In this world, people travel by air on giant balloons or you take carriages, or trains. Giant balloons are not faster – in fact, they can be slower – but they can make travel much more interesting. Unlike the carriages that seat twenty on a usually bumpy ride, or trains that seat hundreds on a loud and clunky ride that's only sometimes smooth, air balloons take just about a dozen people as passangers and are largely quiet.

They're very expensive.

But they're a lot of fun.

This young man, him here, with the black curly hair, freckles, and grumpy face, he likes the air balloons best. He doesn't get stuck sitting next to someone loud, or someone who'll flat out push and shove him, or in carts that stink. Or have people that snore. Or babies that cry.

No.

The air balloons are quiet. That's part of their charm.

You've heard of them right? Giant silver balloons lifted by gas or flame, and propelled by tiny little blades in the back to gently guide them forward to their next dock.

This young man is kind and smart, and likes to cook for himself and his cat. He also, well, he's bad at talking to people.

On this particular flight, he was sitting in a nice chair, looking through the angled window down at the green countryside. With a smile in his eyes, he imagined if he could pluck trees out one by one and replant them to make the landscape look a bit more... lived in. Cluster the plants together neatly, shove the houses over, so it would be a clean path to a river or the ocean's beaches.

After adoring the colorful landscape for a bit, he looked up to stretch and saw that a young man had sat next to him. He had glasses on and was happily reading a book on his knee. But somehow he looked smug and conceited.

What a bummer! He thought all of the sudden. My super relaxing flight I only get to take once a year will be ruined by this chipper tall, sod! He looks like a swimmer. Or a runner. Just. Look at those calves through his slacks! I can see them! Now wear some regular pants! Don't accost my pleasantness with your muscles! How rude!

You see. He didn't just appear grumpy. He was grumpy. People bothered him. They all appeared selfish and vain to him. Only him, who imagined how better the world could be if there were just some less humans in it, only he saw fit to judge who was worth letting into his little sphere of existing. If you weren't in it, you were a hindrance.

Don't be confused. This grumpy freckled man considered himself a hindrance also. That he couldn't find more seeds to plant, or the proper places to put them. That he couldn't protect them from birds. But that was the value of life, and he, like a child, wanted to value and protect it.

“Hey.” He snapped aloud in a rude tone. It broke the peaceful silence of the entire airship. The man sitting next to him lifted his eyes from his book suddenly to look at him. His freckled nose crinkled as he realized he'd said something aloud. Unable to think of, well a polite thing to say after so rudely breaking the peace, his words failed him. They always did. He furrowed his brows, squinted his eyes, and jutted out his lower jaw. “Kweh un dey monjaeuluer.”

Nervously the man shut his eyes with a smile. With a laugh he apologized. “I'm sorry. I don't understand. But you sound upset?”

He sunk back into his chair, rolled over to not face the man, and just tried to focus on the greenery down below. It didn't look so peaceful, so calm, so happy, now.

It had a stain.

~*~

Breaking into the realm of dreamland, the freckled man's voice carried sweetly to his ear.

“Who's my beautiful boy?”

His eyes shot open and he sat up with a start. He looked left and then right. The air was cold on his skin. He was stripped down to his underwear, laying in a bed, without any real recollection how he got there. His eyes went past the edge of the bed.

The grumpy freckled young man was squatting down to the floor in a pair of shorts and a loose tank top, cuddling a rather large cat. Not large as in fat. Physically large. It was a regular house cat, but just with a long elegant fluffy tail, pure white whiskers, and cream and orange coloring all over him. The cat looked beautiful and well taken care of. It chirped a meow to his owner, lifting his head to nudge his nose against his owner's cheek. Happily, the owner cooed and arced his head down farther so the nose could be pressed against his eye cavity if the cat so wished. With a few more nudges, the cat pulled it's face away.

A pleased look came over the freckled cheeks, a smile darting across them. It was something reserved for the cat. For the plants. For the birds. Not for humans. “What a beautiful boy. What a handsome boy you are!” He proudly complimented, running his hands gently down either side of the face of the cat from his whiskers at his nose, to his cheeks and then down his shoulders. He did this motion to pet the cat a few more times before he started up.

“Oh.” the young man made a sound. Casually, the freckled face turned to look at him. “Uh... Where are my clothes?”

Without a word, he pointed to the foot of the bed. Neatly folded into a pile were the man's slacks, socks, and dress shirt.

“You must really like your cat?” He asked kindly as he gathered up his clothes and started with pulling on his shirt first.

That grumpy expression returned to the young man's face. “You've heard of how plants grow better when they're complimented and spoken to? I believe the same goes for all things.” He knelt down and pet the cat, who chirped at him and started purring out of joy. “Aw,” he cooed returning to a kind and sweet tone. “You're so handsome~” He started petting the cat again in a gentle manner. “Let's get you some soup.”

“I'm not really that hungry.”

“Good.” Said the young man as he left the room. “It's not for you.” His words echoed from the hall.

Frowning, the man got up onto his knees and pulled on his pants properly. He didn't get out of the bed until he was dressed. Then he re-arranged the sheets and blankets into a neat and smooth appearance. As he did so, he reflected on how he'd gotten there.

The balloon hit a bit of wind and it jostled the cabin. The resulting minutes of movement gave him motion sickness to the point of passing out. He had been cognizant enough to hear that the grumpy young man he'd been sitting next to would take care of him. He was given luggage and carried to the apartment. He had been given a cup of saline water and was surprised at how much better it settled his stomach than he had expected. Then he had been directed to lay down in the bedroom where the temperature was mild and the humidity medium. He fell asleep right away.

His hand brushed over his heart to feel the shirt press against his skin. “He must've undressed me so my clothes wouldn't crease.” As he stepped out into the living room he saw that it was full of plants of various sizes, and in various stages of life. None looked neglected or not cared for. “Uh, where did you sleep?” He asked aloud.

“The sofa is fine for a single night.” Then he pointed to the door with an irritated look in his eye.

Ah. I'm intruding on his perfect little world. Just. His world. Him and his plants and his cat.

“What'd you say before?” He asked as he walked over to where his luggage bag had been left, ontop of a bench by the door. His shoes were sitting neatly next to it. When no answer came, he looked up to the young man. He was busy happily smiling at his cat while he watched him eat some sort of soft meal that smelled like cooked fish. “On the airship when you snapped at me.”

“Kweh dun a lawn ear rat shore owl.” The young man answered with an irritated tone, glaring over to him. Right after he smiled back to his cat and pet him. “Shh, you're such a chicken. I didn't mean to scare you.”

“...You scared him?”

“My arm brushed the table.”

“Oh.” He paused. “Wait. Did you just call me irrational?”

“Rat shore owl.” He repeated but not in the same rude tone.

Slumping his shoulders, his pleasant features turned irritated. “Right. Well. Thank you for the brief kindness for the night.” He turned on his heel and started to get on his shoes. Was he being watched? Would an apology come his way? As he stood up to grab his bag, he turned to look at the young man. “You can't speak as eloquently to people.”

“People aren't worth the breath.” He replied, not looking to him. “Take, take, take. Take food. Take land. Take life.”

“You're a person, too.” He waved his arm to the plants. “You think this makes you better?”

“No.” He said as he straightened his back. He gently rested his hand on his cats back as it finished eating and took a few steps away from him on the counter, then jumped down and went over to a large window. Quietly, the cat began to clean its paws and face from the meal. “I'm just a stain waiting to be splotched out.”

His arm dropped and his lips parted. “That's. Kind of sad.”

“Et tu deus nyx e oneiro.”

“There's that weirdness again.”

“Living is dreams.” He said while watching his cat happily. He went over and knelt beside his cat and whispered. “Whatchu looking at? See birds?”

Curious, he left his bag and quietly stepped over to look out the window.

He saw that the space was a small garden with tall gray brick walls so you couldn't see any of the city world around them. They were all painted over in chalk to look green and lush like the landscape from the air balloon's sight. Blue splotched above for the sky. And filling the small place were more plants – thick bushes with green and yellow leaves that some small brown birds were fluttering between. The cat was entranced, and he in watching the cat. And he who watched the one who watched the cat.

“Aren't you lonely?”

Easily the reply came. “No.”

“What kind of bush is that?”

The young man tore his eyes from his cat to look over his shoulder and up to the young man. His eyes finally on him, the young man smiled down to him a welcoming and soft smile – the same he had had planted on his face as he happily read earlier.

“Roo doh et kwuen? Sea... baw?”

He tilted his head to the side but still smiled. “Wondering why I'm interested?” He put a hand on his hip. “I'm learning to be a groundskeeper – a fancy gardener. These plants grow so well, so I want to know what they are and your secret.”

“It's just compliments and kindness.” He answered, turning to look back outside.

He can't speak eloquently, or even anything I can understand sometimes. But his meaning is there? Maybe he can teach me how he grew these plants in this apartment. Some really don't like to be confined.