A visitor at home [Tagging Hotaru]

[bestdadinamestris]

After the epic boss battle in the Nexus, Hughes had earned a few well-deserved days off from his duties at Central HQ. True, it was largely due to the number of injuries he'd sustained during said battle, but he wasn't one to complain. A few days of R&R with his family would be nice, especially with the added bonus of a guest.

Hughes had managed to find someone in the Nexus who would take a trade of some of his silver Amestrian cenz and all of the brass from the decommissioned uniform he wore while fighting demons in exchange for a new outfit for Hotaru. They'd found a lovely violet skirt and matching sweater and a pastel purple shirt that went nicely with the set. Hotaru had been ecstatic about the update in wardrobe and Hughes had been only too happy to provide. Dad Mode was active with this one and he was definitely in his happy place.

When the two had arrived in Amestris, after a very tight squeeze in the phone booth portal to get there, he opened his arms wide to the large city of Central, which spread out in every direction around them. The sun was high in the blue sky and the smell of Autumn tinged the warm air. With the military HQ behind him, Hughes - who was not wearing his military uniform for once - turned to Hotaru with a large smile on his face.

"Welcome to Amestris, specifically, the city of Central. Would you care for a tour?"

Comments

[silentasthe_glaive]

Hotaru blinks in surprise as she glances around. Compared to her own home, this place is so small... but at the same time it also feels a lot more comforting, warm, and all around lived in. She could grow to like this, and that's before se gets rushed by the rest of the family.

Pardon the astonished almost-deer-in-the-headlights look; it melts away after a heartbeat or two and gets traded out for a small smile.

"Th-Thank you," she manages. "I'm... honored? Pleased?" Those don't feel like quite the right words so she tries out one more. "Happy to be here. Mister Hughes has told me a lot about this place, too.

And quiche sounds nice. I don't think I've ever had it before."

But the person who made it seems so nice, so that has to translate to the food. Maybe. It makes a certain amount of sense to her.

[bestdadinamestris]

"You're in luck, then, because everything Gracia makes is amazing!" Hughes is positively beaming right now. Wide grin on his face, love in his eyes. This is definitely where he feels most comfortable.

"Now Maes," Gracia chides, "no need to oversell me. Hotaru will get the chance to decide for herself whether she likes the meal or not."

"All right, all right." He chuckles and turns to Hotaru. "Shall I show you to the room you'll be staying in?"

A tug on his hand from below gets his attention. "Daddy, Daddy!" Elicia's all but jumping up and down with excitement as she pulls on his arm. "Can I show her? Pleeeeease?" Hughes nods and chuckles, letting go of her hand. Now free, Elicia immediately attaches herself to Hotaru's right arm, smiling up at her. "Come with me!"

She doesn't quite pull Hotaru down the hall, but the urge to do so is obvious. The first door on the left, which she leads Hotaru into, is marked with a little sign that reads 'Elicia's Room.' It's a relatively small room, but that might be in large part because of how much stuff is in it. There's a small bed obviously sized for Elicia, a small storage bench, a matching dresser, and another, regular sized bed opposite the small one. Several tall and short lamps decorate the room, all of which match the bright blue and pink decor.

"This is my room!" Elicia lets go of Hotaru's hand as she takes in the room and gestures around with wide arms. "But while you're here, it's your room, too!" She gives her older sister new friend a chance to get a good lay of the land before asking, "What do you think?"

[silentasthe_glaive]

It doesn't take too much coaxing to lead Hotaru down the hallway. She's more than a little curious to see what else is in this house; it helps that it's just... inviting, for back of a better word. The people here are friendly, nice, and as much of a polar opposite as it's possible to have with her old home.

As she looks around the new room, she brightens up more, managing a quick nod... though right after that, a question occurs to her.

"You don't mind that I'm going to be here too, though?" Not that she's complaining at all; this room is very sweet looking and pretty. "I don't want to take up too much room, or intrude..."

Though her thoughts remind Hotaru that a quick duck back into the Nexus might help with that. A good house guest shouldn't intrude too much on her hosts, right?

"I... think i like it though?" She gives it another quick look over, before adding. "Actually, I'm really sure I like it. It's pink." And pink is a wonderful color, going by past experiences.

[bestdadinamestris]

Elicia giggles at Hotaru's question. "Why would I mind sharing my room with my new sister?" She obviously doesn't quite understand that Hotaru is just a guest for the time being, despite it being explained several times now. Her enthusiasm for sharing her room can't be slowed down at all. "It's big enough for the both of us, promise!"

Once Hotaru admits to liking the room, Elicia's eyes widen and a big smile crosses her face. "Yay! I'm so glad!" She hugs the older girl tightly. "We're going to have lots of fun here, I promise!"

As the little girl opens her mouth to ask if Hotaru wants to play with some of her toys, Hughes appears in the doorway. "Dinner's ready, girls. Come on out and join us." He smiles then disappears from view again.

With an excited giggle, Elicia grabs Hoatru's hand and leads her out to the dining room, where the table is set for four. Glasses of water stand at the ready for everyone, with a second glass set up alongside that. A delightful smelling quiche is set in the center of the table, with some other steamed vegetables in dishes set up around it. Elicia lets go of Hotaru's hand and jumps into the seat Hughes has held out for her, then turns and motions for Hotaru to take the seat next to her.

Gracia appears from the kitchen beyond the dining room and smiles at the scene of Hughes helping Hotaru into her seat. "Hotaru, dear, would you prefer milk or juice to go with dinner?" She already knows Elicia's answer, so she feels no need to excite the little girl any more than necessary right before dinner.