A Familial Compound, Christmas Day, Somewhere Near Portland

[arboreal_priestess]

The had finished fighting evil - or maybe just misguided - snowpeople and as soon as the roads were clear enough to get off the island, Liam and Verity had grabbed her mice, grabbed her cousin, and flown back to Portland for a Very Merry Price Christmas. Normally they had to drive when they were bringing the mice, but flying with cuckoos made things like 'security' and 'regulations' afterthoughts at best.

The last few days had been wild and chaotic; her Aunt Jane and Uncle Theo were there, along with their kids, Elsie and Artie. Elsie was immediately charmed by Liam because he hadn't been charmed by her. Uncle Theo was an incubus and his children had inherited his nature, which meant Elsie spent a lot of time fending off male attention while attempting to hit on their girlfriends. She didn't know why Liam was immune to her lilu nature - and Verity wasn't telling, no matter how many speculative looks were shot in their direction - but she appreciated interacting with a guy she wasn't related to without spending the first few minutes awkwardly getting hit on until the pheromones wore off.

Grandma and Grandpa Baker had decided to stay home since Uncle Drew was visiting Ohio, but several other friends of the family had stopped by at various times for dinner and presents. It was loud and hectic and where there weren't mice to watch out for underfoot there was rat casserole to avoid (a treat for the neighbors), or Crow, Alex's church griffin, dovebombing from the ceiling, or Antimony's traps to dodge around.

By the time all the gifts had been opened and dinner eaten, Verity was glad to escape the madness with Liam for awhile, bundling up against Portland's cool and rainy weather, and wandering out into their yard. Or, more accurately, 'grounds' since the property line was measured in square acres, not feet, and included a fair bit of forest.

"How you holding up?" Verity asked, turning to smile at Liam. "Ready to run screaming back to Fandom?"

[NFB, NFI, and for him who was lightly modded with permission. SP!]

Comments

[firstofitskind]

"Oh, I think I could probably hold out for at least another day or two," Liam said with a smile of his own.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Oooh, you are a tough nut to crack," Verity laughed. "Good dodge on the deadfall the morning. But now you understand why I keep letting you go first out of the bedroom."

[firstofitskind]

"I'm not sure whether I should be relieved or concerned that I haven't actually seen any of the traps before they happened," Liam admitted, with an emphasis on 'seen' that made it clear he didn't mean 'spotted', but the kind of sight that made use of an entirely different sense.

[arboreal_priestess]

"What do you mean?" Verity asked, also on the lookout here and now.

The traps in the house were traps made for fun and games. The ones out here were serious. Sometimes deadly serious.

[firstofitskind]

“No visions,” he said lightly. “Just vision.” And the other mundane senses of course. But no foresight, at least not when it came to traps made for fun and games.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Ahhh," Verity nodded. "Nothing so bad that you needed forewarning to avoid. Gosh, that's a handy skill."

And entirely reliable, right?

[firstofitskind]

Oh, completely.

At least, when the Sight actually did show him something, anyway. But it couldn't be relied upon to warn him of danger every time. Still... "Saved my life a time or two. Yours, too, actually."

[arboreal_priestess]

"The cult?" Verity asked, ducking beneath the trees at the edge of their lawn. "When I was kidnapped, right?"

[firstofitskind]

“Yeah,” Liam nodded. “Not in time to actually stop it from happening, of course, but it gave us a lead when it came to tracking you down.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"My 2019 New Year's resolutions include 'no getting kidnapped by snake cults,'" Verity promised with mock-solemnity. "That was fun for nobody."

Especially the snake cultists. At least, not after they all started dying.

[firstofitskind]

“I fully endorse and support this resolution,” Liam said, slinging one arm across her shoulders.

Little did they know that perhaps that resolution should have been somewhat broader in scope. Oops.

[arboreal_priestess]

More fool them, thinking small.

"Your lecture was very persuasive," Verity assured him. "That, and the mice get sad."

[firstofitskind]

“And considering I would likely be the one to tell them the news that would make them sad...” Liam shook his head. “Nope. Don’t wanna.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"You had a hard enough time telling them the brie was gone that one time," Verity teased. Like a brat.

[firstofitskind]

“Their little faces,” Liam said dramatically. “It was tragic.”

[arboreal_priestess]

"Pretty sure they renamed you the God of Easy Marks after that," Verity said with a solemn nod.

[firstofitskind]

"Oh, probably," Liam said dryly. "Scam artists."

He did not, for the record, sound terribly put out about it. Possibly because they were adorable scam artists.

Also because he was one hundred percent the kind of guy who'd do something like 'get your friend's murder conviction overturned' if he liked you, and the most the mice ever asked of him was excessive amounts of food. Not that much, in the larger scheme of things.

[arboreal_priestess]

...That seemed like a very specific example, Liam.

"It starts with cheese and in a few years, you'll be signing over your pension and your spaceships as part of some little Aeslin ponzi scheme," Verity warned, sounding tragic.

[firstofitskind]

What about 'get kidnapped by an evil cul-'

... Never mind.

"You know, if they can figure out how to fly it, I'd almost be impressed enough to let them," Liam admitted. Almost.

[arboreal_priestess]

They had rules about that, Liam! Rules!

"If you told them that the moon was made of cheese - or cake - I'd bet they'd find a way," Verity snorted.

[firstofitskind]

Yeah but Liam's brush with cult-related kidnapping was years ago! Well before the advent of any rules regarding such things.

"And then I'd have to deal with sad faces again when we got there and it wasn't," Liam replied.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity would say that hers had also happened before any rules regarding cult-related kidnappings were in place, but that was a lie. That had been a Price rule since before she was born and the only reason she hadn't been grounded when it happened was because she hadn't been living at home.

"And then I'd probably have to break up with you for making my entirely colony sad," Verity sighed, as if it hadn't been her own idea.

[firstofitskind]

"And then we would both be sad," Liam realized. "So maybe let's not."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Speaking of long talks nobody wants," Verity said, her tone and body language changing abruptly from 'joking around' to 'uncomfortably serious,' "I'll be having a chitchat with my parents when we get back. I signed up to teach a dance class on the island. Which means I'm pushing back my return date. They're not gonna be thrilled."

[firstofitskind]

"I'll bet," Liam said solemnly.


"You want me there for that, or should I make myself scarce?" he wondered.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I want you there, but it's probably better if you hang out with Artie and Sarah for a bit," Verity admitted reluctantly. "No reason we should both get lectured."

Ahh, family.

[firstofitskind]

"Whatever's easier for you," Liam said gently. "I'm completely willing to put myself in the parental line of fire, you know that." No matter how much he wanted Verity's parents to like him.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I do and I love you for it," Verity said, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "But let's wait and save that for another time. Maybe I'll be lucky and they'll just assume I'm teaching cryptozoology again and not dance."

[firstofitskind]

"Maybe," Liam said, though the Prices didn't seem the kind of people who assumed much of anything.

[arboreal_priestess]

Not even a little bit. But hey, there was a first time for everything, right?

"On the plus side, their first question will probably be if I'm staying for you and then I'll get to tell them that you've already decided to follow me wherever, making you look like thirty times better by comparison."

[firstofitskind]

"Whew," Liam said. "Glad I dodged that bullet."

"Really, though. The whole reason you came to Fandom was to weigh your options. You taught Cryptozoology classes, it's only fair you give dance a whirl at the school as well."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Oooh, I'm definitely stealing that argument," Verity said, brightening. "I might also get out of getting yelled at if I promise to let a gremlin bite me so I have first-hand knowledge of its venom. Antimony and Alex are both offended I haven't done that yet."

[firstofitskind]

Liam made a face. "I'd say I wish you wouldn't, but from all the reports at the station, the venom seems mostly harmless in the long run, except to people's egos."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Maybe we can do it together?" Verity suggested because she was evil. "Couples' activity."

DOn't let her sucker you into this, Liam!

[firstofitskind]

"Mmm," Liam hummed, pretending to think about it. "Maybe you can go ahead, and I'll tag along to record the results. For science."

[arboreal_priestess]

She pouted at him. "Not even the same thing."

[firstofitskind]

"No, it's better!" Liam said cheerfully. "How will you get an accurate accounting if we're both compromised?"

[arboreal_priestess]

"The mice," Verity retorted. "The most accurate record keepers of all."

[firstofitskind]

... Damn it. She had a point there.

"Okay," he tried, "then I'd be there to keep you from, I don't know, trying to make out with the Dean or something."

[arboreal_priestess]

"There is no way," Verity declared. "I don't care how much I'm hallucinating. There's no way I'm going to make out with a man who thinks a cloak is a fashion statement."

She paused and thought about it. "The principal, though. That you might have to protect me from."

[firstofitskind]

“It’s a very interesting mental image,” Liam had to admit. “But i absolutely would make sure you wouldn’t kiss anyone that you wouldn’t normally.” His smile shifted from teasing to fond. “It’s only fair, given how you looked out for me when I was under the influence.” Not that it had been gremlin venom in his case, but the principle was the same.

[arboreal_priestess]

"But you know what I should've done?" Verity asked, meaning she'd thought of it and then immediately dismissed the idea. "Asked you who you wouldn't wanted to kiss. Besides me, I mean. I assume the first answer is always me."

[firstofitskind]

"Always," Liam confirmed, one hand coming up to cup her cheek as he turned to demonstrate that fact.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity was more than happy to have that proven to her several times, honestly. She pulled him backwards with her until she was pressed up against the surface of a large, sturdy tree.

[firstofitskind]

"Merry Christmas," Liam murmured, before leaning back in, his tongue seeking hers.

[arboreal_priestess]

"You're my best present," Verity murmured back before opening her mouth to him. Her arms slid around his waist, hands ticking themselves into his back pockets.

[firstofitskind]

And his worries about whether he was making a good impression on her parents, how they'd react to Verity telling them she was staying in Fandom for a few months; all of it just... fell away, until there was just the two of them.