Sangala was located deep in the heart of the African continent. It wasn't a particularly large country but it was rich in resources, flora and fauna, all mostly untouched still. Most of the land was covered by thick, tropical jungle, and it would all be gone in a couple of months, to enable Mills Inc. to exploit the tungsten deep within the soil. The contracts were already sign, the local government more than happy to accept a cut of the profits for allowing its land to be violated and polluted and, no matter the amounts of protests back in the company's HQ in New York nothing had stopped Regina Mills from getting what she wanted.
She was there, overseeing the preparations, in the comfort of a plantation house leased to her so she could exert her control without it getting in the way of her plush living. Everyone else got more simple accommodations. Even Whale, their expert geologist and all around playboy mad scientist, couldn't boast of similar quarters, though the lab and other facilities set up for his use were top of the line and the envy of Belle's more modest quarters. In the totem pole, of course, Whale the star-boy scientist well suppressed the Australian animal behaviourist there only to comply with regulations and make sure most of the animals living in the zone were safely transported to reserves and zoos. It was mostly for the sake of PR but Dr French didn't question it. It was the best chance these animals could have at surviving and she'd made her peace with it.
Hers was the smallest team, made up primarily by Ariel Benson, her research assistant, Humbert Graham, who had a way with animals that was incredible, and several other animal wranglers and vets. It couldn't compare with either Whale's parade of scientists and researchers or Gaston March's veritable army of men at arms, all hailing from private security firms, AliedBarton and the like. They, specially, made Belle nervous. Rough, undisciplined and armed at all times they were lewd and only respected their superiors. Everyone else had to watch their backs around them. Thankfully Gaston, for all his idiocy and boorishness, was disciplined, a former marine, and knew how to control his troops.
Whale's staff strutted around like they were privileged and the good doctor himself commandeered most of the shared resources, from equipment to local employees. Belle and her team had to fight for every scrap of help and money, which made their job all the more arduous. It was worth it, in the end. Sangala had a great diversity of animals, most of which were in the endangered species list of close to it, and though the process of capturing them, checking their health, getting them placed and prepared for transportation was hard, it was important too.
They key to her work, she'd discovered at some point, was getting out of Whale and Gaston's way. Use whatever she could get- the local hires preferred to work with her, thankfully, since neither Whale nor Gaston treated them with respect or decency- make as much progress as possible and try not to pass out in her little hut at the end of the day. Though she loved the idea of exploring the jungle she didn't have much time to leave the perimeter of their makeshift camp, having to oversee everything. The wranglers, sometimes led by Graham and others by Lance Knight, a former hunter turned animal protectionist after some unpleasantness back in the day. She mostly stayed in the compound making sure the animals were housed in adequate conditions, were regularly checked by veterans and showed no signs of distress or aggression while they waited to be assigned new homes. Though most of the animals were not particularly dangerous- pygmy chimps, sable antelopes, zebras, okapis, oribis, elands and the like- Sangala was home to civets, jackals and African Golden Lions as well as gorillas, though their numbers were all very low, no doubt due to illegal hunting.
Her day, as it was, started at dawn and ended long after the sun had set. It was gruelling, even if Ariel's friendly chatter and quirky humour did make it go faster. She was a bubbly girl with a sincere appreciation for animals, though she was thinking of going into marine biology, preferring sea creatures to land ones. She gave all the animals names, no matter how little they were staying, and always remembered them. She was a bit clueless but she more than made up for it with hard work and a willingness to learn.
Belle, on the other hand, was much more subdued. Not one to attract attention, but with a quiet air of authority that people responded to as well as a genuine passion for animals. She was fascinated by them and the way they could communicate without words, using a language that was partly encoded in their DNA. Belle herself was addicted to books so it had always intrigued her to think of communicating without the use of words.
She'd studied at the University of Melbourne before getting a scholarship to complete her graduate studies at UCLA, attaining various research grants before deciding to dedicate her time to animal rescue and work with reservations. A lot of that worked involved getting in bed with the unlikeliest of devils, like her work with Mills Incorporated, but she'd made her peace with it a long time ago. A little pragmatism to temper idealism was a good thing, she'd learned.
The work itself was a gruelling one and most of the time Belle kept close to her team and tried to ignore both the hired muscle running around with guns and the prancing peacocks of Dr Whale's team, acting high and mighty like their boss was the second coming. It was particularly funny to see him attempt to prance around in lab coats in a humid, hot climate where extra layers were a poor choice and nothing stayed white for long. Belle herself had simple cotton blouses and tops and shorts or airy, linen pants, loose and comfortable. Ariel had commandeered them a large tub in which to do laundry, since working with animals made keeping clean a struggle and their budget for linens, bandages and the like was limited as it was.
But, all in all, Belle enjoyed the work, particularly the pygmy chimps, which she made sure to visit each night before going to sleep. Ariel would join her usually, giving her one last update as to the status of the animals before retiring herself to a hut she shared with a fellow research assistant, Ruby Lowell, who had the most curious sort of kinship with the jackals and was as silly as she was helpful, lighting up the mood considerably wherever she went, not to mention managing to find out the best drinking spots whenever they went to town on temporary leave.
Surprisingly, though Ruby was the one to feed her all the gossip that their group could possibly provide, it was Ariel the one to give her the exciting news, gesticulating madly the way only she could make endearing.
"They found a beast-man, Belle!"
Though Ariel made a big deal about everything- one of the reasons Belle liked her too much, her contagious enthusiasm- it was clear from the get-go that this was, indeed, big news. From what her assistant had heard from one of the men who worked for Gaston they'd been accompanying some of Whale's people deep inside the jungle to take some samples of the soil or something of the like when they'd come across what they thought at first was some sort of gorilla. Eager for a bit of sport Gaston had taken half the men with him to chase the animal hoping, Ariel theorized, to present it to Belle herself bound and gagged, some sort of psychotic present. Belle shuddered, making a mental note to stress to Gaston that only her team was allowed to handle the animals at all, whether in the wild or in the cages. Her animal wranglers were all highly recommended people without an ounce of meanness in them.
Apparently they chased the animal into some sort of cave, catching mere glimpses of it in the thick foliage of the forest. Inside, cornered and without a hiding place, it'd been quickly caught. The men had been amazed to find that the creature they'd been chasing was naught but a man, scrawny and small compared to most of them, with long hair that looked like it'd never been combed, a bushy beard and no clothes whatsoever. He was dirty and tanned, his skin covered in scrapes and half-healed injuries. When cornered, apparently, he lashed out violently, with a superhuman strength Ariel was very suspicious of. It took five men to bring him down, howling like a madman and attempting to scratch and bite at all turns.
It took two animal tranquilizers to immobilize him and bring him safely to their little camp, Whale taking an interest the moment he saw the wild man. He'd asked Mrs Mills for the opportunity to study the new arrival, promising it wouldn't interfere with his other duties. Out in the middle of nowhere in a country whose political stability was questionable, Regina Mills was Queen of the castle, and her word was law. She'd magnanimously granted her permission and Whale was now, apparently, playing mad scientist to a deranged, dangerous beast.
"They say he can't speak and has no human-like qualities at all. A regular Tarzan."
Though she could understand Ariel's excitement over the story- it was quite the event, after all- Belle couldn't help but feel a prickle of uneasiness over the whole affair. The idea of Gaston hunting a man, however wild, was bad enough but Whale studying him sounded... bad. She wouldn't leave the man alone with one of her animals for all the money in the world- unless, of course, it was one of the jackals or an African golden cat, of course- much less with a fragile human being, however aggressive.
Tales of the wild man Whale had sequestered away somewhere soon flooded the compound. The good doctor himself seemed to have acquired, overnight, the worst case of white man's burden she'd ever seen, talking about how he wished to bring civilization and reason to the savage under his care. Gaston, of course, was more of the idea that the savage should be beaten out of the man, and Whale didn't seem opposed to such lengths, which troubled Belle somewhat.
The more the men talked about the creature the more fearsome it appeared to be, indomitable and aggressive to the extreme. Nothing that could ever be proven, since the "creature" was kept in isolation in... accommodations designed by Whale himself, out of everyone's sight. Belle, though curious by nature and still feeling something awful in the pit of her stomach whenever she thought about the man from the jungle, was too busy relocating animals and distributing resources to care for the ones still in her care to give much thought to the matter. During the day, specially, there was always chaos around her, a crisis or two to avert, people vying for her attention, needing her signature or a question answered at all times.
The night was quieter, which was why she spent it checking on the animals. Though she trusted her staff she couldn't help but double check injuries and see that everyone under her care was well-fed and as comfortable as possible. It was while cooing at one of the pygmy chimps, soon to be shipped to a reserve, that she heard it: a wail so pitiful, so desperate and bleak it made her tremble. It also made the animals uneasy to the extent that Belle thought it her duty to see where it was coming from. At first she thought it might be one of the jackals, or a civet, but soon she realized it wasn't coming from her side at all, rather from Whale's. Arming herself with her bravery she silently made her way to the doctor's facilities, trying not to notice how better equipped they were compared to hers. Thankfully not a soul seemed to be still out and about and though it was all mostly dark there was one part of the lab flooded with light taking advantage of the connection to the plantation's generator.
At first all she saw was an empty room through a plexi-glass window, the space obviously a lab turned bedroom with a cot, a table, two chairs and little else. The stark white light made it all the more jarring but it helped her finally notice the... thing huddled in a corner, behind the bed. Though it was dressed in what appeared stiff scrubs it was dirty, the skin tanned beneath the grime. A curtain of hair obscured his face and his entire body language screamed "Fear". The creature- the man- was terrified, an animal cornered that knew fighting was not an option.
Though Belle had never felt the need for children her work with animals had nurtured her mothering side, her innate compassion exacerbating it. In the face of such despair, such hopelessness, she couldn't look away. Slowly she turned her body to the side so she wasn't confronting him directly, lowering herself to the floor and sitting down so she didn't tower over him. She avoided eye-contact at all costs and tried to relax as much as possible. It felt like ages before the man inside the room moved at all, lifting his head to look at her properly. She noticed that, though they hadn't bathed him, they'd shaved him, no doubt to examine him more thoroughly. Fresh razor cuts adorned his nose and cheeks, making her struggle to keep her composure.
When sufficient time had passed she softly began to hum, the song an old lullaby her mother would sing to her when she was small, without words or any apparent meaning but quite soothing. He appeared to find it curious as well as calming and, tentatively, he crawled out of his hiding spot, keeping close to the bed to, no doubt, be able to hide under it at the slightest provocation. Now that she could see his entire body she was appalled to notice how malnourished he was. Light as a feather, with scrawny arms and legs and a sunken look about his face. She slowly scanned the room, looking for anything that indicated they were feeding him at all and saw, on a corner, a metal plate with a cut of meat, raw and untouched even though the man inside was clearly starving. The meat didn't look like it was rotten or in any way unappealing but it clearly held no interest for the man.
When she glanced at him again he was closer than before, though still retaining a defensive stance. He was, however, looking at her, which she considered a positive sign. She allowed her eyes to make contact with his for a second or so before lowering them again. She cooed and crooned nonsense at him, becoming increasingly convinced that there had never been a man-beast, only a scared little soul left to suffer first at the hands of Gaston and then Whale. Proof of that was how he crawled closer and closer to her after she'd shown him an ounce of kindness, smiling when she did so and, tentatively, reaching out to the glass.
A moment later he tensed, looked somewhere behind her and dashed back into his hiding place, shaking like a leaf. Understanding he must have heard something she hadn't she stop up quickly and made her way out of the facility, trying not to bump into anyone on the way to her hut. She slept fitfully, dreaming of the man's deep brown eyes, scared like an animal's but with a spark of... something there. Though she was distracted throughout the day no one gave the impression of noticing it, Ariel being too in the clouds to call her out on it. At night, when no one was watching, she snuck into Whale's side of the compound again, carrying some of the fruit that was always available to feed both the staff and the animals. Armed with a theory and the fear that Whale might let the man starve to death she made her way to the still-illuminated room from before, wondering if the lights were kept on at night on purpose for research purposes.
It was easier to spot him this time around, knowing his hiding spot. She tapped gently on the plexi-glass to gain his attention, smiling at him before lowering her gaze so as to not be perceived as a threat. It took much less time than before for him to approach her cautiously, keeping close to the ground and near the bed. She crooned nonsense at him, the pitch of her voice much more important than whatever she was saying. Finally, when he was close enough, she scooted over to the glass door, opening the tray slot to offer a ripe peach. At first the man shied away from the offering but as the scent of the fruit hit his nose he staggered closer, snatching the food from her and scooting back quickly. He devoured the fruit once he was a safe distance away, making faint moaning noises as he fed for the first time in days.
She offered him a pear next and he took it promptly from her before devouring it with enthusiasm, accepting another one from her when she offered. As much as it looked like he needed it she didn't let him eat any more, knowing his stomach would have to gradually adjust to healthy food portions after a period of hunger. He seemed less prone to trembling after being fed, regarding her now with cautious interest.
She came the next night with more fruit, pleased when he approached her immediately and didn't feel the need to scoot away in order to eat. She observed his body language as he fed, her behaviourist mind analysing every gesture. Though he appeared to have been abandoned in the jungle at a young age and grown up without human contact at all he looked as though he recognized she was like him and was curious about her. He also behaved in a submissive way, further proving that the tall tales Gaston, Whale and the others had been telling had no basis. He wasn't aggressive at all, quite the contrary. Sensitive and in desperate need of care and too frightened all the time.
She kept to her new task for three more nights before Ariel finally caught on. She confronted her while on an outing into town, which happened every few weeks. Though most of the members of her staff were happily getting drunk and enjoying their little bit of freedom. Belle, however, couldn't stop thinking of the man going hungry inside that sterile, horrible room just because she was on leave.
"Ok, Miss Boss, you've been out of it for days, keeping some sordid little secret. I've pretended not to notice long enough. 'fess up."
Though she seemed flighty Belle knew Ariel wouldn't relent till she told her. And, frankly, it'd be a relief to confide in someone and her assistant was completely trustworthy. Once she began her tell she found she couldn't stop, spilling it all out in one go. Ariel, of course, found it incredibly fascinating and sad at the same time. The girl had a good heart.
"And you haven't been able to get close enough to assess his condition? It sounds like Doctor Frankenstein isn't taking care of him at all."
Belle took a sip of her daiquiri, the rum burning her throat pleasantly.
"I'd need a key for that, since they keep him locked. I don't see why. He's a gentle soul, you can see it in his eyes."
She shouldn't have been so surprised when, a few days later, Ariel presented her with a key, telling her a vague story about using her "siren-like charms" on Whale to divest him of his key set and, thanks to his freakish need to tag everything, locating the one that opened the creature's "cage" easily. She'd had managed to find someone willing to make a copy in the middle of the night, using those powers of persuasion she was famous for, and had had plenty of time to sneak the keys back to Whale's pocket without him noticing they were missing at all. Belle thought, not for the first time, that it was really lucky that Ariel was a force of good.
When he saw her approach from afar he didn't approach the glass but he didn't shy away either, something that filled her with happiness. At first she took her usual spot by the tray slot and fed him fruit- he preferred pears above all- watching as he devoured the treats and licked his fingers. He looked less gaunt and far less frightened than when she'd first met him and it was that last detail that gave her the courage to use the key to slowly open the plexi-glass door and slip inside the room. When he noticed she was no longer on the other side of the glass he retreated to his hiding spot at first, not scared but cautious. Belle sat down near the bed, folding her legs and relaxing as much as possible. Then she fished out an apple from her basket of fruits- a rare treat since there weren't any apple trees in the region but Mrs Mills had insisted on getting fresh apples regularly- and cutting it in half. She bit into one of the pieces and extended the other one towards her companion. At first he merely watched her eat, head cocked to the side and his body in a state of constant alertness. Slowly, so slowly that she missed it at first- he began to relax, his curiosity surpassing his fear. He approached her cautiously, extending a hand to grasp the apple half she was offering. She was glad to notice he didn't feel the need to go back to his corner in order to eat it and was charmed by the pleased little sound he let out when he took a bite of the fruit.
He polished off two more halves Belle gave him, seeming to savour the last one with particular care. Seeing his shoulders weren't tense and his general posture spoke of relaxation she took a chance and softly petted his hair, hopelessly tangled and dirty, happy when he didn't immediately retreat. After a while he even leaned into the caress, looking awed. It was then that Belle realized he'd never been lovingly touched before.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
He responded to her sad little croon with a pitiful noise, scooting closer so she could reach more of him. Soon he was almost sitting on her lap, burrowing against her and sniffing her neck while she kneaded his nape. She stayed as long as she could, trying to notice as much as possible. Up close it was easier to see all the fresh cuts and bruises and the way the coarse and stiff polyester clothing he was wearing irritated his skin and made him uneasy. It was clear he didn't use the bed, and the cold, hard floor was no place for restful sleep, especially with constant light at all times. Softly she kissed his cheek, determined to do something for him and soon.
"I'll be back. I promise."
The way he clutched the back of her shirt when she stood up almost made her cry.
Though usually Belle avoided the plantation house like it was the plague she made an exception the following day, all but barging in to see her employer. Her sycophant assistant, Sydney Glass, all but threw himself on her to try and bar her from his employer's office, to no avail. Regina Mills was an imposing woman, sleek as a panther and mean as only humans could be, but Belle could be a force to be reckoned with when she wanted to and so she walked up to the Big Boss with not a hint of fear in her and, rather loudly, demanded she kept Dr Whale in line, detailing his sadistic behaviour towards the human she'd put under his care. She swore up and down she'd report Whale and her to whatever human rights agency and international entity would hear her. It was then that the good doctor himself barged in, a frantic Sydney in tow, loudly demanding to know who had been messing with his "subject". He certainly wasn't expecting to be yelled at by a 5'2 irate Australian in response, looking ready to both inflict physical pain and bury him in lawsuits.
Word of the scuffle spread like wildfire around the camp as the battle raged on in Regina's office. At some point Belle could have sworn she'd seen Sydney sway, ready to pass out, before Regina herself demanded silence and then loudly declared that she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It was a rare sight to see the Big Boss amongst the simple peasants so everyone stayed out of the way as she marched to Whale's lab, the doctor and Belle following close behind. The first look at the man's room had her frowning and Belle bit back an objection when she had two of Gaston's men dragged the creature outside and immobilize it so she could see up close the state he was in. Whale attempted to explain his actions, though it was clear the boss wasn't interested in whatever he had to say. Then she strolled back to the plantation and, according to the rumour mill, spent the next two hours yelling at her attorneys over the phone.
At the end of the day a deceptively sweet Ms Mills approached Belle while she was checking an antelope's leg, bringing with her some fresh clothes, the promise of a bump in her funding and a big piece of news: apparently it was decided that the... man should be under Belle's care.
"Surely someone who takes such an interest in his well-being is exactly the right person to look after that... poor, wretched soul. I have faith in you, Dr French."
It certainly didn't look like it but Belle accepted the clothes with all the grace she could muster, noticing the softness of the fabrics, and once almost everyone had retired marched to Whale's lab, glad to see the doctor himself hadn't lingered, waiting for her. Inside his awful room the creature trembled like a leaf, upset no doubt by the earlier rough-handling. He perked up when he noticed her, though he kept his distance when she entered his room. It took two pears and an apple to get him close enough to take one of his hand in hers. When he didn't pull away she tugged him up and slowly, step by step, they walked out of his cage and out of Whale's little kingdom. It was endearing the way he looked around, both scared and in awe, and how he clutched her hand tighter, trusting her to protect him.
She took him to the metal tub used for washing clothing, safely tucked away in one of their tented spaces, and moved to untie the strings that held his garments together. As soon as he noticed he could remove his clothing he did so at once, making a pleased little sound when he was finally naked. Belle, on the other hand, squeaked in surprise and tried to busy herself filling the tub with water. It was incongruous to her that a man so shy should be so comfortable while naked though, of course, it made perfect sense for a person who'd never worn clothes till some days ago.
Getting him inside the tub wasn't very difficult, though he didn't appreciate it much when she wetted his hair. As gently as she could she lathered his body, watching the water turn murky as his skin became clean. He protested only when the soap and water made his cuts sting and once when he got soap in his eyes, hissing and rubbing his eyes raw. He went oddly still when she washed his hair, his whole body relaxing as her fingers delved into his long locks, trying to undo the many tangles. She rinsed him as carefully as possible and hastily wrapped a towel around his waist when he got out of the tub. The terrycloth was soft so he didn't protest it, though he certainly didn't seem to understand the need for it. While she allowed the rest of his body to dry off on its own- the night was balmy for once- she grabbed one of her widest combs and gingerly began to run it through his hair. At first it was an uncomfortable experience and he wiggled and tried to escape the contraption that tugged on his hair mercilessly, making grunting noises to properly convey how upset he was. Once the tangles were mostly out, however, he began to make other sort of noises akin to purring, almost close to speaking. It almost sounded like he was saying "rum" and, for lack of anything else to call him, Belle decided that Rum was as good a name as any. He certainly seemed happy when she said it out loud.
Getting him back into clothes was more of a problem, but as soon as Rum realized the new clothes weren't stiff as his other ones he let himself be dressed with little fuss. The sheer softness of the fabrics appeared to amaze him, making him more compliant. Once dressed, cleaned and with combed hair he looked a far cry from the frightened creature inside Whale's lab. Standing upright he was a bit taller than Belle and appeared to be in his thirties or forties, she couldn't really tell. Though he was far too skinny and a bit worse for wear he had stunning eyes, deep brown and captivating for some reason. He was also starved for touch, as evidenced by the way he took her hand the moment he was dressed and combed, apparently happy to hold onto her no matter where she was going.
Sleeping arrangements suddenly became a priority. He clearly couldn't be left alone, there was no room for him and she needed to keep an eye on him at least till her got familiar with everything. Taking some of the bedding that was provided for the animals along with some pelts and whatever else she could find- not an easy feat when Rum insisted on holding her hand- and dropped them all in a heap near her bed, gently encouraging Rum to arrange him to his liking. Once he caught on to the fact that they were for him he proceeded to make a nest with them, his movements quick and sure. She admired the finished product before letting go of Rum to change into her sleepwear- a breezy cotton nightgown- in the communal showers, since there was no way to gain privacy in her now-shared little hut. Thankfully when she returned Rum was still there, studying the closed space and looking a little distressed, though he settled down when he saw her. When she laid down on the bed he copied her, settling in his cosy nest with a happy rumble of approval, wiggling around to bask in the comfort of it. Belle giggled, watching him curl up and slowly drift off to sleep.
Surprisingly he made no move to get up and out of his little nest before Belle woke up. After a distressing ten minutes in which she left him alone to change they headed out to face the day. To her staff's credit they didn't react to Rum's presence, keeping a respectful distance, avoiding loud noises and making no comment on the way the man clung to Belle's hand with both of his, eyeing them with mistrust. Belle introduced Rum to her people, explaining a condensed version of the situation and hoping everyone would try and chip in to make the new addition as comfortable as possible. Ariel, all exuberance and curiosity, still knew to approach the subject slowly and carefully, using all of her knowledge regarding wild animals. Rum, now out of his creepy cage, bathed and no longer starving, was less skittish, though he got nervous around a vast number of people. Graham offered to take him to the bathroom, hoping he'd learn to use the facilities copying his movements, for which Belle was grateful. As a gentle soul Graham had a soft touch with anything even remotely defenceless and gave off a calm vibe that appeared to put Rum at ease somewhat. As soon as they were back, however, he took Belle's hand once more and scooted close to her.
"You're his knight in shining armour!" Ariel cooed happily, completely enamoured with the new addition. Though Belle was prepared to do little to no work that day she found out soon that, though frightened of humans, Rum thrived around animals. He had a way with them, an understanding that far surpassed anything Belle had managed to acquire through study and experience. It was fascinating to watch him with the antelopes or the chimps and even with the odd gorilla or two. The predators he treated with respect and a healthy dose of fear, having no doubt almost been their prey a number of times in his life.
He gave the impression of grasping what it was that they were doing almost at once and observed Belle keenly as she looked after the animals, easily copying her actions. The animals themselves seemed to consider Rum one of their own, remaining calm and pliant as he approached them. Soon every member of her staff was watching in fascination as Rum easily approached an aggressive old gorilla that had previously refused to be handled, easily feeding it.
At the end of the day Ariel sat the man on a stool and instructed Belle to divert his attention as she cut his long mane of hair, marvelling at the softness of it. Though distressed at first soon Rum grew to like the shorter hair, tugging at it and rumbling happily when it easily slipped through his fingers. Though he kept his distance from most of the members of the staff he quickly grew to tolerate and even welcome Graham's company and not to mind Ariel's bubbly chatter and exuberant personality much, though it had frightened him at first.
Graham valiantly offered to welcome Rum in the hut he shared with Lance and two vets, picking up the bedding and pelts that made up Rum's nest and positioning them next to his own bed. In the middle of the night, however, the nest disappeared, only to reappear in the morning right next to Belle's bed, Rum happily curled up inside. It took three more tries for everyone to become convinced that there was no way of moving the man to a more appropriate home. Belle, however, didn't mind much. Aside from having to change outside to indulge her own modesty there weren't any drawbacks to having Rum share her living quarters. He was peaceful and often entertaining, curious when he felt unthreatened and therefore free to explore.
Soon, and with a little patience and care, Rum was flourishing. He adored working with the animals, picking up on ways to properly care for them and teaching the vets and other members of the staff new things. Like Belle he favoured the pygmy chimps too and several times Belle had caught him with four or five of them hanging all over him. Though he didn't seem to approve of the cages he understood, somehow, that the animals weren't being hurt but rather protected.
Belle didn't try to educate him. Rum seemed fine as he was, intelligent and compassionate if a bit frightened and submissive. She did try, from the get-go, to establish some form of communication, using mostly body language and signs and trying to pick up on his physical cues, seeking a rapport. They soon settled on a routine, rising early and having breakfast- Rum adored milk, though she didn't think he'd ever tasted it before- before seeing to the animals. Though at first Rum stuck close to Belle he gradually gained more and more independence as he got comfortable with the rest of the team. He soon learned what part of the compound was "theirs" and which belonged to the violent men who'd dragged him out of the jungle and to the scientists that had almost starved him to death and he steered clear of both.
Around noon they all had lunch together and then they dove back into their chores till late in the afternoon. Rum appeared to quite like the evening time, when it was mostly them and the animals. He'd watch Belle give shots and jot things down, very curious about the art of writing. Afterwards they'd have dinner and then she'd leave him in the hut to shower and change before bed. Twice a week she'd coax him into the tub to bathe. No matter how much she tried he was afraid of the showers and wouldn't go near them. Afterwards they'd go to sleep, comfortable and content.
There were some variations to the routine depending on the day. Some days Graham would seek Rum's help finding an animal in the wild. They looked like they communicated rather well and, though Rum didn't seem fearful in the presence of the younger man, he always returned to Belle's side as soon as possible and held her hand for a while. Human contact fascinated and terrified him in equal measure and as much as Belle wanted to lavish all sort of attentions on him, hugs and caresses and even kisses, she was determined to let him set the pace, seek things out when he was ready.
Though he seemed to grasp the meaning of many words quite quickly- names of fruits and animals and even people- Rum didn't much feel the need to mimic talk, preferring to stick to his grunting and noises. He did enjoy it, however, when on afternoons off Belle would sit by an okoumé tree and read out loud. He'd lay his head in her lap and listed attentively as she petted his hair, enraptured by the cadence of her voice and the rhythmic caresses. Afterwards, sometimes, he'd look at her with a burning curiosity and something else, something Belle couldn't quite decipher.
He was getting used to belonging to a pack, Belle supposed, and not being just by himself, adopting naturally a submissive attitude. He appeared to consider her the leader, his eyes full of awe as he watched her order people about. No matter how obviously stronger Graham and others were he looked as if he felt safe only with her, and it surprised no one when he one day, out of the blue when coming back from a quick exploration of the jungle, Rum happily barked out "Belle!" when spotting her. It became the only word he'd feel compelled to say, sometimes with purpose- to call her attention or to refer to her- and other times merely to sound it out, as if the name was a pleasant sound he liked to make.
With his newfound confidence Rum unveiled a facet of his personality that Belle had never seen before. For all of his subservient nature and his apparent defencelessness Rum was... sneaky. Deceptive. cunning. And prone to revenge. Though everyone else was surprised the day Whale woke up red from head to toe and itching, skin soon raw from the scratching, Rum merely smiled, pleased, and snickered whenever he spotted the doctor from afar. It didn't take long for his roommate to discover the vicious variety of poison ivy he'd snuck into the doctor's bedding with no one being the wiser. Belle could see he didn't understand why his actions weren't praised and how pained he was that she was angry with him but as fun as seeing Whale scratch for days on end was Belle didn't much like the glint in Rum's eyes, or the malicious smile that bloomed on his lips. In the end, however, she relented and he happily snuggled into her embrace, relieved she once more liked him. It broke her heart to see how devoted he was.
At first it was deemed dangerous to expose him to anything outside the compound but soon it was obvious that Rum's ability to adapt his behaviour to different social situations meant he could be safely escorted to town. The idea of showing him something beyond what he'd always known appealed to Belle and so she allowed Graham to take him out to town on the day half her staff was on leave. They all swore up and down that they'd look after him. The men had taken Rum under their wing while simultaneously learning quite a lot from him and Belle felt little worry when she granted her permission.
Later, when a wide-eyed, staggering Rum was returned to her at dawn, she reconsidered her earlier assessment. He practically fell into her arms, looking disoriented till he sniffed her neck and rumbled happily, the familiar scent of her putting him at ease. Graham, looking incredibly boyish for a grown man with a beard, muttered something about "the guys" wishing Rum to experience the pleasure of a cold beer... or three. When his boss practically leapt at him, demanding why he hadn't thought to stop such nonsense, he explained that Emma had been on leave as well and they'd... gotten carried away on a secluded area of the bar they'd gone to. Emma Swan, UN peacekeeper and Graham's... everything, didn't often get leave at all, making the Irishman's position more understandable.
She took care of Rum when he eventually threw up and nursed him when his head hurt and his stomach roiled. Strangely enough the outing didn't seem to have any negative consequences. If anything Rum appeared to be more... animated, or at least somehow happier and the men seemed to consider him more relatable after having gotten drunk. They grew closer as worked progressed, more smoothly now than ever. Rum began to adopt new rituals with time. He took to brushing her hair at night, with painstaking care, using both her brush and his fingers. It appeared to soothe him and make him strangely content and Belle had to admit his fingers in her hair left her scalp tingling pleasantly.
Later on Belle started noticing that their shared hut became neater. She caught Rum filling cups and other containers with wildflowers and decorating in other small, endearing ways. He was quite crafty and would turn simple, commonplace items into intricate ornaments, placing them around the hut with care. He also acquired the strange habit of bringing exotic fruits from deep within the jungle along with orchids whenever he'd venture outside the compound with Graham. He'd carefully weave the flowers into Belle's hair before offering her the fruits and she'd accept with a smile and a tentative kiss on the cheek. Before kisses had left Rum perplexed and a bit shy but now he seemed to welcome them with pleasure.
When his beard grew back he insisted on having it shaved, scratching at it and tugging to get his point across. Graham patiently showed him how to groom himself, taking care to use a dull razor at first to minimize accidental nicks. Belle didn't think much of it, though privately she admitted to herself that she liked Rum's face shaved. It was Ariel the one to point out that all the new little quirks added up to something.
"The grooming, the offering of gifts, the cleaning and decorating of the hut... Come on, Belle, do I need to spell it out? Those are classic stages of a mating ritual."