"Okay, first," Richard said, looking up from the next box. "Where is Veracruz? Second, magazines. Awesome. You should send me some of your work. Third, noted. If tempted, I'll just repeat to myself 'I am not David Hasselhoff.'" He grinned over at the other man, then carried another box over to the growing stack by the door.
They were chatting companionably when Vanessa arrived. "Sounds great!" Richard said, walking over to help her load the dolly. "Then let's get a load up there so that we don't make you a liar."
The next hour (it might have been more like three hours, but Richard was trying not to count) was filled with pizza and beer, and an intimate knowledge of the main Pax elevator. Richard tried to keep the mood up, but in the end he was just as glad as either of the others to close the Monster's gate and move the truck, then fall gratefully into the loving embrace of his couch. They were great people, really, but by that point their company came a distant second to sleep.