[Vincent Maxfield]

Vincent stepped out of the building feeling crushed, but he wasn’t sure why. The meeting had gone well. He’d just secured $750 million dollars in funding from the Iraqi government, and fairly easily at that. They seemed very willing to give the money over, and then some. He checked the time on his phone. It was only 1:30pm, the meeting was expected to go until 2:30pm, maybe 3:00pm. Then he check his phone again. 1:30pm. He woke up at 7:30am yesterday. He had a meeting last night that had lasted until morning and had completely forgotten that he hadn’t slept. And he had another meeting at 4:00pm. He hadn’t reserved a hotel, his penthouse was close enough to San Francisco, but not close enough to run in and get some sleep before his next meeting. He needed some fuel.

His sister had recommended a little cafe someplace around here at their last family gathering. Well, she hadn’t recommended it so much as she bragged about it. The coffee beans were harvested straight from Ethiopia and delivered directly to the cafe. They had a large variety of different kinds of brews. It was all highly artisan. And, this was the kicker, had at one point held the world record for an espresso with the highest concentration of caffeine ever recorded. That part might’ve been an embellishment. Ashley was prone to embellishments, but he was too tired to care. He needed that caffeine.

He called his driver. Today it was Valeria Jackson. He stepped in the car before realizing he had no idea what the name of the place was, or where exactly it was located. He tried desperately to dig it up in the recesses of his memory, but to no avail. That meant only one thing. He smiled politely and apologetically at Valeria, pulling out his phone. ”Excuse me one moment.” She nodded in understanding. He dialed up Ashley’s number. She answered after three rings.

“Is this important?” She answered in a dead tone.

”I’ll make this brief.” He replied smoothly, not a hint of fatigue or weakness in his voice. ”What’s the name of that cafe you mentioned last Thanksgiving, the one with the espresso?”

She sighed, “Is that what you’re calling me about? I’m reviewing a case.”

”I just need you to tell me, it’s for a client.” A hint of aggression started seeping into his voice, and of course it wasn’t for a client, but he couldn’t show any sort of human weakness in front of her. Everything must be for the business.

She sighed again, much more heavily this time, “Briggs and Sinclair. Bye.” And she hung up the phone.

It was Vincent's turn to sigh as he set the phone in his lap, then smiled apologetically at his driver again. ”Family.” She smiled sympathetically. ”Take me to Briggs and Sinclair. It’s a cafe, should be somewhere around here.”

“Gottcha.” She said, “I know exactly where that is. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes.”

Vincent smiled warmly back at her. ”Thank you, Ms. Jackson.”

“No problem Mr. Maxfield.” She replied.

Phone calls and emails kept Vincent wide awake as they made their way to the cafe. Still, he could feel himself slipping. It was unlike him to miss sleep, very unhealthy. Still, he supposed it couldn’t be helped. He lived a busy lifestyle and allnighters were simply part of the business. The business came far before his personal health.

Vincent spotted the cafe from down the street. He could tell from the warm, golden lighting that this was exactly the place Ashley was talking about. Its red and brown brick stood out from the more modern looking buildings that surrounded them (it may go without saying that they were in a very upscale part of town). The car stopped right in front of the building. The words Briggs and Sinclair appeared in golden cursive above the glass door and windows. He stepped out and thanked the driver again before he entered.

Inside, the place was filled with both tall, wooden, polished stools and brown leather armchairs. The stools surrounded similarly tall, wooden, polished tables and small, black tables sat in front of the armchairs. Everyone inside was dressed at the very least semi-formal if not completely formal. Many people wore high-class business attire, just like Vincent. The aroma of coffee brewing was powerful and absolutely alluring. There was a table set up for people to smell the various coffee beans. Classy, abstract, minimalist art was set periodically throughout the polished wooden walls and faint classical music played in the background. Vincent felt very much at home.

Vincent looked up at the menu, written in the same golden cursive as the name plastered on the outside the building. On its very own board were there words: Home Of The Famous Extraordinary Espresso, underneath was a warning about the amount of caffeine contained in the espresso, but an assurance that it was safe for consumption. It was priced at $30. So it looked like Ashley wasn’t completely embellishing, although if it really had broken any world records it certainly wouldn’t be safe for consumption.

He ordered the Extraordinary Espresso, and it was delivered to him in a small white porcelain cup on a small white porcelain plate. He sipped it, and was taken aback by how strong it was. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but it was, without a doubt, the strongest coffee he’d ever had, although he didn’t show his reaction on his face. He sipped it like it was any other coffee. He took a seat in one of the leather armchairs by the window. Across from it sat another, empty leather armchair, and in between them a small black table. He held the plate underneath the cup - as he was taught to do when he was young - and took small, gentle sips, the flavor still overpowering him each time, but slowly and surely getting used to it. He looked outside the window, for once enjoying this moment of peace.

[Deleted]

Alexandra parked her car near the café, and got inside, lurking around to find the man she was supposed to meet. The place looked quite fancy - oh, well, the entire neighborhood looked quite fancy, actually -, the tall wooden stools, the shiny tables, everything looked like if it were designed for the rich and fashionate, the yuppie bankers and music producers, snobs, who don't mind spending their money on special blends of coffee which cost the monthly wage of an average human worker. Not exactly a place she'd often visit, but neverthless, it had its charm. Briggs and Sinclair - sounded like the name of a British toothpaste company from the Victorian era.

Obviously, the ad agency people wanted to impress her, still trying to lure her into signing that contract she refused three times already. They never learn, but neither do I. Why I am here, if I told them already that I won't do that ad? I won't humilate myself in front of millions of people. The woman sighed on that thought, as she slowly walked towards the center of the room.

The café wasn't full, but it had a number of people present, most of them dressed in business suits and formal dresses, and the sweet smell of coffee filled the whole place. Alex felt a bit out of place in her less formal attire, wearing a simple top with a jacket, jeans and shoes with low heels. She looked around, trying to find the man she was looking for, but without any succeed. She waited another minute for him to show up, before deciding to take a seat, and look at the menu. She found an empty armchair near the window, and slowly sat down, picking up the menu from the small black table nearby. She glanced around, and eventually caught the glance of a man, sitting on the other side of the table, on an armchair just like hers.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't want to disturb you.", she addressed the elegant-looking man with a gentle, shy-ish smile and a small shrug. She was sure she'd be forgiven for this 'grave sin'.

Tag: Vincent Maxfield

[Vincent Maxfield]

As he looked out the window, drinking his coffee, he quickly started to feel himself rejuvenate. The fog that had invaded his brain began to lift and he felt like he hadn’t missed any sleep at all. This stuff was amazing. It was no substitute for actual sleep, of course, but he decided to ask if they sold the coffee beans when he was done drinking so he could take some home in case he ever needed to pull an allnighter again, which considering his line of work, was more than likely.

He let his mind drift and relax. He realized he’d also missed his morning workout. That most definitely added to his exhaustion. He’d also failed to change his clothes, though no one could tell. His clothing were so well tailored, he could go swimming in them, come out, dry off, and no one would be any the wiser. Still, it bothered him once he noticed, he felt dirty, unclean. But there was nothing he could do about it now, so he put it out of his mind.

He turned his head toward the door as he heard it open and was surprised to see Alexandra Williams walk into the cafe. Alexandra Williams aka Skyscraper with the ability to grow or shrink in size. The company had managed to gain a decent amount of information on Heroes and the Hero Program. Heroes were quickly becoming the company’s number one competitor and posed a huge threat for the future of weapons manufacturing as a whole. It was also important to have all the information he could about them memorized so he didn’t target one for experimentation on accident. Even the ones that didn’t have a very high profile had deep connections to the government and their absence would be noticed immediately.

Despite metahumans’ status as a competitor, Vincent felt no ill will towards them, as a concept or individually. It was just business after all, and one should never let emotions get involved in business. As individuals, he treated them like any other. A person was a person and they all deserve respect. That is until they became an asset, but most people weren’t assets.

This particular individual seemed quite out of place. She looked lost and was dressed in clothing not particularly accepted in places like these. He felt sorry for her, but decided it wasn’t his place to guide her through the lifestyle of the rich and posh, so he simply looked back out the window and let his mind wonder again.

His wondering was interrupted when Alexandra suddenly came into his field of vision as she sat in the armchair adjacent to him. ”Oh don’t worry, you’re not disturbing me at all.” He spoke in his smooth, deep voice, smiling warmly at her. He held out a hand, ”Vincent Maxfield, pleasure to meet you.” He greeted. ”Excuse me for saying this, but you looked a bit lost when you came in. Are you waiting for someone?” He asked politely.

[Deleted]

Alex looked at the man, whose pleasant demeanour came across as a positive trait. At least, she's not completely lost in the midsts of all these fancy people drinking their fancy coffee. She'll have someone to talk to until that ad agent finally arrives. She seized up the guy, who wore an expensive suit, and looked much less out of place here than she did. He fit in right with the surroundings, and Alex suspected he must be either the manager type or the artist type. More likely the first.

"Thank you. Pleasure to meet you too, sir.", she replied to the man's introduction with a wide smile, revealing her wide set of teeth, "Alexandra Williams. Call me Alex.", she then added on a friendly tone and shook the guy's offered hand.

Alex wondered if the man recognized her or not. She was a superhero, and not exactly the most discreet one. A lady of her proportions (pun intended) was not exactly an everyday sight, and hence, she could often be seen in the media, either on the front page of tabloids or in the news broadcasts, labelled as 'Lady Godzilla' or some other idiotic name she utterly disliked. She also did a commercial earlier in the year, which also broadened the public's knowledge of 'Skyscraper', her superhero alterego. But, given that these manager type guys don't exactly read tabloids and are not much concerned with stuff like superheroes rambling around town, Vincent might be unaware of her identity. Besides, in her civilian gard, she didn't much look out of the crowd, and who knows, how many women with similar looks were living in such a large metropolis as San Fran.

"Oh, is it so obvious?", she then asked with a slight sassy giggle, when the guy said that she looks quite out of place, which was a perfect observation to make, "Yes, indeed... I am waiting for someone. But he's apparently late. If he decided to show up at all."

Tag: Vincent Maxfield

[Vincent Maxfield]

He was already starting to like Alexandra. Despite her lack of appropriate attire, she had good manners and a pleasant demeanor. She acted with confidence, despite being out of her element. He could admire than about a person. Many would be intimidated in the face of so much wealth and - even Vincent could recognize - snobbery. She looked uncomfortable but not self-conscious.

”Alex it is then,” he replied, withdrawing his hand an appropriate amount of firm but gentle handshakes.

”Well, in the meantime you could order something off the menu,” he posited. “Anything look interesting?” From what he knew of Heroes and their wages, it was unlikely Alex had the money to afford anything offered at Briggs and Sinclair, but he’d be happy to step in and pay for her. He often kept his wealth close to his chest; money was success after all and he didn’t want to just be giving it away, but he liked Alex and he didn’t want her to suffer the enticing aroma of Briggs and Sinclair without getting a taste herself.

”Who are you waiting for, if you don’t mind me asking.” Alex had a fairly large public profile as Skyscraper. Maybe not as large as someone like Sunny Slater, but someone could certainly recognize her on the street. He assumed she would be meeting someone from money, as evidenced by their choice in location (it was clear Alex didn’t choose this location herself), so the most obvious conclusion would be someone hired to assist her public persona. But he could be wrong. She could be meeting another Hero. That would be very fortunate. The company had a database of Heroes, but it was small, very incomplete. He’d love to add another Hero to their index.

[Deleted]

"Well, let's see...", Alex picked up the menu from the table, as her new-found coffee companion suggested, to take a look at it and decide what to order while waiting for that advertising agent guy to finally show his face. She found the guy's demeanour quite pleasant, and despite his 'I'm rich and I know it very well' attitude his clothing style and manners clearly suggested, he seemed like an honest and straightforward person.

Neverthless, the menu looked quite stellar, and not only in their habit of naming their coffees in extraordinary ways to imply they're far above the variety found at a regular coffee place, but also in the price tags attached to them. Alex wasn't exactly poor, as her hero salary allowed her a fairly good standard of living, and also, despite the fact that she donated most of her income for the two ads she's done recently for good causes, she's still made a good chunk of money from them. But this place still seemed quite above her income level. She shook her head, thinking that her father devouted his life to managing a restaurant, and if he'd sold his coffee for such a price as they do here, he'd gone bankrupt in a month due to the lack of customers. Neverthless, she didn't want to be seen as someone who can't afford a coffee here, in the eyes of Vincent. She went through the names of the different varities, and then looked up, eyeing Vincent, "How about this so-called Double Chocolate Fantasy Espresso?"

"Oh, well... it's just a... business meeting...", she mumbled, replying to the man's question. She wasn't sure if she should reveal her superhero nature and 'celebrity' status to the guy, as they've just met and it would certainly divert the conversation to that topic. But, of course, it can be that he knows very well who she is. Who knows. "It's about... an ad... A commercial...", she explained, "But I don't really want to do it."

Tag: Vincent Maxfield

[Vincent Maxfield]

“Excellent choice, I assume. This is my first time at this place, but from what I’ve seen of it so far they certainly deliver.” He sipped at his espresso, the flavor hitting his tongue like a freight train, but his expression remained unmoved. ”Fantasy Espresso certainly sounds exciting.” He smiled. From her hesitation he could tell Alex was taken somewhat aback by the price, but she held on to her pride. No one wanted to appear poor. That was something he understood more than anyone.

A business meeting. She didn’t seem like the business type. A business type would understand the dress code of a place like this. Her hesitation was telling. Was she trying to hide her Hero status? Most Heroes weren’t particularly open about such things. It put them at a considerable risk. It made them a target for those who participated in the more unsavory parts of life and didn’t like powerful people getting in their way. It also provided valuable information to people like Vincent who might be considered harmful to the metahuman community, although as far as he knew no one was prepared for the activities of the Axin Corporation in regards to metahumans. Alex had a fairly public persona, however. There wasn’t much reason to hide. Perhaps she was just being humble. He could admire that.

A commercial. That made more sense. He furrowed his brow in genuine interest and concern at her reluctance to participate in such a thing. ”Why not?” He asked kindly. He could understand why not. From his brief introduction to Alex, he could tell she seemed like a very genuine person. Genuine people typically don’t like to pretend. Still, he didn’t want to assume anything about her, and he was sincerely interested in her plight. It was unfortunate she wasn’t meeting another Hero, but it was only a small misfortune.

[Deleted]

"Sure. Then Fantasy Espresso it is.", Alexandra smiled at the suggestion, and waved to a waiter to come and take her order. She was still not sure how she'd manage to pay for this cup of coffee without putting a loan of her house, but at least, it had a cool name indeed.

Alex had to think for a moment. Okay, so, she had revealed that they want her to appear in an ad. Probably the guy has already deducted that she was a superhero or either some kind of celebrity. So, it won't make any difference now if she reveals her identity and they get diverted into this topic. It seemed unavoidable. Neverthless, she hoped they'll find another topic after they went over the perks and problems of being a publicly known hero. Vincent didn't seem to be the type of guy impressed by a celebrity superhero, at least, he didn't appear to be one.

"Oh, well, it's a long story...", she spoke up with a slight laugh, "They want me to advertise... well... you know... feminine hygiene products..." She felt so embarassed when she said that out loud that she had to take a few seconds to control herself and not burst out in awkward laughter over the absurdity of all this, "And doing it while being literally the size of a smaller building."

[Vincent Maxfield]

Vincent could see the wheels turning in her head. She must be wondering whether she should reveal her status. This woman was obviously no attention hog. She, he assumed, simply did her job, not expecting any worship or fanfare. He respected that highly. He was taught that the only reward one should receive for doing their job was the profit it raked in. That, and the prestige, but that part was unspoken, only implied by his family. Fame, however, was different from prestige. Prestige was status, meant to be respected. Fame was cheaper, meant for the screaming masses. That he couldn’t respect, and he was glad Alex seemed to disdain it.

Vincent let out a small, polite laugh. ”That certainly sounds interesting. So you’re a metahuman. Are you by an chance a Hero?” He asked, as that would only be the most logical conclusion to draw from what she told him.

He brought the cup up to his lips and sipped the last of his espresso. A shame, he was starting to enjoy it. He looked at his phone. It was only 2:00, he still had his notifications turned off - in his fatigue he’d forgotten to turn them back on after his meeting - and he didn’t feel like turning them back on. He was enjoying this downtime, it was such a rarity he’d forgotten what relaxation was like. It was nice, and it was nice to socialize. He realized at this time that he’d hardly had anything to eat, he was famished. He picked up the menu and look at the food section, all expensive quiches and pastries. ”Does any of this food look particularly interesting to you?” He asked Alex.

[Deleted]

"Yeah, interesting...", Alex sighed with an awkward laugh. Surely, who on Earth can think of such a ridiculous idea as advertising tampons with a Godzilla-sized superheroine, "And you know the tagline they came up with?", she then asked, while trying to keep a straight face and not laugh from all the embarassment, "Big protection. Big. Protection. Seriously, what the hell are they thinking??" She sighed and shook her head in complete disbelief over this whole matter. In fact, she was even ashamed of herself for saying yes to negotiations with the ad firm, even though she knew she'll most definately will say no to their 'fantastic' offer.

"Yes. I'm a metahuman.", she then nodded with a slight smile. That wasn't much of a stretch, she thought, given the information she shared with Vincent. Just as much it was logical from him to assume that she's a hero, "And yes. I'm a hero.", she added with another gentle smile, "Skyscraper for your service.", she introduced her hero persona with another smile and a friendly nod, "Fighting for truth, justice... and for feeling safe and comfortable during your period.", she said with a sarcastic grin, "At least, that's what advertising gurus believe, I guess.", she shook her head. "So, what do you do for a living?", she then asked, to change the subject. She was actually curious of what this man does to earn his - apparently quite sizeable salary.

"Oh, let me take a look.", she snapped and picked up the menu to lurk at the food pages. It's probably just an expensive as the coffee and other drinks, she thought, and probably only edible for snobs who prefer oysters and stuff like that. "You know, I literally grew up in a restaurant.", the woman then said, "My dad still owns the place.", she explained, "So, I'm quite much of a food critic."

[Vincent Maxfield]

Vincent laughed politely. ”Big protection. That seems like a stretch.” The image of an obscenely large tampon made him laugh even more. ”What were they thinking indeed…” He mused. ”What are women supposed to do with protection equivalent to a woman the size of a building? Excuse me for being crass, but I don’t think it would fit most women.” He grinned. That fact that she was considering accepting this job offer spoke to him even more about her lack of ability to pay for this coffee, but it would be rude to point out such a thing so he kept it to himself.

”Skyscraper.” He tossed the name around in his mouth as if just hearing it for the first time. ”It’s certainly a fitting title.” It wasn’t uncomfortable for him to play dumb around Alex. Years ago it might’ve given him some pause, but a large part of negotiation is hiding information from your opponent. It’s a role he’d found himself falling into even in everyday conversation such as this. ”Do you have any interesting Hero stories?” He asked.

”Me?” He gestured toward himself. ”Well, what I do is nowhere near as exciting as being a Hero. I’m executive assistant for the Axin Corporation. You’ll likely never have heard of it, it’s a weapons manufacturing company, we’re not very public. I don’t do any of the exciting stuff though, I’m simply on the business side of things.” He felt no reason to lie about his position. It wasn’t as if the company’s activities were anywhere near public knowledge. Plus, despite his humility, a part of him hoped Alex would recognize the significance of the executive assistant title. It’s not quite CEO, but it’s close, and he’s certainly on his way up there. His family had instilled in him this competitiveness, this obscene amount of self-esteem based on one’s title and income, and part of him, though he knew it was wrong, wanted others to recognize his career and monetary accomplishments.

”Interesting.” He replied when she mentioned her father’s restaurant. ”I grew up in an obscenely rich and snobby family, so I’m quite the food critic as well, though probably not the same way you are.” He responded. ”What’s the restaurant called? Where is it located? I’ll stop by if I’m ever in town. I travel quite a bit.” He gestured toward the menu, ”So, what do you recommend, food expert?” He asked, tongue in cheek but earnest.