Cross-Species Hair Care Tips and an Invitation to Headquarters
I don't know if it was because Silver Peak's gang got thwarted that it felt satisfying, or Sasquatch and Moon-Boy, those two hairy guys, just got along naturally.
The stove in the checkpoint's small canteen was burning brightly.
The sizzling sound of dripping venison fat onto the iron plate filled the room with the aroma of meat.
Snowbird had two more hot dishes added and gestured for Sing Sing, Darwin, and the Moon-Boy to sit down.
Sing Sing, who had initially maintained a bit of the airs of a multinational agent, turned red to the tips of his ears after downing his first glass of vodka. He rolled up his sleeves and slammed his hand on the table.
"Comrade Snowbird, we absolutely have to talk about this!"
The Snowbird's hand, holding a cup of hot tea, froze in mid-air, and the Sasquatch beside it, who was painstakingly picking at a cow's bones, also stopped.
Sing Sing paid no attention to any of this; he pointed to the window covered in frost flowers.
"In such terrible weather, your Alpha Flight is supposed to be an official organization!"
"Such a big port and you two are left to guard it? Are you treating our employees like stone lions at the gate?"
"Exploiting employees to the point of risking their lives is outrageous! In our area, we'd submit a formal complaint to higher authorities, and it would be highlighted in bold red!"
The Snowbird looked at him for two seconds, her eyes filled with barely suppressed helplessness.
She placed the teacup back on the table and pressed her fingertips to her temples.
"We have shifts, and this week it's Walter's and my turn."
"Walter?"
Sing Sing turned his head to look at Sasquatch.
"Oh, so your name is Walter. That's a good name, like the kind that can pick up a bad guy, shake him a couple of times, and then a few pistols and half a bag of cookies will fall out."
Sasquatch put the bone down, scratched behind his ear with his thick fingers, and didn't understand whether it was a compliment or an insult.
Sing Sing has already taken advantage of the situation.
"What about the other comrades? Do they work a lot of overtime? Do they get night shift allowances? Does the canteen provide venison? Do they get hand cream in winter?"
"Let me be frank with you two, we recruit exceptional talent from around the world year-round. Staffing quotas don't discriminate by nationality, and the glory of labor knows no skin color!"
"If you're thinking of a mass relocation, I'll personally cover all international moving expenses. I can also discuss family relocation, and we can even arrange for the children's schooling and the elderly's medical care."
Darwin covered his face with his hands in despair.
He wished he could shrink himself into a ball and roll out from between the chairs.
Sitting at the same table as this guy is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me.
Snowbird skipped over that string of recruitment nonsense.
She pushed a cup of tea in front of Sing Sing, the bottom of the cup tapping softly on the table.
It means to tell him to shut up while he drinks tea.
The other end of the table, however, presented a completely different style.
Sasquatch and Moon-Boy, two hairy, burly men, huddled together, shoulder to shoulder, looking like long-lost kin finally meeting a secret code.
Sasquatch grabbed a thick deer leg bone that smelled of roasted meat and shoved it into Moon-Boy's hand.
"Eat more, you're at the stage of growing taller. Your black fur is so shiny and smooth, what conditioner do you usually use?"
The Moon-Boy took the heavy leg bone and took a big bite.
He tore off a large piece of meat, tendons and all, chewed it until his mouth was full of oil, and grinned foolishly.
"Wash it with the river water from our hometown!"
"The little fish in the river will come and help, eating away the mud and bugs on your body. It's so refreshing!"
Sasquatch nodded thoughtfully.
"A combination of all-natural spa treatments and biological cleaning sounds quite sophisticated. I'll try it out in a clean river sometime; maybe I can save money on hair conditioner."
The Moon-Boy nodded repeatedly, as if he had found someone who truly knew what he was talking about.
All he wanted to do now was finish his meal quickly and get on the road, escaping this place that was turning into a hair care conference.
"Alright, you can set off now."
The Snowbirds finally broke the strange harmony.
She put down her teacup, picked up a brown paper folder with a maple leaf logo, and pushed it across the table.
"But you'd better behave yourselves in Canada."
The Snowbird regained its composure.
"If you cause any trouble, we will find you immediately."
Sing Sing Chow sprang up from his chair, stood ramrod straight, raised his right hand to his forehead, and gave a proper salute.
"Rest assured, leaders, we will resolutely abide by local laws and regulations, protect the environment, avoid causing trouble for the organization or the public, and certainly not engage in any transnational illegal or disorderly conduct."
The Snowbird ignored his banter.
"Continue south along this road until you reach the headquarters in White Horse City."
Sing Sing paused for a moment, then reached for the folder and opened it.
Inside was a map and a simple pass.
"What are we doing at your headquarters? Are you treating us to a celebratory drink because you think we've had a long and tiring journey?"
Our leader wants to see you.
The Snowbird looked at him.
"You'll be told what it's about when you get there."
Sing Sing held the travel permit and examined it repeatedly.
"I'm willing to come to your place, but my appearance fee isn't cheap. According to our rules, for these kinds of international business negotiations, if it's less than four dishes and a soup, I'll flip the table."
"The headquarters cafeteria provides meals, and the standards are quite high."
"Make a deal!"
Sing Sing agreed with such decisiveness and efficiency.
Darwin, watching from the side, was itching to curse under his breath.
"Your backbone is like the snowdrift at the door; it melts away as soon as the sun comes out."
What do you know?
Sing Sing raised his chin.
"That's what they call 'a wise person adapts to circumstances'!"
"You, a lone wolf, have no idea what a sense of the big picture is. They've extended a warm invitation; if I were to hesitate, wouldn't that hurt the feelings of our international friends?"
"What are you standing there for? Get to work! Go start our luxury car!"
Darwin ground his teeth and pushed open the door without a word.
A few minutes later, the old RV spewed out exhaust fumes and its wheels rolled over the thick snow onto the road.
The atmosphere in the warm carriage was quite pleasant.
The Moon-Boy was fast asleep, clutching the enormous bone given to him by Sasquatch, his soft snores carrying a contented rhythm.
Sing Sing was still sitting in the passenger seat.
The conglomerate's representatives had barely left when their headquarters here extended an invitation.
It seems that the invisible key in my hand can open far more than just one door.
"White Horse City Headquarters... Xiao Da, step on the gas, let's go deliver warmth to our friends!"
Darwin stared at the snowstorm through his cornea and cursed impatiently.
You'd better shut up!
"I'll just drive you to Los Angeles, and once we get there, I'll buy a plane ticket back to my Alaska!"
The entrance to the checkpoint.
The Snowbird stood in the wind, watching the RV shrink into a black dot in the snow.
This guy...
They were just chased all over the snowfield by Silver Peak, but they dared to set their sights on the headquarters canteen and even tried to take the Alpha Flight away with them.
That's outrageously audacious.
That's quite interesting.