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The exact second that they'd apparated to Vikram's house, two thoughts struck Csuri at the same time. The first was that his house was literally gigantic. The second was that apparating three times in as many minutes made her feel super nauseous. She hummed noncommittally when he welcomed her to his home. Csuri's first instinct was to run away, but Vikram hadn't dropped her hand. She looked at their linked hands, then anywhere away from him. Of course, before she could say anything, the echoed sound of footsteps hurried over. Suddenly there was a young woman, probably a few years their senior, wearing a nice dress and smiling brightly. Oh no. This was very much the opposite mood that Csuri was feeling.

Csuri figured this was probably their older sister - the one who was in business school - unless their mom was super young. Csuri did snort softly when the older girl called Vikram 'Vikky', but she looked immediately nervous when attention was turned onto her. Oh boy. She couldn't leave now (mostly because Vikram was still holding her hand!), but she also didn't want to talk to a random person either. Before she could offer her name, Vikram questioned if their parents were home. Ah, yes. This was definitely their sister. "Csuri Narain," she said, not really sure how to introduce herself. "Pleasure to meet you."

Silver eyes flicked over to see Kavi leaning against the wall, looking way too smug for her taste. While normally Csuri would put the fear of several gods into the kid, right now there were other, much more stressful factors at play. Csuri was going to have to meet parents, which was (arguably) her least favorite thing to do. She hadn't been good at it when she lived at Wool's, she hadn't been good at it with her friends' parents, and now she was probably going to be terrible at it with Vik's parents. But unfortunately, this whole stupid mess meant she would have to play nice with these specific parents... probably forever. As she thought about how much they'd probably hate her, her thoughts started down the spiral they so often took. Instinctively, her free hand went up to her mouth so she could bite on her nails in worry.

As soon as she'd introduced herself, Csuri regretted it. Fatima immediately asked if she was Vikram's girlfriend, which earned Vikram a sidelong glance from the blonde. Maybe she could shift the conversation off of herself. It was already super awkward. "Fatima.... Um... Vikram mentioned you're in business school..." Maybe they could just... talk about something different. The air was so tense it could be cut with a spoon at this rate. Just as soon as Csuri had moved her hand up to gnaw on her fingers, Vikram stole it, now having both her hands. Damn him. He re-re-changed the conversation, back to asking his sister about their parents.

Csuri pulled her hand free of Vikram's as soon as he became distracted enough. Fatima definitely seemed more interested in her, which was super uncomfortable. Fatima said their parents both took the day off for the boys, but then immediately put Csuri back in the spotlight. She really, really wished that'd stop. Suddenly, two more people walked in. Their Mata (and Fatima) hugged both Vikram and Kavi, but Csuri noticed their dad studying her. As soon as he asked who she was, Csuri tried to pull her hand free of Vik's grasp so she could apparate away, but the stupid git was holding tight.

Silver eyes turned to look at Vikram, who introduced her by name. After a painful hesitation, he added that she was his girlfriend. Oh good, because that hadn't sounded forced. See, it was proof, right there! He didn't want this either. But her train of thought was sharply derailed with Vik's terrible announcement. Could he not have done that with even a slight hint of tact?! Csuri pinched the bridge of her nose, doing her best to avoid eye contact with anyone, because Vikram had locked the spotlight permanently on her. Besides, he STILL WOULDN'T LET GO!!! All she wanted was to flee, but stupid moron wouldn't give her half a chance to apparate away. Maybe she'd have to take him with her. Otherwise, it was very likely that she'd have to stab him.

Aaaaaand there it was. The inevitable implosion of a family. She'd been here all of two minutes, and already Vikram's entire family was embroiled in a shouting match. See, this is why she hated anything family related. It always blew up, and it somehow seemed to follow her. Part of her wanted to cry, but most of her just wanted to flee. Maybe if she just disappeared, the situation would mend. It was all her fault, after all. Vikram's Father questioned the existence of a baby, then a few seconds later, commented on Vikram's engagement. Wait, how had they known that Vik had (sorta) asked her to marry..... oh. Or it was an entirely different situation.

She pulled on a loose curl, listening to the Hindi words being shouted around. It did ******** suck to know Vik's entire family already hated her. Cool. Good thing this didn't bring up any painful memories. That sure would suck if it did. Csuri huffed softly, but listened to Vikram next speak up in somewhat of a defense. He claimed to love her and want to marry her, then even mentioned the baby hadn't been intentional. She bit her lip, feeling the usual rush of anger overtaking her. Fatima tried to mediate, saying they could just pay off this other person because Vikram "had" to marry her instead.

Before she could stop it, the words spilled out of Csuri, her eyes betraying the rage under the surface as she glared at Vikram. "Hold the ******** on. Vikram." She pulled her hand away from his, this move made with a sense of finality as she pushed the focus onto him. "आप व्यस्त हो?! वह बकवास कब से आधिकारिक है? ऐसा कोई रास्ता नहीं है कि आप उस छोटे से विवरण को भूल जाएँ। और आख़िर उनका मतलब क्या है कि तुम्हें मुझसे शादी करनी होगी?! मुझे लगा कि आपने कहा था कि आप ऐसा करना चाहते हैं?! क्या यह सब बकवास एक मजाक था?" Her lithe frame was quivering with anger, though this time was different than the kinds he'd seen before. This one betrayed the heartbreak she was feeling. She'd been so stupid to just believe Vikram wanted to marry her. She was just a convenient excuse to stop a marriage to someone he liked even less.

Csuri couldn't believe how stupid she was. She'd been such a fool to let someone in past her walls. Before she'd ever built them, back when she thought she knew what love was, her idyllic world was never supposed to involve pain. Her heart had been ripped from her body, and she did everything she could to protect herself. It'd taken years for Brianna, then Hes to break through the walls, but for some reason.... some stupid reason, she'd trusted Vikram. And now, here she was. On display for a whole crowd to witness another heartbreak. She'd fought her entire life to make sure this didn't happen again. Part of her wanted to be mad, but it was her fault. She'd trusted him, despite knowing what would inevitably happen. This was just the natural consequence of her own actions.

Vikram said he'd give up his life, but she couldn't believe that. He had a family that - presumably - loved him, not to mention all the possessions he'd be giving up in the process. He continued, saying he loved her, that he'd wanted to tell her everything. But if that was true... he would have. He would have told her even the barest hint of what disaster was going to face her. Unless he was reveling in her heartbreak. It really wouldn't surprise her. People were assholes. Every single one of them was selfish and cruel, even if they put up a perfect façade.

Her hands were reclaimed, causing the tear-lined silver eyes to glare up at him once more. He claimed he wasn't just trying to get out of marrying someone else, then said he loved her. Csuri glanced away, feeling somehow scrutinized under his gaze. It definitely didn't help that they were on display before his entire family. Finally, a different voice broke the silence, with Vikram's Mother speaking up. She told her husband to go clear his head, but he responded with a curse under his breath. Good. They hated her even more. Perfect.

As soon as he was gone, the silence sat over the rest. Csuri couldn't help but blame herself as the cause of all of this. If she'd never let him in. If she'd been smarter about her meds. Everything here could have been avoided. Because wasn't being alone less painful than all of this? She wished to go back in time and just avoid everyone. If she'd never met Brianna, she'd never have joined quidditch, and she'd never have made friends - or enemies. It was all because Csuri couldn't just handle being alone. Vikram's mother pushed Kavi and Fatima out, then scolded Vikram again, before she also left. "I should just leave. No, I should have never come. It was stupid of me anyway." Her words were quiet, but they still held the sharpened edge of her own anger. She pulled her hands back, debating where exactly she should go. Going home would just lead to Baba asking questions. But it wasn't like she wanted to go ruin Hes or Alice's night. And Brianna was probably busy. Maybe she'd just.... try to find somewhere alone. Not like anyone wanted her with them anyway. The teen stumbled backward a bit, trying not to let Vikram see the tears sitting in her eyes.

This whole thing was a disaster. Vikram's family was clearly split, leaving him the outsider. Csuri had felt that before, the crushing isolation caused by familial divide. It was something she'd never wish on anyone, much less someone like.... like this. But when he spoke, her gaze flicked to him. He said she was wrong, that this had been the right move. He even said it was his fault. He turned away, earning a sigh. Great. Now even he couldn't bear to look at her. She studied him, knowing that he was feeling the full effect. Of course, she was still waiting for him to accuse her of causing the breakdown in his family, but hey. She was used to being everyone's scapegoat.

And then, of course, he spoke. He said he'd thought this was a good plan. What ******** part of this had been good?! He also called her the girl of his dreams, but she pushed that line aside for now. As much as she wanted to throw this on his poor planning, something prevented her from being mean. Maybe it was his stupid, sad face. He claimed he'd wanted to spare her the stress, though the words were choked off by weird sobs. Oh gods, now she was going to have to try to console someone too? Csuri's steely gaze softened a bit when she noticed his tears, but she couldn't move. She didn't know what to do. She hated not knowing what to do!

He sank to the floor, saying he did love her, but he'd understand if she wanted to leave. Was that the permission she needed to apparate away? Was that him telling her to go? Instead, she tilted her head back, turning her gaze to the ceiling. Finally, words managed to find her. "I have never before met someone that confused me more than you, Vikram. I've never met someone so.... so damn impulsive and frustrating." She pulled on a curl, forcing her brain to try and say something not... awful.

"But I've also never met someone so damn effective at breaking past walls. You're like a wrecking ball of emotions. I've tried everything I could to keep you out. To keep your stupid, infectious positivity our of my life. And yet, somehow you found your way in. You pushed past every objection, every obstacle, and every flare of rage. She looked at him, her gaze studying the mess of emotions before her. Usually this worked the other way round. With her a mess on the floor and him being so damn positive that he fixed things. "And yes, you definitely should've told me about all this, but hell. You wouldn't be Vikram if you didn't try to play the hero. You wouldn't be you." With a sigh, she offered a hand out to him, hoping to help him back to his feet. "And I'm sure you'll figure out a way to mend this mess. I just... don't know if I should be here for it. Your parents have made it pretty clear that I caused the riff. So maybe if I leave, you can fix this. Because I... I shouldn't be around families. Or happy people. Or.... well, happy families. Because you fix things. All I can do is break them." Why was she even telling him all of this? He'd seen her damage relationships more than once. He'd singlehandedly watched as she aggressively shunned everyone away from her, simply because she was too selfish - too scared - to let herself be hurt again.

As she tried to get Vikram to be less.... upset, she hadn't really expected it to work. She wasn't very good at pep-talks, after all. But somehow, he was smiling again, leaving her confused. It was just to bizarre to her that he could just... be happy that fast. It usually took her 3-5 business days to climb her way out of any emotion. His words were firm as he said she hadn't broken anything, but she just focused on helping him push to his feet. She instinctively scoffed when he pulled her into a hug. "I did, but it's... whatever. I'm aware that I shouldn't be allowed near families." She shrugged her shoulders, glancing away. She knew that she was cursed to just... destroy families. After all, that's what had happened with hers, wasn't it?

She glanced over at him when he stepped back, saying his family was like a Bollywood movie. Joy. That didn't sound stressful at all. He also said that by tomorrow morning, everyone would be fine... possibly. "Yea, honestly, my anger is going to depend on that too." She wasn't about to be second fiddle to anyone. If it meant severing ties, well... it'd have to be done. She wanted to say that she could go. She could come back... eventually, maybe. For now, she'd just... maybe book a hotel room somewhere and just be alone with her thoughts.

But instead, Vikram said he didn't want her to go. He claimed that he needed her, which just earned a huff from the curly-haired teen. No one needed her. No one ever had, anyway. She looked over at him when he stroked her cheek, that dumb little smile on his face. What an idiot. But then... was he not her idiot? Because if anyone else annoyed her like that, she'd make it her mission to see them off the face of the earth. And yet, she found herself wanting to spend time with Vikram. It was stupid, and probably something to do with hormones, right?

Csuri was trying to decide if she should stay or go when Vikram asked if she wanted to go to his room. Maybe at least there she could pretend none of this had happened. Shrugging her shoulders, she responded, "If you want, I guess. Otherwise I can just... go. Let you deal with this without me making things worse." Because what else was she good for? She didn't have the faintest clue how people treated family members, save as photo props or burdens. Even her relationship with her Baba was more.... formal than anything. Maybe she just needed to read more about nuclear family units? Maybe she should ask Brianna, since she was the only one of her friends with a normal-ish family.