If Jove Stray

Chapter 8: practice

I stood outside the botany bay just far enough so the door didn't slide open. I want to surprise Levi by coming of my own accord, but I didn't want to intrude if he was busy. Nervously, I walked forward, inhaling the smell of the flowers and fruits growing here. Levi had a man I didn't recognize in his office, and I took a step backward, fearing I was interrupting a meeting.

"Dylan!"

I turned to see Anatoly smile at me.

"I haven't seen you in ages," she said. "We need to have lunch sometime; your papa doesn't understand plants nearly as well as you do."

"He tries," I offered, feeling guilty that my papa had to learn so much in order to do my job.

"Oui, he does," she said. "And does a fantastic job. Congress has become...much more male in your absence."

She glanced at Levi's office. Levi hadn't seen me yet; he was still talking to the other man. I would probably excuse myself before we interacted. I wasn't in the mood to meet new people.

"It's almost lunchtime," Anatoly remarked. "Go on, take Levi out of here for lunch. It'll save our stores of tomatoes. We ought to leave some for the general public."

"I don't want to intrude," I managed.

"You're not. Tyson just got out of cryo and from the look of things, he's about to fall asleep while Levi talks his ear off about genetic variations of blackberries. Your partner is a strange creature."

"He is," I admitted with a smile.

I was always amazed at the variety of plants and how Levi knew each and every one. Anatoly had once told me that she hoped he would be the head of the department after her, given his eagerness to learn and remember them all. At the time, I wondered what would happen if we were both so busy, but since I had stepped down and we didn't see each other often anyway, it hardly mattered. Anatoly put a hand on my shoulder, and we walked over to Levi's desk. Levi looked up at me, his face brightening with a wide smile. I found myself smiling back.

"Dylan!" he said. "How was your meeting with Ibsen?"

"Good," I replied.

"This is Tyson, he's Titus and Val's son," Levi explained, gesturing to the taller man standing beside him.

Tyson gave me a smile. He was dressed oddly, not how the others from Earth had been. The short-sleeved shirt and rumpled blue pants didn't seem as formal as his parents' choices. His pants seemed to have a lot of pockets; I liked that feature.

Anatoly frowned. "Alcott didn't tell me that. Is he truly a match to her?"

Levi nodded. Tyson looked between the two of them with the same confusion I felt. I could ask Levi about it later; if they hadn't explained it to Tyson then it seemed rude to ask right now.

"I thought we could make lunch?" I offered, steering the conversation away from Tyson.

"Of course!" Levi replied, rising from his seat. "What would you like?"