A Traveling Carnival Currently Set Up Somewhere In Virginia, Wednesday Afternoon

[firstofitskind]

The other day, Liam had offhandedly mentioned to Verity that he'd tried funnel cake, and been unimpressed with it. He had not been prepared for the outraged grumbling that had followed that pronouncement. Or the vaguely ominous declaration that this needed to be 'fixed'.

Come Wednesday afternoon, she'd told him that they had a portal booked to the mainland and to bring cash. Actual physical cash, not just a credit card. Curious, he'd pressed her for details, but all she'd say was just "You'll see when we get there."

'There' was apparently a traveling carnival, complete with rides, midway games... and, of course, food stands.

"Is this the one you threatened to ground Hayley from for the summer?" he asked, curious.

[ooc: for the wife!]

Comments

[arboreal_priestess]

"Nah," Verity said, leading him through the confusing whirlwind of booths and rides and games - well, confusing only for anyone who hadn't spent a significant portion of their lives traveling with a carnival. "That's the Campbell Family Carnival. My great-grandma Frances was part of that, back when it was a circus, and Dad and Aunt Jane were raised in it after Grandma Alice started searching for Grandpa Thomas after the crossroads got him." She gestured to one of the signs over the entrance. "This is the Thompson Family Carnival. Friends with our home carnival, a couple of cryptids on staff, but no one I particularly know."

Which was good. Sometimes Verity just wanted to be Verity, not a Price.

[firstofitskind]

"Gotcha," Liam nodded. "So no being unexpectedly ambushed by family." 'Relieved' wasn't quite the right word for what Liam felt at that, but... the Prices (and their extended family) were kind of A Lot to say the least.

[arboreal_priestess]

Exactly! And sometimes you just wanted a fun day of shoving funnel cakes in your face and playing rigged carnival games!

"Unless Antimony has really expanded her range--" which Verity would not bet against, to be fair "--the day should be family-free."

[firstofitskind]

"Not that I don't love everyone I've met so far," Liam was quick to add. "But it's going to be a while before I stop feeling like I'm under a microscope around them."

[arboreal_priestess]

"It'll be awhile until you're not under a microscope with them," Verity admitted. "Except Sarah." For obvious reasons. "But things are heating up with Shelby, if this trip to Australia means anything, so maybe you'll get to share the spotlight with her soon enough."

[firstofitskind]

“It’s been actual years,” Liam grumbled. Even though very little of that time had been spent in the company of anyone from the extended Price clan save Sarah. “You’d think getting married would be enough.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"Uh-huh," Verity said cheerfully, half-skipping along. "And you've spent a grand total of how many days with them?"

[firstofitskind]

“Hmm,” Liam grumbled.

She had a point.

But on the other hand, she was also the one who reminded him that they were his family now too. And while that was certainly true in the legally-binding sense, it sure didn’t feel like he belonged with them, not yet.

[arboreal_priestess]

Prices were fractious and clannish. It would take awhile for that feeling to sink in, especially while they were on the other side of the country.

But just let someone attempt to hurt him. Because he was theirs.

"That's the noise that says I have a point."

[firstofitskind]

And then there was Verity, able to translate a wordless grumbling.

“I suppose,” he conceded, actually using words this time. Still didn’t like it, exactly, but as long as the two of them remained a team... things would be okay. More than okay.

[arboreal_priestess]

Words were an improvement over grunting, but still not exactly great for, like, carrying on a conversation. "Families are complicated," she pointed out. "You get to experience that complication firsthand."

[firstofitskind]

Yeah, well. Maybe he wasn't having an easy time finding those words, considering... "For the first time." He reminded her. "This is new. And it's not- it's not exactly going how I'd thought it would."

[arboreal_priestess]

"They'd welcome you with open arms and it would be all hugs and acceptance from the get-go?" Verity asked, tilting her head.

[firstofitskind]

"Not exactly," he said, frowning at her. "But maybe a little less like I'm constantly on the verge of saying or doing something wrong."

[arboreal_priestess]

"What was your mom's family like?" Verity asked. Knowing he'd never been told, but also knowing that he could look.

[firstofitskind]

“Now they were very much the hugs and acceptance type,” Liam said, after a pause where he did indeed look for that information.

He’d even entertained the idea of looking up Beckett’s mother- his grandmother, once upon a time. Only... what would he say? How would he explain who he was? What he was?

[arboreal_priestess]

"Were any of them involved with the Resistance?" Verity asked. "Besides Beckett, I mean."

[firstofitskind]

"It's possible," Liam shrugged. "I never had much contact with anyone outside the North American movement. But I doubt it; her parents supported her decision to become a Companion-Protector."

They, like Siobhan Beckett herself, had believed the Taelons to be the key to a better future.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity nodded, thoughtful. And then- "Oh! The funnel cake booth!"

Sorry. Distracted. Because funnel cake. She grabbed his hand, pulling him along.

[firstofitskind]

“I- what- ... okay?” Liam blinked rapidly, obligingly letting himself be dragged.

[arboreal_priestess]

Look, they were at the carnival for fun and delicious food. Liam's issues with her family were neither and also not fixable by anything but time.

Also, Verity hadn't realized how hungry she was until the scent of funnel cake hit her nose. And now she was starving.

"Two funnel cakes please!" Lucky for them, the line was non-existent at this time of day and the carnie was able to hand over two, piping hot funnel-cakes, crispy and golden and smelling like heaven. "Conversation on pause, funnel cake tasting now," she announced, handing it over.

Paused, not over. Obviously not. But you couldn't enjoy funnel cake while brooding over family angst.

[firstofitskind]

Yeah, except somehow the food part had slipped Liam’s mind entirely, because he was staring down at the funnel cake, expression still pretty damn confused.

“Verity...” he said slowly. “I’ve already tried one of these, remember?”

(Though he had to admit this one did smell way better.)

[arboreal_priestess]

"No," Verity corrected. "You tried a travesty that called itself a funnel cake, probably in order to insult me personally. We're here--" She gestured at the carnival "--in order to fix the damage it has done to your perception of carnie food."

[firstofitskind]

“I thought we were here so you could win me a friend for the jackalope,” Liam countered, nodding towards the midway games.

[arboreal_priestess]

"We can be here for two things," Verity decided. "Now eat your funnel cake before it cools."

She was already getting out her phone to take some pictures of his face.