“There you go, Mr. Hughes. Please be mindful of how you’re feeling, if you’ve never had a vaccine it may make you lethargic or sick. It will pass, and it’s safe, but it will be new for you and have to be exhausted from the flights and the new environment so pay attention to your body and let me know immediately if you need anything,” Grant noted as he tossed the used needle into the bio-hazard bin.

“Do you need anything before we send you to bed, Ellis?” Lisle asked as he picked up Biscuit who was meowing and demanding to be doted on.

Ellis bit his lip.

“It’s alright, Ellis, I asked for a reason. If there’s something you need then let us know,” Lisle urged.

“Do we have any lighter blankets? The duvet is… heavy… it feels… heavy,” Ellis mumbled, not quite sure how to explain his feelings.

“Does it make you anxious?” Grant asked as he removed his gloves.

“Yes,” Ellis replied.

Grant turned back to his husband, “We should find him a quilt, we need him to stay warm but we don’t want him feeling pinned. Do you need anything else?”

“Can I get a cuppa?” Ellis asked.

“Yes, we can head to the back stock so I can show you where it is, then we can get an extra blanket and I can show you where the tea stash is hidden!” Lisle said excitedly.

Grant set his hand on Ellis’ head and ruffled his hair as he stood, “Get some rest, Mr. Hughes. We’ll wake you before dinner since you’ll need to be formally introduced to the guests.”

“Thank you, Doctor Fontenot,” Ellis said gently.

“Of course, Lisle, you get your ass back in here when you’re done. You need your meds and a nap,” Grant threatened.

“Yes, dear. Come along, Ellis, we have tea to find,” Lisle said happily as he handed Biscuit over to his husband.

Grant took the cat and wandered over to his desk, shooing them out of his office with a heavy hand before he began his task of updating his files. Lisle urged Ellis out into the hallway to show him where the back stock was, explaining that any necessity he may need could be found inside and was free to be used as he saw fit.

The sound of the vacuum echoed in the lounge as Luisa carefully ran the device up and down the floor. Ellis felt bad, felt as if he should have been assisting, but Lisle urged him to remember Grant’s orders to take it easy. Luisa waved happily from the other side of the room before they pulled a chair out from one of the small tables to get into the nooks and crannies.

“What kind of tea do you like?” Lisle asked.

“Earl grey, London Fog, I also like chai,” Ellis replied sleepily.

“I also enjoy those, so we should have them all in the kitchen. We also have a random assortment of mugs so feel free to take one or two for yourself to keep in your room. I would also suggest grabbing a pillow you like and a lamp.”

“A lamp?”

“Yes, the blackout curtains can make the rooms a bit dark and the overheads can be too bright, so a lamp may be beneficial. It’s easier to read by and makes the rooms feel warmer. Only suggesting it from years of experience. You are, of course, free to do as you please.”

Ellis smiled and nodded. He watched as Lisle opened the door he mentioned was the back stock the day prior on the tour and followed him inside. Ellis looked around at the large room that held quite a variety of boxes and furniture pieces. He saw an entire shelf filled with brand new plates, silverware, and mugs, and the one beside it held excess wood pieces and nuts and bolts for repairs. He heard the sound of furious typing from elsewhere in the room.

“Masoud, are you in here?” Lisle called.

“Yes, Lisle! Did you need something?” Masoud replied.

“No, just helping Ellis grab some necessities. How has your morning been?”

“Fine! I’ve been programming Ellis’ information into the system, he’s been added to our intercom list, I’ll need to get his fingerprint scanned for the doors at some point but there’s no rush!”

“Wonderful, thank you! Make sure you rest, you had to be up so early this morning and I’m sure we’ll have a busy day tomorrow.”

“Of course, I plan on grabbing a tea and reading by the fire once I finish this task. Let me know if you need any furniture built or bigger items brought to your, Ellis.”

“Thank you!” Ellis called as he looked at the shelf filled to the brim with linens.

Lisle set his hand on Ellis’ shoulder, “Feel free to grab what you need, pick out a few mugs, too. I need to get a new bag of food for Biscuit before I forget, we do not need that little drama queen cranky for missing a meal due to my negligence.”

Ellis nodded and started looking through the perfectly folded stacks of quilts and blankets. They were organized by color, creating a beautiful array of hues and patterns. He ran his fingers over the fabrics, tried to find some that felt nice against his skin and light enough to not cause issues. He found one that was a deep evergreen with golden stitching and he couldn’t pull his eyes from the beautiful tones.

“Do you like that one? Does it feel thick enough to keep you warm?” Lisle asked as he returned holding a small bag of expensive looking cat food.

“Yes,” Ellis replied quietly.

“Then it’s yours. We have some green mugs that would look beautiful with that blanket and I think it would add a lovely woodsy aesthetic to all of the chocolate colors in your room. Would you like a pine candle, too? We have some warmers to prevent fires and the wintery scent might be nice.”

“Can I?”

“Of course, let me grab one of our little carts so we can load up what we need.”

Ellis felt embarrassed that he needed enough to borrow a cart. He moved to the plates and dishes to find some drink ware that matched the blanket while Lisle excused himself. Nervously, Ellis lifted a few mugs and studied the way they fit in his hands. He could imagine the ceramic warming, imagine the scent of tea wafted out of it, and it brought a smile to his face.

Lisle watched as the young man looked so carefully at the mugs, handling each one with a ginger touch. The small cart he brought along with him held a brand new boxed candle warmer, a candle, and the bag of food. He let Ellis muse over his choice for a moment before he settled on one.

“I like this one,” Ellis said quietly.

“I have the same one in navy, grab two so you can have an extra and some matching plates. It would be good for late night snacks,” Lisle stated.

“I can keep snacks in my room?”

“Of course, you have a mini fridge for a reason. It’s your home, Ellis, you’re allowed your comforts and needs, whatever those may be, just keep an eye on the clutter and let Luisa know if you need help cleaning.”

Ellis’ face lit up and Lisle couldn’t help but feel as if every word out of his mouth would be akin to a revelation for the young man. He was excited to watch him grow and learn, find safety and purpose here. The newcomer held the mug close to his chest, his genuine smile was heartwarming.

“Can we look at lamps?” Ellis asked.

“Of course, we can look at whatever you want, but I do need to get you to bed soon so Grant doesn’t chew my head off,” Lisle replied as he took the blanket from Ellis.

“Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry, Ellis. Remember, you’re allowed to get whatever you need or want from here, at any time, so don’t feel as if you need to grab everything right this moment. The important thing today is for you to rest and feel comfortable, so let’s focus on the things that will help accomplish that. So, what else do we need?”

“It’s kind of quiet… in the room.”

Lisle placed his hand against his chin in thought for a moment, “I suppose I didn’t show you the speakers, did I?”

“Speakers?”

“I’ll take that as a no,” Lisle laughed. “Masoud! Can you come here for a moment?”

Masoud appeared from behind the maze-like row of shelves and smiled, “Yes?”

“We’ll need to get an MP3 player set up for Ellis,” Lisle noted.

“Ah, good call! We haven’t had any new staff come along in a while so I always forget! Ellis, if you wouldn’t mind making me a list of music you like, I can take one of our MP3 players and load it up for you to plug into your speaker system. It’s a bit old school, but it was the best compromise we could make to keep things as low-tech as possible. We can always change things around and add more music if you’d like, we have an extensive library to choose from so let me know and I can work on that when I have to sit down and pick our film for our next movie night,” Masoud explained.

“So, the hotel isn’t entirely opposed to technology?” Ellis asked.

“No, we try to disconnect as much as possible, but we are living in a tech-heavy world so we do try to have options such as a collection of films and options for music for those who need it. Of course, as I said, the hotel itself is state of the art but we try to limit the use of non-necessary technology as much as possible. I still need to check emails, Grant still needs to keep records, things like that. Masoud, do we have any players pre-loaded with ambient music for Ellis?” Lisle inquired.

“Yes, let me grab one. Lisle, would you like to join me for tea before we retire for the afternoon?” Masoud asked.

“I would! That sounds lovely, thank you. Ellis, why don’t you find a lamp, they’re around the corner,” Lisle requested.

“Yes sir. Thank you, Masoud,” Ellis said shyly as he set the mugs down on the cart. He raced off to go find himself a lamp, excited to pick something out for himself for once.

Masoud and Lisle laughed.

“He’s so innocent,” Masoud said quietly as he turned on his heel.

“He is, I hope he’ll be alright,” Lisle replied as he followed his old friend.

“Are you alright? This can’t be easy for you.”

“I’m not sure, it’s bringing up a lot of memories that I will have to deal with at some point, but it’s only been a day and I’m sure things will even out as time continues on. It makes me miss him, though.”

“We all miss him, just promise me you won’t let it cause you to spiral, Lisle. Talk to us if you need us, we’re a family. We may have titles and roles here, but we’re all equal at The Planet, and that doesn’t mean you have to be our boss 24 hours a day.”

“I know, Masoud, thank you. I’m greatly looking forward to sharing a cuppa with you by the fire, we have much to catch up on.”

“Indeed.”