The silence though was broken not by her but by a newcomer who suddenly barged in, leather from head to toe and with gaiety in his steps. It may seem like they're harboring ill will towards each other with the way they return the stare, yet as she observes for a little while, notices that there is no animosity but instead, a warm familiarity. That comfortable place where you can be yourself.
"What brings your ugliness here? And please, how many times have I told you to stop wearing that hideous leather jacket which is obviously just an imitation? Stop patronizing fake products when you already earn hundreds of thousands."
"Would you not ask the cleaner here to leave from our sight for a moment?"
"Worry not, if anything leaks from here, it's just you two anyways. Easy disposal."
"Still as morbid as ever, aren't you?"
Mediator.
Just like the guy who had talked with her initially, the newcomer is one of the persons who process transactions both on and below the table. Increase in the gross domestic product, though advertised as the fruition of the government's efforts, is obviously highly influenced by people like them. Even if their work is considered to be one of the mid-level ones, they receive more than the actual salary with all the cutbacks transferred into their personal accounts. After all, it is indeed an exhausting job, both mentally and physically.
Facing the unwanted and taking the unwarranted.
"But wouldn't the cleaner here be taken anytime soon? Whose interest was caught this time?"
"The connoisseur personally requested it this time. He even sent a letter with his official seal, imagine? Just for that one cleaner."
"When did his taste... degrade suddenly? Quite an interesting pick. Didn't he also take someone from the orphanage in the Naval City?"
"His actions, his decisions, his outcomes. As long as it's paid and documented properly, other factors don't matter to me and you know that. But you, obviously came here for another reason. What is it this time?"
"Lower down your annoyed tone, you still owe me multiple-"
"Cut it out."
Upon seating on the wooden table, he took another look, a longer stare this time to the cleaner still not glancing back at them, before speaking up regarding his purpose of arrival.
"The border officers are recruiting to increase the strength near the Caprice River, as you all know, with the brewing war and all. I see it as forced labor but how do we act upon that? Nope. Though I might say, the new head of Far East is quite gutsy to state it in their national television. He basically is just a figure that has a small agricultural nation and two smaller commercial ones under his jurisdiction. It's not even half of ours even if they combined it all against this country alone. I wonder if he and his constituents actually think, knowing that their weakest link is our neighbor."
"Politics is just another form of entertainment industry. We all know that. What's the difference now?"
"With the little territory they have you'd expect them to be more lenient, yet they're just being hardheaded. All modes of travel are restricted at the moment. Even the legal migrants were collected like pebbles being placed in a jar. Wanna have a bet on who would break the peace first?"
"They might seem to struggle with little military resources, but their labor force is hundreds of times stronger and more useful than the puny army this country made. They just don't advertise it the way the government here does, so who would really know the extent of it? Even those damons are free to roam around together with the immigrants from the monster clans in other countries that they kept on accepting. You know that very well and still actually doubt whether they are in the right mind to proceed with their battle cry. We're the ones basically eating after their morsels and act all mighty here, don't we? Quality over quantity at its finest."
"For someone who doesn't care about leniency and government issues, you sure are well-versed in theirs, aren't you? Why don't you give that same amount of attention to me?"
"You're a total airhead aside from doing all these menial works thrown your way, you know, like collecting names and handing them and just drinking afterwards, so no, you're not that interesting enough."
Their conversation lasted a little longer than expected but it died down into what resembles a buzz in her ears, thoughts getting into the murkier depths of her head, waiting to sink completely and not be returned to the surface. Warm hands upon cold shoulders brought her back into reality, but she was already pushed in front to sign the agreement form towards being employed outside under a different owner.
Without reading she writes her name down, letter by letter, just how they were taught to do. Though in reality it does not feel familiar at the same time despite having learned enough in the first place. Aside from this, however, they were not given any other opportunities to learn writing and reading more than what is expected from any of her kind.
She also notices that the other mediator earlier has long gone now and it's only the previous one talking about her case in front, after busy getting drowned in her own thoughts.
"Listen to me, when you're out there, don't even try to start any interpersonal amicable relationship with anyone, especially not with the one who bought you. More than ever, you need to make sure to keep this silence of yours until you can, well, until you die for lack of a better word. I don't mean literally though; I do hope you actually understood that."
Nodding her head, he pulled the contract quickly that she thought the paper would rip from his grasp, but it slipped easily from under her fingers, ink almost spilling on the oak desk. By then, just in a few minutes, her chains were removed and is now seated in a black minivan. Before losing consciousness, the last thing she remembers was the smell of strong liquor, like what some of the guards secretly brings in the hall and drink together with the heads, mixed with a freshener and a strange, sweet smell she can't seem to pinpoint what.
--
"...long would I need to wait, we're busy in the vineyard and you want me to give a tour to... even if I have already told him... can't look after..."
Those were the first words she heard after finally waking up, head still groggy and numbing sensations still present in both arms and legs making it hard to move as quick as her mind wants to. Even though the words were incomplete, she catches the drift – she's just another unwanted soul and presence in their eyes.
It was quite hard for her to pull herself up that when she's able to do so, she loses balance and stumbles down again, but now into the cold marble floor instead of the soft mattress.
"See? A kid, and can't pull oneself together, I have no use for that."
"The old man made the decision himself, and we can't throw his muse out away. His son even took over that wish."
The last phrase made her give full attention towards the two, and looking closely, they were wearing something she never usually sees from the ones who visited the orphanage, and they emit the smell of fresh dirt and mint leaves instead of those pungent perfumes.
"What? First time seeing someone from the Far East? I'm a farmer and not some industrial junkie from your country, what now?"
The woman's voice obviously exudes irritation and she's not trying to conceal her emotions with how furrowed her brows are, but despite of this and the sweat and grime her soft and attractive features still shines on top.
"Welcome to the town of Cephron, and you're thinking right, you're currently within the jurisdiction of Far East Federation. In one of the countries under it, Cemaylon."
The companion looks the opposite, sharp eyes and big built yet he's emitting such gentle vibes, quite unexpected with how anyone's impression would have been before hearing him speak. Her thoughts were broken when the woman took over once again.
"It doesn't feel real yet? If you can open your eyes now, then hurry up and wear that jumper and follow me."
Looking towards the small table beside the bed where the other has pointed, she didn't have enough time to take her surroundings into view and simply takes the clothing, but followed the instruction without hesitation and changed from her original uniform into the new one, which might be the one she'll be wearing until the last of her days.
If what she heard back then has that much weight, then she might even be seen as an enemy without doing anything.
"Don't worry about her, alright? She's just grumpy because another batch of workers were removed from their positions, and she has to take over their tasks momentarily. Plus, she faced a bad case of a barfing Meeson in the field earlier. She's Afirah, and I'm Loren by the way."
He shoves his hand in front of her face, asking for a handshake and she ended up feeling wary as no one ever initiates any form of physical bond back in her old place. What was taught to her old group was that any touch leads to affection and affection is weakness. They were not supposed to start any action that might trigger such a domino effect, but thinking about it again, some of them back there was touched inappropriately contradicting the words of the leaders, and she's currently in a different place anyways, miles away from where she was taken from, probably, without any idea on how she was transported with the tight security at that time or the actual purpose of being placed there. After thinking for a while, she takes up his offer of shaking hands, but without returning his smile.
That would require some practice, to be able to resume from years before she was molded into her current self.
"What are you still doing here, return to your post now!"
"Fine, fine. Don't bully the kid ok?"
"Whatever, you don't even have the position to answer back at me so just move already."
After the guy ran away, she noticed her shift in attention and expression, looking at her with a darker gaze but speaking with a calm tone, as if she's already used to being in a higher position.
'The regulations here are simple, work and be paid with the amount of effort you're given, laze off and be laid off. Easy, right?'
Nod.
"You can be a blabbermouth, a clown, humiliate yourself all you want, as long as you achieve the quota assigned to you for the day and you follow the given rules, anything else doesn't matter. That's how things work here, even for a kid like you."
Just like back in the old work.
"I won't ask anything that might make you uncomfortable, your story is for yours to keep, but mine nor the words of others don't matter here, it all boils down to the head. If he asks for you to answer or to place yourself before him, you can, no, you will never say no. Do you understand?"
Nodding for the second time, she noticed the older one not paying attention to her anymore but just looking straight, where a wooden door engraved with what looked like flower patterns is at the end of the hallway. Almost bumping into the other's back, she took hold of her footing and heard the knocking, a signal that they have arrived in front of the room, while she was still busy looking at your feet, toes twitching from the sudden stop.
As soon as she opens it, the younger is lead inside while she went outside again after bowing to a man exuding an air of confidence, telling the person who seemed to be the one with significance between the two, that she'll be returning to her work and would wait for the next instructions once her routine of doing rounds for the morning inspection is done.