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The Stickmin Space Resort was regarded as a neutral space for governments to negotiate. Being in space was probably the most neutral position you could be in, and most people are too enamoured by the stars to even think about fighting. The meetings took place in a different area of the resort as to not cause any upset for the guests.
Charles adjusted his duffel bag on his shoulder as the doors slid open to the entrance. He stretched before exiting the small pod that brought him to the resort. The doors slid shut behind, sealing shut as the pod launched back to the docking station on Earth. He watched it briefly, absolutely fascinated by the technology of it all. He shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts of just sitting there watching the pods navigate expertly through the vacuum of space.
He wandered down the hallway towards reception, following the signs laid out for guests to follow. It was Charles' first time being able to attend one of these space negotiations, and he was rather excited. Unfortunately he was on a mission when most of the pilots had already gone to the resort, so Charles was travelling solo. It didn't bother him at all, he was pretty used to it anyway.
The reception was a bright clean pristine room that practically glimmered under the lights above. A neatly dressed man was behind the desk, shuffling papers with a comforting smile. He gave off an atmosphere that felt homely, soothing any worries that the guests may have with a calming presence. Charles walked towards the desk, admiring the glittering lights that twinkled along the sign.
"Welcome to Stickmin Space Resort. You must be Charles Calvin?" He stated smoothly before Charles could even open his mouth to speak.
"That's me!" He confirmed with a wide grin, quickly glancing at the nametag on his suit. Bryan Hampton.
"It says here you have a reservation for our VIP suite. I'll get your key an-"
"-wait, that can't be right.."
"Are you not with the U.S. embassy?" Bryan inquired, checking the paperwork carefully before looking at Charles with a quizzical expression.
"Well, yeah but, I'm just their escort. I should've gotten a standard room like all the other pilots." Charles explained hurriedly, feeling nerves mingling with confusion. He was going to ramble, he could feel it coming up and he cursed internally on how he had no idea how to navigate.
"..that, and I really don't wanna mingle with politicians. Like, it's cool this space station became the centre for annual U.N. meetups and stuff, but... Wow can things get tense in a room full of dictators, y'know?"
"Ah."
Charles continued to ramble, fiddling with the straps of his duffel bag as the words tumbled out faster than he could stop them. His mind screamed at him to do something, but he had absolutely no idea on how to stop it. His face is red, he's stuttering, and if any of the guys saw him he would either be a laughing stock or looked at with sympathy. He was so engrossed in his own panic that he hadn't even noticed that Bryan had exited.
"...And that's how World War Three almost started, hahaha! But uh, don't tell anyone that.. Anyways, sorry for talkin' so much. I'll ask the General about the rooms, no biggie -"
"Actually."
Wait that wasn't Byran's voice..
Before Charles, the owner of the whole resort stood. In his hand was a set of keys with the label '05' and he swung them around by the ring casually. His red tie popped against his white button down and dark dress pants. His expression held the gentleness that Bryan's had, but with a more tender intimate intention behind it.
"How about I help you check in myself?"
"H - Henry?!"
The owner seemed taken aback briefly, before laughing softly at Charles' reaction. He stepped out from behind the counter, holding his arm out to take the pilot's luggage. He gripped the straps a little protectively, as if he could save himself some sort of dignity. Henry just regarded his attempt at dignity with a fond look before standing with him.
"You've been booked in for the week, with quite a few packages already organised. Lucky you."
"Wait the week? Packages?" Charles looked at Henry with complete and utter confusion, but the other man didn't seem at all bothered. "The meeting is supposed to be only for a few days, how am I booked in for a week? With packages, I've never done anything fancy like that!"
"I've been informed that you've been awfully busy, so I have organised all of this myself." He explained simply, guiding Charles down the halls towards the luxury suits. The décor just got fancier and fancier. "I've already cleared this with the General, so you don't need to worry about that."
"I don't know if I c - can -"
"It's all been sorted Charles, you have no need to worry." Henry repeated again, stopping in front of the door labelled '05'. "None of the packages will interfere with your work."
Henry put the key in the door, and opened the door. He stood to the side, holding the door open with a bow and a gesture for Charles to go through. The pilot is pretty sure that he winked at him too, which made Charles all the more flustered.
The inside of the room is for a lack of a better word, gorgeous. The room was big with a large chandelier in the middle casting a comforting glow of the soft seats beneath. Smaller lights were strung around the room to ensure lights did reach the whole room. Dark blue curtains were semi-drawn to show the view of space. The bed was big with multiple pillows and visibly soft sheets. There was another door that Charles guessed would lead to the bathroom. He also noticed the extra blanket folded to look as close to a helicopter as possible.
He enters the room timidly, glancing around as he felt incredibly out of place. Henry just observed him from the entrance as he sat his bag down on a round table near the centre of the room. The pilot took note of the laminated sheet titled 'Packages'. It was a list the packages that Henry had arranged for him, it included a massage session and other things that he couldn't quite wrap his head around at that moment.
"I hope that this isn't too overwhelming for you." Henry stated as he set the keys down where Charles could see them. He offered a sweet reassuring smile to the pilot before glancing around. "Please, make yourself at home. You can call reception of you need anything else."
Charles could only look at Henry in confusion. He did not understand why Henry was doing this for him. their encounter was brief in the grand scheme of things. Henry just stood there smiling, and this time he definitely winked as he grabbed the handle to shut the door behind him.
"Please, enjoy your stay."