firstofitskind | The Carmichael Hotel, Chicago, Saturday Evening (Reply)

'An hour and a half before dinner', Verity had said. With the mice happily ensconced next door, they'd made good use of that time, putting her claims of soundproofing to the test.

She must have been right, Liam figured, or there would have been an annoyed knock at the door from another guest (or worse, the hotel staff), or excited cheering from the room next door.

Liam	They lay sprawled on the bed, Verity's head resting on Liam's stomach, while he drew lazy spirals on her back with thumb and forefinger. "Verity." He nudged her, voice low and insistent as her eyes threatened to drift closed.
Verity	"Nope," Verity said, closing her eyes and snuggling down lower, so that the small hairs below his navel tickled her nose. "Staying right here. Nothing you can say will move me. I am a rock. I am an island."
Liam	"You're an island who's going to make us late for dinner, and while I'd be perfectly fine remaining exactly where I am for the next eight hours or so, you seemed set on being here in time for that dinner." Liam pointed out as he pulled his hand away from her back. "I refuse to take the blame when you wake up and realize that we missed it."
Verity	"Dinner. Crap." Verity sat up, raking a hand backwards through her hair. "Let me hop in the shower real quick. Pull out something casual but dressy, okay? Uncle Mike's going to be there, so we won't be the only 'humans' at the table." Yes, humans got air quotes now. Because Liam.
Liam	"... He's coming alone?" Liam asked, already sliding out of the bed. "Isn't he married?" That he could be married to someone not human occurred to him just as soon as the words left his mouth. If Verity was paying attention, she'd probably even catch the moment the little light bulb went off over his head.
Verity	Verity smirked at him. "I see you figured it out," she said. "Aunt Lea is an Oceanid."
Liam	"Is there anything your family won't marry?" Liam asked, shaking his head. The question was mostly rhetorical, for obvious reasons.
Verity	"Hey, I am the first member of my family to go both intergalactic and inter-reality," Verity teased. "I deserve a trophy."
Liam	"You should've requested one before we left Vegas, then," Liam said teasingly. "Bet pawn shops are full of trophies," he added with a smirk before leaning in to kiss her. Not too deeply, or too long, because they did have a dinner to get to after all. "Shower's all yours, babe," he said, when he pulled away. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."
Verity	"Shit, shit, shit," Verity said, grabbing her shower bag and bolting for the bathroom. The Kalakos family was forgiving of a lot of things. They were not big fans of tardiness. A lot of older buildings have questionable plumbing and terrible water pressure. Since the Carmichael Hotel was outside a lot of building codes and might not even technically exist as far as the city was concerned, it would have been perfectly reasonable to assume that their showers would suck. It would also have been very, very wrong. The Carmichael didn't have a lot of permits, or access to the human building community. What it had instead was access to an entire world of nocturnal and subterranean contractors who were happy to do virtually anything for a paying customer. (It's borderline impossible to exist entirely outside the human economic system these days. Money talks, as the old proverb says. So does the media. Bogeyman children who would once have been perfectly happy with homespun and hand-me-downs were just as vulnerable to trends as their human counterparts, and their parents were just as susceptible to pleading, begging, and the all-important whining. Even cryptid communities that lived mostly off the grid were apt to take small jobs and produce handmade goods for sale to human markets, just for the sake of keeping the local currency on hand.) The shower was hot, and strong enough that it felt like it blasted off the top layers of Verity's epidermis, taking all the grit and weariness of the road along with it. She turned off the taps and stepped out of the tub, once more ready to take on the world. She could hear Liam moving around in their shared hotel room; that was enough to bring a smile to her face. He might be a little weird sometimes, and they might still be working their way through the places where their divergent... upbringings?... clashed with their relationship, but he was here, and he was hers, and she was happy to be his.
Liam	True to his word, Liam was dressed by the time Verity emerged from the bathroom: black slacks, black button-down shirt, even his belt was black. All pretty typical; t-shirts weren't the only fashion choice Verity needed to work on with him, as spots of color were still few and far between in his wardrobe. He glanced over at the sound of the door opening, giving her outfit an appreciative once-over. "You look nice." Nothing was going to compare to the way she'd looked on their wedding night, of course, but this was still a good look.
Verity	Verity had donned a peasant-style yellow blouse, tight gray jeans, and earrings of tiny silver snakes that had been a Christmas gift from Alex. They weren't fighting clothes, and that was why she was wearing them. The Kalakos family had known the Healy-Prices for generations. That meant they trusted them...to a point. They never forgot what the humans had been, any more than the humans had. They all just needed to tread lightly around each other. Verity saw Liam, all dressed up and smiled again, heat still in her eyes. "And here I'm thinking about how much I'd like to undress you again, and wishing we had more time before dinner," she said. "I'm really looking forward to getting home, and being able to slow things down whenever we want them. I'm tired of quickies in cheap motels while the mice aren't in the room."
Liam	"How long are we here again?" Liam asked, not pointing out that technically, there was nothing stopping them from abandoning this road trip altogether and just portaling back to Fandom. It was important to her, for reasons that he couldn't quite fathom, and so they were doing it.
Verity	He was seeing places that were important to her family - now his. "Couple of days," she replied. "Uncle Mike is going to show us the city."
	That much he understood. But even then, they could've just as easily booked a portal between each destination. It was the determination to give him the 'real American road trip experience' that he was going along with with mild bemusement. "Then we'll have plenty of time to 'slow things down' before we get back on the road," Liam pointed out. "Now come on and introduce me to your friends," he added, offering her his arm.
Verity	Verity took it and, together, they walked out of the room. The stairs down to the lobby were broad and beckoning as they walked down the hallway. She pulled Liam away from them and down a bend in the hall to a smaller stairway, almost hidden by the construction of the floor. It was just as opulent as the rest of its surroundings, with a polished brass bannister and thick carpet on the steps, but it was somehow uninviting, like it didn't want to be used. Part of that was the narrowness: there wasn't room for two people to walk side-by-side. Verity stepped in front of Liam, explaining cheerfully, "This way no one can attack them any way but single file," before starting down.
Liam	"Neat," Liam said dryly, and followed her down. The stairs went down, down, down to lobby level and then lower still, finally widening out and opening onto a room large enough to host a professional ballroom dance competition. The floor was marble, and the draped fabric on the walls matched the lobby upstairs. Conversation pits formed by careful groupings of furniture studded the edges of the room. All of them were empty, unlike the long table set up on the far end, which was surrounded by gorgons.
Verity	Gorgons, and one couple that appeared human, although the woman had blue-green highlights in her wheat-colored hair. Verity grinned and waved when she spotted them. Aunt Lea waved back, while Uncle Mike looked indulgently on. It was too far for Verity to really see his expression, but she knew that he was probably smirking. Such a troll, for someone who wasn't even related. Verity slid her arm through Liam's as they walked across the room toward the table. "The big gorgon with the red and yellow snakes on his head is Angelo Kalakos. He's the current patriarch of the family, and he's the one who decides things like 'who is welcome at the Carmichael.' He's a pretty reasonable guy, and he used to be a professional Scrabble player, because the world is profoundly weird sometimes. The lady with the white and orange snakes is his wife, Lydia. Her father, Hector, knew my great-grandparents."
Liam	Liam paused to mull that over. "So, who takes whose name in gorgon culture?" he asked.
Verity	"Ooo, good catch. See, you're adapting fast to my world." Verity gave him a doting look. "Among lesser gorgons, the family name is tied to the place, not the specific bloodline. Lydia was born a Kalakos, and since she stayed here at the Carmichael, when she took a husband, he took her name. Her sister, Aspa, moved to a gorgon community up in Canada, and she took her husband's name. That way, ownership of property or hunting grounds is continuous, and tied to the name." We were almost to the table. The others would be able to hear them soon. She gave his arm a squeeze. "Any more pressing questions?"
Liam	"Are we going to be expected to eat living things? I love you very much, Very, but I don't think even love can convince me to swallow a guinea pig." Not a live one, anyway. He'd given the cuy a try during the school trip to Ecuador, after all.
Verity	It was all Verity could do not to stop where she was and laugh herself sick. She forced herself to keep her expression neutral, and said, "No, they mostly eat a variation on traditional Greek cuisine. Oh, and spaghetti.""
Liam	"Spaghetti," Liam repeated, more than a little relieved.
Verity	"Yeah. When we were kids and we came here with our folks, me and Alex used to have spaghetti-eating competitions with Vasia, Dina, and the rest of the kids. They used to scarf down pasta like it was about to be banned."
Mike	They were close enough to the table now that Verity's comments had been overheard. Uncle Mike grinned. "Your table manners haven't really improved since then, you know," he said. "You still eat like you expect hyenas to take your food away at any moment."
Verity	"I watched ~~meta for~~ The Lion King too many times at an impressionable age," Verity said, before pulling away from Liam and throwing her arms around Uncle Mike. He responded by lifting her off her feet, wrapping her in a hug that was as carefully controlled as it was all-encompassing. Verity leaned back enough to kiss his nose before he dropped her to her feet.
Mike	"You weren't this happy to see me in Baltimore," he noted, still amused.
Verity	"You were stepping on my toes in Baltimore," Verity said. "Here, you're not someone trying to take over my assignment. You're just a member of my family, and I'm glad to see you."
Lea	"Just him?" asked a warm, almost buttery voice. There was an undertow in it, something dark and strange and strong. Aunt Lea could drown you if you crossed her. That was part of what made her so perfect for Uncle Mike. She was about as dangerous as something beautiful could be, without actually marrying the Atlantic Ocean.
Verity	"No, not at all," Verity said, turning and offering her hands to her aunt, who was giving her an indulgent smile.
Lea	"Hello, Verity," she said. "Hi, Aunt Lea," Verity replied, and stepped into the safe harbor of her arms. Her embrace lasted only a few seconds before she was letting go and looking past her niece to Liam, eyebrows raised and expression curious. "And you must be her beau. Lea Gucciard."
Liam	"Liam Kincaid-Price," he said, offering a slight bow instead of a handshake. The shiny newness of that name change wasn't due to be wearing off anytime soon, nope. "The color's natural, isn't it?" he asked, looking at her hair with clear interest. He'd been in Fandom long enough to recognize that features that would seem 'unnatural' on a human were commonplace when it came to other species.
Lea	"My only stylist is a plastic hairbrush and a bottle of sulfate-free organic shampoo," confirmed Lea. She sounded amused. That was always a good sign in her. Fewer drownings followed her amusement than her anger.
Liam	"You know, I've known some women- and men, too- who easily pay hundreds of dollars to achieve similar effects," Liam told her.
Lea	"And unless they're an Oceanid, they'll never get it right," Lea said with an easy smile. "You seem to be handling all of this very well," she added. "Verity said you never interacted with cryptids before you met her, though. However did you get so comfortable so quickly?" It would have been impossible to miss the stillness that fell over the people around them, all of whom had been waiting politely for the family introductions to be complete before they began making their own. Gorgons put great importance on the family unit, maybe because there were so few families left. They also put great importance on their safety. If Liam answered her question incorrectly, it was going to take everything Verity had, and then some, to get him out of here alive. And Lea and Mike wouldn't help.
Liam	"It's complicated, and I don't feel much like getting in to the details, but I was taken from my parents shortly after I was born, and the people who, uh. Raised me." For lack of a better term. "Were afraid of me. Not because of anything I did, but because of who my parents had been." He shrugged. "It was hard. And so I told myself I wasn't going to be like that."
Lea	'Oversaw his growth,' perhaps? "And...that was it?" Lea asked, a little blankly. "You decided cryptids weren't going to bother you so they didn't?"
Liam	"Not because of their species, anyway," Liam said. "I've definitely met some cryptids who were assholes, though, same as any human."
Angelo	There was a moment of silence. Then Angelo was there, clapping Liam on the shoulder with such force that he nearly had a quick introduction to the floor. "Well-said!" Angelo beamed at Liam, the snakes atop his head twisting and twining together in a serpentine tango. He was wearing smoked glasses, just like all the other members of the family. It would have been easier to put protective glasses on their guests, but it could have been read as inhospitable--and more, it would have taken control away from the gorgons. This way, if someone got out of hand, they could be stunned before they knew what was happening. "We live in an age of miracles. Humans can choose to look beyond species, we can stop burying bodies in the basement, our Verity can settle down. Truly it's wonderful how times and people can change!"
Verity	"Miracles and scalloped potatoes, if my nose isn't lying to me," I said. "Hi, Angelo. Can we eat? I am a hungry miracle."
Angelo	"Of course, of course," said Angelo, waving a hand expansively at the table. That was Verity's cue. She pulled out a chair, motioning for Liam to sit down. He blinked at me, confused for a moment in this reversal of normal etiquette. He sat a moment later, trusting Verity to lead him well. He was usually pretty good about that sort of thing, especially when they were swimming in dangerous waters--i.e., interacting with intelligent cryptids whose idea of proper behavior probably didn't match his. Uncle Mike did the same for Aunt Lea, getting her settled on the other side of the table. Angelo pulled out a chair for Lydia, who flashed Verity a smile before she sat down, the snakes on her head curling contentedly against her scalp. On cue, the majority of the gorgons followed their lead, until there were only three people standing: Verity, Uncle Mike, and Angelo. Angelo looked at the two of them, his expression going carefully neutral. "Do you admit yourselves to be guests in my home?" he asked.
Mike	"I do, and call you head of household," said Uncle Mike.
Verity	"I do, and you're totally the boss," Verity said, prompting an eye roll from Uncle Mike and a small, sidelong grin from Angelo.
Angelo	"You can't follow rules even if it's to save your own soul, can you, girl?" he asked.
Verity	"Not usually, but if you give me one that makes really good sense, I'll give it a go," Verity said, smirking back at him.
Angelo	"It's a good thing I'm very fond of you," said Angelo, laughing. "Both of you, sit, and be welcome."
Liam	"Thank you," Liam said with a nod in Angelo's direction. And then a raised eyebrow in Verity's. "Am I allowed to ask what that was about?" Since everyone at the table knew he was 'new' (ish) to the world of cryptids, he figured he could get away with genuine curiosity. And if the answer was 'I'll tell you later', well. That was also fine.
Verity	Verity put a hand on his knee, smiled, and said, "Ritual exchange wherein Uncle Mike and I, as the presumably dominant members of our respective relationships, accepted that Angelo is the boss here and promised not to cause him or his family any harm."
Lea	"Don't worry about the 'dominant' thing," said Aunt Lea. "Gorgons can be old-fashioned sometimes."
Angelo	"Madam, you are in our home," said Angelo.
Lea	"Yes, and I could drown you in your own water glass," said Lea. They both laughed. This conversation had been happening over and over again, in various permutations, for as long as Verity had been old enough to eat with the adults. "Mike is considered the dominant partner in our marriage because I had taken his last name. The fact that Oceanids don't have surnames is beside the point as far as gorgon traditions are concerned." That didn't mean that the Kalakos family had anything but the utmost respect for Aunt Lea, and her ability to leave them perfectly dry and utterly drowned at the same time. She was a woman of unique and dangerous talents.
Liam	Yeah, Liam was beginning to see as much. He was going to leave the whole 'dominant partner' thing alone, though, thank you, as the aspect of their life where he considered that a relevant descriptor was... not dinnertime conversation. "I see," was all he said instead, watching as younger members of the family began appearing through the door behind the table, carrying trays of food and baskets of bread. It was mostly modified Greek fare, with lots of chunky sauces covering interesting cuts of meat, and olives in every place it was possible for olives to go. The bread was a broad mix of white, wheat, olive loaf, and interesting little crunchy rolls. It wasn't long before Liam's plate was piled full.
Verity	Two more of the younger gorgons started coming around with wine. The apparent humans, and Aunt Lea, got a sparkling white. The gorgons got a dark, dangerous-looking red. "Gorgons really like their Medusa," Verity said lightly, breaking a roll in half and starting to use it to sop up the sauce covering her baked rabbit. "Sadly, we don't get to really like it, on account of how it's made with their venom and would cause us to die horribly. You should ask Alex about it sometime. He really understands the whole 'this is how drinking gorgon venom destroys your cells and paralyzes your nervous system' process."
Liam	"Hard pass, thanks," Liam said almost immediately. He didn't much enjoy the effects of regular wine, gorgon venom sounded like even less of a good time. (He was going to drink the wine that had been poured for him, of course, albeit slowly enough that hopefully no one would offer to refill his glass throughout the night.)
Lea	Aunt Lea laughed. "Okay, I like him. You didn't tell me he had a sense of humor, Mike. What else have you been hiding from me?"
Mike	"I have a second wife in Kentucky, who is currently raising my three secret children," said Uncle Mike, in a perfect deadpan. "Can you please pass the olives?"
Lea	"Oh, great, now he thinks he's funny." Aunt Lea shook her head before returning her attention to her original target: Liam. She was still smiling, but her eyes were slightly narrowed, indicating the intensity of her interest. (Verity just settled back in her seat and reached for her wine. Aunt Lea was a forensic accountant, which gave her lots to discuss with Grandma Angela, and made her scarier than Verity liked to think about when she decided that she wanted to know something. Since Lea wasn't currently focusing on her, this made her interest a spectator sport. It was just too bad the gorgons didn't believe in popcorn with dinner.) "So Liam," she said sweetly. "Tell me about yourself."
Liam	"There's not much to tell," Liam said, taking a small sip of his wine. Mostly because the majority of his fake backstory wouldn't make much sense without the context of being from his version of reality. "My first job was as a- a bodyguard, and then I moved to Fandom- just off the coast of Baltimore- where I somehow ended up as Sheriff." He still didn't quite understand how that had happened, honestly.
Mike	"That's what you do," Uncle Mike pointed out. "Not who you are."
Liam	"My job was my life," Liam said quietly. "At least," a glance over at Verity, and a besotted expression settled over his face. "Until fairly recently."
Lea	Aunt Lea was still looking at Liam, her head tilted slightly, like she was trying to break the code that would explain him to her. "Do you have any siblings?"
Liam	"Possibly a half-brother out there, somewhere. Verity and I have been working to find any trace of him."
Lea	"Where are your parents?"
Liam	"Dead," he informed her. "My mother a few months after I was taken from her, and my father not long before I moved to Fandom, although he never actually knew I existed." And he'd already told them about the people who'd taken him in. A genuine smile, albeit tinged with something a little bittersweet: "So I'm sure you can imagine how the existence of intelligent species other than humans wasn't my only source of culture shock as I got to know Verity." Her biological family might be small-ish, but their network of adopted relatives sprawled over most of the continent.
Mike	"Amen to that," Mike muttered, loud enough to be heard across the room.
Lea	Aunt Lea elbowed him in the side, laughing. Then she smiled, bright as the morning, and asked, "So, have you thought about kids?"
Verity	Verity nearly choked on her wine. Dammit, Aunt Lea!
Liam	Liam grinned. "The topic's come up once or twice, as it happened." Half an hour later, they were most of the way through the first course of dinner, and Lea was most of the way through her interrogation. Good thing, too: Liam was no longer grinning, and in fact starting to look a little wild around the eyes, like he was afraid this was going to end in an execution.
Angelo	Verity had no plans to stop the interrogation; she looked far too amused for that. Lucky for Liam, though, Angelo was a considerate host and when Lea paused for a bite of dinner, he changed the subject. "So Verity, you're a young woman in the world," he said. "What do you think a father should do when he makes a perfectly lovely match for one of his daughters, a match that would see her cared for and supported all the days of her life, and she rejects it out of hand? Would you punish her?"
Verity	There was a clatter as Vasia dropped her spoon into her soup bowl. Verity dared a glance down the table. Vasia sat perfectly still, face stricken. Dina's expression was a cold mask, unreadable and closed. She looked back to Angelo. "No, sir," she said. "My father was always very clear about the fact that I would be the one spending time in any relationship I chose, not him. We have more dating options than you do - there are more humans in the world - but finding humans who knew about my occupation and what it required of me has always been hard. So he let me find my own way." Before Liam, Verity's romantic life had been a series of one-night stands and short-lived affairs that inevitably ended with her partner accusing her of cheating. There was nothing else that explained the way she would disappear in the middle of the night, not coming back until morning, if she came back at all. To be honest, she'd started to despair of ever finding someone she could be happy with long before Liam had come along.
Lydia	"Your species is not at risk of extinction," said Lydia.
Verity	"Maybe not, but even if my father had been able to order me to marry someone I didn't like, he wouldn't have been able to force me to have kids. So if the goal is continuing the species, isn't it better to go with a good match?" Verity didn't look at Vasia. She couldn't. She wouldn't be able to stay as calm as she was if she saw the look on the gorgon's face.
Lydia	"Manos is a good man, and he finds our daughter beautiful," said Lydia. "Matches have been made on far less."
Liam	Liam opened his mouth as if to say something, and then shot a hesitant look at Verity, before closing it again.
Angelo	"Ah, does the newcomer have something to contribute?" asked Angelo. "Speak, Mr. Kincaid. I would be fascinated to know how an outsider regarded our little situation."
Liam	Liam thought about correcting him on the name thing; he was a married man, with a hyphenated name to go with it and everything. But that so wasn't the point right now. "I don't know if it's my place," he admitted. "And I don't want to cause offense. But," he continued, "if you'll forgive me should I happen to stumble over something that might have been better left unsaid?"
Angelo	"I suppose so," said Angelo. The snakes atop his head hissed and writhed. He wasn't pleased with how this conversation was going. He was still going to give Liam a little more rope to hang himself with.
Liam	Cool. Good. This was fine. This was fine. He'd been married for like a day and his wife's family friend was going to murder him and he'd never get to really enjoy married life. ... Well, at least the before-dinner sex had been great. So he had that. "My parents were- colleagues," he started, using the same measured, balanced tone of voice that he had when speaking to Zo'or. "They didn't know each other particularly well. They certainly didn't love each other." There had been a certain chemistry there, sure, that might have eventually become something had Liam's third parent not intervened- ironically, due to a biological imperative that involved the continuation of his species. "They slept together, they created a son, and then they never really spoke to each other again. I grew up alone. Oh, the people who took me in saw to my material needs, but I always knew that there was something missing." His fingers had been twined with Verity's under the table, and he pulled their joined hands out and settled them between their plates. "Love is that something. I think that love is important. Love is an anchor; it gives us a reason to come back when we might otherwise have gone too far into vengeance or anger or sorrow. Love can't be the only thing we depend upon, but if there is a chance to find it, it should be pursued. However much that may change the life we believed that we were going to lead."
Lea	"Holy shit, Verity, are all East Coast boys secretly romance novels walking around with knives strapped to their thighs, and if so, can you find me one?" asked Aunt Lea, causing Uncle Mike to roll his eyes. But he was looking at her fondly as he did. If ever there had been an endorsement for love over duty, they were it, the cryptozoologist's son and the lady from the water.
Vasia	Verity didn't get a chance to respond to her aunt. "Father, I don't want to marry Manos," said Vasia. Her interjection was abrupt. Everyone stopped talking and looked at her.
Dina	Even Dina was looking at her sister. She swallowed hard, and said, "But I do." Angelo paused. "What?" "I said, I do." Dina turned to her father. "I want to marry Manos. He's kind. He's not clever, and he's not hard - nothing has ever come along to harden him - but he's kind, and that's important to me. I want to go somewhere. I want to see more of the world than just this city, and I can do that as his wife. I can't do it as your daughter."
Angelo	"His family's offer was for Vasia," said Angelo.
Dina	"So we make a counter-offer," said Dina. "We say she doesn't want to get married, but that I'm available. Manos likes me. I'm not the pretty one--" "Stop that," said Vasia. "--but I'll do, and I'm willing," said Dina, ignoring her sister's interruption. "I don't love him yet. He doesn't love me. Give us time, and we could figure it out."
Mike	"Most things grow better in fertile soil," said Uncle Mike. Everyone turned to stare at him. "What? I thought this was 'say portentous shit like it somehow makes sense' night."
Verity	"He has a point there," Verity said. "I love you all, but you sort of talk like you think you're being graded sometimes."
Liam	"Verity claims I got exceedingly high marks in my 'pretentious bastard' class," Liam said solemnly. She'd said so to Dominic, with the implication that the ex-Covenant-agent been the one teaching said class. But that was neither here nor there.
Angelo	Aunt Lea laughed. Angelo was still looking at Dina. Most of the gorgons were. Their faces were calm, but their snakes were in a state of high agitation, twisting and twining atop their heads. Even the most composed gorgon couldn't fully control their snakes. It made it hard for them to lie to each other. "If Manos won't have you? What then?" he asked.
Dina	"Then I guess he doesn't have me," said Dina, shrugging with the deliberate carelessness that suggested she cared, very much.
Manos	"I'll have her," said a new voice. Everyone turned. The man who had greeted Verity and Liam when they first arrived was standing about ten feet away from the table, still wearing his funeral director's suit. His mushroom cap was gone, and his snakes were lying docile and calm. Out of everyone around, he was the only one who seemed perfectly at ease.
Angelo	"What was that?" asked Angelo.
Manos	"I said, sir, that I would have your younger daughter." His eyes were on Dina as he spoke. "I didn't come here looking for a Helen. I have no need to launch a thousand ships. Not that she's not beautiful - I find her quite pleasing to the eye. I just don't think beauty is the only consideration. My bride and I would have to get along. She'd have to be someone I'd like to spend a lot of time with. I think your younger daughter and I would be able to manage both those things." He glanced to Vasia, looking suddenly nervous. "If it wouldn't offend the daughter I was meant to be courting, this would be...I think this would be perfect."
Vasia	"Vasia?" said Angelo. "I stand aside, and gladly," said Vasia. She leaned back in her seat, putting more distance between herself and her former suitor.
Dina	"I simply stand," said Dina. She rose, looking at her father.
Angelo	There was a pause. Then Angelo stood as well, and beckoned for Manos to come closer. "Come," he said. "Sit down. There's plenty."
Manos	"Thank you, sir," said Manos. He walked quickly over and took one of the open seats. Angelo sat down, and the second course of the dinner began to circulate, carried in by teenage gorgons whose blank faces couldn't conceal their agitated snakes.
Verity	"I'm gonna need more wine," Verity said, raising her glass to Dina, whose own snakes were calming down - and reaching out towards Manos. The rest of dinner was nowhere near so exciting, thankfully. By the time she was hugging Aunt Lea and uncle Mike goodbye, Verity was ready to retreat to her room and sleep for a week. Manos and Dina were sitting in the lobby, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes, when Liam followed her up the stairs. He smiled a little at the sight of them. Verity grinned, elbowing him lightly in the side. "You're a big sap," she said. "That's what you are."
Liam	"I've never denied it," Liam pointed out. "It's nice, you know? Being in a world where people are allowed to make their own decisions." And yes, thanks to those weekly therapy sessions, he was getting better at including himself among that number. "I know that if you're with me, it's because you want to be."
Verity	"There's no 'if' about it, buddy. You're stuck with me now." They had reached the top of the stairs. It was a short walk from there to the room. It was still going to take awhile, because Verity was twining herself around Liam for more kisses.
Liam	Kisses that he was all too happy to provide. He grinned as he rested his forehead against hers. "I know," he said. "It's legally binding and everything."
Verity	His smile made her knees a little weak. "Can't get free from me if you tried." The door thumped behind her as she was pressed up against it.
Liam	"Just the way I like it," Liam declared. "What do you say we take this inside?" As much as he was enjoying pressing her up against their hotel room door, on the other side of that door was a very comfortable bed and gloriously soundproofed walls.
Verity	"That sounds like the best idea we've had since yesterday," Verity said as Liam unlocked the door and let them inside. Inside was warm and full of soft light, her new husbands's lips on her neck, and her hands on his skin. Outside had their mice cheering over pizza, her Oceanid aunt and human uncle saying their final goodbyes, and, downstairs, two gorgons were getting engaged. Verity loved Chicago.