Spaceship Parking (and Beyond!), Sunday

[firstofitskind]

The weekend, Liam felt, had been a pretty good success so far. Sure, Sarah hadn't really been up to anything involving crowds, but that was fine. There were plenty of things they could do that didn't involve lots of people.

Like go flying in Liam's shuttle. Sure, for three out of the four of them it was not actually a new experience, but Liam never got tired of flying and besides, this time it would be Verity behind the controls for the majority of the flight.

(And okay, he genuinely liked Antimony, but he had to admit that picturing her face when she found out that not only did Sarah get to go to space but she did so in a ship that Verity was piloting was pretty damn funny.)

Of course, just out of habit he headed right for the pilot's seat, but then stopped, shook his head, and settled in to the front passenger seat instead, twisting around to grin at Sarah and Renee. "I promise she's a more patient pilot than she is a driver," he said, mostly for Sarah's benefit since it wasn't like Renee had ever had to experience Verity on the road.

[ooc: for two blondes and a cuckoo! posted early for SP purposes.]

Comments

[arboreal_priestess]

"That SUV was a menace and it had it coming," Verity said serenely as she finished the last of the pre-flight equipment checks. "Stop casting aspersions on my driving capabilities."

[cryptidsandkinfolk]

"What abilities?" Sarah muttered, giving Verity and Liam grins--

While giving their other passenger curious glances.

[firstofitskind]

“Don’t tell me Liam didn’t mention I’d be coming along,” Renee said, arching one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in Liam’s direction from Liam’s journal because tiny phone internets. “Renee Palmer,” she said, sticking a hand out in Sarah’s direction. “Sarah Zellaby, I presume.”

“I definitely mentioned it!” Liam protested defensively. “... Didn’t I?”

[arboreal_priestess]

"You did," Verity assured him, her attention still on the instruments in front of her. "Several times. Gleefully."

Not that she could blame him. She knew how excited he was for Renee's visit.

[firstofitskind]

“Okay, well. Good,” Liam said, half-watching Verity’s pre-flight check. She knew what she was doing, but a second set of eyes never hurt.

“Can’t tell you how good it is to finally meet the person who managed to convince Liam there was more to life than work,” Renee said, this time addressing Verity.


Look, she was a workaholic (former) CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, and even she had had time for romance... at least, before she’d headed off into space with only Liam, Ra’jel and Yulyn (and eventually Lili and Ariel) for company.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I wooed him with PB and J sandwiches and weapons," Verity said, giving Renee a sideways smile. "After a first meeting like that, however could he look away?"

[cryptidsandkinfolk]

Sarah gave Renee a small, slightly shy smile. "Fortunately, Liam does the cooking now, I hear. PB and Js are about the pinnacle of Verity's culinary skills."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Lies," Verity declared. "I'm aces at calling in delivery."

[thejourneysend]

"So was Liam, once upon a time," Renee shared. "He didn't see the point in cooking anything. I see you've changed his mind on that front as well."

[firstofitskind]

"Where would I have cooked anything?" Liam pointed out. "I didn't have a kitchen."

"You had the entire Flat Planet kitchen after hours," Renee corrected.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Maybe he just needed to be properly motivated," Verity said, giving Liam a teasing look through her lashes.

[cryptidsandkinfolk]

"By 'leftover fettuccine omelettes,'" Sarah said, under her breath.

At a volume loud enough to be heard by everybody, yes.

[thejourneysend]

"I'm sorry, leftover what?"

[firstofitskind]

"Fettucine omelettes," Liam repeated. "Among the worst but certainly not the only of her crimes against food."

He loved you dearly, Verity, but your idea of 'edible' was frankly concerning.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Hey!" Verity complained. "I thought we wanted Renee to like me!"

[cryptidsandkinfolk]

"You know what Grandma Alice always used to tell me," Sarah said. "Relationships founded on lies only work if you're willing to continue to with the effort of keeping up with them."

Okay, technically she'd told Verity that, but close enough.

[thejourneysend]

Well, the bark of laughter that burst forth was a genuine one, if that counted for anything, Verity.

"Sound advice," she managed, nodding at Sarah. "Especially for those of us for whom lies are something of a way of life." Yeah, unlike Liam, she'd had relationships, but they'd been hard, and most of them hadn't ended well.

(Though at least two of those bad endings had been because of direct Taelon interference.)

[firstofitskind]

"Hm," Liam grumbled. "You say that now," he rolled his eyes.

There was absolutely a story there.

[cryptidsandkinfolk]

"Something you wanted to share with the class, Liam?" Sarah asked.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Shh," Verity teased. "You know I love it when he gets all monosyllabic and cryptic. Like he's about to tell us our fortunes or something."

[thejourneysend]

"Well, sometimes he does," Renee had to point out.

Moreso since he'd come back than in the first couple years she'd known him. He'd been fighting the alien side of his heritage so much back then, but now... seemed more at peace with it.

[firstofitskind]

"You're all the worst and I hate you," Liam grumbled.

And then a second later, glancing at the readout on the virtual glass in front of them. "Verity-"

A minor shift in air currents that would have them in for a couple minutes of turbulence if she didn't adjust, but he wasn't going to give her all of that.

[arboreal_priestess]

Besides, she'd already moved to begin those adjustments, even as he'd started to say her name. "Hush, Mr. Backseat Pilot," she said, batting at him with her free hand. "I got this."

From her grin, she looked like she was loving this.

[cryptidsandkinfolk]

Sarah looked to Renee. "So, our introduction was rather obvious--" cousin to his wife and all, "--but how do you know Liam?"

[thejourneysend]

"I pulled him out of a tight spot," Renee said, grinning. "And he was ever so thankful."