife, who simply flashed him one of those smiles of hers he had always loved a lot, a smile his daughter had inherited.

"That is ... I ... I guess you're right" He finally declared.

"Of course I am" Tessa said with a wide grin, before she turned to Elisa and Victor "You father and I came to invite you to lunch, but that invitation includes Victor now, of course, do you want to come?"

Adam did observe the couples Rebecca showed him, though, because they were just basically all doing the same, that is to walk down the mall's halls it didn't really give him much information regarding a date activity, apart from those she had already told him.

"But, let's go this way."

The knight allowed for her lady to pull her along, and it wasn't until they stepped inside another store, quite different from the previous one, that he asked her the question he had been meaning to ask.

"And you? What is it that you like to do for a date?" More than knowing what people did there, he was more interested in what she liked.

(I'm so sorry for the delay! This month has been hectic, but I'm finishing finals next week)

Lunch between them and her parents? Normally, she would've not hesitated to agree to such a plan. Them getting along with Victor sounded nice, but … would they ask things? She had introduced her previous boyfriends to them before, but they had never really spent much time with one another, they hardly did it with her. Was it a good idea?

"That's very kind of you, I'd hate to say no."

The knight gave a reply on their behalf. She froze for a split of second, nervousness creeping up her spine. They would ask things, it was impossible for them no to, it was normal. They could lie, of course, but would her parents believe them? Would they be convincing enough? She stayed straight face, even when she felt Victor's gaze falling on her.

"It's perfect. Can you take your suv, hon? Your dad and I must get back to work afterwards" Tessa stated.

Elisa's corner of her mouth twitched, but, apart from that, she managed for her face not to reveal anything else. She threw a glance in her father's direction, he seemed tired, with bags under his eyes and pale. It'd be better if he got some rest, but she knew him far too well. He'd say no, he would and her mother wouldn't say anything, be it because she really didn't notice it or she chose not to.

"Sure" Elisa nodded.

A smile crept over Adam's lips and he turned his head lightly to the side until his cheek brushed against hers. He wished for them to be the only ones at that mall. He'd have kissed her if that was the case. He wanted to, maybe he'd have done it, never mind what other might think, but he guessed his lady wouldn't be too pleased it he did that in public. It'd have been not well seen back on his world, there it didn't seem to be a problem, which was what made the situation somewhat funny, because he didn't mind it and she did.

"I'd have loved to take you there if it was within my power to do so" Luckily, it wasn't, because, as he had stated it, he didn't want her back into his realm "But I'm quite certain that there must be somewhere here we can both go"

"Welcome, is there something I can help you with?"

The knight pulled lightly away from Rebecca to look at the woman who had approached them. She had a kind smile and bright green eyes. Surely, she worked there.

"That'd be really kind of you" Adam stated as he flashed her a good natured smile "I'm here to buy an attire"

"Of course" She nodded "Anything in particular?"

"Uh … yes, cheap?" He was determined in not making Rebecca spent a lot on him.

(Yeah! Though it took me time to reply again because of some family issues, but I shall be able to answer much more frequently from now on. Really sorry, again >.<)

"No, Victor, it's okay" Elisa shook her head before sighing. True enough, he didn't make it easy for her, but it was inevitable, she guessed. At one point, she'd have wanted for him to meet her parents. It had to be sooner than expected, but the damage had already been made. "We'll just make something up on our way to the restaurant, let me think" Then, she did flash him a reassuring smile.

She tapped her fingers to the steering wheel, and pursed her lips together lightly as she immersed herself into her own thoughts. Maybe ... maybe it'd be easier if they thought about something that resembled his real life, or old life or whatever. That meant no university, no studies (well, no, at least high school), no conventional job, no family nearby … She was wrong, how on earth could she make up a life that truly resembled his? The knight who used magic and served his King. It was ridiculous.

"A King you ask? There is a constitutional monarchy on the UK ... No, but my parents are from the UK, they may know a thing or two" She leaned back and pinched the bridge of her nose as she came to a stop when a traffic light turned red “Honestly, quite a few countries come to mind, though I guess there can be a lot. Spain, for instance, but I doubt you even know spanish, and I can’t risk it”

"You know what? Let's not involve a King or anything like that. Let’s try to be as ambiguous as possible and hope they really don’t think it weird” She pulled out her mother’s phone and opened safari. As she scrolled down the info, and opened and closed tabs, she was forced to put it away when she heard the honk from the car behind her, urging her to carry on as the light had turned green already. “I think this is a bad idea, but got no choice. When they ask, Victor, tell them you’re from Australia, from … “ She had just seen the name, what was it again? “Keith, it says on the internet it is a small farming town in south Australia, which is a country. You finished high school, but didn’t get the chance to go to college. You came to the United States about … two months ago, the rest just leave it to me” Oh dear, she frankly didn’t think it would turn out well, but she sure hoped so, because she could only do that, hope.

Clearance rack, he had to remember that. He supposed it was something he could associate to cheaper things, which was what he strived for, even if Rebecca insisted on him not minding that kind of matter. It simply was in his nature, in the way he was raised, the way he had been educated. It just felt wrong for a lady, who wasn’t even his wife (which wouldn’t make it any better) to support him monetarily.

“You may, Rebecca, but I would rather not have you do it, at least not a lot if it can be avoided, please, I just ask for that” He looked at her, serious at first, before his expression grew pleading and finally broke into a small smile.

“Anyway, I think I can take that one” He said as he pointed a loose and plain white shirt “And that one” He moved his finger to a pair of trousers, brown. Once he did that, his eyes swivelled up to Rebecca, as if waiting for an approval.

(Okay! ^^ That’s good to hear c: )

Elisa believed Victor to be trying to comfort himself more than her with his words, and the thought made her relax. Strange. They were her parents, of course they’d be fine, it was better to keep calm and go along with things. For God’s sake, it wasn’t as if they were to go before a judge or something like that. Lies could be told, and surely they wouldn’t notice it.

Anxiousness was gone, and to that a chuckle followed. It was ridiculous. Her parents were not even that perceptive, as far as she could recall. They would be perfectly fine. Her muscles relaxed, and even the smile lingered on her lips.

Her parents came to a stop on a rather nice restaurant by the valet parking, and the redhead did the same as she got behind them. She turned her head to the side to look at Victor, placed one hand over his and rubbed his fingers softly.

“You’re right, we’ll be okay” She said, with the determination Victor’s statement had lacked “I mean, they might not even ask much about you. Rebecca has been my best friend for a long while and they know almost nothing about her” She shrugged and flashed him another smile “Come, we’re here”

Now that she thought about it, she was almost certain that lunch would be brief, with her parent’s busy jobs, they wouldn’t have much time to chat. Yeah, it’d be quick and go smoothly, surely.

Adam found that world’s attires rather odd looking the more he looked, though at the same time he began to notice some patterns. The things people from Rebecca’s world seemed to like to wear. It seemed to him that quite a lot of those clothes were designed to look “good” rather than to be comfortable, which wasn’t all that rare on his world, but wasn’t a think he particularly went for. He preferred simpler clothes, which was why he chose plain things over there.

“No … no, I think that this is more than enough” The knight stated as he gestured at the things they’ve already picked “Thank you, really, for getting me the clothes” He said with a small smile settling on his lips before he planted a kiss to her cheek.

“I’m really sorry you had to help me choose them” He added as his gaze turned rather apologetic. Him, a grown man, had her picking his clothes as if he was a kid still. It was inevitable, but it made him feel the faint twinge of shame.