{Ok, this. This is cool. It's still a bum-ass airport, but yeah. I like it. It's modern, synthwave sleek crossed with actual good people, not just dystopian depression all over everything. BUT DAMN, THERE'S A FUCK TON OF PEOPLE, MOVE IT.}
Magnus: "Come on. Move it, move."
Daryl: "I am? Come on, big boss."
Oswald: "Sure you are. Moving as fast as a fat boy at a buffet admiring foo-"
Daryl: "Ain't your bitch ass standing around?"
Oblivion: "Move."
Aurora: "Y'all had a LOTTA tension, Jesus."
Tono: "WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU?"
Oswald: "Deaf boy."
Magnus: "Yeah, yeah."
Daryl: "Happy now? I'm finally at the end of the line. How can I possibly move now if you're gonna yell at MY POOR SOUL???"
One by one, the people in the security line moved extremely slowly.
In a long queue that stretched from side to side in straight lines. Annoying for most.
It was packed, and the talking from Broken Halo was quiet compared to the loud chatter of everyone coming in, awake and prepped to leave the airport, weirdly enough.
Stanley: "Hey!" He shouted from three people back at Magnus.
He turned around.
Magnus: "Hah?"
Looking around, he couldn't find anyone except Stanley trying to pop his head around Oblivion, which was basically impossible.
"HERE!" Stanley shouted, poking his head around Oblivion's elbow without him knowing.
Magnus understood who was calling him immediately.
"OH! STAN! YES?" He raised his voice back at him.
Stanley: "THERE POSSIBLY CAN'T BE A CHANCE WE WILL BE GOING IN THE NORMAL TOURIST SECTION, RIGHT?"
He said, shouting uncomfortably.
"Oh. OF COURSE NOT! WE'RE SOME PEOPLE'S PRIVATE MILITARY AND FBI; WE GO IN OUR OWN SECTION!" Magnus shouted back while Oblivion looked at both, alternating awkwardly, trying to eavesdrop.
Magnus: "SEE THAT?"
Stanley turned to see his finger and his arm extended past Oblivion's right arm, and to a room that no one has entered yet has a short queue.
He turned back quickly with his normal blank face, yet feeling annoyed.
Stanley: "BULLSHIT."
Magnus: "Yeah, man. We'll be there sooner or later."
{Mhm. It's gonna take an hour, isn't it? Just look at it. Like fifteen rows of people before we can diverge. It's all shit in a can. bullshit.}
It took forty minutes.
Forty minutes of awkward talk and dealing with old grumpy people, weird tourists, political supporters, crying kids and minority races who, for some reason, fit stereotypes they shouldn't be.
Daryl: "Finally."
Tono: "Boring check. It was just a normal one. I'm frankly disappointed everyone-"
Aurora: "Shut up, nerd."
Daryl: "Oh hell no, don't take your misery out on MY TONO. My sexy man."
Tono: "W-what?"
Aurora: "Aight, bro. This gay shit, you're really saying it now, here, again?"
Daryl: "Who gonna stop me? I may not be gay, but words are INFINITE IN POWER, I SAY!"
Tono: "Shut up, ne-"
Daryl and Aurora scoffed at the same time and looked away from him.
The three were the first to walk out of the room, the same area as the normal tourists go to get picked up at. They walked straight ahead till they were behind a staircase, waiting for the others to follow like sheep.
Magnus: "…"
Stanley: "…"
Tallurre: "…"
Those three came out next, looking bored and drifting into a coma. They walked slowly, one with passion and drowsiness; the other one had just drowsiness. The other just had passion.
Johnny: "I ain been stuck in shit like that since I been in one them earthquakes. Them shelters don't do damn horseshit. Right, Babe?" He said to Lori as he turned his head to watch her sleepily walk.
Lori: "Lemme sleep. This neck pillow comfy as."
Johnny: "You go stand sleep like a freak again, right ere? Right now?"
The two walked out with boredom like the rest.
Jordan: "Fuck is out there?"
Oblivion: "Can't put my eye on it. A clock or shit. Taxis and endless cars."
Jordan: "Fucking hell. tsk. Life's shit, man, without bitches."
Oblivion: "Real."
Oswald: "Facts, bro."Jordan: "You again?"
Oblivion: "It's just this dude, chill."
Jordan: "I guess, man."
Oswald: "Uh."
These two came next, Oblivion matching his tone once again, like they were best friends. Oswald tried butting in again but got pushed out again. He had some sort of bond with Jordan ever since he recruited him for Broken Halo.
Chidieberre: "So, drag. So, much for random people to come here just for a fricken announcement from Ciel. "
Sheng-Ri: "Yeah. Still is exciting."
Chidieberre: "Huh?"
Sheng-Ri: "What?"
"You heard me right?" Sheng-Ri said.
Chidieberre: "Yeah, this just ain't worth it when I got a phone for it."
Sheng-Ri: "Don't you ever get off that dang thing?"
"Nah. I just love texting boys and such. Sometimes my mom." Chidieberre spoke.
Sheng-Ri: "Man. fuck social media. It's been so long since I posted."
Chidieberre: "Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it."
Sheng-Ri: "I'm not gonna be an attention seeker like you, tard."
Chidieberre: "Bfffff. Is that short for retard? Making up new shit, I see, I see."
The two chatty ones were last and didn't care about it.
Sooner or later, everyone was close to each other and behind the stairwell secretly.
Magnus: "We are here, after who knows how long and a practically infinite waiting time."
People nodded when he looked around.
Magnus: "Now, I was originally meant to be DROPPED OFF, but that plan changed. I'm taking an actual shuttle now. Tallurre and Daryl can discuss whatever comes next."
Once again, people nodded silently, with a grunt or a rough nod.
I'm gonna head off after this meeting to our original destination; that wasn't Fierfam. It's simple, and Tallurre will-" Magnus spoke a bit more quietly for the group, who were semi-huddled and casual, but Stanley was putting his attention somewhere else.
Mindlessly looking around at whatever in the airport.
Korveth families travelling.
Political supporters of Ciel Aurentine running as fast as possible through a busy crowd to get somewhere.
Normal families quietly dragging suitcases.
elevators.
The white heavy-duty roof of the airport.
The back of the stairs he was behind.
His focus was mixed.
{This is cool. I really want to get outta here as fast as possible. When they follow me, I'll show them my experience and expertise in these places. Yeah. That's it. That's what's gonna come out and be next. I'm sure-Huh? Did he just call my name?}
Daryl: "Stan?" He said, confused.
Tallurre: "Pay more attention, Mr Kleitos," He scoffed.
Stanley: "Uh?"
His heart sank when he heard Tallurre's disappointment and visible concern about his lack of attention in the moment, which made him snap back to the conversation, with half the group looking at him.
Stanley: "Sorry, I was looking at the people zooming out there."
He turned his head back to Daryl and Tallurre, who were three metres in front of him, crossing their arms- one smugly, one visibly tense.
"Repeat that?"
Jordan sighed and turned his head away. He obviously, along with others, saw him not paying attention.
Tallurre: "We set groups. Not sure how you didn't hear Daryl groan; it was mainly Magnus's idea."
Stanley took his hands out of his pockets.
Daryl: "Yeah, man. You're with Oswald and Sheng-Ri. y'all will be in charge of exploring West Brook shopping centre; Aurora and I will be in charge of exploring Syncside, who owns the security cameras, to see what the problem was with it; Tono and Tallurre plus Oblivion will be going around the city to visit the SOLARR planetary building to get more anomaly info in."
He explained softly and slowly, as if on purpose; he was slowing down his words to dumb it down for Stanley.
Tono: "Yep." He grunted.
Tallurre interrupted Daryl.
"So, Johnny and Lori will obviously be together, since they work well and would be good at getting info out of unsuspecting people and lying to their faces. Chidieberre and Jordan will be close to Daryl and Aurora, going to visit manufacturing companies that worked on the material for the West Brook shopping centre and such."
He paused.
Tallurre: "Got it?"
He said bluntly.
Stanley exhaled gently. Then nodded.
"So, can I ask why these groups?" He said dryly, seeming bored when he wasn't.
Tallurre thought for an extra second and replied:
"Magnus, I think, said these groups will work. He was oddly happy about this order, so deal with it."
Oswald: "Ah-"
Tallurre: "Not done yet. Pause. Now, this "investigation" will last at most a week; keep it to that length, and I will allow the idea of relaxation during this. We need to blend in well, so buy casual clothes. Apartments, hotel rooms, and I can arrange a new name and ID if you can't manage yours."
He spoke with body language and hand movements again, and Stanley understood the situation.
He was going into something more casual than expected.
But when HE looked outside, it was anything but casual.
Stanley: "Wait, where did Magnus go?"