Seven
I released her and took her hand. We had two en suite toilet/shower combinations, king size beds and wall screens in the ceilings. I had to remember to duck under the doors; Rose dipped to be on the safe side.
We walked back into the lounge after we'd Ooh'd and Aah'd around enough, turning the sheets down and testing the bed, while Rose stood and laughed and evaded my grab. There was a three seater and I flopped down into the corner. Rose joined me, turning to lie, feet over the end and head in my lap.
"Well, this is better," I said.
"A home from home, it's just the right size." She looked up at me. "I want to go to an observation lounge and see Earth."
"Let's rest awhile yet, we'll go later," I complained.
"I want to be seduced later." She giggled.
"Wait a minute," I said, reaching for my pad. "Let's see when it's visible from the nearest one."
I queried our location and orientation with my fingers.
"It looks like it will come in view of the night side in forty-five minutes."
A few more finger taps. "There's one ten minutes' walk from the hotel."
I looked up at her. "Let's go cuddle on the bed for a while."
"I'm happy here," she said.
"Swap places then," I asked.
"Uh-ah, you make a good pillow."
"Come on, you can use my shoulder," I said, raising my hips.
"Oh," she complained.
"Come on, I'll carry you," I said, easing myself from under her.
I slid out and bent to pick her up. I managed but it was a strain on my protesting muscles. When I got to the bed I half dropped her and collapsed on top of her.
"Oi, you're supposed to be my pillow."
I pushed myself up and lied down next to her and shuffled myself into her back. As she wriggled into a comfortable position I curled my arm over her and cupped her breast.
"Comfortable?" I asked.
"Mm," she sighed her reply.
I lay spooning her, wondering what was going to happen next. If they had plans for Vincent they were going to have to rethink. I wondered how long we would be here. Sure, Vinnie could help answering their questions, but that could be done long distance with a little more inconvenience, what with the time lag and all.
I would be interested in seeing more of the capsule. I didn't know how far they'd gotten in dismantling it but I remembered Vinnie saying he had fault finding capabilities. That could be my in there. Maybe if we could salvage the working modules and get them up and running, it would go some way to appeasing them.
I must have drifted off because the next thing Rose was shaking me awake.
"Come on, you've rested long enough."
"Mm, what time is it?"
"Nearly twenty hours, you've had two hours sleep."
I sat up, feeling better, and scuttled to the edge of the bed.
"You want to go sightseeing still?" I asked
"Yes, then we can get something to eat."
"Sounds like a good idea."
"Well, come on and get ready then."
I got up and put my shoes on. Rose was by the door waiting and I went to follow her as she opened the door and stepped out. When we arrived there were one or two other sightseers waiting. I paid for tickets and joined the queue with Rose holding my arm.
I was amazed when the floor lifted and then swivelled to reveal a half dozen or so sightseers clamped into seats. The pneumatics hissed as the clamps released and they climbed out. We took our places and we found ourselves spinning upside down and seated looking out on a panorama of Earth's night side.
As I looked 'up' Vinnie was floating right-side up about thirty centimetres from my head. 'Move, Vincent,' I thought at him. 'You're blocking the view.'
He flipped over and came down to hover inches from the floor. The view above me was showing the west coast of the Americas, the northern part showing a glittering edge and spiderweb trails running inland to other bright spots.
I arched my neck back to see Hawaii like a sparkling diamond and the dotted lights of the Philippines. Beyond that was the haze of the atmosphere and the bright, unwinking stars. I was impressed but slightly disappointed. I'd seen it many times in films and photos and I expected more.
The viewing lasted five minutes and we found ourselves twisting around normal way up. As we dismounted she took my hand, leaving Vinnie to follow behind us. The next thing on my mind was food. I wanted to try a steak first. If we stayed long enough I wanted to sample the cuisine of as many different countries as possible, starting with the oriental dishes.
We wandered back onto the promenade discussing whether to find a restaurant or go back to the hotel. She was opining that unless we found one on the way back we'd eat in the hotel. We could use room service there.
A slow stroll saw us back at the hotel; all we'd seen were bars and tourist shops. I ordered an eight ounce peppered steak and Rose joined me, ordering a plain one; we had wine sent up as well, along with a pot of coffee in a vacuum flask.
We sat on cushions on the floor, backs to the settee, feeding each other titbits. By the time we'd finished and started on the coffee I was a happy man. Two glasses of wine and a full stomach saw me settled on the settee with Rose cuddled up to my side.
"That was good," she said, putting her coffee down. "I couldn't eat another thing."
"I'd like to try Japanese tomorrow."
"What's that like?"
I had only limited knowledge of the dishes themselves and told her about how they prepared food bringing in Chinese and Thai cooking as well. We talked on of our likes and dislikes of our limited ingredients at home and onto drinks.
We'd finished the coffee and were sitting with her leaning back on me, my one arm hanging loosely draped over her shoulder.
