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The slow, shifting, sand-filled winds of Rim Biliton was home to many people in Rhodes Island. The landship itself was once buried long beneath this place, and like a philopatric bird, they return where they once came from. The doctor stood calmly atop the deck of Rhodes Island, letting the dry-warm air caress his face. He wondered if he could go home too. If he had a place to go home to in the first place. That was when he felt something skittering right beside him, a certain creature, a certain sandbeast.
He knelt down and started to pet the creature, it was friendly to him now, nothing like the growls and hisses from when he first touched it. Sandbeast went around his hands and purred; when the doctor looked up he saw its owner, Ray, “Oh, Sorry, doctor,” Her footsteps echoed across the vast deck, “Sandbeast seems to have taken a liking to you.”
“I’m glad it has,” Sandbeast continued to play around the doctor’s palm, “So what brings you two up here?”
Ray stood quietly by the railings, letting the warm air hit her face just as the doctor was, “It’s been a while since I’ve been here, doctor. I just miss it, I suppose.”
He stood up and met her gaze, “Well, we’re going to be here for a while. Wanna go around for a bit?” He offered his hand to her. She stared at it for a bit, head tilted quizzically.
She didn’t have much to do in this part of Rim Biliton, frankly she didn’t even know this place that much. Still, if it meant spending time with the doctor, “Sure, doctor.” She’ll take it.
Rhodes Island was parked near an old Rim Bilitonian mining settlement, one of the few independent ones that remained. They were here on a temporary assignment assisting the local mining folk in their operations. It didn’t require much of the doctor’s meddling, but it did allow most of the operators to step outside the landship for the first time in quite a while.
The entrance to the settlement wasn’t all that special. From here, they could see the town in its entirety. A wellspring at the center from which the entire place was built around. Shops and apartments surrounded it—busier this time around as most of the crowd were from Rhodes Island’s staff.
Still, there wasn’t much to do in this town, if the rolling tumbleweeds were any indication of its otherwise emptiness. It was a ways away from normal trade routes, and only ever existed as a satellite mining town for larger establishments someplace else.
If anything, they had basic amenities, of course that meant beer.
Ray and the doctor stepped inside the local pub, and immediately they were assaulted by the jovial atmosphere. Some played poker quietly, while others stood on their tables singing a merry song. There were two operators who danced hand in hand on stage, their tapping feet in rhythm setting the mood, along with the harpsichord piano beside them.
The rowdiness of the operators and staff was momentarily stopped when they saw the doctor; and continued when he timidly waved at them, as if to indicate that he’s not there on business.
The two sat by the bar and ordered their drinks. She spoke first, “This is the first time I’ve seen my colleagues so rowdy.” She downed her drink in one swig. Sandbeast spun around her arm calmly, despite the noise of the crowd.
The doctor laughed lightly, “They get like this after a long time out. It’s not always that we're stopped for long periods of time,” He was calmer on his drink, he wasn’t one to get drunk so quickly, “I have to worry sometimes though, they may do things beyond our compensation.”
“Like destroying the pub?”
“Yes, like destroying the pub. There was this incident when we made our stop in Lungmen. I won’t say who it is, but you can probably infer, but they got a bit rowdy with their drunkenness, and had a fight with every other person in the pub,” The doctor chuckled as he told the story, “We had to cut off their paycheck to compensate the others, and treated them personally.”
“I hope they learned their lesson,” Replied Ray as she downed another glass of beer, “I can handle my liquor.”
The doctor raised his eyebrows, “Are you sure?” Last time they drank, Ray had plenty to say about her past with less than savory language. He remembered her drinking less then than she has by now.
A sly smile formed on her face, “Very sure.”
The doctor woke up in the haze of heat and debauchery. The sand crusted on his back, the dryness of his sweat welling on his face. The sun slowly sank into the horizon as he finally stood up, his head spinning, his throat sore. Beside him, passed out lying on her stomach was Ray. The doctor took care to check her vitals before pushing her to the side.
They couldn’t handle their liquor.
“Urgh,” Ray groaned as she slowly sat up, feeling much of the same ailments the doctor had. They noticed the settlement and the landship a few kilometers away.
The doctor’s terminal beeped. At least it still worked, and it meant Rhodes Island knew where they were, and what they were doing. If anything, they were probably being monitored, “By me, specifically.” A gruff voice called beside him. He didn’t notice his presence until recently, it was Flamebringer.
“You’re the one they sent?”
“Don’t like my presence?”
“No.” The doctor didn’t detest him one bit, he believes Flamebringer is very capable and he’s glad that he’s around. However, they usually send other operators for this. Operators who were more in line with calling themselves, ‘Doctor’s Bodyguard’, which were plenty.
“Thanks, I’m also here ‘cause of Lena’s bidding, if ya got any complaints go to her.” He remained seated on a rock overlooking the two.
“Really? What’d she ask of you?” Asked the doctor, whose gaze slowly fell to his side, towards Ray, who was groaning as she listened to their conversation.
“Last night, while y’all were out partying, Lena noticed a glowing field somewhere around here. She determined it to be the blooming of glowing desert roses. So, she asked me to take pictures, samples, and bring home some of them,” Flamebringer explained. He brought out a bag and gave the two some water, then pointed at the small cliff before them, “The flowers are down there by the small oasis. I figured you both could handle this better than I do.”
“Huh? Why?” The doctor stood up and struggled to look over the cliff. There, he saw the oasis. It was an island of life amidst the uninhabitability of Rim Biliton, a lake surrounded by trees, foliage, the desert roses. But what caught Ray’s and his attention was the abundance of Sandbeasts which surrounded the oasis.
“Waa…” Ray exclaimed softly as her eyes gazed over the entire oasis. Within moments she was on her feet and walking towards the oasis, enthralled by the plethora of sandbeasts in the entire area.
Soon, the Doctor and Flamebringer were right beside her, “Lena told me to just grab a sample. I’m good at handling and taking care of plants but this one’s beyond me,”
“Really? Do you have a trowel in that bag or like, any place where we can store the plant?” The doctor asked, his attention away from Ray who went around the oasis petting the Sandbeasts.
It took them only a few minutes of work to get some of the desert roses out of the ground and into the container Lena provided. These desert roses were unlike anything the doctor had seen before, and it seemed that the sandbeasts were particularly fond of it. When he turned around to look at Ray, she was absolutely beset on all sides by the sandbeasts, and yet she seemed to be having fun, as though the alcohol had not worn off yet.
That’s when the thought hit the doctor, “You guys have spare space in the greenhouse, right? Anything you guys plan on adding there?”
Flamebringer thought for a moment, “We were drawing blanks on it, although Lena thought about leasing that part of the greenhouse for private usage, why?”
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“Oh, definitely, we could .” Lena poured herself and her two guests some tea. The doctor sipped it and immediately felt the hangover of yesterday melt away. Ray felt much the same, though she couldn’t help her current disheveled appearance, “Although, how would this benefit Rhodes, apart from, say, being a fun leisure time for people. The Convalescent Garden isn’t exactly seeking amenities like that.”
The gazebo placed in the middle of the garden perfectly captured the serenity that the Perfumer wanted to provide for her patients. The gentle sway of plants, the rhythmic tapping of droplets down distant ponds, the gentle orange hues of the golden hour. Ray hadn’t been here much since she stepped foot in Rhodes Island as an official operator, but everytime she did she felt a long sense of relaxation. This was one of her favorite places, and as Sandbeast quietly laid on her lap, perhaps it was also their favorite place.
“Oh, no, it’s less about amenities and more of—” The doctor didn’t exactly know how to explain it. He turned to look at Ray, who was just shocked that he was letting her speak.
“Oh, uh…” She composed herself, she’d already seen the Perfumer enough times and yet she still found her a quite intimidating presence, despite her perceived calmness, “Sandbeasts are highly sensitive to originium and are used in mines to indicate high originium concentrations. They present this through changes in their body.”
“Thank you,” The doctor smiled at her as he continued with his explanation, “We figured we could conduct a research on the sandbeasts and improve our originium detection technology.”
Lena listened intently to their reasonings, “So the nursery would double as a sort of breeding ground for your specimens,” She nodded as she rubbed her chin, “As a researcher myself I find it curious, but it’s rather grim for the purposes of the garden.”
“Ah—no…” The doctor was shut down immediately, but, “But we don’t have to restrict ourselves to the sandbeast, they could only be a small part of it, with the rest being dedicated to the petcare of other operators’ pets.” There were plenty of pet owners in Rhodes by this point, and it would perhaps help their welfare.
“You are right…” Lena’s taking it into consideration again, she started to mutter to herself, “Rhodes has plenty of veterinarians to go around, not to mention pet welfare isn’t exactly all that bad, though most owners tend to take care of their pets in their own room—Ah!” She lit up, “I’ll take the idea, doctor,” She grabbed hold of the doctor’s hand and began to shake it, doing the same for Ray as they both stood up, “I’ll begin drafting the design, I’ll check back on you by next week for your approval!”
And just like that, they were out of the greenhouse. The rhythmic tapping of their heels echoed across the empty hall, they didn’t talk much, they couldn’t talk much. The drowsiness of their impromptu declarations still sore in their mind, along with the hangovers of yesterday. Still, the doctor had to ask, “Is that okay for you?”
Ray and Sandbeast turned towards him, their heads turned in confusion, “What do you mean, doctor?” She asked.
“The nursery for the sandbeasts, using them for research purposes, that stuff?”
It took a moment for Ray to respond, as though she carefully formulated her thoughts on such a complicated topic, “It’s for a noble cause, so I don’t mind it. Besides, I doubt Rhodes Island would do inhumane acts on the sandbeasts.”
The doctor chuckled, he couldn’t make any guarantees, “I hope it doesn’t have to come to that,” He looked over to Sandbeast who, despite not understanding their conversations, still held a bit of fear in its heart. A fear obvious in how it avoided the doctor’s gaze, “It’ll be fine.” He didn’t know if his reassurance was for them, or for himself.
“It’ll be fine,” Ray repeated as she stepped into her room, her hands carefully rubbed Sandbeast’s fur, calming it down to the seams, “If you want, I can help with the supervision of the nursery, I know a lot about sandbeast care anyway,” She reached out for the doctor’s face and gently rubbed it as well, “Get some rest, doctor. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The doctor nodded, his arms grabbing hers in a final act of affection for tonight, “Of course. Be seeing you.”
The door slid close with a quiet hiss, leaving the doctor somewhat alone in the empty hallways of Rhodes Island. He didn’t know himself why he felt so pressured and stressed over potentially messing up the nursery, over possible inhumanities they could commit for the sake of science. They were ethical researchers, they weren’t Rhine Lab. Whatever it is that challenged them, they would face with kindness and nobility, and yet…
His gaze lingered at the door. The fear was disappointing her, making her feel as though Rhodes Island—no, he specifically didn’t care for her. But he did, he did care for her plenty. Though the memories of yesterday were unclear, he still knew they spent time together under those stars. A time they don’t remember, yet cherish regardless.
The next few weeks flew by without a hitch. The news of a nursery being built sent ripples across all Rhodes Island operators and staff who steadily gathered to the greenhouse and contributed their share towards the place. Most of them owned pets, like Beanstalk and Vanilla, some just wanted a nice place to look at people’s pets.
Amidst all these, the doctor noticed someone particularly absent. The bustle of construction in the greenhouse wasn’t really the environment that Ray thrived in, even if she had her fair share of noise. She was the type of person that would rather take her stuff alone. So, the doctor tried to find her, and he did, somewhere far from the crowd she was huddled on a broken generator. Sandbeast played with a yarn beside her, “Hey,” The doctor greeted.
“Hm? Oh, doctor. Do you need anything?” Her gaze momentarily went to the doctor before going back to her work.
“Alanna wanted you to have this,” The doctor handed her some boba tea, of which he also had some himself, “She was trying to look for you but she couldn’t.”
“Oh, sorry about that. This generator’s taking too long to fix really,” She sighed as she cooled herself off with the boba, “How’s Lanns doing?” She asked, the squeaking of her wrench against the generator was loud even against the commotion of the crowd in the distance.
“She’s helping with the construction, Warmy’s off in the cafeteria preparing meals for the workers,” The doctor sat beside her, he wasn’t much help when it came to the repair and engineering side. Really he’s just here to accompany Ray and watch over the construction process.
“Warmy’s meals are really good, they’re warm and are perfect for days like these,” The chill of November nights fell through the entire area, it was cold even in the middle of Rim Biliton’s deserted lands, “Wanna get some later?”
“I’d love to, but do you think they’ll stay there or just go to the cafeteria? It’s starting to get cold.” As he said that, he noticed that a chunk of the people were starting to leave. The work hours were slowly ending and some wanted to go early, others however stayed. In fact, they seemed to be going through a strange ritual.
“Don’t think this thing’s gonna get fixed anytime soon,” Ray wiped the sweat off her brow as she consumed the rest of the boba, then she turned around, transfixed about what they’re doing, “What’s that?”
“I think they’re building a campfire, wanna check it out?" The doctor offered his hand, and the rest of his boba. He wasn’t really a fan of them, and he saw just how quickly Ray finished hers.
She took his hand, “Sure,” And together, they stepped towards the campfire being built by the greenhouse staff. The lights of the greenhouse were dimmed for the atmosphere of the campfire, so as Ray and the Doctor walked through its dark halls, they could feel the quiet of the nature which surrounded them. The gentle sway of the plants, their voices which couldn’t be heard by normal human ears, yet remained there regardless, singing for them, wishing them all that is good in the world.
Sandbeast rested on her shoulder, tired from playing with the yarn. Their walk across the greenhouse rocked the creature, relaxing it in a gentle lulling sleep. Eventually they hear the sound of a guitar being tuned, of utensils clashing upon plates, and the distinct smell of warm food on a cold night.
“Ah, doctor, ray! You’re here!” Warmy greeted them first, she stirred the soup which was brought over the campfire, Alanna was seated beside her along with the rest of the greenhouse staff and some of its regulars. Most notably, Perfumer who sat between Flamebringer and Podenco who laid quietly on her lap, an empty bowl below them.
Ray and the doctor sat next to each other, grabbing the bowl Warmy offered them, “Thank you,” The doctor said, “But what’s with this?”
“It was my idea!” Warmy explained, “I found out the generator wasn’t working for the lights of the nursery, so I figured we’d have a little campfire break to help with the atmosphere!” The fire cackled into the night, the warm glow reminiscent of the old days before Ray went to Rhodes Island. For some of the operators, it reminded them of their times out in the field, sometimes alone, oftentimes with a partner.
With someone they could trust.
“Sorry about the generator, it’s taking longer to repair than I expected,” Ray said with a bitter tone in her voice, yet washed away by the flavors of Warmy’s meal.
“S’alright!” Alanna responded, “I’ll help you repair it later, we just got too caught up bringing something down there,” She chuckled, “You’ll see it soon.”
Ray tilted her head in confusion, then turned to look at the doctor who just sat there enjoying his own meal. He seemed happy with the atmosphere around them. The worries in Ray’s heart, that of the future, of her goals, of this nursery, it all feels overwhelming. But in the face of this warm meal, the joy of her friends and colleagues, and someone she could trust seated beside her, then perhaps all will be alright.
Finally, Flamebringer finished tuning the guitar he was fiddling with since earlier and began to play a song. Something familiar between him and the girl seated right beside her, whose importance didn’t feel relevant until recently. Her voice was soft, a sharp contrast to the heat of the fires before them. In the distance, peeking between the windows of Rhodes Island were the twin moons. It watched over them, a silent witness to the serenity found in a broken world.
Ray slowly found herself closer and closer to the doctor, until eventually—without a word spoken between them, Ray had rested her head on the doctor’s shoulder. The warm meal laid on her lap, she was at peace. Lena’s voice flowed into the entire world, echoing, bubbling, dancing like waves on a coast. It was smooth, it was beautiful.
Hey, the person who is important to you is right beside you.
Ray’s hand rested on the doctor’s, her soft voice questioning him, “Am I important to you, doctor?”
“Very.”
I just want you to receive this echoing love song.
“You’re important to me too… in ways I can’t describe.”
The world was quiet save for their noise, nothing else mattered other than this moment they shared between them. The nursery would be built soon, everything would be done soon, yet they existed in the moment. Ray’s fingers slowly entwined with the doctors as they enjoyed the rest of the Perfumer’s little love song.
It was near the time of the Snowfield Messenger when they finished the nursery. At that point it wasn’t only sandbeasts which remained there as they repurposed it to be a general area for pet owners to hang around with other pet owners. A sort of mini park where they could freely roam unlike some parts of Rhodes which strictly forbid them for various reasons.
Small veterinarian clinics also popped around every now and then, offering consultation and the like. Amidst all these, Ray took special care of the Sandbeast’s nursery being around there all the time. Its dry, sandy space felt comforting to her, even after everything. And besides, the doctor named it after her, that was their surprise.
The work here wasn’t all that easy. Taking care of so many sandbeasts tend to be difficult, especially since she mostly did this alone. She rested on top of a hay bale and let the critters surround her, their softness was magic to her and she adored every single moment of it. Still, it felt lonely sometimes. She wondered if this was a good purpose to have. It wasn’t all that grandiose but it was still work, she was still surrounded by things she adored in places where she’s comfortable.
The thought lingered, yet was washed away when the door to the nursery opened with a bell, “Welcome to Ray’s Nursery how may I help y—Ah, doctor!”
He came in, boba tea in hand, “Are you busy, Ray?”
She smiled, “No, not at all, come in.”
The anxiety disappeared from her thoughts, perhaps she figured that even if she felt uncertain with her goals in life at this moment, at the very least she had people around her. People that were important to her, people who found her important too, and how lovely that was compared to being nothing.