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As Padparadscha’s eyelashes fluttered open, they were greeted by a well-known sight. Amber eyes in a face white as chalk, going through various emotional states within just a few seconds – worry, then surprise, relief and, at last, exhaustion.
“You’re awake,” Rutile breathed, almost a bit incredulous, and slowly dropped to the floor, next to the box Padparadscha was sleeping in. “You’re awake,” they repeated, as if to confirm it to themselves.
“Hmm… seems like it.” Once more. Slowly, Padparadscha sat up, their voluminous red hair silently clinking with the motion. Their first gaze fell outside, over the knee-high wall of the building – it was late evening, the sun was already sitting low at the horizon, casting its deep red rays over the vast fields of grass. An unusual time. Normally, Rutile made sure to conduct their operations during the day, so that Padparadscha, if they woke up, could immediately expose the inclusions in their body to the sunlight they needed. Now, however, the only things providing some light are the last remnants of the setting sun and a lone jellyfish, swimming in its bowl.
Ah, speaking of Rutile…
Padparadscha tilted their head in the opposite direction, where they suspected the doctor. “Hey, you okay down there?” they asked, voice still a bit hoarse. How many years had it been this time that they hadn't used it?
“I should be the one asking you,” Rutile replied and raised their head. Crossing their arms on the edge of the box, they pulled themselves out of their slumped posture into a more upright one, looking at Padparadscha. “How do you feel?”
“Mhm… a bit sleepy, but it’s fine,” they truthfully answered, inspecting their torso. “What is it this time?”
“Yellow sapphire. It’s full of foreign inclusions, but… at least it’s a corundum.”
Padparadscha whistled in approval. “Fancy. I like the color.” Warm and pleasant, though it didn’t even get close to the honeyed gold in Rutile’s eyes, of course. Rutile’s eyes were unique.
“How long was I asleep?”
“59 years, 4 months, 7 days.”
“Would you look at that! Merely a nap, then.”
Padparadscha secretly wished for these honey eyes to not always be dripping with fear and sadness whenever their gazes met. But knowing Rutile, that would be an impossible wish.
Yawning, the red haired gem stretched their limbs extensively. “An odd thing, waking up in the evening,” they said to fill the quiet. “I could go straight back to sleep.”
“Don’t even think about it. Or I’ll snap,” Rutile threatened in a deadpan voice.
Padparadscha couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry. I just had to make that joke.”
Rutile sighed. “No… You do have a point. I’m the one who should be apologizing. Evenings are hardly a suitable time for these operations, but…” They left that sentence unfinished, turning away.
Curiously, Padparadscha raised an eyebrow. “But…?”
“Due to certain circumstances…,” Rutile started, fidgeting – was that embarrassment, Padparadscha amusedly noted – and then, the doctor rose to their feet. “Nevermind. I’ll get us some more light. It'll be good for your inclusions. Wait here.”
Padparadscha opened their mouth, but before they could even get the beginning of a word out, Rutile cut them off.
“No, you won’t move a single inch, you hear me?” they warned and then walked towards the large wooden bowls that were neatly stacked against the wall.
Out of a sudden, said stack of wooden bowls fell over with a loud clatter.
Surprised, Padparadscha turned to the source of the noise. “Rutile?”
“Hey! Who…!” Rutile yelled.
The reply was a quiet, sheepish laughter. “Ahaha…”
Padparadscha’s eyes went wide. Wasn’t that…
“Phosphophyllite!” Rutile scolded.
Immediately, a small mint green head popped out of the knocked-over bowls scattered over the floor. “D-Don’t get mad, Rutile! I didn’t hear anything, I promise!”
“Then why were you hiding in here? You were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”
“No!” Phos indignantly gave back. “First off, I only ended up here by accident. Secondly, I was only trying to eavesdrop, but I didn't understand you anyway, so it doesn’t count– ahh!”
“Just you wait, you little pest, I’ll get you,” Rutile growled.
“Ruti, calm down,” Padparadscha laughed and waved the green-haired gem over. “Come here, Phos.”
Swiftly, Phos ducked under Rutile’s arms and dashed to Padparadscha.
“They’re a demon! Not just a quack, but a demon too!” Phos whined theatrically, hiding behind Padparadscha’s box.
“Nonsense. Rutile is very kind. See?”
Rutile approached the both of them with an arsenal of shiny knives and scalpels in one hand and a dangerously clicking pair of scissors in the other.
“Super kind,” Padparadscha repeated, as if the sight Rutile was currently offering would perfectly prove Padparadscha’s point instead of ruining it.
“To you, maybe,” Phos muttered, carefully peeking over the edge of the box and letting out a relieved breath. Rutile had apparently changed their mind, putting their tools away in the closest shelf. “Oh, but you couldn’t have chosen a better date to wake up, Padparadscha,” Phos excitedly added. “Then you won’t miss the meteor shower tonight! It’s a very rare one, Euclase told me. It only happens every 539 years!”
“593,” Rutile corrected them, taking a seat on the knee-high wall.
“Oops. Anyway…” Phos looked at Padparadscha with big, green eyes. “You’re gonna come stargazing with us, right? Everyone already gathered outside in the plains.”
In the face of such eagerness, Padparadscha laughed, casting a quick glance towards Rutile. “I don’t think my doctor is gonna allow that. But thanks for the invitation.”
“Whaaat?” Disappointed, Phos’s shoulders dropped down. “Too bad… We even spread out blankets and pillows! It turned out super comfy.”
“Mhm,” Padparadscha hummed in approval. “Sounds wonderful. I bet everyone’s already looking forward to it.”
“Yup! Speaking of blankets… Ah, right, I actually just wanted to get a few more blankets! Oh, Red Beryl is gonna get impatient if I don’t come back soon.” Hurriedly, Phos jumped to their feet. “Alright. Getting blankets. Padparadscha, I’ll greet everyone for you, yeah? No, even better: How about we all quickly drop by to visit you? Yes, that’s good, Then everyone can say Hi to you!” Phos nodded, visibly content with their plan, and was already about to head out.
“Ah, Phos, wait!” Padparadscha hastily called after them, almost grabbing Phos’s arm – luckily, Padparadscha could suppress the motion just in time. If Rutile had to piece Phos back together now… maybe they’d really turn into a demon.
Phos paused and looked back. Even Rutile gave them a surprised look.
“Don’t tell the others that I’m awake, okay? It’s a secret. Can you keep it?”
“I guess, but… why?”
Padparadscha only put their finger against their lips and winked in conspiracy, dodging the question. “If you keep this secret, I’ll even tell you another one.”
With their curiosity piqued, Phos toddled closer. The young gem was all ears.
“During this meteor shower, you can make a wish for every shooting star you see,” Padparadscha whispered in a mysterious voice. “No one told you that yet, right?”
Phos shaked their head, eyes shining in fascination. “And I can wish for anything I want, yeah?”
“Well, if your wish comes true or not is an entirely different matter, but–”
“Good. Very good. Great.” Phos excitedly clenched their fists in a victorious fashion. “I gotta tell the others. Thanks, Padparadscha!”
And with that, Phos was about to sprint back outside.
“Don’t forget the blankets,” Rutile, who had been quietly following the conversation all this time, reminded them.
“Ah, right. Thanks, Rutile!”
And with that, Phos was about to sprint into the opposite direction, towards the sleeping chambers, when they turned around one more time.
“You two just want some… alone time, don’t you?” they asked with a knowing grin.
“Just you wait, you little pest, I’ll get you,” Padparadscha repeated Rutile’s words with the deepest voice and the most terrifying grimace they could muster, slowly rising out of their box.
Giggling in glee, Phos shot off into the faintly lit interior of the building – hopefully still remembering the blankets.
Padparadscha was laughing. It felt good to laugh. They haven’t laughed that much in a long time. Finally standing up felt good, too.
Of course, Rutile promptly was at their side. “Are you all right? Are you standing safely?”
“Everything’s fine,” Padparadscha reassured them, rolling their shoulders and shaking the decade-long sleep out of their legs. They felt good – Phos’s lively demeanor must’ve energized them a little. Then, Padparadscha finally stepped out of the box. About time they got to escape that thing for a while. They’d return soon enough.
On the wall Rutile had previously been sitting on, Padparadscha noticed a little notebook in the doctor’s place. They knew that notebook well. They saw it every time they woke up.
“You already wrote your protocol?”
“Of course. While you and Phos were talking.”
“Dutiful as always.” Rutile didn’t know breaks. Padparadscha wished they did.
With a big step, Padparadscha stepped onto the wall, and another one led them outside into the field beyond the wall. Rutile followed them.
The plain stretched endlessly under the clear starry sky, as far as the eye could see. Padparadscha enjoyed the feeling of grass tickling their legs and soaked up the moonlight. Somewhere in the distance, insects were chirping. A serene, beautiful night.
“Why didn’t you want the others to visit you?” Rutile suddenly asked. “Many would’ve been happy to chat with you. Especially Yellow. They’re going to be so disappointed if they find out that you were awake and didn’t tell them.”
Padparadscha turned around, a mischievous grin on their face. “It’s just as Phos has said.” They took a step towards Rutile, closing the distance, leaning in. “Just wanted us to have some alone time.”
Rutile didn’t back down, expression still serious, golden eyes in worry. They were not in the mood for jokes. “That’s not it.”
Padparadscha sighed. “Fine. I didn’t want to spoil the fun for the others,” they admitted and looked up, trailing a few steps away from Rutile, into no specific direction. “They were really looking forward to this meteor shower. They shouldn’t waste this special night hanging out with me.”
Still no activity to be seen in the sky. They paused for a second and then glanced back at Rutile.
“Counter question. Wouldn’t you rather spend your time with the others out in the fields?”
“Are you sick of me?”
“No, that’s not it. But… as it seems, they prepared a lot for this. Sounds more fun than hanging around an old geezer like me.”
In truth, Padparadscha felt guilty – they never wanted to be the one to monopolize all of Rutile’s free time, thoughts and attention. Padparadscha preferred it if Rutile would finally–
“Don’t be stupid, Padpa.” Quietly, they stepped to Padparadcha’s side. The wide sleeves of Rutile’s coat brushed against their arm.
Padparadscha smiled upon hearing the nickname. A word of affection, telling the red-haired gem everything they needed to know.
“All right.”
They sat down in the grass, leaning against the wall behind them.
It reminded Padparadscha of the past, when they were still on patrol duty together and took some time to watch the clouds on calm days. Back then, they used to sit in the grass like this as well, sometimes even lay down, with their heads next to each other and their legs facing opposite directions, lulled into a comfortable silence, like a soft veil that was only raised when one of them discovered an especially exceptional shape in the clouds – to this day, Padparadscha’s personal favorite was “Sensei with a long nose”.
They were wondering if Rutile still remembered, too.
This night, though, there were no clouds, but stars instead. Padparadscha recalled the celestial charts they had been studying with Sensei in the past. The names of the six moons, floating over heaven’s tent, the stars and all the constellations they drew depending on the season, the course of far-away planets and the spots of stardust nestling between these celestial objects – it had all been part of the lessons every new gem received after their creation. One fact in particular has always been fascinating Padparadscha the most: According to Sensei’s teachings, the light of most stars were nothing more but the simulacrum of celestial objects that had long ceased to exist – and still, every living being loved to gaze up into the night sky.
Padparadscha tilted their head to the side. Rutile’s eyes, too, were firmly trained on the stars above. Maybe they were also mentally tracing over the same celestial charts as Padparadscha. Things that none of them could ever reach with hands.
Suddenly, there was a single flicker in Rutile’s golden eyes. “I just saw one,” they said.
“Really? Shoot, I missed it.”
Rutile quietly laughed. “I think we’ll get to see a few more meteors today.”
Astounded, Padparadscha was staring, followed up by a smile. They didn’t mishear, did they? Rutile’s first actual laugh today. It was a relief to know that finally Rutile’s tension seemed to slowly fall off of their shoulders. “Yeah. You’re right.”
“Look. Now it has begun.”
Relentlessly, the stars were shooting over the sky now, trails of light following them for the blink of an eye. Green, blue, some color in between; sometimes even purple. The two gems watched the celestial spectacle in silence.
“What do you wish for, Rutile?” Padparadscha asked into the silence at some point.
“I already made a wish today. I can’t afford another one, I’m afraid. I’d rather not get greedy.”
Rutile’s voice was quiet. Padparadscha didn’t know if it was melancholy or exhaustion.
“How about you?”
Padparadscha thought about it. “Nothing,” they said in the end. They couldn’t come up with a better lie – they felt their mind getting slower, their eyes getting heavier. And the truth? They could never reveal the truth to Rutile.
“I see,” Rutile replied in a murmur.
Whether they believed Padparascha’s words or not was unclear.
“Hah… I need to get up…” Rutile added and did the exact opposite. Surprised, Padparadscha felt something heavy leaning against their side and looked down. Rutile’s head was resting on Padparadscha’s shoulder, their eyes closed.
“Why do you need to get up?” Padparadscha asked back.
“The bowls Phos knocked over… I forgot to put them back in place…”
“Doesn’t matter. Do it tomorrow.”
“But I’m supposed to be a role model…”
“You can still be a role model tomorrow. Stay here.”
“Mhm…”
“…Good night, Ruti.”
They didn’t get an answer back. Padparadscha smiled. Who would’ve thought that they’d ever stay awake longer than Rutile? The last time must have been centuries ago. Rutile must be incredibly exhausted. Gently, Padparadscha’s fingers grazed Rutile’s smooth hair, touch as light as a feather as to not accidentally break the sleeping gem.
Yawning, Padparadscha casted their gaze upwards again. The meteor shower was still in full swing. Their energy wouldn’t last until the end, that’s for sure – more and more often, Padparadscha found their eyes falling shut, as if of their own accord, and having to force them open again by sheer power of will, and with each time, the night sky got hazier, the lights blurrier and the corners of their vision darker. Maybe it was time for Padparadscha as well. No point in fighting the inevitable, anyway.
Padparadscha’s last glance was directed at the chestnut-colored glimmer of Rutile’s hair and their long lashes, sparkling in the light of the falling stars. Then, Padparadscha allowed their tired body to rest once more and finally closed their eyes, peacefully.
The next morning, Rutile woke up with the light of the rising sun.
Padparadscha didn’t.