A Club in Baltimore, Monday Night

[arboreal_priestess]

Between snake cults, dragons, and now singing fish going evil for a lack of participation trophies, it had been awhile since Verity and Liam had had anything resembling a real date. So Verity had skipped out on her shift at the Devil's Nest and headed out to the mainland with him, dressed to kill (both literally and metaphorically), and looking for a good time.

The club they'd ended up at was a lot smaller and quieter, one where they could have dinner the second floor up and actually hear themselves talk. "Oooh, good call," she said as they were led to their table. "Dinner and dancing. It's like you know how to show me a good time."

Comments

[firstofitskind]

“I don’t know,” Liam said thoughtfully. “I think the Sharing works out well for both of us, don’t you?”

[arboreal_priestess]

"Do you get the same thrill from what I Send as I do from what you do?" Verity asked, tilting her head.

[firstofitskind]

Liam nodded. "It's a very- intimate, I guess, is the right word?- experience." Verity had probably noticed by now that he didn't really do casual touch with not-Verity people. "When you choose to Share something with me, it goes beyond just thoughts, or emotions. I get a glimpse of the energy, the essence that makes you you."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Sounds intense," Verity said, being honest instead of flippant for once. "At risk if sounding like a BuzzFeed internet quiz, can you tell me what that's like? Mine, I mean."

She gave him a soft smile. "I'll understand if it's one of those 'don't really have words' things."

[firstofitskind]

"I don't know if I can describe it," Liam admitted. "It's a little beyond 'sugar and spice and all kinds of knives'." Yes, he was well aware that wasn't how the rhyme traditionally went. But this version fit Verity far better, so shh. "But if I had to pick words, those would be the ones."

[arboreal_priestess]

"That's probably the best description of me I've ever heard," Verity said, amused."Sweet and accurate."

She looked at him, wondering if he'd been touch-starved before they'd gotten together, if he'd even realized it. And resolving to touch him more anyway, not that that would be a terrible hardship.

[firstofitskind]

A little, yes.

"And I realize you carry much more than just knives on a regular basis, of course," he added with a teasing grin. "But it's much harder to make all that rhyme."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Maybe that's what I should teach this semester," Verity mused. "Intro to Weaponry. Maybe with an emphasis on how to hide it under a tiny tango dress."

[firstofitskind]

“It’d suit you,” Liam agreed. “... And the types of kids that tend to end up here.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"You never know when you're going to have to hide a set of lockpicks in your thong," Verity said with a sigh. "It pays to be prepared."

[firstofitskind]

“... I can’t say I’ve ever had to resort to that, but I suppose that’s valid.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well, if you're gonna make me spoil what I have planned for our one year anniversary..." Verity teased. "I guess it's more of a banana hammock, so the mystery is still there."

[firstofitskind]

“You would not,” Liam narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. Although it was hard to maintain that while thinking about the fact that though it may have been in the context of a joke, Verity was taking for granted the fact that there would in fact be a one-year anniversary. So that suspicious look kind of melted away into a goofy smile after a few moments.

[arboreal_priestess]

So much for granted, she hadn't even realized what she'd done. "What are you grinning about, banana hammock?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Clearly he was Up To Something.

[firstofitskind]

"Nothing," Liam said. Super-convincingly.

What would they even count from, for anniversary purposes? First kiss? First date? ... Because of course they'd thrown the usual order of things on its head, here.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity hadn't sat down and figured it out yet, but probably their first kiss? Their first kiss that they'd volunteered for anyway.

Though who knew? And argument could be made for their first PB&J sandwich, even.

"You're not as good a liar as you think you are, Kincaid," Verity declared, pointing her fork at him.

[firstofitskind]

He could be! When he wanted to lie convincingly, anyway. Which he didn't really, right now.

"I know you were making a joke, but 'one year anniversary'..." he said, still grinning. "I liked hearing you say that."

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity blinked at him, confused for a second, then blushed a little. "Oh right," she said, ducking her head a bit. "I guess I just kinda...took it as a given, heh. Didn't even think about it."

She didn't exactly know where they were going, but the one year anniversary seemed a pretty safe bet, yeah.

[firstofitskind]

“Although that does raise an interesting question...” Liam realized.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity raised her eyebrows and waited for him to elaborate. "Traditional year gifts among cryptozoologists?" she teased.

[firstofitskind]

Liam laughed. "I was thinking more along the lines of what date are we counting from, but actually, yes, that would be good to know too."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Holy water and blessed ash," Verity answered immediately, which was far more ready answer than she had for his first question. "...And I have no idea. We kind of did everything backwards, didn't we?"

[firstofitskind]

Liam filed that information away for future use.

"We met, you adopted me in to your family, we woke up together, kissed for the first time a few weeks after that, and then went on a date," Liam recounted, ticking them off on his fingers as he went. "Not quite the usual order of things at all."

[arboreal_priestess]

"I shared my guns with you that first day," Verity said, eyes dancing. "That's really what we should be counting from. I don't share weapons with just anyone, you know."

Hell, had she done so since? Now she had to try to remember.

[firstofitskind]

She had not. But to be fair, Liam had really only started carrying anything beyond the beam gun pretty recently.

"In that case," he grinned. "That seems like a pretty good point to count from, absolutely."