The day had been busy for the Governor of Oed V. In addition to the usual meetings and negotiations; there had been an inordinate number of ‘fires’ to put out. Towards the middle of the afternoon, those dealing with him- and who knew him- could sense that he was more direct in his dealings with others than normal; as if the constant interruptions to the schedule (which were the norm) were a particular inconvenience that day. Only his aide, Dorma Fen, knew what was happening; and she had taken the role of gate-keeper to the next level so that the Governor’s official duities for the day ended precisely at four pm.

Governor Kenzo B’tren-Hyrushi had a date.

That fact alone would have been enough to set the social pages aflame (if they ever knew, which they wouldn’t) but coupled with the fact that the date was with not only someone he had just met the day before, but also with someone who had literally just arrived on Oed V that same day? The whole gossip column industry on Oed would have collapsed under the weight of the activity.

So it was that at four-o-one pm, Hyrushi was standing in his private residence atop the Presidium Towers; a pair of thirty-eight story cylindrical residential buildings with pedestrian spans on the fifth, tenth, twenty-fifth, and thirty-second levels connecting the two buildings. The top of both buildings was a single three-story penthouse apartment that spanned the distance between the two towers.

The apartment itself was luxurious: formal dining room, professional kitchen, large seating area, six bedrooms and three bathrooms for guests, and a wholly separate office made up the first floor. The kitchen and dining room were separated by walls of transparent aluminum framed in dark wood that doubled as a wine cellar. Floor to ceiling racks of wine filled the walls interior and kept the bottles safe and cool. Sliding walls similar to the ancient Japanese style of Earth made up the rest of the floor.

Outside of the confines of the first floor was a truly immaculate and large garden-slash-grove of bamboo and fragrant flowers and shrubs with an infinity pool at the far end surrounded by a wide patio complete with chaise lounges and tables for entertaining. A small bar was also set off to the side. Inside the garden was a large pond filled with with koi, accented by a small natural stone waterfall and crossed by a wooden bridge over it’s center. Paths meandered through the garden and the entirety was bordered by transparent, ten foot high walls that provided both safety and security. Tucked away at the end of one of the paths was a small shrine.

A broad, curving staircase in the center of the first floor led to the second and third levels of the residence. The second floor was a few more bedrooms, each with their own baths, as well as a small communal seating area. The third floor was the Master Suite. A large bed on a raised section of floor was set into the corner where the floor to ceiling windows met, allowing for an almost two hundred and fifty degree view of the city. Walk-in closets off each side of the interior of the room curved to match the outside of the top floor’s curvature, making both closets into a kind of hallway to the Master bath. Dual sinks set into black Tellarite marble sat opposite a large bathtub capable of holding at least four adult humans set into the floor. Next to the tub was a large sonic and water shower separated by transparent (but capable of being made opaque for modesty’s sake) walls. The water fell from heads located in the ceiling, so the shower-ee was made to fell like they were standing in the rain.

The place was clean, well maintained, and privately owned by Hyrushi himself. It had been purchased through a multitude of intermediaries and shell companies the day he had been named Governor. Kenzo had a desire for privacy, and to that end he spent little time in the ‘official’ Governor’s residence. In fact, in the almost two years he had been on Oed, he had set foot inside the mansion exactly four times, and all for official functions. But everyday, a slider left the Government Tower and went to the Residence, giving the appearance that he stayed there.

Kenzo madebhis way to his bedroom, went into one of the closests, and pulled out a well-tailored but more relaxed outfit: a pair of gray slacks, blue dress-shirt, cufflinks, and a soft gray blazer. He set the outfit on the bed and then went back downstairs.

Entering the kitchen, he started to prepare the dinner for the evening. Sashimi was cut, maki ingerdients were prepared and set for assembly, miso soup simmering, and gyoza were all prepared and made ready for their meal. He then went out the sliding wall from the seating area onto the patio and set a table for two. Saki bottles, one warm and one chilled, sat ready. Tea was set and ready to be steeped, and small tea lights set the scene; even though he knew she would not see it, he still wanted it to be perfect. Taking a final look around, he nodded in satisfaction and went upstairs to shower. At 6:35, he walked back downstairs, made sure everything was ready, put on soft music ( https://youtu.be/lyieFu7BnHE?si=geLYnU38KuM-fnld ), and then closed his eyes and felt for her arrival.

Hyrushi, Nervous? Excited? Both?