Into the Wild (Steam) Blue Yonder (pods6827 and MMRS)

"Until tomorrow then," Ander said, returning Alexandria's nod and watching as she left before waving down his waiter. After a moment of looking at the dessert menu he ordered a slice of white chocolate cheesecake to finish his meal, eating slowly to savor it.

After finishing his meal and sending his compliments to the chef Ander made his way back to the American House to begin packing for his trip. It being so last minute meant that the man didn't have all of have belongings present, but he had what he needed. His set of tools, all we'll used and starting to show their age, enough clothes for a week just in case, and so on.

Once all that was done Ander had a few hours free before he needed to get to bed and decided to spend it tinkering with his eyepiece. One of his better works, it functioned as protection from debris as well as having both a telescope and night-vision attachments. He spent his time cleaning it up, slightly improving the specs before finally yawning and going off to bed.

The next morning Ander woke up nice and early, giving him time to bathe, shave, and dress before grabbing his bags and making his way down to the street, a good ten minutes before Alexandria had said to expect the carriage. There he waited, slightly nervous on the sidewalk.

A large carriage pulled up, with two men up front. The one not holding the reins nimbly jumped down and landed in front of Ander.

"Mr. Drumein?" he asked. "We're here to take you to your ship."

"Thank you gentlemen," Ander said, nodding to the men as his few bags were loaded onto the carriage without any trouble. He then climbed into the vehicle, taking comfortable seat as he waited for the trip to Buffalo to begin.

The passage from Boston to New York, and then the train ride to Buffalo, was luxurious if uneventful. The law firm representing the estate of the late Nicholas Montgomery had secured to private staterooms for both Ander and Alexandria.. They had secured a private car on the train ride to Buffalo as well, with small sleeping compartments at either end, and a well upholstered sitting room in the center.

Alexandria was friendly enough on both trips, but she spent of a good deal of her time in preparatory work on both the steam boat and the train, leaving Ander to his own devices.

Upon their arrival to Buffalo, though, she seemed re-energized.

"We have rooms booked at the Trubee hotel," Alexandria told Ander. "Once we get settled in, we'll meet with an agent of Mr. Montgomery's estate as to the physical portions of your inheritance."

Ander had rather enjoyed the trip to Buffalo, even if the coachmen hadn't been particularly talkative. That was fine though, it had given him a bit of time to relax and enjoy the quiet. The scenery as they traveled had been lovely, full of vast fields of grain and the occasional vineyard.

The train trip had been similarly uneventful, and except for the occasional bit of idle conversation with Alexandria it had been quiet as well, with the exception of one of the stewardesses offering a lunch. It wasn't a Dagwood, but it had still been good for traveling fare.

Stepping off the train he looked around the station, listening to Alexandria's explanation as they walked. "Sounds like a plan," he said, "I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what my old friend left me."

Buffalo was a frontier town in any way you would care to count. Inventors, trappers, merchants, farmers, treasure hunters, soldiers, charlatans...all walked and mingled on the streets. People wore all types of clothing and costumes, and looked to come from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. No garb was so too outrageous to garner a second look.

The town of buffalo was a clash of styles as well. Stone buildings crafted to look ancient in appearance and decorum stood side by side with large log structures. Horses shared the street with steam driven vehicles and overhead, a few airships could be seen.

As Ander and Alexandria made their way to the stylish Trubee Hotel, they were met in front of that august building by a blonde woman wearing a collection of gears and watches on her dress.

"You would be Ander Drumein," the blonde woman said, stepping up to Ander and holding her hand out firm. "Jocelyn Montgomery. Nicholas' niece and assistant."

Being rather more used to cities such as Boston, where the frontier had largely been beaten back by progress and industry, the eclectic nature of Buffalo catching his attention quickly. Still, he was able to focus enough that he could follow Alexandria to their destination, the hotel that they would be staying at while they were in the town.

Approaching the Trubee Hotel Ander's attention was brought back to the present by the arrival of an attractive blonde woman who introduced herself as Nicholas' niece. "It's good to meet you Jocelyn, I'm sorry for your loss. Nicholas was a good man, and the world's worse for his loss." He shook the woman's hand firmly as he offered his condolences to her.

"And he was generous, at least to me, both before and, you know, after," Jocelyn added. "But let me you get you two checked into the hotel, and then I'll show you what he left to you, and to me, and see if you want to work together or not."

"Of course," Ander nodded as he followed Jocelyn into the hotel. "I must say, after everything that's happened these past weeks I'm very curious about what Nicolas left me. If what Alexandria tells me is true then it's quite the technological marvel!"

"You haven't seen the half of it," Jocelyn answered, as she led Ander and Alexandria into the hotel.

Inside, the Trubee Hotel matched the splendor of any hotel one could find in New York or Boston, and even a visitor from London itself would not find themselves wanting for a luxurious surrounding. The bellhops led the trio and their luggage to the elevator (bragging it was the only one in any hotel west of New York) and let them to the Penthouse Suite.

There were three bedrooms leading from the large sitting area. "I hope you don't mind," Jocelyn said, "But I took the liberty of putting my things in one of the bedrooms. I actually have quarters in my laboratory, but I thought it might be easier if I were on hand while everything gets settled."

"An excellent idea," Alexandria replied. "Mr. Drumein, if you have no objections, I would suggest we all retire to our rooms for a little rest, and then reassemble in the sitting room when it's time for dinner."

"Actually, if you both packed your swimsuits," Jocelyn interrupted, "This room has a feature you might be interested in. A group of Italian brothers have come up with a most amazing invention, which they named after themselves. They call it the Jacuzzi Recuperating Heated Water Pool. Or simply Jacuzzi, though I don't believe that moniker will ever catch on. Have you heard of it?"

It was closer than he liked, but Ander was able to keep himself from staring like a country bumkin as the three of them made their way into the hotel, though he'd lingered a bit at the elevator, it being an interesting bit of tech for the area.

The room, as far as Ander could tell, was a grand one, fit for just about any of the upper classes who might decide to visit Buffalo. He set his bags down in one of the empty rooms as he listened to Jocelyn describe the Italian device. "Not the best name," he agreed, "But who knows, they might change it should they come up with a better one."

The young man thought back to when he'd been packing and realized that he had packed a swimsuit among his other clothes. "I hadn't heard of it, but if it's as good as you say then I'd be willing to give it a try," Ander said, pulling open one of his bags and searching through it for what he needed.

"Some might consider it risque, but I believe the proprieties are being observed if we chaperone each other, Miss Montgomery," Alexandria said decisively. Alexandria followed all the latest health trends with keen interest, and this one intrigued her. "Let's change then, and meet back in the sitting room in fifteen minutes."

"Of course, I'll see you both shortly then," Ander said, nodding to the women as they all made their way to their respective rooms to change. While Alexandria was right about how some might see the situation they would be in as risque, the young man didn't mind the thought of being in the company of two beautiful women, and certainly not while wearing only swim suits.

A few minutes later he had stripped out of his clothes, placing them on the bed and changing into his swim suit, a pair of blue trunks that were tight on his body, though not uncomfortably so. Stepping out of his room he walked back to the sitting room and waited for the others to join him, wondering just what kind of swim wear Alexandria and Jocelyn might possess.

Both Alexandria and Jocelyn returned wearing the modest swimsuits of the day, though they were perhaps a little bit more revealing than the norm. Both had the small skirts that were standard of the day, and were black as well, though the skirt extended only halfway to the knees, rather than all the ways to the knees, as was the fashion. In addition, the leggings underneath, rather than extending all the way to the ankle, displayed both women's calves. On the upper body, the scoop of Jocelyn's top revealed the upper portions of her breasts, and the limbs of both suits exposed the women's shoulders. In addition, both women wore their hair loose and down, rather than in a bun.

Both women were rather surprised at Ander's exposed torso and, after their initial shock, averted their eyes (though neither one voiced disapproval, or didn't stop from taking further glances).

"Yes, well, this way," Jocelyn managed, before leading the trio to a separate room. "It's my understanding that this is the only aquatic recuperating room in the hotel. And the requirement for the water and other necessities seven floors up makes the tab for this room much more elevated, but worth the price, undoubtedly."

The Jacuzzi room was dominated by a marble tub suitable for six adults to sit comfortable, with the room decorated in a Roman style. Instructions were labeled by a number of valves and, after a small bit of experimentation, the water began foaming and bubbling in the marble tub.

"Shall we?" Jocelyn said, as she made her way to the tub, with Alexandria following.

Ander hadn't quite known what to expect when the women exited their rooms, but he certainly wasn't about to complain about it. Though in comparison he felt a bit naked, what with his own suit covering less skin than them by comparison. He hadn't exactly been expecting a situation like this when he'd packed the trunks after all.

"That's the price of luxury for you," he commented as Jocelyn explained the cost of the feature, "Hopefully it's worth however much was paid for it." After a moment of fiddling with the valves and nozzles they figured out how the tub worked and Ander stepped into it, wincing slightly from the heat. "It's warmer than I was expecting, but not unpleasant."

Getting used to the heat he lowered the rest of his body inside, letting out a pleased sigh as he did so. "You know, the name aside this feels pretty good." Ander looked to Jocelyn and Alexandria, "Come on in, there's room for all three of us."

With equal portions of hesitancy and excitement, both women stepped into the hot tub and gingerly lowered themselves.

"I must say, it's equal parts relaxation and exhilaration," Alexandria said as she got settled in.

"And I want to say I detect sodium bicarbonate on my skin," Jocelyn added. "I believe the medical researchers who take an interest in such things swear by its rejuvenating effects on the skin."

Sighing pleasantly, Ander lowered himself further into the water, his arms resting on the edge of the tub. "Yeah, this is great," he agreed, "Those brothers certainly know how to make a device."

Opening his eyes he could see the two women doing much the same, relaxing into the water. At Jocelyn's mention of skin Ander couldn't help but notice how the water splashed against their bodies, though he did his best not to let his gaze linger. "Perhaps it could be altered to provide medical benefits as well," he mused, the heat of the water soothing his muscles a bit.

"I believe that was the intention," Jocelyn said. "I remember reading something about it. Hydrotherapy, I believe it's called. There's a man in Michigan, a John Kellogg, who has been advancing a number of the most fascinating theories about progressive health reforms."

"Hmmmm," Alexandria answered noncommittally, allowing herself to sink into the water a little bit more.

Ander rested his head against the wall of the tub, closing his eyes and letting his cares melt away. "I think I'd like to own one of these," he commented, his voice soft, "Seems like a good way to relax after a long, hard day."

Alexandria opened her eyes, a thoughtful look on her face. "I don't doubt that a number of individuals might have the same wish. At present, it would be the purchase ability of all but the richest, but perhaps if the Jacuzzi brothers were able to employ the methods Brunei and Maudslay have been practicing in benefit of the Royal Navy. It's an interesting time we live in," Alexandria concluded. "Modern technology, innovate practices and social reforms are making everyone's life better. We are indeed on the cusp of a new Golden Age."

"That's all very interesting," Jocelyn said with a chuckle, "But now you should be enjoying the golden benefit of this device. I feel as if my skin is positively glowing."

Opening a single eye Ander looked towards Jocelyn and had to admit that she was right; although he couldn't see much more than her arms the woman's already youthful looking skin seemed to look even more healthy than before. "Indeed, a golden age of technology is fast approaching," he said, slowly raising an arm out of the water before dipping it back below the surface, "And we may very well be at the front of it. If nothing else, it's certainly exhilarating."

"I actually feel a little envious about how much skin you get to use to absorb all this relaxing energy," Jocelyn said, leaning back into the water.

"Jocelyn," Alexander said with a laugh.

"Just saying," Jocelyn replied, her eyes closed.

Ander let out a small chuckle at Jocelyn's words, part of him imagining what Jocelyn would look like if she were only wearing a swimsuit like his. Now there was an intriguing mental image, he thought.

"Well if you had another swimsuit I'd say that you could change into it," he idly commented, half-joking as he enjoyed the heat of the water surrounding them.

"Can you imagine, the decadence of having multiple swimsuits?" Jocelyn said with a laugh.

"Actually, that might not be that far fetched," Alexandria countered. "Perhaps swimsuits could be made for different purposes. One for casual wear, one streamlined for swimming, things like that."

"Or perhaps even a swimsuit for when you want to impress a beautiful woman, or a handsome man?" Steven offered, continuing Alexandria's line of thought while winking at the two. "Who knows what could be designed in this brave new world of ours!"