Log:Unsolicited Dinner Invitation

2021/04/09 Night Marshal|Carpenter Grimm 1

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Even in Grimm's. Tolerable, anyhow. No nightmares on Elm street, at least for the moment. (Porter hasn't been back since he set the place on fire).

It's on this day, at the recently remodeled ranch Villa de la Grimm, that a message is delivered. And, like any message sent to a witch, it's delivered by an owl...ish-looking postman. Who rings twice after sticking it in the mail slot (those old houses had those, right?) or in the door jamb. Because it's close enough to a mail slot for government work. Especially terribly underpaid government work.

Grimm is curled up on the couch, leaning against Jack as they watch a crime show. There's chinese takeout on the table, and Gabrielle's commenting as she tries to jab at some of her chow mein. "...I dunno, maybe occasionally if we're working together at your moonlighting gig, I should disguise myself as someone else? Just to keep your secret safe." She takes a bite of noodles, and slurps up the last little straggler before suddenly straigthening up a bit. She swallows and announces, "Someone's coming." Then there's the doorbell and the mail slides under the door. "Oh...whew. Just the mail guy," she relaxes and sets down her food.

Carpenter shrugs, "No need to create a new persona for yourself, I think. No one has figured it out yet. And then only person who knows if someone I explicitly told." He chuckles quietly, and looks over toward the mail, "Probably junk mail?"

"Well, I'm not telling. But it'll be hard not to flirt now," she smiles at Jack and holds a hand out toward the mail. Grimm's comfy cozied up against Jack and doesn't want to move, so the junk mail moves to her by way of a shadow owl rising up from the ground and grasping it in its beak and flying it over. It drops it into her hand and fades out as it swoops by. She flips over the letter to examine it.

Carpenter chuckles and looks toward the screen, "Sloppy work. The detective used his bare hands on the evidence. Because of course he did."

If it's junk mail, it's rather well-designed junk mail. The envelope is heavyweight paper, and Grimm's name and address look to be hand-written, not mass-printed. Hand-written in gothic caligraphic script, even.

Grimm chuckles at Jack pointing out the issue. "Hmmm. There's a backup job for you. Consultant on cop shows," she grins. She blinks at the handwritten calligraphy on the letter. "Huh..." she utters and begins to open it.

Carpenter laughs at the idea, "I'm not sure how I'd end up on Hollywood's radar, though. But it sounds like it would be a fun job."

"Hmmm...maybe you could sell some of your best cases as show ideas?" Grimm suggests idly. She's not really sure how. "You've come across Titan in your cases, right? He's part of that life. Maybe he's got a connection."

Carpenter shakes his head, "I've never had the pleasure of meeting him, I think. Too bad. I would have liked to get his autograph."

"Really? Well...I don't really know him personally. But if I do run into him, I could try and get it for you?" Gabrielle smiles. "Didn't know you were a fan of his."

Inside the evelope is another piece of similar paper, folded in half, with 'Gabrielle' on the envelope-opening-facing side. Unfolding the paper reveals it to be a note. An invitation, even. All still in that lovely bold-yet-elegant script.

It has been too long. Join myself and your parents for dinner. There is much to celebrate, and much to learn.

Bring your handsome Freund with you so I can meet him.

Oma

Carpenter smiles and shrugs, "I like movies. Just in general. And he's a local. Well...sort of."

Grimm nods and has plans on getting Titan to autograph something if she ever runs into him. "I'll keep that in...mind..." her words trail off as she reads it. "How...did she...? Um. It's from my grandmother. Asking for an invite to a family dinner. And to bring my handsome 'Fruend' so she can meet him."

Carpenter looks over toward the letter. "Ummm....is she referring to me? Or someone else? How does she know about me?"

"I didn't tell her I was dating yet. I haven't really talked to my family for some time. I'm guessing she means you, but..." Gabrielle trails off. "She always seems to know things."

Carpenter raises a brow. "Magically aware, maybe?"

Grimm flips the letter over to check for any other info. "Yeah. She has the sight. My sister and I had it, too. I...never really brought it up, but I could always see the strange and usual. Oma Grimm helped us through it and understand what we saw. She told us not to tell anyone else in the family, though."

Carpenter looks confused by that, "Why would you tell you to keep it quiet? Would you have been in danger?"

Grimm frowns thoughtfully. "Well...she said there were some dangers. People might think we were crazy for talking to ghosts. Ghosts may get dangerous if they knew we could see them. I never really questioned it. I was a kid, and figured she knew what was best." She chews a little on her lip. "It was that sight that drew the Prices to me and my sister."

Carpenter rubs the back of his neck as he continues to lounge on the couch. "So...you going to introduce me to your family? I mean, that's how you know things are serious."

Grimm blushes and looks over to him, shocked for a few moments as she realizes that. She tries to read his body language, but she's not as skilled at it as he is. Though she doesn't often see him rubs his neck like that. "Yeah...sure," she smiles. "I mean...if you want to meet them."

Carpenter smiles. "Sure, I'd be happy to meet them. I'd be surprised if they'd have problems with me. Unless they'd think I'd be a bad influence on you?"

Grimm laughs. "Hardly. If anything, they'd be happy I found someone who's stable."

Grimm smiles slyly. "Wait, were you nervous about that?"

Carpenter tries to affect a German accent. "I'm afraid we can't let our daugther date a policeman. You understand."

Carpenter smiles. "Maybe a little bit? Meeting parents always has a bit of a tension involved, right?"

Grimm is stuck between amused and aroused by the accent. "Mmmm." She purrs and leans in against him. "Well...maybe they'd be concerned about the danger...and yeah, there's tension sometimes. My dad is...critical of everything I do."

Carpenter nods. "Ah...well, I'll be sure to dress well when we go meet them. Where do they live?"

"I was thinking more about you being nervous if things were getting a bit more serious," Gabrielle chuckles. "They live in Seattle. I can get us there, so transportation isn't an issue."

Carpenter nods. "It'll mean I'll have to leave my sidearm at home, though. State lines. Not official cop work. That kind of thing." He shrugs, "Not a big deal. I'll lock it up."

Grimm opens her mouth and closes it, giving Jack a smirk. "Why do you think you need to bring a gun to dinner?" she asks in amusement.

Carpenter shrugs and smiles. "It's a habit I've picked up. I feel more comfortable with one than without. That's all."

Grimm raises a brow, with still that grin on her face. "Do you have one on you now? I could frisk you," she says suggestively, knowing that he knows full well she could find out without having to actually do that.

Carpenter chuckles, and shakes his head, "I don't have one on me right now. But you can frisk me anyway, if you like."

"Mmmmm. I think I will," Grimm chuckles and leans over and playfully frisks him. "Got to make sure you don't have a loaded weapon. If it really makes you feel more comfortable, maybe you can bring your 'other' gun." She grins slyly at something. "I'm talking about Night Marshal's gun, in case you thought that was innuendo."

Carpenter smiles, watching her while she checks him over. "Well, if it was innuendo, it wouldn't make much sense...since that WILL be coming with me. But no, I'll leave any firearms here in town."

Grimm laughs and leans in to give him a kiss. "I guess that's true. Oh, and uh...don't mention my powers to my parents. Or about my sister. They're still not in the known, and they're...perfectly mundane. And I'm waiting for my sister to be able to return to his plane before springing everything on them. And...my dad is going to be judging you the moment you walk in, so....uhhh...sorry?"

Carpenter grins, "Umm...that's true for basically every father, isn't it? Judging the potential in-law?

Grimm blushes at the mention of in-law. "I...suppose that's true. My dad's a bit intense is all. He's not exactly a warm person. And I already know he's critical of my choices. And...might harp on the age difference. Or the danger of your profession..."

Carpenter shrugs, "On the other hand, it's generally an honorable profession, which is good. And a pretty stable job."

Grimm nods. "Mmm...yeah. I think it's safe to say they won't think you're a bad influence on me. Heck, meeting you might make them think I'm straigthening up," she grins.

Carpenter chuckles, "There you go. Nothing to really worry about, right?"

Grimm smiles and chuckles. "Yeah, you're right," she says, relaxing and leaning against him. "That goes for you, too. Though I can't imagine this worries you."

Carpenter shrugs, "Well...there's always a little apprehension, right? Meeting the parents and all that. But I'll be fine."

Grimm nods softly. "I...honestly wasn't expecting to do this just yet." She glances to the invite. "And it's not like my fam's on my social, so I wasn't expecting something like this from her."

Carpenter nods. "Yeah, well...you mentioned she has some kind of magical power, right? So...that explains it. Kind of."

"Yeah, I just never realized she could sense those sort of things," Gabrielle says. "And she didn't ask this sort of thing with my prior boyfriends."

Carpenter quirks a smile. "Well, there you go. She knows I'm special. In some way. Or...she knows that I have a second identity."

Grimm chuckles. "Well, you -are- special," she agrees warmly. "If she knows...it's not because I said anything. I haven't told a soul about it."

Carpenter nods. "Well, yeah. I'm sure that if she knows, it's due to magic sight or whatever she was doing."

Grimm nods, though she's still curious on the details. "She's good at keeping secrets. Which is part of why my parents still don't know about mine. I suppose I really should talk to her more about it. I mean...I thought she didn't know for a long time, but...she knew." She thinks a moment, then smiles gently at him. "I'm glad you're so cool about this. I guess...it's a bit of a big step. I should probably make it up to you. Either with some fun time or maybe tagging along on one of your night patrols."

Carpenter chuckles. "You can make it up to me by meeting my family at some point. Fair's fair, right?"

Grimm chuckles. "Yeah...that's fair payback," she grins. She looks a little concerned. "You haven't talked much about your family. Umm...what do you think they'll think of me? Or us?"

Carpenter thinks about it. "I'm...not sure, really. I'd like to think that they'd like you?"