Venelana cuts an imposing figure, even though she's nearly a foot shorter than you. This is a forbidden power that only the mother of one of your girlfriends can possess. Venelana quickly turned her attention to the run-down garage that she finds herself in, "And what do you call this? These squalid conditions…"
"I call it Mitsuru cheaping out on the rent," you snipe – even though she isn't here to hear it.
"He doesn't live here mother," Rias explains, "It's simply a place where they design and manufacture their weapons."
That seems to stem her fury for the moment, "I see. Then I suppose the quality of the accommodations don't matter."
You lean over and whisper to Rias, "How much does she know about me?"
"She used to sit in the living room and watch the anime with us. I've also been telling her about what's happening on this side."
You hope the anime isn't as perverted as your version of events is. At least having a harem of wives and girlfriends isn't odd in their world, you seem to recall. That said, Venelana strikes you as a stern type of woman. She isn't going to approve something like this so easily.
She claps her hands together and smiles, "So, when's the wedding?"
The tension that built up in your body is released like a coiled spring, to be replaced by a flood of barely withheld confusion. That was the first question she wanted to ask about your relationship? "Uhm. Don't you have any other questions before that one?" you venture.
Venelana giggles in a way that is very alike to her daughter; "I trust Rias' judgement. I've never seen her so convinced of anything in her life. I do have a few misgivings about her indulging in such a fantasy though. Not everything in life can go the way you want it to."
"I understand, mother. Meeting him was a singular occurrence, I'm not so naïve to think that good luck will always be on my side."
Venelana reaches over and clasps your hands in hers. Her hands are very soft and warm. "From what she tells me you're a fine man. So, take good care of my daughter, please."
You nod, "You have my word."
Rias steps in and grabs her mother's arm, "Mother, aren't you forgetting something?" Venelana closes her eyes and sighs. Rias must be wearing on her patience a little with something, has she been pushing for her to… to become a member of your harem like she said before? The bravery of this girl to bring that kind of thing up with her.
"Rias dear, while I appreciate your concern for your mother – I highly doubt that your fiancé would be receptive to taking on an old, widowed woman like me. Especially not with children, some men are very possessive after all."
Your jaw drops through the floor as Venelana not only suggests that the idea is acceptable, but that men from her universe wouldn't want that exact combination of things in a potential partner. She's drop dead gorgeous, with a naturally mature air that doesn't need crow's feet to speak of her age. You've done a few good deeds already, but what the hell did you do to deserve the chance at this mother-daughter combo?
Despite the overflowing desire you feel, it's so, so hard to get the words out of your mouth. Flirting with your fiancé's mother in front of her is just something that people don't do. But for Rias and Venelana it is very much something people do. Rias gives you a knowing look that piles on even more pressure. You're doing this for her too – this is something you're doing to make her happy. You repeat that mantra in your head over and over as you finally find the words to say.
Rias releases your arm, leaving you connected to Venelana again; "I wouldn't mind. I think you're a very beautiful woman, Venelana."
She's flustered, but resists regardless. "You're just saying that to flatter me."
So you lay it on thick to try and break through, "Flattery doesn't have to be untrue. It'd be my greatest honour to court both of the Gremory ladies." Rias smirks – knowing that a corny line like that would strike at her mother's traditional heart. Venelana studies your expression for any sign of dishonesty. You keep a stiff upper lip and resist the urge to cringe yourself into oblivion.
"Hmph, and my body having borne two children is not an impediment to your affections?"
You clench your teeth and stay your tongue from calling her a smoking hot MILF, "I find your motherly manner very charming." Nice and diplomatic. It seems that her resistance is rooted in devil societal norms, rather than a distaste for you as a potential partner. Perhaps marrying a woman who has already given birth creates messy succession problems for the big families.
Rias eggs her on, "Mother – he is being entirely honest. Don't you think it's about time you found a new partner? I'd be more than happy to invite you into the harem."
Venelana takes a long time to decide on her final answer.
"…Very well. I am willing to give you a chance. I hope that you meet the expectations that Rias has set with her tales of your exploits." Rias cheers and pulls her mother into a loving embrace. You try desperately not to look at their sizable chests squishing together as she does so. "However, I would like to take things slow. It has been a very long time since I've enjoyed the company of a man who is interested in me."
"He's a gentleman at heart, mother. He'll do whatever it takes to make you comfortable."
You nod, "She's right – if there's ever anything that makes you worried or uneasy, please tell me."
Venelana scolds you both, "I've lived longer than the two of you, don't start treating me like a blushing maiden."
"But mother, you are blushing!"
"Keep teasing me and I'll cut your inheritance."
Rias bows in deference to the head of the family, "Apologies."
She finally removes her hands from yours, "But before we worry about courtship, I'd like to get to know you as my future son-in-law first and foremost."
You chuckle, "I think Rias told you everything there is to know."
You decide that having such a serious discussion in the dirty, run-down garage is a little too much. So you head out and down the block to where a small café is located. It's surprisingly classy given that it's in a former industrial area. You take a seat out front, thankful that the former road that ran down here has been turned into a pedestrian only zone.
You start off by explaining how the two of you met, and Mitsuru's invention of the device that allowed it to happen.
"Interesting, so this Mitsuru is what you could call a genius?"
"I don't think that's unfair to say. She skipped grades, has a doctorate in just about every subject you can think of. Big companies are clamouring for her to sign on and work for them but she wants to keep her independence. I think she feels that she can change the world easier that way."
"What do you mean?" Venelana asks, sipping her tea.
"Well, Mitsuru doesn't just work on armour and weapons for me. She's been working on a lot of different collaborative projects to enhance food security, access to clean water, things like that. Mentioning that kind of thing to her will set off a long rant about corporations holding her down. She's working on a… product line all on her own."
"Going into business? My, if she wishes for some advice, she should speak with me."
"Mother…"
"Sorry dear, you know I can't resist the chance to get involved with a new venture like that."
"She loves micromanaging things back home," Rias explains. "Sometimes I can barely pull her away from bookkeeping to look after the house. She would fall asleep at her desk if not for our servants tucking her into bed."
Now it's Venelana's turn to be on the back foot, "I never!"
It turns out that these two are a lot of fun to be around. Given that Rias comes from such a high-class family, it's strange to see her having such an equal report with her own mother. But you suppose that Rias is the leader of the gang for a reason, she's very confident in her own abilities.
Venelana gets things back on track, "So, tell me about yourself."
You spend the next hour going through your entire life up to this point. Your family, where you grew up, meeting and going to school with Mitsuru, moving out here to help her with her science. It's a long and generally mundane story – with Mitsuru's many brushes with the law being the only real points of notable excitement.
"A humble background for a humble man," she concludes. "I can't say that I was expecting Rias to settle on someone like you."
"You wanted me to marry Riser Phenex," Rias comments disparagingly.
"That is how things work between the families, Rias. When you spend much of your time in their company, the chances of marrying into them become higher." There's a world of difference between meeting someone at your job or in your social circle and an arranged marriage though, and Rias seems to think so too. "But if you truly desire someone else, there is little I can do to change your mind. It would be extremely unfair of me to forbid you from courting who you please after what your brother did."
Okay, that sounds like some very personal family drama, an emotional scab that you don't want to pick open again. It does elicit one other question from you, "If you're concerned with my status, why did you agree to join my harem?"
She crosses her arms, "Unfortunately, while many widowed devils find themselves swept away by aspiring rulers – I have some things working against me. For one, I'm from an influential family; accumulating the goodwill and power needed to wed me is beyond most. Secondly, I've already given birth to two children. Devils are possessive and greedy in equal measure, and most would baulk at the prospect of becoming a surrogate father."
That isn't much of a reason to say yes. You're sure she could still find someone more appealing than you. "Those are reasons why other people wouldn't want to claim you – but why are you okay with me?"
She sighs, "Rias is much like me when I was her age. That sounds natural for a mother and daughter, but the true extent of the resemblance is stronger than you would think. This may sound egotistical, but I consider Rias' opinions to be an extension of my own. If she is enraptured with you such that she demands that an arranged marriage be cancelled, then I can only suspect that I will soon feel the same way."
"I get it."
Rias isn't offended by the comparison, "My, you must have been a very wild child…"
Venelana titters, "Shush you."
You laugh and settle in for another hour of family time.