MHA #6, Wednesday Evening

[firstofitskind]

To say the last few days had been busy for the two of them would be one hell of an understatement, but that didn't mean Liam was going to let Verity's birthday just go by in the aftermath. He did, however, call JGoB and have them make a last minute change to the cake he'd ordered. Which was sitting in a non-descript cardboard box in the kitchen for now, waiting for the reveal later.

(Yes, he'd promised the mice a not-insignificant portion of said cake in return for their patience, as well as their assistance in holding Verity to her promise not to peek prematurely.)

All they needed now was dinner, and Liam was just about finished taking care of that too- or at least, taking care of paying the delivery person from Outback Steakhouse.

"Food's here," he announced, having finally managed to send said delivery person on their way.

[ooc: for the birthday-haver!]

Comments

[firstofitskind]

“That is true,” Liam grinned. “I do love you.” And he wasn’t going to get tired of saying so any time soon. “And you’ll get to see your cake. In due time.” Because yes, not letting her see it was absolutely returning the trolling favor.

... Sometimes, love meant knowing precisely which buttons to push.

[arboreal_priestess]

"You know," Verity said, one hand curling around his, the other still wielding the fork because dinner was really tasty, "of everything that's happened since I arrived at this island, falling in love is probably at the top of the list of things I didn't expect to happen."

She paused, considering it.

"Okay, no. Finding a male dragon that was still alive is at the very top. But it's a close number two."

[firstofitskind]

Liam huffed out a soft laugh. "Who would've thought being coerced into making out by overly aggressive mistletoe would lead to this? But to be honest... same here." Although he had his suspicions that the people who'd pushed him to come to Fandom in the first place had at least been hoping he'd try dating.

[arboreal_priestess]

Wouldn't they all be surprised at how well he'd taken to it?

"Overly aggressive mistletoe helped," Verity admitted. "But I was already thinking about making out with you by then. You're pretty sexy, Kincaid."

[firstofitskind]

"Well," Liam mused. "I suppose if the hottest person on the island thinks I'm sexy, it must be true. Because obviously she'd know what she's talking about."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Wait, Zoe thinks you're sexy, too?" Verity teased. "Huh. This wasn't a conversation I was expecting to have."

[firstofitskind]

"You're hilarious," Liam deadpanned. "You know full well I'm talking about you."

[arboreal_priestess]

"I am funny," Verity teased. "I'm glad you noticed."

She felt warm all over, though, and flattened her palm against his, fingers spreading like a starfish. "Can you feel what I'm feeling?" she asked.

[firstofitskind]

Liam's eyes closed for a moment as he focused on the energy that radiated out through his palm, connecting him to Verity.

"Yeah," he said, amused smirk transforming in to something softer, warmer. "I can. It feels- like coming home." He vaguely remembered doing something like this the other night, but then... his recollections of pretty much everything after they'd made it back to Sarah's were hazy at best.

[arboreal_priestess]

Hopefully he remembered how hard he'd tried Verity's morals and how stubbornly she'd clung to them. He had not made staying good easy, dammit, but she had persevered.

"Coming home, huh?" she asked. "I--I like that. And actually, that makes me think of something, hang on."

She stood up, taking her hand back with a small flare of regret, and disappeared into her bedroom for a second. A minute or so of rifling around later and she was back, hand curled into a fist. "I know I'm doing this backwards, considering it's my birthday and all, but I got you a present." She held her fist out.

[firstofitskind]

"You did?" Liam said, eyes going wide with surprise. "What is it?" He had a sneaking suspicion, of course, but didn't want to voice it just in case it wasn't correct.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Don't pretend like you don't know," Verity said, poking him with her free hand. "I know how smart you are."

Still she couldn't help smiling at the little piece of metal she dropped into the palm of his hand. So small, so little value, but it meant so much.

"Figured now that I've discovered that dragons aren't extinct, I'm too good to be answering doors," she lied.

[firstofitskind]

Liam's heart skipped a beat as his suspicions were indeed confirmed. "I don't know," he teased right back. "I was thinking maybe it was a mail key, and you just wanted me to run errands for you every time I came over."

[arboreal_priestess]

"That key is just so you can go grocery shopping for me and cook me dinner," Verity insisted. "Think less 'run errands' and more 'do chores.'"

They were such trolls.

[firstofitskind]

"... I don't think you want me cooking you dinner," Liam pointed out. "I'm happy to order it for you, though."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Fair trade," Verity said. "I expect plastic containers on my table at six pm sharp. After a long, hard day of cryptozoology-ing" totally a word "and dancing, I get home starved."

[firstofitskind]

“Six pm sharp, huh? I’ll note that down,” Liam said, trying to keep a straight face. “Wouldn’t want you to starve, after all.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"I do so love a man that can bustle around a kitchen," she said. "Even if it's just setting out food containers for me to eat."

[firstofitskind]

"And I don't bustle for just anyone," Liam said solemnly. "That's a privilege reserved for a select few."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well now I feel all kinds of special," Verity said, mopping a last piece of bloomin' onion through the au jus her steak had left behind.

They were teasing but you know what? She did.

[firstofitskind]

"It's your birthday," Liam said reasonably. "It's practically required. And speaking of things required on birthdays, I do have a present for you." That was neither the cake nor what he'd promised would happen after said cake.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Oooh, beyond the cake?" Verity said. "Can I open that now or am I waiting for that, too?"

[firstofitskind]

"I dunno," Liam said, pretending to think about it. "I guess you can open it now, if you'd like," he 'decided', taking a small black velvet jewelry bag out of his pocket and handing it over.

If Verity paid close attention to his expression, she might see the moment that his grin faltered and became something almost... nervous... before he carefully schooled it back to amusement.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity's brow furrowed as she opened it, wondering what it could be--then cleared as she pulled out the necklace. "Oh, how lovely!" she said, dangling it over her palm to examine. "Simple enough I can wear every day and even under my costumes sometimes."

She examined the symbol more thoroughly. "Does this symbol mean something? Or...?"

[firstofitskind]

Liam nodded. "Sowilo," he said. "The sun rune. It symbolizes, um. Guidance. Purpose. The realization of a goal."

He'd first gotten the idea a couple months ago, during their trip to the isle of Ikea. When she'd mentioned feeling somewhat like she was treading water with regards to the cryptozoology vs. dancing career choice.

This particular rune was also fairly important to Liam, for reasons unrelated to its actual meaning. Hence the nervousness.