She gives him a quick peck on the lips. "I know you won't, dearheart. So of course it's perfectly safe."

"Part of not letting anything happen is not taking risks..."

"Fair point. I'm tempted to say 'well nothing bad happened last time, did it' but that's a terrible argument."

"We can definitely hire a driver."

"We can tell someone I got a migraine or something, our plane's leaving soon, oh no, please help we'll totally pay your cab fare back and compensate you for your time, or something." She hugs him a little tighter. "I'm sorry, I should not be advocating my taking risks, that's--sorry."

"You can't die. It is very important." He kisses the top of her head.

"I know. I won't leave you again."

"No, you won't."

"It'd be nice if the rental place had, like, a pick-up service or something, but instead we get to rely on my acting skills. Please don't be alarmed, I am not in fact in large amounts of pain--should probably ask someone not, like, on the other side of the wall from us last night."

"We can head into town, there's a town. Small and ugly, but."

"But the car's here."

"I can ask one of my coworkers to give us a ride that far, it's not really far."

"Okay."

She does a reasonably convincing fake horrible migraine.

He has no excuse for not being able to drive her, but his ex-coworkers think he's lost it and are happy not to have him behind the wheel of a car.

Convenient. Also kind of disproportionately amusing. Idaia fails to suppress a snicker but does manage to turn it into a whimper.

He is distractingly attentive and the driver doesn't suspect anything.

And then they are in town and can presumably find a ride to the...airport...

I may not have thought this through.

Oh?

Airport security procedures. People're supposed to go through a thing. One at a time.

How else do we get to Nevada?

Walking is probably a stupid answer.

Hire another driver? Or ask Nelyo.

I really don't think we're going to find someone to drive us all the way to California on this kind of notice. What do you imagine Maitimo's going to do to fix the situation, or is the answer, "I don't know, ask him?"

If I knew I'd just do that, wouldn't I?

Hmm we could get a motorcycle, I know those are fine to drive with someone behind you with their arms around their waist.