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"No, that's not- hey, enough, just wai-"
More than a few curious eyes peered down the alleyway, some relief coming to most of them when they realized the man arguing besides an unmarked delivery van was alone. If first impressions are to be believed, that man would very much be happy to be listening to anything else: the drops of water hammering against the dumpster from an ajar bit of pipe above, the scampering of rodents between bags of rubbish, or maybe even something as extreme as a woman. As if his frustration wasn't obvious enough between his broad gestures and constant pacing, he let out a huff as he pinned the cheap looking phone between his ear and his shoulder, freeing up his hands to pluck a cigarette from his coat.
"Listen, just- just shut up for a second, okay!?" he finally snapped. He let out a sigh as he snapped his fingers, the top half of his thumb folding back like a lid to reveal the cusp of a lighter underneath. As he burned the tip of the cigarette to life, he leaned back against the side of the van, basking in the quiet to gather his thoughts.
Enter Vilĉjo: a man with something that could probably resemble a plan, if you held it at the right angle with the right lighting.
As Vilĉjo breathed back on the cigarette, tilting it up between his teeth as he looked skyward to the tips of the towers, he combed a hand through his pillow-styled hair. His fingers brushed over the steel protruding from the nape of his neck, the cold helping him regain his focus.
"Alright... so what, a buyer flaked on us? You know where I am, right? How many people there are here? I'll just go find another one. Shit, he might still be here somewhe-"
"You make it sound so simple." the voice on the other end of the phone retorted with an exasperated sigh. A feminine voice with neat articulation but a rigid twang. The doctor of the operation: Ieva. "How long have you got left?" Plucking the cigarette out from between his teeth, Vilĉjo grasped at the side door of the van and slid it open. Stepping inside, he yanked up a false panel from the wall of the van and stared critically at the figures that the display showed him, running the numbers under his breath.
"Around... thirty hours?" he answered, slamming the panel shut with the reading. He heard Ieva take a breath on the other end of the line, where he quickly opened his mouth to interject: "Look, the guy probably got caught up. I'll go find him or sell them off to somebody else."
"But what if-" Ieva attempted to squeeze on, only to be cut off just as fast as before.
"Ieva, listen. I'll be back in a couple of days with enough money to cover what we owe to Double King and then some. Go sit down, have a coffee, stop stressing; you've both done the hard work, so leave the rest to me, okay? When have I ever let you down?"
"Oh, let's see... how about when-"
"I changed my mind, don't answer that."
The two paused for a minute, huffing over the phone line, before Ieva broke the silence with a quiet laugh. Vilĉjo followed in suite, joining her nervously. Finally, with a conclusive sigh, there was a rustle on the other end of the line before Ieva spoke more calmly:
"Alright. I'll see you soon. Be careful, okay?" Ieva asked, her voice lifting with her gentle smile.
"Hey, you know me, darlin'. Careful is my middle nam-!" Vilĉjo didn't even get to the end of his quip before she hung up. Shrugging his shoulders, he tossed the phone through to the passenger seat before stepping out of the van. He flicked his half-smoked cigarette to the floor before yanking the van door shut, where he pressed the butt into the concrete while waving a pair of keys over his shoulder. The van beeped at him affirmatively.
"Alright..." Vilĉjo muttered to himself as he stepped out into the street. He cast his gaze every which way, peering over the shifting crowds before starting his way in whatever direction caught his fickle interest.
More than a few curious eyes peered down the alleyway, some relief coming to most of them when they realized the man arguing besides an unmarked delivery van was alone. If first impressions are to be believed, that man would very much be happy to be listening to anything else: the drops of water hammering against the dumpster from an ajar bit of pipe above, the scampering of rodents between bags of rubbish, or maybe even something as extreme as a woman. As if his frustration wasn't obvious enough between his broad gestures and constant pacing, he let out a huff as he pinned the cheap looking phone between his ear and his shoulder, freeing up his hands to pluck a cigarette from his coat.
"Listen, just- just shut up for a second, okay!?" he finally snapped. He let out a sigh as he snapped his fingers, the top half of his thumb folding back like a lid to reveal the cusp of a lighter underneath. As he burned the tip of the cigarette to life, he leaned back against the side of the van, basking in the quiet to gather his thoughts.
Enter Vilĉjo: a man with something that could probably resemble a plan, if you held it at the right angle with the right lighting.
As Vilĉjo breathed back on the cigarette, tilting it up between his teeth as he looked skyward to the tips of the towers, he combed a hand through his pillow-styled hair. His fingers brushed over the steel protruding from the nape of his neck, the cold helping him regain his focus.
"Alright... so what, a buyer flaked on us? You know where I am, right? How many people there are here? I'll just go find another one. Shit, he might still be here somewhe-"
"You make it sound so simple." the voice on the other end of the phone retorted with an exasperated sigh. A feminine voice with neat articulation but a rigid twang. The doctor of the operation: Ieva. "How long have you got left?" Plucking the cigarette out from between his teeth, Vilĉjo grasped at the side door of the van and slid it open. Stepping inside, he yanked up a false panel from the wall of the van and stared critically at the figures that the display showed him, running the numbers under his breath.
"Around... thirty hours?" he answered, slamming the panel shut with the reading. He heard Ieva take a breath on the other end of the line, where he quickly opened his mouth to interject: "Look, the guy probably got caught up. I'll go find him or sell them off to somebody else."
"But what if-" Ieva attempted to squeeze on, only to be cut off just as fast as before.
"Ieva, listen. I'll be back in a couple of days with enough money to cover what we owe to Double King and then some. Go sit down, have a coffee, stop stressing; you've both done the hard work, so leave the rest to me, okay? When have I ever let you down?"
"Oh, let's see... how about when-"
"I changed my mind, don't answer that."
The two paused for a minute, huffing over the phone line, before Ieva broke the silence with a quiet laugh. Vilĉjo followed in suite, joining her nervously. Finally, with a conclusive sigh, there was a rustle on the other end of the line before Ieva spoke more calmly:
"Alright. I'll see you soon. Be careful, okay?" Ieva asked, her voice lifting with her gentle smile.
"Hey, you know me, darlin'. Careful is my middle nam-!" Vilĉjo didn't even get to the end of his quip before she hung up. Shrugging his shoulders, he tossed the phone through to the passenger seat before stepping out of the van. He flicked his half-smoked cigarette to the floor before yanking the van door shut, where he pressed the butt into the concrete while waving a pair of keys over his shoulder. The van beeped at him affirmatively.
"Alright..." Vilĉjo muttered to himself as he stepped out into the street. He cast his gaze every which way, peering over the shifting crowds before starting his way in whatever direction caught his fickle interest.
