It was funny, but Oaiea seemed to be really enjoying her time on Earth, thus far. Initially, she'd been uncomfortable, being away from her ship for any length of time, but as the days marched onwards, she seemed to gain confidence. Hardly a day went by, that she wasn't invited somewhere to do something, it seemed. Whether it was taking in a ballet performance at the Kennedy Center, or visiting yet another embassy, it seemed like the local population had gotten somewhat accustomed to having her around. And the non-local population, as well. Washington seemed to be crammed with tourists, media crews, and visiting dignitaries, as the state dinner drew closer.
Public opinion of Oaiea, President Roberts, and Mark Watney had soared, accordingly. Acceptance seemed to have won out, over intolerance and fear, and Oaiea's confidence seemed to grow, like... well, a well-tended plant. He really missed botany.
Mark had almost-almost-gotten used to seeing her daily goings-on, covered on the nightly news. She still communicated with him often, but required his help as interpreter less and less frequently. It was Thursday night, and they were continuing their long-standing habit of adding new words to their application. They worked from pictures she'd taken; things she'd seen, people she'd met. She'd visited schools and hospitals, farms and factories, fascinated by all of it. It seemed like she had a thousand questions, but he enjoyed seeing his world through her eyes, and it didn't really feel like work. He stretched out on the small sofa, in his room, as the nightly news ended. He'd only been mentioned twice.
The rehabilitation center was not to be his home for very much longer, he hoped. Dr. Beck had deemed him nearly ready to transfer to an Independent Living facility, sometime in the next couple of weeks, and he was looking forward to that. One more step towards getting his life back. The final challenge was re-learning his ability to climb stairs, and he was getting there, slowly. After Independent Living, he'd be officially reintegrated-free to find an apartment, drive a car, get a job-it sounded wonderfully monotonous and normal.
But in the meantime, it wasn't so bad. He had a more or less constant schedule of rehab sessions, meetings with Kapoor, visits from his crewmates, a hundred other random things to keep him occupied. His circle was slowly expanding, it seemed. It felt good.
A tap on the door; it was Sophia, shyly stopping in to see him on her way home from work. This was the third time she'd done so, this week; the awkwardness was slowly beginning to recede, and he was beginning to count her among his true friends. Nothing had happened between them, so far; just talking. Getting to know one another.
"Hey!" She shot him a quick and uncertain smile, as she took off her jacket.
He grinned back. "Long day in the coal mines?" He wondered whether she'd sit in the small chair opposite him, or next to him on the sofa. So far, during her previous two visits, she'd chosen the chair.
She smiled at the coal mine joke, her family was from West Virginia. "Do you think you can come to the residence tomorrow night?"
"Don't see why not," he smiled. "Elaine already called me about it, actually." Sophia was standing halfway between him and the chair, as she fiddled with her jacket. The chair again! Damn! She turned then, walked over to the offending chair, and laid her jacket across it.
"Elaine, huh?" She smirked. "Sounds like I might owe that woman a thank-you." She settled herself on the sofa, a scant few inches away from him. His heart was pounding.
He raised his eyebrows. "Why is that?" He was blushing again, damn it.
"She totally set us up. And you know it!" She gave him a mock-fierce glare. "Or was it your idea, in the first place?"
"Ask me no questions, and I'll-" she gave him a exaggeratedly gentle elbow to the ribs. It was almost a snuggle. Instincts took over, and his arm circled around and hauled her over next to him. Her head rested on his shoulder, his nose in her hair. The physical contact felt almost indescribably good, warm and reassuring, as his heart pounded away like a maddened thing.
Life on Earth was good.