Boys Night Out (locked to Bliss)

[mistersmith_tm]

Mister Smith couldn't have asked for anything more out of life. In fact, he was amazed at his good fortune and still, even now, half expected to awaken from this incredible dream. A dream that took him out of his post-apocalyptic world of the Big Death and gave him a home, friends, and a loving family. A loving, beautiful wife and three equally beautiful children. His days were full and rewarding, spent with his family, his hobby of photography, and his duties as high priest to the god of Happiness and Joy. So busy, in fact, that it took him some time to begin to realize that there was something missing in his perfect life.

His best friend.

The realization struck hit him with startling clarity late afternoon while he was watching a group of children having a water balloon fight on the greensward outside of the temple's main doors. Their laughter and squeals, accompanied by the frequent "SPLOOSH!" of impacting water balloons, made him think of a time not so long ago when he and Bliss had enjoyed a similar pasttime. And that made him realize that it had been a very long time indeed since he and his best friend had spent any real time together, just the two of them. Just enjoying each other's company.

He missed Bliss. Even though they saw each other every day, it wasn't the same. They were both so very busy, what with their individual duties and the new addition to their respective families.

Mister Smith wondered if Bliss felt the same way. He suspected he did, even if the young god didn't quite understand what that feeling was. Like Smith, it probably hadn't yet occurred to him what that peculiar little nagging emptiness was.

So Mister Smith went off in search of Bliss. Not as his high priest, but as his friend. To tell him how much he missed the time they'd once spent together. And to propose that they do something about it . . .

Comments

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"I was wondering the same thing!" he said, surprised. "I mean, it goes in as a liquid but comes out as . . . um . . . not." He began to laugh then as it occurred to him they were actually having a conversation about baby poo.

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

Laughing as well, "Definitly comes out as not. At least we know what they're eating though..." they finally made it to the piece of ground they would be building on, "How big do you think we should make it?"

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

It was a level and grassy sward far enough from the temple to be considered removed but close enough to be easily seen. "I guess that depends on how many rooms we decide on. And how big. We've already decided on two levels, right?"

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

"At least two levels... I'm thinking at least three rooms per level... and a little boys room and a little girls room." There was lots of room here to build a fairly large play house.

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"Maybe a couple hundred feet square? Then build up on that?" He began to pace out a rough idea of what he had in mind, ending up at a diagonal from Bliss closer to the woods. "About this size? What do you think?"

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

"Looks good... not quite the size of a normal house, but still quite large... I like it." Grinning, "We should probably stake it out today, then work on getting the stuff together."

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"You'll have to put that glamour on today if we do. Stakes in the ground are just asking for small explorers to see what's up." He wiped a sleeve across his forehead, already beaded with sweat. It was hot out here. He walked back to Bliss and handed him one of the bottles of water.

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

Opening the bottle, Bliss poured a bit of it over his head, wetting down his curls, then took a swig and closed the bottle. "Putting the glammer up won't be a problem. Just convinsing the kids they don't want to come over if they see us and follow will be."

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"I hadn't thought about that." He looked past Bliss at the temple and a small, curly red head that was now peeping out of the garden door at them. "Like your friend with the water pistol?"

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

Looking back and grinning, "Curious, the lot of them... and here they're allowed to be. They know that they can do what they want here, as long as it doesn't cause trouble."

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"And that no one is going to hurt them here." The small redhead, realizing he'd been spotted, quickly disappeared back inside the temple. "I wish we could adopt them all," he said with a sigh.

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

Bliss sighed, "I wish we could too, but I don't think they'd let me." Or even if he was able to do so... that was a lot of children to keep in the temple.

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"I don't think it's a matter of letting you. You can do whatever you set your heart to. It's just . . . we can't take them all. Not every needy child in the world. In the worlds." Because, unfortunately, there would always been needy children, born every day.

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

And Bliss wanted to help them all, even if he couldn't. "I know... but even just the ones that are here every day... the ones that are the Temple children..."

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"We do what we can. And when they grow up, they'll pass it on. Rose calls it 'paying it forward'. You're showing them that there can be love and joy in the world, and that they're worthy of it. Every pebble causes a ripple in a pond that touches other ripples."

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

"They can make things better for other children when they grow... and they can bring them here to play." Grinning.

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

"A self fulfilling cycle, and a good one at that," he nodded. "Besides which, when we're done with it, our playhouse is going to be a tourist attraction. You just wait and see."

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

Laughing softly as he sat down in the grass and tossed Smith one of the lunchable containers, "Temple kids first and formost though... this really is for them." He was going to have to find some more people to work here, perhaps some teens, fresh out of school who needed a safe home.

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

Catching the prepackaged lunch, he sat down on the grass beside his friend, facing the temple. "Temple kids first, absolutely," he agreed. "The more the merrier." He pulled off the plastic covering and absentl slipped it into a pocket. "You've still got plenty of room to expand the tample," he observed as he looked at the open spaces still available.

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

"And if we run out of room we can always start building up...." of course the temple inside was a whole lot larger than it was on the outside. Eating one of the crackers, Bliss noticed a couple of the children peeking out at them again, "I think we're gathering a croud..."

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

He chuckled softly as the children, realizing they'd been spotted, seemed to hurriedly confer with each other. "Daring each other to come out and see what we're doing," he guessed, putting a slice of pepparoni on a cracker before popping it into his mouth. "How long do you think before they can't stand not knowing and come running out here?"

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

"I give it another ten minutes before we're swarmed... by at that bunch there, if not more." Grinning, "You think you're up for a game of tag, or something? We can always come back out here later tonight and set everything up... once it's cooled down some."

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

Watching the childish conference going on in the distance, he smiled and said, "I give it five. Shame we don't have any water balloons just lying around," he said innocently.

[littlebitobliss.livejournal.com]

Giving Smith a grin, he motioned with his head behind their backs where a large bucket filled with water balloons appeared. "Who says we don't?"

[mistersmith-tm.livejournal.com]

Smith chuckled. "Better range than water pistols," he said of the water balloons. He had a pretty decent throwing arm. "But I think we should give them first strike." All of the children had disappeared back inside the temple. "I think they're getting ready for that full assault." Then, looking around them at the land that would soon give birth to a playhouse, said, "We should probably make the rooms waterproof."