"What do these overgrown chickens eat, anyway?" Richard Zale asked of his son, finger lazily pointed toward one of the free range peacocks in the courtyard. His expression was pleasant, though he reckoned you'd have to know him to know that. So when Eva, queen of the place, addressed him, Richard put on his happiest face - the one he saved for pretty ladies. "Pleasure to meet you," Richard smiled and carefully shook Eva's hand back. "Excuse the callouses," he told the lovely woman with incredibly soft hands.
"They aren't from workin'," Karen chimed in quickly, when she greedily accepted Eva's hug. "His hands just grow them to match the rest of his personality," she jabbed at her husband without taking her eyes off Eva. "Thank you so much for inviting us," Karen added and admired Eva's dress with her hands. "This is so lovely," she told her, pawing at the bit of the dress hanging off Eva's shoulder, without asking permission. "I'm just happy to finally meet the woman whose enchanted both my boys," Karen said with a fond smile toward the queen. "Brayden doesn't stop talking about you and Nate's letters have been downright scandalous," she admitted to Eva with a grin. "Talking about you like you’re a person and not just a bother. So unlike my Nathaniel," Karen smiled toward Eva, then smirked at her son.
"Same thing chickens eat," Nate responded to his father with a similar tone and clocked Richard's 'meeting a pretty lady face' - the happiest in his arsenal. Nathaniel's hands remained in his pockets until Eva had greeted his parents and then he and his father shared a handshake. "Long way from Iowa," he commented toward Richard, knowing the older man rarely left his home - let alone his state.
"I suppose, kinda reminds me of California," Richard told his son with a smirk.
Nathaniel's eye narrowed at his father while he wondered what part of Vernal Asgard's palace courtyard reminded him California... Luckily, Eva and his mother seemed to be getting along well. "The faster she touches you the more she likes you," Nate informed Eva right before his mother exposed his letters. "She's efficient, I appreciate efficiency," Nathaniel admitted, unintentionally slipping into a bit of Raymond Holt. But regardless, Nate's apprehension about this meeting had begun to fade. He'd known Zap would be radiant and stunning as always, but he'd feared his parents would be less than understanding. Of course, he'd yet to release the bomb. "Actually, my fondness of Eva is part of the reason we wanted to speak with you before the festival. Eva and I..." Nate paused to make sure his parents’ respective attentions were off the dress and peacocks for a moment. "Are married," he finished his thought in sort of an underwhelming fashion. Mostly because his parents stared blankly for a moment.
"Oh," Karen perked after a moment, slightly confused. "I'm sorry, that's wonderful. I just thought Eva was married to, um... Thor," she asked in the most polite way possible.
"She is," Nate confirmed with a series of head bobs toward his mother. "And now she's married to me, also," he clarified his left hand ensnaring Eva's right.
"What's wrong with Thor?" Richard asked bluntly, because he was... Thor, after all.