Steam Heat (Part II)

Posted on 08/31/2024 @ 11:24pm by Civilian Mathias McPhee & Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca

1,462 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: A Day In the Life Of..
Location: Arboretum

[PREVIOUSLY]

Once she left the room, Mathias quickly replicated some dry clothing, pants, tunic top and boots, taking mere minutes to get changed. He stood at the doorway looking out towards the arboretum, drifting off into a semi meditative state, well maybe more like, daydreaming. Turning he went to his back pack and pulled out a small sketch pad, plus pencil and began to draw. In his mind’s eye he could see Brianthe dancing, the jewel like drops of rain nestling in her hair, capturing the ambient light, sparkling like diamonds. He had sat down cross-legged, his back against the door frame, becoming engrossed in his drawing.

[CONTINUED]


Brianthe changed quickly, then ran her fingers through her hair to help it dry. When Mathias still hadn't returned, she went to check on him. She found him sitting on the floor, drawing. Not wanting to disrupt an artist at work, she stayed just out of sight and watched. She couldn't see what he was drawing, but she was fascinated by his focus and concentration. She drew a bit, but she rarely lost herself in her work as he did.

As if sensing her presence, Mathias paused, turning slightly to glance over his shoulder, "Oh hello, have I kept you waiting for me?" He moved to rise from his seated position, pushing himself off the floor. "I am ready for the next part of the tour." He shifted the sketchpad to his other hand. A glimpse of what he had been drawing could be seen by Brianthe.

She raised an eyebrow, but made no other response to the glimpse she got of his drawing. "No, you didn't keep me waiting. I enjoyed watching you. Or, rather, how involved you were in what you were doing. I like watching artists work." She smiled and changed the subject. "I'm ready to explore the tree house with you. Do you want me to put the room in maintenance mode while we do?"

"Yes please." He grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, and hope you don't mind, I wanted to capture this moment." Mathias held out the picture he had been working on towards Brianthe.

She took the picture and looked at it. "No, I don't mind. You're very good."

"Thank you, I will be adding color to it, unless you wish to have this one and I make a colored version for you." his cheeks turning a reddish hue. "I felt inspired."

She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. Whatever you want to do is fine with me." She secured the room for 45 minutes and turned on the sign to let people know when it would open again. "Now, shall we explore the tree house?"

Touching his cheek where she kissed him, Mathias gave a bashful chuckle. He hadn't expected that. "Thank you and yes, let's explore the treehouse," he said, following Brianthe's lead.

Bri headed across the hanging bridge to the large living area. From there, open doorways led to a kitchen and a back porch where there were stairs to the upper level. "The layout resembles the movie, but I wanted it to be functional as well." She smiled. "I love the upper room the most."

"The one where a person can get a 360 view of the scenery around it?" flashing an excited smile. "Let’s head up there, will get a good view of the arboretum. I do like to go to high perches."

"Well, a good view of this part of the arboretum. To see more of the arboretum itself, we'll need to go to the upper deck. There are a couple of good observation areas, but several sections have barriers to keep them separate, like this one. It's a good-sized space, but it's cut off from the rest of the arboretum to make it safer for kids and families to play." She flashed him a grin. "And adults. But the master bedroom at the top does have an incredible view of the jungle around us." She went to the back porch and climbed the stairs past the second level of sleeping rooms to a smaller room at the top. What she hadn't mentioned is that while the room was under construction, she'd closed it off for a few hours and slept here one night, just to see what it felt like.

Bri opened the door and stepped back so he could enter first. She followed a moment later. "This level has a small sitting room with a bedroom and bathroom beyond. The second level has four bedrooms with hammocks and two bathrooms. Only this level has an actual bed."

"The one that has the ability to open up to see the stars above? I loved that part of the movie, as the husband was able to keep his promise to his love." Mathias softly smiled. He went to the bed, looking to see if that had the device to open the hatchway to reveal where the stars could be seen if it were night time.

"It does, but you'd have to be here when the arboretum switches to night to see the stars." She pushed a button on a wall panel and sat on the bed next to him as the roof of the tree house opened to the artificial sky. "It's not quite the same as the night sky, I'm afraid."

"I would love to see this at night, so will have to schedule it at some point." He blinked when a stray drop of water from the rain fell down upon his face, he gave a chuckle, "Well now I do like the welcome there." he moved to where he was laying upon the bed, at an angle to where he could see the shimmer of daylight through the translucent drops. "There may not be stars but there are the rain drops." he spoke softly, pointing upwards.

Bri laughed softly. "I hadn't considered the raindrops. I can activate a shield so they don't come in, if you like." She glanced over at him for his response. "I'd be happy to show you the tree house at night. I admit, I haven't seen it under the stars yet." She imagined what it would look like when the room was designed, but she'd yet to come here at night and see how it actually looked.

"Why not, and I would also love to come here when it is night just to see the stars through the window which looks into the heavens." Mathias looked towards Brianthe. "I feel it will be utterly amazing, seeing this in the night."

"Why not?" She looked up at the sky. "I guess there's been so much to do lately I just put it off." She turned back to Mathias and smiled. "When do you want to come back here? I could bring a picnic to eat under the stars."

"How about tomorrow night? Would that work for you?" He moved to where he was on his side looking at Brianthe. He was feeling at peace with himself, feeling more healing being done to his soul. Following his path to here was seeming to be the best thing that had happened to him in a long time.

She looked at him and nodded. There was something about him that made her feel...she wasn't sure what. More at peace? Something like that, but more. "Yes. Tomorrow night would be perfect."

His face lit up, a twinkle in his eyes, "Marvelous! I am looking forward to that." He paused. "I think our forty-five minutes are up." giving a bit of a chuckle. "There may be some explorers both young and young at heart who may wish a chance to dream."

Had it been 45 minutes already? There was definitely something...magical...about him. "Yes. It's time to move on...for now." She smiled and stood, straightening the bed covering, even though it was tightly tucked in. She closed the ceiling. "We can take the long way or the short." She nodded to a balcony. "There's a rope out there for a quick exit." Brianthe grinned. "You can either swing down or climb."

"Oh I can't pass up the chance to swing down via rope, it's been a long while since I've done such." With a gleeful shout Mathias was out on the balcony and swinging down the rope. "Wha hoo!!" and laughing with pure joy. He landed gracefully and waited for Brianthe to join him.

Bri grabbed the rope and followed him down. "That was fun." She grinned and put the bottom of the rope back where it wasn't as noticeable from the ground. "This is another surprise for those daring enough to explore."

A Post by:

Mathias McPhee
Civilian

Lieutenant JG Brianthe Oaxaca
Botanist
Poseidon Station

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