Errant leaves, sticks, and dust scattered as the personal transport descended to land in the spacious courtyard of Del's home. Vivian, having been with Del for several months now, had become familiar with the location, but now she was seeing it in a new light. It was no longer just Del's home. It was theirs. With Vivian's new outlook on the setting, she walked around the courtyard to the eastern edge where she took in the breathtaking view.
She could not see the horizon proper as it was obscured by the private Spire-top forest that stretched out for acres before falling off to meet the sky. Rising up from the mini-horizon, the bright violet sky was unbroken by clouds. The vibrant color gradually turned to a deep, dark lavender pocked with the brightest stars in the Milky Way Galaxy above. Vivian rested her hands against the polished black walnut railing as she took in the quiet, serene image.
"I wish I could say I never get tired of the view, but if I'm being honest, I often miss seeing the clouds," Del said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"I'm sure you could get an app that does that," Vivian said.
"I could, and I have, but at a certain point, when you have a BSI, you inevitably wonder whether it would be any different living in a featureless box and just simulating your entire environment."
"There are millions of people below your feet that do just that."
"That's true." Del grinned. "You make a great point, but try not to forget that they're beneath your feet too."
