her to pieces. These two are Karen and Portia."
With greetings out of the way, Michaela went on. "Do you want to understand my frown earlier, or are you so intimidated you want to plaster yourself to Elisabeth's side and sit where you're told?"
Zoe smiled. "I'd like to understand."
"I rather thought you might." She put an arm around Zoe's shoulders and then turned her to the two aircraft in this hangar. "There are nine of us. Technically, we could fly in two aircraft. Lara is the only one of us who can pilot the Seneca. That's this one with the two engines. Theoretically, it can seat six of us."
"Theoretically."
"Weight and where the weight is situated are also determining factors. The FAA defines an average adult as weighing 180 pounds. Clearly, I weigh significantly less than that, as do you." The she gestured to the wolves. "As you can guess, everyone else weighs about that or more."
Zoe turned to me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged and smiled.
"They're all around six feet," Michaela went on. "I don't know if you've fully appreciated Elisabeth's physique yet."
Zoe blushed but admitted she had.
"Well, all those muscles are heavy. And fuel is heavy, too. So we aren't going to get six of us in the Seneca. If I'm one of them, we can fly five and light luggage."
"I think I see where you're going," Zoe said. "That airplane is smaller."
"It's only a tiny bit smaller," Michaela said. "That's a Bonanza. Theoretically, it holds six as well."
Zoe counted. "Nine. Five and four. And room for luggage."
"Yes. If I carefully measure everything and everyone, I can probably get all of us into both aircraft, but we'll be near maximum weight limits. This is a short flight, so if we could take off without full fuel. However, both aircraft are already fueled, and we're not equipped to drain gas back out of the tanks. But even if we could do it that way, Lara is the only one who can fly the Seneca. And of the two remaining pilots, I'm the only one who can fly the Bonanza."
With that she turned to Angel and offered a small glare.
"Don't blame Angel," Scarlett said defensively. "She's had more important things to learn."
"Why are you blaming Angel?" Zoe asked.
"Because Angel is our third pilot, and if she could fly the Bonanza, then theoretically, I could ride in the Seneca with my wife."
"Which still wouldn't satisfy you," Scarlett said, continuing to defend Angel. "Because you'd still have to ride in back. And besides, you would rather pilot the Bonanza than ride in the back of the Seneca."
Scarlett was right, and the other wolves chuckled.
Michaela turned back to Zoe. "So instead, Lara will pilot the Seneca with four of us. I will pilot the Bonanza with three more. And Angel and Scarlett will ride in one of the Mooneys in the other hangar."
"If you're only taking three, you could fly the other Mooney," Lara said, earning a glare from Michaela. She really, really liked the Bonanza. "Or not," Lara added.
That was when Portia spoke up. "It's a nice day."
Everyone turned to her.
"I could use the time," she added. Portia had learned to fly, but she was by far the least experienced of us. She was asking whether she could fly one of the planes.
Michaela turned to Serena who only said, "I'm with you. As long as you take off first and land last, I don't care."
Then she looked at me. "I suppose you want the front passenger seat of the Seneca."
It suddenly occurred to me I hadn't thought everything through. "Oh shit," I said.
Zoe moved to my side. "What?"
"Elisabeth gets airsick," Michaela said. "We never make her face backwards, and we try to give her a front seat. Unfortunately, there are no combinations where she can face forward and be seated next to you."
Zoe looked at me with a moment of panic. "Are we going to be in the same airplane?"
"That we can arrange," Michaela said. She turned to Lara. "I presume I'm flying the Bonanza."
"Yes," Lara said.
"I'd forgotten we had Portia now," Michaela said. "Elisabeth, do you
With greetings out of the way, Michaela went on. "Do you want to understand my frown earlier, or are you so intimidated you want to plaster yourself to Elisabeth's side and sit where you're told?"
Zoe smiled. "I'd like to understand."
"I rather thought you might." She put an arm around Zoe's shoulders and then turned her to the two aircraft in this hangar. "There are nine of us. Technically, we could fly in two aircraft. Lara is the only one of us who can pilot the Seneca. That's this one with the two engines. Theoretically, it can seat six of us."
"Theoretically."
"Weight and where the weight is situated are also determining factors. The FAA defines an average adult as weighing 180 pounds. Clearly, I weigh significantly less than that, as do you." The she gestured to the wolves. "As you can guess, everyone else weighs about that or more."
Zoe turned to me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged and smiled.
"They're all around six feet," Michaela went on. "I don't know if you've fully appreciated Elisabeth's physique yet."
Zoe blushed but admitted she had.
"Well, all those muscles are heavy. And fuel is heavy, too. So we aren't going to get six of us in the Seneca. If I'm one of them, we can fly five and light luggage."
"I think I see where you're going," Zoe said. "That airplane is smaller."
"It's only a tiny bit smaller," Michaela said. "That's a Bonanza. Theoretically, it holds six as well."
Zoe counted. "Nine. Five and four. And room for luggage."
"Yes. If I carefully measure everything and everyone, I can probably get all of us into both aircraft, but we'll be near maximum weight limits. This is a short flight, so if we could take off without full fuel. However, both aircraft are already fueled, and we're not equipped to drain gas back out of the tanks. But even if we could do it that way, Lara is the only one who can fly the Seneca. And of the two remaining pilots, I'm the only one who can fly the Bonanza."
With that she turned to Angel and offered a small glare.
"Don't blame Angel," Scarlett said defensively. "She's had more important things to learn."
"Why are you blaming Angel?" Zoe asked.
"Because Angel is our third pilot, and if she could fly the Bonanza, then theoretically, I could ride in the Seneca with my wife."
"Which still wouldn't satisfy you," Scarlett said, continuing to defend Angel. "Because you'd still have to ride in back. And besides, you would rather pilot the Bonanza than ride in the back of the Seneca."
Scarlett was right, and the other wolves chuckled.
Michaela turned back to Zoe. "So instead, Lara will pilot the Seneca with four of us. I will pilot the Bonanza with three more. And Angel and Scarlett will ride in one of the Mooneys in the other hangar."
"If you're only taking three, you could fly the other Mooney," Lara said, earning a glare from Michaela. She really, really liked the Bonanza. "Or not," Lara added.
That was when Portia spoke up. "It's a nice day."
Everyone turned to her.
"I could use the time," she added. Portia had learned to fly, but she was by far the least experienced of us. She was asking whether she could fly one of the planes.
Michaela turned to Serena who only said, "I'm with you. As long as you take off first and land last, I don't care."
Then she looked at me. "I suppose you want the front passenger seat of the Seneca."
It suddenly occurred to me I hadn't thought everything through. "Oh shit," I said.
Zoe moved to my side. "What?"
"Elisabeth gets airsick," Michaela said. "We never make her face backwards, and we try to give her a front seat. Unfortunately, there are no combinations where she can face forward and be seated next to you."
Zoe looked at me with a moment of panic. "Are we going to be in the same airplane?"
"That we can arrange," Michaela said. She turned to Lara. "I presume I'm flying the Bonanza."
"Yes," Lara said.
"I'd forgotten we had Portia now," Michaela said. "Elisabeth, do you
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