Mia

"Silver! Doctor Silver!"

The man, Dr. Silver, Smiled and waved at the incoming convoy. As it approached, it was clear that this convoy wasn't very large, only three carriages made their way towards the area Dr. Silver had cleared. And within half an hour before sunset, they arrived.

"I see you've made it Mia," Dr. Silver said with a faint smile.

"Of course! Though your weird tastes continue to surprise me." Mia laughed. "Alright well, I've brought the goods, where would you like everything?"

"Oh, just by that pile will do. Not too close though, I don't want to get anything confused." Dr. Silver grinned.

Mia turned to the convoy and gestured to the two other people driving the carriages.

"Greil, Bob, get your arses to work! I don't want any of our client's supplies left in my carriages stat!"

"Yes, ma'am!" "Yes!"

The two hands got to work on the double, moving everything Dr. Silver ordered next to his pile of plants, neatly stacking everything into another pile. Two people looked like more than enough for what he ordered. In fact, if it weren't for the amount of carriages, she might've only brought one hand. It wasn't an issue though, faster service wasn't a bad thing.

Soon the two hands finished, leaving behind an assortment of items piled into a cool pyramid. Wood, rope, stone, nails, tools, more wood, and two trees with some soil all lay on the hard ground.

"Looks like you're running low on food and water there, Dr. Silver. Need anything?" Mia asked, not seeing really anything of the sort around.

"I should be okay, thank you." Dr. Silver smiled. "Plus, I'm not sure I could afford your wares, my dear."

"Hahaha!! Well, good service costs money! I don't think anyone else would go all this way anyway!" Mia guffawed. "Several weeks from the closest town or supply spot. Sometimes I wonder what goes through your head when you do things. Anyway, I'd better be off! Take care and don't die doctor!"

"Oh, wait a second Mia, I have another list for you." Dr. Silver pulled a parchment from one of his coat pockets. "Here you go! My friend will have your payment!"

"Well gosh doctor, you sure know how to treat a lady. Well, I'd really best get going, i want to make some progress over the night See ya!."

"Farewell Mia, be safe!" Dr. Silver waved at the departing merchant group, as they left, taking only one carriage and leaving the other two, for it would only slow them down. Furthermore, Dr. Silver had requested that. He really needed a lot of materials for what he had planned. No, what he needed to do.

"Well," Dr.Silver sighed, "Doesn't look like I will be getting much rest tonight. There's much to do." He sighed again and got to work.

First, he dug out a shovel from one of the tool chests, and with great effort, and over two hours, he dug a 25-foot by 25-foot square hole, about three feet deep. Then, with the night well underway, he laid a primitive foundation. When he finished, he stood in front of it, thinking.

"Hm, I don't think it will hold so well like this." After a moment, he sighed and chanted rapidly. Miraculously, the foundation seemed to firm upon itself, somehow appearing sturdier. "That should do it!" Then he moved on.

At daybreak, Dr. Silver finally finished. As he stood back and admired it, a quaint stone hut stood before him, with a simple opening for a door and a single window. The roof was made of wood, laid with beams, with some vents cut into it so the hut wouldn't get too hot. The interior was spartan, only having a bed, a desk, a chair, and three wooden chests.

A stone path led ten feet forward from the door, creating a front courtyard of sorts. In the courtyard the two trees sat, cradled in their own soil, in turn surrounded by a stone brick circle. It seemed that although Dr. Silver was in the middle of a desert, the trees hadn't died just yet, though time would have to tell.

To the right of the cottage hut lay the two carriages Mia left, not yet useful for anything other than shade. On the left of the house, about 40 feet away, was a hole. A circle about 10 feet wide and three feet deep had been dug out and then inlaid with stone. Another stone path went from it to a connecting path, forming a sense of cohesiveness between the hole and the cottage, though they were a distance away from each other.

On the side of the stone hole was a three-walled shed of sorts. Two benches lay inside, along with a wooden rack. In addition, some buckets lay haphazardly in the corner. This was a bathhouse, or what Dr.Silver thought should be a bathhouse. No one was there to use it besides him though. He looked around.

"Well, I've cleared enough space already, but a little more can't hurt." And with that, he cleared the area until around noon. At noon, Just as he was getting ready to take a break, Dr. Silver spotted a carriage come his way.

Dr. Silver frowned before he thought of something and his mouth curved slightly upwards instead. This carriage moved much slower, and it was another two hours before it was clearly visible. Only one man was on the outside, panting in the heat as he drove the carriage in Dr. Silver's direction. This carriage was alone, its pitch-black exterior standing out prominently in the barren landscape. The horses were thinner than the convoy Mia led, but they were taller almost freakishly tall horses.

"Well well. It seems I need to pick up the speed a little bit. Things are progressing much quicker than I thought they would."