"Look, Stanley. You're not comfortable with this, and you'll be even more so after I tell you that I'm using a voice changer."
Stanley: "Voice changer. Who the fuck are you, Mysterious trafficker?" {I cannot deal with this man properly. Is he a war criminal? A paedophile scared of someone finding his identity?}
He quickly mutes his microphone on the earbuds by double-tapping the big, singular button on the right ear to speak with Ahnel, sitting across with caution and calmness.
Stanley: "Sir, do you believe this guy is really what he says he is? I know we don't talk much, but I fucking don't trust him."
Ahnel: "No comment. I don't talk about the privacy of the people who need our services. End of conversation."
"I'm literally arriving on the surface of Clifford right now. Give me a sec. That bakery shouldn't be too far away…"
The mysterious man hummed his words with a tune and surprising jolliness for a "trafficker."
"Look, tell Ahnel that he should really keep you in place for when I come to talk."
{No way I trust him. Too trustworthy of a voice. No wonder he needs a voice changer.}
Stanley unmutes himself to speak once again with Mr Mystery for one more time before he comes to his location.
Stanley: "Yeah, why?"
{Who could he POSSIBLY be? The President of Andromeda? "Mr Important over here."}
"Because I don't think I would be a calm reaction for you. Ahnel knows who I am, obviously, but not you yet. No, I won't tell you through a call."
{D-did he just pre-fire my thoughts?}
Stanley: "Yeah, right. Sir?"
Ahnel's attention from his phone got picked up by Stanley, making him a tad bit annoyed.
Ahnel: "What?" His face became more symmetrical and angled while staring at Stanley, who also realised this.
Stanley: "He told me you have to hold me in place because of his face." "I'm just as confused."
Ahnel: "I'm not confused. It's just weird." The look of caution Ahnel had all over his body language and face spilled into Stanley's mind, which is now even more confused than before.
{What's weird? Has HE even seen his face? Can't be that ugly. Maybe there's something more. Obviously, Stupid. Ahnel looks annoyed, scrunched up like he swallowed spicy food to some degree he couldn't handle. He didn't have spicy food, I think. Mystery man told him something that made him react like that to me. His reactions seem like he's watching something carefully. It's probably me, but what for?}
5:01 PM, CLIFFORD, SOLA FRECHIA
{How long will it take? How far was he from coming here? Does he know where he needs to be? He's wasting my time here…. Ahnel might know. He has direct communication with him; I am sure he knows where "Mr Rapist" is.}
Stanley: "Sir. How long would I have to be here? Can't you give me up already since I feel like he isn't coming?"
Ahnel: "Shut up. He's coming. Haven't you waited for someone before? Spoiled man."
He muttered that last comment to himself so Stanley wouldn't hear. Ahnel has slowly changed his posture due to the waiting time being a tad bit short for himself. Going from a "hands behind the head, leg on top of thigh" position to more of an "arms crossed, legs flared, back leaned to the crates" posture. He is slowly getting bored monitoring a young adult man inside a cold bakery room with workers coming in and out.
Stanley: "Well, please tell me if he is trustworthy enough for me to be fine around him."
Stanley's eyebrows squeezed together, getting bolder with concern, and his facial expressions simplified to one emotion of concern for this situation.
Stanley: "Lemme get this straight for myself: your group so happened to find me, who you needed because someone random from 'who knows where' hired you to track me down, so he can take me somewhere? I also so happened to be wanting to get out of this place that I travelled to, and this perfectly happened in my favour? I don't really think it is, sadly in my favour, though."
Ahnel: "Give me one question first, stupid man." Ahnel's face once again contorted into annoyance.
Stanley: "Ah, my fault. Is he trustworthy enough for me to be fine around him and feel safe?"
Ahnel: "Well, you are from Suran, which is located in Andromeda, so probably not. I'm sure he will be fine if I give little hints for you to guess."
Stanley's insides slowly melted in anxiety. The way Ahnel mentioned his GALAXY as a comparison means that this person can easily be a trillionaire or one of the few quadrillionaires in the Celestial Empire. A multi-solar-system-level terrorist leader? A rich CEO of a high-valued company? Government officials of high standing, like Coalition Presidents inside Andromeda? These guesses left Stanley with more questions than answered, and confused him even more in the process.
Ahnel: "You'll recognise him probably easily. His distinct face, body, and voice will give it away to you."
Ahnel stared at Stanley while saying this comment, leaving Stanley more curious as he was holding the smallest grin a man like him could put on his face. His eye bags were making it obvious that he hadn't had sleep for a long time.
5:07 PM, CLIFFORD, SOLA FRECHIA
Outside of the backroom of the bakery, the normally loud chatter became softer. Abnormally quieter and more brief moments of pure silence mixed in with talking of certain individuals Stanley could not hear nor recognise.
{Yep. Quiet room, awkwardness, I can literally feel it from here. It's so awkward also in this room. He's just looking around the door, checking everything outside using that tinted glass on the double doors. I—is he worried? Too much tension on his skin, face, posture, and shit like that. Take a paracetamol, dude. Maybe I should be more worried than I already am. Shit, I feel like vomiting with saliva building up in my glands.}
Ahnel and Stanley both stare at the double doors near them, looking for any detail, sign of who is out there, and their character traits like hand movements and vocal use. Ahnel doesn't care too much about himself at the moment, just monitoring the outside room and little details he gave him.
Stanley, however, stopped having a comfortable posture unconsciously due to the subtle words that were fed to him. His arms now crossed, legs closer together but not touching, unlike his feet, which were squished together. His neck is slightly out of symmetry because of long staring to his right, eyebrows even more cramped than before, eyes wide with caution, sweat mildly building up down his lower back, soaking his long-sleeve white shirt.
{I just might take off this jacket. Is it too much for me to even put on a jacket in this heat?}
Stanley now just took off his yellow puffer jacket, still dusty and worn down to fit him perfectly.
Footsteps became easily noticeable from the outside room and the front counter at the main door.
{He's coming, I think.}
The double doors opened slowly, and a man stepped in gently and calmly. He'd walked right in with composure and confidence.
Stanley: "Uh-uh-OH SHIT!" Stanley became alarmed as expected from the hints, but not to this degree. He stood up and moved to the left of the room, away from the "Guest."
"Hey, Stanley, Ahnel. I knew you'd be surprised. You want an explanation now or later inside my Dynexis Ship?"
Stanley: "....." "Y-you caused my planet's economic crisis with your words. I had to live in poverty for 6 years until we got a lucky chance to move upwards to join the middle class. What am I even saying… THERE IS NO MIDDLE CLASS because you made a fool of Surane people."
"Yeah, it's my fault. And still your planet's 'leader's' fault for corruption against the Silth race. I won that case for their right to live. Suran people should be moving on from the slave case. Your global sale of Paradoxine changes whole solar systems. Focus more on that — I mean it as a tip for a future job, if you don't accept my offer that I'll give later."
The man who was arguing with Stanley with concise, clear advice was a lawyer, leader, and representative of the title of "THE FACT", as his nickname for winning 96% of his cases. More than most ever could think about in the scale of how many cases he took on.
Stanley: "Fucking hell, Tallurre. You and your family—Ughhhhh…."
Stanley did not like Tallurre Ufushimi. He made a mockery of an entire government at the cost of his life as punishment. He also convinced many fellow Surane-blooded individuals that he was right. They were wrong. Stanley tried to comprehend that the friendliness he gave to Silth was not friendliness, but racism, which he couldn't. Upbringing in a Type 2 Civilisation (being able to fully use the power of a star with their own technology) gave poor Stanley the wrong signals about wealth, joy, and value.
Tallurre Ufushimi stood near Stanley, head-on, with his body facing towards him. He is a semi-tall man, with an eerie and elegant vibe. His long coat is worn open over a simple light navy shirt; his trousers are relaxed but still perfectly cut; and his sleeves are slightly rolled, but neatly.
His outfit colour tone is mixed mostly with muted colours — Beige, Grey, Black — but mixed in with the navy long-sleeved shirt. A great standout detail to him is his puffy hair, being Turquoise and a few hairs at the front mixed in with Cinnabar Orange perfectly, so that it matches. His eyebrows also happen to be Turquoise. Another detail would be his gloves and ring. Aeroweave black gloves were worn on both hands, custom-made for a high price on a far-away planet. Finally, his shoes were rather simple — Noctra-branded sneakers were pretty common amongst the trends in this galaxy. A simple squiggle and pattern for the shoes made sure people knew this brand, and it stayed true to one pattern and squiggle.
Tallurre: "Stanley. I have somewhere to be. You also have a family. What the hell are we still doing here? We weren't meant to be here long. Worlds developed in the time that you were on the outskirts of the eight galaxies. I need to take you to CELESTICA quarters."
Mr Ufushimi spoke calmly, fast but slow on the important words. "The Fact" was known for being one of the calmest, unmoving authorities in the law world.
Then he turned to Ahnel.
Tallurre: "By the way, Ahnel, I brought it."
A sealed, plastic-wrapped object in the shape of a band of money was taken out of Tallurre's coat pocket and lightly tossed to Ahnel.
Ahnel: "Pleasure doing business, Sir."
Ahnel genuinely looked happy when the object entered his hands. He looked back and forth at Tallurre and the object.
Ahnel: "You two have a place to be, obviously. Go on. My team-members send their gratitude."
Ahnel stood up from the crates and shook Tallurre's gloved left hand with both hands very excitedly.
{So, even scary people who look unhappy get happy with 'money' payment, I'm guessing. I wonder how much he was paid to look for me.}
Tallurre: "Thanks. Stanley, I know what you feel about me, but life moves forward. It never stays back there. Come on already."
Stanley: "So why am I going again? I have rights. My choice to go."
Stanley fixed up his posture and stood around two meters from Tallurre with his hands in his pockets, maintaining deep eye contact.
Tallurre: "You don't have a right when it comes to anomalies. This was taught to everyone born from Generation XXF to XXP. They are risky to your body, mental state, and emotional state, because we don't know much about this burst of anomalies coming out these couple of years. You come follow me, or else I will make you unconscious for the ride back."
{Ah, shit. I could be in a whole bunch of mess. My reputation and record will take a hit either way because of my contact with the "door anomaly." I still like what I did. I enjoyed it. My family still is looking for me, I guess. Maybe going with him will help. Then again, most anomaly survivors end up with a negative trait from it, or trauma due to CELESTICA interviews.}
Stanley: "Sure, I guess."
Tallurre: "Follow me now. My vehicle's parked near O'Donnell Street."
He ushered him forward by using his right hand while walking out the door of the bakery backroom.
Ahnel: "Why are you acting so nonchalant? You were shitting your pants with me, but not with the guy who did those things to your childhood?"
Stanley: "That never happened. Shush."
Stanley's fun personality slipped for a second and made an appearance on his body whilst walking a few steps behind Tallurre.
{I sure don't miss this place. He was right about me 'shitting myself.' This place is not it for me. Though it may be worse in CELESTICA quarters due to them not being comfortable for a normal person.}
Stanley: "I'm coming, Sir."