I pocketed one of the watch shaped pendants and after her father was done lecturing us about how dangerous what we did was and how even the people who use the spell for its intended purpose have to be very careful not to move too much or they'd hurt themselves later. When he finished speaking, I asked for permission to deliver the watch to my parents so they can come over whenever the mood strikes them. He sighed as if he was about to repeat his whole spiel again just so I'd listen this time, but his wife tapped him on the arm and shook her head, so he just sighed a defeated sigh and raised his arm slightly in a gesture that seemed to concede to my will.
I bowed slightly in acceptance and popped off to hand my parents the teleport pendant. I gave them a brief explanation on what it does and told them I'd be at the in laws' house if they needed me. Before I went back, I hid the watch I'm going to give my pet lich in my shared room somewhere among my components. When I got back my girlfriend was getting reprimanded for leaving in the first place, but she got a hug from her parents and they reminded her that they just wanted her to live a long full life and the life of an adventurer isn't one that should be chosen lightly.
She told them she wanted to be by my side no matter where that road leads her, so I sat down, right next to her and held her hand in mine. She smiled at me and we heard a knock at the door. Her father jumped and her mother ran and hid in the kitchen. He began scampering towards the door avoiding windows on his way and opened the door as far as the mechanism would allow.
He peered out through the hole and a slight grin worked its way onto his face, but he didn't open the door immediately and called out to them as if to test them, "Who's there?"
"Come now… we know you can see us. Has it been so long you can't even remember the faces of your old friends? We spent twelve years on the road together."
"I know who you look like I'm asking who you are."
"The password is, 'no you eat the pie'"
He began frantically unlocking the overly complicated mechanism. "My friends it's been far too long."
"We told you, you never get any use of that pendant anymore anyway, you should have given it to us so we could meet with you more often."
"Yours is a new one I made because your son showed me something interesting"
"What his marks?"
"Yes, but I was talking about his spell focus" while the adults got reacquainted my girlfriend and I made our way up to her room where she began packing up a few of the things she didn't have time to get and began moving them into our new house. I told her where I hid the pendant, I'm giving the lich and she asked me why, so I explained that it was the wish I offered her fulfilled but as I told her I'd give it to her when she has clothes. I'm holding onto it for now lest she be tempted.
Once we transferred her clothes and personal belongings, we left most of the decorative things as we already decorated our house with things bought instead of just coming back here and grabbing her stuff. In hindsight that would have probably been a good idea, but you tend to forget things when you're in pain.
After we were done moving everything and we got back to her room we went back downstairs to where our parents were getting reacquainted. My father was talking about how many adventures he's been on since they left and the trials they faced, and her father was talking about his inventions and how he'd managed to sell things while not leaving the house. He'd devised a machine that sells his items when the appropriate price is put in and an appropriate code is entered for the item desired.
The machine in question is on the side of his house so he can manage the stock and money within personally. As they got into their conversation, we lost interest in their discussion and went back up to her room to… reminisce. The memories this house holds, the dreams we shared together. It was a very nostalgic homecoming. We changed our clothes into something more comfortable since we were planning on staying for a day or two and generally hung out together.
After a while her mother entered the room to find me resting my head on her lap while reading my new grimoire, she herself was reading my radiant grimoire as she wanted her second self-defence spell. Her hand was gently combing through my hair at the time, "Lunch is ready."
"Ok, mom we'll be down in a minute" she replied. She set a bookmark where she was, but I simply closed mine as I won't easily forget where I was. We got up and went downstairs to enjoy the first meal our two families shared in years.
Not every member of our families was present, but we still had a good time. The dishes were locally sourced, so it was a nostalgic flavour for me and probably for her too considering she spent a year in a day with me.
Over lunch, her family learned of my special ability. Her father had an ability called danger sense but it only tells him when something is potentially dangerous like if a dragon shows up he knows a strong threat is nearby even if the dragon is under oath not to attack. He only knows potential danger, and this made him more and more paranoid the older he got. Her mother has a similar ability that detects the amount of living creatures nearby but as she doesn't know how strong or friendly, they could be, she also defaults to fear.
These two completed each other. One said how dangerous things were and the other told if the threat was living or physical. Essentially, they knew when traps and ambushes were ahead and were the de facto alarm of the party back when they used to adventure.
After lunch, her father took a box of cigars from his pocket and brought one to his lips after which he offered one to my father, he refused but I took it before he could put it away, "You smoke now?"
"I had one for the first time recently and didn't hate it. It's a habit I don't mind taking up… plus the smell reminds me of when we used to live here."
"Yeah, me too." My girlfriend said.
After cutting the ends off I sparked up an infernal flame and we started smoking in the study. I, my father, and her father sat drinking gin and talking about the past for most of the evening until dinner time came. There were a few parts in the conversation I couldn't comment on but who doesn't enjoy an old adventuring story even if it is one you've heard several times before.
We had a generally peaceful time catching up and getting reacquainted. That night I slept in my girlfriend's bed with her, though her parents weren't too happy with the prospect. But she reminded them that we already spent a year in a day with no one to keep the other company but each other.
She didn't go into too much detail and they didn't seem to want her too but they allowed it albeit reluctantly on the condition nothing potentially life-giving happens while we are under their roof. We agreed and thus ended the first day we spent with her parents. Though my parents left after dinner.
This morning we awoke to find the bedroom door open and a mechanical eye watching over us as if to make sure we didn't go too far. Book floated over to in front of my eyes and as I read I gently awakened the beauty sleeping at my side. "What's happening?"
"I think someone's trying to call you."
"What… oh."
She got up out of bed and went to go get dressed while talking out loud, as if to herself but I knew this to be someone calling her telepathically to give her some news. "I'll let them know." She said as she turned back to me. "She said she can borrow her friend's sewing kit."
"Oh, right my pet lich."
"Should we send her over to her so she can get her measurements and start thinking up designs?"
"I don't really mind, it depends on how fast she wants to start up working on it."
"She seemed pretty excited about having a model."
"Alright, we'll get dressed and meet her at noonish I guess."
"Alright." She went back to her call and relayed what I just said. "She said she'd meet us at my house."
"Sounds good."
We got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. It was a nice, pleasant meal and we told her parents we'd be walking around town for a while seeing the sights and we'd be back late for lunch. They asked why we'd be late, and we told them we'd be meeting a friend but as we said we'd stay a few days we'd be back to hang around a while.
They didn't object and told us to have fun when we left. They didn't open the door for us, and we said we'd be teleporting back in through her bedroom and to keep the room clear for when we return lest we teleport outside because the place we wanted to go was occupied.
After giving their affirmation we teleported out to the main plaza. There weren't many people there seeing as it was morning, and no big events were planned to happen soon. We walked hand in hand leisurely around the park.
We wandered into the forest a bit and started going to all the places we used to explore as children we had fun remembering where we'd play hide and seek and watch as children ran around doing the same.
Time passed as we did, through the town seeing all the sights, I'd almost forgotten in my over one decade away. She took me by the hand and showed me everywhere that was still the same and I pointed out all the things that had changed since I was gone.
We almost lost track of time and right when it was an hour till noon we went back to her house and started hanging around the house waiting to make sure her friend didn't get here early and get upset because we didn't answer the door, the first time she knocked.
Then again, an explanation could be easily fabricated if we wanted one. We didn't have to wait long it seemed her friend was fairly impatient because it wasn't half an hour before we heard a knock at the door.
"Hello? You have someone who wants to be my clothing model?"
I sent out a call to my pet lich, 'Hey you decent?'
'No.'
'Alright.' I summoned her in front of us. She was wearing the robe I gave her but she had her ankles behind her head. "Are you stuck?"
"Maybe."
"I heard you I know you're there let me in." Her friend said.
"Just a minute." She called back. I took the opportunity to fix the knot she'd managed to tie herself into while we weren't watching her and stood her up behind the door. Once the room was tidy enough not to embarrass us she opened the door and greeted her friend from the sewing club.