Looks like it's time to meet Mary's family.
Immediately noticing the doors opening, I cut the conversation there and directed my attention to the group of people that came speeding through the set of doors. Looking them over, I found a sun-kissed beauty who appeared to be in her mid 30s and looked remarkably similar to Mary rushing over, though missing out on that wild, rambunctious nature the lass beside me possesses.
I presume that's her mother… Though she could easily pass as her older sister.
Chasing closely behind that pretty woman was an older tanned caucasian gentleman who seemed to be in his late 40s, early 50s and was looking quite relieved at the sight of his precious daughter returning unscathed. Following closely behind that man who I knew for a fact was the mayor of this wasteland town due to my many run-ins with him in the game, were two young men just coming into adulthood.
I wonder who these two young guys are.
Taking a closer look at the two, I quickly discovered they shared many similar features with the mayor and who I presumed to be his wife.
These must be her brothers.
Having observed the incoming group all in the matter of a blink of an eye, I waited for them to race the rest of the distance over. And as soon as the woman swung the gate open, she wrapped her daughter up in her arms and burst into tears, obviously incredibly happy to have her daughter return to her. Not willing to ruin their mother daughter moment nor the family moment that would follow in a moment here, I took a step back whilst the rest of the family joined the two.
Waiting patiently off to the side with uncle Barry, I watched the family reunion play out and the minute the emotional moment and hugs had run its course, their focus changed from Mary to me, the stranger in this unexpected ordeal. Prepared to be grilled, I watched her father step forward, ready to answer just about any question he and the rest of the family might have... As long as it wasn't regarding sensitive information, that should be spread as little as possible.
"So, who's this handsome fella? I don't recall ever seeing your face in my town before... Nor figure now that I'm getting a good look of ya…" Mary's dad asked prior to going into thought.
"Well, that's not surprising since he's not from around these parts and just recently ventured from an undercity which he called home for most of his life so far." The wildflower informed her father as well as the rest of the family.
"Ah, so you're from one of those fancy underground cities, huh? It's been a quite a long time since someone from one of those places passed through town."
"Mm, it has been a while. I think it's been several months since the last one came through." Uncle Barry piped up.
"That aside, if it wasn't for him rescuing me from those bunch of bandits, I doubt I would've ever returned." Mary added seriously, doing her absolute damndest to make sure her family had the best impression of me, obviously to lay the groundwork for her to leave home and travel with me.
"Oh, you don't say." Her father said before directing his full attention to me and stating gratefully. "Looks like we owe you one hell of a huge favor for returning our precious little girl to us, then."
"That's not necessary. I would've saved this pretty wildflower regardless of if there was a reward for doing so or not." Declining a reward for saving a girl I would be entering a relationship with in a short bit, I retrieved and held up that medallion I got from the old fart once again. "And besides, we already have a bit of a relationship based on this."
The man paused seeing the small metal object and, after examining it for a second or two; he came back with. "Where'd you get that?"
Seeing the man observing me rather intently, I didn't keep him in suspense and revealed the origins of the unique medallion. "My grandpa John gave it to me when he heard I was heading to Crystal Springs. He said it should help resolve any issues I might encounter when showing up with a certain someone's precious daughter."
He eyed my masculine mug before scanning me from top to bottom and once he had done a couple of passes; he commented. "You do resemble that old guy a bit."
"I would hope so, since I am his grandson, after all."
"Mm, what's your name, young man?"
"Dom, Dom Mason Woods, sir." I answered whilst presenting my hand.
Mary's old man, the town's mayor, grabbed hold of my hand and gave it an extra firm shake as if to test me. "Not bad." The older and clearly very experienced wastelander commented under his breath.
As he was about to start drawing more information out of me, Mary's mother suddenly interrupted by clapping her hands and drawing all the attention to herself. "Alright, I think you've interrogated the poor boy enough, dear. Let's move things inside, please, since we've yet to even offer our daughter's saviour a drink or even a simple word of thanks." His wife quote unquote suggested sounding plenty displeased and unimpressed with her husband's actions up to now.
While she was staring him down, looking ready to rip him a new one if he didn't do as she asked, he immediately relented. "Oh, okay, honey."
I guess she's the one who truly wears the pants in the family.
After that thought crossed my mind, Mary's mother smiled brightly before leading the bunch of us, including uncle Barry, into the not so small abode. Transitioning from the mansion's exterior, we moved into a casual sitting room that had a few large couches encircling a dark wood coffee table, all of which appeared to be quite aged, maybe even prewar. As I was taking a brief glance at the furniture that could no doubt pass as antiques in this day and age, I followed the direction of Mary's mother and took a seat across from her and her husband.
Shortly upon taking my seat, I found myself quickly joined by Mary. I wouldn't have thought this meant anything normally but her parents obviously begged to differ because the two of them were now looking at me much more seriously than ever before. Now aware that this seemingly meaningless action of hers seemed to hold some sort of significance that I was yet to be made aware of, I kept my posture straight as a rail and tried to make the greatest impression possible.
I was going to be venturing back into the dangerous wasteland with their daughter who had just luckily escaped a grizzly end at the hand of some bandit scum in tow after all, so it would be in my and Mary's best interest if they felt I was halfway competent and seemingly capable of keeping their daughter safe and out of harm's way. Their gazes only lingered on me for another several seconds longer when a man-servant came in through the door with drinks for those present.
Taking hold of one of the antique white china cups from the coffee table, I glanced down and scanned the dark amber colored liquid before bringing it to my lips and taking a sip.
Hmm, that's not too bad of a drink. It tastes quite similar to iced tea, although different... I wonder what it is.
As I was enjoying the provided beverage, Mary's younger brothers whispered back and forth to each other discreetly regarding myself whilst their parents continued to observe me as they sipped on their own beverages. This went on with a bit of small talk with a hint of digging till the wildflower's mom finished her drink. "So, are you going to tell us what's going on between you and this handsome fella you turned up at home with?"
Hearing her mother's question, she shot a glance in my direction and when she saw I returned a nod she started. "Ma, pa, I don't want to hide anything from you, so I'm just going to come out and say it. I believe I found my one and this big guy here is that special person I've been searching for."
"Oh, and how do you know for sure?" Her ma asked, not yet wholly convinced by her daughter's statement.
"I would've said it's mainly due to the circumstances of our encounter, but after catching a glimpse of his character, I'm certain he would wade through hell and back for me if I manage to capture his heart. There aren't many men capable of that, let alone willing to put themselves in such a dangerous position for someone else, hence why I'm absolutely sure he's the one for me."
I knew she thought very highly of me and wanted to pursue me, but I didn't think it was to this extent.
*Sigh* "I was hoping you'd find a partner to your liking amongst the young men here in Crystal Springs, but I suppose the grandson of a capable man such as John isn't such a bad alternative." Her pa said once he released an audible sigh.
Following that bit, her father Ron looked my way and asked. "So what sort of plans do you have for the future, young man?"
"Well, for the immediate future, I plan on visiting the town's job board to see if there were any postings for taking out that bandit camp sitting atop the canyon to the north, if not I'll see if there are any jobs or bounties that peak interest." Pausing for a brief moment, I wrapped my left arm around Mary's shoulder, brought her towards me, and continued. "After that, I'll head back home with this lass here... As long as that's fine with you, Mr. and Mrs. Gibbens."
"That depends. Are you capable of keeping her safe?"
"No one is capable of guaranteeing the safety of anyone, no matter what they say."
"I suppose so."
"Having said that, my resume includes the extermination of an entire molemen colony, the culling of packs of mutated wildlife and even the solo take down of a Colossal Gila Monster, as hard as that is to believe."
"That is quite the unbelievable statement, but I wonder how you accomplished such a feat."
"Dad!" Mary spoke up in a warning tone, not appreciating her father's blunt question at all.
"It's fine, Mary, your pa and ma have the right to know at least a bit in regard to my capabilities if I'm going to bring you their precious daughter out from the relative safety this town provides." As soon as I finished speaking, I utilized my item box like ability and made a 40+ pound fully loaded Chimera-80 Missile Launcher appear from thin air. The instant her folks and the rest of the family caught sight of the shoulder mounted triple tubed missile launcher I conjured into existence, they all went on edge and immediately placed their dominant hands on their holstered sidearms.
"Y'all can relax. He's just displaying one of his powers." Mary said casually to her close ones, who were all ready to draw their weapons from their hips, already growing used to seeing mystical and powerful feats from me.
Following her reassurance, I tossed the weapon up and proceeded to balance the heavy explosive weapon on the tip of my pinky, displaying a small part of the incredible strength and control I possessed that no run-of-the-mill human would've been capable of. Observing their reactions, I found I was moving in the right direction, so I returned that launcher to my inventory and went on to display an ability even my female companion had yet to witness.
Conjuring a basic level 1 spark spell from the lighting field of magic with my incredible reserves of mana, a large unruly mass of electrical energy appeared in my up faced palm. The small bit of lightning danced about in the range I allowed it to, much to everyone's amazement and, after letting it cry out and emit a sound that was similar to a taser although a good bit louder, I snuffed it out from reality.
"How's that?" I asked her folks, who were still sitting there in amazement.
"Dom, what was that?" Mary questioned before either of her parents could respond to my inquiry.
"It's another one of the many things I'm capable of." I joked.
"Well, obviously, but you know that's not what I'm asking."
"Of course I know, but it's a sensitive subject that requires some close guarding, so until we've reached the next stage in our relationship, I'll be holding off on revealing everything. Just know I have many other fantastical abilities in my arsenal that I hope to one day tell you about, and more." I responded, not yet ready to reveal the true nature of that ability since I've yet to fully develop my safeguard for it besides oath magic, which isn't enough to fully protect it in my opinion.
*Sigh* "You've piqued my interest once again, big guy."
"Have I now?"
"Yes, and as much as I would love to get you to tell me everything, I understand your hesitance, so I'll wait till you're good and ready to reveal it all to me."
Returning the deep look Mary was giving me, I eventually broke it off and turned to her ma and pa. "I don't think there is anywhere safer for your daughter to be than by my side, so how about it mom and dad, do you think I'm capable of keeping your daughter safe?"
"...If this was moments ago, I would've said probably, but after watching that little display of yours, I'm sure she'll be just fine in your care." Her pa said.
"Although I'm reluctant to see my little girl go, I would have to agree with my husband Ron." Mary's ma seconded.
With her family's worries alleviated, the bunch of us talked for a decent while when her mother asked if Mary could spend the night before I took her away to the Cornerstone Stronghold, which I revealed the location of to those present.
My female companion looked reluctant to spend the night away from me, but she quickly relented when saw her mother's pleading look. "Haa, alright I'll stay the night, ma, but I'll have to step out for a bit with handsome over here."
Hearing her response, her mother smiled happily before turning her attention to me. "Should I make room for you, too, Dom?"
"As much as I would love to spend the night I have business to attend to, so I'll take you up on that some other time?"
"That's too bad. Well, just know you're always welcome to spend the night."
"I appreciate it."
The bunch of us chatted for a while longer and after informing them that I was different from Transcendent Humans, which they presumed me to be and in a category all my own, I handed Mary one of the spare smartphone like communication devices I carried around. "This is for you, Mary."
"What's this?" She asked curiously once I gave her the device.
"It's called a communicator. It's basically a handheld personal computer that will allow us to stay in contact as long as we're not beyond a certain distance from each other."
"Oh, so it's like one of those old world cell phones I read about."
"Exactly, although this device is a hell of a lot more powerful by comparison."
I explained the ins and outs of the piece of tech following that, and the moment we were done, Mary wrapped her arms around me suddenly and hugged me. "Thanks for everything, Dom."
Responding to her sudden show of affection in kind, I wrapped my arms around the southern belle and returned with. "No problem, beautiful."
After getting all the talking out of the way, the whole lot of us moved from that sitting room to the dining room of the manor and shared a decent meal that was quite extravagant by most wastelanders' standards. Though it didn't hold a candle to what I enjoyed on the daily back at base or at home in the undercity.
"Okay, we're going to head out now. Thanks again for the meal." I said once we made it to the door.
"Glad to have ya. Come back anytime, sweety."
Nodding my head in response, her father followed up. "Be sure to keep her in check and out of trouble."
"I'll do my very best."
"Come back safe, you two!" Mary's younger brothers said, waving us off goodbye.
"We'll make it back in one piece." The firecracker beside me responded confidently.
Turning around, I was about to walk off with the wildflower, but her ma spoke up one last time. "Oh, before you go, do you have any idea when you two will be back?"
"Mm, I would say sometime after dark."
"Alright, stay safe out there."
"Will do."
The second we finished our goodbyes, Mary and I left her family's property behind and returned to the town square.