Wednesday, on a boat, somewhere near Trinidad & Tobago

[whoisalicewhite]

Parker was staring at the fish through her goggles, watching them zip around and ignore Eliot's lure on the line. Breathing carefully through her snorkel, she snapped another picture of them with her underwater camera. After a little bit, she pulled her head and torso out of the water, to follow the rest of her body back onto the boat

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[age_of_the_geek]

Hardison had retasked a satellite to get that wifi out here on the ocean, but he had it and now he was leaning back in a chair, practically soaking up the sunshine while idly poking away at his computer. Honestly, he was barely paying attention to what was on the screen, just enjoying the feel of sunlight on his skin, the keys beneath his fingers, and the gentle rocking of the boat beneath them.

"In my defense," he said, all lazy good humor for the first time in weeks, "I didn't know when I bought the boat that we'd end up in space an' have to tow it through a portal any time we wanted to go somewhere."

[vdistinctive]

"Woulda been weird if you did," Eliot pointed out. "Spaceship island is still pretty weird, even for Fandom."

[age_of_the_geek]

"But, c'mon," Hardison said, drawing out the word. "It's still damn awesome, right? Even with all the extra bother an' expense?"

[vdistinctive]

"You mean the boat, or the space thing? 'Cause the boat's fantastic. But I could do without lookin' out over Candyworld when I'm walkin' my dog."

He tried running out there exactly once. He'd had to buy himself a new pair of running shoes afterwards. That chocolate mud did not come out.

[age_of_the_geek]

"Obviously the boat, man," Hardison said, making a face and glaring up into the sky. "I ain't forgiven space yet."

Which hurt. Seriously, aliens. You were ruining space for Hardison.

[vdistinctive]

Aliens were really good at that. "Maybe we'll see some place that ain't evil," Eliot tried. "Can't imagine even Fandom wantin' to stick around Candyworld permanently."

[age_of_the_geek]

"Yeah, cause unlike your diner crew, I ain't eatin' candy that I just picked up off the ground or whatever," Hardison declared. "That's nasty. There are germs an' stuff. People walk on that an' touch it an'--just nah."

[vdistinctive]

"Huh," Eliot said. "You know, I think that might be one of the first times we agreed on somethin' food related that ain't been made by your nana."

[age_of_the_geek]

"Well, that's just common sense," Hardison said, kicking his feet up on the railing of the boat. "I don't understand why people gotta be told not to eat nothin' that they pick up off the ground on an alien planet, yo. That seems like the kinda thing that people who survived this long woulda figured out."

[vdistinctive]

"And it's sugar," Eliot said. "You can't wash the dirt off it, it'll just start melting."

[age_of_the_geek]

"Yup, an' gets sticky everywhere." Hardison pulled another face. "So disappointed in space, yo. It's all germy sugar an' jerk aliens, yo. I'm disappointed."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot shrugged. "There's a lot more Space Battles out in the universe than Galaxy Quest," he said, proving he paid way more attention to pop culture than he usually let on. "Most of the creatures that are goin' explorin' ain't doin' it to spread peace, light, and cultural understanding."

[age_of_the_geek]

Eliot got a bright smile for that reference, Hardison leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead--on the opposite side of where the newly-forming scar was. "What's wrong with spreadin' a little bit of peace, love, an' understandin'?" he complained. "An', y'know, maybe bangin' a coupla hot aliens along the way? Not ovipositin' alien with goddamn mind-control.'"

[vdistinctive]

Yeah, Eliot was figuring that part of his head was going to be avoided generally for awhile, yet. Not that he minded just now. It was still ever so slightly tender, and flinching when his people touched him was not something he wanted to do.

"Well, for one thing, they're the sorts who'll probably wait around for us to get our own space travel in better shape before they introduce themselves. You know, instead of invading."

[age_of_the_geek]

"I'd be down with that," Hardison grumbled. "I mean, they could show up early an' give us some pointers, that'd be cool. But none of this invadin' nonsense. Two for two an' I'm unimpressed."

[vdistinctive]

"They've probably got that . . . primo direction thing." Eliot absolutely knew what it was called. "They're not allowed to give pointers. Part of their whole peace and love thing."