Stargazer - Segregation

Chapter Fourteen - World Laws

Rory walks past the bright white facility of the fortress. Today seems like any other—his cigarette ash falls to the clean ground dusting the cleaned carpet. He doesn't care. Alphonse can smell the bitterness running through his nose as he walks up closer and closer.

With ease, he seats himself inside the chair in front of him. One last inhales of tobacco, he smiles at him and crushes the last piece of cigarette inside of his hand.

"I told you not to smoke in here," Alphonse starts to cough.

"Do I look like I would care?" the left corner of his mouth rises.

"You should start to care," he looks at the rising smoke. "Anyways, I've got something for you to do."

Suspiciously, Rory throws his eyes onto him. "And what would that be?" he asks.

"Vilhelm contacted me. You know my governor of Finland. They have some problems in their country. People went missing, about twenty in three weeks. That's why you have to go there and—"

Alphonse interrupts his sentence to look at Rory, who looks everywhere except where he should.

Alphonse sighs heavily. "Richard, are you listening to me?"

Rory's eye opens widely, and he slams his hand onto the desk. For a small second, the eruption shakes the documents and makes Alphonse frightens shortly. "I told you not to call me that!" his teeth clench.

"Okay," Alphonse stands up to look him right into the eyes. "Then listen to me."

He sighs. "I did listen!" and lifts his voice a little.

"Good, then move your god damn ass to Helsinki and do what I just told you to!" he continues to look at him with serious eyes.

No one blinks.

"Fine," he says and walks out, leaving a tense atmosphere behind.

His hand brushes through his beard. "What have I done to deserve this guy?" he says regretfully, looking at the mirror on the left side of the office. For a second, he stares into the man he has become. Alphonse puts his left hand on his greasy hair, "I think I need a haircut," he exhales.

At the tavern, of course, Nalani and Teresa talk at the bar, having fun. Rory raises his eyebrows for a slight second, only to release them with a heavy sigh. He's sort of the leader, the one that gives away the things they have to do.

"Guys," he gathers their attention. "We have a mission. Helsinki has some problem, so," he lifts his brows for a second. "We need to lift the steam or something. Get ready, I guess," he descends his head to look at his watch on his right wrist, raises his head again. "In about an hour."

"Oh damn, just when I thought we're going to have a week of nothing," Nalani snorts.

"I know what you mean," says Teresa. "But we have to do it."

"It's funny you say that," adds Wang to the conversation. He turns over the page of his book, only to prevent eye contact. "Because you're the one who doesn't do anything!"

"No one really wants to fight, let's be honest. And you. Wang, you should just shut your mouth!" her jaw clenches at him.

Teresa looks at her with a smile. "It's okay, don't worry. Just leave him be," she says calmly to Nalani.

Santino puts down his glass of whiskey and stands up. "You're all kids who don't know shit. Yet, you're here talking as if you did," he walks out of the tavern, not looking at them once.

"Whatever," says Wang and moves out as well.

An hour has passed.

Rory waits together with Santino for the others to come. Today, they wear a dark blue uniform with a hat that looks straight out of the military. Their silver shining blazon that looks like wings coming out of a human raises its head to the sky.